Expat Life: Batu Ferringhi Street Food & Night Market in Penang Malaysia

Holy yummy night out! Don’t even think of visiting Penang without staying in one of the lovely Batu Ferringhi villas or without visiting the famous Batu Ferringhi night market located just one street off the beach. Known locally as the Batu Ferringhi sidewalk bazaar and not so much as the pasar malam (night market), this fun collection of the best local food and shopping stalls extends for block after block, in and out of small fixed shopping centres, permanent food courts, and pop-up sidewalk carts … it’s really an interesting concept and they’ve pulled it off perfectly.

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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…)

Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur, the Hindu Temple 272 Steps Up

Come explore one of the most important Hindu shrines outside of India with me, taking in life around the caves and temples in the early morning to start. Then we’ll climb the 272 steps up to the cave, where you’ll see statues, art, and live music played for those who’ve come to worship in a truly memorable setting. (more…)

Malay-Muslim Wedding Reception – Discovering Peanut Candy

You never know what life in Malaysia will bring your way, and this was never more apparent to me as when I was spontaneously invited to my very first Malay-Muslim wedding reception in Kuala Lumpur. It was so lovely, with such beautiful traditions and customs, and so splendid to behold. The setting looked like the scene from every little girl’s fantasy of what her wedding day would look like, it was magical. (more…)

What Fun! Hello Kitty Taxi in Malacca Malaysia – A UNESCO World Heritage City

Looking for something hilariously FUN to do while visiting Malaysia? Well, how about a ride in a super neon Hello Kitty tri-shaw blasting out pop music from massive speakers! My Mom was here recently and that’s what we did and as strange as it is to admit, it was actually a highlight from her holiday, (no joke!). (more…)

Sedap TAPAK! Kuala Lumpur’s 1st Food Truck Park

As dorky as it may be, I’m feeling pretty proud of myself for using my first Bahasa word in a blog post title! For anyone who doesn’t speak the language (like me), sedap means DELICIOUS … and that’s exactly what you’ll experience at TAPAK. Launched just over 3 months ago by 4 reunited school mates to meet the growing demand in popularity of food trucks in Kuala Lumpur, TAPAK is KL’s first non-night market ‘urban street food’ experience open 7 nights a week, right downtown in the heart of the city. In fact, it’s so close to Petronas Towers that you will leave TAPAK with a happy, full belly and awesome selfies taken gobbling up food with the towers in the background! (more…)

Expat Life in Malaysia: Gorgeous Government Buildings Near Kuala Lumpur in Putrajaya

Woohooooo! My 1st (non-airport) experience with the Malaysian government was fantastic … every single employee was kind, gracious and helpful (NOT something expats experience in some countries, trust me!!! I’ve been yelled at in China and India for not being in the right queue so this was a lovely experience!). (more…)

Expat Life: Food & Dance @ Hari Raya Eid Mubarak Festival in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

Come explore Plaza Dataran Merdeka, Dataran Underground, and the energetic KL Hari Raya Eid Mubarak Festival 2016 with me! Coordinated by the Kuala Lumpur Tourism Bureau to showcase the beauty and diversity of Malaysian culture and their cuisine, they extended an invitation not only to special guests but to every tourist in town to come enjoy themselves, and it was a day I won’t soon forget … with so much food I’m not even sure I captured it all! (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…)

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…)

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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