 There is a lot of debate currently ongoing that videos are the new medium and photos are taking a backseat in terms of quality content. With the rise of multiple video platforms, it is no wonder that video has become a popular source of content and people can watch videos for hours! (This can also be seen via YouTube – how many of you are guilty of binge watching YouTube for hours on your off days?)
We still prefer a combination of content as we notice that as long as you produce quality content, whether in video or photo form, it does garner engagement and reach. For example, a carousel post of different yoga poses that work well for stretching VS a video on this – both has its pros and cons. Some people would prefer the carousel so they can easily scroll and learn the pose without the video constantly moving (on Instagram you can’t pause the video!), whilst others would prefer to watch each step in the video. We are interested to know your thoughts on the type of content you are more drawn to, comment below! Are you #TeamPhotos or #TeamVideos? Let us know! XO, Your Pixies
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 Social media can be both a blessing and a curse - and with access to information so easy, there are a lot of times when ‘fake news’ gets more attention that real hard facts. Question: Do you always verify and research news you’ve been given?
One of the trending topics in Malaysia is the COVID-19 vaccination. It has been a huge debate on whether vaccinations are safe for people, which vaccines are better than others and a also on the vaccine roll out plan altogether. With an influx of information and also those pesky Whatsapp forwarded messages, people are in a jumble as to whether they would even want to be vaccinated. A report by The Straits Times in March 2021, stated the concern and worry over low vaccination registration rates from the older generation (those aged 60 and above as well as high risk groups), and they mentioned a whopping 90% of this age group had yet to register. Whether this was due to vaccination anxiety or just lack of internet access and knowledge on how to navigate online services and the MySejahtera app. With the drastic rise in cases over the May 2021 period, we have seen an increased interest in vaccination and impatience in the slow roll out. It is great to see the general consensus of people have accepted the vaccinations and are willing to take them now, and we are hoping, whichever vaccine is given, do take it when you have the chance. It is important for us, as citizens to always ensure the truth of information we disseminate, keep ourselves updated on the vaccination roll out as well as other roll outs (ie: The AstraZeneca Opt-In Programme, in which people of all ages were able to register) in order to maintain the calm. Let’s do our part in staying safe, staying home as much as we can, and checking our MySejahtera daily for updates. Stay calm, and stay safe everyone! XO, Your Pixies Source: https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/concerns-emerge-over-low-sign-up-rate-among-senior-citizens-as-malaysia-prepares-2nd  Instagram Reels; we feel it's a take on TikTok and is a new way to distribute content. Many business and content creators have leaped at this new feature and have seen great results from it.
We’ve listed a few things that we’ve learnt about reels thus far:
Do not take our word for everything, as the game is still new, we are basing the above pointers on our observations of using reels thus far. It is a new interesting feature, and we do urge business owners to jump on them and try them out! Any other comments or questions? Drop them below! Xoxo, Your Pixies  Hello, beautiful people! So, we are halfway through the year and we apologise for not updating our blog pages often, it has been a busy time for us and #ProjectSaveFixieDust. The pandemic has really taken a toll on many businesses, not only ours and it has been a task to keep everything afloat!
We are blessed to still have our small company up and running and would like to take this opportunity to thank all you amazing people that have made this possible. We have had a lot of fun this year with our clients – exploring IG Reels, a new Instagram feature (which we will be talking about in the upcoming blogpost!), running ad boosts as well as creating new and exciting content! Social media is a platform that forever changes, upgrades and there is always something new to explore. We will check in again soon everyone! Xoxo, Tanith & Akila  It was interesting welcoming 2021, as most of us probably did so at home or as a small gathering. It was not the normal new year welcoming we are used to. And since then, it seems (well at least for us) that the year started off slow yet super hectic!
