Part 1: Bangkok Trip

When Covid hit, I didn't think that it was going to be this long. And, certain things were permanent. My last leisure trip was back in 2019 to Seattle. My last trip overseas was to The Philippines in early 2020 for a business trip. I was lucky I got to go on that trip because all travels were halted when I was there. Any trips that have yet to happen were canceled with immediate effect. Imagine the emptiness my passport is right now. No stamps, nothing, and it has gone to waste to renew for 5 years.

There were people I met online in 2022 and decided, hey, let's go to Bangkok. I haven't been to Bangkok since 2014. Man, that's been 8 years. I am talking in the 2022 year. 

That's the sky. And how I miss this. I sit by the window all the time. So whoever you are, do not try to take that away from me, especially long haul.

This was where we got food the first night. Siam Paragon. It's just another foodcourt. I was told, hey it's a great place for food. I don't know about that man. It's a foodcourt, in a mall. haha. Obviously, I do not resonate with them but that's fine. To each their own and I respect that.

We came to this newly-built place, Icon Siam where I saw it made its round in Instagram during Covid. It's so vibrant and lively, they were selling all sorts of things, from food like pasta, fried chicken to fruits, drinks and seafood. I meant, fresh seafood. 

The lobster they were selling. Damn! 

After walking around, came to a place at the center court, all sorts of coffee were there.

Having coffee as part of my blood, I can't say no to coffee. Got myself one, of course. 

Icon Siam is like Pavilion in KL, nicely decorated and made it feel Premium. Upper class market and tourists as their target market. 

I wasn't the tourist that was going to buy anything. Well, I did, from Victoria Secret but that was all. Once you walk out from Icon Siam, you see this view. This feels like a KLCC kinda thing, water fountain outside the mall. 

Of course, me. Back then, I was still with mask. I didn't want to but. Bleh. lol.

Places visited:

Siam Paragon

Icon Siam

Another goodbye

My last update on my job was 2 years ago when I left IKEA after a huge project I worked on which also happened to be my first legit and formal project I took on. From then on, I went to an e-commerce platform. If you're in Asia, you gotta work there to say you have worked in a large e-commerce company.

My mind wasn't at the best state when I attended the interview. But, I gotta do what I was hired for. I was lucky I got hired. haha. After 6-7 years of being around, it's still a start up culture. In comparison of PayPal, IKEA looks like a manual-labored company. I'm not going into the nitty-gritty stuff due to compliance and confidentiality (based on my own integrity, no NDA or anything like that). But, it came as even more of a surprise when I started working here.

Putting complaints of manual labor aside, you learn the most when being put in an environment like that. You don't maximize your learning from a well-established infrastructure because the AI helps you complete your job quicker, faster and more efficient.  

I continue taking on the project management role, swaying further and further away from Compliance. Well, in project management, specifically in the Fraud/Compliance function haha. I left after 1 year and 8 months. I have heard people leaving within 3 months and I get it. 

Anyone young, who has the drive and energy to put up with the effort and hours, go for it. Just don't expect things to be easy and chill. When it comes to learning curve, dang, there's a lot to learn even for someone like me (meaning not fresh grad). If you get a good lead, learn the most you can. They are the ones that make the difference and they make tough jobs more bearable.

That's where I worked. Be fully prepared for interviews if you plan to work there. 

Hanging up my tag and lanyard. Goodbye Eco city.

 Finally, the last time wearing lanyard. I was in the restroom haha. 

Day 4: Langkawi

 After a year of pause, here I am back with my mannerism. And, to finish up my Langkawi postings, of course. Haha.

We had a morning drive, quite a distance away from where we stayed. We first got to Pantai Tengkorak, it was such a gem but, the mother said let's go because it's such a dodgy place. Haha. What a waste. So, we ended up here, which, isn't entirely a bad idea. We still had the beach all by ourselves, with nobody meddling our business, the wind was breezy, weather was good.

The last time I went to Langkawi, I stayed here in Tanjung Rhu which isn't entirely cheap but had a good deal. The problem with it is, it's quite a distance from everything. Well, the weather had a shift, the rain is about to arrive. Before we even left the place, the rain came, and it was pretty heavy.

