Celebrity friendships that lasted through the test of time

Celebrity friendships that last for a long time are special, especially in an industry that thrives on rivalry and celebrity feuds in a bid to remain relevant.

In this upcoming Friendship Day, we celebrate the amazing celebrity friendships that have developed and remained strong over the years.

Vin Diesel and Paul Walker

It is impossible to do a story on Celebrity friendships without mentioning one of Hollywood’s most surprising, and ultimately iconic, brotherhoods. Vin Diesel and Paul Walker’s friendship started the day they filmed the first Fast and Furious movie in 2000, before the franchise became big.

When Walker died in a car crash in 2013, Diesel felt like he lost his brother. According to Walker’s mum, she may have lost her son but Diesel lost “his other half”. Diesel still pays homage to his dear friend, and frequently speaks about their happiest memories together.

Back in 1999, Vin Diesel and Paul Walker went to an illegal street car rally for research. About half an hour later, they found themselves running away from police helicopters, and wondered whether they did too much research.

When Diesel recounted that funny experience in an interview with Walker, the latter shared the same fond sentiment and said: “It was awesome.”

Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan

Actors Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie are well-known for their roles as Marvel superheroes Bucky Barnes/ Winter Soldier and Sam Wilson/ Falcon.

Ever since they worked closely together in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series, they’ve become close friends and enjoy making fun of each other.

Mackie’s extroverted nature complements Stan’s reserved side, and Stan credits his co-star for helping him shed his shyness during press interviews. Together, the two of them love to tease their co-star Tom Holland, who plays Peter Parker/ Spider-Man in the Marvel movies.

Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman

Both actors first met on the set of X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) and have not stopped teasing each other online since. The ‘frenemies’ enjoy making fake takedown social media posts about each other, and it’s all to make their fans laugh too.

Jackman said he used to ‘ream’ Reynolds because he (Jackson) was also close friends with Scarlett Johansson, who was married to Reynolds from 2008 to 2010.

When Reynolds won the title of People’s Sexiest Man Alive in 2010, he ribbed Jackman, who won the same title in 2008. Both called a truce in 2019 but it seems like the fake feud is still going strong.

Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder

Actors Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder played the Salvatore brothers in The Vampire Diaries series. Although the popular show has ended, their brotherly bond extended beyond the screens.

Together, they founded a whiskey label named Brother’s Bond Bourbon early this year. The inspiration came from their days of filming on set together as fictional brothers, when they bonded on-screen and off-screen over bourbon.

The four-grain bourbon whiskey they’ve created has been a smash-hit among drink lovers.

George Clooney and Rande Gerber

Actor George Clooney and his longtime friend Rande Gerber founded the tequila brand Casamigos purely by accident. The two of them enjoy drinking tequila together in bars and restaurants, but often encountered labels that were “bad” or too expensive.

Then one day, Clooney turned to Gerber and proposed an idea: “Why don’t we create one that’s perfect for us?” After almost two years of working together and tasting 700 samples later, Casamigos grew to be a successful business venture and it was sold to Diageo for US$1 billion in June 2017.

Nina Dobrev and Julianne Hough

Actress Nina Dobrev and professional dancer Julianne Hough were introduced to each other through their hairdresser, Riawna Capri, way back in 2012 and they’ve been inseparable since.

Both of them have bonded over common interests and outlooks on life. They are the epitome of strong female friendship due to the constant support and love they show for each other on and offline. Recently, the pair of best friends founded a health-conscious wine label Fresh Vine Wine together.

Kourtney Kardashian and Addison Rae

Kourtney Kardashian’s unexpected friendship with Tiktok star Addison Rae surprised many people. Due to their age difference (Kourtney is 42, and Addison is 21), no one would have put two of them together as friends.

Kourtney first met Addison after her son, Mason, became obsessed with Addison’s TikTok videos. Both friends have spent plenty of time together and shared poolside snaps on their social media profiles.

Addison even appeared in an episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians when Kourtney’s sisters Kim and Khloe, and husband Scott Disick wanted to suss out the friendship. According to Kim and Khloe, their sister Kourtney looks happier than ever.

Nicholas Tse and Eason Chan

Nicholas Tse and Eason Chan first met each other at the 14th Hong Kong Rookie Singing Contest. At the time, Chan was the guest singer of the day while Tse was just an audience member.

When Tse first made his debut as a singer, he had a rebellious personality which didn’t bode well for him in the deferential entertainment industry. It was no surprise when Tse was booed on stage while receiving an award.

Luckily, Chan walked up on stage to support him and since then they have been friends for over 25 years. They’ve supported each other through thick and thin.

Emma Stone and Jennifer Lawrence

Actresses Emma Stone and Jennifer Lawrence were introduced to each other through fellow actor Woody Harrelson and since then they’ve been close buds. Both of them are famous for their naturally kooky and wacky selves even when they walk down the red carpet.

They famously skipped the Golden Globes after parties just so they can stay in together. However, the plan involved a funny gag beforehand which they shared on social media as well. Lawrence was supposed to be Stone’s date for the after party.

She was halfway done with her glam makeup when Stone decided to change plans at the last minute. Lawrence shared a video of her half done makeup and had a good laugh together with Emma Stone and their fans.

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler

Comedians Tina Fey and Amy Poehler have been friends for a long time (clocking in almost 30 years of friendship!). They pretty much tackled everything together from starring in shows such as Saturday Night Live to films such as Sisters and Baby Mama.

The best friends even hosted the 2013 Golden Globe Awards together. Fey and Poehler first met at Chicago’s ImprovOlympic in 1993. The theatre’s co-founder Charna Halpern said they were instantly brilliant and were both bold and fearless. Just like any other best girlfriends, they taught each other about beauty too.

Poehler revealed that it was also around the same time when Fey gave her her first beauty lesson in eyebrow waxing. Looks like the beauty lessons further sealed their friendship for years to come!

This article was first published in theSun Buzz International Friendship Day edition. Check out how you can also maintain your friendships in your adulthood, movies that celebrate the spirit of friendship and the plans readers have made with their friends once the pandemic ends.

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Movies celebrating the spirit of friendship

Are you missing movie nights out with your friends? Well, don’t worry, there are still plenty of ways for you to have virtual movie nights with the gang, thanks to apps by streaming services such as Teleparty (Netflix) and GroupWatch (Disney+), screen sharing on platforms such as Discord, or even by starting a movie file at the same time and chatting with each other using video call.

For movie night suggestions, and in honour of International Friendship Day today, Buzz has compiled a few movies celebrating friendships in all forms.

Wish Dragon

Din and Lina are childhood friends who used to live in a close-knit neighbourhood. But that all ended when Lina and her dad moved away to build a lavish life. Despite this, Din still holds the dream of reuniting with his childhood friend even after 10 years have passed. His chance encounter with a wish dragon might just make his dreams come true.

Jumanji The Next Level

The gang – once strangers and now friends for life – are supposed to reunite over Christmas break. When Spencer doesn’t turn up, the rest of the gang heads over to his house to check up on him, and realise he went back into the world of Jumanji. To save Spencer, the gang has to play the survival game again, but this time the faulty game drags in Spencer’s grandfather Eddie and his former business partner Milo, too.

Girls Trip

This raunchy and hilarious sleeper hit follows four friends played by Regina Hall, Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah and Tiffany Haddish. In an attempt to reconnect with her friends from college, lifestyle guru Ryan Pierce organises an all-girl trip to New Orleans to attend the Essence Festival, where she will be the keynote speaker. Everything seems to be going according to plan until her friends discovered a secret that might ruin their getaway.

The Hangover

A group of friends comprising of Phil, Stu and Alan gather at Las Vegas to throw their friend Doug a bachelor’s party. They go on a bender and the three of them wake up in a suite in Caesars Palace with no memory of the previous night. Worse, the groom-to-be is missing! Their frantic and bumbling hunt for Doug takes them on a wild adventure all across the desert city.

Pitch Perfect

Loner musician Beca (Anna Kendrick) never had plans to attend college, but was forced to by her dad. During the university’s activities fair, she is asked to audition for a spot with the Barden Bellas, the university’s acapella group. While she initially declines to join, she soon finds her place among the wacky group, and begins to enjoy the world of a cappella singing.

Big Hero 6

Fourteen-year-old Hiro Hamada lost his older brother, Tadashi, to a massive fire during a university event. While mourning his brother’s death, he accidentally activates Baymax, a robot designed by Tadashi. Hiro finds a companion in Baymax, and together they discover that Tadashi’s death may not be an accident at all.

Monsters University

Mike Wazowski has been dreaming of working at Monsters Inc as a Scarer, although many people have told him that he’s too cute to be scary. Despite this, he managed to enrol himself in Monster University to pursue his dreams to be the best Scarer of all time. However, he soon finds competition, in the form of another monster named Sulley. When they’re kicked out of class due to their explosive rivalry, they have to reluctantly work together to find their way back into university.

The Two Popes

While this film may seem out of place on this list, this heartfelt and witty story focuses on the true story of the surprising friendship that formed between Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, who were complete opposites in every way. In light of the Vatican leaks scandal, Pope Benedict XVI (Anthony Hopkins) attempts to convince Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Jonathan Pryce) to reconsider his decision to resign as an archbishop, while he himself has intentions to abdicate the papacy.

