Elizabeth Tai's Blog, page 18

Why I created a Youtube channel

I never thought I'd post a video of myself on the Internet. I hate taking photos of myself, much less take videos of myself. I thought posting videos of yourself was a scary thing to do, not only because you expose your less-than-airbrushed self to be viewed by millions, but the potential breach of privacy it entails.

But a blogger once said that we should "do what we fear" and Sue Jeffers said, "feel the fear and do it anyway", so I created a Youtube channel as a personal challenge to myself...

How I’m structuring my life for more Deep Work

How you work determines your level of productivity.

“If you give your mind something meaningful to do throughout all your waking hours you’ll end the day more fulfilled and begin the next one more relaxed…”

— Deep Work, by Cal Newport

Cal Newport’s book, Deep Work, had a big impact on me. (I recently wrote a post about the Top Thoughts I got from the book and I’d suggest you read that first as I’ll be using terms from the book in this post.) 

I have been aware of what social media and oth...

Top Thoughts from Deep Work by Cal Newport

In a recent group writing retreat, I noticed that my fellow writers would sit still, their eyes focused on their laptops, busy at work. I, on the other hand, was a ball of nervous energy, getting up every ten minutes, fighting the urge to talk, check Facebook - anything but write my novel.

“I must be an undiagnosed ADHD person,” I told a friend in half jest.

But was I? Or has my brain been changed by the use of digital technology, giving me the symptoms of one with ADHD like Cal Newport seemed...

Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms review

I don't usually rush over to blog about a show I just watched. I'm just too lazy. But a show that gave me sleepless nights, made me cry tears of joy and anguish, and listened to the OST day and night? Oh yeah, you betcha.

Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms is that kinda show. And to imagine that I was initially supremely reluctant to watch the 58-episode Chinese drama. For one, there's the 58-episode thing (I barely focus long enough to complete a 16-episode Korean drama). I'm also wary o...

Avilion Port Dickson - a perfect place to have a reading vacation

One of the swimming pools at Avilion.

So last month, I took four days off to have a much longed-for vacation in an award-winning resort: Avilion Port Dickson. More specifically, I had a reading vacation - yes, a holiday where my goal was to read in beautiful surroundings. (And eat, and exercise too, of course.) 
 

At fist, I wondered what the hell was I doing, parting with nearly RM800 for a 2N3D vacation, but my concern morphed into delight when I stepped into the resort's grounds. For one, i...

Romance novels and its readers get so much of grief!

I am a reader of many genres. The only genre I dislike is Young Adult, and that is more of an umbrella genre so I don't think it quite counts. (Why do I dislike the genre? Read this.)

It's interesting that when I people find out that I read romance, they will inevitably say: "Don't they all have the same plots? Aren't they unrealistic? Aren't the books shallow and silly?" I rarely get that with other genres.

The reason why this gets romance readers defensive is because it's almost implied that...

My favourite author blogs

When told that they have to start blogging to promote their books, authors often make this mistake: They follow the advice of marketing blogs.

Blog in a niche, they are told. Write about topics related to your books, some say.

The truth is, blogging for authors is a very different beast. It's not just about your product. Really, an author's blog is really about the author. That's why the best kind of author blogs are the ones that don't just promote the author's books but also help rea...

Can a minimalist have a book collection?

Just one shelf of my five-shelf book collection. Yes, I love my romance novels! ;)

I have only five pairs of shoes. My clothes fit a slim wardrobe and a dresser. My bedroom interiors are sparse and zen-like, making it an oasis of calm in my two-bedroom apartment. 

But if some folks have a peek at my personal library, well, they may accuse me of not being a committed minimalist.

Because I have about 100+ physical books. Perhaps 200. And 80% of these are unread.

The reason why I have such a high...

How I went from 'I hate cooking' to cooking all my meals

We're spoiled by the availability of cheap food in Malaysia. There's food served at every street corner, so it's really easy for the busy, overworked urbanite to abandon the home kitchen and eat at the local economy rice restaurant instead.

I was that person. I visited the economy rice store ("chap fun" in Cantonese) across the street. For RM5-6, I'd get a plate of white rice, vegetables and protein. Healthy, I thought. (Nope, not always.) On a more indulgent day I would visit the numerous re...

Favourite posts from my Aussie blog: Malaysia to Adelaide

Yes, I DID blog about my journey to Australia - from visa application, to moving there, to life there and then back to Malaysia! The blog is called Malaysia2Adelaide, and for a while I toyed with the idea of importing the posts from that blog and incorporating it into this one, but I've decided to leave it be because migrating all the comments to Disqus would've been an abysmal nightmare. Also, having a simple linky link would suffice, methinks:

Here are just some of my favourite posts from Ma...