Back to our area, Pantai Tengah (is it?) haha. Weather wasn't entirely ideal but it was alright to chill for a little.

The most expensive coffee I had in a long time. RM18.50 for this but I was as desperate as heck. And I lost to temptation.

It's been a long time since I flew. Before this trip, it was my business trip to The Philippines in February 2020, just before the pandemic hit. During my trip, the company had a direction to cancel all trips globally. I was so lucky that I got to go for that trip. That was, of course, my last before the pandemic said hello to the world, to us with open hands.

Places visited:

Pantai Kok

Pantai Tanjung Rhu

Pantai Tengah

Perhaps, I should start doing my story telling in Seattle sometime soon eh?

Update: Moved

I've been missing for awhile now, slightly more than a year due to, well, life.

When I visited a monk when I was in my early 20s, I was told that there will be a major change or event in our lives when the second digit of our age turns 9. So, it's 9, 19, 29, 39, 49....99. Only if you manage to reach 99 (I do not want to either). Please don't make me live such a long life. 

So, the year I turned 39, in fact, it was just last month, yay, Happy Birthday to myself. There has been a huge shift in my life this year. First, I packed my bags, then I moved country. Second, I resigned, and went back into studying. 

Until I did my highest education prior to this (degree for me), I was neither a good student nor a good learner. I'm not sure if it's partly due to the fact I wasn't working and lack experience before I can be grateful that studying is way easier than work. Or perhaps, the education system did not fit my way of learning. My memorizing skill is bad, I just did not know just how to memorize for an exam. To get to a passing grade, I can already be content. That was how bad it was. 

Anyway, I passed my degree in Bachelor of Arts, I still had my Honors, phew. Haha. I went to work in the field of my studies and quit 2.5 years later and went into something unrelated. The reason why I worked in a hotel was really just to build my foundation in my mental state, personality and character as I was still discovering the world and myself. 

Right now, I know who I am, I know my likes and dislikes, I know exactly what I want now. Therefore, studying right now might be a good idea too. 

That's a short little update about myself. 

Day 3: Langkawi

It's already Day 3! Where have all the days gone by? We get older in just a glimpse, it's so scary. Anyway, let's get it started. I have not been a super fan of aquariums, it's not the first thing in my mind when I travel. Reason being, it's usually expensive for the ticket. 

Since Aquarium was located along the Pantai Cenang / Cenang beach area, we headed to this place for brekkie. Nothing fancy, nothing special, yet it's kinda pricey considering the area we were in.

An example of the penguins at the Underwater World Langkawi. Haha. Those who have senior citizens with you, there are wheelchairs available complimentary. All you need to do is to fill in a form and voila. But bear in mind that if you're alone, it might be very challenging to push up the wheelchair all by yourself. So best is to go with 2 or 3, or if there are some kind hearted passersby, why not? Local adult is at RM43 for walk-ins, and RM40 online purchase.

By the time we were done with that, it's already lunch time. We drove past this place on the way to the airport a couple of times. Go to where the crowd goes they say. But, we were wrong. I am familiar with Malay food, at least the commercialized ones, but this is not it. Everything in this picture came out wrong. We ordered ABC too because how bad can it be? Yeah, it was really bad. Ice, coloring and sugar. 

Here, an evidence of the crowd. Perhaps, this suits their local taste but really, how is it so bad? The good thing? It's by the beach haha

After that, we went back to the hotel, went for a swim before we top up calories in our stomachs again.

We were early, we had fish, vegetable, tomyum, juice and it's more economical than I expected. Ambiance was nice, service was great and attentive. Everything was delicious! At least, it made up for the horrible lunch.

 

Places visited:

Underwater World Langkawi, Pantai Cenang

Laksa Ikan Sekoq, Jalan Kuala Kedah

Cactus Restaurant, Pantai Tengah

The supernatural force

Has anyone encountered a supernatural existence? We have read and heard stories and tales from our family, friends, teachers and what not. But, have you?

I came from a non-believer family of this power and growing up, until today, I'm not exactly certain if the encounters I had were purely imagination, a dream, or something really happened. Nobody told me about ghosts, spirits etc and my late grandparents were still around at that time. I was afraid of many things, one included a burglar breaking into houses, and it left me terrified and ended up dreaming about it for nights. Okay this is not supernatural, but an example of how I get scared and I would hide under my comforter and stop breathing. Thinking about it makes me wonder what was I thinking at that age.