Sex and the City: The Movie

The adventures of the four fabulous friends Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte in New York City continue in this film. When Mr Big abandons Carrie at the altar, the group attempts to console her and takes her on the honeymoon trip she booked in Mexico. Together, the friends get to decompress and reconnect with each other before picking up their lives back home.

Luca

Timid Luca Paguro lives with his sea monster family under the sea in the beautiful Italian Riviera. One day, Luca meets another fellow sea monster named Alberto Scorfano and is shocked to find out that Alberto lives above the surface. Alberto encourages Luca to explore the seaside town together. The boys quickly make new friends, and eventually hatch a crazy plan to win first prize in a race.

This article was first published in theSun Buzz International Friendship Day edition. Check out how celebrities maintained their friendship for years, tips you can use to stay in touch with your friends in your adulthood and the plans our readers have with their friends once the pandemic is over.

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BFF I’ve missed you!

BUZZ recently checked with theSun’s followers on Instagram and asked them what they would like to do with their BFFs once this pandemic is over.

We’ve selected some of the best responses to hopefully inspire you to do the same!

-> Party, Shopping, Travel. – weiweian

-> I wanna travel! – Charles

-> Go Langkawi! – Sue

-> Cuti-cuti Malaysia! – Isabel

-> Would love to party, laugh and dance like crazy with my group of friends. I can’t wait for this to happen soon, since I have not seen them for almost half a year. – Ee

-> Eat hotpot and drink soju. – Rae

-> I want to go for a hi-tea hangout with my friends. I want to go home and see my parents too. – ZiYing

-> When the pandemic is over, I wish both of us can meet in Bali to have some time to chill and sip a glass of cocktail while watching the sunset together after not seeing each other for three years since she’s working in Singapore! Meanwhile, stay safe and healthy. – Iva

-> Roadtrip! – Zyin

-> Go café hopping. - Gwen

-> Dine out together. – mingyeeyap

-> All day karaoke and Korean barbecue. – yichien

-> To the beach we go! – Jean

-> Go to beach and swim in the ocean. – Morticia

-> Have coffee together at a café. – Alma

-> Travel! Get drunk on the beach! – K

-> Travel overseas. – yn.yamster

-> Have a catch up session while playing board games. – VdhiyaK

-> Party by the beach. – Praveen

-> Eat hotpot together and travel. - zlye

This was first posted in theSun Buzz International Friendship Day edition. Check out ways to maintain friendship as you get older, movies celebrating the spirit of friendship and the list of longtime celebrity best friends.

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How to maintain friendships as we get older

When we are children, we believe the first friends we make are our friends forever. The reality is that friends do drift apart.

Despite our best efforts, sometimes we lose contact with old friends over the years. However, sometimes they do reunite with a stronger friendship bond.

Here’s what you can do to maintain and strengthen your current friendships.

Remember what brought you together

Remembering why you became friends in the first place can help make your friendship with each other last. Talking about the history you have together, the inside jokes, cringy stories and the bad times you’ve weathered together can help to remind each other why you’re good friends.

This is one of the many reasons why it’s important, and also fun to reminisce about good times with your friends.

All the things you have experienced together will make you and your friend realise how important it is to have each other.

Avoid social comparisons

The death of friendships comes knocking when we start comparing ourselves to our friends. Comparisons can only breed jealousy and rivalry, which do not form a good foundation for friendship.

When you’re in different life stages, it can feel like you’re left behind, or you’re not doing as well as your friend. Instead of thinking about what you don’t have, think about how you can improve yourself and grow together with your friend.

You can even ask your friend for input and guidance. Work together – and not against each other.

Make time for new memories

A great way to keep the friendship bond exciting is to make time to create new memories together. A fun way to start is to try new activities with friends. This gives everyone an opportunity to catch up with one another while having much-needed leisure time away from work.

Don’t be disheartened when you can’t do things together spontaneously just like in your teen years. Maintaining friendships as an adult now requires planning ahead of time to sync schedules.

Reach out and don’t assume

Don’t assume your friend who has children of her own won’t want to hang out. Chances are, your friend is dying for another adult friend to talk to. Instead of assuming, be the one to reach out and ask out your busy momma friend.

It’ll be nice if you offer to help them out if they decide to bring their children along too.

After all, friends help one another, and it’s better to bond with her children now, if you want to see more of your friend.

Deal with friendship conflicts

It’s normal to have conflicts with friends now and then because we are all individuals with personalities of our own. The key to a lasting friendship is the ability to resolve conflicts together and letting resentments go. It’s an important skill to have because you may lose a really good friend if the conflict can’t be resolved.

During tough conversations, remember to listen and to speak without judgement. It’s important for both sides to be able to share their perspectives so they can find out and understand the reason why the other person behaved the way they did.

It also helps to see the bigger picture, apologise and move on.

Be open to change

You may have been besties for years, but there will come a day where the both of you will build your own lives. One of you could be starting a family first or moving away to another city.

Whatever the circumstances are, you must be open to change. It can help to focus on the advantages of your current life stage.

You might find that you enjoy the flexibility to do what you want, whenever you want, and it doesn’t mean the bond with your friend is ending.

It’s normal to have different groups of friends

As we go through various stages of our life, we’ll pick up different groups of friends along the way. In case no one told you – yes, you can still keep your old friends while making new ones.

The best thing about this is that it helps everyone to expand their friendship circles – including you. Different friends can expose and encourage us to try new things and activities together. The new experience with new friends just makes life richer.

Show appreciation

When we become too familiar and comfortable with our friends, we may take them for granted and forget to show gratitude. To foster long-lasting and genuine friendships, make sure to let them know how important they are to you.

This can also be shown via small actions such as supporting our friends when they’re feeling down, spending quality time together and be genuinely curious to know how they’re doing.

Be compassionate and kind

Your close friends may be used to your bluntness but it’s still important to remember to be compassionate and not overly critical when they confide in you.

This doesn’t mean you have to sugarcoat everything. An important quality in a good friend is the ability, to be honest without being cynical.

As a good friend, you have to call them out on their poor behaviour, but do it with kindness and love. Just like how the saying goes, people remember how we made them feel, and not what we did right.

Be a positive force

It’s not realistic to be positive all the time, but nobody wants to be around someone who’s negative on a daily basis. What we can do is to keep an open and pragmatic outlook on life and be kinder to one another.

Cheer on your friends for the successes they achieve, take interest in their latest projects and show care when they’re feeling down.

Most importantly, we must take care of our own wellbeing first, before we can be a positive force to someone else.

Just like this quote from the comic Calvin & Hobbes: “I will take care of myself for you and you’ll take care of yourself for me.”

This article was first published in theSun Buzz International Friendship Day edition. If you need more ideas on how to spend time with your friends, check out this list of movies celebrating the spirit of friendship and how these celebrities stay friends for a long time. Also, our readers have already made plans with their friends once the pandemic ends!

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The cast of Turner and Hooch sing praises about their animal costars

Disney Plus’s Turner and Hooch is a sequel to the 1989 film of the same name. Carrying on the mantle is actor Josh Peck as Scott Turner, the son of Detective Scott Turner portrayed by Tom Hanks in the old film.

Scott Turner is an ambitious US Marshal who inherits a big, unruly dog named Hooch. When he couldn’t get anyone else to take in the dog, he reluctantly becomes the owner and gradually realises that Hooch may just be the partner he needs.

A roundtable interview with the cast revealed how fond they are of their animal co-stars who helped in a big way to bring the show to life.

Actor Reginald VelJohnson, who plays Detective David Sutton, is now a mayor in the sequel The actor shared fond memories of filming despite initially finding it difficult to re-establish the role.

Actress Lyndsy Fonseca who plays Scott’s sister Laura recalled that there were so many other animals on set other than the five dogs playing Hooch.

“We also have a lot of lizards on the show,” said Fonseca to which VelJohnson added, “Lizards and iguanas. All kinds of stuff. It was cool. I remember that iguana that was sitting behind me that I almost sat on.”

“I think his name was Bob,” Fonseca replied. Actor Jeremy Maguire (who plays Matthew, Laura’s son) agreed, “He (the iguana) was so cute.”

For Josh Peck who plays the titular role as Scott Turner, he was excited to be able to continue the role first played by Tom Hanks. “If you notice Tom Hanks in the original, he’s wearing some 80s goodness in that movie. They were some incredible pieces,” said Peck.

Thus, in homage to the character, the show even included a couple pops of colour into the Peck’s character’s wardrobe which the actor thought was great.

When it came to working with the five dogs who take turns to star as Hooch, Peck said each dog brought something special to the show and it was just so easy to fall in love with them.

“The dog named Obi is sort of our statesmen because he was older and he was just kind of slow moving. Obi is just really good at doing so many things,” said Peck.

“The other dog named Hammer would literally just pull my arm out of the socket. He would pull and run so hard but he had such great sort of animated skill,” he added.

Actress Becca Tobin who play’s Scott’s ex, Brooke, recalled her time working with the different dogs on set too especially a female dog named Mimi.