We have just been bombarded with the announcement of MCO starting 13th January 2021 for two weeks (for now). Our prayers reach out to those, who probably like us, have just begun to get their life back on track, see some glimpse of hope for their small business and finally breathed a sigh of relief as things were starting to get back to how they used to be. We feel you, and we are all in this together. Whilst we may have differing views on how this current MCO was introduced, I think we can all say that we do want this pandemic to end! Keep strong, and don’t be afraid to reach out for help if you need it. Our mental well-being is important, even we sometimes take a step back and refocus as this situation can get overwhelming. Sometimes, as strong as we are, we can’t always do it alone and we need a little bit of help to get us through. We know some friends over in Hope Valley, which is a safe space for anyone who may need some help with mental health during this trying time. Well, we guess it is back to cooking, working out and video calls for Fixie Dust! Xoxo, Tanith & Akila Hope Valley - https://www.hopevalley.my/services  2020 has been a long year, and thankfully it is all coming to an end soon! We cannot stress enough on the number of people who have been affected physically or mentally by this pandemic especially since we were unable to celebrate the festive seasons with our loved ones. Thankfully, with today’s technology, we are beyond blessed with the existence of video calls. Though it definitely isn’t the same as physically meeting your loved ones, is it definitely a lot better than mere voice calls where you can’t exactly see the person. Keep reading to find out the few reliable video call apps that you can use to connect with your loved ones virtually!
ZOOM Zoom has become something most of us turned to during the first-ever MCO in Malaysia where close to all meetings were scheduled to run online and nobody was allowed to go to work. Zoom has become one of the leading video conferencing apps which have been extremely successful for social events too. It has become an essential tool for small, medium and even large sized teams looking for a way to keep in touch while continuing their daily work with minimal disruption. You can join these meetings via a webcam or your mobile phone would do too! If you’re hosting a conference online or just to catch up with extended family, which leaves you the option to use the FREE option of hosting a video conference for up to 40 mins for 100 participants. It’s especially beneficial for students if you’re attending an online class, and you have the ability to record the entire session by audio or video for your easy viewing later. HOUSEPARTY Why limit yourself to just empty talks when you can engage the entire family into games organised by houseparty where you can get all creative and divide teams for different age groups so they can play together since houseparty caps it’s game limit to 8 people. With more and more people needing to stay home at this point, it makes it close to impossible for us to host or even attend fun parties on the weekend. Houseparty is a cool app that allows you to party with up to seven of your friends from your phone. Keep playing and never worry about stopping with Houseparty. Oh and did we mention, you can video call your friends too while playing. SKYPE Back to classic ol’ skype days where it allows you to call anyone and everyone via video or audio call. The number of participants can vary from 3 to 50 depending on your device and system requirements. Skype is completely free of charge and would be ideal if you are looking to connect with the rest of your loved ones via a classic video or audio call. Whatsapp has been around for a while now, and while they initially used to provide audio calls, they now provide both the option to video call or simply to audio call. Due to the pandemic earlier this April 2020, Whatsapp has decided to double the number of participants from a Whatsapp video or voice call from 4 people to 8 people at a time! With all these new apps in the market, it makes it easier to connect with your loved ones from near and far and even from all over the world. The pandemic shouldn’t be a reason to create a distance among yourself and your loved ones. Where there is a will, there definitely will be a way. Till next time! #staysafe Xoxo, Your Pixies  This year has probably been one of the most challenging for the bulk of us. With the announcement of the Coronavirus earlier in the year, to experiencing the first, second and third wave of clusters and cases, we can’t deny this year has taught us a very hard lesson in priorities.
This year has taught us to slow down, refocus and rethink what matters to us. Reconnect with friends, family, and mostly, with ourselves. We’ve seen hidden talents in us pop up - that we have never knew existed – from DIY handcrafting and painting, to cooking and reorganizing. We got into a healthier routine with exercise and diets, too. We feel for all our local small businesses and we’ve seen a huge wave of support from everyone for them. We (as in Malaysia) started #SapotLokal and we’ve all chipped in, buying from smaller establishments rather than huge corporations. Local media have also done their part in shining the light on smaller businesses and using their reach and influence to help. What. A. Year. We are no stranger to the wave that hit this year, and have also faced challenges of our own. It is tough running your own company and we are truly grateful for our amazing clients and friends that have kept us afloat during this time. We’ve definitely gained a few white hair this year (not kidding). Guys, the best you can do for your friends' businesses and other smaller establishments, even if you can’t purchase to support, is SHARE them. You have no idea how far your one share (that took you 10 seconds to do) will go – and how much it will help them. And we heard this amazing podcast on BFM earlier today about how to sum up your 2020, what it meant to you, and how you can set goals for 2021 – why not try it too! BFM - 20 Questions To Review Your 2020 Stay safe, fam. Much love, XOXO, Your Pixies  Before the coronavirus pandemic hit Malaysia, most of us were up with resolutions of keeping healthy both physically and mentally. We signed up for gym memberships, yoga classes and etc. keeping ourselves busy by self-loving ourselves. However, since the pandemic hit us, we’ve been very careful in our activities, some of us discontinued our gym memberships as they weren’t allowed to even operate during the very first MCO.