Fast forward, became an adult voila, I shouldn't be afraid of anything I cannot see with my naked eyes right? Wrong. I was even more afraid haha. I heard many stories happened in Genting Highland, abandoned places, hotels etc and guess what, I went into the hospitality industry. Well done to myself haha.

Working in a hotel means we gotta work on shift which includes a graveyard shift. When it's quiet and eerie, your imagination runs a million times worse than it already was. I was working at a Front Desk at that time, and it was 4am, I wanted to go to the toilet. What do I do? I can't wait until 7am. I had 2 options, to go through the quiet staff locker which is cold and quiet, OR, I go to the guest toilet 1 minute away. I opted for the guest toilet and I ran for my life.

Before I started working there, I was on the fence whether there is or not. After I joined the hotel, there was even a team of people with gifted abilities to see all these spirits. I heard so many stories, and them telling me what they could see at that point of time. It was haunted at that time. The hotel was the top hotel in KL that time, and our business was rather bad and many unfortunate events had happened, one after another including a not-so-young housekeeper was possessed and needed 5 big-sized security guards to hold on to her. There's no logic in all of these, yet it happens. Another was, my co-worker heard a boy crying in the locker, and when she went to check it out, there was nobody.

There was someone committed suicide in the hotel room just before I joined. Guess what? Each time for that 2.5 years I worked there after 9pm, the elevator was definitely gonna stop on a certain level, whether there are guests in front or not. This has been years ago, but it doesn't mean that it's not there. I'm sure it's there, somewhere around us. I was told that my body is very yin from a legit medium. Therefore, I need to be very careful as I am an easy catch.

Since I left the hotel industry, do I still believe in it? Even more than ever. Have you heard of anyone being followed around? Do you have any friends that can see these things? Or some, they can even communicate to ask what do they really want? I have and when I hear these things, I still get goosebumps each time.

Day 2: Langkawi

After spending the first night in the hotel, let's start going places. In the past when I went to Langkawi, it's always getting drunk. Now that I am much older, I don't fancy those things anymore. Talking about getting older huh. haha.

Upon recommendation from the hotel's concierge, we are here filled with locals. This is their specialty, Roti Canai Sarang Burung special. 2 sunny-side up eggs, the bread is crispier than the regular roti canai and minced chicken. It was good! Damn. With so much things happening inside, it's RM 7. Not cheap but it's unique. 

After making our stomachs happy and full of energy, we headed over to Langkawi Sky Bridge. It was close when I wanted to take the cable car years ago. But, here I am now. Before going up, a note to take, it's all outdoor parking but there are a few types. The Premium parking is obviously more expensive, which is RM10 I believe? I went to the next one, which is RM5. The difference? It's just slightly nearer to the station. If you have the capability to walk, why not?

In the cable car. Price per pax for the cable car is RM45 if I'm not mistaken. Senior citizens get a discount. The view is great, overlooking the Andaman sea with the clear blue sky. There's a stop in the middle where it's nothing much to see. We didn't bother to get down because, it's just mid-way and there's nothing much there and the wait that comes after is perhaps, not worth it. We went straight up to the top with 15 minutes in total. Some gondolas are glass floor but I didn't get that. This cable car is said to be the steepest gradient in the world. The ventilation though, is just a small window on the top of each side which can be stuffy when it rains as you would close everything up. 

This is what I'm talking about. The mountains, valleys, sea and islands. It's all covered in that 15 minutes way up. When the weather is good, it's really pretty. 

Here we are up here at the highest point. It was really windy, therefore, hats off. Ignore the face haha.

This is a 10 - 20 minute-trail. At least, a little work out during vacation. Those with walking disabilities, you may take the glide which is an additional of RM6 to get to the Sky Bridge. It's not a hard hike but it's not a flat road so there may be challenges. Use the railings for assistance.

That's the bridge, super windy, I love it! Weeee.

Enjoying the cable car view going up and down haha. Okay so nearby here, there's this waterfall called Telaga Tujuh and in order to get to the waterfall is really steep. 

