[Review] The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Salam n hye everyone~!!

The second part of "The Hobbit" trilogy is now showing in Malaysian cinemas since 12th December 2013, but it premiered the night before that in selected cinemas.

"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" starts off with a flashback scene of how Gandalf met Thorin Oakenshield. Then the story continues 12 months later showing the journey of the company of 13 dwarves, a wizard & a hobbit, namely Bilbo Baggins.

They are being chased by Orcs throughout the story. And encountered the Elves of Mirkwood and met Thranduil, Tauriel and....Legolas, hihi~... ^_^ There is a bit of a love story between the youngest dwarf, Kili (a.k.a Thorin's nephew) and Tauriel.

The company finally reached the Lonely Mountain despite having to go through a lot of dangers on the way. Bilbo then plays his important role as the burglar to try to steal the Arkenstone from Smaug, an enormous dragon who loves jewels & gold (and can talk too)

The story ends when the dwarves fail to defeat Smaug & the dragon flies out to the Laketown of Dale to cause chaos there. Owh yeah, forgot to mention about Bard the Bowman who plays an important role in the last movie of the trilogy, which will be in cinemas next year, hehehehe... :P

If you wanna know more about the story, you could juz read various reviews online, or read the book, or....go watch the movie yourself! ^_^

Last night, Friday night to be exact, I treated my siblings to watch the movie in 3D. It was our first time watching a movie together & I thought of treating them since I juz received my first salary of my freelance translator job (plus the fact that we're fans of "The Hobbit" & "Lord of the Rings")

We watched it at GSC, Setia City Mall in Setia Alam, not far from Shah Alam & Klang. It was my first time buying the tickets online, hihi~... Although it said that the movie would start at 11.40 pm, it actually started at midnight (after all of those commercials & trailers, that is) It was a packed hall, all seats were taken, so I was grateful that I had bought the tickets 2 days earlier, hihi~...

It's a great movie & last night was an awesome memorable experience wif four of my siblings (one brother was unable to go since he's in India)

Thanks for reading & happy blogging~!!

Two more November wins & others that have not been updated~!!

Salam n hye everyone~!!

Last month, I won in two more blog giveaways.

1. My Kpop Story by Simplesyara (result)

won: Kpop Lomocard

2. Friendship Giveaway by HimeOuji Shop (result)

won: Korean beauty product

Besides that, below are other wins in 2013 that I haven't updated since I haven't been blogging much this year, hehe... :P

3. Giveaway CraftMerahJambu 2012 (result)

won: Korean handbag

4. Like & Share by Kedai Cetak CenderaHati (NZ Harmoni Shop) (result)

won: RM5 voucher

5. 2nd GA sempena Maulidu Rasul by Warnawarni Craft

won: keychain & pen

6. 22nd Birthday GiveAway (result)

won: blog review

7. Like & Share by Marshmallow Amana (result)

won: RM20 cash

8. Like, Share & Win Contest by Butik Zardean (result)

won 3rd prize

9. Mode Malaysia X-Over Fashion Diary Giveaway (result)

won: RM10 voucher

10. LIKE, SHARE, WIN by dE'EijaMuslim (result)

won 2nd prize: RM10 voucher

11. Giveaway by HER HIJAB

won special gift

12. Segmen: Ucapan Selamat Hari Lahir buat "Si Gule" pada 19 Mac (result)

won: souvenir

13. GIVEAWAY BULAN MEI by ZnZ Lovely Handmade

won 3rd prize

14. Count & Win Contest by Best Buy World Malaysia (result)

won: Clinique Vitamin C Lip Smoothie

15. Peraduan 'Goreng' Dialog Komik-M (result)

won: 2 comic books & merchandise

16. GA Ramadhan Raya by Emas Putih (result)

won: novel book

17. Sharing the goodness of HOMESOY

won: Raya angpows

18. CER TEKA GAMBAR (result)

won: hijab, folder bag & frog coin pouch

Alhamdulillah for all the wins & arigatou to all the organisers of the contests/giveaways~~~!! ^_^

Thanks for reading & happy blogging~!!

