I didn’t understand TikTok as a social media site in the beginning. This was in 2020.
My first impression of TikTok was “what are all these kids doing? Wasting their life dancing in front of the camera and creating nuisance in the public”.
And then I went up one level to “how the heck these youngsters can earn on TikTok by just dancing?”
If you have only 2 hours to spend in Tokyo, I suggest you start from Asakusa. In this itinerary, I will share with you light & easy walking trip around the Sensoji Temple up to the Tokyo Cruise peer. Although it is generally called the "Asakusa Temple", the vicinity house a lot of separate shrines, and the places that I highly recommend not to be missed are:
Being a Penangite, I usually don’t go to touristy area. But I feel like I want to talk about the famous pasembur at Esplanade Food Court. When you step foot on the Esplanade food court, you will find a lot of stalls selling pasembur, but Gani is the only stall that stood out among the rest because of its striking signboard and also noticeably, the queue here is longer than the rest.
Back in October 2020, Angsana Teluk Bahang Resort opened its door for business. Although caught in a bad time due to the pandemic, this resort seems to be pretty popular. Rooms being sold out almost every weekend.
The resort is divided into three connected buildings - Kerongsang Wing with bigger room/apartment to cater for family; Angsana Wing which has smaller hotel rooms that cater for couples that want more privacy. And in between the two wings, it is the facilities and lobby.
The Feringghi Garden Restaurant has been operating their business over a decade. Besides providing good quality food, this place is also known as one of the most romantic restaurant in Penang. The locals often visit this place for special occasions and tourist come here to enjoy the unique garden.
This place gives me a Cameron Highlands vibe (minus the cool weather). They have impressive array of exotic plants such as monkey cups, orchids, hydrangeas, etc. If you're a gardener, you'll know that these plants takes extra attention to maintain.
- Price: Approximately RM30 for starter; Average RM80 for main course (premium beef selections can be pricey)
- Type of cuisine: Western & local delights
- Ambience: Romantic garden theme, al fresco & indoor dining available
- Food rating: 4.5 out of 5
- Price rating: 2.5 out of 5
- Environment: 5 out of 5
- Will visit this place again indefinitely
This place is no hidden secret. It's probably one of the best bush-walking places in Penang. During the Pre-covid days, this place used to be a luxury tranquil hideout for tourists. The homestay around the hill cost around RM500 or more per night. But now it is a place frequent by locals for a nature walk. Not only it is shaded with foliage so you can still walk during the mid-day, but at the end of the trip, you will also be rewarded with a pretty cool restaurant that serves good food. I took my parents there, and if they can do it, I’m sure even those physically average are able to go through the walk.
Have you ever find a place so special, that you just want to keep it a secret and not tell anyone about it? Pantai Esen (or rather Pantai Permatang Damar Laut) is one of the places in Penang which I wanted to keep as a secret. However, later I found out that this piece of land has been reclaimed government for the train project. In a few years' time, this hidden gem would be a transit station, hence, I do not mind sharing it now.
It’s been months since I neglected this blog. I’ve not traveled anywhere lately, and I hardly go out of the house too. Hence I don’t have much content to share here. But I figure out, I should write something related to my work. Prior to this, I tried very hard to keep my profession as private as I can, at the same time, I want to share some interesting stories of people I met along the way. Here’s one…
A few years ago, I went to Myanmar to interview about 100 pax of blue-collar workers (due to government policies, the employers required to hire all contract workers directly, hence I had to interview the candidates myself). The candidates are from remote villages in Myanmar. The agent was kind enough to arrange bus transportation and provide one-night accommodation for them to be in the city for the interview. It saved me some time too because the journey could take up to 2 days.
When I was at the 10th or 11th candidate, I got bored with the interview because they were repeating the same answer, I figure out that the agent gave them some tips and script to memorize, so most of them ended up telling the same story. And at 10th or probably 11th candidate, I did not go with my usual interview questions, instead, I scrutinized each candidate from head to toe and post to them random questions.
Recently I brought my grandmother for her Covid-19 vaccination and I was swarmed with questions, especially from those who have concern on their elderly going for the vaccination. I hope this information may help some of you.
Disclaimer: This account is based on my own experience only. Some other vaccination centers may have different processes or procedures, so my reference here may not be applied to all.
With the pandemic not putting to rest anytime soon, this blog is becoming obsolete. I had a mission to keep this as a travel blog to record my whereabouts, but now it doesn’t seems like I have much to write about. Moreover, we are going on lockdown mode once again.
The situation in my country (Malaysia) is getting worse each day. Although we are hopeful because our front liners are really fighting very hard, as a normal citizen, I have to stay vigilant. That means, while following all the SOPs laid down by the government, I have to acknowledge the fact that I too, can contract the virus at any time.
Hence, I’m preparing this list of stuff to bring in case I get called by the government to check-in into the quarantine center.
I think the most important thing to do is to assign someone reliable to take care of your responsibilities while you are away. In my case, I have notified my brother - he is to ensure all my grandmother's daily welfare is taken care of. And making sure the bills are paid on time, replenish groceries weekly and to do basic cleaning at home.
What to pack for the quarantine? I have some really basic items on a list that I would pack (in case).
I suddenly had cravings for the Subang SS14 fried asam laksa from Well Cook Gourmet Restaurant. Since it is still not safe to travel, moreover Klang Valley is currently a red zone, I try to recreate the recipe. I'm glad to share that my first trial was a success. My family keeps refilling their plate, which is a good sign.
If you're looking for a twist to the regular asam laksa, you can try this fried asam laksa recipe. It is so simple and it doesn't take much time to prepare and cook. You can try this for pot luck as the non-cook ingredients can be prepared the day before. And your guests can add as much (or skip) the non-cook ingredients. The dish is customizable and it is really delicious to eat as a main dish.
Location: Jalan Besar, Tanah Rata, Cameron Highlands (Behind Marrybrown)Business hour: Daily (except Sunday) 10:00AM - 6:00PMPrice range: RM2 - RM10Halal: Yes
This is the first time I do a staycation after the Movement Control Order was imposed. It’s probably my last time as well because I wasn't prepared to be part of the crowd that might form another Covid-19 cluster in the nation. As such, my trip remained only at the hotel, at least we did stay in an amazing hotel so it wasn't that bad.
My partner and I, we both love Cameron Highlands. We have our spots for great food and of course, the pleasant weather is always welcoming us. We made it a point to discover different hotels in Cameron each year, and this year we pick the Smokehouse.