Blooming Lightbox, Tomyam Tumpah & One Unforgettable Day

  • Focus, focus. You've got this. Breathe. Head high, eyes sharp. Beautiful, elegant—own it.

  • Oh no... an accident! Stay calm. We need to get to the ER—fast.

  • Today is a new day... but yesterday still lingers. I can’t just forget it—not yet.

We’ve been meaning to change the lightbox at our KL East store for ages. You know the one — that big photo of me and Wafa. She was only 7 back then, all kecil comel, and now…

She’s 13 going on 20.

So finally, we decided to do it. Yesterday was the day. The day we said goodbye to the old photo and made space for a brand new one — same duo, just more grown-up and blooming with memories.

The concept?

Mother and daughter, surrounded by flowers, like we’re lost in a magical garden. It was honestly one of the prettiest shoots we’ve done. The entire studio was transformed into a garden of colours: bunga-bunga everywhere, pastel, bold, lembut, all at once. And in the middle of it: me and Wafa, wearing telekung and soaking in the moment.


We wanted to keep that same energy from the old lightbox — the bond, the togetherness. This wasn’t just a photoshoot. It was a celebration of all our seasons. From 7 to 13. From baby cheeks to budding teenager. From old lightbox to blooming one.

And yes, although she’s all grown up now, I specifically asked the team to do her makeup in a way that doesn’t make her look too grown up. I wanted the innocence to still be there.

The purity, the softness. Just Wafa, as she is.

Let me tell you, the team really went all out.

There were flowers everywhere. Every time we switched the angle, the colour theme, or the vibe, someone was adjusting props, shooting BTS, styling, or cleaning up a trail of petals. Memang riuh. Tabik spring to the whole crew — everyone worked so hard to bring the concept to life.

And then came the floating kain moment.

Diny and Ruby took turns tossing the kain behind us while the photographer clicked away, hoping to catch that one perfect moment where the kain looks like it’s dancing in the air.

The result? A lot of near-hits, some sangat lawak failed attempts, and one kain that decided to land right on Wafa’s head.

We laughed sampai sakit perut. Those are the moments I’ll remember most — the not-so-glam ones, the candid ones. Not every photo was a perfect senyuman. I had my fair share of muka pelik, mata separuh tutup, or the classic muka penat before tea break. All part of the fun.

Then came the plot twist.

After the shoot, I dropped Wafa off at home and headed to the office. Not long after, I got a call from Amru, her elder brother.
“Mama, Wafa tertumpah tomyam dekat kaki dia!”

My heart sank.

She had brought back soup and tomyam from lunch, and somehow, the bag slipped. The hot tomyam spilled straight onto her foot. Panas, sakit, and within minutes, we were rushing her to the hospital.

She was in a lot of pain at first, tapi Alhamdulillah, after the doctor gave her painkillers, she started to feel better. We ended up staying the night just to monitor her.

She’s still in the ward now actually — on her hospital bed, laptop on her lap, typing away. Tengah tulis buku dia. That girl. Tak habis-habis dengan project dia. I’m posting a photo of that moment too, because honestly… it says everything about her. Tenang, tabah, and full of imagination even with a bandaged foot beside her. That’s Wafa. She’s not the jenis nak mengada or boss anyone around. Just quietly strong.

So yeah, what was supposed to be a lightbox refresh turned into a whole chapter of its own: a blooming photoshoot, a tomyam incident, a hospital stay, and a whole lot of memories packed into one very long, very meaningful day.

And if you’ve been scrolling through this blog post — yes, the photos are right here. The kain terbang fails, the colourful flower madness, the many faces of me (some not so cute 😂), and all the little behind-the-scenes moments that made this day unforgettable.

❤️
Mama Areej