“[Mimi] was used a little less because she is smaller in stature but she was actually the smartest one. So I got a kick out of that because that one female dog was the best behaved and the most intelligent according to the trainers,” said Tobin.

Peck agreed saying, “It was true. One hundred percent. Mimi was like our specialist, if we needed her to, like pull something off the table. If she had been 40 pounds heavier, it would have been the Mimi show. Turner and Mimi.”

According to actress Carra Patterson who plays Jessica in the series, the animals were truly the stars of Turner and Hooch. While shooting the pilot for the show, director McG had to change the camera angles to try to make it work because the dogs have a mind of their own.

“We just got to follow Hooch and Scott’s being yanked. McG was like ‘This is great! This is the show. This is Turner and Hooch’ so everybody just rolled with it when we realized this is how it’s going to be every episode. We never knew what direction Hooch was going to go,” said Patterson and laughed.

Catch Turner and Hooch on Disney Plus Hotstar.

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Malaysian fans voted their Top 5 Local Artists and Hits in JOOX Top Music Awards 2021

Music fans all over Malaysia have made their voices heard and choices known at JOOX Top Music Awards Malaysia (Mid Year) 2021!

Clinching the top spot is singer Khai Bahar, who bagged the Top Fans Pick award with a total of 15.6 million votes.

Khai Bahar also clinches a spot in Top 5 Artists: Local list.

The other local pop stars in the Top 5 Artist: Local list are Haqiem Rusli, Dato’ Sri Siti Nurhaliza, Naim Daniel and Ukays.

These artists represent different music genres favoured by Malaysian listeners.

The Top 5 Hits: Local chart lists the local music tracks fans have sung and danced along to. The list comprised of Reedzwann’s Adakah Ini Mimpi; Naqiu and Vanessa Reynauld’s Rindu Separuh Nyawa; Siti Nordiana and Nubhan’s Sekali Lagi; Kaka Azraff and Jaz’s Karma; and JOOX ORIGINALS Sama Sama Suka by One Avenue Band.

As a special token of gratitude, the award-winners will be interacting with their beloved fans on JOOX ROOMS this coming Friday and Saturday (July 30-31).

Do take note of the schedule below so you don’t miss the opportunity to hear from your favourite idols.

JOOX ROOMS Schedule

30 July 2021, 9pm (Friday)

Khai Bahar

Naim Daniel

Naqiu, Vanessa Reynauld

31 July 2021, 9pm (Saturday)

Jaz (Indonesia)

One Avenue Band

Reedswann

Ukays

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Army of Thieves delves into the life of the master safecracker

The upcoming film Army of Thieves is the prequel to the zombie heist film titled Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead and follows the life of small-town bank teller Ludwig Dieter (Matthias Schweighofer).

Before his stint as a master safecracker in Army of the Dead, Dieter lives an ordinary life in small town.

However, his life turned upside down when he is recruited by a mysterious woman to pull off a heist alongside her crew of thieving misfits who are all Interpol’s most wanted.

In the prequel, the audience will finally get to see how Dieter got so good at safecracking while he travels across Europe and break open a bunch of highly-guarded safes.

The tagline on the poster, “More safes. Less zombies,” indicates that the prequel is a different genre from the first film.

“We really liked the idea that it’s set at a time where the zombies existed in the world, but it’s not a zombie film,” said producer Deborah Snyder.

“Who’s done a prequel where it’s a different genre [of] film? To me this is more of a romantic, comedy, heist film than anything else. [It just] happens to live in this world where zombies are in the US and it’s causing the banking system some instability.”

Schweighofer is also directing the film with the screenplay written by Shay Hatten. Rounding up the cast are Nathalie Emmanuel, Ruby O. Fee, Stuart Martin, Guz Khan and Jonathan Cohen.

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Support the Asia team at Free Fire All Stars 2021 from 23-25 July

The Free Fire All Stars (FFAS) – the game’s annual international celebratory event featuring popular influencer and fan-voted players – will take place in three regions: the Americas; Asia; and Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). The FFAS 2021 will be played completely online between July and August.

The FFAS 2021 celebrates Free Fire’s community of players and content creators across the world, by bringing them together in a fun and casual event. The FFAS is an opportunity for the game’s influencers and content creators to show that they too can compete with the best pro players. This will be the first time that different Free Fire modes will be contested at an international tournament - a request from fans duly delivered!

Fans of Free Fire in Malaysia can expect to see long-time content creators, like AshedZ and SpiderGunz, competing alongside the likes of newcomers like Obvy and other streamers from the Philippines and Cambodia, as part of one MCP team.

The team signifies Garena’s latest effort to celebrate its global community of content creators by forging international bonds between the three countries, who share one server. Here is the official lineup of creators participating in this globally anticipated event:

Malaysia

● AshedZ

● SpiderGunz

● Abiyek

● Obvy

The Philippines

● Makisig Gaming

Cambodia

● Manich Gaming

FFAS Asia broadcast details

Catch all the action from the FFAS Asia live from 23 to 25 July, starting from 7:00pm GMT+8 on Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.

Day 1 [23 July]

8 teams battle it out in Bomb Squad. Teams will compete in a single elimination format. The top team from a Best of (BO) 3 map from the quarters and semis will proceed to the next round, with the finals being decided in a BO5 map.

Day 2 [24 July]

Teams will compete in Clash Squad. Similar to Day 1, 8 teams will fight it out in a single elimination format: the quarters and semis being BO3 maps, while the finals a BO5 map.

Day 3 [25 July]

It’s the day of the finale of the FFAS Asia / Americas / EMEA. 12 teams will be competing in the Battle Royale mode across 3 maps. Teams will compete in a BO6 format, playing twice across Bermuda, Kalahari, and Purgatory.

The winning team for each day will take home US$10,000, alongside the title of FFAS Asia Bomb Squad, Clash Squad, or Battle Royale champion!

Download Free Fire on the Apple iOS App or Google Play store, and follow us onFacebook, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok for the latest Free Fire news.

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How to make your own diffuser

Aromatherapy or essential oil therapy is an affordable and medicinally proven way to help improve our wellbeing. The scents from the essential oils we use help to lift our mood, improve quality of sleep, and can even alleviate bodily aches.

Aromatherapy at home can be achieved in several ways such as lighting scented candles, dabbing essential oils on the wrists and temples, or heating wax melts on an essential oil burner.

Another way to quickly fill the room with a beautiful scent is to get a reed diffuser. If you’re in need of a DIY project, you can make your own diffuser right at home!

What you need

-> A small bottle or container with a wide base and narrow top to reduce evaporation

-> 20 drops of your favourite essential oil, more drops if you like the scent to be stronger

-> ¼ cup of baby oil or any unscented/ lightly scented oil

-> 3 tablespoons of rubbing alcohol or inexpensive vodka

-> Diffuser reeds or substitute with bamboo skewers

-> Scissors

-> Bowl

-> Mini funnel

Steps

1. Add ¼ cup of baby oil or any lightly scented oil such as jojoba, safflower, mineral or almond oil into a small bowl.

2. Measure out 3 tablespoons of rubbing alcohol or inexpensive vodka and pour it into the bowl. The alcohol helps the scent flow up the diffuser rods better so you don’t need expensive alcohol for this.

3. Add 20 drops of your favourite essential oil into the bowl. You can put more drops if you want the scent to be stronger.

4. Place a funnel into a suitable container or bottle and pour in the essential oil mixture until the container is ¾ filled.

5. Insert three to six wooden skewers or diffuser reeds into the container.

Extra tips

For aesthetic purposes, you can cut the wooden skewers or reeds so they only stick four to six inches out of the container. Sometimes cutting the reeds shorter can improve the stability of the container too.

Just to be cautious, it’s best to cut off the pointed ends of the wooden skewers. This is because the skewers or reeds will need to be rotated each month, and the pointed ends may be a safety risk for both adults and children.

When the diffuser reeds or wooden skewers no longer diffuse the essential oil fragrance, it’s time to replace them with a new set.

You’ll also need to occasionally check the level of the essential oil mixture in the container, and add on when necessary to keep the scent going. Remember to gently whisk the essential oil mixture with the reeds every now and then.

Why not take the DIY project further and make your own essential oil blends? It’s also important to know how to use and apply essential oils safely.

This article was first published in theSun Buzz Essential Oil Aromatherapy edition.

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How to use and apply essential oils safely

The use of essential oils can be traced back to ancient times when it was used in a medicinal capacity, as well as to make perfumes.

Currently, essential oils are going through a resurgence, and are fast becoming a popular natural remedy in these uncertain times.

Most of us have been using essential oils in our daily lives without fully realising it. Often, we’ve used plant-based essential oils such as lavender, peppermint, eucalyptus and bergamot for aromatherapy.

These essential oils can be found in our favourite scented candles, soaps and massage oils, too.

If you love incorporating the use of essential oils in your daily life, here are the different ways you can start using them safely.

Aromatherapy: Through smell

The most basic way to enjoy using essential oils is through aromatherapy. You can apply a drop of your favourite essential oil on your wrists and inhale the wondrous scent. The essential oil can be used as a personal fragrance too.

