Bangkok: My thoughts on my recent travel there

So happy to finally leave on a jet plane and travel! I was in Bangkok recently and I honestly wished I could just stay there permanently! Most of the people we met there are so humble and friendly! Not forgetting the many yummy, delicious street food! 

Anyway, I am posting my thoughts on our hotel stay this time as I think most of you do know Bangkok or you can actually Google lots of info. We have taken loads of photos too and I have uploaded some to my Instagram so you can view it there at:

Susan Lee (@sholeesphere) • Instagram photos and videos

This time around, we have stayed in 2 hotels, The Key Bangkok and Palazzo Hotel. I wanted to highlight my experience here as it's such an eye-opening one that hubby and I decided we should just stick to boutique hotels in the future as opposed to staying in prominent ones.

A summary of both hotels:

• The Key Bangkok is located at Sukhumvit soi 19, a 3-star hotel with 7.9 rating in Agoda. Nearest train station is Asok BTS and Sukhumvit MRT stations and in the heart of all the buzz.
• Palazzo Hotel is located at Ratchadapisek Road, a 3.5-star hotel with 7.6 rating in Agoda. Nearest train station is Huai Kwang MRT station, and the nearest mall is The Street Mall which is a good 10 mins walk away.

The Key Bangkok was our first stay for 2 nights in Sukhumvit, 5 mins walk from Terminal 21 shopping mall. A quaint boutique hotel, we arrived 2 hours early from the usual 2pm check-in time. We were hoping for an early check-in since we were a little tired from having to wake up at 3am that morning to catch our flight to Bangkok. As expected, the front desk politely explained that they were fully booked and asked us to sit at the lounge to wait or to go to the mall for a walk. When we decided to sit and wait, the bellboy quickly offered us ''welcome drinks'' whilst we wait. Such class service from a small boutique hotel! Surprisingly, they were able to check us in an hour early! Unfortunately, we found out that the water was not flowing smoothly after shower, so we quickly informed the front desk and after some discussions, we topped up a little for a different type of room on higher floor. 

Overall, it was such a comfortable stay that I would rate them 4/5. What I liked:

• The staffs are very attentive. When we sat at the lounge outside, they would switch on the fan for us. Very friendly too with great hospitality! Even the bellboy would always smile and opened the door for us.
• Definitely very convenient location with shopping mall and train stations within 5 mins walk!
• Ample street food to satisfy our palates!
• Hotel WiFi was good.
• They have bathtub and good hot shower with nice toiletries.
• There's umbrella in the cupboard too!

What I didn't like:

• The pillows and bed were a tad soft for us.

When we came to Bangkok pre-Covid days, we always stay at Palazzo Hotel and there were lots of stuff going on there. Post-covid, we have been staying around Sukhumvit area so we thought of staying at Palazzo for 3 nights this time just to reminisce and check out Huai Kwang to which we eventually regretted. After checking out of The Key Bangkok, we took the MRT from Sukhumvit to Huai Kwang station. We reached the hotel nearly 2 hours early. After walking under the scorching sun for 10 mins, we were hoping for an early check-in which we had experienced before the last time plus we did indicate it during our booking.

Unfortunately, the front desk declined us with an abrupt response ''cannot''. "This cannot, that cannot, everything cannot... check-in time is 2pm... why don't you go out and have lunch first? You can leave your luggage with the bellboy." I was just too pissed for words! We thought of sitting at the lounge for a bit as we were so hot! 

Unfortunately, all the sofas were occupied by locals. Us tourists eventually had to sit on a hard, uncomfortable, long table / stool without any welcome drink, mind you. You can say I'm entitled or ''Karen'' but if you were in my shoes then, you would know how I felt. After cooling down somewhat, we left our luggages with the bellboy and headed out for lunch which was another 15 mins walk under the hot sun. Please bear in mind the temperature here is above 37*C ya... 

After we came back from lunch around 1.30ish, we waited near the front desk and the same staffs just looked and continued being ''busy''. By 1.45pm, I have lost my cool and went up to them. I asked if we were supposed to continue waiting until 2pm sharp or we can check-in now. Then only they decided we can check in!!! I saw the pre-prepared file being pulled out, and if my eyes were correct, the key card was pulled out from the file too!!! WTF!!! They could have just called us to check-in when we returned instead of me asking!!! No initiative at all!!! I was speechless and proceeded with the check-in process whilst fuming inside. We decided instantly we will NEVER EVER go back to this hotel! This used to be one of our favorite hotels but now, definitely the last...

TBH, I do not know what is wrong with their process! Just because we booked via Agoda with cheaper rates so we can be treated differently? Or because we are Asians and not Matt Salleh??? I cannot fathom what was going on in their mind or is this hotel so atas (high class = snobbish) and supposed to serve businessmen only??? Honestly, such bad impression given by the front desk!

Overall, it's 2/5 from me. Why 2 and not 1?

• The bed and pillows were comfy.
• The room maintenance was good and clean although dated.
• There's a post office at The Street Mall! I liked the simple, quiet mall here filled with locals shopping and not many tourists. Good cheap bargains too!

Aside from the bad front desk experience, here's what I didn't like:

• The old Panasonic hairdryer was blowing cold air... we just couldn't be bothered to complaint to the front desk and risks getting high blood pressure.
• Nothing much around the vicinity. Even the Huai Kwang night market has reduced with nothing much to see.
• Quite a distance from the places we wanted to go to and had to switch trains hence our travelling budget increased (from MRT to BTS or vice versa).
• Nearly forgot that we always have to open the door ourselves at the main entrance and the bellboys are always sullen looking except for 1 older chap who's very friendly. Honestly, I have never felt so ''unwelcome'' in a hotel before!

