Elizabeth Tai

Blog

elizabethtai.com/

Profile

elizabethtai.com/author/firedi

Homepage

firediarist.wordpress.com

  • I support deleting your second brain

    You do you.

  • La Cocina’s Spandian touch

    La Cocina is the place to be to enjoy good Spanish food with a view a sunset panoramic view of Subang Jaya. I meet owner and head chef Jeganathan Letchumanan and his wife, Zarmila Muniandy, to learn about how their restaurant came to be, and the yummy food one can enjoy at their scenic restaurant.

  • The cognitive debt of using AI to write essays

    The way you use AI to write essays could change your brain. Simply put: It could make you more stupid.

  • Are you a loudcaster?

    So, there’s a name for the phenomenon I hate so much: Loud casting. “So how do we react when we experience others listening to their phones and other devices in public? About half of people maintain a British stiff upper lip and do nothing. The most common reaction for those who take action (cited by…

  • iTOR: A cosy Western-Malaysian fusion cafe

    Here’s a small start to start blogging about my community. First, I start with cafes offering yummy food: Here’s a sandwich cafe called iTOR.

  • Pushback against digital gardens?

    The pushback I received made me think about a way to re-clarify my message about digital gardens. The last thing I want people to think is that one is better than the other. I rather communicate the freedom digital gardening has given me, and how I’ve written so much more since taking this approach to…

  • Digital gardens vs blogging: What’s the difference?

    Digital gardens are a different way to present yourself on the Internet. Blogging is often see as a way to “brand yourself”. Digital gardens are less interested in marketing a personality but in sharing knowledge.

  • My new productivity workflow using email and Trello

    To solve productivity problems, we tend to think that an app or a software can help us solve the problem. What we need to do to solve our productivity conundrums is to have clarity about our productivity problems and finding then finding tools that will solve it. In this post I show how I solved…

  • Tsunami ghosts, anti-LinkedIn post, digital gardens, Obsidian discoveries, NPCs and more

    A collection of fun posts about various stuff I found on the Internet. Some tech, some birbs, nerdy PKM Obsidian shares, and a dash of weirdo stuff. I always aim to make you smile, and promise not to share stuff about politics. There’s enough of that goin’ around!

  • The return of the sunbirds

    For years, I was fortunate enough to watch sunbird couples hatch their chicks right at my balcony. They’ve returned this year.

  • The COVID-19 lockdown diaries

    My reflections and old tweets made during the first few months of Malaysia’s COVID-19 lockdowns or “Movement Control Order”.

  • Personal Finance

    A guide that serves as a map to all the content I’ve written about finance over the years.

  • My 15-minute city lifestyle in Malaysia!

    You don’t have to live in Europe to experience the 15-minute city life. You can find that kind of lifestyle even in Malaysia.

  • How I use social media, and why Mastodon is still No.1 for me

    There’s something inherently combative about Western social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. The people there often seem mean-spirited, and the overall experience feels hostile. Chinese social media can be better due to stricter moderation policies, but you have to choose the right platform to dwell in.

  • Public transportation in my neighbourhood and I have electric car envy

    Light rail transits, walkways, BRTs, public busses … I’m really grateful that my area has all these and I am not forced to be car dependent.

  • Gearing up for Chinese New Year with a day of shopping at Sunway Pyramid

    Today I’m grateful for: a) Malaysia’s abundance of good food b) The efficient public transport in my neighbourhood c) The ability to buy pricey bakkwa to treat my parents!

  • I am social media burned out

    I find myself clicking on my phone like a zombie, but I can’t stop. Sometimes, managing my social media intake feels like a losing battle, but I guess I will continue to keep trying

  • Weekend Tales #8: My favourite things of 2024

    I was wondering who in the world would be interested in my favourite things. But then I realised that one of them could actually save your life, so here am I sharing it. Siti the kitty She’s a little bite-y, but we have this little ritual where, each time she sees me, she’ll let out…

  • My experience ‘going paid’ on Subastack in 2024

    Last year, I activated the option for readers to pay me on a lark, and was surprised by what happened despite my very low expectations.

  • Weekend Tales #7: Year ends and bodice rippers in the desert

    Reflecting on 2024 while watching trashy TV. Also, links to articles I’ve written and have read.