For a more understated way to enjoy the scents of essential oil, light a scented candle in the room for a few minutes or diffuse a few drops of oil in an essential oil diffuser.

Some prefer to have small wax melts or wax tablets to be used to scent their wardrobe or suitcase. Essential oils can also be mixed with water in a spray bottle and be misted over furniture and linens for a light scent.

Topical: Apply on the skin

The topical application of essential oils allows oil to absorb into the skin. Essential oils work well as massage oils too. A light massage using the oil can help increase the blood flow to the massaged areas.

To increase absorption, mix a drop of essential oil with three drops of a carrier oil, such as coconut oil. Using a carrier oil helps to increase absorption in dry, flaky skin, and decreases the likelihood of skin sensitivity.

Using lotions and moisturisers with essential oils is another good option. You can add a drop of essential oil to mix with your favourite moisturiser as well.

Often, lotions and moisturisers with essential oils are used as medicines. For example, moisturisers and lotions with tea tree oil are used to help combat acne and treat insect bites, and as an antiseptic for minor cuts and scrapes.

Another topical way to enjoy the benefits of essential oils is to add a few drops to a warm bath.

You can also make a hot or cold compress by soaking a towel in water and adding essential oils before applying the infused towel to the desired area.

Despite the many uses of essential oil, some people may be allergic to certain oils. As a precaution, it’s always better to start with a low dose (1-2 drops) for any essential oil and leave it for a day.

You may increase the dosage, but only when you are sure that you have not had a bad reaction to earlier doses.

Ingestion: Swallowing the oil droplets

While some essential oils can be ingested, they must be taken with lots of caution. Essential oils can be ingested by adding a few drops of oil to a glass of water, putting a drop under your tongue, or swallowing a health supplement capsule.

A few drops of essential oil can also be used while cooking meals to replace herbs and spices.

However, it’s exceedingly important to check which essential oils are safe to be ingested. Not all essential oils are safe to be consumed, and can cause accidental poisoning when swallowed.

Always check the labels and with the manufacturer whether the essential oils sold to you are safe to be ingested. Last but not least, take note of the potency and start with very low doses.

Regardless, there are some essential oils which you should never ingest – ever – such as cedarwood, cypress, eucalyptus, white fir, wintergreen, birch and arborvitae.

If you believe you have accidentally taken in the wrong essential oil, quickly rinse your mouth with water and visit the doctor immediately.

Other precautions

As a general rule of thumb, avoid putting essential oils near sensitive areas such as the eyes, and the skin around it, inner ears and broken or injured skin.

This is because no two essential oils are made the same and can have different potencies.

Due to different levels of potency and chemical composition, it’s also best to avoid using hot oils on the face.

Can’t find the essential oil scent you like? Here’s how to make your own essential oil and the different oil blends to try. You can also make your own reed diffuser to lightly scent the home.

This article was first published in theSun Buzz Essential Oil Aromatherapy edition

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How to make your own essential oil

Essential oils smell heavenly and work amazingly well to help calm your nerves. No one can blame you if you can’t resist buying yourself a few bottles of essential oils with different scents. However, essential oils can get expensive and it can be difficult sometimes to find the exact scent you want.

Fortunately, you can make and customise your own essential oil blends!

Before making your essential oils, it’s important to note that there’s a difference between essential oils and infused oils. Infused oils are made by soaking herbs in a particular oil to extract the active compounds.

Essential oils are concentrated oils that contain the essence or aroma of a plant and are made by distilling plant material using steam.

The steam distilling process will produce a water compound and an oil compound. The oil compound that rises to the top is essential oil.

The water compound below the oily layer is what’s known as the floral water, where we get lavender and rose water from. Now that you know the difference between the two, you can start making what you need for your aromatherapy session.

Here is everything you need to make your own essential oils at home.

What you need

-> Crockpot with a lid

-> A small bowl that can fit in the crockpot

-> Distilled water

-> Enough fresh plant material to fill the pot about halfway. Don’t chop the herbs in order to preserve the oils.

Steps

1. Place the small bowl in the centre of the crockpot.

2. Place the plant material or herbs around the small bowl and cover the plants fully with water. Make sure the small bowl stays dry.

3. Cover the crockpot with the lid upside down to allow any steam that forms to condense and fall back into the small bowl. If you don’t have a lid, you can use a plate.

4. Heat the ingredients in the crockpot on high heat. Once the water comes to a rolling boil, turn it down to a simmer. Let it simmer on low for about three to four hours and place some ice cubes on the lid to facilitate the cooling process. The cooling process helps to separate the oil from water. You can simmer it longer if you want a stronger scent.

5. Once the time is up, turn off the pot and let it cool. Once cooled, pour the liquid in the bowl into a refrigerator-friendly container. Place the container into the fridge overnight.

6. A thin film of oil will form at the top and will be hard after cooling. This is the layer of essential oil. Carefully lift the oil off the water below. You’ll have to work fast because it’ll melt quickly.

7. Place the essential oil into a dark bottle, which will protect the contents from sunlight and oxidation.

Extra precaution

If you’re going to use glassware to store the liquid collected in the bowl (referring to Step 5 above), it’s important to let the liquid that is collected cool down first before storing it in the fridge overnight.

This is to prevent the glass container from breaking and shattering in the fridge.

Essential oil blends to try

-> For focus: 2 drops of peppermint essential oil + 2 drops of wild orange essential oil

-> For good sleep: 3 drops of lavender + 4 drops of cedarwood

-> Wake up fresh: 2 drops of wild orange, 2 drops of frankincense + 2 drops of cinnamon essential oil

-> For headache relief: 1 to 2 drops each of peppermint, lavender, marjoram, thyme and rosemary

-> For the outdoors and bug repellent: 5 drops of citronella, 2 drops of lemongrass, 2 drops of tea tree oil and 3 drops of geranium

-> For a masculine and woody scent: 2 drops of white fir, 2 drops of cypress and 2 drops of wintergreen

-> For calm: 3 drops of lavender, 3 drops of geranium, 2 drops of roman chamomile, 2 drops of clary sage and 2 drops of ylang-ylang

-> For a mood booster: 3 drops of bergamot + 2 drops of geranium + 3 drops of lavender

While essential oils are made out of natural products, it is important to know how to use and apply essential oil safely too. Here’s how you can make your own reed diffuser to scent the home.

This article was first published in theSun Buzz Essential Oil Aromatherapy edition

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Fostering genuine conversations

With the prolonged lockdown in Malaysia due to the pandemic, many people are struggling, and have expressed feeling lonely because they can’t visit their family and friends.

Recently, a group of psychology students stumbled upon an intriguing idea to keep people connected and feeling heard.

It all started after they had a podcast session with Associate Professor Dr Anasuya Jegathesan about mental health.

They thought their podcast adventure would be a one-off thing, but another session with an undergraduate student who was a budding content creator fully cemented the idea.

The audience who tuned in to the podcast liked the low-key and genuine conversations they had with guest speakers. The group continued holding podcasts because it was also a productive distraction for them during the lockdown period.

Throughout the process, they picked up new skills along the way, and managed to do it all without a budget.

BUZZ had the opportunity to chat with the team behind #TimeToTalk to find out more about their creative venture. Answers have been edited for length and clarity.

To start off, can you introduce the team and each of your roles?

We have three main individuals, namely Janak Ashok Teckwani as the host, Nicole Lee Yuk Cheng as the co-host and Goh Ian Shen as the editor. The platform provider, Suraaj Ravi, is also active.

What inspired the idea to start the podcast #TimeToTalk?

We really needed the distraction during the lockdown and starting the podcast enabled us to spend our time productively. The podcast became a platform for these cool, upcoming and untapped talents to share how they got to where they are. We definitely encourage free flow conversations and keep the show totally unscripted.

Does the podcast follow a specific theme or does it change each season?

We don’t have a specific theme. Our guest speakers are encouraged to share about their journey and how they overcame the hurdles along the way to achieve the dreams they strived for.

I was told the team managed to rope in some celebrities to join the podcast. Who did you manage to chat with, and what were they like?

We have been very lucky to be able to get celebrities solely through social media. A notable guest we had was Tanvi Shah, the first female Indian Grammy Award-winner who won for writing the hit song for Slumdog Millionaire. We even had Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy, the director of the hit movie 99 Songs.

Others include Malaysian artistes, rappers and beauty queens such as Neha Verma, Miss Universe Malaysia 2020 third runner-up.

Since the podcast is free and easy, we managed to get very down to earth celebrities. The atmosphere is very relaxing because these celebrities agree to appear in the podcast of their own free will.

Is there a dream guest speaker you will like to have in the podcast?

To be frank, we don’t really have a dream guest speaker. We find putting these kinds of expectations on ourselves will betray the whole aim of starting #TimeToTalk in the first place. We want to create a low key experience and have guests share their life experiences, and not chase after fame. We appreciate, enjoy and get to learn from the stories behind their fame.

Can you share with us an uplifting story from a listener who tuned into the podcast?

An interesting thing that happens is that our podcast usually sways into topics that are very personal and we believe this is why the podcast gained traction. The worldviews of these guests are very intriguing and exciting because their stories humanise them, regardless of their celebrity status.