So much drama, right?!!! I'm just surprised with the level of courtesy and initiative between these 2 hotels. Moving forward, we are definitely staying at Sukhumvit area and boutique hotels, no more fancy schmancy atas ones for us. It is pointless when we have to pay more and yet they add a sour note to our rest-and-relax memorable holidays. 

Penang - Hatyai: my take on our recent road-trip

Recently, we went on a road-trip to Hatyai again, our second one and this time, hubs planned for a stopover at Penang. This way, it isn't as tiring driving as we get to rest before continuing the journey the next day.

I haven't been to Penang in a long time, so I was looking forward to all the sumptuous meals Penang has to offer. As we were there for a night only, we chose to stay at Sunway Hotel as there are many food stalls nearby. Needless to say, we don't have to walk or travel far, just a stone's throw away. I was glad to see the many local delicacy and had the chance to try each of them! There were even long queues at some of the stalls! I'm not the kind who would queue for food, so I didn't try those lah. The ones I've tried were as good and definitely no regrets with a tummy full of goodness! 

Here's my take on our stopover in Penang:

1. Food prices in Penang are comparable to Kuala Lumpur, some were even more expensive!
2. Taste wise, it is as good both ways with the exception of the authentic local delicacy.
3. Traffic is as bad and driving in Penang is definitely confusing with the many one-way streets and ''fancy driving'' of the locals.
4. The local council is very efficient as we had just parked and we were trying to figure out the app to pay the parking zone but by the time we found it, there was a compound on the car!!! All within 5 minutes!!! Our mistake was to walk away looking for network, it was that bad ya. So please have someone to stay with the car to avoid such unnecessary compounds!!!
5. Sunway Hotel was still the same as it was years ago except that it looks more rundown on the outside. Thankfully, though dated, our room seems to have been refurbished with nice toiletries. Service is still as good with ample parking space. The only thing we didn't know was the way the aircon works. Apparently as it is very old, we were supposed to tune it lower like 18'C so that it will be cooling. We didn't know and maintained it at 22'C so halfway through our sleep, we were drenching in sweat! We only got to know when we were checking out. Our bad lah for not checking with front desk and continued sleeping LOL! Anyway, Sunway Hotel should be more proactive and stick a note about it near the aircon instead of having us to call the front desk lah.

We were blessed with good weather throughout our road-trip! It was heavenly in Hatyai, from visiting the temple and the mall to scouring for good food and souvenirs, I was so sad when we had to return to Kuala Lumpur, return to reality. Unfortunately, it rained throughout our journey back home so we couldn't stopover in Ipoh for dinner. I can't wait for our next trip there, honestly! I've heard of many places to visit in Songkhla so a different itinerary maybe the next round.

Here's my take of our road-trip to Hatyai:

1. Buri Sriphu Hotel was still the same from the last we came but with more outdoors, we failed to enjoy our bathtub. We should have taken the Oriental suite which is cheaper and without bathtub.
2. This time around, we stick around the places we know best, and we shopped more so we were thankful of the many tuktuks, making it very convenient for us to travel to/from our hotel. Unfortunately, there are many unscrupulous drivers of late where they tried to charge more than THB100 per trip. This is actually against their law, and they can be charged/fined. So be aware and always asked for the price upfront to be safe.
3. We even visited Homepro just to see their well displayed products! They were unbelievably in sync with everything in the right places and easy to search. Also properly aligned and displayed that it looks inviting LOL! Unlike in Malaysia where all the products are, typically, scattered everywhere Malaysian style. Hubs says Thais are OCD like that, LOL!!!

Anyway, I have updated quite a fair bit of photos on my Instagram so you can check it out there. My IG handle is Susan Lee (@sholeesphere) • Instagram photos and videos 

This trip, we've been to Big Buddha Temple, Kim Yong Market, Lee Garden, Central Festival Mall and Asian Night Bazaar. If you are a frequent traveler to Hatyai, do recommend where I should visit next, so that I can add them to my itinerary for my next visit there :-)

Bangkok: my thought on my recent travel there

As I have been to Bangkok a few times with some written posts in the past, I shall not dwell on as usual. Hence this post are my thoughts on my recent trip post pandemic. If you are interested on the places that I've visited, you can check out my posts on TikTok or Instagram here:
Sholee’s🌷Chill🌈Pill📚 (@sholee68) | TikTok
Susan Lee (@sholeesphere) • Instagram photos and videos

So, here's a brief of what I have liked from that trip:

1. I am so glad I get to save on transportation especially now that they have the SRT  Red Line train from Don Mueang Airport to BangSue Grand Station. From there, we boarded the MRT to Sukhumvit station and then walked about 10 mins to our hotel. Traffic free, less stress and cheaper compared to taking the taxi or limo. It's the same, vice versa, when we head back to the airport to go home.

2. We enjoyed staying around Terminal 21 Mall as 2 train lines run through the station there, MRT and BTS. Wherever we visited, we just had to make sure we know our routes first before heading out. As we are used to taking the train back in KL, it works similarly in BKK and we just need to know our stops. Even if we don't have many coins, we can buy our tickets from the counter. It is very convenient and hassle free.

