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10 everyday joys I can’t live without

Published by Ereen @ Everyday Ereen

I made this type of list eight years ago so feel free to dive into it by clicking here. Beware of secondhand embarrassment while you’re there. Whoops. What was I thinking…

01 A cup of coffee – Be it piping hot or iced cold, a cup of coffee will always bring joy to my mundane days.

02 Clear mugs – I refuse to respirate (or drink) without some type of clear mugs on hand. They are stinking cute and doesn’t pick up stains from coffee or tea. Major love!

03 Books – Yep, you guess it. I started reading again in December 2023 and I haven’t put a book down since. Book count for 2024 right now is 23 and counting!

04 Planner(s) – Digital or paper, I do not discriminate. This gal always needs to write, and a planner is what she needs.

05 My devices – in this modern world of technologies, I would be lying to say that I can live without my phone. It connects me to the outside world while I’m in the comfort of my living room.

06 Skincare – I can get by without makeup products alright, but I don’t remember the last time my skin has been without moisturiser.

07 Sundubu-jjigae – This recipe from My Korean Kitchen is foolproof and it’s honestly the best comfort food for me. I shall make my own version of it with ingredients that are commonly available in Malaysia, what do you think?

08 Bimonthly meet up with my girls – I’m an introvert at heart – I enjoy my own company, however, a catch up sesh with my girls is what I need to power up my social bar. Love them to bits!

09 Late night drives – Something that my husband and I love doing while getting our kids to sleep in their car seat. Getting coffee beforehand makes it a whole lot better.

10 Cozy, rainy evening – the soft pattering of rain drizzling against the window late at night. Just me, the sound of the rain, and a cuppa.

Book Roundup – December 2023

Published by Ereen @ Everyday Ereen

In regards to my reconnecting with a long lost hobby that had been tucked away neatly on the furthest corner of my life – reading fiction books – I would like to commence the first monthly book roundups, starting with the month of December of 2023 in which I will gather my thoughts on the books read and do a little review about them. Nothing too detailed nor too spoilery, just a little something-something that might steer you in or away from the books.

December of 2023 marked the month that I jumped into the reading train, therefore it’s only fitting I shall start on the said month instead of the start of the year. Here goes!

TLDR – I read 3 books this month: The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren, One Moment Please by Amy Daws, and Book Lovers by Emily Henry.

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Title: The Soulmate Equation
Author: Christina Lauren
Genre: romance
Trope: single mom, fake dating, enemies to lovers
Finished on: Dec 15, 2023

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I love this book! Would highly recommend it if you love fake dating trope which can tickle me fancy if it’s done well. The concept of finding your soulmate through technology thingamajig? I love!

Title: One Moment Please
Author: Amy Daws
Genre: romance
Trope: pregnancy, forced proximity
Finished on: Dec 17, 2023

Rating: 2 out of 5.

I gave it 2 stars because the MMC overused the word ‘fuck’ and I cannot stand it. And on the second half of the book, the reason for MMC behaving the way he did got me saying “whut?” and it’s just plain stupid of a reason in my opinion. There are better books out there. Skip this.

Title: Book Lovers
Author: Emily Henry
Genre: romance
Trope: small town romance, grumpy vs sunshine
Finished on: Dec 24, 2023

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed reading books about people loving books and also working in the literary field. However, I did find the MMC to be a little bland. I am not swooning over him and I didn’t even realise that he was the MMC during the first encounter of both lead characters. Yikes.

Thank you for reading! Stay tuned for January 2024 Book Roundup.

My AM after-skincare routine

Published by Ereen @ Everyday Ereen

My morning skincare routine doesn’t stop at moisturiser or face cream. Although I don’t wear makeup if I know I am just going to be home all day, I do want to look more put together so these are what I’m using in the AM, after skincare routine:

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Sunscreen

I think this goes without saying – everyone should be using sunscreen, no exception. Currently using the 3W Clinic Natural Vita-Moist Sun Cream, it blends like a dream without leaving any white cast. True to its name, it is moisturising and I do think girlies with dry screen will benefit from it the most. I’m on my second tube and I will be repurchasing it, that’s for sure. Did I mention that it’s dirt cheap, at just under RM10? Yes? Yes.

Brow gel

One of my latest beauty finds that I absolutely adore, the Pixi Brow Tamer Brow Gel. I have been on the hunt for a brow gel for quite some time but I refuse to succumb to buying one from Benefit and Shu Eumura because I just couldn’t justify the price. However, during a recent soirée with my besties at IOI City Mall I found the brow gel that fits my budget. It is translucent and although a little bit expensive at RM60, it certainly wasn’t as expensive as the ones from Benefit. It holds my brows intact the whole day. I love it!

Lip Oil

I have only ever tried two lip oils, one from a local company called Velvet Vanity and another one by Kiehl’s, the Love Oil for Lips that has the worst applicator and packaging, ever (but the product itself is good!) I purchased the Sephora Care Better Balm Shine Lip Oil not expecting anything, but oh boy it exceeded my expectation! A subtle hint of honey, not sticky, stays on despite my light snacking while watching the TV, what more do I want, really? It’s plumping and hydrating, too!

