Productive Past-times : Documentaries

I've come to a point in my life where spending hours on my phone just doesn't appeal to me anymore. I used to be on youtube, clickbait video after clickbait video, indulging in every single production buzzfeed puts out on the internet, willingly getting myself stuck in that whirlwind that seems almost inescapable. I don't mean to sound wiser than thou when I say this but honestly, I'm over it.

Other than my weekly dose of Jenna Marbles, what I really enjoy doing whilst I'm alone at home lounging in bed, car-less and fret free, is watch documentaries. I find them educational, eye-opening and nicely produced. I feel educated after watching documentaries (cheh) as stuck up as it sounds. I've decided to list down a few documentaries which I truly enjoyed, and hey, maybe the next time you are consciously 'wasting time' you can tune in on these too!

1. Maternity Leave and Why the United States is the Only Developed Nation Without it

 - Broadly

Broadly makes some amazing documentaries, I'll suggest more than one from their channel in this post, but this documentary is hands down one of the most insightful ones I've had the pleasure of watching. I was so shocked to find out that America does not in fact have mandatory maternity leave (did you guys know this), but this documentary offers more than that. It looks into 3 main countries as case studies, USA with no mandatory policies on maternity leave, Papua New Guinea which is the only other nation with no mandatory maternity leave policies, and Sweden with one of if not the best family leave policies in the world. This documentary also offers insights on American policy makers who believe that family/maternity leave bring harm to both social justice and the economy, and opened up my eyes to the idea of paternity leave. A must watch, if you have an hour to spare. Just click here.

2. The Land of No Men : Inside Kenya's Women Only Village 

- Broadly

I first came across the idea of matriarchal villages whilst scrolling through tumblr, and was happy to find a documentary on it. This was my first Broadly documentary, and I loved how the presenter presented this documentary. Matriarchal villages in a deeply patriarchal nation is something that is both amazing and tugs at my curiosity. This one is more light-hearted but just as insightful, click here to watch.

3. Cult Leader Thinks He's Jesus

 - Vice

I think books and documentaries about cults are intriguing, like whoa, these people exist and are real. This documentary explores a cult which seem to live a very peaceful, idyllic life, worshipping a leader who claims to be Jesus Christ. In general, Vice makes lots of documentaries which are equal parts educational and shady. Click here to watch this documentary, and check out Vice as well if you have the time!

4. What It's like to be Intersex

- Buzzfeed Yellow

I always knew that being intersex was possible, but was never aware of the issue of children being forced to undergo surgeries which quite frankly, weren't truly necessary. For those of you who don't know, being intersex means being born with both characteristic male and female genitals, the malay term for it is kunsa. This video is short (less than 4 minutes) but is documentary like, and opened my eyes up to the whole intersex issue.  If you want to learn more, pleaseeeee take some time to watch it here.

5. Grace Neutral Explores Korea's Illegal Beauty Scene

- i-D

I didn't know that tattoo-ing is illegal in Korea, and being someone who loves the idea of tattoos and wishes to be inked, I found it interesting that people with tattoos are literally shunned in a nation that prides itself on aesthetic to the point of condoning plastic surgery. This documentary not only explores South Korea's tattoo scene, but also rises up the question of societal pressure on girls to look a certain way. I love Grace Neutral, pushing societal boundaries, and a well filmed and edited video, and this documentary provided all three. Click here to check it out for yourself.

I'm big on social justice and fighting discrimination, and I feel like being informed is the first step to achieving just that. Documentaries are great cause they're fun to watch and they are informative, so I really hope you people watch some of these videos here. I enjoyed all of them and I really hope you do too! Comment below if you have any documentary suggestions, I'd really appreciate it. 

Till next time!

love,

Mira

010916

Hello friends!

It sure has been a while, huh. I've missed this space, honest to goodness. But I'm back now and with a whole lot of updates. I'm also at a very rambly talk-a-lot-of-crap mood of my pms cycle, so I'll do this post with numbers okay, else I'll be going on foreverrrr

1. I'm going to uni! 

My results came out 3 weeks ago, and Alhamdullilah, I'll be going to UCL to pursue Pharmacy. I'm so excited to start uni life, I've heard its going to be a whole new experience and I'm going to learn and mature and all that, like cooool, I can get even more mature?!?!?! Inevitably though, that means...