3. Thankfully, we don't see many cannabis clinics here compared to Phuket. So, it was a drug-free experience wherever we go as we walked a lot! At least 10k steps per day!

4. The economy here seemed to have tripled! Every nook and cranny are filled with retail. The Thais really do know how to optimize their space and monetize it wisely. Totally the opposite in KL where there are still so many abandoned buildings and vacant malls. They even monetize the Chao Phraya River unlike the Klang River here.

What I wished was better:

1. Food. Overall, the street food we had pre-pandemic was way better than post-pandemic. Not many street food available that appealed to us. Somehow it seemed overrated now. Not sure if Covid got our tongue or our palate has changed since, but the food is of average variety and taste IMO.

2. Chatuchak Market. We used to scour the insides of the market looking for good bargains. This time around, we got cold shoulders instead. It sure felt like they only entertain the locals who would buy in bundles, more for wholesaling and not retail. We have to look around the outside for retail. So lesser variety and less bargain hunting.

3. MBK. It sure has a different vibe compared to pre-pandemic. It totally reminded me of a mall in KL i.e. Sg Wang Plaza. Our usual stalls selling good quality and affordable clothes were missing too. They used to have good food at the food court but now, it's incomparable. So, in the end, we left the mall empty handed with unhappy tummy.

Anyway, a quick recap of our hotel. This time we stayed at The Fusion Suites Hotel.

What I've liked:

i) A huge bathtub

ii) A superb hot shower

iii) A large comfy bed with firm pillows

iv) Efficient room service

v) Well-kept and clean even though dated

vi) Even the one and only elevator is efficient 

What I wished was better:

i) More lightings! The hotel itself is quite dark. I find that it has insufficient lighting in the room too especially during the night.

ii) More street food! We didn't have breakfast bundle thinking there will be street food outside BUT sadly, no.

iii) More English channels! There's nothing much to watch on the tele with mostly Thai speaking channels only. Tried to YouTube but I think WiFi wasn't as strong, so it always gets disconnected.

Other than that, overall, it was an awesome trip and we've discovered more places we haven't been to or covered. So, my list has since expanded exponentially and hoping for another few more trips to Bangkok soon! Sawadee kap!!!

Barbie and girl power!

Recently, I've watched Barbie with my girl in the cinema. Halfway through the movie, a few guys left the cinema, leaving their loved ones to continue watching. It sure does show how bored they were of the movie, especially since it's about women empowerment, wokeness, girl power, etc. Moreover, the movie started off with Ken being aloof, living by Barbie's rules. I guess it sure hurts their manly ego. I've also come across comments about similar type of movies, their shallow mentality was a definite red flag with regards to such topic. 

So, it got me thinking, how come women don't leave the cinema when the opposite type of movies was shown? Also, women don't comment negatively of such scenarios where men reigned the world. Even when men owned some ''man cave'' with all their dolls which supposedly cost a lot of money. The same for women but when we own a few Barbies, we are deemed to be childish, and these dolls are a waste of money. I cannot understand such double standards.

After years of hardship and mistreatment, is it wrong for women to seek such recognition and justification? Must women always play the damsel in distress card? Must women always wear revealing clothes so that these men can ogle for free? Must women always have to stroke these men's ego? Don't these men have mothers or sisters at home? How do these men treat women? Equally or secondary? Nuff said... such topic / scenarios can go on and on...

This leads me to the character, Gloria, played by America Ferrera in Barbie. Her monologue sure hits the chord for me, totally spot on. Sharing them here for future me and also for all to view:

Here is Gloria’s monologue in its entirety:

It is literally impossible to be a woman. You are so beautiful, and so smart, and it kills me that you don’t think you’re good enough. Like, we have to always be extraordinary, but somehow we’re always doing it wrong.

You have to be thin, but not too thin. And you can never say you want to be thin. You have to say you want to be healthy, but also you have to be thin. You have to have money, but you can’t ask for money because that’s crass. You have to be a boss, but you can’t be mean. You have to lead, but you can’t squash other people’s ideas. You’re supposed to love being a mother, but don’t talk about your kids all the damn time. You have to be a career woman, but also always be looking out for other people. You have to answer for men’s bad behavior, which is insane, but if you point that out, you’re accused of complaining. You’re supposed to stay pretty for men, but not so pretty that you tempt them too much or that you threaten other women because you’re supposed to be a part of the sisterhood. But always stand out and always be grateful. But never forget that the system is rigged. So find a way to acknowledge that but also always be grateful. You have to never get old, never be rude, never show off, never be selfish, never fall down, never fail, never show fear, never get out of line. It’s too hard! It’s too contradictory and nobody gives you a medal or says thank you! And it turns out in fact that not only are you doing everything wrong, but also everything is your fault.

I’m just so tired of watching myself and every single other woman tie herself into knots so that people will like us. And if all of that is also true for a doll just representing women, then I don’t even know.

The above monologue taken from the article here:

Read full America Ferrera monologue from 'Barbie' movie - Los Angeles Times (latimes.com)

Respect people's culture

With the recent fiasco of a few mat sallehs who do not respect and understand people's culture, I honestly felt that they should not be allowed to travel. Such simple and basic civic etiquette has been taught when we were young, and we grow mature with such values in mind. However, there are some who are purely rude and do not respect others such as those few in the limelight. 

Me thinks they want such cheap publicity to promote themselves. I honestly have not heard of them LOL! Anyway, they should not be allowed to travel since they do not know how to respect others. It truly shows they poor upbringing, bringing shame to their family. Such bad manners are not to be tolerated. 

