I haven't been posting anything to any of my blogs lately because I just don't have the energy. The heat and oppresive humidity is draining all of my energy. It's not just me, as everyone I know says the same thing. When it does rain, the air cools down a bit, but within an hour the air is steamy. Hopefully soon the weather will cool down a bit.
Please visit my other blogs: Retired in Malaysia , Steveso Thinks , Senior Neurons and my newest interactive blog, Kicks and Kudos

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Posted By: Watertown Wanderer - Category: Retirement, Abroad, Expats, Penang, Malaysia

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Confused

July 3rd 2011 03:08

: Living in Malaysia

I am very confused. I have not posted here for about 3 weeks, yet my ranking within Orble has changed very little and my individual and link readers are quite high for not being active. They are higher than those of my new site, even though I am trying to redirect readers there. If you are a follower please follow me at my new site: www.ifoundmalaysia.com

Also please read my new opinion blog at: www.seniorneurons.com

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Posted By: Watertown Wanderer - Category: Retirement, Abroad, Expats, Penang, Malaysia, Travel

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New blogs

June 17th 2011 08:26

: New blogs

Please visit my new blogs:

www.ifoundmalaysia.com
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Posted By: Watertown Wanderer - Category: Retirement, Abroad, Expats, Penang, Malaysia

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My New Blog

June 10th 2011 08:38

: My New Malaysia Blog

Only a short time ago I started a blog here on Orble. I had never written a blog before and was completely clueless. I give many thanks to Orble for allowing a tech illiterate person like me a chance to start and write a blog. I spent a lot of time each day searching for ways to increase traffic and make a little money. I found many ways to do this on sites outside of Orble. I couldn't use most of them because the Orble platform didn't allow it. I searched the Orble forums for help and found some assistance. I noticed that the majority of information posts were 3 or even 4 years old. I posted replies on various posts asking for help, but never received an answer. I contacted customer support and also got no answer. There are so many things I want to do with my blog, but it is frustrating that I always meet a dead end when I try to do them here.

Saddly and after much thought, I have decided to leave Orble and start a new blog on a different platform. I actually have started 2 new blogs. I would like to thank Orble for giving me a start and for sparking my interest in blogging. I also would like to thank all those people who have read and followed my posts. I really appeciated your support. Please continue to follow my writings on my new blogs. Thank you

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Posted By: Watertown Wanderer - Category: Retirement, Abroad, Expats, Penang, Malaysia

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Respect Your Host

June 8th 2011 15:25

: Tourists Behavior in Malaysia

I have been meaning to write about the subject of the behavior of Western tourists in Malaysia for quite some time, but after a trip into the Georgetown section of Penang I made up my mind to do it today. I have always been taught that if I were a guest in someone else's home that I should dress and behave respectfully. I also would expect anyone who is a guest in my house to feel at home, but still respect my hospitality and dress and act appropriately. Whether or not someone visits another's house or country I feel the same rules of respectability should apply.

Tonight I saw no less than 10 caucasians who appeared to have just crawled out from beneath a rock. They had long, scraggly hair, unkempt beards and clothes that appeared to have been slept in and rarely laundered. They were absolutely disgusting looking and an embarassment to all civilized caucasians. Some of these people appeared to have been drunk and incoherent. Others appeared to be searching out the underlife of the areas frequented by prostitutes. Sadly to say a few of these people appeared to have psychiatric problems. To me all of them resembled homeless people

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Posted By: Watertown Wanderer - Category: Retirement, Abroad, Expats, Penang, Malaysia, Culture, Travel

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A Smile Can Make Your Day

June 6th 2011 14:44

: Malaysia's Friendly People

Today I was talking to a couple of women in one of my classes at the gym. This is the first time that we have actaully had any kind of conversation. One person was from Swaziland and the other from Hungary. After we told each other where we were from, the discussion turned to why we came to Malaysia and what we like about Malaysia. I told of how I got here and the reasons why I like Malaysia, which can be found elsewhere in this blog. My story naturally was different from theirs. Both of these women were here because of their husbands' jobs and were quite happy to have made the move.

The big differences came when these two women described what they liked about Malaysia. The Hungarian woman said that the one thing she loved about Malaysia was the fact that everyone smiled at her and pleasantly greeted her. She went on to explain that in Hungary and in Europe in general she never received a smile or friendly greeting from strangers. She loved the fact that everywhere she went, children and adults alike smiled and greeted her and often offered assistance. To her this was the complete opposite of what she had experienced back home. I agreed that the local people here are quite friendly and helpful, as I also thought they were back in Boston. We both agreed that the locals are more friendly than other expats, mainly Europeans

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Posted By: Watertown Wanderer - Category: Retirement, Abroad, Expats, Penang, Malaysia

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Maid's Night Out

June 5th 2011 13:41

: Family Maids

One aspect of Malaysian culture which is still difficult for me to comprehend is the employment and use of maids. At home families may employ a nanny to look after their children,especially if they have more than one. I have only known one person who had a nanny though, so to me it was not that common. In the US a maid would, in my mind, be a person who may clean the house or help with household chores. Here in Malysia a maid is a nanny, house cleaner, cook and overall servant.In other words a maid is a slave.

