Apart from a global covid vaccination, Zalora packages are the only other thing I can look forward to these days – though with much contempt. 2020 was definitely the year of angry Zalora customers. I’m sure I’m not the only one who they have put on a murderous edge.

I do realise that i should be a little bit more empathic seeing that we are in the middle of a pandemic, but it’s really no excuse for shit service.

So as it turns out, it wasn’t ZALORA causing the delays, it’s actually the 3rd party delivery service they have contracted in Brunei! Every time you call to complain they will always tell you that they’re having problems with their system.. the best excuse they’ve given me is that the driver will not be going past my kampong in that given week… aku paham kalau centre nya ani di temburong… tapi i know for a fact that their distribution centre is located in Madang. Unless we live in a parallel universe, Serusop will ALWAYS be on the way. lol. even if it isn’t, they should make it a point to stop in Serusop because they have a “customer” in Serusop. and Brunei isnt that big to begin with. Everywhere in Brunei-Muara takes 15 minutes to reach tops. Kecuali kalau tinggal on a highway of excuses. atu batah kan sampai tu mamanya.

My poor heart just can’t take it. These phone calls just sucks the life out of you mcm you can’t help but feel defeated sometimes. I always feel like I’m about to get a mini heart attack after hanging up. I’ve had my share of shitty customer service especially when I was living in Belgium. Then again, come to think of it, I was partly to blame for it. If I had spoken fluent french I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t be a persisting problem.

Ani I’m in Brunei, if they don’t speak English, I can speak Malay..if they don’t speak Malay, I speak English…if they’re Filipino I sometimes will enunciate my words to make them understand me better.. like saying “POR”…instead of FOUR. and if they’re Indonesian I will use Indonesian words like JAHE instead of HALIA. So it’s really not so much a communication breakdown but a Cavalier attitude towards “customers”.

As someone who has a side hustle myself, I am passionate about customers being treated like customers. I see it as a reflection of their upbringing bah jua. You can tell a lot about someone from the way they handle their customers. Kadang2 the attitude of top management trickles down to the staff. apa nya Pramlee.. “bahasa menunjukkan bangsa”.

I think this is an area that we are definitely lacking di Brunei ani.

Customer fucking service.

You know the customer service is good when their Malay staff speaks English with a Filipino twang. haha that’s how u know they’ve been trained by the best in the industry! that “mam/sir” life is customer service goals.

kiss me.

One week into 2021. I read somewhere that the best thing is not to make ‘resolutions’ but to set ‘intentions’ instead. This is because the latter is much more attainable and doesn’t leave you feeling guilty when you can’t accomplish them. I guess it’s similar to the “one day at a time” approach. Hari ani, aku cuba nda marah marah arah Zalora pasal package ku balum datang. I’m on a winning streak cause i’ve been able to hold it in since Monday.

see. small wins. hooray.

it’s Thursday. Where did the week go? I’m here listening to people make “intelligent” arguments about Webex test runs.

First thing i’m going to do once the pandemic is over is get the hell out of this country. I wonder if i had stayed at my old job would i be posted kah by now? or would I be assigned to endure another long stretch of domestic meetings. The idea of being posted is just so good right now.

oh well it is what it is kan. life takes you to unexpected paths and right now, i am more than happy to see where it’s going to take me.

ok bye.

Not that anyone asked but I thought I’d share some of my running essentials. I’ve used these names for the last 10 years and they have worked pretty well for me.

Let’s start with a good bra. Boobs bouncing everywhere isn’t exactly a good look. Trust me on this.I honestly envy gals who can just buy bras from just anyone and anywhere. It’s always been a bit of challenge for me in this area. Mcm show off jua bunyinya aku atu ah? but it’s a poisoned chalice. So if you’re heavy at the top you would need extra support. I recommend the “Shock Absorber”. I swear on the Booble! that’s the name of the brand. I’ve worn them for long distance and faster interval runs and I find that they give my boobs just the right amount of support and i have experienced no chafing. I get mine online usually on sale from figleaves.com

Find yourself the right type of bra from their line by taking the quiz on the shockabsorber website. please google. tq.

Compression tights. life changing. I only buy 2XU now (and the occasional Alo Yoga for lighter workouts at the gym and Hot Yoga cos they feel like BUTTER) but for running I stand by 2XU. My first introduction to compressions were a pair of ASICS. Prior to that I wore standard Nike leggings so you could imagine how life changing it was for me to discover COMPRESSION LEGGINGS. Why compression? it reduces muscles soreness , helps with recovery and most importantly sucks u up in all the right places. I buy 2XU on repeat because they last forever and they stay tight on your hips much longer than any other leggings that are in the market. I do feel that they’re a little bit on the steep side $$ but they’re worth every penny.

Shopping Hack: get them on sale on Zalora. they usually have coupons or have sales at the start/end of every month. If you’re lucky you can get up to 40 bucks off a pair.

I’m a Nike gal. So for running shirts and shoes I gravitate towards the big tick energy. I like the older V neck running shirts but I notice that they don’t really make them anymore and most of their running shirts these days have round collars which I don’t find flattering on my body. However, I’ve recently bought several shirts from the Nike Miler collection cause of the bright pinks , blues, and purples. Great for visibility when you’re running late in the evenings or early in the mornings. The material’s a bit on the thin side so this may be a bit of a nuisance for my akak akak hijabis. You can always layer something underneath it. If you want something that is a little bit more solid, breathable and versatile 2XU does offer a good selection but the colors aren’t as fun. But hey like buying a Kitchen Aid over a Kenwood it boils down to aesthetics vs functionality. lol.

Where to buy; Huaho Manggis Mall. I got mine off the Nike Malaysia site and got it delivered to Brunei via a third party delivery service based in Labuan. I did go through a Stella McCartney Adidas phase but that was short-lived cause I found that the t-shirt material was too heavy for tropical runs. But don’t get me wrong, If I had the means and if I can work out in just a bra I would still buy every item in her collection.

Watch. I think I mentioned that for the last 10 years I have always been running with my phone but I got a Garmin recently? if you run with music, it’s a good idea to get this. I’ve had it for 2 months now and I’m pretty happy with it. I got my Forerunner 245 Music at the Garmin store @ 1riv. They’re just as ground breaking as the compression pants. It took me a while to get them cause I don’t really wear watches and I was concerned that these sports watches made me look butch. Lol. Initially, I thought I’d just wear it for my runs but I’ve been wearing it daily and on days I want to feel a little pretty I’ll just stack it with a bunch of “girly” bracelets.

Now on the topic of SHOES. They say give the girl the right shoes and she can conquer the world? Give me Nikes! I started my journey with Nike. So it holds sentimental value to me. Previously it was all about barefoot running but cushioning has been making quite the comeback. I am currently loving the Zoom Fly 3 and the Nike React Infinity. They’re well cushioned like a sofa but still feels light-weight making them super comfortable for long runs. Although if you have wide feet, they might take a while to break into. So I would suggest going a size up or taking them on very long walks on the beach before taking them for a long-distance session.

Don’t tell anyone but I secretly have soft spot for the Adidas Ultraboost for long runs 😛

Throw in a pair of China-made Bluetooth earphones and you are ready to get out there. Anyway, I hope you guys find this helpful. This is just a guide and what I would normally wear. Banarnya apa saja comfortable pun ok…most importantly: 1. LADIES, BAJU DALAM MESTI TAGAP. 2. JANGAN BESELIPAR, GET A GOOD PAIR OF SHOES 3. JANGAN TELANJANG!!!!!!!!

Happy new year everyone! Drink lots of water!

Kiss me.