Elizabeth Tai's Blog, page 19
February 28, 2017
A Malaysian's tips on reducing food waste
I hate rubbish in general, but "wet rubbish" produced from vegetables and meat has got to be the worst.
I used to follow my Mum's method of getting rid of food waste: throw them into a plastic bag and store that in a bin in one corner of the kitchen and hope for the best.
That never worked well for me. I don't cook often enough, so by the time that bag is full, it would've been a week. By then, it would be a smelly, rotten, ghastly mess. And worse, it attracted and bred pests (found maggots in...
February 21, 2017
10 things I learned from working as a carer in Australia
Photo by Jake Thacker
In 2012 I made a brave leap - not just to move to Australia but to try out new careers. One of the careers I tried was nursing. I chose the "work while you learn" approach rather than jump into a full-time degree. The plan was to start out as a carer first, then study up to be an enrolled nurse and then registered nurse.
I ended up working in aged care - at a nursing home, and as a carer who visited the home of the elderly (or community care worker).
In the end, I'm reall...
February 14, 2017
Why I left Australia and returned to Malaysia
When I took this photo of Adelaide city after working hours on a warm summer day, I was miserable, struggling with work woes. Yet, when I put up the photo on Facebook, my friends were telling me how envious they were of me that I was living in Adelaide. It was a very odd position to be in: To be envied and yet miserable at the same time.
In 2012, I quit my job and moved to Australia. It was a heady time. I did so many things I thought I never would. I experienced a new culture, made new frie...
February 7, 2017
On the necessity of becoming a health detective
I've sometimes written about my health issues - my month of hell as I battled a particularly vicious flare of eczema, how fatigue often makes it hard for me to create, and make my dreams seem almost impossible to reach.
In 2016, I made a concerted effort to battle the brain fog, weight fluctuations and fatigue I keep having, and I did it by the skill I have: Research. I pored over books, blogs and podcasts constantly and by the end of last year, I've made significant progress, having discover...
December 20, 2016
Favourite romance reads of 2016
2016 has got to be the year of the romance novel for me. I must confess sheepishly, that I was one of those people who rolled their eyes at romance novels, declaring them silly and shallow. And yet, I started out my readaholic journey with romances -Judith McNaught, Danielle Steele, Linda Lael Miller and Jude Devaraux were my starter romances. But I began to pooh pooh them after being bitten particularly hard by the literary bug, where I declared fiction that did not change the world was not...
December 16, 2016
Review: Happy City
Finally, after a string of blah reads, I score something truly amazing. I have always loved books about sustainable living, minimalism, and this book combines both of my loves.
Montgomery tells us that happiness is not an accidental thing - sometimes it can be caused by design. Urban living has torn apart village living, tossing people into isolated McMansions, taking away their freedom of mobility without dependence on fossil fuels and thus causing a ripple effect of unhappiness throughout s...
November 27, 2016
Why I love staycations
This apartment next to KLCC was a perfect staycation spot for me.
I discovered a curious thing about myself a few years ago. I loved staying in hotels in the city I lived in. But I don't just laze by the pool; I also write in my room. I was more inspired and productive during these stays, and I always left one refreshed and happy.
Soon, these "writing retreats/staycations" became a monthly thing and I would often scour Airbnb or hotel booking sites excitedly for a new, novel place to stay in...
November 14, 2016
Adventures in Beijing
About two years ago, I was sent to Beijing to cover an acrobatic troupe. I wasn't that thrilled to go there because it was right after the SARS epidemic, and there were rumblings that it was coming back.
Still, it was fascinating to be in the land of my ancestors. I've never been to China up to that point.
The first thing I saw before landing in Beijing was the desert.
After some mountains we saw the city. According to our guide, Beijing is a rather dusty city thanks to the winds that regularly...
November 8, 2016
Review: Tiger Babies Strike Back
Surprisingly, Tiger Babies Strike Back was rated lowly by some folks on Goodreads, and I think it's unfair.
I suspect that some readers have imposed their expectations on this book. And this book is not a rebuttal to Amy Chua's Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. There won't be long treatises on why HER version of parenting would be better than Chua's.
Instead, this is a book that de-glamourises the Tiger Mom form of parenting. Think that you should be a drill sergeant mum in order to ensure that...