Most maids employed here in Malaysia are from Indonesia. Until very recently maids worked 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, with no time off. The employer usually holds the passport and controls the maids bank account. The average salary for an Indonesian maid is RM 500 to RM550, about $170 a month. There have been numerous incidents of abuse and assault committed by employers upon their maids. An agreement was just reached between the Malaysian and Indonesian authorities where maids now get one day a week off, keep their own pasport and have their wages paid directly into their bank account. Indonesia is asking for a minimum wage of RM800 ($370) to be paid. As of now there has been no agreement on this issue

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Posted By: Watertown Wanderer - Category: Retirement, Abroad, Expats, Penang, Malaysia

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More of Me

June 3rd 2011 14:36

: Eating, Exercise and Weight Gain

I have lived in Penang for almost 3 years now and have become a slightly different person. I quit smoking about 4 years ago and that combined with living in Penang, with diffrerent food, have led to a sizeable weight gain, Back home I would usually eat oatmeal for breakfast, a salad or mainly vegetables for lunch and a dinner comprised of veggies and fish or lean meat. Here in Penang it is different. Most Asians don't like raw vegetables like salad, so salad bars are rare here. When you do order vegetables here they are usually stir fried in oil or covered with a greasy sauce.There is no such thing as broiled meat or fish here. The closest you can get is grilled. Grilled is healthy, but most eateries use a ton of oil when grilling. Most of the grilled meats are covered with greasy gravies. Even steak, which can be expensive here is covered with a sauce. Malaysians don't know how to enjoy a nice tender steak. All of this delicious food combined with rice at every meal leads to weight gain.

Breakfasts here in Malaysia are totally different than in the west. No eggs, bacon, toast or cereal. Breakfast here is the same as lunch or dinner. Just a different name. A variety of fried noodles, rice dishes and deep fried fish or other greasy dishes. It took me quite some time to get used to having spicey and greasy food for breakfast, I suppose it is just as bad as having bacon, sausages and donuts or pancakes for breakfast, I usually eat oatmeal for breakfast at home or I have rice porridge when eating outside. I try to eat light lunches such as porridge or a sandwich at home. Dinner time is difficult because Kevin and I eat out with neighbors and friends. I just don't have the will power most of the time

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Posted By: Watertown Wanderer - Category: Retirement, Abroad, Expats, Penang, Malaysia

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Tan Jetty Penang

June 2nd 2011 15:20

: Penang's Chinese Waterfron Heritage

Yesterday while runnning a few errands with a couple of friends, in the Georgetown area of Penang, I visited a part of the city I have never been to. We decided to eat lunch in the area and one of my friends sugggested the waterfront area of Georgetown. Since I had never been there I was eager to agree. We drove along the waterfront passing numerous jettys named after various Chinese clans of Penang. I noticed one Jetty that was named "Mixed Surname Jetty". That must have been the "Heinz 57" Jetty. We were trying to find a Thai restaurant at the Tan Jetty. After passing several jettys we found the Tan Jetty and turned down the dirt road looking for the restaurant.

It seemed as though we were going to end up in the ocean, as we drove quite a distance. It was interesting to see the types of houses populating the jetty. It was reminiscent of the houses along the rivers in Vietnam and Thailand. I was brought down to earth by the stark reality of the waterfront lifestyle, which seemed a world away from the luxurious supercondos and mansions I usually see

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Posted By: Watertown Wanderer - Category: Retirement, Abroad, Expats, Penang, Malaysia

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More Condo Concerns

June 1st 2011 15:05

: Condominium Construction

Today started out as another hot and humid day in my condo in Penang. By midday the temperature and humidity rose and concerns about living in a condo also rose. In a number of previous posts I detailed a problem I had with a neighbors plumbing leak seeping into my bedroom. I mentioned that each of the 8 units on my floor had major leaks. Today another neighbor discovered not one leak, but two leaks. One in the bathroom seeping down to two floors beneath and the other in the kitchen wall leaking to the outside. There was a constant trickle of water on the outside wall of the corridor. The same plumbing contractor who had been consulted on my problem was called, as he is extremely knowledgeable about the plumbing installed by the developer. He attributes the problems to the use of substandard plumbing material. According to him, even though there are government standards regarding plumbing, many developers pay someone off to look the other way. My condominium complex is only four years old, but the pipes (encased in concrete walls) are leaking or bursting at a surprisingly rapid rate. Here in Malaysia, I learned, there is only a one year warranty on home or condo construction. My heart goes out to my neighbors having to fix the leak.