Every single country, be it Asian or African or British, has their own laws and cultures. Most countries do not condone LGBT so please do not blame Malaysia alone. You had a choice, to accept or to decline, and since it was accepted meaning you have to abide the terms and conditions. If you are not happy being here, then you should have declined! Why bother in the first place? And then acted lackadaisical as though you are innocent! I just cannot brain this!

There is this saying, ''masuk kandang kambing mengembek, masuk kandang kerbau menguak'' which literally means that when you travel to other countries, you must respect their customs and cultures of the respective countries. Such teaching is universal, so I wonder if these mat sallehs have learnt this in school or at home. Go figure!

These are just my observations; my thoughts so please respect them.

Mask on or mask off?

Lately, I've seen so many inconsistencies and insensitivity on wearing face masks in public. It all boils down to the individual's civic conscious and mindset. This is what I have observed, and it has irked me a lot, but I don't have a license to kill so I am ranting it here. It sure looks like the pandemic and lockdown have caused more humans to become more inconsiderate and more brainless. 

1. I've seen one in the supermarket during checkout where the cashier who was masked up asking the customer if he wants plastic bag. Me standing at the next counter could hear the cashier clearly but this customer who was without mask could not hear him and started berating the cashier. He claimed that he couldn't hear the cashier as it sounded muffled with the mask on! Err I don't have any superpower, but I can hear the cashier clearly! It was honestly either that customer doesn't understand English, or he hasn't been cleaning his ear! Anyway, ''plastic bag'' is understandable especially in supermarkets, so I think it is more of his hearing problem and attitude. Just because you don't wear a mask, it doesn't mean that everybody else should be mask free. We have our own believes and priorities. I pitied the cashier who was just doing his job correctly.

2. I take the public transport daily, so it is the norm to wear face mask as we are all in a closed confined vicinity. We do not wish to be a super spreader and spread Covid 19, in case we are asymptomatic, or getting the virus from someone unknowingly. Even the PA in the train repeatedly announced that it is compulsory to wear a face mask during such commute. Unfortunately, it has slowly being ignored and slowly quite a number of humans don't wear face masks, even when they are sick. I honestly cannot understand why they like to sneeze or cough in public, spreading all the viruses to the innocent people around them. Have they forgotten their civic where they are supposed to cover their nose or mouth? If they are wearing face mask, then it is fine lah but they are mask free. So damn freaking brainless and selfish!!! 

There are more but this 2 are the distinct ones in mind currently. With more and more who defy the rules, it truly is difficult and worrisome. I do not wish to scar my clean negative record and also do not wish to spread it to my loved ones at home. I hate it when I have to endure all these selfish humans' inconsiderate mindset. I honestly cannot fathom what goes through their thin mindset, likely damaged by too many gadgets... just like what Einstein has predicted way back then:

Phuket: my thought on my recent travel there

I have been to Phuket numerous times and blogged about it so this round, I would not blog much but highlight the difference traveling to Phuket then and now. If you are interested to know what I did or where I've been, you can check out my Instagram as I've finished posting all the photos and videos there:

Susan Lee (@sholeesphere) • Instagram photos and videos

We were there for 5 days in late April, and I immediately felt the difference once we have landed in Phuket. Somehow the air was denser maybe due to the heatwave or my brain was playing tricks on my mind. I was glad that our flight was on time, and everything went by smoothly. Even our van ride to the hotel was smooth and luckily it wasn't as crowded. Maybe the peak period has passed as we went after Songkran.

Anyway, here is a summary of what I thought, the good and the bad, of my recent holiday in Phuket: -

1. I am happy that I managed to tick my bucket list! We have somehow missed out Big Buddha Temple from our previous visits so this time we made it happened! We just hired a tuktuk near the beach for THB1200. It's a 2-way trip, to and from the temple. The driver waited until we have finished our tour and sent us back to where he picked us up. As the weather was sunny, it was an amazing ride!

2. The hotel we stayed in, Ramaburin Resort in Patong, was near the beach, about 5 mins walk. So, taking the bus was convenient. The bus ride from the beach to Phuket Town was about an hour drive and it's cheap! At THB40 per pax for each time we take, we can either go to Phuket Town or stop at Central World Mall, the only huge mall in Phuket.

3. As we are familiar with the area, we walked everywhere! To the malls, to the beach, to Bangla Road, even to the post office which was so convenient! Even though it was far, about 20 mins walk to the malls, there were many to sightsee and distract us. I loved walking on the beach at night where the sand was cooling to my feet with windy sea breeze and serene clear night.

4. With the current heatwave, it was just too hot, so we made sure to use lots of sunscreens and sunblock's since we walked a lot. Also drinking lots of water helped but we tend to go to the mall more often for the aircon. Unfortunately, Jungceylon was under renovation, so half the mall was closed with nothing much to see. The Central Mall opposite has fully opened and food court downstairs was a good alternative since it has aircon though the food was more touristry level and not as localized.

5. There are lots of cannabis clinics sprouting at every corner, as many as 7-11. It made me feel insecure, uncomfortable and I didn't like the after taste from the smoke whenever I passed by someone smoking pot. As such, Phuket has slowly descended down my list of go to beaches. 

