Blogger Girls' Day Out

I think a lot of good came from the Live Fashion/Love Music event by Yuna and Hana Tajima. For starters, the fans had a chance to meet the talented singer and increasingly popular designer. Then we had a sneak preview into Maysaa’s latest collection. But what’s awesome is that the event also brought bloggers together. For instance, another dynamic duo, Sue Anna Joe and Maria Elena, are now collaborating on a web show called ‘We Say Well’.

And if it weren’t for that event I wouldn’t have met Hana Fedora and Lia. Yes, that event marked the beginning of many wonderful friendships. Meeting someone you know from the blogging world in real life is a pretty new phenomenon for me. Judging a blogger from their blog is kinda like judging a book by its cover. Sure, there’s heaps you can tell about a person from what their posts are about but it’s the not same as knowing them in real life.

A person is a lot like a book.

A book has many pages while a person has many layers to their personality. You have to read their facial expressions and body language. You have to interpret their words and intonation. Just like a book, in order to understand the essence of the story you have to go through all the chapters carefully. With a person, in order to understand their personality you can observe the way they react to certain situations and see what makes them laugh and the issues they are passionate about.

Aimie, my long lost sister, lights up instantly when she talks about her son, Little Z. You may know her from her blog and if you don't, you're totally missing out! Just in case you didn’t know, she is half Arab half Malay; that’s why she stands out and looks so beautifully exotic. She grew up in Ipoh or as us Malaysians say it, Ipoh mali la! Her beauty secrets? She doesn’t have any. Or maybe she hasn’t shared them with me… after all they are meant to be a secret. However, as far as I know, this woman looks good effortlessly.

I knew Hana when she wrote me a lovely e-mail a few months ago. I’ve been following her blog ever since and from there I can tell that she’s a sweet, smart and determined woman. I mean, hello, she’s pursuing a PhD in Engineering. If that’s not determination and brains, I don’t know what is! After spending time with her I can now tell you that she’s brave, animated and outspoken. She loves tea without sugar and she prefers to take the stairs instead of the elevator at her apartment building in London. In case you're wondering, Hana Fedora is her actual name. Oh and I sincerely mean it when I say this: she’s prettier in person.

Lia blogs but she does it privately. She is quite a shy person but she is sweet and friendly. She doesn’t talk too much but just enough. Lia thinks being an IT person is boring but I have to disagree. Does Mark Zuckerberg ring a bell, anyone? The man she married turned out to be her good friend's brother. She is a mum to her 17 month old daughter, Nia and did I mention that she’s very understanding and forgiving? Let’s just say it has something to do with us not being so punctual lol. And her skin, oh her skin is so smooth and flawless mashaAllah. Thanks to her we had lunch at this very pretty café called 'Garden' at The Curve.

I love how they keep the tea warm

Pink rose tea: Almost too pretty to drink

Grilled Norwegian Salmon: An overall okay meal even though the salmon was a tad overdone.
If you're gonna order this tell them not to overcook it.
Or have the Barramundi fish instead. Hana's meal was so delish.

Hana likes to stick her nose in other people's..err... soup?

Soft Shell Crab Salad: Totally recommended! 

This is what happens when bloggers meet up

Checking out the stalls at The Street, Curve

Taking photos with the Xmas decorations and making Aimie cringe lol

No girls’ day out would be complete without dessert so we had New Zealand Natural ice cream. Of course. I mean, a little bit of NZ will always be in my heart… or in my tummy. I'm happy either way. 

Boysenberry ice cream

Then we had Tutti Frutti frozen yoghurt. For all the non-Malaysians reading this, you should know this about us: we’re absolutely crazy about food. If you hear anyone talking about people hopping from one café to another in one day to eat different types of food, they’re probably talking about Malaysians. 

Adding the final touches

Gummy bears, Oreos, peanuts and chocolate syrup

All in all, I’m gonna miss days like these when I’m back in New Zealand. I think Hana can relate. Once we’re back into our books life is tough! There's less time to keep the spirit of sisterhood alive and strong. I think it's  important for women to stick together, support each other and have a little fun. Otherwise, we'll just drown in our roles as wife, mother, etc.

Ladies, go treat yourself to something that makes you feel special today. It can be anything and not necessarily expensive too. Even a fresh bouquet of flowers would be nice, don't you think?