Busy wif a new job~...

Salam n hye everyone~!!

Really, I dunno why I'm getting more inactive in this blogging world, huhu~... Sometimes I do have free time when I've finished translating subtitles. Hehe... :P

Anyway, now I'm sure I can't blog much since I've started work at my cousin's company. I started to work there since last Wednesday (4th December 2013). It's a company in Shah Alam that gives out auditing services & ISO certificates. 

Since I still haven't got any other job offers, I took up this one instead. My cousin offered me a job as a compliance officer. The good thing is I didn't have to go through an interview since he's the boss, hihi~... ^_^ I saw other people coming in & out of the office to be interviewed for various posts. 

 My table at work, still bare, hehe... :P

Selfies, haha XD

So currently, I have 3 jobs: working for my cousin, as a freelance translator for i-Yuno & also as a crafter for my own craft business, Greennnpanda Craft. Hihi~... :3

My cousin still searching for auditors to be associate auditors for the company. If you know someone who wants an auditor job, do contact me, OK?

Thanks for reading & happy blogging~!! 

Blog giveaways/contests - NOW vs THEN

Salam n hye everyone~!!

I've been a blogger since August 2010. But yeah, as most of you may not know, this is my second blog as my old one is inaccessible, huhu~... T_T Anyway, so since I've started being a blogger, I have participated in many giveaways/contests organised by other bloggers.

haha... XD random pic

The giveaways/contests back then were very much different from nowadays. So, here I've made a list to compare them:

Back then:
* the terms & conditions of the contests were usually very simple
* the prizes were often sponsored by the organiser himself/herself, but not very much in quantity
* participants had the option of following the organiser's blog
* some contests were interesting as they involved participants to post pics that are required according the the contest's theme

Nowadays:
* the terms & conditions have grown very, very long
* the prizes are mostly sponsored by other people, and there's a long list of them~.. ^_^
* participants have to (sometimes compulsory) follow the blogs/Facebook pages/Twitter/Instagram of the organiser & the sponsors as well

Well...I could only come up wif these differences. But on the bright side, I still enjoy joining contests/giveaways, when I don't have any idea what to post about, hihi~... :3

Thanks for reading & happy blogging~!! ^x^

1st November win - it's a blessful Friday~~!!

Salam n hye everyone~!!

I used to join lots of online giveaways & contests in the past but now, I only attend to that "hobby" whenever I'm free & in the mood.

Recently I've joined some giveaways on the other blog. And alhamdulillah, today I found out that I won in a giveaway segment by Eymasu. 

Eymasu | segmen pou bahagian 2 (result)

won: handmade pou keychain

this is what I'll be getting, hihi~...

The last time I won anything was in July, I think. But I was too busy to update about that one, hehe.. 

Anyway, thanks so much to Eymasu for choosing me as one of the winners. It's a blessful Friday, plus it's the 1st day of November too. Guess I was a bit lucky, hihi~... ^_^

Thanks for reading & happy blogging~!! ^_^

[Recipe] Malaysian-style Madeleine Cake

Salam n hye everyone~!!

Have you ever heard of madeleine cakes before? They actually originate from France and look like shells. Well, in Malaysia, the madeleine varies a lot and it is also known as "kek permaisuri" here. They're not really a whole cake, but rather petite cakes, which you can serve during tea-time or festivities. My aunt always does these delicious cakes, and a few weeks ago, Ummi (my mom) tried out to bake madeleines for the first time.

Madeleine Cake/Kek Permaisuri

* 250 gm self-raising flour
* 250 gm butter
* 250 gm sugar
* 250 gm eggs (approx. 4-5 eggs)
* 1 tsp vanilla essence
* strawberry jam
* desiccated coconut
* red cherries (chopped)

1. Mix butter and sugar until the mixture becomes light and fluffy.

2. Add in the eggs slowly and keep stirring. After that, add in vanilla essence.

3. Then add the flour bit by bit. Keep mixing until all ingredients are blended together.

4. Grease a 12-hole muffin tin with butter and put in the cake mixture until ¾ full into each hole.

5. Put the muffin tins in a preheated oven of 180°C and let them cook for 15 minutes or until golden.

6. After the cakes have cooled down, spread the strawberry jam on the top and then dab the top in a plate of desiccated coconut.