2. London calling

I'll be in London InsyaAllah for the next few years. If you've read my blog you would know that I've been in boarding school almost my whole life, but I must admit that relocating to another country is a whole new level of board. I am extremely manja, and my family is very close. It will be pretty hard to not have my weekly Saturday and Sunday dinner with my extended family. I have some very small cousins whom I am obsessed with, and I'm so scared they forget my face :( I also will be leaving behind some of the closest people to me. I know its not like I'm going off to war and all that, but really, I have built relationships with some people that are so so so precious to me. Seriously, their making this so hard for me. But anyway, moving to London is something I am very excited to do. I'm expecting to be super in total control of my everything, and that appeals to me a whole lot. I also got my hands on a very nice accommodation, and I even got my own bathroom. I am super thrilled!!! Mixed feelings about this though because

3. Imma be completely alone, for the first time ever

I have been blessed an amazing support system, but this also means I've never truly been alone. I feel like I've always been independent, but never alone, you know? I know this will be great for my self growth but tbh guys, I'm kind of nervous about having a non-shared accommodation. Growing up in TKC (my high school boarding school), I've been sleeping in a dorm room for 5 years, and at home, my siblings and I always sleep in the same room together (#clinggy). I feel like I'm leaving the nest, which is good for me, but it all comes with a hint of nervousness.

4. Making most of Malaysia

I loveeeee this country. Its such a santai place, its just so damn lepak. I've honestly been really busy, but other than settling my visa/accommodation/allthatjazz , I've been busy lepaking. Planning to set a world record of how much cili padi and teh tarik I can consume. I have just gotten into the habit of eating cili paid with everything, and I hateeeeee myself for it. Where am I going to get cili paid in London? Do any of you know? Where can I get kicap and condensed milk? Seriously, if anybody knows please comment below. I have about 20 more days in this country, I'm not going to deny myself a single craving. Please comment also if you know a truly Malaysian place to eat or see. 

5. On blogging

I have a lot to share about my experience on studying and getting into uni, but I don't want to be writing post that won't benefit anybody and be all syok sendiri. Are any of you interested in hearing about uni applications or studying or visa? Let me know, I'm happy to share. My close friend Fie just started a blog, and theres a very good post with guest writers about how everyone got into their universities. Check it out if you need inspiration, I'll link it here. I will be writing on a schedule once I get settled in London. Posts will still be pretty sparse up till then, and I hope you people understand. Just really making the most of my time with people and not being on the internet.

6. Blog direction

I'm still a little confused as to how I want this space to be. Sometimes my posts are super informal and I'm just talking about me (like this one), sometimes I write really thought out pieces about well, my opinion. I noticed most people do only one of the other. I don't want to decide, I'm a gemini, I'm both! And I really do get to make new friends through this space (thank you to anyone who has reached out and emailed me!), so I like to keep it personal. I wish there was a way to make like a forum here, so fun! Maybe I'll buy my own domain soon, once I'll settled and have more than just lepak tales to offer. Please do let me know if theres anything you want to read, I do a bit of beauty, i do bit of life and opinion, I do a lot of nonsense. Can I not pick a singular direction? I never pick one direction with my friends anyway.

7. I can't seem to stay at home.

Really, I can't. During the day everyone is out working/studying, and I am alone. I have gotten over being on youtube for hours on end, and sometimes I get super frustrated that I am not out. I'm becoming a irritable extrovert! Normally I have Saida to go get coffee with, or I'll drive to see my lover wherever he is, but I also don't have access to a car now so I don't always have that option (My sister Dina drives Johan to college). This is weird for me, I used to be able to laze around at home all the time, even crave it. Now, I just want to fill up my schedule. I think its the impending doom of not being able to do certain things and see certain people for a long long time in less than a month (cause I'm flying off right) so I feel like why am I alone at home when I will be alone in London. Why am I not out ?!?!?! 

Anyway, you will hear from me more often soon. I really don't have much to blog about, but once I'm in London, I'm sure I will. Thank you so much for still checking this space. It might just be one person constantly refreshing, but I really do regard people who visit this as friends. Hope to hear from you soon and often.

Love,

Mira

23.07.16

Hello lovely people of the internet world!

I feel like I haven't updated this space about me in ages. My post nowadays centre around my opinions or beauty reviews, and I miss just plain ol blogging. 

