Emperor Villa: Casual Hiking & Breakfast in Penang

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. 

How to get to Pantai Esen in Penang

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. 

This Guy Got Hired Because of a Pair of Shoes

Random street shot in Yangon I took from my ride to work

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.

Guide to Covid-19 Vaccination Process for the elderly (Malaysia)

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. 

What to pack and prepare for Covid-19 quarantine

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).