My Brother’s Encounter with an Earthquake in Bangkok

Today, my younger brother Roy had the shock of his life when he experienced his first-ever earthquake. He was in the middle of a meeting on the 24th floor of Bhiraj Tower, Bangkok, when suddenly, the entire building started swaying. The earthquake, which originated in central Myanmar, sent tremors across Southeast Asia, and Bangkok was not spared.

Minutes after evacuating the building, Roy sent a panicked message to our family WhatsApp chat group: "OMG, earthquake in Bangkok!" He described how the skyscraper swayed from left to right, and people rushed in a frenzy to the emergency exits. As they descended the stairwell, the building continued to shake, adding to the fear and chaos.

To make matters worse, some emergency doors were locked, causing even more panic. He said people were crying, screaming, and desperate to get out. 

Interestingly, this isn’t the first time someone in our family has gone through an earthquake. Last year, my older brother Raymond was in Japan on a business trip when an earthquake struck. He was inside a train when the tremors hit, and the train came to an emergency stop. He was stuck inside for several hours, unsure of what was happening outside.

Have you ever experienced an earthquake before? If so, how did you react? Let me know in the comments!

The chaos minutes after the earthquake in Bangkok. Photo taken by Roy.

Collapsed bathroom ceiling in Roy's room's bathroom at Hilton Sukhumvit after the earthquake. The Management gave the guests two options - to be transferred to another hotel or to continue staying at the Hilton. For the latter option, the stay will be free but stay at your own risk!  Roy chose option 2.

A Lesson in Checking Your Purchases – The Case of the Missing Serviettes

The other day, I made a quick stop at 99 Speedmart, my go-to place for stocking up on essential household items. From toilet paper, tissue paper, serviettes, kitchen rolls, shampoo, milk, to even cat litter, this mart offers some of the lowest prices compared to other supermarkets. It’s a convenient and budget-friendly spot for everyday necessities. Their 1-liter fresh milk is more than RM2 a box cheaper than at supermarkets and other convenience stores.

As I was browsing the shelves, I grabbed the last two packs of serviettes available. But something seemed off—the plastic packaging of both packs had come slightly loose, and there was visible air inside. The serviettes inside didn’t look as full as they should have, almost as if someone had pilfered a few. But since I was in a rush, I ignored my instincts, tossed them into my shopping bag, and left.

Once I got home, I decided to take a closer look. And just as I had suspected—some unscrupulous person had definitely stolen a bunch of serviettes from each pack by tearing the packaging! It was so evident that the packs were missing a significant number of sheets. No wonder these were the last two remaining packs on the shelf!

At first, I felt a surge of annoyance. But then I reminded myself that each pack only cost RM1.20. It wasn’t worth stressing over. Lesson learned: always check my items before buying, even for something as cheap as serviettes!

This wasn’t a costly mistake, but it’s still frustrating to know that some people would go to such petty lengths to take a few serviettes. Next time, I’ll inspect the packaging carefully before purchasing. No more grabbing and rushing!

So, the next time you're shopping, especially for tissue papers, serviettes, or other loose-packaged items, take a second to check. It might save you from bringing home something that’s already been tampered with!

Have you ever had a similar experience while shopping? Share your stories in the comments! 😊

The packet of serviettes in the middle was purchased some time ago. The other packets on the left and right were purchased yesterday. See the difference in the height of the packets?  I have seen people removing blueberries from punnets at the supermarket to pop into their mouths but even serviettes people need to steal? I can't brain it.

Tears and Hope Amidst the Ashes on the Palisades Wildfire

The past few days I’ve found myself teary-eyed, deeply moved by the stories of survival and loss from the Palisades wildfire. Each time I watch survivors cry—whether reuniting with their beloved pets or standing amidst the ashes of their dreams—my eyes turn watery too.

One video showed a man jumping with joy when he found his cute dog alive, lost in the rubble for five days. Another heart-wrenching video captured a man sobbing uncontrollably as a firefighter brought his distressed cat out of the fire. The sight of him gently wiping his cat’s paws with water was both tender and heartbreaking. Then there was the video of a man standing in disbelief and crying as he realized his house was the sole survivor in a sea of destruction. It’s a miracle his home remained unscathed while everything around it turned to ashes.

These videos are so powerful, so raw, that I’ve told myself I shouldn’t watch them anymore. As I reflect on these stories, I can’t help but hope for a big thunderstorm to sweep through the area and extinguish the raging flames. The wildfire has already claimed many lives—human and animal alike—and caused immeasurable heartache.

