Exploring Seoul Through Sulwhasoo

Just barely three days since returning from Korea and I've already booked a flight to my next destination: i'll reveal this soon as the weeks draw closer. 

Korea was a blast. The only reason why I was in Korea was because my team and I had to shoot a special VR (Virtual Reality) project for one of Amore Pacific's brands, Sulwhasoo. If you're ever in Gangnam, go check out Sulwhasoo's flagship store, so intricately designed by Neri & Hu, an award-winning design duo. I didn't take a lot of photos of the store because I was too busy working, admiring the store, trying samples, etc. I think I tried waaay too many samples.

The view right when I woke up! It was 5am and I had woken up from a brief nap. Midnight flights are my favorite kind of flights for long-distance traveling because it's quiet. It does get uncomfortable to sleep on the flight but fortunately, I was too tired from a long day and slept like a baby. 

The rooftop event space at Sulwhasoo's flagship store! I love love love the design of this entire building, but my favorite place was definitely this one. The six-storey store boasts in two spas, VIP lounges, workshop areas and retail spaces. Upon entering, you'll be treated to soothing iced green tea and if you're lucky, an ampoule with ginseng extract for the extra kick.

Of course, the food was awesome! The Korean BBQ was my favorite besides this heavenly piece of Nutella and banana crepe, one of the many street foods you'll find in Myeong Dong, the shopping haven of the city.

I took a bunch of photos but I was too lazy to edit all.

I really enjoyed Korea. It was definitely a country that I had been wanting to tick off my travel bucket list. To be able to travel there for business was a plus, though I believe I would have enjoyed it more if I was there for leisure instead of work. Seoul is pretty safe for solo travel, though the cost of living can be pretty high (if you're coming from Malaysia). I was pretty happy to have had the experience of seeing another country. I doubt I'll be jumping onto the k-pop bandwagon but I must say that external beauty seems to be a thing around here. Be prepared to see an army of well-dressed, beautiful women and a whole load of beauty shops in the city. I hope I'll be able to go back again, perhaps to Busan or to Jeju Island.

P.S. Yes, I bought too many sheet masks (how could I resist a packet of RED WINE sheet masks?) #noregrets

In-flight skin talk and musings on career satisfaction

I'll be leaving to Korea in one day for what I would call a 'workcation', since I'd obviously want to spend time exploring Seoul and Gangnam. It still hasn't dawned upon me that I've reached a point in my career where I am able to travel internationally. Previously, my stint as a travel writer covered local content, so I would be flying off to Penang (mostly) or joining media trips to other parts of Malaysia.

Truth to be told, I miss the media life. I miss being able to brainstorm fresh content for a new issue with a team of creatives. I miss being able to write longform articles instead of the short blurbs that I write now. I also miss meeting new people, attending new openings and gaining fresh inspiration just by researching for an article or conducting interviews and organizing photo shoots.

People say that a job in the media doesn't 'pay the bills'. However, when I look at the very people who say that, those killing it with the formal attire and the high paycheck, I see that they are not happy. After speaking to a few people in my network, I find that most of them are not happy or fulfilled with the career that allows them to have a hefty paycheck. I look at my situation now, with the long working hours, client meetings, occasionally hell-ish circumstances and the high pressure that comes with advertising, I find myself unhappy and unfulfilled despite the high(er) income than what I used to earn when I was in media.

I'll definitely be thinking a lot about satisfaction and salaries during the six-hour flight. In the mean time, I thought of sharing my in-flight beauty essentials. I've never been much of a beauty junkie (until now) but ever since my addiction to beauty vlogs and such, I started an in-flight beauty routine since my last trip to Australia a few months ago. Six to eight hours in a plane is no joke.

