About two weeks ago, I started wondering what to do for Huda's birthday because I'd never done anything for her. I desperately wanted to do something because she's always been there for me, made me happy, and whenever you're looking at my blog, you're looking at her work.

Yep, the pink stripes, the polaroid pictures of myself and Shahida at Sentosa, the pink car, it's all her work, and I love it so much. If you'd asked me to design a blogskin myself, I'd have probably either a) taken a few years to get it perfect and to my liking, b) died from the impossibility, or c) made it perfect, and THEN died.

So. I knew I would get her a Ben & Jerry's voucher because she loves ice-cream, and especially B&J. I love ice-cream too, but I'm impartial. Ice-cream is ice-cream is ICE-CREAM!

Apart from ice-cream, I wanted to get her something heartfelt as well. I was on her Facebook page, wondering what I could get, when I decided to make a mixtape. I've always liked the idea, even before watching Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, but especially ever since.

(I've actually made two mixtapes before, I think, both for guys, so, yep. I don't even know if those guys still have them. Sigh.)


So there I was, looking at her "Liked" pages, of her favourite artists. It's a good thing she listens to some very listenable music, because I know there are certain people whom I could not make mixtapes for, I could not get through listening to songs which I cannot relate to (for example, heavy metal or punk rock).

I listened to live renditions by the different bands/artistes on Youtube, and I picked the song which I thought Huda would connect to most or particularly enjoy. It was a tough process because making a simple decision for myself already takes ages, but having to ponder over and choose something Huda may or may not like, was some serious brain exercise.


Every time I'd confirmed a song choice by an artist, I'd block it out in the screencap.

I chose twenty songs for her twentieth birthday. If you count, you'll realise there are only nineteen here so it's up to you to figure out what the twentieth is. Nope, it's not "happy birthday".

Once the CD was burned, it was time to "decorate" the disc.




And the case. I'm not the most visually artistic of people.

Then it was time to write accompanying cards to explain the playlist!


I wrote it in purple ink but when I scanned it, it looked more like pink. But it was purple! I emphasise this because I'm not a tyrant who only writes in pink and forces everybody to like pink. In fact, I don't really like writing in pink ink. (I'm freaking three-quarters blind already.)

Here are the messages if you would like to know, and some extra notes to go along with some songs.


The World Is Mine is possibly the first link from Huda, that I ever followed/clicked on/watched. I really liked the song, and Alex Day will always remind me of her.


There were a couple of artists who sounded just as good in their live versions as they do on the studio/CD versions, it was hard to tell the difference. Brandon Flowers was one of them, and I kept repeating Only The Young so many times, it halted the mixtape's progress for a while.



I enjoyed this live acoustic version of Pumped Up Kicks.



It's a good thing Huda likes Maroon 5, I got to appreciate some of Adam Levine's sexiness.


Damien Rice was another of the spectacularly talented ones who performed so well live it sounded like a recorded version. I was trying so hard not to keep Tweeting lyrics from all the songs so Huda wouldn't suspect anything. They were all her favourite artistes!





Huda is the original #foreverandalways Avril Lavigne fan. I don't know any other person who's so unabashedly still in love with Avril. I'm glad I found this rendition, because I think I've seen old videos of Avril's live performances and thinking she couldn't sing live, but this wasn't bad, in fact it was nice.

Also, I loved the live version of You and I by Ingrid and Jason Mraz on Youtube but all the renditions had very shrilly giggly girl voices, so some of the songs I had to edit the mp3s by cutting out some noisy parts or the opening credit sounds of music shows or just filtering things that were too long.





I know the lyrics from You Oughta Know were somewhat pertinent to Huda's life, but I took the liberty of indulging myself, because I just like to victimise myself like that. But seriously, angsty lyrics sometimes are so fun in a very sadistic way.



Okay I know the original is a really lovely, nice song but I like this version and I thought Huda would, too. I know some of you might consider this blasphemous, and I'm not saying this is better, but I think this is enjoyable too!