7. Lastly, put the cherries as a finishing touch.

It's really a simple recipe to make. Plus, the madeleines are delicious and are pretty too. ^_^ Enjoy baking them, hihi~..

Thanks for reading & happy blogging~!!

Freelance subtitling translator? What's that?

Salam n hye everyone~!!

Thanks so much to those who wished me on my previous post. Yeah, the minion plushie is the new trend for convocation bouquets this year. I guess this has a lot to do with how great the Despicable Me 2 movie was accepted worldwide, hihi~... ^_^

Remember that I told you I got a job as a freelance translator? (click here) Well, let me tell you actually what the job scopes are.

Since I'm recruited as a freelancer, I basically work from home. No need to rush & go through traffic in the mornings, hehe... My boss has asked me to download certain files & software that are needed for the work.

What I do? I translate English subtitles into Malay, usually for American & British shows. My boss will send a new assignment via email and using the software I have downloaded, I will translate the subtitles & put them into the video of the show I'm doing.

Since this is freelance, it's not a permanent job. I get paid for every episode I translate. Just like a normal translator who gets paid for every page translated.

Therefore, although this jobs suits me well and I very much enjoy the privilege of watching the shows before they are aired on TV, it's tiring and requires a lot of attention, focus, skill & time. For 1 episode, I'm only able to finish it in 2-3 days. (but I take a lot of breaks in between, hehe.. :P)

So...I'm still job-hunting for a permanent job. I'd really wish to get something like this, I mean something that has to do wif translation or language, yet...you can't be too picky when it comes to jobs, right? Owh well... Actually my mom prefers me to do a Master's degree & become a lecturer like her, but I insisted on getting work experience first, ngehehe... X3

Thanks for reading & happy blogging~!! ^_^

Finally..I've graduated~!! Alhamdulillah...

Salam n hye everyone~!!

Sorry for being absent from the blogosphere & not visiting you back. I've been busy wif work which requires a lot of time & attention.

Back to the main story... Finally, after years of studying, I have graduated from University of Malaya on 4th October 2013. A 3-year course ended up to be 5 years long, as I encountered some problems a long the way (that are personal, huhu~...)

I'm grateful to Allah to be given a chance to finish my studies. And I'm very much thankful to my wonderful parents, family, lecturers & frens who have helped me out greatly, even tough there were times that I thought of stopping my studies. I can never repay them back, although I will try my very best to do so.

Hard work & patience are rewarding in the end. ^_^ Even when the going gets tough, you should never give up. 

Thanks for reading & happy blogging~!!

*Drum roll*... Winners, woohoo~~!! ^_^

Salam n hye everyone~!!

Before I go to the main event, I juz wanna deeply thank all of you who have wished for my recent b'day. Honto ni arigatou gozaimasu~!!! *bows*

Although I did mention that it wasn't necessary to write an entry, but surprisingly most of you did. "It makes my heart feel super happy!" (quoted from the cartoon series, Ni Hao Kai Lan)

So, I've got an awesomely great surprise for all of you! If you wanna know, you've got to read until the end of this entry, hihi~... (✿◠‿◠)

OK. Now, let's see who are the winners for my previous giveaway. Omedetou~~!! ♡＾▽＾♡

To the winners, I'll contact you via the email you gave me. ^_^

For the rest of you, here's the surprise I'm gonna give you. I'll be following your blog & I'll read your posts starting from now on. Woohoo~~!! Honestly, I wish I could give all of you presents, but I've juz started working as a freelance translator. But, I promise you, I'll be hosting a giveaway when I get my 1st paycheck, orait? Ｏ(≧∇≦)Ｏ

Thanks for reading & happy blogging~!!

