Being a 'professional' house cat, I am good at keeping myself entertained. My biggest habit is always having something playing in the background no matter what I am doing - be it podcasts, audiobooks, music or guided meditations. Hence, earphones play a very important role in my life. 


Established in 2012, SUDIO is a Swedish brand that strives to utilize the latest technology to create premium and minimalist portable audio devices. 

Recently, I have been loving this pair of NIO bluetooth earphones by Sudio



Now let's unbox with me. 



I love how delicate and minimalist all these pieces are. 


Out of the 6 available colours for NIO, I picked the colour sandy


I never allow my electronic devices to go around naked. Everything needs some sort of protection because I tend to bang around here and there carelessly. This vegan black leather-textured case is made out of apple skin from the northern region of Italy, specially for the NIO series earphones.    

I just wish that Sudio could've done an embossing of their brand name on this case for more sense of exclusivity. 



In comparison to in-ears, I prefer ordinary earphones that sit at the edge of my ears. I don't like how earphones get stuffed deeply into my ears and to some extent, the whole messy ear wax situation is a little gross to even think about. Ear wax is a natural thing and everyone has it - so I'm just being realistic! 

Sudio NIO comes with 4 pairs of interchangeable wingtips to provide optimal comfort and stability for different ear shapes. I tried doing burpees and jumping jacks while wearing these NIO earphones and they passed the test without falling off my ears! Plus, these wingtips make the whole cleaning process a lot more convenient (I do try my best to clean it after every use specially after a sweaty workout). 


Features of Sudio NIO:
  • touch panel control and automatic pairing 
  • up to 20 hours of battery life 
  • adaptive dual-microphone technology 
  • IPX4 splash-proof protection
  • 3-year warranty with Sudio Sphere


If you are seeing this post, I have a good deal for you! 

Use my code FIONISM to get 15% off all products on sudio.com.my & 50% off NIO case

Friday, September 10, 2021


Ever since I started working out back in 2016, I had always wished for a chance to collaborate with a fitness brand. It was such a far away unreachable dream back then but somehow, years later, Vimour made it happened! 

Vimour is a portmanteau, a made-up word coined from the combination of the words vim and vigour. Based in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Vimour is a yoga-inspired athletic apparel brand owned by LYR Global.



For this collaboration, I picked out their lavender-blue set. I was quite inclined to stay with my usual black-or-white choices but this colour tone is too special to resist. I just had to get it for my collection. 


Vimour's workout pieces are all carefully crafted with the Mojoyo fabric technology that provides:
⊛buttery-soft cotton softness
⊛noisy rub phenomenon controlled
⊛moisture-wicking for quick drying 
⊛medium compressium for air lifting
⊛4-way stretch fabric for 360° movement 


Top: Backless Halter Yoga Sports Bra (Lavender Blue - size 2) 

I really like the bareback cutting because I don't have such design in my collection. Inspired by the Chinese ancient bra "Du Dou 肚兜", this bra that comes with removable padding is flattering for sure. 

Bottom: Cross Waist Bike Short Women's Yoga Pants (Lavender Blue - size 2) 

Had a hard time deciding whether I should go for this bike short yoga pants or the flared boot cut long pants. Ended up going with the short pants because it's more practical in this hot Malaysia weather. When it comes to choosing a workout tights/pants, butt-sculpting is always a big key determinant factor. Girls, you know what I am saying! This one passed the test. I can say that honestly because I haven't been working on my booty diligently lately, yet after putting this pair of yoga pants on, I feel I do have a mini peach emoji there!  


For more designs and colours, check out Vimour's online store here. Happy shopping! 

Friday, July 16, 2021

 

Where did half of 2021 go anyway? Looking back at my 1st quarter recap, my year started off with a lockdown. However, as I am typing this at the start of the 3rd quarter, we are in another lockdown. Well done Malaysia!! 

The only fortunate thing was that we actually had a couple of months of freedom (from February to Mid of May - right after I celebrated Mother's Day in advance). If not, I'm sure that most people would've gone crazy by now. 

April: Catching up with friends







Hang out with my girls at 815 Paliro after not seeing them since my birthday in February. Cute desserts are always necessary for a girls' date.