To all those affected, my thoughts and prayers are with you. May your pain find solace, and may hope rise from the ashes of despair.

12 September 2024 ~ Random Updates

Apologies for the lack of updates over the past week! As usual, I've been swamped with writing assignments and running errands, and things have been even more hectic since Maria, our part-time helper, is expecting and hasn't been feeling well. She hasn't come in the past week, and with my mother-in-law back from England, there's been a hive of activities in the kitchen again. She loves cooking, which means even more work for me.  She cooks, and I clean up.

Unfortunately, all this extra workload isn’t doing my right hand any favors, as the pain from my Tennis Elbow has gotten worse. I first developed it back in April, after my trip to Bangkok with Alycia. It's been five months now with no sign of improvement. Every movement with my right-hand hurts so much that even lifting a blanket to fold it is a challenge. Getting out of bed is pure torture, and I've had to rely on my stomach muscles just to sit up. My bed for the past five months has been unkempt with an unfolded blanket. Even brushing my teeth a little harder hurts my right hand.

Alycia and Sherilyn, on the other hand, are thoroughly enjoying their semester breaks. Alycia just returned from Taiwan on Tuesday, and in a month, she’ll be off to South Korea with another friend. Sherilyn has been keeping herself busy with dancing and just finished competing in the Get The Beat dance competition yesterday, where she won gold in the Hip Hop category for her age group and Double Platinum in the Contemporary category. This Saturday, she’ll be competing in the Asia Open Dance Championship. She’s a bundle of energy, always on the go and thriving in competitions. I’m amazed by how much joy she finds in staying active and pushing herself.

Sherilyn at the Get The Beat dance competition on 11 Sept 2024. 

As for Cass, her school holidays begin this Saturday, which, to be honest, is a bit of bad news for me. She’s another one who can’t stay at home with nothing to do, so I expect she’ll be spending most of her week-long holiday at the skating rink, which I’m perfectly fine with. At least I’ll get some very, very much-needed peace at home!

Here are some of the pix that Alycia sent to me that she took in Taiwan with her university mates.

Traveling on the train from Taipei to Tainan.

Some of the streets in Taiwan look similar to those in Japan.

In Tainan

Random Thoughts

I just found out that one of my very, very old posts dated back to 8 July 2013 (exactly 11 years ago) has garnered 5,700 views as of today.  The title of the article posted on my other blog is "How To Dilute Crystalized / Thickened Homemade Marmalade Jam" and I still remember vividly the sequence of events on that day when the mil made the jam. 

When our girls were younger, we used to eat bread almost every day. Homemade jams were always finished off in days. I used to prep sandwiches with jam or kaya for their school lunch boxes. The girls loved Gardenia white bread or grandma's homemade milk loaf when they were younger. Having bread for lunch or dinner was also a norm back in the day. Fast forward to a decade later and the girls don't eat bread as much now.  Alycia doesn't like to eat bread with jam now while Sherilyn and Cass prefer sourdough breads. 

As for me, I've always preferred sprouted wheat bread which is flour-free bread and lower in carbs. I like my sprouted wheat bread air-fried and spread with light Lurpak butter and homemade lemon curd.

My stock of walnuts and hazelnuts from Signature Market arrived! When buying nuts online, Signature Market on Lazada is still the best place to get them. I've tried buying from other sellers but their nuts never satisfied me as much as those from Signature Market.

I like to add my favorite nuts from Signature Market to my Lazada shopping cart and then monitor the prices daily. When the prices are reduced to the lowest, I quickly check out and pay for them via Boost. That's how a housewife with no salary gets more bang for her buck -- by grabbing the cheapest nuts to earning points (free money) from eWallets 😁

Got Tagged Again - 7 Random Things

Got tagged again, this time by Leena (sweet revenge huh?) on 7 Random Things About Myself. Good tag, at least this will give my readers an idea of what kinda person I am.

1. As my blog title says it, I am a health freak, also a fitness nut and cleanliness freak.

2. I'm a worry freak too, love to worry over every single thing.

3. Like Leena, my sense of direction sucks too.

4. I am an Atkin's follower and currently living on a low-carb diet, don't eat rice, noodles, potatoes, candies and keep white flour products to the minimal.

5. My favourite colors are pink, baby blue and violet.

6. I am super impatient and my temper flares up very easily, thanks to my dad's genes.

7. I weigh myself on the scale at least twice a day. You call this eccentricity or character flaw?

Now, I really want to get to know these wonderful bloggers too:

Shoppingmum
LZ Mommy
Jazzmint
Shannon Chong
Elaine (Montessorimum) ... another filler post for you, hah!