To quote Pooh: “After all, I am ‘short, fat, and proud of that.'”
A direct result of moving to an environment where eating out is the norm and is also cheap, is the inevitable weight gain …. Fortunately our condo has a decent gym and I now undertake my daily grind of trying to counter the sugar intake. Having no bike (as yet) and unable to swim…
Don’t let the weather get you down
We’ve been here 7 months and either we are getting acclimatised or the weather has shifted slightly. It seems cooler. The clothing stores here reflect this by now stocking and selling thick (and I’m talking polartek thick) jerseys, jackets, leggings etc. Apart from the fact that the air-conditioning inside these stores is set to arctic…
How moving has helped me downsize (or How I have fooled myself into thinking I have less stuff)
Downsize…the definition of it means “to make smaller”. Its a word that has snuck into my vocabulary and has wangled its way to becoming a rather dominant presence. What started as a forward plan for the future when departing Singapore in 2012, has now turned into a mantra…items that did not fit into either of…
How food has become my focus
We all know that Asians are very big into their food, and Malaysians are no exception. One of the first questions we get asked whenever meeting a local is “Have you eaten yet?” – or variations of that phrase. It is put out in the same way that we would say “Good morning, how are…
Proof of the Sand Wars
Since arriving in at our 30th floor apartment with its fabulous views across parts of Johor Bahru and the Strait of Malacca, we have had a birds eye view of the changing landscape. And change it has. Malaysia is country of approximately 330,000 square kilometres featuring as the 66th largest country in the world rankings,…
The challenge of having a limited common language.
On arrival into Johor Bahru I set about exploring my new environment to get to know it better. One thing I did learn very quickly was that not everyone here speaks English. I have had some interesting experiences trying to convey my meaning to mostly friendly but uncomprehending Malays. The most common English word I…
Why visiting Johor Bahru Zoo is a one time event.
I have always admired those who have dedicated their lives to wildlife. Louis Leakey’s “girls”: Dianne Fossey, Dr Galdikas, and Jane Goodall, were who I dreamed of being. They, amongst others such as George Adamson, were my heroes as I was growing up. I devoured all I could about wildlife in general and Africa in…
My Millionaire Lifestyle
And so we moved from being in my dream location on a private game farm in the middle of the bush of South Africa, to the 30th floor of a condominium in the middle of Johor Bahru town, Malaysia. …