Next up, it's lunch time. I found this place with quite a good review so here we are to fill our stomachs. I took just a few bites due to my diet program haha. We ordered some really simple food and it's tasty! 

While driving to the restaurant earlier, I stumbled upon this place. It's a wide empty space and the ocean. Man, the wind.

Of course, the mandatory picture of me in it haha. The cloud is heavy and right after that, it rained. haha. After studying for 2 days, the rain doesn't last long like in KL. It's really just 5-minute rain. I have concluded it as the emotional Langkawi.

Next up is our alcohol shopping haha. There are so many duty frees around and we just don't know which to go. Teow Soon Huat doesn't look exclusive or extravaganza, but it was good in terms of price! We bought everything from there. The last time I was in Langkawi I came here too haha. Chocolates and alcohol. They own the supermarket too, which we bought our mineral water from and it's economical!

Dinner is super important when you're on a vacation. Quah in Kuah. With the mom, aunt and grandma together waiting. The line to this place Wonderland Food Store is super long. I learned from the past looking at how long we waited just to get in and another long wait for the food, we were there this time at 6pm. haha! After the meal 2 years ago, is it worth it? YES. If I can avoid, then we should haha. That's why we ended there at 6pm.

This is by the way, Chinese halal food to cater to the locals there. I love the squid. It's really bad for my diet but heck, I'm not there everyday, I don't eat it everyday. Everything was good except for the Lala that doesn't taste kamheong at all. This was also RM70+ haha. Prawns, squids, lala and vegetables.

We crossed the road where the car is parked and the variety of alcohol we see. The sight of it is lovely enough, especially the green ones on the right. It's RM11.50 if I'm not mistaken and KL is about RM 16.90.

We ended up taking these 2. I love 1664 Blanc as it's very fragrant. I didn't drink much except for just a few sips. I'm controlling like crazy as I have a timeframe to achieve my health goal.

It's day filled with activities. It isn't too hectic and isn't too chilled, it was just nice. No, we did not go to the 3D museum. I prefer something outdoorsy that we can do. We are blessed with the weather though, each time we get into the car, then it rains. When we are out and about, it didn't rain. Talking about perfect timing.

Places visited:

Roti Canai Otai - Kampung Bubor, Kedawang

Langkawi Cable Car

Langkawi Sky Bridge

Kuah Town Seafood , Kuah town

Teow Soon Huat Duty Free - Padang Matsirat, Kuah

Wonderland Foodstore - Pusat Perdangan Kelana Mas

Day 1: Langkawi

2 weeks ago, I received a text from my mom asking if I wanted to go to Langkawi. Nobody would ever say no to a vacation. Times are not like before, I'll say yes to anywhere. It doesn't really matter where, I just needed this break very badly. The last time I had a so-called break was also to Langkawi but that felt a long time ago.

Took Air Asia there. RM 712 for 4 pax, it's not that bad of a deal. Gone are the days of a RM55/pax flight. Just because I had to do check in, I downloaded their app and Oh Lord, they have an Air Asia ride to the airport that's even cheaper than Grab that I took years ago. On top of that, they offered RM5 discount for the first ride. Holy! Too bad, they were too late. I would love to take that but I have already booked a car that's RM100. I haven't tried the AA ride, but, with that price, why not? 

Thank you Captain! That's a pretty smooth landing. I love window seat, short or long haul.

We rented a car RM325 for 5 days 4 nights, a Myvi. There were scratches, dents around the car with some squeaky sound when driving. But generally it was okay. The petrol was at 35 km left and blinking. haha. We managed to get to the nearest Petronas, located just a few minutes away from the airport.

Here's our room, we requested for connecting room. Ample of parking space in the hotel. There are people here and there, but I didn't see many. I guess they are all out going places, like us. The rooms need refurbishment. Apparently, the hotel was closed for 2 years, and they have just reopened. After experiencing the hotel in Tanjung Rhu, I don't expect much from a hotel I've not heard before. We asked them to clean the room once, but it wasn't even cleaning. A small piece of paper dropped on the bathroom floor and it was still untouched when I returned. We asked for a toilet paper from the housekeeping, and they wanted to charge us for that. It's ridiculous.

