Elizabeth Tai's Blog, page 15

It's a new Malaysia: Post #GE14 reflections

Not a grumble from these voters as the queued patiently, waiting for their turn.  

On March 9, 2018, the seemingly impossible happened: Malaysians overthrew a government that had been in power for 61 years. They also elected a 92-year-old prime minister, Dr Mahathir Mohd. It would be his second time as Malaysia's PM.

This result had seemed impossible because there were powerful measures made by Barisan Nasional to ensure they would win: From vicious smear campaigns and constant threats in the...

What's a content strategist?

Not my office. Wish it was though. ;) Photo by rawpixel

 

In March, I finally became a Content Strategist, a profession I've been trying to get into since I took up the CIM Digital Marketing diploma in 2015. 

However, when I tell people that I am now a content strategist, I'm often greeted with a blank look and a polite nod. I can’t blame them. Until a few years ago I didn’t even know that there was such a thing as content strategy.

First encounter

My first brush with content strategy was in 201...

Pavilion Kuala Lumpur - a foodie's guide

I've never been a "shopping person", so I have never felt the urge to visit the heartbeat of shopping in Malaysia - Bukit Bintang. Especially Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, the mall to conquer all malls, because it carried brands that had prices that makes my wallet hurt. The minimalist me couldn't fathom the sheer excessive consumerism of the place.

Still.

When I visited it a few weeks ago, I realised that I've not been to the mall for almost a decade, and while it may be the palace of wonders to tho...

Stranger To Myself: Diary Of A Bangladeshi In Singapore by Md Sharif Uddin

Stranger To Myself: Diary Of A Bangladeshi In Singapore

Author: Md Sharif Uddin

Rating: B+

There’s a mamak restaurant near my old office where, rumour has it, the workers - after working 14 hours, will shutter the place, rearrange the tables and turn them into beds.

They sleep where they work, so say the rumours. Whether it was true or not, I don't know, but I have always wondered how their lives were like behind the polite smiles. They made me realise how blessed and fortunate I am because unl...

Everything is new again - Stuff I'm sharing March 2018

New job, new digs, new city. March has been a tad hectic. Just a tad.

March has been ... full of changes. Well, that's putting it really mildly.

First, I started a new job. It was a big step because I was retiring my journalist's tags and putting on a digital marketer's hat. After 15 years in the business, I walked away from the world of page layouts and newspaper print to enter one with social media, websites and digital analytics.

So I no longer call myself a journalist but a Content Strateg...

Carless thoughts - Link Love March 2018

This pakcik (uncle) makes the best apom balik I've tasted. You can find him at the Subang Jaya LRT most days.

I was super busy in March - I started a new job and moved to a new apartment, so blogging fell by the wayside. But this new apartment of mine charges RM250 for the privilege of parking my car every month.

I hardly use my car these days because I use public transport to work now. It seems like an insane amount to pay just to "shelve" my car in a building.

1. Interestingly, it's getting...

How being single became a blessing

Photo by Isaac Viglione

For the longest time I thought I was so "unlucky". I haven't found a man I wanted to spend my life with. I wasn't married. I didn't have children. But now, I consider my singlehood a great blessing.

I became good with money

The years alone taught me how to manage my finances. I filed my own taxes. Fixed my own plumbing. I dealt with lawyers and property agents. I had no second income to fall back on so I was forced to be savvy with my budget. I paid off my home as a sin...

Five things to do in Malacca

Malacca is a town where mosques sit next to Indian and Chinese temples. Life may flow at a slower pace, but it is hardly ever boring.

After spending my twenties and thirties zipping around Europe, United States and various Asian nations, I'm now finding myself more interested in becoming a backyard tourist by visiting Malaysia's various states. And why not, there's so much Malaysia has to offer! 

During the recent Thaipusam long weekend, I took the chance to drive down to Malacca. "Took the c...

One superpower you need to have: Being grateful

Photo by Simon Maage.

If there's one thing I'd like like to tell my younger self, it is this: Be aggressively grateful.  

You will face difficult colleagues and bosses, frustrating office politics, career setbacks and redundancies, periods of wealth and periods of poverty. Be grateful, nevertheless.

It may all sound very hippy dippy, but really, what's the alternative? Be aggressively bitter and unhappy? How is that going to serve you? It'll certainly not make you happier.

The fascinating thing...

Kebaya Tales: Peranakan Party

Photo by Atiqah Nik Ghazali

When: March 3, 3pm

Where: Dua by Skohns, 12A, Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur

 

~.~

My friend Atiqah, a fellow Kuala Lumpur Book Appreciation Club member, is organising a book-themed party that you may just be interested in. Kebaya Tales, a series of books by Lee Su Kim, explores the Peranakan culture. The book is gorgeous, filled with photographs of Peranakan art and the lovely sarongs and kebayas they we...