Spotless journey update 1

I started this journey to spotless face some time in November 2021.  I don’t consistently update about the progress as I didn’t really see much of it.  I didn’t have the time to really care about the spots during Hajj and then busy adapting to the middle eastern weather at the new place.  After some time, I resumed the spotless skincase routines, adding new dark spot serum and mosturiser that I’ve never tried before because they’re not available in Malaysia.

After more than two years, I think the improvement is becoming visible.  Photo on the left is the condition at the start of the journey and the one on the right is the condition now.  I’ve tried almost everything.  Products that contain Alpha Arbutin, Niacinamide, Tranexamic acid, Vitamin C, Salicylic and Glycolic acids.  So, I don’t really have a regime that I can recommend.

Then (left) and now (right)

Hopefully it will be gone completely soon.  I don’t mind waiting for another two years for that :)

Getting your money to work for you …

Today, I am going to talk about getting our hard earned money work harder for us.  Basically, make it get more money for us.  Of course you earn something by just leaving it in your savings account somewhere.  But how much can we get?  At most 1% per year but most of the time, the rate is a lot lower than that.

We can invest more actively in stocks for example, but as we know, the risk is higher and it takes time for you to get the rythm and start making money.  Another not so passive, low risk option is by taking advantage of banks various campaigns and promotions as they compete to attract potential customers/investors.  For this, you may want to do your own research or subscribe to portals that can do this for you such as RinggitPlus.

Here is one example that I can share with you.  Let’s assume that you have RM10,000 available for passive, low risk investment.  If you just leave it in your savings account that gives 0.25% return, you will get RM25 after a year.  Early this year, I found two attractive offers.  Al Rajhi Islamic savings account* that gives 4% return, which is extremely rare and RHB Islamic fixed deposit* that gives 3.8% return after six months.  The former offer lasts for only three months from 1 January 2024 to 31 March 2024 and the later for two months from 31 January 2024 to 31 March 2024.

*Link may not work after promotion ends

What we can do in this case is to put the RM10,000 into Al Rajhi account for the first three full months from 1 January to 31 March that will yield RM99.45 return (4% x 10,000 / 366 x 91 days).  Withdraw the 10k from the savings account on 31 March and put it into the RHB fixed deposit that will give you RM191.04 (3.8% x 10,000 / 366 x 184 days) upon maturity after six months.  You will get a total of RM290.49 after nine months, which is equivalent to 3.87% per year.  You still have three more months after that to look for somewhere else for your money to work for you.  The return is certainly more than the RM25 or RM100 if you manage to get savings account that gives 1% return.

This option is of course if, for some reasons, you have ruled out ASB and EPF.

Some words of advice though, if the offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is.  Don’t be greedy.  Stick to only known and verified financial institutions.

Living life as expatriate

It was never part of our plan to be residents of another country, until recently when my husband was headhunted for a job in a middle east country.  The offer was good and made us question ourselves, “why not?”.  So, here we are, starting our life as expatriates.  Getting acquantanced with the new environment is neither easy nor straighforward.  The culture, the language, the weather and the cost of living to list a few.  Despite other benefits, we have to admit that being outsiders, we missed the perks of a citizen.  We look different whenever we go out.  We are the minority.

Of all the things, prices of items hit me the hardest.  Everything is more expensive here.  I always find myself comparing them with the prices of the same items in our country.  Thus, scouting for cheap, or at least reasonably priced items at least to me, has become my new hobby.  I also revive my passion for gardening, focusing on edible garden, to cut costs.  From this point onwards, this blog will share our experience living in the middle east.  Happy reading!

Coping with retainers

This is not easy.  It has been the reason why I had to go through Invisalign series after braces.  I've completed my Invisalign treatment and I have to make sure that there will be no third treatment.  I have to diligently wear the retainers.

Nighttime is a lot easier.  I don't usually take dinner and I can put them on as early as after Maghrib.  Retainers are harder than aligners.  Putting them in and out many times during the day is more challenging.

I found a solution that works for me so far.  I wear my last set of aligners during the day instead of the retainers because they are easier to pull out and put back in.  They don't look as smooth as retainers because of the stubs, but this is still better than not wearing anything at all.  I also wear the upper aligners only during the day because I think the upper teeth have more tendency to move or relapse.  The lower ones did not undergo major shifts and were done and stable for quite some time before the treatment ended.

With this plan, things are much better and more manageable.

Road to Makkah

Alhamdulillah, it's our turn to perform Hajj this year, 1444H/2023M.  Our turn was supposed to be last year, which was delayed due to COVID-19.  Didn't expect it to come so soon actually, considering no Hajj in 2020 and 2021, and half the quota in 2022.  Nevertheless, Alhamdulillah.  We are ready, Insya-Allah.  I've been making the necessary preparations, including walking for about 8 km a day to get me physically used to walking to and fro the Jamrahes for four days in Mina.  May Allah ease.

Today’s 8 km

I am also testing the performance of the mineral sunscreen that I'm planning to use there.  It's the Supergoop Mineral Matte Screen SPF 40.  So far so good.  Looking fine after 2 hours of walking and sweating under the morning sun.  It is a tinted sunscreen but leaves neither lines nor cast.

Passed the challenge