This Chinese New Year has been pretty tame, compared to the constant festivities, outings, and reunions we had last year. This year, we remained in at home, barely even venturing outdoors. Instead, we stayed warm and cozy, spending a lot of quality time with our little diminishing family. This year’s celebrations could be summarized as a lot of good home cooked food, a lot of relaxation, and a lot of mahjong. One thing we did do though. We celebrated all…
Malaysian eats: 15 dishes to try in Kuala Lumpur
I cannot believe it has taken me THIS LONG to write this post! After an entire YEAR from when I came to Kuala Lumpur for the first time. I guess I just wanted to do as good of a job as possible and to be as thorough as possible. But I realized that there is no way I can possibly eat every single dish offered in Malaysia. And plus, once I found my favorites, I just keep on eating them over and…
A DIY food tour through a Malaysian Night Market (SS2 @ Petaling Jaya)
I’m trying to be less of a perfectionist when it comes to blogging. I always get so obsessed with the writing and details and whether the post is informative enough or if the photos are pretty enough or if anyone will even be interested. This is why I can never seem to blog in real-time (my mom always complains I’m too slow!). So many of my daily happenings are left unwritten simply because I never deem them “blog worthy” enough. I’m…
First time in Kuala Lumpur: where to stay, what to do, and where to eat
I thought it’s about time I wrote a post like this, now that I’ve been in Kuala Lumpur for almost a year (on and off). Over these months, I’ve had some friends visit, which requires me to brainstorm a list of things to do/eat for them. And some people who happen to find my blog also ask for suggestions. I’m by nooooo means an local expert, but so I don’t have to repeat myself over and over, I figured I’d put…
[Japan] Autumn colors and naked baths: a Hakone adventure
Sorry for the click-bait title, but it’s pretty much accurate. And I also apologize in advance for this mess of a post. It’s basically just a bunch of pictures and jumbled up thoughts. Having spent my childhood in Beijing and on the US East Coast, I grew up with 4 very distinct seasons: breezy springs, hot summers, colorful autumns, and snowy winters. And then we moved to Southern California, where we pretty much just got warm and slightly less warm….
Budget air travel in Malaysia (+ my Southeast Asian bucketlist)
So in my life update from this recent post, I said that I’m not sure what my next plans are. See, I genuinely do like Kuala Lumpur a lot. I really have fallen in love with it purely as a city. But at the same time, I’m also not sure if this is where I belong anymore. And while the idea of truly solo travel scares me a little still, there are so many other places in the area that I…
4 days in Japan: an overview in photos!
My 81-year old grandmother is now a first-time passport holder. She has never been out of the country and has only flown on a plane ONCE in her life, over 15 years ago, on a short domestic flight to visit her sister in Xi’an. Her health is not too good. She needs to always carry around her insulin shots, and though she looks fine, her legs are often stiff and in discomfort, making it so that she can’t walk long distances. These…
Snapshots of life in Beijing (in 20 photos)
After a super wordy last post, we’ll keep it light today with pictures! I imagine that most tourists come to Beijing to see the few big sites – Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden Palace, the Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, and the Great Wall. And maybe in the evenings, they go grab some drinks in the Sanlitun party district. But beyond these must-see attractions lies a Beijing with peaceful, yet lively residential communities. It’s in these communities where all the “life” happens, with…
Beijing Botanical Garden: A Study of Chrysanthemums
The smog has rolled into Beijing. Day after day, the city is enshrouded in a depressing grey haze and an air of toxicity lingers about. Once in a while, we’d get lucky and there’ll be a hint of sun, a peek of blue skies. Only then do we feel safe to venture outdoors for a much needed stroll without the precautions of an unsightly M3 mask. On these days, I’d go to the community park to use the exercise equipment or…
A country lunch (Beijing pear picking, part 2)
After a morning working up a sweat picking pears, we followed our hosts to a little country restaurant for a hearty meal. Nowadays, it’s pretty popular for Beijingers to make the trek out here to get a taste of true country cooking. Country restaurants are plain and humble. They’re often just one small room in a shabby building crammed with some tables. Nothing fancy. But they evoke the feeling of stepping into a farmer’s house and being treated to a home cooked…
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