Elizabeth Tai

Category: Journal

I get personal here. This is where I share snippets of my life.

  • Politically incorrect lessons about cat ownership

    Politically incorrect lessons about cat ownership

    I think we really need to be super honest about cat ownership. It’ll help prepare a lot of people, especially if they’re inexperienced with cats, about the complexities of cat ownership.

  • Malaysians are multilingual, and that’s a gift

    I was vacationing with a friend on Scotland island, off Sydney, #Australia in this amazing B&B. We were having breakfast at the verandah when the host approached us hesitantly. “I hope I am not offending you if I ask this, but we were curious why you were speaking English after we have left.” My friend…

  • Walks in the morning

    If I don’t start my day early in the morning walking while the sun rises, I know that it will be a less than ideal day. A few days ago, I grabbed my Nordic poles and went out walking despite it being a drizzly day. I let the rain fall as I walked/poled around the…

  • My adventures in healing neuroplastic pain

    For weeks, I was tortured by hip and lower back pain. Then I discovered the works of Dr. John Sarno and the science of healing neuroplastic pain. The results I’ve gotten in a matter of days was astounding. So I thought I should share this with people who are currently battling chronic pain. It may…

  • Cheng Beng in Penang

    It’s April, and that usually means I’ll return “home” to Penang for Cheng Beng or Tomb Sweeping day. Of course I also take the opportunity to enjoy my time there as well. Here’s my travelogue.

  • I survived a janky hotel in Georgetown

    I never wanted to leave a hotel immediately after checking in before but there’s a first time for everything. This is my first stay in a janky hotel and not a super great start for my 2023 visit to my hometown.

  • My misadventures with furniture

    The epic saga of me trying to buy living room furniture, pillows and mattresses that will please my Princess and the Pea fussy body.

  • Unboxing Onyx’s Boox Leaf 2 eReader

    I’ve had a Nook (Barnes & Noble), several Kindles and was thinking of getting a Kobo next. But I then discovered Boox

  • What it means to be Peranakan

    I little something about me – I am Peranakan or “Straits Chinese”, a descendant of people from China who moved to (then) Malaya hundreds of years ago.

  • Jan 2023 Week 3 Food & Exercise Journal

    Initially, I thought to start recording my meals on Instagram because it seemed more convenient. But if I’m to follow the principles of the IndieWeb movement, ideally I should store my food photo journal at my home site, so I decided to do a one-week experiment. I updated this post periodically throughout the week via…

  • Chinese New Year eve

    Chinese New Year is a thing for my family. Since we are descended from Chinese Peranakans, our food preparation is like a military operation which can take days – without the order or strategy. And for some reason, Chinese New Year eve lunch feels like a bigger deal for my family. It usually takes Mum…

  • For the love of economy rice

    Nothing is more typically Malaysian than the “economy rice” store. These places sell “chap fun” (a Cantonese word for “mixed rice”), vegetable & meat dishes which you eat with your rice. Chap fun stalls are usually found in restaurant corner, often run by an uncle or aunty who calculates the price of your meal in…

  • Lockdown diaries, June 2020

    🌱 If you’re following my website via RSS or subscription, please note that this is just a “seedling” or a post where it is a work in progress. Jun 1, 2020“For decades, Minneapolis has embraced its image as a progressive bastion. This week ripped that away, and left something behind much grimmer.” – @AdamMinter Jun…

  • Lockdown diaries, May 2020

    🌱 If you’re following my website via RSS or subscription, please note that this is just a “seedling” or a post where it is a work in progress. May 1, 2020OMG DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG I’VE WAITED FOR THIS https://t.co/DS2vGZV2k8 May 1, 2020I am just supremely glad this is allowed now. But heck, everything…

  • Lockdown diaries, April 2020

    April 2020 entries about the pandemic and the lockdown, fished from Twitter.

  • Lockdown diaries, March 2020

    My records of the pandemic and lockdowns during March 2020, fished from Twitter.