Here's what I make sure I have with me:

1. Reading materials. I consider reading as a part of a beauty routine because refreshing your mind and injecting yourself with new ideas and thoughts is part of the beauty journey, at least for me. I think a beautiful mind outshines a beautiful face and I love reading books and magazines that inspire me. One of which are magazines like ELLE, Harper's BAZAAR or PORTER (especially if it's my #KarlieKween on the cover) and a good book. I read "French Women Don't Get Fat" by Mireille Guiliano on my flight back to KL from Gold Coast and I found it so hard to put down because Mireille writes about french culture, beauty and food in a witty and informative way. More on this when I get back!

2. Hair serum. My hair tends to frizz (#curlyhairproblems) because of the dry nature of the cabin. I decided to try out Botaneco Garden's Organic Argan & Virgin Olive Oil hair serum since I've heard a lot about the power of argan oil to tame flyaways and bring moisture back to the hair. It's less that 95ml, so I'm positive that I will be allowed to bring this in on the flight.

3. Sheet mask. You'll never hear the end of my adoration for this. I only decided to try out a sheet mask in the plane because it's gonna be six hours of flying at midnight, so I might as well fulfill my sheet mask quota (I do it twice a week) for the week. I decided to try the Jeju Lily Face Mask by Guardian, only because The Face Shop is not available at my area. I'm gonna be meeting international media and the Korean clients once I land, so I might as well wake up to fresher skin and feel good.

4. Lip balm. Same reason regarding dryness but I try not to wear lipstick or any makeup for long flights, so I resort to a tiny lip balm for moisture. I've been keeping this Born Lippy Passionberry lip balm by The Body Shop for some time and I find that it doesn't really absorb into my lips but it does the work of keeping lips moist. Oh well.

5. Facial wipes. I keep this in my bag just in case my skin looks dull from the flight and I need a quick fix-it before landing. I usually have this in my bag at all times, regardless of whether I'm traveling or not. I like Simple's Kind to Skin Cleasing Facial Wipes because it's designed for people with sensitive skin like me.


I've not packed but I'm excited because I'll be meeting new people, exploring new places and yes, I'm definitely coming home with an armful of sheet masks and instant kimchi ramen. To be honest, the last thing on my mind is work but I know *fingers crossed* that I'll be able to get the job done.



Till then,
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maybe the detour is a spark

truth to be told, i'm exhausted. 

i get up and ask myself, 'what exactly am i doing?'

i never imagined myself to be doing something other than my 'dream job'. for the longest time, i've always wanted to be in magazines. not just any kind of magazines, but magazines like Porter, Esquire or Vanity Fair. I would imagine myself as a features writer, profiling notable individuals, writing about culture, art, beauty, style, etc. 

i never thought that i would end up in social media, a job that never existed when i was 14 and excitedly flipping through magazines, dreaming that i would work for one in the future. 

i did, actually. 

i had applied to two magazines, one that was the dream magazine and the other was a backup, in case i didn't get the one i wanted. just as how i predicted, i got the backup and i accepted the offer (thinking that i need to start somewhere eventually), worked at it and realized how powerless i felt writing for a magazine that i didn't care about. 

i had applied to a few more magazines but nothing was working out. eventually, i had to come up with a plan B and that's how I ended up in social media and digital copywriting. i love the job, i even wrote an entire blog post about what i do, but there's that gnawing feeling of not achieving my old dream, a dream that i once held so deeply, a dream that i worked so hard for only to never see it come to pass and to eventually give up. 

so, here's the part of my life that i call a detour. 

i'm writing this to encourage those out there who are the dreamers, specifically the dreamers who did not achieve their dream because of unexpected circumstances. 

perhaps we can see the detour as a means of self-growth. 

perhaps the skills that we're gaining through the 'detour' phase will push us out of our comfort zones and spark a new dream. 

perhaps the detour is a way to bring us back to our old dream, this time with new skills, new perspectives and fresh inspiration. 

i hope you will be able to rekindle that flame that once sparked the birth of your dream. 

i hope i will do the same too. 

what on earth do you do for a living?