Took me 6 years of working out to reach the same weight as my goddess Hyuna. I remember when I first started working out back in 2016, I had her as my body goal (she still is anyway) and this number on the scale was like an unreachable land for me. How surreal this journey has been! 



Celebrated our big sista, Vernice's birthday with her. I dressed up with makeup and heels specially for her. 





Grandpa brought us to Seven Terraces after a family lunch to check out the wooden carvings that he did for this heritage hotel. He had been talking about bringing me there for a little tour since I was still in university (it's been yearssss) but we never made any deliberate plans. So that day, during lunch right there and then, I was like "let's go today, it's now or never!" 

All the gold-coloured woodwork in those photos above were single-handedly done by him. Just look at how majestic the golden phoenix on top of my head is! 



Wrote this on my Instagram after checking out grandpa's masterpieces. 

May/June: life in lockdown & shitty market



Brought mom out for dinner one week prior to Mother's Day at Nada Natural Farming. Little did I know that was the last time we were allowed to dine-out. 



No more social life and no more going out because the Covid-19 cases skyrocketed in Malaysia. 


So, I ended up just spending a lot of time in front of my charts. 



Bought this book after watching Ali Abdaal's videoDon't be fooled by the title, it doesn't do the content justice at all (sorry Ali) 

At the same time, my remisier also told me to get a hobby out of trading just to maintain my sanity in the long run. 3 things came into my mind when he suggested that - fitness, reading and blogging. Among all these, blogging is the only thing that I have not been putting much effort into. 

My friend Poh challenged me to upload one blog post every Monday - at first I thought it was a wild idea but after thinking about it for a while, I thought "why not take the challenge and do it properly again, at least till the end of this quarter".

Baby step first, starting from this blog post. 



Hopefully, this will be the last lockdown for good. I haven't seen my besties for such a long time. And I just wish that I can stop having my cappuccino orders in takeaway cups. 

I'll end this blog post with some simple intention settings for Q3:
  • study Forex more diligently 
  • be patient about the macro 
  • appreciate the little things + celebrate the tiniest wins 
  • read at least 3 books
So I'll see you every Monday from now onwards then! Tata! 

Monday, July 5, 2021

Since the outbreak of Covid-19, hand sanitizers have become a necessity in everyone's lives. Well, that goes the same for masks as well. My skin tends to get dry and sensitive really easily, thus I am really picky when it comes to masks and hand sanitizers. I've tried several hand sanitizers that advertised themselves as non-drying but most of them just left me in disappointment until I came across Dfenze, which not only does its job and is definitely worth the value of money. 



As much as we wish to sanitize every single thing in our lives, not all items can come into contact with alcohol - which is the main ingredient in most of the sanitizers and disinfectants out there. Not only does it dry my skin out big time, I am also wary about the fact that it may damage my leather wallet and electronic devices (laptop, mobile phone and earphones) in the long run. My old yoga mat started peeling after I innocently sprayed a bunch of 75% alcohol IPA on it *eeeks*

This is where Dfenze comes in handy with its active ingredient hypochlorous acid (HOCI) that is produced via electrolysis-treated salt brine solution along with food-grade salt and purified water. 

image from dfenze.my

What is HOCI?
HOCl is a powerful and effective oxidizer and de-proteiner which has good microbial activity within these cells. Based on biological aspect, HOCl is the chemical naturally generated by our body to combat and ward off any types of infections. Harmful pathogens (bacteria, spores and viruses) can be found all around us in the air, on food, plants, animals, and on inanimate surfaces. The human body uses innate, non-specific mechanisms as the first line of defense against injury and infection. The skin itself, and mucous secretions at epithelial membranes are both important elements of innate resistance. But when these are breached, HOCl is immediately generated in response as the key chemical component of innate immunity. 