3 book tropes I absolutely hate

Published by Ereen @ Everyday Ereen

When finding the next book to read, I always, always, always check the tropes because there’s nothing more frustrating than realising halfway through the book that the trope(s) it is based on is one of my absolute hates. Having read 20+ romance books in a span of three months, I can deduce that I will not be touching these tropes:

Age gap

This is just a no-no for me. Literally nothing can make me change my mind. The thought of 10+ years age gap between the main characters makes me want to vomit. Just, nope.

Why choose

I am a monogamous romance lover through and through and the why choose trope is not for me. My romance books need an endgame.

Miscommunication

This can either be hit or miss from me. I love it in Love & Other Words by Christina Lauren but in Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez, it is just pure annoyance (although the book is good, though!)

Is blogging… dead?

Published by Ereen @ Everyday Ereen

The million dollar question of the decade – is blogging really dead?

Which, of course, I didn’t have the answer to because to me blogging is and will always be the dearest hobby of mine. It’s part of my personality. It’s ingrained deep in my soul. It could be my middle name for all I care because I don’t know what life is if I didn’t have my blog in it. Creating a blogger account on that mere evening of November 2008 was one of the best decision I’ve ever made for myself. I have evolved as a person and my blog is the digital proof of it. My blog now isn’t what it used to be 16 years ago and I’m glad that it changes with each version of me. It has been with me for more than half of my life and I want it to stay until I grow older and perhaps, a little bit wiser.

I haven’t been the best with regurgitating posts in the recent years, and I wish I could go back and do a monthly catchup post so I can look back through my archives of what life has been. Maybe I could go through my Instagram stories archives and planners and create backdated posts of monthly summaries but that would take an extensive research and about a few months of work to do. I’m not sure if I am up to it, although it certainly would make me feel like I have never left.

For the past few days, I have been spending hours daily on blog maintenance. I managed to scheduled three posts in a day and I even updated new blogs I stumbled upon on a secondary blog that I use to keep track with blogs I’m following. What I can say is there are a lot of inactive blogs out there and I just wish everyone would come back again to this community but I know with the rapid growth of TikTok and Instagram, keeping up with a blog would be the lowest on anyone’s priority list – including mine, just not long ago. I only managed to come back because I know I always need a medium for my thoughts that I need to put into writing no matter what. I’m that person who writes a heck of a long caption on Instagram stories – I think I’ve always known that I needed to come back to my blog.

My blog certainly need a little bit of refresh and I have been searching high and low for the perfect WordPress theme but to my dismay (and to my bank account’s sigh of relief), I haven’t found any that would fit my budget and aesthetic. There were some exquisite ones, but oh boy I am not spending RM500 for a blog theme. At least, not now. However, I am still quite happy with my current theme, therefore, I have just been tweaking bits here and there to make it even more refined and fresher that its previous version. I still have a long way to go in terms of updating my About and Contact page and editing my old blog posts and streamlining my categories and tags, but for now, I am quite happy with how it’s looking. Be sure to check out my blog regularly because this gal right here… is back! x

The Sunday Currently: Vol. 16

Published by Ereen @ Everyday Ereen

I had a wondrous weekend! We went on a short trip to Johore due to my husband’s work, broke our fast at this Thai food concept restaurant called Thamada Village and finished off the day at Nimmies Pastry Cafe at which I satisfied my caramel macchiato and cheesecake craving. We arrived home at 10 am this morning. Spent the whole day relaxing and napping with my husband and kids and broke our fast at my in-laws’. I’m currently snuggled with my laptop catching up on my dramas while my husband is out getting coffee for us. Overall, a good day, henceforth.

Currently…

Reading.

Tease by Melanie Harlow. I am 10% in and it’s looking pretty good so far! I planned on reading 50 books this year and Tease is my 19th. Proud of myself for managing to read this much.

Watching.

I’ve been watching a lot of movies lately and one of the notable ones was Damsel. Millie Bobby Brown was spectacular! But right now it’s Top Gun: Maverick on my TV.

Thinking.

… of what to cook tomorrow. It’s extremely harrowing!

Wishing.

I want a new flowy skirt and blouse matching set. Completely obsessed with them.

Wearing.

Matching pink tank top and shorts.

Wanting.

I should probably reward myself with a birthday gift (birthday on this Friday!) I don’t know what I want, yet.

Feeling.

I feel like I could use some Samyang and boiled eggs for supper. Craving, craving…

Writing.

I have a few blog posts planned for the upcoming week. Fingers crossed I take the time to actually write them..

Listening.

Maroon, Bejeweled, and Karma by Taylor Swift. Yes, in that sequence. The perfect track to listen to while taking a shower and doing morning skincare routine.

Smelling.

Like Pink Chiffon from BBW (which, we are boycotting, BTW).

Hoping.

That I actually know what to do with my life, career-wise. I’m like a lost ship so help me, God.

Loving.

I’m still obsessed with my blog theme so instead of buying new ones, I opted for revamping little bits here and there. I love the outcome. Oh! I’m back on Tumblr too if that still tickles you fancy.

Needing.

A 12 hour of really good deep sleep.