20 Random Facts About Me

The Peak, Hong Kong. October 2013

I was tagged by my cousin and friends on Instagram so here it is...

1. My parents wanted to name me either Aleya or Liyana 

2. People normally call me Liyana except for a few who call me Liy, Ana, Yana, Kak Pah, Cik Pah, Pah Na, Leyah

3. My paternal great great grandfather (Syed Hashim bin Syed Yahya Almahdaly) came from Yemen to Johor via Aceh,Indonesia. My maternal great grandparents came from Tangshan,China to Malaya and worked as tin miners in Ipoh. 

4. I enjoy researching about my family history and I have to say it's an interesting but long and lonely process.

5. I'm an ACCA (professional accountancy) student as well as a singer/songwriter. 

6. I like to pen down my thoughts by writing hence the creation of my new blog

7. I speak English, Malay, Cantonese, Mandarin and a tiny bit of Hakka and Korean (nak jugak letak Korean tu). I do plan to take up Arabic and other languages in the future. 

8. I'm a bit of an introvert. Always the listener and observer. Only when I'm comfortable enough with people or a topic being discussed will I start talking 

9. Interested in Malaysian history, customs, traditions and culture 

10. Picking up the reading habit after a very long break

11. Some friends have said I am more Chinese than them because I hold the chopsticks the proper way, speak more Chinese than my 'banana' friends etc etc

12. Had a hard time recovering from the loss of my mother in early 2013. I am finally moving on Alhamdulilah 

13. I love to travel and plan the trips myself. 

14. My family is very rojak and they're all over the world. 

15. I was a huge fan of Harry Potter when I was young. I have reread the entire collection of books so many times ! 

16. My guitar playing skills isn't that good. I only play to accompany my singing.

17. I'm bad at memorising lyrics. 

18. The only Hindustan movie I ever watched was Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Gham

19. I enjoy tea, coffee and can't live without chocolates,ice cream and cakes! Ooohh sinful XD 

20. I admired Princess Diana when I was a kid and was devastated when she passed away.  I cried under the coffee table while watching the live telecast of the funeral procession. I was 5 back then