Kuala Lumpur Food Vlogger Masterclass @ TAPAK with Maria Tunku Sabri, Razif Hashim, Angela Carson

Heyyyy KL, are you interested in shooting fun street food videos or maybe starting up your own blog or YouTube channel? Well, I’m teaching my first masterclass on the art of food vlogging at TAPAK and I’d love for you to attend. I’m doing this with my friends Maria Tunku Sabri, the gorgeous pioneer food channel tv presenter, and the charming and hilarious Razif Hashim … and our goal is that you walk away with MAD SKILLS to be an awesome food blogger, food vlogger, or TV show presenter. Woohoooo!
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Read more about the article My Spicy Birthday Party @ Crab Factory with Maria Tunku Sabri in Kuala Lumpur (with a special message for all Malaysians)

My Spicy Birthday Party @ Crab Factory with Maria Tunku Sabri in Kuala Lumpur (with a special message for all Malaysians)

My good friend Teresa messaged yesterday to say that I’d better do something fabulous enough for my birthday that I could blog about it … and it turns out I really, really did! This is the very first birthday I’m spending in Malaysia. Fingers crossed it is the first of many to come. I turned 46 yesterday and had a BLAST doing it. My new friend Maria Tunku Sabri (a celeb in Malaysia who pioneered the country’s cooking shows on TV) had invited me to try the Crab Factory with her and a few work mates, the date it turned out was my special day, and it was perfect. I spent hours laughing and talking about holidays, culinary adventures, and straight up FOOD with the owner T.Y., Maria, and four more of TV3s sweetest TV presenters.
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Hijabs and Turbans Always Make Me Smile

Since moving away from India, I sadly don’t see many Sikhs anymore. Today I happened upon a fellow traveller in the Kuala Lumpur airport, and just the distant hint of his turban made me smile. I could see the small little escaping hairs at the nape of his neck as I drew closer and knew he hadn’t recently used that slim silver grooming tool that my Sikh mates in Bangalore were always popping out from their pocket to replace the escapees! Somehow, that too made me smile and reminded of fun times with great friends in India. (more…)

Single Mom Diaries: Happiness Is Key to Being A Good Parent

From the moment I separated from my ex-husband, when our daughter was one year old, I made the choice to lead a joyful life with no regrets. My ex was a bully, had dominated and controlled me, and had made me absolutely unhappy. At the time I was 26 and believed that a miserable married person would struggle to be a good parent … so I decided then and there to live a happy life for ME so that I had the best chance of being a wonderful mom to my daughter. (more…)

Travelling Indonesia: A Simpler Way of Life in Bali (and why ForBali is fighting to preserve it)

I’m currently spending a month in Bali curating travel content. This makes the 2^nd time in less than 9 months that I’m here, with the previous visit lasting 60 days. It’s hectic, it’s fun, it’s a wonderful break from my own ‘real life’, and it reminds me often about what is really important as I see life through the eyes of the gracious people of Indonesia. (more…)

Want to Be a Blogger? My 1st Blog is #1 on Google, Here’s How I Started…

This week I received an email from an aspiring writer looking for an opportunity to contribute to a blog. He shared in his email that writing was his dream but that he has been met time and again with obstacles to his dream by publishers and blog owners refusing to give him a shot at doing what he loves. And certainly, we can all sympathise on some level with those types of frustrations. If you have a similar passion for writing then I’m sure you know how hard it is to improve your writing by yourself. If publishers don’t like your work, you have to go away and rewrite your vision in a new way that will excite them. Resources like the hemingway app are a huge help in improving your writing but a lot of the time, it just takes perseverance and making sure you have the right intentions to improve your writing career. Unfortunately, this guy didn’t have the right intentions. (more…)

#1 Reason to Get Lost on Purpose When You Travel

Today I ran across a post by an award-winning travel writer sharing tips on how to get lost on purpose that triggered a slew of memories. It was almost like one of those end-of-life flashbacks in films, with distinct scenes from some of my favourite trips from the past 15’ish years instantly playing in my mind. Some were snapshots of amazing monuments when they first came into view, while others were unforgettable and special experiences or moments in time. (more…)

Life in (Unfair White Privilege) Contrast: Expat vs. Immigrant

I’m a California native, 5^th generation descendent of Irish, German, and British immigrants to the United States of America. My family didn’t go to the U.S. because they had a foreign worker’s post in the embassy – or a job at all! They were fleeing from a poor economic climate (mostly from Ireland), looking to improve their life in a country that promised a brighter future. My ancestors were immigrants, plain and simple. Luckily they weren’t fleeing to escape shellfire and tyranny like so many millions of people in 2016. However, just like 99.9% of all immigrants around the world today, they were good people just trying to provide a more secure life for their family. (more…)

Single Mom Diaries: Thoughts on Fate, Education & Ambition after Watching Straight Outta Compton

The guys from N.W.A. (from the movie Straight Outta Compton) were born within a few years of me, and in the town that bordered mine in Los Angeles County. I was born in Lynwood, which shares a border with Compton, and until I was 10 years old we lived next door in South Gate. If someone says they were born “in the ‘hood” or they are from the ‘hood’ (slang for neighbourhood), well … where I’m originally from in L.A. is one of those places. (more…)

[Video] Expat Life in Kuala Lumpur Day 3: Hunt for Coffee & Food

Shot this on Day 3 of my new life in Malaysia. I was staying in a service apartment, insanely jet-lagged (translation = NOT looking fresh or rested), and on the hunt for coffee … only to learn the hard way that not all neighbourhoods cater to the ‘morning coffee’ crowd! (more…)

The Beautiful Way I See Muslims

I’m 45 years old and was born and raised in southern California. I haven’t lived in the U.S. in 13 years and as we can sadly see … things have certainly changed for the worse in America. When I lived there, generally speaking anyway, the worst thing I remember ‘learning’ about Muslims was that Muslim women were brainwashed into wearing the hijab and/or burka. Back then I didn’t know any Muslims so I blindly believed what I had been told without educating myself or thinking twice.

Well, thankfully I’m not the same blindly-believing-anything-I-hear American girl I once was…
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I’m Afraid to Go Home to California for Christmas Following San Bernardino Shooting

While abroad, the most common question any traveller hears is ‘So, where are you from?’ and I always share the same answer. That I’m from California but I haven’t lived in America in 13 years. When I was living in Europe, half of the time that would be enough but definitely since I’ve been living in Asia I always receive an almost instant, ‘So long! Why don’t you live in the U.S. (and of course, where do you live)?’ Again, I always share the same answer. The lack of gun control, all the plastic surgery and pressure on women to continually look younger and younger, and the lack of basics like socialised healthcare. My list is actually much longer but in the back of a taxi that usually is enough! (more…)

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