For example, Shloke Lal, who is an international lyricist and actor, shared about his music career, but the conversation expanded to his views regarding current issues. The session was so engaging until it went past the one-hour mark.

Some of our listeners have stated that the podcast helped them with their anxiety and it gave them a platform to overcome their bad days. The podcast also gave them a break from the monotony of life in a lockdown.

Which topic do you think Malaysians or your listeners like to talk about?

Our listeners seem to really like relatable sessions especially if they see themselves in their guests. They are most engaged when they can relate and identify with the hardships our guests go through.

Why do you not have a social media page other than Youtube? How do people keep in touch with #TimeToTalk?

The whole idea of the podcast being low-key is to encourage our guest speakers to feel safe and free to talk about any topic without worrying about social media or have their words being taken out on context online.

Since we’re psychology graduates, we understand the social desirability to engage with an imaginary audience by posting all over social media. However, we feel it’ll detract us from having genuine sessions and stray from our main objective for having the podcast.

This is why we hold and keep the podcast only on Youtube.

For those who want to reach out to #TimeToTalk, do contact the team on Instagram: Janak [@taintedandlost] and Ian Shen [@ianshengoh].

They can also drop us an email at hashtagtimetotalk@gmail.com

What are the plans for the future?

We are working on more things with our previous guests who are excited to collaborate with us again. #TimeToTalk will continue and there is already a line of guests coming up in the near future.

That said, we have no plans to get bigger crowds or listeners. We still aim to get more unique guests to share their experiences in a genuine and low-key manner.

This article was first published in theSun Buzz Edition.

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Club Mickey Mouse returns with Season 4

The first live action Original production Club Mickey Mouse Season 4 returns to Disney+ Hotstar on 28 July 2021! The new season boasts 13 incredibly exciting episodes, each with a different thematic approach and original music, with more fun, dance, songs, games and acrobatics than ever before.

Heading the Mouseketeers is none other than newcomer 22-year-old Eric Lau Lofstedt, who is also a social media personality and four-time KL International Wushu Gold Medallist. The Mouseketeer family also welcomed a second newbie and the youngest Mouseketeer, 14-year-old Melynna Rose from Disney’s Wizards of Warna Walk.

The rest of the Mouseketeers – wacky Wafiy, euphoric Erissa, goofy Gabriel, fabulous Faiz and exuberant Ellya – completes the whole gang.

The talented crew lineup is spearheaded by Executive Producer Lina Tan, award-winning director Shamul Othman and music director Audi Mok, a multiple Anugerah Industri Muzik (AIM) award winner.

Season 4 will be featuring a slew of celebrity guest appearances from actors Alif Satar, Sean Lee, Nabil Mahir, Elaine Daly and Alyssa Dezek; Malaysian astronaut Dr Faiz Khaleed; maths genius Yaashwin Sarawanan; singers Sarah Suhairi and De Fam; Olympic diver Cheong Jun Hoong; and influencer Cupcake Aisyah.

For the first time in Club Mickey Mouse history, an accompanying Web Series titled It’s Game Time will be launched. The nine short webisodes will drop across Club Mickey Mouse’s Instagram and Youtube pages. The webisode features a series of challenges that the Mouseketeers and celebrity guests will compete on.

Club Mickey Mouse will also be treating fans to an exclusive YouTube premiere titled Club Mickey Mouse Fan Fest on 24 July 2021 at 4pm for fans to virtually meet and chat with the Mouseketeers. Fans can tune in to Disney Plus Hotstar Malaysia’s YouTube page for the live premiere.

Head Mouseketeer, Eric Lau Lofstedt said, “Fans of the Club Mickey Mouse universe are in for a wild ride. Season 4 promises to return with all the familiar magic, but with more original songs and music, new dance choreographies, an accompanying webisode and a whole lot of backflips! I saw firsthand the immense talent and dedication from cast and crew into this season and I hope that fans old and new will enjoy, learn, sing and dance with us.”

Club Mickey Mouse has entertained generations of families with its line-up of music, comedy, games and celebrity guest appearances. While new Season 4 episodes will be released weekly from 28 July 2021, Seasons 1 to 3 are already available to stream on Disney+ Hotstar.

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Model Louise Wong stars as Anita Mui in upcoming biopic

Sony Pictures Malaysia will be distributing the film Anita about the legendary Hong Kong singer-actress Anita Mui in Malaysia soon.

The ambitious project by director Longman Leung of the Cold War series, Edko Films and Irresistible Films took seven years to produce and three years to find the perfect actress to portray the legendary songstress.

Anita Mui left the world in 2003 and her demise marks the end of a glorious era in Hong Kong. She was only four years old when she sang onstage in Li Yuan Amusement Park and gradually rose into one of Asia’s most iconic superstars. She was also given the irreplaceable status as the “daughter of Hong Kong due to her passion for her work, her love for her friends and her love for Hong Kong.

Bringing back her legacy back to the eyes of fans is Louise Wong, the darling of the model industry who has represented Hong Kong in an international model competition. She has starred in Eason Chan’s music video The Key and Anita is her acting debut.

Like Anita, Louise grew up in a single-parent family. She got her start as a model after winning the 2006 Elite Model Look Asia Pacific competition.

According to Louise, it was a challenge to play Anita and feels that the iconic singer is out of her reach. “I am not Anita Mui, but I hope to do my best as a deep respect for her,” she said.

In her role, Louise bravely tackled Anita’s popular performances including Rouge, The Windy Season, Sunset Melody and Flaming Red Lips. The movie team has taken great care to portray Anita Mui with utmost love and respect too.

Edko Films recently released a movie trailer and three posters with the captions: “The beauty of the past seems like an old friend visiting”, “We once met in that year of a windy season” and “Does the song of sunset ever remind you of me.“

The love and reverence for Anita Mui can be felt by the caption in the publicity image. In the publicity image, the caption reads “Unforgettable. Till We Meet Again.”

Biopic synopsis

In 2003, Anita Mui left us. The demise of a generational superstar marks the end of a glorious era in Hong Kong. In her mere 40 years of life, how much hardships and sacrifices has she made? The biopic will revisit the legacy she left behind.

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Lighting ideas to boost your mood

The home is where we retreat to at the end of the day, and it makes sense to make it as inviting and comfortable as possible. But despite all the rearranging and redecorating, many still forget to pay attention to the lighting.

Lighting plays a huge role in creating the right ambience to lift our mood. If you want to elevate your home and turn it into an amazing place to relax, here’s what you can do to create awesome mood lighting.

Smart bulbs

Replacing some of the light bulbs in the home with smart bulbs is the quickest way to create mood lighting. The smart bulb comes with different modes of lighting and colours to suit the ambience and vibe you want to create, with settings such as fireplace, romantic night, sunset or disco.

Best of all, you can control it all via a smartphone app.

Neon lights

Neon signs remain a hot interior design trend that will add a funky and very Instagrammable touch to your home. Neon lights exude a lot of personality, and are an amazing way to play up the lighting in your room. They’re also great as a backdrop for those impromptu TikTok and Snapchat videos.

While getting a neon sign to put up is easy to do, why not take it a step further by getting a neon mirror? Neon mirrors can double as a night light, and give off a muted glow, which is perfect for house parties as well.

Hanging clouds

Having hanging cloud lights together with smart bulbs bring a ton of fun! The unique shape and lighting choice at home is a creative way to have fun with home décor. It’ll certainly catch the attention of house guests. Hang the cloud lights in a corner of a room, and the space transforms into a cosy nook.

Aurora lights

If you must splurge, getting yourself a good aurora light projector may be the best investment yet! With the aurora light projector, you’ll be able to bask under the magic of the northern lights every night in your room. You’ll never be bored with them because you’ll be able to change the movement, speed and colour of the aurora lights.

Floating bed

Hidden lighting under a bed is both modern, aesthetically-pleasing and functional. Placing strips of LED lights under the bed creates a futuristic floating bed vibe, but also provide a nice calming light when you get up in the middle of the night for a snack, or to use the bathroom.

The cool lighting is just bright enough to illuminate your way without disturbing the other occupants of the room.

Glow in the dark

Glow-in-the-dark stickers are great for both adults and children who can’t sleep in a pitch-black room at night. Glow-in-the-dark stickers are also fun because they often come in themes such as constellations and planets, or dinosaurs.

These stickers can be stuck all over the ceiling to create a starry night sky in the bedroom or on the wall. When the lights are turned off, the glow-in-the-dark stickers give out a faint and magical glow to lull everyone to sleep.

Fairy lights

Fairy lights are great because they can be used in so many ways to create different moods. While often thrown over a Christmas tree or simply strung up from one end of the wall to another in student dorms, fairy lights can be jazzed up to fit the adult home.

You can drape a gauzy curtain over the fairy lights to create a soft, romantic glow, or wrap them around twigs in a vase to create stunning corner lighting. If the lights are long enough, you can even spell words on the wall with them.

Salt lamps

A salt lamp is essentially a salt rock or crystal that has been hollowed out and fitted with a light bulb. Salt lamps have several medical claims, and are said to help improve breathing and sleep.

