I am deeply heartbroken when I got the news about the cancellation of the Eras Tour in Vienna.

To my knowledge, Taylor was already in Vienna, having dinner. Merch already started selling and Swifties were already gathering out and about town.

At the time the announcement came out, I was in Flemings Hotel in Vienna on my bed, after a full day of travelling from Hallstatt. I was already in Austria since the weekend and had already spent close to ten grand. That's not including my custom-made outfit, inspired by Taylor's purple cupcake dress from the Speak Now era on the tour.

When the announcement came out, I saw it before Taylor Nation even posted on their IG Story. Before the oeticket was updated. Naturally, I didn't believe it. Didn't want to.

But after understanding the danger of the situation, my sister and I decided that even if it's fake news, we would most likely not be attending because tragedies do happen, and we cannot take such risks.

But all these did not make us feel any less heartbroken.

I was fortunate to attend the Eras Tour in Japan, but my sister wasn’t able to due to her demanding work schedule as a doctor at a public hospital in Malaysia. She had rearranged her entire work schedule to attend the Vienna show, and we had hoped to make this a special experience together. I managed to secure tickets for the show in London on August 17th, but again, my sister cannot join me because of her work commitments. On top of that, flights were about RM13,000 each, which adds to the difficulty.

We also tried securing tickets in Australia and Singapore, but the intense competition and high prices from scalpers made it impossible. We had pinned our hopes on the Vienna show, thinking it was finally our chance to experience the magic together.

I’m not asking for anything—I just wanted to share our story with all of you. We’ve done everything we could to attend the Eras Tour, and it breaks my heart that my sister missed out on this experience. I’m deeply grateful for all that Taylor Swift and her team has done for Swifties, including myself. I just wish there was something I could do to make it up to my sister.

However, I do have to say that Vienna city handled the cancellation in a very lovely way. With Swifties gathering all over the city, mainly in the shopping district, giving everyone a sense of camaraderie. We got free Swarovski crystal necklace, free entry to museums, free burgers etc. We exchanged bracelets with fellow Swifties on the streets, in train stations and made new friends on tour groups. 

Although we were heartbroken over the cancellation, I had a wonderful holiday with my mum and sister. Suddenly, we were teenagers again. We'll always be Mama's baby girls. 

Before the pandemic, the Husband and I thought maybe Eid is the perfect time for a holiday especially since we did that in 2019 (Read: Raya Sydney: A Short Honeymoon (4 Days 3 Nights at RM3,000)). Then, we wouldn't have to worry about scheduling our Eid plans. Ahhh, those were the days.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic hit, we had gone 2 years without spending Eid with my family and I felt really sad about it. I was really looking forward to this year's Eid as we transition into the endemic phase. However, 2022 was legendary as Eid came like a surprise. Not that I was super surprised or anything. 

Long story short, I was in my grandparents place during the announcement that Eid is tomorrow instead of the following day without my Eid outfit! Face palm please! But the truth is, the car couldn't fit my things as we were transporting my brother's family's things. Lo and behold, we had to head back to KL which was an hour or so away. Dah balik rumah, tidur la situ kan? Penat kot.

The next morning, after getting ready and rested, I said to the Husband, we need to go ASAP because my family does Eid celebration like a competition against time. We made it just in time for photo sessions and makan time. 

When the Husband's family wanted to do a family trip, we ended up deciding on Colmar Tropicale, Bukit Tinggi as it was really close by so travel wouldn't be an issue, and my SIL, Nina and I had our Thermomix, so food wouldn't be an issue either. The awesome thing about the resort is that they had different types of rooms so we were able to accommodate everyone's preferences.

The Husband and I took AL that Friday and decided to leave in the morning so we could go to Genting or anywhere with his parents. We stopped by Genting Sempah for lunch where I had ikan patin gulai tempoyak which I absolutely love! Then, we headed up to Genting Highlands Premium Outlet where I looked for shoes (but failed). Personally, I find it super difficult to find the perfect pair of shoes. 

We realized that the cloud was getting dark and that it would start to rain anytime soon, so we decided to head to our final destination earlier than planned. 

When Nina arrived, I was so happy because with her there, I knew that dinner would be served soon. 

Honestly, we didn't do much up in Bukit Tinggi but we did play a lot of games like charades and song association. Such fun! Hope to have more trips now that borders are open!