I've been spending my time being a stay-at-home mom pretty much. Run errands for the family, drive around whoever needs to be driven, meet up with friends for brunch, set some time aside to exercise (yes, I do that now) and organise activities/small trips/adventures with loved ones. I feel like a late 20's social butterfly mom and i love it! This is the lifeeeee. Some of my friends who are in the same situation as me (i.e. waiting to enrol into uni) have taken on jobs or are interning, but not me, I just want to rest my bones. I figured, I'll be spending the next 4 years of my life (insyaAllah) interning my time away I should just take it easy before it all gets crazy and I have no choice but to hustle. 

Oh I also did this

Its just a wig! But I'm wearing it out and rocking it like my real hair. I've alwayyyys wanted to dye my hair blue/green, but my parents won't let me, so I found a way around the system. And to be honest, I really like wearing wigs now. It looks like real hair, a lottttt of people totally fell for it, and its not hot or uncomfortable. I think you shall see me in crazy colours a lot now. I'm having fun, being the pixie I always felt I was meant to be.

I'm laughing a whole lot nowadays. A-levels results are out 11th August, and I am sooooo nervous (pray for me please, if ikhlas, if you wanna), but I can't help but think that I could be leaving this country and all my loved ones pretty soon. I want to spend all the time I have here choosing happiness, and my days have just been great. Making the choice to be present and positive is a smart and rewarding choice! Its funny, the closer I get to the prospective leave date, the more I fall in love with this country and all the people in my life. Alhamdullilah, I'm so lucky to have things that'll make saying goodbye hard (if I have to, if I get the results i need to get, if things go as planned a big INSYAALLAH)

So, I know I promised to post twice a week, but I have missed posts two or three times already. The thing is, as much as I do love my blog- it is a space which I feel I can truly express myself, me and all my contradictory facets- I feel like a scheduled post time makes me post just because. I have content, but its not content I would post if I didn't have to. So I think I'll be reverting to just posting when I want to, instead of a promised time and date. Hopefully, that'll mean no more sub-par posts. I'm so sorry if this upsets any of you, but you can put your email in to get notified whenever I do post in the sidebar of the right, or follow me on twitter, I update overtime I post something new here. Occasionally, if I feel really strongly, I'll update my instagram about new posts, so you could follow me there too (shameless promo huhu). Maybe I won't post so often while I'm still in Malaysia, but I'm hoping to document a lot of my UK (insyaAllah, if I make it) experience on this blog!

I hope everyones been doing great, wherever you are in you life right now. Be present, make use of every moment. Hope you hear from you lot soon and often.

Love,

Mira

On my typos.

One of my closest acquaintances recently told me that the first thought he had while reading through my blog was : 

'Banyaknya typo.'

Yes, I leave my typo and grammar mistakes in, but contrary to popular belief it isn't because I'm too lazy to do a spell check. 

I remember in school a lot of my teachers and peers encouraged me to start a blog, write on a public space, share my thoughts, and all because I was good in english and grammar. At that point I was just like, yeah okay, I can write so I should write, but upon growing up, I've received soooooo many comments/messages from people who say they want to start a blog or they want to share their thoughts but they can't because their grammar isn't 'good enough'.

Okay so I get why grammar is important. I understand why language has to be standardised, that its important for a system to be in place so we can all understand what everyone is trying to get at, okay, point taken. But a lot of the time, these people who come up to me expressing their want to write but feel like they can't, have an understandable, communicable level of language proficiency anyway. The only thing is (and I realise that I am assuming a lot of this because I've never actually been in their position) that there embarrassed that someone will point out their grammar mistakes, and the point he/she has tried to convey becomes less important than the fact that they aren't as good at a language. 

I can't help but wonder how many people we shut down as less opinionated or less bright, simply because they have not mastered a language to its fullest. And mastering a language is more than just being smart; its a lot to do with societal background, opportunities to get education, family upbringing. Some people just don't have the chance to receive good formal education when it comes to the english language, and don't speak it at home either. Just because someone isn't fluent in english, by no means should it reflect their intellectual capability. In Mira's idealistic (and some may argue unattainable) world, everyone's opinions would be weighed equally, regardless of what language or level of proficiency the opinion has been conveyed in. And I don't know about you but idealistic just means its something I want to work for, not dismiss as impossible.