During this difficult time, it is important to continue looking after your physical and mental health which not only will help you in the long-term, it will also help you fight COVID19 if you are infected. Some of the important key pointers to always keep in mind include eating a healthy and nutritious diet which will help your immune system function properly. The consumption of alcohol and sugary drinks are also to be limited. If you are a smoker, you should think of quitting (we know it’s super hard- but reducing it at least will help a little bit) as smoking can increase your risk of developing a severe reaction if you are infected with COVID (even if you aren’t infected, you are still more at risk at developing different types of lung diseases). In this article, we would like to share some simple tips and tricks on how to take better care of your physical and mental health during the pandemic. We hope it’ll help you! 😊 PHYSICAL HEALTH CARE World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends approximately 30 minutes of physical activity per day for healthy adults staying at home, and approximately one hour for children (to be fair, this is such a small amount of time, and we are sure there is at least half an hour in a day where we end up scrolling on our phone – so why not do something that benefits your health?). There are many videos on YouTube who teach you step by step how to do a complete workout at home without the need of any special equipment, all of which are completely free of charge. Some gyms also have resorted to posting a couple of workout styles you can try for yourself at home. If you want to have engagement with other people, join an online fitness class, or if you love to dance, turn up the music and dance away! Walking up and down your staircase is also good workout. But, what matters most is you continue doing stretching a couple of times a day. Just a short break from sitting makes a difference. If you remain in one position without moving for too long, it may give you aches here and there. Just three-four minutes of light intensity movement, such as walking or stretching can help you improve your blood circulation and muscle activity, as per what World Health Organisation has shared. MENTAL HEALTH CARE This is something that everyone should shine some light on and take seriously. This pandemic is an addition to some people’s existing worries and problems, and can take a painful turn if you don’t identify the symptoms quick enough. In fact, just a couple of weeks ago, we did a full article just on mental health care which also included a support system you can go to if you’re looking for one. Remember, that we are only human, and it is okay to feel down sometimes. If you know someone who is going through a rough time, offer a helping hand and to be their support system. Sometimes, all they really want is a listening ear. One super effective way to take care of your mental health during the pandemic, is to not bottle it up with worries. Talk it out or rather look for a safe space for you to let your worries out. There are so many listening ears here in Malaysia itself who are very professional in keeping things confidential too, if you find it difficult to confide in your family and friends. This is the time we should be supporting one another and getting through difficult times together. Wipe your worries away and never think that you are going through anything alone. Anything and everything is curable and has a solution. Look out for visible signs or talk to someone if you suspect they’re going through a difficult period. Let’s get through this together! Xoxo, Your Pixies  It’s ok to say NO. Recently, a friend from college invited one of us out for a gathering at their house with a relatively large group of family and other friends invited too. What would have once been a fun, exciting outing now pretty much put us in a difficult position of not being able to say ‘’no’’. With the Covid cases still rising high in Malaysia, it was indeed a tough decision to make. All the more since our friend was staying in an apartment with lots of other people.