This is the spa, there's a small decor in front that looks like a place for dengue mosquitos to breed. The exterior looks rundown where I don't even feel like I wanna enter the spa. Nobody was there, it says, if we wanna book, I need to call a number they provided. 

There's a lot of work to be done, from the exterior right until the training of the employees. We did not dine in any of the restaurants there because, we can get pretty good food outside. We go to where they are good at, restaurants and warungs. The first day is a pretty chilled day. What's really good with this hotel is the location where it is minutes away from the beach - Pantai Cenang, yeah that busy beach. haha.

Since it's such an easy going day, we went over to Pantai Cenang to check out how busy it is. Surprisingly, it isn't THAT busy that I thought it would. I guess everyone has been to Langkawi at the time of this writing due to Langkawi bubble haha.

What a sunny evening. This should have been the weather everyday, not raining. If you have nothing to do at 9pm, there are some fire performance daily here in Pantai Cenang, except if it rains. 

Went over to Lubuk Buaya to have a nice dinner. Tomyam was great, the fish lacks flavor though it was okay. Vegetables and egg were good! RM79. It's not exactly cheap but it's acceptable.

Places visited: 

Langkawi International Airport

Pantai Cenang

Lubuk Buaya         

Hiking @ Cheras

I haven't been an outdoorsy person my entire life. The only "workout" that I have done in the past in a regular basis was my dance class. Even that was just 1 hour a week, sometimes twice, or thrice depending on the events we had. Ever since Sensei left us, the classes were just kept at a bare minimum, one hour, once a week. Then, Covid happened. As we stayed longer at home, nobody wanted to go back to classes anymore. And that was how the class literally died.

Once in a blue moon, I would find other things to do, but it was really like once a year kinda thing. Last year, when things were briefly opened, we quickly went hiking to this place deep into Cheras. I have not been a fan of Cheras at all, but this was a place I just had to go to see for myself. Furthermore, we had lockdown for a long time. It's just about getting myself out there.

This is actually a private area but I see many people hiking up, just like I did as long as we start hiking before 7am on the weekends. Some people had advised not to go during the weekdays anyway as the owners are around and this is considered as trespassing? Don't blame me if this is a wrong info, as this was in April 2021, a year ago.

The typical hiking pose. LOL. The trail can be quite confusing at certain parts though, so we had to explore and some hikers led the way up. There were no obvious trail, no signs, we just followed. Some parts are knotted with ropes which can be helpful to some. Overall, a very easy hike that takes within 45 minutes. It rained the night before, that made some parts challenging for me due to my shoes. So, please get suitable shoes. haha.

With just 45 minutes hike to get this, why not right? I am a total beginner, an unfit one that is, and it is easy even for me. Struggle a little here and there due to the slippery surface, for, as always, I do not have proper shoes for hiking.

That was my only hike in 2021. Covid was not the reason, I just didn't have the hiking thing in me. But interestingly, I would go to FRIM almost every single week when I was in my primary years. I became more and more unfit and unhealthy. 

I'll be back with more hiking. haha.

 

Balkans Day 2 - 082018 - Old town Zadar (Croatia)

It's Friday! Not sure what people do these days on a Friday. I guess, this is what I do or what I can do from now onwards. Be more active and be more hardworking updating this so that I have stories many years to come. 

Picking up from the previous post about my vacation back in 2018, we woke up here, sunshine! 

Bonn Appetit! We have carbs over there. I like carbs haha. My body might not like it.

Or some healthier options, the fruits haha. Let's get the stomach happy before leaving.

The blue sky, leaving Dubrovnik. Until we see you again on our last day. What's the best thing doing road trips like this? Blast those classic Malay songs! haha. So Malaysian right? haha. Yes we are, of course.

After a couple of hours of drive, here we are at Old town Zadar. Roughly 3 ish to 4 ish hours depending on traffic. 

Read some really good reviews about Pet Bunara, so here we are

Just us two. Honestly, I can't remember how the experience was 4 years ago. I shall then not comment about it.

Walking around, from one alley to another, waiting for sunset. It's a nice place to walk around for some insta-worthy pictures and yes, remember to grab some gelato while walking around. Not sure how that works with Covid now if we can walk around eating ice-cream.
 

Location: Old town Zadar, Croatia