Elizabeth Tai's Blog, page 9

10 habits I want to implement in 2020

After two years of letting my health slide, it’s time to take control of my mind, body & soul.

I've always been reluctant to implement goals. For some reason, my brain finds it easy to ignore New Year resolutions. I can picture it saying to me, “That’s nice”, and then going off to a corner to laugh its ass off.

But habits are more actionable and harder to ignore. There’s a clear plan of action that will get you somewhere.

As said in my previous post, a few aspects of my life really suffered...

My year in review - 2019: Change is worth it

Change is often painful - it often involves dying to something or letting go of dreams. But when we allow old things to pass, we can embrace new gifts.

Well I've been away, haven't I?

The last few months has been quite intense for me career wise. I had to focus on work and just had no time to blog because I didn't have the mental space to do it. But I'm back!

Well, in summary, 2019 has been a challenging year for me. Let me count the ways:

CAREER

2019 was, by far, one of the most intense years...

TBR stress - why I want a minimalist library

Some people find the idea of being surrounded by books perfectly delightful. Not me, unfortunately.

Hundred and seventeen unread books.

That's how many books I have in my TBR.

And I hate it.

(For those unfamiliar with book world jargon, TBR stands for “to be read.)

I have a minimal wardrobe. I even have a minimal number of shoes (six, to date). But when it comes to books, I am a maximalist. Granted, not as maximalist as I used to be, but a maximalist nevertheless. Despite owning 117 unread...

Hotel review: Ibis Styles Kingsgate, Melbourne

I love the room design at Ibis Kingsgate. It is compact, cosy and very well equipped.

All I ask from my hotel rooms are that it's clean, quiet and comfortable.

And since I've always had good experiences staying at Ibis hotels, I went searching for one when I was planning for my holiday in Melbourne.

The Ibis hotels I had stayed in Seoul and Malacca was basic but clean and well-appointed. The one in Melbourne, I'm glad to discover, lived up to its budget-but-value-for-money reputation.

There...

Hotel review: Avenue J, Kuala Lumpur

The room design is compact, cosy and very well equipped.

As most readers of my blog know, I am a big fan of staycations. So, when I stumbled on this boutique hotel during the long weekend of Merdeka week, I knew I just had to check it out - especially since it’s a pretty affordable place. I got the room around RM150, despite getting the room on Aug 31.

Location

This hotel is a great place to bunk in if you want to explore Kuala Lumpur. Central Market, Chinatown and Masjid Jamek are all within walking distance. What...31.

How do we save community journalism?

Subang Jaya residents have a community newspaper to keep themselves up to date with happenings in the neighbourhood. Residents can pick up an issue, free, on the first Wednesday of each month in selected areas - it covers events, places and issues affecting the neighbourhood. The Subang Jaya Echo is a rarity in Malaysia - a community newspaper.

It was established in 2007 by journalist Teoh Teik Hoong, and there are now Kuala Lumpur and Penang versions - though I’m not sure if a physical version...

Hotel review: Richmond Hotel, Adelaide

When I lived in Adelaide, one of my favourite haunts was Rundle Mall - basically, shopping central for the city of Adelaide.

However, the "mall" isn't a shopping centre. Rather, it's twp streets of shops - the road has been closed to cars and paved over and reserved exclusively for pedestrians.

There you'll find the usual Australian outlets - Woolworths, Coles, bookstores, coffee places and fashion stores.

You'll also find Richmond hotel, a grey, stately building located right opposite the cent...

Coworking space review: Headspace

Quiet, cosy and very conducive to work - that’s Headspace.

I hate SS15. I would rather rip off my fingernails that drive down to SS15 to do any kind of shopping or activity.

That's because SS15 is the epitome of chaos. It's a compact area where multiple shops, colleges and business offices are squeezed together. Finding parking there during peak hour is like finding water in the Sahara desert. Sure, you'll find it eventually, but boy are you going to suffer while doing it.

When an LRT station...

Places to eat in Melbourne

The hip Higher Ground always has a long queue, so be prepared to wait.

A friend of mine said that if we were to eat at one Melbourne eatery one day each year, there would be not enough days in a year to cover them all. You'd probably take many, many years to do that, and I believe that!

As a result, it can be quite hard to choose which one to go to. Fortunately, during my recent visit to that beautiful city, I had great luck with all the places I dined in. They were all fabulous.

Here are the...

5 reasons why you should ditch cafes and work at a coworking space

Cafes can be great places to work on your novel … if they have understanding and civilised patrons.

I love working at cafes.

Enjoying the smell of roasting coffee, the quiet chatter of patrons while I work on my novel or blog posts on my laptop - it's one of the pleasures I have in life. Somehow, I’m more productive in a cafe - a New Scientist article claims that the ambient noise of a cafe is good for productivity.

Until a screaming child sits next to you.

Or when someone starts to watch a Ne...