Although the benefits aren’t entirely proven, salt lamps still give off a beautiful glow in the room. To enjoy their warm amber glow at night, place them on your bedside table or in a corner of the room.

Paper lamps

Having paper lamps in place of a traditional lampshade is another elegant way to diffuse and soften the light while using standard light bulbs. Some paper lamps come in intricate patterns and illustrations which further add a hint of art, character and style into the home.

You can change up the ambience of any room just by choosing different paper lamp patterns, shapes and colours.

Creative candleholders

Candles are great to use to create a romantic and calm setting. However, they can be made better by just simply placing the candles in creative candle holders or jars.

The shadows cast from the flame bring the patterns on the candle holder to life. To elevate plain candle holders or jars, you can place a candle carousel on top of the jar and watch the creative patterns spin around the room.

Strip lights

Strip lights are different from rope lights simply because strip lights are flat and ribbon-like, and do not come in a plastic tube.

Strip lights also light up brighter than rope lights and can be cut at any point to fit, making them a more adaptable lighting option. Due to their bright light, you can use strip lights to create accent walls or complement dark interiors.

You can also create geometric shapes on the walls and ceiling using the strip lights. This way, no walls or ceilings look the same even if friends and family try to copy your design.

Ladder lights

Are you bored of the usual way of hanging up lights? Try throwing a string of lanterns or fairy lights along the length of a ladder. The height of the ladder adds definition to the charming and rustic lighting style too.

This article was first published in theSun Buzz Home Improvement edition.

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Celebrity homes: Inspirational or confusing?

Celebrities have all the money in the world, and with that cash, they can decorate their homes any way they want. It’s no surprise that the ways they go about decorating and accessorising are different from the rest of us.

While we may not be able to live it up like them, we can certainly take inspiration from their home design and decorating aesthetic for our own humble abodes.

Be bold and improvise decorating your home like Lenny Kravitz

Grammy Award-winning musician Lenny Kravitz was tired of the chaos in the city, and got himself an 18th century Brazilian coffee plantation outside Rio de Janeiro.

The busy bee described his home as “a place to unplug, reset your life, and take the time to be quiet and actually hear yourself”.

His home décor is a mish-mash of things he collected from his travels and tours. Due to his busy schedule, he just shipped containers filled with items and furniture that he liked, and supervised the placements done by workers through video calls.

“Some of the pieces worked out beautifully, and others didn’t. The process was very improvisational, like making music. You have to play what you feel. Sometimes it’s about what you don’t play,” he said.

He also invited artist friends to visit and make their own contributions to the décor. Fortunately, everything in the house came well together and is as unique and cool as the artist himself.

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s confounding home

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s home boggled everyone’s minds when they showed the world the super minimalist and monotone colours of their Los Angeles home.

Working with renowned designers such as Axel Vervoordt, they transformed the suburban home into what looks like a ‘futuristic Belgian monastery’ in its muted white, cream and grey interiors.

Even the bathroom sink confounded everyone due to its seemingly flat surface with only a slit as the drain hole. Kim had to make a separate video to explain to fans how the sink works. Apparently, the unique sink was designed by Kanye to prevent any backsplash no matter how high the water pressure is.

As wild as the home design and décor are, everyone can agree that the spacious bathroom overlooking the greenery outside is luxurious and to die for.

Support artist friends like G-Eazy

Since he’s always travelling or on tour most of the time, G-Eazy said he wants a place that feels homey and welcoming whenever he’s back. Due to this, his home in Hollywood Hills is unlike most celebrity mega homes, and he worked closely with interior designer Melody Jimenez to redesign his 1979 Spanish colonial home.

He likes the colour green, and incorporated the lovely shade in his kitchen cabinetry. G-Eazy also shows support for his other artist friends by displaying their works around his home. Of course, he has a professional-grade recording studio where he worked on The Beautiful and The Damned album.

He likes to stay focused when he’s creating and making music, so he has blackout curtains to cover the windows. Since he spends a lot of time in the studio, the studio is decorated with comfortable furnishings and has a beautiful shower room too.

Treat yourself to beautiful baths just like Vanessa Carlton

Vanessa Carlton said she’s a huge bath person and strongly believes that all bathrooms should be all about comfort. The singer isn’t afraid to go bold with colour contrasts as well and has both light and dark bathrooms. She really loves dark rooms that get a ton of light, which she says makes a bathroom feel less sterile.

In her Nashville home, her bathroom is decked with Roman Clay finish on the walls, one-of-a-kind tiled floors and a reflective copper bathtub as a beautiful centrepiece.

The copper tub is further complemented with copper furnishing on the sink taps and mirror. Together, the elements and colours create a luxurious bathing paradise.

Go back to basics like Elon Musk’s tiny house

Elon Musk could easily spend millions on a huge home or design his dream home from scratch. Instead, he sold most of his real estate properties and settled for a US$500,000 tiny home in Boca Chica, Texas, which is close to the Space X headquarters.

It’s reported that his house is foldable, prefabricated home made by Boxabl, a housing startup company. Named the Boxable Casita, Musk’s tiny home only measures 400 square feet in a 20x20 unit. It’s set up like a studio apartment with a fully equipped kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and living room.

Musk wrote on Twitter: “My primary home is literally a ~$50k house in Boca Chica / Starbase that I rent from SpaceX. It’s kinda awesome though. The only house I own is the events house in the Bay Area. If I sold it, the house would see less use, unless bought by a big family, which might happen some day.”

This article was first published in theSun Buzz Home Improvement edition.

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Home hacks to save the day

We have been in a long lockdown for more than a year, and it’s more important than ever to save money however we can. Here are some quick home hacks and fixers if you ever need them when the time comes.

Make your own anti-slip hangers

Sometimes the clothes we have slip off the hanger at home due to the material out of which it’s made. Luckily, you can make your own anti-slip hanger without the need to buy anything new to fill your wardrobe.

Take two large rubber bands and wrap one around each end of a hanger. Wrap it around as many times as you can to keep it in place, covering as much area as possible. The friction from the rubber band will keep your shirts from slipping off!

DIY plastic bag dispenser

Tired of seeing plastic bags in another bigger plastic bag? Just stuff some plastic bags into an empty paper towel tube to create your own plastic bag dispenser.

When you need a bag, just pull one out from the tube. You can make a few of these dispensers and store them all lined up in a drawer to keep things neat and tidy.

Another cool thing about this trick is that it doesn’t take up a lot of space, and you can help mother nature by reusing the paper towel tubes instead of tossing them out with the trash.

Remove wax from carpet with steam

Did you accidentally spill hot candle wax on your rug during a party? Just put a paper bag over the wax and lightly run a steam iron over the surface. The steam will help lift the wax from the carpet and cling to the bag instead.

Use vinegar and lemon juice to deodorise the microwave

Does your microwave smell less than fresh after several uses? If cleaning and airing the microwave doesn’t work, try using this handy hack to get rid of the funky smell.

Mix one cup of vinegar, one cup of water and two tablespoons of lemon juice in a microwave-safe bowl. The lemon juice will provide additional grease-cutting power while toning down the strong scent of the vinegar.

Once the time is up, just wipe the insides of the microwave.

Use shadows to find dropped items in narrow corners

All of us have been there before. We accidentally drop a small item into a tight crevice between the car seats and struggle to find the item.

A tried and true trick is to use a flashlight and lay it on the floor. Turn the light in a circle so it skims the surface of the floor, and keep an eye out for the shadow. The shadow cast by the lost item will help you pinpoint the location for easy retrieval.

Organise the vacuum accessories

Bend an ordinary wire clothes hanger into an inverted V, squeeze the arms together and insert into the open end of the vacuum accessory.

The tension from the bent hanger will hold the vacuum nozzle in place and can be hung on the wall. Do the same for the other accessories.

Get streak-free surfaces

Don’t like the streaks on your mirror, windows or computer monitor after wiping? Here’s a cleaning solution you can make at home for streak-free home surfaces.

All you have to do is to mix white vinegar and cold water in a spray bottle.

To clean, spray the solution on the surface you want to clean and then wipe the same surface clean with a microfiber cloth.

Get rid of nasty toilet bowl stains with mouthwash

You finally get motivated to do some cleaning around the house (especially the bathroom) but you’re out of toilet bowl cleaner! Don’t panic, your bottle of mouthwash is all you need in a pinch!

Pour a capful of mouthwash into your toilet bowl and let it sit for half an hour. When the time’s up, give the bowl a scrub and the grime should come off easily.

Use a rubber band to control soap dispensers

Some soap dispenser bottles shoot out a little too much liquid soap even when you’re just giving it a light push. To prevent wastage, loop a rubber band around the neck of the dispenser a few times.

The width of the rubber band loops will help slow the flow of the dispenser and you’ll get the appropriate and consistent amount of soap with every pump.

This article was first published in theSun Buzz Home Improvement edition.

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Fear Street 1666 offers a different kind of scare

The final instalment of the Fear Street trilogy titled Fear Street Part Three: 1666 is coming out this weekend. Based on RL Stine’s book series of the same name, fans can’t wait to find out the actual events of the curse in the town of Shadyside, Ohio.