it's been three months since my stint at a digital agency as a social media manager and a lot of people have been asking me about my job. most of their queries entail 'what do i do' to 'how do i do it' and and lots of others in-between.
even my mom doesn't quite know what i do for a living!

social media marketing is a relatively new role in the business and marketing industry. most of them function under the PR & Marketing wing of a company or some of them (like me) function on its own. i can understand why people (mostly in Malaysia) are still blur to this new concept. sometimes, even i get a bit overwhelmed and confused to what i'm actually doing.

i decided to type out this simple post on what i actually do as a social media manager, especially for those who are curious about this line of work or for those who might be thinking of jumping onto this new digital field. please note that the role differs from company to company. i will just share what i've been doing in these last three months. i currently manage two clients on social media while playing the copywriter/content writer role for two other brands.

8am-10am
although my working hours begin at 9am, i usually begin my work around 8.15am when i'm in the train on the way to work. after all, all i need is just my phone and data connection. i start with scrolling Instagram and catching up on what i missed the night before. i reply to comments on my clients' accounts, scour the feed, check on the brands' competitors and if i have content to post, i usually post around this time because most people are active on Instagram at this hour due to the heavy commuting traffic.

once i reach the office, i get cracking on my emails and log in to Twitter to check on advertising/marketing trends, including industry news that's related to my clients (i currently manage a fashion brand, a beauty brand and an energy/motorsports sponsor). i also spend this time doing a lot of reading on content marketing, social media news and OCCASIONALLY, celebrity gossip or cute cat videos.


11am-12.30noon
sometimes, i have client meetings or internal team meetings. if it's a team meeting, that's when we discuss our progress or collaborate on existing projects. i'm also involved in brainstorming where we create digital campaigns, etc. i work very closely with multimedia designers, web developers and project managers to ensure that we're on the same page. occasionally, i conduct fashion shoots for a client to create visual content for social media. this sometimes involves working with influencers. if i have a shoot coming up, i usually spend this part of the day developing the mood board, the shoot concept and organizing the location, date, budget, etc.


1.30pm-4pm
this is when i start my on my copywriting/content writing projects for other clients. i find this to be the most difficult part of my job, which is why i do it in the afternoon because i find that this frame of the day is my optimal hour for writing. some people enjoy writing in the morning or late at night, but i find myself more productive when it comes to writing during the afternoon. must be the energy from lunch. this is when i play my music and tune off so that i can concentrate better while writing but i OCCASIONALLY goof off and check Pinterest or Tumblr when I'm stuck/in need for inspiration
sometimes, i may have client meetings, other product/lifestyle shoots happening around this time but i make it a point to schedule the writing bit for the afternoon.


4.30pm-6.30pm
once i'm done writing, i usually leave the entire thing and start on scheduling my Facebook posts for the month. this is when I organize the editorial content calendar and queue the posts, so that I can forget about it once I've set it to 'schedule'. Because this particular client is a huge motorspots sponsor, i will usually save the motorsports-related posts as a draft and update as needed.
once i'm done with scheduling, i'll go back to the copy that i wrote in the afternoon and begin editing it. i find that it's easier to edit copy once your brain has stepped out of something completely different.


6.30pm-8.30pm
before leaving the office, i will check the social media channels of my clients' for the last time. i also use this time to write my to-do list for the next day so that i wont waste time in the morning figuring out what i need to do. on a good day, i leave the office at 6.30pm (official working hours end at 6pm) but if there's a deadline, I stay as late as 8pm.


this is just a rundown of my schedule but it differs from day to day because there will be unexpected meetings, fashion shoots that take up the entire day or worse, a day when my creative juices refuse to budge. i find that in order to succeed in this line, you definitely need to be an expert organizer and a content creator with the mind of an analyst and a bit of a 'kaypoh' news hunter. it can be a lot to juggle but for those who thrive in an 'organized chaos' (like me) setting, then this might be the job for you.

if you'd like to read more about social media, check out Hootsuite's blog. they have some pretty interesting stuff up there.