As much as we wanted to say ‘’no’’, we didn’t want to offend our friend. Instead, we casually reminded our friend that they should be very careful and practice social distancing, and if possible opt to invite a smaller group of people instead. So what should we do in a situation like this? Should we just say yes to the gathering despite our concerns. Should we reject invitations from friends and family due to the covid craze? Should we communicate our concerns, or just keep them to ourselves? After all, almost everyone is aware of the consequence of social gatherings, right? On the other hand, aren’t we all eager to see our family and friends again? But logically speaking, attending a social gathering isn’t exactly the best idea. While it’s possible to plan a hangout with a person that’s somewhat safe, it definitely is inconvenient. Spending more than 15 minutes within 6 feet of another person increases your risk of catching and spreading COVID – especially if that person is being less cautious than you are. The decision to attend a social gathering solely depends on the factors below:
Well if you hear yourself saying more YES compared to NO based on the above, you should decline the invitation to go out. No one likes to say ‘’No’’ especially when we are invited to spend time with close family and friends, and some of us dislike it more than others. Here are some easy tips to remember if you’re about to say ‘’No’’ to an invitation:
Here are other alternatives you can say ‘’NO’’ to too:
That’s all from us this time, stay at home unless you absolutely need to do something. Also don’t be afraid to go through road blocks (If you got surat kerja lahh 😉). Do your part and the rest will fall into place soon, including the decrease in COVID cases. #KitaJagaKita Xoxo, Your Pixies  Work from home – again! Just as everything was almost coming together after the COVID-19 craze, the government just announced another lockdown (well, for us in KL at least). Once you have completed your day’s tasks, here are some of our personal Netflix recommendations for you to unwind and chill after a long, tiring day of work.
1. COBRA KAI Watched it as a filler because we thought it was going to be boring, but it ended up so good that we binge-watched the whole first season and a few episodes of the second season! Whoever watched the classic Mr Miyagi Karate Kid, you gotta watch this. There are SOOO many twists and turns - quite unpredictable. Childhood rivalry is real lol. WAITING for Season 3 to come out in January 2021! 2. THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY An interesting series, laced with comedy and just enough violence to satisfy those blood cravings! ;) Another non-predictable series and it keeps shocking you with every episode. As the character builds, you will love them all (we LOVE Klaus)! 3. THE HOME EDIT As an organized, clean freak who spring cleans my room once a month, this show really 'up'ed my organizing game. The rainbow coordination, organizing process, not forgetting the before and after look is like therapy to me. It is such a good show (I watched a few episodes repeatedly) and I hope they come up with new episodes! Watch it and you will be motivated to Home Edit and rainbow coordinate your whole house, trust me. Psst: Guess which amongst the three of us is the cleanest freak 4. 100 HUMANS – LIFE’S QUESTIONS ANSWERED A survey done by 100 random humans of different gender, age group and background in an experiment method. Interesting show to watch, and also to understand the science and psychological effect on the different topics. Mind blown. Must watch – thank us later! 5.EMILY IN PARIS We came across this series as an ‘accidental find’ on Netflix. It all started while randomly browsing through Netflix for a movie to watch when we came across Emily in Paris. The interesting summary caught our attention and before we knew it, we were already pretty hooked on the series (We finished it in a day! Oops!). Emily in Paris series is based on a young American woman, Emily from a marketing firm in Chicago who then moves to Paris for an unexpected job opportunity. She is tasked with bringing an American point of view to the French marketing firm. We shall not tell you more and spoil the fun for you! 6.GROWING UP For all those of you who are looking for a super-good TV show to binge watch on, this is something that you would want to try watching. We landed on this series after reading up a couple of reviews on the internet. Growing up features a Singaporean family in the 1960s, and how life was back then. What we personally love about the entire show is that it is very natural, and the entire series is basically what happens in all households daily. In short, something that is very relatable to our daily lives. There you have it, six of our personal Netflix recommendations specially for you to start watching at home during this EMCO. Looking at how we binged on the series, it may not be a good idea for you to start! Just make sure work first lah, then Netflix ok. 😉 What are your Netflix recommendations? Share them with us! #Staysafe Xoxo, Your Pixies |
FixiesWe came up with the whole name when we said we wanted to help 'fix' other's social media problems. And as two females moving into this venture, Fixie Dust seemed to fit the bill! Archives
July 2021
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