Dfenze HOCL Sanitizer & Disinfectant is a versatile solution that is natrual, soothing, biodegradable and safe to be used which also have the features as below:
  • pH 5.0-7.0 Free Available Chlorine: 150 ppm Kill broad spectrums of pathogens 
  • Kill 99.99% Influenza Virus H1N1 (Tested by Gmicro Testing) 
  • Kill 99.99% of bacteria and germs (Tested by Chemical Laboratories Sdn Bhd) 
  • Kill pathogen 80X more effectively than alcohol and bleach sanitizers with the same concentration 
  • Non-toxic (Tested by SIRIM Berhad) 
  • Non-irritant (Tested by SIRIM Berhad) 
  • Physical Characteristic Test (Tested by Gmicro Testing)

Knowing that HOCI is the safest and the most natural sterilization function, I now use it on nearly everything. Now that I have a 500ml one, I spray it on my yoga mat, sofa and even my wooden tables and chairs without worrying that it will cause any damage to the materials. 

You can also spray it all over yourself like holy water if you are too lazy to shower after coming home from the outside. This was already a pet peeve of mine before the whole pandemic thingy, just imagine how it disgusts me even more in this critical period. 

(Always remember to not bring any viruses back home with you for your own sake and your loved ones)


Dfenze products come in various shapes and sizes. No harm buying in bulks or in bigger bottles because these things run out really quickly anyway. Not only can you use them to spray on your hands and objects, but they can be used in air humidifiers and for cleaning food, and even on your pets as well!!



My personal favourite will be this small pocket sanitizer. It fits perfectly into my smallest handbag and I can even slide it into my wallet. Swear to god that I'm definitely bringing this everywhere with me. 

Before I end this blog post, just in case you are wondering if Dfenze's products are legitimate, you can click on this link here to view their certifications for various lab tests. 

Dfenze offers a 14-day guarantee on all their items. If you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, you can return for a replacement or refund with the original receipt. Click here to shop at Dfenze right now. 

Tuesday, June 29, 2021

 短短幾天里竟然跟不同的朋友聊到同樣的話題: [底氣]。這個真的是一個容易懂但是很難體會的詞。

很多時候我們都是用很狹隘的眼光看待當下,所以會把情緒和問題放大100倍來看,那是因為我們身在其中,當局者迷。 驀然回首,那些看似風風雨雨的日子也不過如此。努力地熬出頭的我們,擁有了淡定,更收穫了底氣。

底氣就是我不再因為一些外在的因素或废屁事懷疑自己;我给了自己更多選擇權和自由,可以任性取捨,也敢從新開始。


以前20歲出頭的時候,總會害怕別人的評價,怕別人不喜歡我,怕別人看不起我,怕別人議論我。

大学第一年,有个我把她当好姐妹的朋友某天突然跟我說,因為你手裡拿的包不跟我們其他人同樣等級,所以我們不能一起出门。有一度,我疯狂买包买衣服,因為怕別人瞧不起我,不把我當一回事。現在的我,覺得有現金比有包好。简单几件百搭的单品更方便。如果當不當得成朋友取決於我拿什麼包,那我寧可沒有這種朋友。這是自我提升和成长之後換來的底氣。

當年,有位面試官說我長得不好看,連看我的resume都是浪費時間。那時候的我52-55kg,常常以為需要靠濃化妝才能夠見人。現在,本小姐44kg,21寸水蛇要加馬甲線,而且常大素顏見人(就算化妝也是眼妝而已)。雖然不是美女路線,但是我知道我不醜。這是努力護膚、減脂、健身給的底氣。再想想, 任何一個有文化和教養的正常人也不會隨便評論別人的外貌吧!

曾經因為說著一口馬來西亞腔的英文而被同事客戶嫌棄、取笑;現在的我,就算說不出什麼莎士比亞等級的/深奧的英文單詞,但是因为口音已经彻底被我改了,也沒有人會說我的英文不好了。身在馬來西亞的我,現在偶爾會被人家說我很作,但是那三言兩語已經不會影響我了。因為只有我知道我花了到底多少時間,一個人在房間裡大聲朗誦了多少本英文書加上用了數不清多少個podcast來練習聽力。这些没人看见的苦功背后换来的就是所谓的底氣。