The film trilogy started with Fear Street Part One: 1994 follows a group of teenagers – Deena, Josh, Sam, Simon and Kate – who have to work together to stop a curse taking over their hometown.

Based on legends, the curse was started by a witch named Sarah Fier over 300 years ago in 1666. The group of teens in 1994 barely made it out alive and sought help from an adult named C Berman who survived the curse in 1978. The events of that encounter are revisited in Part Two of the trilogy starring Stranger Things alum Sadie Sink as Ziggy Berman.

In Fear Street Part Two: 1978, the story follows Ziggy Berman and her sister as they attend Camp Nightwing. Just like the group of teens in the first film, the teens in 1978 were none the wiser about the curse in town and found themselves facing scary murderers.

The film ends back in the present day (1994) when Deena and Josh rush to the forest to reunite the witch’s hand back with her body to try to stop the curse. In doing so, Deena sees a vision of herself as Sarah Fier in 1666 instead.

Fear Street Part Three: 1666 is exciting because it takes viewers back to the origins of the gruesome curse. According to the director of all three films, Leigh Janiak, the third film moves away from its slasher theme.

The third instalment takes on a different kind of scare and shows a time where witch hunts would occur.

“It’s a very different feel. The whole vibe of the world and the scares and the tone – it’s different and it’s not really a slasher movie. It’s a different kind of horror movie,” Janiak told Digital Spy.

All the cast from the first two films will return in the third film. “It is bringing all of the characters from the past two films together in a different way that helps bring the story and the mystery of the curse to a close,” said Emily Rudd, who plays Cindy Berman in 1978 and as Abigail in 1666.

Fear Street Part Three: 1666 premieres on Netflix on Friday, 16 July 2021 at 3pm (MYT).

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Multi-award winning documentary ‘Aswang’ reveals real-life demons in drug war

The documentary titled Aswang unveils the shocking story of how President Rodrigo Duterte unleashed real-life demons onto his streets as part of a brutal drug war which has claimed the lives of tens of thousands since he came to power in 2016.

‘Aswang’ is Filipino term for supernatural and magical creatures such as witches, vampires, ghosts and werewolves. Since President Duterte took office, ‘Aswang’ have been appearing in real life in Manila.

In Duterte’s drug war, death squads have shot, tortured and kidnapped tens of thousands of drug users, dealers and innocent bystanders.

Police officers are allegedly given free rein to use brutal violence directed at the poorest sections of society. These extra-judicial killings have now been named as crimes against humanity by Amnesty International.

The multi-award winning documentary follows a group of people whose lives have been caught up in these events: a journalist who tries to make a stand against lawlessness, a coroner, a missionary who comforts bereaved family members, and a street kid with parents in prison and friends in the cemetery.

Breathlessly following the everyday struggle of those whose lives have been radically affected by the regime, Aswang is a shocking account of unprecedented violence and the brazen assault on freedoms by a Government and its President which still enjoy support from voters, while countless others at home and abroad look on with horror.

iwonder CEO, James Bridges, says of the film: “This chilling full-length documentary directorial debut from Alyx Ayn Arumpac is a powerful account of the terror that has gripped the streets of Manila since President Duterte’s brutal war on drugs began. As Duterte hints at a vice-presidential run in the 2022 elections to extend his legacy, Aswang serves as a message in a bottle from some of the country’s most vulnerable communities who continue to live in the real fear of a late-night raid by state-sponsored executioners.“

Aswang can be viewed for free at iwonder by signing up for the 14-day free trial period. The documentary is not available on iwonder in The Philippines or Thailand.

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The beautiful moments of UEFA EURO 2020™ made magical by vivo

WITH the conclusion of the closing ceremony of UEFA EURO 2020™ presented by vivo, fans everywhere have had nearly a month of beautiful moments surrounding the beautiful game.

Throughout the tournament, vivo has been helping to encourage and enable people around the world to be in the moment and get closer to the action as they connect and celebrate with friends, family and fellow fans.

As the first-ever presenter of the EURO 2020™ Closing Ceremony, vivo presented a uniquely spectacular championship finale at the Wembley Stadium, integrating state-of-the-art AI technology and exceptional performances for the event’s millions of global spectators.

Being the first large-scale sporting event following a year of social distancing, the EURO 2020™ was the most technologically advanced European Cup in the championship’s six-decade history, catering to the high expectations and passion of fans across the world.

Before the tournament, vivo debuted its “To Beautiful Moments” campaign and invited fans to channel their energy into the game by sharing their applause and cheers on social media.

The content generated by fans was featured during the EURO 2020™ closing ceremony.

As the official partner of the tournament, vivo also used its proprietary AI technology to restore memorable photos of famous moments in the storied tournament’s history.

vivo presented the restorations of these beautiful moments to UEFA as an official gift for the 60th anniversary of the UEFA European Football Championship.

Speaking following the closing ceremony, Spark Ni, senior vice president and CMO of vivo, said: “Our brand is thrilled to have helped make moments around the beautiful game a little more magical for our users, followers and fellow fans.

Throughout the tournament, it has been amazing to connect with people across the globe and we look forward to channelling this passion into our continued partnership with UEFA.”

vivo Malaysia empowering communities through a mutual love for football

In partnership with the Pan-Disability Football Club, vivo released its heartwarming “Mimpi Tiada Batas” video which showcased the relentless courage and strength of the programme’s differently-abled football players during these challenging times.

Shot on vivo X60 series, the 3-minute short video has been released on vivo’s official Facebook page today and demonstrates the vivo Dream Field campaign, an initiative spearheaded by vivo, which aims to benefit the Pan-Disability Football Club through the crowdfunding initiative.

From now until 11 July 2021, with each purchase of a vivo smartphone via vivo’s official e-store, RM35 will be donated to the Pan-Disability Football Club.

Launch of vivo X60 Series and V21 series

Recently launched ahead of the tournament and featured in the ‘To Beautiful Moments’ campaign is the brand new vivo X60 Series.

The X60 Series is the first vivo smartphone co-engineered with ZEISS, a global leader in optics and opto-electronics. The X60 Series integrates the user-oriented innovation of vivo and the superior mobile imaging of ZEISS to culminate in a smartphone with outstanding software and hardware capabilities.

As such, the X60 Series is the ideal photography flagship smartphone bringing unparalleled sharpness, clarity and image quality to help users capture moments.

It comes with the advanced Gimbal Stabilization 2.0 and utilizes the latest VIS 5-axis video stabilization technology for clearer shots of objects in dynamic motion with greater accuracy, which was previously only limited to professional photographers.

The vivo V21 series (V21e/V21/V21 5G) is the ultimate selfie smartphone. The V21 smartphone showcases a unique Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) front camera housed within one of the industry’s thinnest smartphone designs to deliver a mobile experience where advanced technology meets style.

Selfies and videos are much clearer and taken in high-quality due to the unique 44MP front camera with OIS which is combined with Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS), AI Night Portrait, Eye autofocus and a groundbreaking light sensor.

In line with its commitment towards providing more smartphone options for its customers, vivo recently launched the V21 5G Exclusive Edition, vivo V21 Arctic White the world’s first smartphone to feature a 44MP front camera sensor coupled with an OIS technology.

The V21 Arctic White Special Edition is equipped with a 64MP OIS Night Camera to capture beautiful moments anytime, anywhere, comes in a sleek 7.39mm frame and is powered with an 8GB + 3GB extended RAM.

For more information, visit vivo’s official Website or vivo’s official e-store.

Disability is not a barrier! Check out vivo’s inspirational short film below!

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Taylor’s University launches accounting degree with fintech

Taylor’s University recently launched its degree programme in Bachelor in Accounting (Fintech)(Honours) which is designed to give graduates a comprehensive look into accounting and financial technology.

It’s the first degree in Malaysia to enable graduates to specialise in fintech at the undergraduate level, unlocking key career opportunities for aspiring accountants.

The three-year dual award degree programme launched in collaboration with the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, will blend the fundamentals of accounting with innovative and technology focused modules to future proof graduates for exciting roles in the ever-evolving financial technology sector.

“As we speed towards our digital transformation journey in light of the government’s recently announced MyDigital initiative, financial inclusion will be key to support Malaysia’s digital and technological revolution. This includes adapting new technologies to conventional streams of finance like accounting and building an effective talent pool who are then able to effectively spearhead new innovations within this industry in the near future,” said Professor Dr. Pradeep Nair, Deputy Vice Chancellor and Chief Academic Officer, Taylor’s University.

Professor Dr Pradeep Nair, Deputy Vice Chancellor and Chief Academic Officer, Taylor’s University

The industry-ready accounting degree will cover key areas in financial accounting, management accounting, audit and assurance, corporate governance, taxation, corporate finance, information systems, blockchain, financial technology and innovation.

There are specified modules relating to fintech such as Blockchain Economics, Data Analytics and Machine Learning, Fintech and Innovation, Introduction to Cloud Computing, and Accounting Information Technology Fundamentals.

These skills and knowledge will help graduates acquire a strong foundation in finance and technology, and meet the industry requirements from various organizations such as the Big Four accounting firms, banking and financial services, multinational corporations, public and government agencies.