Later in the afternoon I learned that the developer who built my complex is planning on constructing four high rise luxury condos,on the small vacant lot next door. There goes the seaview! Fortunately my seaview will not be effected Many of the residents, however, who were promised an unobstructedview will be effected. Because of the planned construction of these condos the property values of many units will plummet. If the owners wanted to sell their units they will have a very difficult time and will have to sell at a loss. This is not an uncommon situation here. Many people I know have been promised unobstructed views for long periods of time, but later learned the the promises were meaningless. The only advice I can offer to people looking to buy a condo with a view is "buyer beware

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Posted By: Watertown Wanderer - Category: Retirement, Abroad, Expats, Penang, Malaysia

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Dogs and Condos

May 30th 2011 15:37

: Pets and Condominium

People in every country of the world keep pets of some kind or another. These may include cats, dogs, birds, monkeys, rodents or reptiles. Probably the most popular or most kept pets are dogs. Many people keep dogs for protection or for guide dog purposes, but the vast majority are just for companionship. When I lived in the US I had a dog, which was part Black Labrador Retriever and part Rottweiler. Needless to say he was a rather large dog. I lived in a single family house with a large fenced in yard where the dog could roam freely. Even though I had a yard I still had to walk him daily and clean up after him. He was a quiet dog who only barked when a stranger approached the house. He loved to play with the neighborhood children and was of no bother to any of the neighbors.

Here in Malaysia I would love a dog, but I live in a condo and it would be very difficult to responsibly keep one. I believe that in every condominium complex in Penang, or for that matter everywhere in the world, there are rules that forbid pets. Here these rules are very rarely enforced. Personally I have a cat and a prairie dog, but they are confined to my unit and make no noise that can be heard outside the unit. I do know that people in my complex, as well as in other complexes I am familiar with, own dogs

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Posted By: Watertown Wanderer - Category: Retirement, Abroad, Expats, Penang, Malaysia

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HOW MUCH SHOULD I TAKE and HOW SHOULD I SHIP IT

May 26th 2011 15:04

: International Shipping of Belongings

When I decided to move to Malaysia the first thing I had to do was to put my house on the market and start cleaning up the clutter. I lived in a two story single family house with a basement and attic and a sizeable back yard. Because of the housing bubble burst in the US it took me about 8 months to sell my house. Once I signed the purchase and sales agreement I had to think fast about what I was going to do with my furniture and personal belongings.

I surfed the web looking for international movers and received a few quotes. The prices were quite reasonable, but I soon realized that I really didn't have that much furniture I wanted to bring with me. I had my favorite comfortable leather sofa and love seat as well as my bedroom furniture. I was not sure, however, that the furniture would fit into my new house. I put the decision off for a short time while I pondered the possibilities

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Posted By: Watertown Wanderer - Category: Retirement, Abroad, Expats, Penang, Malaysia

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Don't Forget to File Your FBAR

May 25th 2011 14:09

: FBAR filing for Americans Overseas

When I first began to ponder how to file my US Income tax returns from abroad I searched the IRS websites and other websites related to Americans living abroad. As I had stated in a previous post I could not find any information regarding tax filing for a person in my situation. Finally I managed to file my simple tax return and breathed a sigh of relief that the unagreeable task was over for this year. I was wrong.

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When in Rome?

May 24th 2011 15:13

: Expat Communities in Penag, Malaysia

When I was at home in Boston contemplating my move to Penang I often fantasized about what everyday life was going to be like. I imagined eating at food courts and coffee shops, similar to those Kevin and I had visited on my previous trips to Penang. I looked forward to meeting Kevin's friends and family and making new friends with neighbors and other local people. I never once thought about joining a group or club comprised of Americans or joining a local club of foreign expats living in Penang.

I was surprised to see that there were many expats here, who did just that. Malysia is a former British colony so there are a large number of British expats here. What really irks me is that there are is a small number of these people who think Malaysia is still a colony and treat the locals accordingly. These same people don't eat the local food at the food courts, coffee shops and local restaurants. These establishments are too far beneath them. These people tend to eat at 4 or 5 Star hotels and high end restaurants where they can demand the utmost in service and throw a few ringgits at the waiters and staff to watch them grovel. In my opinion they are nothing but low class pretentious wannabes. I have a couple of British friends who are totally embarassed by the behavior of these few. They have even lost friends over disagreeing with their pretentious behavior

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Posted By: Watertown Wanderer - Category: Retirement, Abroad, Expats, Penang, Malaysia

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