This weekend is an experience you can’t miss - a whole new way to enjoy fashion sustainably …. A CLOTHING AUCTION! Clothing auctions are super fun parties that are popular in China where participants bring good quality items, mingle, try on clothes, then bid on them at the end of the night to raise money for charity. It’s a fantastic way to relove our fashion and snap up a bargain, and now we get to experience it too! And we’re doing it for an amazing cause - @zerowastemalaysia_official (“ZWM”) has been instrumental to all our eco journeys, providing a platform where we can ask questions, bounce ideas and encourage others to live responsibly in our own communities and share resources to support low waste living. ZWM is run by passionate volunteers, and now they’re fundraising with #Project0 for their operations and to be able to execute even more impactful projects for 2020. How You Can Join the Clothing Auction this Sat, 14th Dec, 7pm in TTDI: 🌱Register at @zerowastemalaysia_official or tinyurl.com/rr9nfmr for a spot - it’s completely free to join! 🌱Bring 3-5 pieces of good quality clothing to contribute 🌱Have fun, bid on stuff you like! Bidding starts at RM10 Head to www.zerowastemalaysia.org/project0 to support environmental outreach in Malaysia I’m so darn excited for this, I’m bringing some beautiful pieces to auction (like this vintage piece I’m wearing!) and I’m gonna be bidding for some “new-to-me” outfits for New Year for myself. Thanks so much ZWM for organising this, let’s raise money for a greener Malaysia! See you there ! #zerowaste #lowwaste #sustainableliving #sustainability #sustainablefashion

She likes the roaming around part, but not the reason we’re here - a dip in the ocean, using seawater’s healing properties to bring relief to her itchy skin (she hates baths) as recommended by her nanny. Yet another reason to protect our oceans, there is so much good we depend on, why are we so adamant on destroying it. 🌱 while we’re here, we might as well plog. 🌱 Little good girl has been living 5 minutes from the sea for 6 months now. But this is only her second time to the beach, even though I keep saying I’ll bring her 😓 how quickly the months go by when we don’t act on intention 😳 .

What’s next, what’s new? Hold your horses and check the reviews 😏 Today in KL taking a first look at the latest phone with five back cameras. Yes, five. Do we actually need so many? It depends. First impressions with @tech360.tv coming soon! #tech #host #phone #gadget #techreview

Yet another mass shopping day - Black Friday. Cyber Monday. A valuable opportunity for us to exercise - restraint. Instead of the frantic scrolling, trigger happy “Add to Cart”, What if I said, you probably already have everything you need? The scarcity and urgency created - where mega discounts are shouting for our attention across all brands, stores, platforms condensed into a single day - it’s no wonder that there is so much “impulse” shopping happening. The fear of missing out, the fear of “losing out” on a great deal. They’re pressing all the right buttons. In the wise words of @theminimalists : “Forget sale price—everything is 100% off when you don't buy it.” For how many of us have already forgotten the ‘glow’ of our new purchases from 11:11? Think twice before buying; create less future waste. Take back your time. Take back your money. Take back the freedom to spend the couple of hours you would have spent shopping, doing something else that makes you happy =) Happy thanksgiving to the other side of the world, and have a beautiful day with your loved ones everyone. #zerowaste #lowwaste #minimalist #whitemonday #buynothing #sustainability

Outcomes matter, but the ride is what makes the memories. This is Team Model. Jesus, our team captain, put us together because we are all “really good looking”. Sure, honey.… that will win a design competition 😂 But - what looked like a disadvantage turned out to be a beautiful union. After the wrap of each shoot day, while everyone came home to Reality House with strained faces, some in fairly bad moods; #TeamModel, while dead tired, would be smiling, laughing as we walked through front door. I am often serious, I get sullen and stressed fairly quickly. But I had these rays of sunshine to lift me up. We stressed a lot together. We laughed a lot together. We worked incredibly hard together. And we enjoyed each other’s company. Everyday was a day well spent. My roommate said, “geez you guys are lucky, the rest of us just had a shit day”. We may not all win, but at least we can have a damn good time. Worth it. Mad respect for my bro Derrick @derricksiu who relentlessly worked himself to the bone to figure out a field that was formerly so foreign to him. He studied harder than any of us, he fought for his decisions bravely, and he was always ready to take risks - go big, or go home. His response to everything was, yeah we can do it, and he sits down immediately and starts doing it. He never doubted himself for a second. I have several pages to take from Derrick’s book. Much love to my dear friend Jesus @jesusdobbins , who showed us that heart comes first. He was never too tired to show someone kindness. His generous heart makes anyone warm up to him immediately, all wrapped up in a supremely positive, hilarious feel-good exterior. There were so many times I was down in a pit and it was his optimism that kept me going. He stands by his friends <3 They both kept me sane throughout it all. #TeamModel <3 with all my love. The Apartment continues tonight on @divatvasia at 8pm.