就連炒股,一年前的我會坐在電腦面前不知所措地哭。那時候任何買賣都不敢,認為自己不管怎樣都是失敗的。現在的我,虽還沒突然一夜暴富 (我還是希望這天會到來),但是亏钱之后也不再懷疑自己是否不能翻身了。我再怎么fuck up,我也知道哪里是个end point。就像我大师兄说的:【炒股不要看你当下赚了多少钱,你的底气应该来自于扣了犯傻的亏损之后,那个你能赚到最低的nett profit】。壓力迷茫肯定每时每刻都有的,但是現在的底氣是這一年半裡的起起落落、虧損💸、眼淚、壓力、无数个失眠的夜晚/Panic attacks換來的。只要青山还保着,这就还是一份完完全全属于自己的小事业。我是我自己portfolio的小老板。


今天听到很暖心的话,是閨蜜跟我說的:【想當年的你肯定受創,但是現在的你可以一笑而過】。

雖然偶爾會cry-baby一下,但是很快又自我療癒了。很多事情我都能在短時間內代謝掉。因為limit down的點就是 「大不了再熬過一次罷了嘛!」

Tuesday, May 4, 2021

A few weeks ago, my mom and her friend discovered a cafe at Balik Pulau, named Nada Natural Farming Cafe. Ever since then, she had been trying to go back again but it's always full.

Seeing that Mother's Day is just around the corner, I tried to secure a booking. I wasn't expecting a positive response as I heard that Nada Natural Farming Cafe has quite a long waiting list most of the time because they are only opened for 3 days a week, noon - evening. Nevertheless, I got a yes!


For those who know me personally will know that I am never a country side / outdoor type of person, unless it's autumn or winter. Unfortunately being in Malaysia, all I get is summer 24/7, so FML big time. If it wasn't for an early Mother's Day celebration, there's no way I'd voluntarily offer to go to such a place. Even my bestie thought that someone hacked my Insta when I told her in DM that I was going to this place because it's so unlike me! 


I booked a table at 5pm on Friday afternoon and it's a 40-minute drive from my house to their doorstep. 

The place is pretty secluded - better prep your Google Maps / WAZE in order to avoid getting lost in the middle of no where (yea, literally)


If you like nature, then this is a place for you - far away from the buzzing city, concrete buildings, traffic jams, and being surrounded by greenery, bugs, heat, blue sky, white clouds, river, noises of cows and horses around. 

Prior to Covid-19, I heard that picnics were allowed within this area. It's a cute concept, just not for my liking in this weather. 


This little hut is the heart of the cafe. 



I was melting big time because my heat tolerance is very low. On top of that, I was so scared of being bitten by bugs so I sprayed mosquito repellent on both of my legs, even with long pants. But I still got bitten regardless... :/ 



Take note of the opening hours and contact number if you are looking to visit Nada Natural Farming Cafe sometime in the future. Remember to book in advance like I did! 





This cafe has a relatively smaller menu and they change it from time to time depending on the ingredients that they prep for the week. 

The available payment methods include TouchNGo, Maybank2u, online transfer and cash. No card transactions.  



This place is strict with their booking policy due to limited amount of seats available:
• Only 2 hours of dine-in allowed for each table 
• They will cancel your booking if you are over 15 minutes late


Passionfruit, Wild Honey and Marigold Kefir (RM25 per bottle) 



Craft Beer (RM30 per bottle) 



Truffle Carbonara (RM33) 



Chopped Prawns & Clams Pasta (RM38) 



Took a shot of these flowers because our table was located right underneath a tree and next to a river with a bunch of tall grasses. 


I'm saying this from the perspective of an outdoor-avoider and I will definitely be biased towards my own preference, so take this with a grain of salt: 
  • Nada Natural Farming Cafe is a nice getaway place to chill with some cold drinks. I myself enjoyed the Kefir a lot but skipped the beer because I'm not a drinker.
  • The pasta dishes didn't match up to their prices. As a pasta lover, I know where to find better pasta at a cheaper price.
  • The service was quite slow. In their defense, only 2 people were running the floor and the kitchen was quite a distance from the seating area. 
  • I won't be back again because other than the Kefir, no other factor can make me go all the way there and brave through the heat and bugs ever again. In fact, if it wasn't for my mom, I wouldn't go there at all, the photos online didn't tempt me. 
  • That said, if I had such a place in Melbourne back then, I believe I would be a regular customer during the autumn. 

Nada Natural Farming 

Address: 
Lot 646 & 647, Jalan Kuala Sungai Burung, Kampung Sungai Burung, 11000 Balik Pulau, Penang. 