Most of the time, I look at Huda's Rahman family, and I adore them so much. They are just all so talented and amazing and loving and it warms my heart to know about them through Huda's blog.

They sing and play instruments, and I think her eldest brother is into photography and filming so they all like really exist codependently (IDK if this exists, apeje Sarah) and it's so nice to know that Hudee has them at the end of the day.



By herself, I already feel that Huda is an amazing person. I feel like this song is for her because sometimes she feels so badly about herself, and I just wanna let her know people love her, "you just don't always love yourself".

Just FYI, this is also called the Pick-Me-Up Song, and it really is apt for when you're having a downer of a time and you need to know that through all this time, you have always been able to depend on yourself, and you just need to pick yourself up!





This is a beautiful, amazing song and I'm glad I found out about it because of Huda. It is truly, truly #sweetnakmampus. Of course, it is apt for the girl that Huda is. She deserves more.



I LOVED THIS VIDEO HAHAHA. Meg, the rightmost one, is so adorbz with her stoic expression. Also, the song is made so awfully listenable and decent by them, loving it!


You ain't gonna find out what the last one is! So far, only two very sweet people have had this for them, and they're both girls (and no the other one is not Han). I only do it for the sweetest people 'cos I think only they would appreciate it, sometimes I think if I am sweet to other people, they might gag or find it gross or something and not know how to respond.

On 13 December, I Tweeted Alanis lyrics and Huda responds! I was so gleeful to have the secret to myself!


I got a bit anxious when she talked about Unsent though, I was worried she might not like You Oughta Know as much as Unsent. You know sometimes you have the most favourite song by an artist, and no other song can match up to it? No? Well, I do. -.-



That was us #bualtaik as usual, as is our custom.

On her actual birthday, 14 December, I waited the whole day (I'd sent her the CD/parcel from the post office early on the 12th) but she didn't receive it.

It would have been fine arriving belated but on the 15th I woke up and read her birthday blogpost which included a thank-you section for me, despite the fact that I hadn't even wished her on her birthday, so I went berserk on Twitter for a while. I was really upset because I felt like such a jerk!

I mean, what in the world, who deserves a thank you for a non-birthday wish on your birthday?! That is why I always say Huda is the sweetest, most deserving person, because she always is grateful.


However, thankfully, on 15 Dec evening she received the parcel! She didn't listen to the CD immediately though, in the midst of the chaos that was the preparation for her sister Hana's wedding last weekend.

So, yesterday was the live-Tweeting and Retweeting session we had!





So that was our circlejerking Tweeting and Retweeting. Circlejerk is our joke from about a month ago, coined by Huda.


That was how it started and it tickled me so much. Circle kennot, triangle pun tidak! #everythingisfunnierinmalay

If you don't know what circlejerk means, please do not Google it, especially you, Lyssa. But in any case, I'm glad I got her happiness to #TAHAPAISKRIM, because I think that's a good thing seeing as she loves ice-cream. (^-^)v

I would like to voice my appreciation that I know Huda. She is truly a most amazing person who has been there for me time and again, asking about my mother via Twitter DM or Whatsapp, or consoling me (on Her Birthday!) about her parcel not arriving on time, giving me hugs when I need them, coining new animal species like sea koalas (she is the first girl who has done so, the other two people are the guys I made mixtapes for).

She is a most talented writer, I love reading her words and words and words and I will never stop, and I love her Tumblr, because it is all jeenius, and I love when she sings covers and is bashful or sore-throaty and all, it adds even more meaning to the songs than they already have.

Thank you God, for Huda. :) Please keep her and her family safe, and make her feel loved, but most of all, allow her to love herself. Amin!

This was last night's latest progress. We sure do like to #bualtaik (talk shit), literally and figuratively. Sigh, Huda, I hope we will always be there to be #parttimeMinahs, full-time #awkwardturtles for each other, through laughter and heartbroken tears.

That's it for the circle(jerk) of life!

Labels: being thankful, huda rockstar, musicology, twitterrific