Things I Like

Ansa Hotel

Where to stay in Kuala Lumpur: ANSA Hotel Review

Travelling with a baby has changed the way we used to travel as backpackers. Back then, being both easy-going people and an adventurous couple, we tend to go anywhere and sleep in any corner as long as it’s affordable and somewhat comfortable. In other words, where we sleep is very cincai lah.

 

This philosophy served us well up till the recent addition of cute lil C into our family. Suddenly, instead of money being the main deciding factor of where we’ll be staying, we also have other considerations. We realised that, while we are always welcomed at my family home, we no longer could just make do with the queen-sized bed that now stands in my childhood room. The one that I used to spend the many hot and sticky nights on when I was a child would be way too hot without air-conditioning.

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in Malaysia / Reviews / Things I Like 0 comments
Camping with friends in Germany

How I Spend Summers In Germany

The fabulous thing about living in Germany is that I get to experience nature changing with every season. Summers in Germany are the best. There’s always so much going on here. Summer brings out the best in Germans. With more sunshine and warmth, they are cheerier and in a better mood. They spend more time outdoors. In towns and cities everywhere, you’ll see people sitting in ice-cream cafes or in parks, licking colourful ice-cream cones. It’s not just the Instagram generation doing it, it’s literally everyone.

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in Germany / My German Life / Things I Like 0 comments
art and science museum singapore

Love in the time of skyscrapers and steel: Why I loved living in Singapore

Yes, I loved my time as an expat in Singapore. Didn’t expect to like it but I did. There, I said it.

 

Such a statement of affection coming from a Malaysian who’d spent most of her twenties exploring obscure nooks around the world might elicit some shocked gasps and widened eyes from some of you. You loved it? How? Wasn’t it boring and a little too orderly? Turns out Singapore can be exciting, if only we dig a little deeper.

 

Just the other day in Kuala Lumpur, amidst the noise and delicious smells of tandoori chicken, I suggested to a friend who was looking for potential places to move to, “What about Singapore?” She made a face and said, “No freaking way.”

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in Adventures / Reflection & Rants / Singapore / Things I Like 0 comments
adriatic coast croatia

An unexpected jewel along the Adriatic coast of Croatia: Lukovo Šugarje

August 2015

The first thing that came to mind, when we first caught a glimpse of the Adriatic Sea, was “Wow!” As the car turned at the bend of the road and trundled down the snaking mountainous roads of the Croatian coastline, we’d watched the glinting blue and emerald come into view.

 

Croatia, the country famed for its Game of Throne filming locations, is speckled with islands along the coastline. If you’re one of those who fantasize balmy days, stunning sunsets against sapphire waters and ancient walled towns, this country will make your fantasies a reality.

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in Adventures / Croatia / Things I Like 1 comments
enjoying the sunrise from zipp bar gili air

6 Reasons Why We Love Gili Air

I’ve always left Gili Islands out of my to-go places in Indonesia simply because it hadn’t appealed to me as a solo backpacker. It had sounded very much like another fun Thai island like Ko Phangan or the sort of place that you’d prefer to take romantic sunset walks with a loved one. However, when it came to planning our honeymoon, Chris and I had thought it sounded perfect: neither of us had been there and we needed something nice and relaxing to cap off our Indonesian trip.

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in Adventures / Indonesia / Things I Like 3 comments
Hamburg Lion King Theatre

What’s it like to watch Disney’s Lion King Musical in Hamburg

Chasing unconventional experiences is what I love best when travelling.

 

If you’ve an opportunity to do something different or unusual, you should always go for it.

 

The beauty of saying yes to a spontaneous and unusual experience somewhere foreign is always so much more memorable than going through a checklist of sightseeing spots. Like our attempt to catch a midnight movie in a cinema in Batam (but failed, because we fell asleep out of exhaustion in the hotel), watching the Valentine’s Day opera in Riga, and now, watching a famous Disney’s Lion King in Hamburg. In German.

 

Of course, this wasn’t as unplanned as the rest. The tickets to the musical was after all our wedding gift from our friends. But they must have known us well, to have gifted us with such a precious opportunity to do something completely different. I mean, they could have just bought us a kitchen appliance or simply cash, but no, these geniuses had other plans.

 

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in Adventures / Germany / My German Life / Things I Like 0 comments
weekend in hamburg tiny wanderer

A weekend (and a mini honeymoon) in Hamburg

I’ve got a confession to make.

Chris and I finally tied the knot in April and held the reception in August this year. I thought I’ll just mention it in passing just because someday, I intend to write about our wedding in Germany. But not today. 

 

ANYWAY…

 

due to large wedding expenses (it was already a backpacker budget!) and preparation, we couldn’t travel as often as we did the years before. We didn’t take our usual 2-week summer vacation like most Germans would. And the traveller in me withered up and almost died. What, no travelling? How could you do this to me?!

So when it was finally over and done with (with only thank you cards to send out now), we heaved a sigh of relief. While all I wanted to do is to crawl onto the couch and watch Netflix for a 100 days straight, there was a gift of travel waiting for us.

 

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in Adventures / Eat, Drink and be Merry / Germany / My German Life / Things I Like 0 comments