Trust your gut ✊ I had a very different vision for the Bedroom challenge of #TheApartmentTV . This wasn’t it. I didn’t agree with the overall idea from the get-go, but I wanted to respect my team leader’s ideas and support my beloved #TeamModel wholeheartedly - team spirit! So I convinced myself - no, no , maybe I’m just not ‘getting’ the idea they believed so passionately in. Maybe I’m actually staring at a really good idea and I just didn’t understand it. So I worked really hard, put in my ideas into an overall concept I didn’t buy into, trying to maneuver the brute force of “man ideas” in the room into gentler waters (fail 😅) I focused on the parts I really wanted to work - like building my beautiful wall (look at it!) I smothered my own gut feeling. “This bedroom doesn’t even sound like you, Melissa” chimed some of our friends in Reality House. The judges resonated the same at judging. You’re darn right. If you’re wondering what the concept was - it was 50 Shades of Passion. Yeah, this bedroom really isn’t me. I was swimming against a current. But I was also being an enabler to it all. The judges tore us a new one, fairly and well-deserved. I took a risk on something that I didn’t believe in. And it didn’t pay off - is that any surprise? I have always been outspoken about my opinion. I enjoy exercising my critical thinking. This time though it evaded me - I loved my teammates, I didn’t fight strongly enough for what I thought was right. I wasn’t in the best headspace. And because of that, I was uncertain the entire challenge. Good thing - this was “reality” and not reality. Stakes are high, but really the worst that can happen is - you go home. Contained, manageable risk ;) Next time, I’ll trust my gut. P.S I love discovering all these things through the magic and ‘mind-f****” of “reality” don’t you? The Apartment continues tomorrow on @divatvasia tomorrow at 8pm. #TeamMelissa

It’s @TheMusicRun today!! Say hello to their Sustainabilty Ambassador 😏😏😏 Runner 4106 will be running #lowwaste today ;) but but but… I’m not alone :) While I’m bringing my food container and my water bottle (they have refills throughout the race!), remember to bring yours too! Grab your friends, carpool to the race grounds, because it takes all our efforts too to make this a #lowcarbon event. They’re gonna be helping us out tremendously with that. I’m superbly happy to see: 🌱Water refills throughout the grounds by Bluewater 🌱all organic waste going into @groundcontroldotmy ‘s composting facility, with the compost going to @fts_malaysia to plant more greenery 🌱Any excess edible food going to @thelostfoodproject ; and 🌱Recycling on-ground handled by @icyclemalaysia . Bookmark all my favourite organisations, I would love more events to go more #lowwaste too. And if you’re racing to win, this year’s trophies are made from upcycled e-waste donated by @cimbmalaysia! As one of the largest running events in Malaysia, this is the first year they’re pushing for a more sustainable race, and they deserve a big pat on the back. Can’t wait to see how they’ll raise the bar even further next year! (yes I’m already excited for next year) Let’s party sustainably today, and always you guys. I’ll see you on the race grounds! Check out more sustainable initiatives at www.themusicrun.com/sustainability #TMRbyCIMB #LiveTheBeat #ForwardYourBeat

We expect better of businesses. But we don’t expect the overhaul of their manufacturing + packaging (and everything in between) to happen overnight, instantly. Just like individuals, the journey to sustainability is a growing process. Start, set goals, make them ambitious, and keep up a solid pace of progress. And never stop questioning what you can do better for the environment. Thank you for having me host the @mykiehls #kiehlsmadebetter year end party to celebrate your new sustainability goals for 2020, and kudos for contributing generously to local environmental projects by @ecoknights ! The beautiful rainforest party had drinks served in real glasses and a menu that was 60% plant based Sustainably and fashionably dressed in @rentadress_kl #rentdontbuy #fashion #host #emcee

