Elizabeth Tai's Blog, page 20

Staying in Sekeping Kong Heng in Ipoh, a review

Sekeping Kong Heng's annex wing is located above a building next to Plan B

I've heard so much about Sekeping Kong Heng, a "hotel" designed by the architect Seksan. So, when I decided to have a short vacation in Ipoh last week, I made a point to book a room for myself there.

Located in Ipoh old town, Sekeping Kong Heng is a unique, one-of-a-kind lodging that you've got to experience at least once. It's made from of the bones of an old building, and Seksan has done it so well and so carefully t...

Subang Jaya Book Exchange

The cabin may not look impressive on the outside, but it sure houses wonders inside.

Malaysian bookaholics have long moaned about the state of the country's libraries. (I recently moaned about the Shah Alam library, for one!)But rather than whine and hope that the government would do something about, some communities have come together to form non-profit libraries.

One of the most notable ones is the Subang Jaya Book Exchange,located in the bowels of USJ, Selangor.The local council had genero...

#TBR Challenge 2016: I just don't get paranormal romance

I'm currently trying to shave the 99 books in my TBR into an acceptable 20 or so, especially after the wild buying spree in August and September thanks to a series of RM5 book sales.It's time to get serious about reading my own damn books!

Super Librarian's TBR Challenge 2016 was perfect, but October is "Paranormal romance or romantic Suspense" month, two genres that, try as I might, I can't seem to get into.

I read almost anything but these two genres are my most DNFed besides YA.

Perhaps I ju...

Tokyo memories

Tokyo remained one of my favourite cities. Every corner had something fascinating to see. Photo by Jason Ortego.

I was really lucky that I had a job that allowed me to travel around the world when I was younger. However, one of my biggest regrets was that I did not keep detailed accounts of those trips. Fortunately, since I have been blogging since 1999, I did sometimes blog about the trips. Starting from today, I'll be reblogging some of these posts here.

This 2001 trip to Tokyo, written in...

On being childfree

I spotted Jen Kirkman's book at the Popular Book sale in September and wasn't immediately drawn to it. I wasn't in the mood to read about the trials and tribulations of a Hollywood comedienne. But then, I read the book's title: "I can barely take care of myself: Tales from a happy life without kids".

Kirkman has been interrogated about why she chose to be childfree. And from the memoir, it would seem, almost relentlessly. She discussed some of the condescending remarks that she had received,...

How minimalism changed me

Photo by Picseli

I used to collect movie posters, DVDs, books.
I now no longer take pride in my collections.
In fact, I now try not to keep physical books; I sell or give them away when I finish them.
I get a lot of joy in giving my things away, especially books!

I also have no interest in getting on the “buy property for investment” treadmill.
Now, I prefer to rent than buy property. The idea of being able to move around so easily makes me smile.
Also, a 1,000sqf place is now massive to me. I wou...

How I use Goodreads to organise my books

Ever bought an extra copy of a book you already have by accident? I did that way too often, which is why I started using Goodreads to organise my books.

I am usually not one for digital apps. Evernote confuses the hell out of me, and my super low-tech bullet journal is my go-to organising method. But Goodreads' app makes it so easy to record what I read, books that I've bought and post book reviews that it was a no-brainer to use it. Plus, it has helped me cut down my TBR pile massively!

My Go...

How I became a minimalist

My journey began with a sense of disquiet in my soul. I took one instinctive step after another, and there I was: A minimalist.

I only realised that there was a word for what I was when, yes, I stumbled on a blog about minimalism. It was an, “Ah-ha, so that’s what this is!” moment. Totally validating to discover that you’re not the only person who thought that shucking off your worldly possessions is the most liberating act in the universe.

Still, like most minimalists, my story began somewher...

August book haul - massive, just massive!

After being a good girl in July and where I mostly #readmyowndamnbooks, I went a little nuts buying books in August.

Just a little.

See, Aeon Big had a RM5 bargain bin thing going on this month - how could I resist?Malaysia is a big marketplace for remainder books by the way - sales filled with these books seem to pop up every other month these days.

Now, there's a lot of politics behind buying remainder books (which I will blog about one day), but in Malaysia, it...

The Raja Tun Uda Library in Shah Alam: A review

Raja Tun Uda Library

There is a good reason why many Malaysians prefer to buy books and form their own personal library than visit a public library: Our public libraries just aren't very good.

This is not true for all libraries, of course. In fact, I grew up in Johor Baru and my childhood memories was filled with weekend jaunts to the magical place of books with my dad and sister.

But Selangor. Oh, Selangor.

When I moved to KL from JB, I was shocked by how deplorable the libraries were. Selango...