Top 5 Things Ex-Barcelona Expats Miss Most About Spain

I moved to Barcelona the first time by accident. It was 1993, the year after their summer Olympic games and I had bought the cheapest one-way ticket from Los Angeles to Europe I could find, which happened to be Amsterdam. It was May and I had not packed well for Northern Europe so I was freezing my ass off! After two days of smoking everything possible in the cool cafes near the Red Light District, I took a train to Paris. Paris was too expensive, San Sebastian and Pamplona weren’t what I was looking for, and I ultimately ended up in a seaside village 25 minutes south of Barcelona called Sitges. (more…)

Why I Chose Expat Life in Malaysia

The last time I remember being this light, this joyfully happy, this optimistic, and this positive was the summer of 2013. I can pinpoint triggers in my mind and there are precisely two to be exact. The first was in July when my daughter and I went on a very fun weeklong road trip in India before she moved away to head to uni in the UK. We drove the chauffer (not Shiva!) mad for hours-on-end singing our favourite songs from the 60s to 2000s, had wonderfully long talks that touched my heart, and shared special and dodgy moments adventuring around South India. The second was the next month when I flew back to the U.S. to renew my India visa and had a wild weekend with my brother and sister in San Francisco. It was indulgent, hilarious, and a bit naughty … everything you want from a reunion, right? (more…)

Attending Malay-Muslim Wedding Reception (Majlis Bersanding) | Kuala Lumpur Expat Life

After 18 months of living in Kuala Lumpur, I am so thrilled to have finally been invited to my very first Malay-Muslim wedding reception. Well, I had attended one last year for a short time but it was a spontaneous thing and I hadn’t actually known the couple (see that video here). This time, I’ve known the groom Kamal for close to a year and was wonderfully happy to meet his lovely bride Suhada and be able to take part in their lovely majlis bersanding. (more…)

Phuket | Eating Chicken Hearts & Getting Scammed at Night Market

It’s wild how different Thai street food is compared to what I’ve known for the past 18 months here in Malaysia. They’re super keen on literally ANYTHING on a stick it seems. Spicy is better. And there is huge pride in the freshness and quality by the hawker and food stall owners. Come with me as I explore a night market in Phuket and some local hawker street food along the seafront at Panwa Beach. I tried a few meats-on-a-stick that included a real first for me, chicken hearts!

Ohhhh and it was my first time being scammed by a night market vendor, that was not fun at all sadly. It cost me all my night market shots from my video cam, so forgive me please that the beginning of the video is all selfie video and me, me, me!

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Exploring Chinese Cemetery with Li Kim from The Paranormal Zone

Ever since my daughter and I explored the cemetery island in Venice, Italy back in 2008 I’ve loved visiting cemeteries. They are a beautiful and unique way to better understand a country or region and its culture. That is certainly true for Malaysia, which I discovered first in Penang at a Protestant cemetery and now here in Kuala Lumpur at the Chinese Cemetery located right downtown (but feels a million kilometres away). (more…)

Trying Malaysia’s NEW Char Kuey Teow Burger with My Friends at FungryTV

Yum, yum, and double YUM!!!! What a lunch! As you’ll see I not only had a rockin’ time with friends old and new … I also dug into a brand new burger that was invented for Merdeka 2017 … and damn is it tasty! I was invited by my friend Razif Hashim to try this new deconstructed char kuey teow burger that has been created to combat the crazy nasi lemak burger 😉 (more…)

I’m Now Location Independent! Here Are 3 Truths I’ve Learned

I’ve been an expat most of my adult life, moving from country to country and along life’s path as it opened up to me. However, until this year I never identified as a Digital Nomad or being Location Independent. Pretty much because I wasn’t, even though most people in my life saw me that way. I’m a Californian and have worked in digital comms in Spain, India, China, Hong Kong, and Malaysia for local start-ups. Never on assignment as a foreign worker for a large company and rarely working freelance. So sure, the past couple of decades I’ve lived a nomadic existence but I wasn’t location-independent. (more…)

[Vlog] Moist Cake Street Food in My Neighbourhood at Hampshire Park

Kuala Lumpur Street Food knocked my socks off at lunch today with GOOEY YUMMY Moist Cake, check it out 🙂 (more…)

1st Look at HISTORY Con MY with Matt Preston MasterChef Australia Judge

HISTORY Con MY is going on this weekend in Kuala Lumpur and I just had a sneak peak at all the fun and antics you and your family can get up to there! Some of HISTORY Channels top celebrities are on hand, including Masterchef Australia judge Matt Preston who sat down for a one-on-one with me and talked … yep you guessed it … all about FASHION!!! It was very fun 😉 (more…)

Penang Hawker Street Food | Red Garden (my favourite!)

Malaysia is home to some of Asia’s most wonderful street and hawker food and Penang is the undisputed king when it comes to showcasing its bounty (at least in my opinion!). I’m in George Town at least every six to eight weeks and I always find time to spend an evening (or at least a very long meal) at Red Garden Food Paradise located next to The Edison and The Blue Mansion heritage hotels (more…)

Best Leica Camera for Vlogging | V-Lux Buy & Test in Malaysia at YL Camera

I fell in love with Leica last year when I saw a review from one of my favourite travel vloggers Jon Olsson using one of their cams. The 4k video quality was off-the-charts and looked nothing like even the BEST the videos I was producing. So when I decided that it was time to upgrade from the iPhone + DSLR setup I was using, it was a Leica that I wanted. I did my research and chatted with the guys at YL Camera, Malaysia’s largest camera retailer, for advice and decided on the Leica V-Lux for its video features and all-in-one 25-400mm zoom lens capabilities. It has been less than a week since I brought my new baby home and the quality of what it shoots is already so amazing … come check it out. (more…)

Penang | Old Protestant Cemetery Tour with Clement Liang

The first time I realised that the beauty of a city is reflected and can be found in the history of its cemeteries was in October, 2008. My daughter and I were in Venice, Italy celebrating her 13th birthday and we took a vaporetto (water bus) to the cemetery island there and found the experience left a lasting impression on us. So when the opportunity arose to explore Penang’s most famous cemetery I leapt at the chance. The UNESCO-protected Old Protestant Cemetery (or Francis Light Cemetery) offers free tours on the last Sunday of each month by one of Penang’s most well respected historian tour guides, Clement Liang. (more…)

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