6. It is sad that we have encountered some rude tourists especially at the temple. For instance, we were praying in front of the statue of a Buddha and these ignorant tourists just walked over the barrier to take some photos, right in front of us while we pray! Also, while we were queuing for the blessing rope ritual by the resident monk, this idiot whom I presumed is not a Buddhist, just jumped the queue and sat in front of us! I was like what the heck! Behaving worse than a monkey at a holy place, nonetheless. If you can't behave properly in a holy place or country, please do not bother visiting. I totally understood how the Balinese felt!!! Thankfully, most of the tourists we met there were friendly and kind aside from those few black sheep.

7. Thailand is well known for delicious street food, good Thai massage and latest manicure/pedicure experience. These are what we look forward to whenever we travel, especially since we have good experience pre-pandemic. 

- Unfortunately, Covid has totally affected the Thai's indirectly as out of the many foods we had, only a handful was good. We couldn't even find the regular few we had the last time. Either they have shifted or retired or ???

- Massage was better at an alley we discovered as opposed to the popular one in the mall. Hubs had body pain after one at Central World Mall and even though he told the masseuse to soften, the said masseuse still continue with brute force ignoring the pain my hubby endured!!!

- I had a bad experience with nail care at a shop along the street opposite Jungceylon which was cheap. Though I found my favourite mauve colour, my manicure was short-lived as it started peeling the next day. My pedicure was not as clean as there was some ingrown not cleared and it hurts when I walk. In the end, I had to redo my manicure at another shop and the kind manicurist even cleared my ingrown toe for free.

8. Wherever we went in Phuket Town, it totally reminded me of Melaka, a historical state in Malaysia. The way it was furbished and with the many souvenirs on sale, it was just like on Jonker Walk, Melaka. Unlike the last time which was more authentic Thai with many interesting shops to sightsee. 

9. Last but not least, whoever says that Covid has affected the economy badly for most countries, but I think not for Phuket. Bangla Street was so hyped up at night that it was more busy, more exciting and more robust as compared to pre-pandemic time. Also with the booming cannabis clinics, more than tattoo parlours mind you, I think the businesses along here are faring better now. I did notice the costs, be it food or stuff, has increased tremendously. We definitely spent more as compared to pre-pandemic days.

Oh well, that's my take on my recent trip to Phuket. This are my own opinion and what I have experienced during my 5 days stay. I hope you have a better experience than I have. Thank you for reading my blog.

During the commute: The cougher

Jan 3rd, 2023. First day of work for the year 2023 went by smoothly which was a blessing. When the clock strikes 6pm, it was time to go home. I quickly shut down my laptop and headed to the LRT station. It sure was a busy evening with the train heading to Putra Heights full to the brim like sardines. I had to wait for the next train that arrived to board. After a couple of stops, I was able to move inward albeit still packed like sardines. 

When someone finally got off at their stop, I was happy to sit as I do have knee joint pain, but it was short-lived. A fair skinned boy standing in front of me, dressed in dark shirt and pants carrying a laptop bag, seemed unhappy that I sat and started coughing loudly. Then I noticed he was actually without a face mask! In case you didn't know, face mask is still mandatory in public transport. He realized he has caught a lot of attention and also without a mask that he quickly took his mask out and wore it. Honestly, his acting was truly amazing that the elderly man next to me stood up for him to sit! He still continued for a bit after sitting that I stood up to find other seats as I was worried, he might lean over as he was trying to sound ''hacking''. His coughing may seem real, but he actually stops immediately once I've switched seats. So, I can safely assume he was indeed faking it and trying to bully me to give up my seat. This boy is truly evil in his conduct, bullying uncle and auntie who really need the seat more than him. He is neither disable nor old, so I assumed he has brain deficit, maybe. 

I realized I should have taken a video or photo of this culprit and publicized it as I was truly angry with his inconsiderate and uncivilized behavior! I didn't at that point of time as I was just too angry and annoyed! However, after cooling down, I have been told often times to let it go since they are usually brain handicapped and me being the older one should also think wisely. No matter how pain my knee joint or slip-disc back is, I just have to tahan lah... I don't look old nor in pain so I should take it as a blessing that I still look young! I like to dress in my fav cartoon tees so no one would have realized this auntie is in pain. Maybe RapidKL should come out with a band or tag for us to wear so that kind souls will give up their seats for us in need.

Upon reaching the last stop, I realized the reason for the high traffic influx... apparently there's a football match between Malaysia and Singapore at Bukit Jalil Stadium. There were many football enthusiasts taking the train over but wrong timing lah... it's peak hours with many of us finishing work and rushing to go home. The other thing that irks me the most, majority of them are WITHOUT their face masks!!! The public announcement in the train kept repeating that face mask is mandatory in the train but these people are without!!! Where is the gatekeeper for this???

So herewith I am starting this post with effect from now on, to capture such uncivilized, brainless conducts I encounter during my commute in public transport. Who knows, it could be compiled into a book by the end of the year! So, we shall see... 

Happy New Year! An update for year 2022.

It's been awhile since I last posted anything here! I've been busy with work, life and family that I didn't have much time to read or craft. Even though I've read a few to finish off TBNT Book Challenge, I didn't have the time nor thoughts to review it here! So now that I am back from my long hiatus, I'll try to complete my long outstanding blogs and post it soonest! 

Just a quick update for year 2022 which I have given it lots of thoughts. I have decided that I will move this blog from Blogspot to Wordpress and do away with my domain name. This will take effect in the middle of the year. As such, by mid 2022, you should view from https://sholee.wordpress.com and www.sholee.net will cease to exists by then. Why the drastic measure? Well, domain name is something nice to have but it serves no other purpose except for boosting the ego LOL! So out it goes and I'll get to save me some quid!