List of Participants for September B'day Giveaway 2013~!!

Salam n hye everyone~!!

These are the names who have joined September B'day Giveaway 2013. To those who have generously written entries, you get 2 names in the list. ^_^

1. nanakimie
2. nanakimie
3. Najwa Erbert
4. Najwa Erbert
5. NurulAfiqah
6. NurulAfiqah
7. Artiqa Horvejkul { IKA }
8. Artiqa Horvejkul { IKA }
9. Sarah Othman
10. Sarah Othman
11. N-fiq :D
12. N-fiq :D
13. Aisha Fauzi
14. Aisha Fauzi
15. Asiah Najihah
16. Asiah Najihah
17. Kim asyaa
18. Kim asyaa
19. Kisah Nenot
20. Kisah Nenot
21. Lina
22. Lina
23. Kawaii Gurlzz
24. Kawaii Gurlzz
25. fadwa daud
26. fadwa daud
27. Sye[D][D] Muhammad Al-Yahya
28. Nur Izzati
29. Nur Izzati
30. eyra dzuhairah
31. eyra dzuhairah
32. Maisarah Aisya
33. Maisarah Aisya
34. fyie fyn
35. fyie fyn
36. Cek Nad
37. Cek Nad
38. ain
39. ain
40. Amirah Azman
41. Amirah Azman
42. Yumida Huda
43. Yumida Huda
44. Nurin Asyada
45. Nurin Asyada
46. archie husna
47. archie husna
48. Diya Ariana
49. Diya Ariana

I will announce the winners exactly at 5 p.m today (4th September 2013). So make sure to come here later & find out who won. :3

Thanks for joining & happy blogging~~~!!! >w<

September B'day Giveaway 2013

Salam n hye everyone~!!

This coming Sunday, I'm turning another year older. (psstt..I'm gonna be 25, huhu~.....T_T) So, being a bit generous, I'm gonna throw a giveaway for you in conjunction with my b'day, yokatta~!!! ^_^

All you have to do is:
1. Wish me something on my special day, hihi~...
2. Leave your email in the comment section below.
3. [optional] you may write an entry about this GA if you want. It will boost the chances of winning. *wink2*
4. Duration: 28th August - 1st September 2013 (11.45 pm)
5. Winners will be announced on 4th September 2013.

Prizes to be won (courtesy of me & my blogshop Greennnpanda Craft):

1st prize winner

Felt pencil case

Shawl

Onigiri paper clip

2nd prize winner

Felt pencil case

Shawl

Onigiri paper clip

3rd prize winner

Belt

Necklace

Onigiri paper clip

Easy enuf, right? I'll update about the participants later, OK?

Till then, happy blogging~!!! >w<

15% Tudung2u discount voucher just for you~!! ^_^

Salam n hye everyone~!!!

Ever heard of Tudung2u? It's an online business, providing all sorts of hijabs & shawls, of the latest trends and in various colours & designs too. Let's take a sneak peek at what's hot in store. Ｏ(≧▽≦)Ｏ

Tudung bawal

Tudung awning chiffon

Tudung awning lycra

Chiffon shawls

Polka-dot chiffon shawls

Viscose shawls

Half moon shawls

Besides that, Tudung2u is organising a Merdeka Sales Promotion. Hijabs & shawls are on sale at 70% off! How amazing is that? Hehe... (─‿‿─)

click here for the promotion

Interested in buying? Well, I've got some good news for you~!!! (✿◠‿◠) Tudung2u is giving out 15% discount vouchers exclusively for you, fellow bloggers & beloved readers. All you have to do is go to Tudung2u's website (http://www.tudung2u.com.my/) and when you want to make a purchase, don't forget to give the voucher code below:

ADX2013

This awesome 15% discount voucher is available until 31st August 2013. So make your purchase now, no more second thoughts, hihi~... Plus, I bet most of you received lots of duit raya recently, right? *winks*

Thanks for reading & happy blogging~!!