This week in beautiful Penang for Penang Climate Action Week. Tomorrow, I’ll be speaking on what we as individuals can do in “Climate Change and You” with my fellow local climate activists. Climate change action is relevant to everyone at every level and we will speak about the concrete ways we can each contribute as individuals, business owners, and communities. Join us and meet others who are seeking to create a better environment at the ‘Climate Change and You’ talk Free registration at https://thinkcity.com.my/pcaw/ @mythinkcity Tues 19th Nov, 8PM, Geogetown, Penang If you’re in town, come and get in the mix of things, there are lots of really valuable activities and talks going on, I’m gonna try and get to as many as possible too! #pgclimateaction #pgclimateactionweek #pcaw2019

Whites make everything bright and cheery 🌼 Thrifted treasures out for a spin, paired with stuff that’s been in my wardrobe forever. (my bracelet is >15 years old!) #zerowaste #sustainablefashion 🌱 I made a lil gift box out of everyone else’s floral discards, instead of the travel sets I chose a lovely bar soap with essential oils wrapped in paper, took a picture of my creation, returned the box and composted the leaves :) #lowwaste gifting can be beautiful ❤️ Let’s be conscious of the trash we produce during the holiday season. Thank you for the lovely time @loccitanemy as always #giftsofnature

If you give yourself a chance to DO something, you might really surprise yourself. I’m a numbers girl. I’ve never touched anything close to design, never even intentionally set up my own room. So when I was grouped into Team Model (as Jesus dubs us) right out of the gate; The ONE team in the competition where EVERY member had ZERO design background. Well.. if I wasn’t freaking out before, I was definitely freaking out now. But when ‘reality’ throws you a curveball, when you don’t have a safety net of experience and know-how, man, that’s when things can surprise you. I think we got along so well BECAUSE there wasn’t an ‘expert’ to look to. We could only rely on our own intuition. And we backed each other up. We had NO idea if we royally screwed up every step up of the way, because we had no experience to tell us if we did. And that made the feeling when the room comes together in the last final moments, in a mad scramble…. so…. Wow. Omg, we did it. I can’t believe we did it. And… I love it. That incredible satisfaction was brand new to all of us. That I could put a room together like this with my two new best friends, just blew my mind. I never knew I had it in me. Catch #TeamMelissa and #TeamModel on Episode 2 of @theapartmenttvofficial airing tonight on @divatvasia 8pm

Tonight, I’m doing ‘reality’ all over again. Isn’t this random? For once, I didn’t want to think about what was “on-brand” for me. I was going through a tough time. And when someone goes through a particularly uncomfortable period, when they get burnt out or disillusioned, they find different ways to get through it. Some go for retreats, a long holiday, or dive into exploring a new way of living with new goals. I chose to take time off and do this. A sabbatical of sorts. To be taken out of “reality” and be put into “reality”. To be focused not on my problems, my what-ifs, my fears or my shortcomings. But on what I can do. To be present, in the moment - focused only on this thing in front of me. Here you go, here’s your challenge. Here’s some people you don’t know that you have to interact with. It’s a hotbox of human experiences. It’s challenging as heck - adrenaline filled, but in a controlled space (safe for the time being, until the rest of the world watches it and judges you 😅). And I mean it when I say - I secretly/not so secretly enjoy #realityTV I’m not here as a #zerowaste advocate , a model, a TV host, or whatever label I’ve taken on. I’m just here as Melissa. (Although sure, Melissa is still a zero waste practitioner, that’s a personal choice) This was my YOLO, my “just be me” again. And as a nifty little side effect - learn a whole bunch of cool s**t I would never get to do in real life. You don’t have to watch it, but if you do, let me give you a little more context. How would a nature-loving girl who wants to live in a forest in a house with no walls and no furniture - do in an interior design competition? . I went to find out 😏 #TeamMelissa in #TheApartmentTV #TAS7LuxuryEdition on @divatvasia TONIGHT at 8pm This is gonna be fun. #TeamMelissaTA7 #TheApartmentS7 #divatvasia