coriander in pho

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  • UNIQLO x Animal Crossing: New Horizons

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    I heard about UNIQLO x Animal Crossing: New Horizons line on UNIQLO’s FB Page. I think it was… 1-2 days before the lockdown, and we already decided to not going outside unless absolutely necessary, so I ordered it from UNIQLO app.

    This is actually my favorite.

    I like it because it’s like “inside joke” among Animal Crossing players. Even in the game, Dodo Airlines (DAL) sometimes sending out merchandise through mail to our characters.

    At the back of the shirt, it has Wilbur’s quote (one of the dodo birds: Orville and Wilbur. A really sweet nod to Wright brothers): “We’ll be making a water landing but that’s OK because this is a seaplane.”

    I’m actually annoyed they only have this design for kids.

    UNIQLO also mentioned they provide the t-shirt designs in-game. Players can visit UNIQLO island using Dream Address (Nintendo Online Membership is needed) and we can download the designs.

    They have this MASSIVE flowers gardens — two gardens on the east and the west side of the island. They also built this store replica on the island. Be prepared to have your Nintendo Switch lagged a bit when visiting there. It sure takes quite some time to render.

    Taking picture on UNIQLO (shop) island!
    UT Garden

    I also got the one with Daisy Mae and her turnips.

    That design is actually on the back of the shirt. The front one looks like this.

    Another thing that I wish UNIQLO would improve is how they classify their shirts. I understand they have men, women, and kids categories, but for unisex products such as t-shirts, they might want to make it unisex. The DAL and the Daisy Mae designs actually available under Men category.

    Happy Friday, folks! We are halfway through our lockdown here in Malaysia. Stay safe and stay healthy!

  • Eid 2021 and the Vaccination Program

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    It has been quite some time from my last post, and this blog has been pretty quiet — although things have been pretty far from quiet in real life.

    First, we celebrated Eid al-Fitr on May 12. I filed for AFK (Away From Keyboard) — day offs — for two weeks to celebrate Eid. We usually go back to Indonesia to celebrate Eid with our families, but due to the raging pandemic, we haven’t set our feet in Indonesia soil since late 2019.

    But I asked for 2-weeks AFK anyway. I feel I need a good break and rest from work. Also, I’ve been planning to tidy some stuffs in the house. I’ve been watching cozy lifestyle videos on Youtube recently, and it motivates me to tidy up the house (and maintain it.)

    I also continued rebuilding my Animal Crossing island. There are times I wonder WTH am I doing, but I decided to just go with the flow and design the island using forestcore-style.

    Second news is vaccination. Yes! We finally got our first dose of vaccine! My husband and I are using AstraZeneca vaccine and we had our appointment on May 15.

    This is the reason why I also glad I took my 2-week AFK. The vaccine side-effects hit us for 2-3 days. It was started with dizziness and muscle cramp, then followed by mild fever — that type of annoying 37°C-ish fever where you feel you are not feverish enough, but you know you are unwell.

    We didn’t took any specific medications; only paracetamol, vitamin C, vitamin B12, and tons of water. On the third day after the vaccination (H+3), I found myself sweating. a. lot. Like, seriously a lot, as if I’m a sinner in the Vatican or in Mecca. It felt like my body flushed itself out and getting rid of God-knows-what that have been sitting for God-knows-when.

    Now, the last — but not the least — news is, Malaysia is back to total lockdown nationwide on June 1 to June 14. The responses from the public have been quite a mix (as expected,) but the general sense is relief. We hit > 9000 cases on Saturday (May 29) — and it’s only for one day — and a decision was made: Nationwide lockdown to ensure we can bring the numbers down and to speed up the vaccination rate.

    Lets hope for the best. It has been a really long year, and 2021 still feels like 2020 ver. 0.2. Lets do our best to ensure we can help each other. Stay safe and stay healthy, friends!

  • Lofi Raya Beats

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    “Raya” means Eid al-Fitr. In Indonesia, it’s commonly known as “Idul Fitri” while in Malaysia and Singapore, it’s usually called as “Raya” (with the greetings “Selamat Hari Raya”.)

    Eid al-Fitr/Raya is Islamic two-days celebration after a month-long Ramadan fasting which celebrated publicly/nationwide (not restricted to moslems only because, hey, festivities!) The word “fitr” means “oneself/one’s original soul.” During Raya, folks ask for forgiveness and forgive each other. After 30 days of fasting, one can finally celebrate it together with friends and families. This is the time when families and friends gather — and the main theme of Raya is balik kampung or mudik (in Indonesian); means, homecoming.

    Raya started early morning when the moslems are going to a public field or the biggest mosque in the area to have Eid shalat/prayers. After the shalat, folks usually hanging around at the mosque while greeting each other — even strangers. Then, we all come home and prepare for Eid meal. Neighbors, friends, and families usually visit each other too.

    Raya songs usually really cheerful, upbeat, and pretty loud. I feel the Lofi Raya Beats do a really good job on giving the ?aesthetic? vibe.

    We are halfway through Ramadan! Lets do our best!

Nindya’s quick blurbs

  • A month too late, but I just stumbled upon IKEA France’s Tiktok video, hinting a possible collab with Animal Crossing. Unfortunately, no further information about this other than IGN picked up this news when the video was posted.

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