Contact: 
+6013-4030988

Sunday, May 2, 2021

I entered 2021 without my usual ambitious resolutions list because everything that I set out to do in 2020 went down the drain. Now with Covid-19 still in the air (so literally), I decided to take this year with a more light-hearted manner. Instead of sketching out the crazy blueprint of 2021 in my head and journal, I'll just deal with whateva that comes my way then. 

There we have it: 1/4 of the calendar has been ripped off. Now it's time for a little recap. 

January: my hometown got into lockdown 2.0 


See, what I meant by "you can just save all the big resolutions". But then again, I'm not saying to sit on the couch for the whole new year to pass by in front of your eyes. 

For the most part, I was just at home minding my own business - trading, Youtube, books, house chores, workout. Rinse and repeat. 


I finally started trading Forex with a real cash account. Practical and theory are 2 different ball games, so I'm still going through the learning curve. This is the ONLY main thing in my life, thus I don't really have much to update in this aspect since most of my time is spent sitting in front of Tradingview. 


Oh, with a significant amount of fruits/rice crackers and iced Americano. 



Got my organ donor card. I submitted my expression of interest back in December 2020 and now finally it arrived. Should anything deadly happen to me, this card will take care of the rest. 



Finally reached my target goal of being less than 45kg. 


February: Lunar New Year + I turned 27 y.o.


Red (in my case gold) packets for both grandparents and mommy. There goes a dent in my bank account :/



Became a Macbook user out of the blue! I'm all things Apple but never had I ever imagined being owning a Mac but it came as a birthday gift from someone 












Had a bunch of mini celebrations with my loved ones. Thank YOU all for loving me unconditionally xoxo




On the last day of the Lunar New Year, I played firecrackers and fireworks with my neighbours (we used to do that when we were kids, so this year we thought of reminiscing our childhood days again). Somehow, someone called the police and we got interrogated and "lectured" big time. Luckily, we still manage to get away with it. 

What a memorable way to wrap up the Lunar New Year!


I really don't understand why some girls like going to hair saloons so much. I kept on putting this off until it got to a stage where I couldn't stand my own reflection in the mirror then I finally grabbed my phone and made an appointment to get my rebounding done and hair cut. Many thanks to Alviz from Hair Unique Salon for giving me a hairstyle that's so easy to handle! I literally roll out of the bed looking like this every day.  


March: full of head-cracking days and sleepless nights

This whole month was solely about trading and nothing else. If I could sum up the whole month in 1 word it would be: restless (more of the mental and emotional side). 



I watched sunrise - the majestic show of Mother Nature. The view was amazing from an Airbnb that I went to. How I wish I could wake up to this view every single day. 


As for my personal life out of trading, March was a blur because I only found solace in good food and interesting videos/articles online. Been loving a Chinese debate show called '奇葩说' and been binging on a Youtuber named 刘芒 (LiouMonn) who I recently discovered. 


@thecappuccino is a trading diary that I created on Instagram to document my journey. 


So, here's a little recap of what happened at work in March. It was a brain-frying month. 


The only thing that doesn't betray my "blood, sweat and tears" will be the fact that my abs are still intact. 





As to what other plans I have for 2021, I only have one major goal: to be a better trader with less emotions and more consistency

Other than that, I think put them in the category with the title of "don't sweat the small stuff" in order to keep my sanity and happiness. These are the 2 things that people tend to take for granted or sweep it down the bed, but for me, I do put in a substantial amount of conscious effort into maintaining them.  

I know I have said this for the umpteenth time but I really wanna work on writing more - be it on my Instagram or on my blog here. I wanna stop thinking that every post should be a lengthy one so I don't get stucked or overwhelmed trying to achieve the so-called "perfect" post which hardly comes by (obviously... judging from the frequency of my updates)


So, maybe I'll do a monthly recap from now onwards. Not sure if I'm the "got a brain type" but I do have opinions on topics that I care to give a shit about. So perhaps I'll do some "pillow talk" posts here which will include topics that my friends and I occasionally brainstorm about - plus some girls' talk too.  

Hope the 1st quarter was good for you - let me know how did yours go in the comments! Good night for now ☽

Saturday, April 3, 2021

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