Associate Professor Dr Nor Shaipah Abdul Wahab, Acting Head of School for the School of Accounting & Finance, Faculty of Business & Law, Taylor’s University

“Today we are exposed to multiple new technologies like blockchain, cryptocurrency, cloud networks and artificial intelligence that are transforming the financial services industry. Keeping this in mind, our latest degree offerings present an amalgamation of fundamental theories and applications in accounting along with providing graduates a strong grasp on relevant technology and sufficient industry knowledge at the undergraduate level itself,” said Associate Professor Dr. Nor Shaipah Abdul Wahab, Acting Head of School for the School of Accounting & Finance, Faculty of Business & Law, at Taylor’s University.

Taylor’s partnership with University of Canterbury in New Zealand also opens the doors for graduates to choose to transfer in the final year of the programme to UC and receive awards from both Taylor’s University and the partner institution upon graduation.

Professor Paul Ballantine, Head of University of Canterbury (UC) Business School

Professor Paul Ballantine, Head of University of Canterbury (UC) Business School said, “We are delighted to partner with Taylor’s University to ensure students can gain important international experience and perspectives as part of this excellent and very timely qualification.”

“The innovative accounting and fintech-based curriculum merges the latest developments in information technology and accounting with the aim of producing future-proof graduates. UC Business School is a triple-crown accredited business school, which is committed to internationalisation and developing graduates who are equipped to make a difference in a diverse, global environment. We are excited to work with Taylor’s University on this programme and look forward to welcoming students who choose the overseas pathway to our campus,” said Prof Paul.

To further help sharpen their skills in financial analytics and technology, graduates are welcomed to access the Taylor’s Trading Room with Bloomberg terminals and stand an opportunity to obtain a Bloomberg Certification. This first industry partnership of its kind in Malaysia provides graduates an opportunity to not only enhance their professional skills but also improves graduate employability.

The three-year programme includes two internships during the coursework which will provide graduates with a much-needed exposure to real time industry requirements. To ensure graduates are able to gain internships at top firms and learn from reputed industry mentors, Taylor’s has built strong partnerships and collaborations with organisations such as Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG, CIMB, Maybank, Finology and Fundaztic.

For more information on how financial technology will transform the accountants’ role, visit the website HERE

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21 productive activities to help beat pandemic fatigue

Are you feeling lethargic after staying at home for months? You may be limited to four walls during this pandemic, but it doesn’t need to be boring.

Here are some productive activities you can do to inject some spark and excitement into your life.

Learn a new language

Learning a new language can open many doors for you, especially when it comes to your career. With this extra time under lockdown, you can brush up your command of a second language you’ve learned, or pick up another language. Thanks to technology, we can easily learn new languages by using an app such as Duolingo, or enroll ourselves in an online class.

Enrich the mind through podcasts

Are you bored of watching films and TV shows? If so, listening to podcasts may be well worth your time. Listening to podcasts which hold great discussions about interesting topics can help enrich your mind and worldview. Since podcasts can come in any genre, there’s something for everyone. You can tune in to comedy shows and crime stories, or even start your own podcast.

Read a book

During this long period of self-quarantine, it’s the perfect time to tackle your ever-mounting pile of unread books. Reading can help improve your vocabulary, provide your imagination with an escape to other worlds, and teach you something new. With the availability of ebooks online, you can resume your joy of reading without worrying about bookshelf space.

Learn to play a music instrument

Many do not realise that playing a musical instrument helps to stimulate the brain and help improve memory and abstract reasoning skills. In other words, playing a musical instrument helps make us smarter. It’s time to dust off your piano or re-tune your guitar, and start playing. If you don’t know how, it’s never too late to learn. There are numerous online classes now ranging from beginner to advanced levels.

Clean the house

Since we’re spending a lot of time at home now, it only makes sense to give it a thorough clean, because we don’t know when we’ll have the chance to do so again. It’s also a good time to reorganise the kitchen cupboards and chuck out whatever that is unneeded anymore.

Organise the wardrobe

After cleaning the house, you can move on and start organising the wardrobe. You’ll definitely realise that there are some clothing items which you’ll never wear again. These clothes should be packed and given away. Soon, the wardrobe will look neater with more space to boot.

Sharpen cooking and baking skills

Give your Maggi noodles a rest, and start learning how to cook proper meals. Even celebrities such as David Beckham, John Legend and Henry Cavill are using their free time to improve their cooking skills. You can easily learn how to cook or bake using online recipes, cook books and even through Youtube videos.

Repair old clothes

You might find old clothes you still love but it just require a minor repair. It could be a stitch to close up a hole in the jacket pocket or to get a zipper unstuck. With just a few minutes of concentration and work, your old clothes will look brand new again, with strangers none the wiser of the ‘magic’ you performed.

Perfect the art of the manicure

With nail salons prevented from operating, manicure addicts have no choice but to perfect the art of painting their nails with salon-like quality. You can take the free time now to learn how to draw nail art at home. For nail art inspiration, hit up Pinterest or watch video tutorials online. Manicure supplies can be easily ordered online too.

Start a herb garden

Starting a herb garden at home will pay off in the long run. With a herb garden at home, you’ll never run out of herb and spices, and there’s no need to run to the store to stock up. Having herbs on hand will also enhance the flavours of your cooking in a healthy manner. Some of the herbs to plant include basil, rosemary, cilantro and mint.

Update your resume and CV

Some of us might be out of a job or planning to switch jobs in this job climate. Before making any hasty decision, it’s advisable to take stock of and update your resume, CV and other professional accounts. This is so you know what skills you need to add and brush up on, before checking in with your professional network.

Take an online course

It’s also a good time to brush up on your professional portfolio and gain new skills, or pick up a new hobby. Either way, it’ll help kill boredom while you learn something new, such as picking up sign language.

With online learning courses available, we can learn anything we want from the comfort of our own home. If you’re hard up for cash, you can find a treasure trove of information on websites like Youtube.

Make the dream bucket list

The idea of travelling may seem miles away, but it’s better to have an idea right now rather than wait until much later. List down the things you want to do or places you want to go once the lockdown is over and it’s safe to travel.

Making a bucket list in this prolonged lockdown can also help lift up the mood a little and spark an inspiration, which is better than moping around daily.

Begin writing your novel or blog

Do you have a story idea that has been playing in the back of your mind? It’s time to put it all into words, whether or not it gets published into a book.

Even if you don’t have a story to write, you can start documenting or writing down your thoughts in a blog or a diary.

The act of writing and reflecting on our thoughts can be a therapeutic and much-needed activity in these uncertain times.

Listen to more music

While in a normal working environment, it’s likely that you would not be able to listen to music. Why not spend some time going over music albums and discover something new now that you’re working from home?

With YouTube and Spotify, you can listen to new music from your favourite genres, or find a list of best albums for the genre and listen to them all! Create your own playlist and share it with friends and family members, or even have impromptu singalong sessions. Music is a brilliant way to chase away the lockdown blues.

Experiment on social media

You might use Facebook to connect with friends and family, and LinkedIn for your professional profile, but you can do so much more than that. Why not join the online communities like Reddit and Pinterest and connect with like-minded people from around the world on subjects that matter to you. From discussions on your favourite Marvel TV series character to parenting, there is a whole wide world waiting to be discovered.

Or you might want to try something a little more fun and creative like TikTok and Snapchat. The possibilities are endless!

Keep in touch with family and friends

Despite being isolated from the people we usually spend time with, we also have more means to remain connected to them than ever before. Make time to catch-up and have a virtual drink with your friends and family. From Zoom to Microsoft Teams, there are a ton of apps you can use for this purpose.

Get artistic

If DIY and gardening is not your thing but you’d still like to do something creative, you might want to consider art and crafts. Give yourself room to express yourself and channel your creative juices via painting. You can paint canvasses, doodle on a sketchpad or rope your kids in for a fun time with colouring books.

Going a step further, you can also try knitting, candle-making or jewellery-making. Explore various websites that provide guides and ideas on arts and crafts activities you can undertake during this period of increased downtime.

Start a vlog or journal

Keeping track of your thoughts, activities and learnings is always a good idea – and a highly productive one at that. You might look back at this time and process your memories or even process your thoughts for the day or the week that has passed.

You can do this privately on your computer, smartphone or even a notebook. Challenge yourself and take it step further by setting up a personal vlog and share your thoughts with the world!

Subscribe to a streaming service

While watching a stimulating TV series on the streaming service of your choice is a great way to pass the time, it can also lead to prolonged periods of unproductivity as you find yourself binge-watching on the sofa all day long.

What you can do is split your watching habits equally between your favourite shows and something educational like documentaries, biographies and the like.

Meditate

While you’re putting in the effort to be productive, the load of mental stress from being indoors for prolonged periods in this uncertain times can still add up.

In the midst of all these, you should also be mindful of your wellbeing. Meditation is an excellent way to help you get a bit of peace of mind.

Find a quiet space, light some candles and clear your mind. Putting on some therapeutic meditation music can help you feel relaxed during the meditation session too. Meditating is one of the best things you can do right now to relieve stress and improve your wellbeing.

Headspace.com is a good place to start if you are new to meditation and mindfulness.

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