Also, I have to decided to reduce reading books for review as I find that I am not enjoying my reads anymore. It felt more pressured and more stress having to complete it and review it. The joy of reading has becoming a burden to me and I actually hit a huge reading slump in 4th quarter of 2021!!! It was a coincidence that my Kobo Touch went cranky and couldn't power up at the same time! When I finally managed to boot it up, all my e-books were gone! Yes, it was 0 and I had to set it all up again. It is definitely a sign if you asked me.

As I hit my 50 this year, I have to slow down, relax and enjoy the view, so to speak. I will try to balance my hobbies by crafting more, gardening, colouring and reading evenly. We only live once so I want to enjoy my family time more too, living my live according to me and not dictated by others. I trust that you would understand as I'm sure you would want the same too or have already achieved the same. So wish me luck on my new journey and I hope you will still read my blog on the new platform. 

[Crochet] Spring Celebration CAL

This is definitely a way overdue post.

I have joined a Spring Celebration Crochet Along on Instagram in March-April and it was a mistake as I didn't have much time to actually do to complete it all. TBH, I should have thought it out before joining it. I've only managed to make 2 out of 11 designs! If only I have more time to do at least half of it but I couldn't... sad but true...

It was a stringent CAL with a tight timeline where those interested would have to follow the specially created Instagram account which would be closed to public when the registration ends. Then over a period of time, each design will have half of it's pattern published. Once we have finished that first half as required, we will have to Insta-story it so that the respective designers will add us into another special Instagram account which is private where the remaining half is published. If we missed the boat then we will have to buy the pattern in order to finish it if we want. Tedious right? Well, it can't be helped as to protect the respective designer's wellbeing. 

Anyway, it was a joy to complete this 2 designs. It was not as complicated but I just needed more time (I can only crochet at night about 2 to 3 hours). Thank you so much to the organizer and designers for this awesome platform! Here are my finished dolls...

Neo the Elephant by Alison @kornflakestew.co.uk

Immy the Lamb by Lucia Forthmann Crochet

MCO 2.0: after one month

We are currently under Movement Control Order (MCO) 2.0 which has started since January 18, 2021 and has yet to end for the state that I am in. A month of working from home (WFH) thus far and I began to feel that itch... I just can't wait to go back to the office!

There are a few reasons to it as below:

I have just started working for this new company early this year so it was a little unsettling as there were many gray areas still and having to work from home seemed a little inconvenient. It would have been much easier to liaise face to face with my colleagues as opposed to online. The same goes for learning... maybe I'm old school like that! Thankfully with a new laptop, everything turns out well so far and works as smooth as silk LOL!

Stuff like medical card, bank account and company t-shirt have not been sorted out as yet. Yeah, new company so new stuff to report and open. The ONE that really irked me was the bank account which leads to a long rant here... 

I am grateful for the salesman coming in to help us register and all just before MCO started but having to wait for the postman to deliver my debit card so that I can register my online banking was truly a pain as my card never came. 

Firstly, in this era, who in their right mind would still use snail mail to post an important document like debit card? Most companies use either Poslaju or a reputable courier and rarely uses snail mail, correct me if I am wrong. This is just simple logic. If they are not willing to foot the bill then offer option to their customer i.e. top-up x amount for it to be couriered. Customer like me would be grateful as snail mail is not reliable at my area and the postman does not come by everyday. 

Honestly, my mother in law who's always home only sees the postman passing by like once or twice a month. Moreover I have experienced lost mails especially bills quite often so not sure if Pos Malaysia at Telok Panglima Garang has misplaced it or somewhere along the way. Hence I have switched to e-billing for most but there are some such as government taxes who still use snail mail. Luckily the late payment charges were nominal or there would have been another long rant!

I have another valid example here. I have just received a postcard via Postcrossing from Johor. She has stated clearly that it's a resent as the previous one never reached me. A simply chronology:

10/12/2020 - first postcard posted out but never reached me - I wonder where it has gone to...
9/2/2021 - second postcard posted out but reached me on 18/2/2021

So in Postcrossing tracking, it took 70 days for a postcard from Johor to reach me in Selangor. Get it???

Anyway, as the postman finally came without the debit card, it is deemed to be lost so according to the salesman, I have to walk in to the nearest branch to get a replacement card. I did request for another via courier this time but it is their practice not to do so. Hmmm... the nearest branch happens to be in another district and current MCO, which would supposedly end on 4/3/2021, restricts inter-district travelling. So how am I supposed to get a replacement debit card to register my online banking? Such inconvenience when it wasn't even my fault, UOB!!! They definitely should relooked at their current process as it is way passé.

Enough of that rant, just needed to let off steam and that negative energy!

Lastly, I am beginning to feel complacent and comfortable WFH. I do have a structured working day schedule which I adhere to as below:

8am wakes up

9am starts work

1pm lunch break

2pm continue working

6pm stops working and shower

7pm dinner time

12am sleep

In between, I do snack with coffee and tea breaks. As you can see, no exercise at all LOL! FYI, I do walk a lot during my commute to and from work. Btw, I do read or craft or watched TV after dinner. The only time I get some exercise is during weekends when I do gardening or house-chores. I know it is within my grasps to slot in exercise but my mindset is just not ready and yet my tummy circumference is increasing LOL! Power walk around my neighbourhood is not suitable as I can't breath through with the face mask on. Yoga or planking at home but the weather is just so hot! If I exercise after dinner then I have to take a late shower with my long hair taking aeons to dry! I know, I know... excuses, excuses! I have to brainwash myself to get my butt moving! 