So I leave my typos/grammar mistakes in to sort of let y'all know that hey, you don't to have good english to share your opinions. Share in whatever way is comfortable to you. I like to keep my blog space kind of sempoi anyway, yknw, keep it real homies. If your command of the english language has been the factor that stops you from expression, then this post is for you; just write. I got your back, me and all my imperfect typos.

Or you know, maybe I'm just being suppppeerrrrr defensive about my writing style. You decide :)

Love,

Mira

On opportunities

I feel like we are never grateful enough for our opportunities

One of my maids is only a year older than me. For those of you who may not be aware, having live-in maids is common practise in Malaysia, so no, I am not some rich princess that has maids to tend to her every wish and desire. Any who, she's born in the same time period as me, understands trends, uses instagram, you get the drift. Lets just call her 'Kakak'

So Kakak is a bright girl, went through high school, did well even. She's innovative, talkative, eager to learn. She's picking up English just by listening to us communicate at home, and we knew from day one that she really is a smart girl. But the thing is, she came from a poor family who could not afford to send her to university, so it was either get married or get a job. I understand why she was narrowed down to these two choices, marrying her off would mean less burden for the family and if that wasn't going to happen than it was vital she brought money to the table. The unfortunate truth is that putting food on the table always comes before education, and in most parts of the world tertiary education is still a very expensive luxury. She chose to leave home the moment she could to work (read : very young, but still legal guys no worries!). She told us that working in Malaysia is good and easy money. Retail jobs back home were hard to secure without networks and the other option would be to work in the fields. So she made that sacrifice.

I feel like Kakak is happy working here, at least she tells me she much prefers this than being married off to a man she barely knew. But I can never shake this disturbing feeling that she's just one year older than me and has been almost forced into this decision. We're so similar in age, it sends me shivers down my spine thinking that I could have easily been born into her life, we could have been switched. But instead, the lottery of birth placed me into this life, where tertiary education is almost a done deal, and I really have very little to worry about in the grand scale of things. I don't have to provide, I don't have to worry about being married off, I don't even have to worry about food because I will get fed one way or the other. And living in my house, so similar in age to me, is a girl who's had to worry about all those things.

My life comes with its own set of challenges; Kakak will never feel the pressure of picking an education thats worth a heck lot of money. Neither will she almost be forced to a 9-5 lifestyle, or be expected to perform a certain academic standard, but still, put my worries against hers on a scale and we don't even have to wonder who will win. It all comes down to opportunities. Both Kakak and I have had very different opportunities in life. We all get them, some may seem more appealing than others but everyone is destined to their own unique set of opportunities which is mostly determined by what life you were born into. Its kind of sad, but its sadder to know that there are so many people who get good opportunities and just don't take them.  People who would pick 'chilling' forever over the prospect of self growth and improvement just because they want to. Don't get me wrong, I love to lepak, but everything in moderation guys. Don't let your lepak game ruin your opportunities.

Who's to say who got luckier in the birth lottery, but one thing I know for sure is that I have had more options than Kakak ever did. And I feel like I almost have a duty to take every opportunity I can to grow and learn, even if it means I have to work a little harder and chill a little less. Think about it, there are people out there who don't even dare dream about the things we take for granted. So my reminder to myself, and all of you, is to grab the opportunity, whatever it may be, because some people will never have the chance.

Love,

Mirr

Explore KL : Lake Gardens

Do you guys realise that KL has so many shopping malls. Its crazy, and for some reason, we're still building new ones. 

Without meaning to sound snobby or bratty, I truly feel like I've outgrown shopping malls ; I just really dislike being in such a huge closed off building. The only kind of malls you'd find me chilling at are the likes of Publika or Bangsar Village, where its more opened up and airy and doesn't really feel as if you're walking around a huge concrete block. 

As someone who loves going out but hates malls, I find it really sad that its hard for me to find things to do in my chill time, other than 'get coffee'. I feel like Malaysia and KL has so much to offer culturally and historically, but its quite sad that our museums, memorials and parks aren't really given much attention. I understand, KL is hot, who wants to sit in a park all day. But for the select few who are like me and don't mind a day in the sun, or walking around an empty museum, I'm starting this small section on my blog called Explore KL, where I'll write about the other things you can do, other than going to a mall and watching a movie.

First up, Lake Gardens!