Thank you for reading my long rant, I do appreciate if you have any advice for me. Hope you have a fruitful day ahead! Kung Hei Fatt Choy!!!

My TOP NINE 2020!

 So it's that time of the year again and here's my Instagram's top nine for the year 2020!

As you can see, this time it's a mix unlike previous year's where it's all about books LOL!!! I guess I have COVID-19 to thank for as we were home for nearly the whole year!

CMCO again: day 28

It has been extended yet again, this time for a month. Sad but true. With the numbers staying at 3 to 4 digits, continuing this partial lockdown is the only sane choice. There are ignorant people who just couldn't stay at home and yet there are people who has no choice but to leave house for work. I'm just too speechless to say more or comment more... it's been nearly a year we have been battling this unseen virus but humans will always be humans. They don't seemed to get it, that they are not invincible and the virus does not choose their victims.

All I can say is that I also do value my freedom but I also cherish my life and my family's lives. So if you can work from home, please stay put at home and order whatever you need online. There are many varieties available online now so you are never short of supplies. I know there are some who supported local hotels by frequenting their 'work from hotel's cafe instead of home' offer. It is good of you to support the local market or tourism but now is not the time. This is for the greater good of humanity and hopefully we are able to either kill this virus permanently or have an antidote for it sooner than expected. You can still support the local tourism after all this has blown over. Please think before you act. 

Thank you and may God bless you.

CMCO again - day 15

So it has been extended again for another 2 weeks until 9/11/2020. It is something to be expected since the numbers are still high, not coming down to 2 digits as yet. However I was praying hard that we get to go to the office due to many unfavourable situations here. Oh well, looks like I still have to work from home until then... sigh! 

I know I should be thankful to still have a job and I'm still able to work from home instead of travelling in the public transport to work. With this pandemic, there are so many heartaches that it is truly testing our sanity and well-being. We have to be mentally strong to face the unforeseen circumstances and also the expectations of the bosses. Working from home meaning the bosses won't know what we are doing i.e. working fully or playing around the house etc. We didn't asked for this so to be micro-managed is a little foreboding but have to be endured lah... no choice. 

I'm just trying to reason with self to stay positive. Just ranting to let it out from my chest, so to speak. I know there are many people losing their jobs so such minuscule should not hinder my positive mind. *fingers crossed*

CMCO again!

CMCO is back again for 3 states in Malaysia from yesterday for 2 weeks! So another lockdown but with a little ease like 2 person can go out for grocery, max 2 person per table if eating out (this is definitely for those who still have to go to work) and more but I can't recall it all lah. This round, inter-district is also not allowed so those who have to go to work would have to produce documents like a letter from employer and a letter from MITI. Thankfully, my company allows us to work from home so I am glad to be staying at home and spending more quality time with the family. 

It is sad as all this could have been prevented. There is always a choice but they chose to proceed with the votes. And with this came lots of travelling all over Malaysia to the East. At that point of time, the cases have started to peak at the East and we can visibly see the rise of cases then. Also with less people practising the SOP (wear a face mask, wash hands and social distancing), this was definitely a disaster waiting to erupt. Lo and behold, it did blew over and now we have cases rising daily with more than 500 for the past few days.

What has happened, has happened, so we can't turn back the time. Thankfully we have a good team of superhero's manning and curbing this crisis. If they can do it the first round, I'm sure they can do better this time around. I do hope and pray that this CMCO would be for this 2 weeks and no extension required. *fingers and toes crossed* 

So peeps, please PRACTICE SOCIAL DISTANCING, WEAR A FACE MASK and WASH or SANITISE YOUR HANDS FREQUENTLY!!! STAY AT HOME and NO LEPAKING!!!

Mid-life crisis?

This is another rant post so beware, you have been warned LOL!!!

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, my views and thoughts of life have changed if not altered by the many happenings day in day out. I have began to think more of what I want in life, what is there for me, is this enough, etc... all kinds of negative thoughts and what-if's kept embroiling in my mind. Maybe being cooped up at home for too long during the lockdown then was not a good thing after all but even until now the swirling thoughts have not stopped. It sure feels like my mid-life crisis has started to kick in!

I sure wished for the most is for that lucky strike so that I could pay off my debts and resign from my day job so that I can wholeheartedly concentrate on my dream job! Honestly, the one contentment and fulfillment aside from family is my dream job. I just can't divide my attention enough to so many things now especially since it's tiring by the time I reached home after work.

A normal working day for me:
5am wakes up, pray, shower, wake the children and hubby

6.30am leaves house and head for breakfast
7.30am takes the train to work - read during commute
9am to 6pm work day job
6pm takes the train to go home
7pm either hubby or son picks me up and lepak at a mamak until the traffic jam subsides - read or play Pokemon Go or Wizards Unite
8.30pm heads home for shower, dinner and house chores
11pm sleep

So damn tiring right? No time at all for my dream job except for bedtime when I'm idling before sleep. When weekend arrive, I'll be busy with house chores and cleaning. Dream job? What dream job??? The only time I could squeeze in some 'me time' would be in the afternoon when there is nothing much to be done left. Unless the family wants to go out 'jalan jalan'.

I am thankful I still have a day job to pay the bills and put food on the table. However it is a day job just for that. It is not a job I love nor enjoy hence I can not feel the warmth in it. I do envy lots of my friends who love and enjoy their day jobs as it's what they studied for and wanted. If I only knew English Literature was a thing back then, I would have gone for it rather than Accountancy (which I flunk) or Fashion Design (which my parents die die won't let me study). I have always enjoyed reading, English and writing but I never knew I could study them. During my time, there wasn't any Education fair or counseling when I finished my SPM so I was left 'hanging' so to speak.

Anyway, lately unbelievably, I am reading and discovering more money related posts and blogs too! Well, not the conventional types but more relatable ones like Ringgit Oh Ringgit and Mr. Stingy which dwelt more on daily Malaysian monetary stuffs. So my taste has changed and even mindset too! I guess my inner self has just awaken and slowly progressing to find more of ME!

Back to my dream job. One which is also my passive income i.e. crafting that I love but have to slow down due to my frozen shoulder. So yeah too much crocheting has finally taken it's toll and rendered me in more pain! If you are wondering, we tend to be in a rigid form sitting while crocheting hence the lack of movement = lack of exercise and in turn frozen shoulder! This is a sad fact but very true!

Anyway, my blogging / writing / reading has prompted me to look into studying again... gasp! I could not believe that studying has actually crossed my mind! LOL! Well, English Literature to be precise. I have always wanted to write a novel... well writing basically makes me happy hence this blog, right! After Googling much, I have decided I want to go for not only Creative Writing but English Literature as a whole. Yes, a degree in English Literature. So to achieve that, I can only wished for that lucky break (see first wish above). Unfortunately as it has not happened, I would still have to go on with my day job, try to increase my passive income, wait for my children to graduate Uni and then only look at my own dream.

So for now, back to reality. Thank you for reading my lengthy rant.

The New Normal

In this new normal, face masks and hand sanitizers are essential items to have around, just like carrying our wallets and mobile phones never to leave home without it. However, frequent use of face masks and hand sanitizers do have impact to the environment and also side effect to our health.

Currently we can see many discarded face masks everywhere but the dustbin. As it is already not recycle friendly, it also pose as environment and health hazard. Hence this is why I prefer to use fabric face masks as it is more environmental friendly since it is washable. As it has not been proven by WHO the effectiveness of fabric face masks, there are still debates on whether a 2 ply or a 3 ply fabric face mask is effective in filtering COVID-19. As what the health minister says, wearing a fabric face mask helps to prevent and filter better than not wearing any at all. 

So I have sewn some fabric face masks for the family. Initially sewn 2 ply ones using pattern template from Crafts Passion as below:

Somehow it wasn't as comfortable and found another pattern from Maker's Habitat which happens to be 3 ply as below:

Wearing a fabric face mask sure feels like a fashion statement now LOL! We can mix and match with our clothes though I don't do that lah as it's a waste of good cotton fabric. However it does feel good saving the environment :-)

If I could, I would prioritize washing my hands instead of using hand sanitizers due to it's alcohol content. I have eczema so it does 'hurt' my skin a lot! As such I do lopped on lots of lotion before I go to sleep in order to moisturize my poor skin LOL! Anyway, as hand sanitizer is part of the new normal plus we have to use it especially during our commute or travelling where there are no access to toilets, I would think it is more cost effective to buy it in a big bottle and pour it into small containers with pump which is definitely more feasible and worthy lah. It can lasts for months and can be kept in a cool dry room. 

If you are interested, you can check out my Nook for more details: 

http://nycnatnook.wordpress.com

RMCO: Back to office

Finally, my 'work from home' era has ended and I'm back to office this week. It was a harrowing thought at first having to travel to work via public transport but thankfully, it has been a pleasant experience thus far. 

In this 'new normal', scanning of QR code or writing in the log book where ever we go to plus wearing our face mask is becoming the norm. Face mask has in fact evolved as one of our daily essential to bring along! I've decided to sew my own face mask for a more environment friendly use. Thankfully I have some 100% cotton fabrics so sewing a few to test it out. The only problem I encountered now is the elastic band as it's not feasible for long use and it hurts my ear. So I'm looking for other ways to make it less painful to wear :-)

Face mask pattern is from www.craftpassion.com

Happy Father's Day!

Father's Day is this Sunday so this is an advance greeting :-)

A very Happy Father's Day to all Father's and Father figures out there!

A heavenly greeting to my dad and father in law!

Also the warmest loveliest greeting to my hubby :-)

Image Googled

If you are looking for a meaningful gift, you can opt for gadget related like a power bank or a car charger. It's useful and lasting, worthwhile for someone always on the go and busy like a bee.

 

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RMO: Day 84

Today is the last day of Extended CMCO and tomorrow we will enter the Recovery MCO phase as announced by our PM last Sunday. This RMCO will take effect until 31/8/2020. With all the SOP's which have been enforced, living and working in this new normal may take some time to adjust and also hopefully it will fully curbed the virus from spreading. I do have that phobic fear since we are not able to see nor touch the virus. I do pray and hoped that this virus will be eliminated permanently. It will just stay in our history books, similarly to previous plagues and hoped that the vaccines will be ready soon. Covid-19 has definitely etched the world with much harrowing experience, so much sadness and causing millions of deaths. Lets just hope that from now onwards, we will practice social distancing, constant washing of hands and wearing masks unconditionally to forever rid of this killer virus!