The very first day of the year, my best friend Saida and I wanted to go for a picnic and she suggested we head to lake gardens. Before 1st January 2016, I never knew this place even existed-despite it being 10 minutes away from my house, but its now one of my favourite places in the city, so props to Saida for bringing me here. Lake Gardens is a huge park and I daresay its the most well maintained park in the city. It has small sections in the park where there are smaller displays, like one section are all plants that you can eat, theres a bamboo house you can play at, theres a huge playground, and admission for everything is free! The yellow structure pictured above are roofs for a skate park, nothing extreme but still looks like an uber fun place to skate or ride your bike at.

Like most parks it has a lot of greenery, and these huge pot things that scream " TAKE A PICTURE FOR THE GRAM" Definitely a good instagram spot, if you're the type. I normally go in the morning and its pretty cooling, no scorching heat and you don't have to worry too much about sweating buckets. Like I mentioned before, they have a bunch of little areas with different types of plants, so you can learn a lot about nature just by walking through the park. 

There's a little deer park, but I think it only opens after 12pm. I'm not sure how good it is because I'm always home by 10 am on my lake garden visits. Theres also a few of theres huge tree houses, which are the coolest! I brought my (now ex) boyfriend for a picnic in a treehouse here, and it was such a good day. Windy and surrounded by greenery, its the ultimate spot for picnic, and normally you can get the whole tree house to yourself (since no-one appreciates things like this, the park is never full). 

Theres a hugeeee playground and a few little ponds, and I forgot to take a picture but theres also this huge bamboo treehouse complex which is a fun place to just sit around. Near the carpark, theres a small shop selling nasi lemak, nasi dagang and the likes. I've only been here in the morning so I'm not too sure about operating hours, but its a nice place to eat after a morning jog. Also, my favourite, theres a few stalls selling orchids for really cheap here!

This is my go to place for potted orchids because they last me very long and can be as low as RM 8! Or course, some would be more expensive but I normally spend less than RM 20 on my trips and I get something to cheer up my room for 3 months.

So there you have it, do pay Lake gardens a visit if you want to hang out somewhere a little out of the ordinary. Its a huge park, and the skate area and bamboo house is not near the main parking area, so take your time to walk around and explore. Its open from 7am to 8pm daily, and sometimes they have flower and art exhibits, so it really is a nice space. Also, let me know in the comments if there are any cool places I could go to in KL. I'm hoping to post at least once every two weeks about the not so popular gems of my city, and hopefully, if people start becoming more interested, the government and private companies will take initiative to maintain these places better. There's so much our city has to offer, we just gotta look around a little more.

Love,

Mirr

Aidilfitri 2016

Selamat Hari Raya guys!

Hows Aidilfitri for you guys? Are you celebrating, did you load in on the food and duit raya? I hope you did!

Aidilfitri is a festivity that my mom tries to welcome with a lot of gusto. We don't have the traditional kampung to go back to (I go back to my Wans in Ampang, and thats very city) but my mom being the superwoman she is keeps up with all the tradition you would find in the kampung. We cook and clean like crazy! 

Growing up, I would help out but always with a slight grunt and reluctance. I'd just rather be asleep or something ya feel? And I don't really like to do something if someone tells me to do it you know right, you feel me right.... But this year, my parents told me I can do whatever I want (including buying whatever I want) to make the house look nice. I don't know if my parents read a parenting hack or just felt like it was time to give me some responsibility, but it worked man (probably was the prospect of being able to go shopping no questions asked hehe). I rearranged the whole living room voluntarily, and was pretty much headed the cleaning side of raya prep, just doing more than any of them asked for initially. So top tip, if you want somebody get something just tell them they have free will to of anything they want with it because their in charge, or yknw, give them some money and let them spend it however they want.

Whilst cleaning I realised, I feel more at home than I've ever been. Being in boarding school all my life has sort of made me feel confused at what the term home really is, I always feel like a nomad. But I think I've figured it out guys, home is wherever and whatever you put your heart into. It doesn't have to be an actual place, if you invest your time and care into something, it starts to become home. 

Anyways, this raya season has been super busy for me. Apologies for missing my Saturday post last week, I just did not have a time! And this post is a little cincai because I gotta get back to the dishes soon, but I'll be adding some raya pictures below. 

Hope you had a great day! And Maaf Zahir & Batin for anything and everything.

Love,

Mira