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Working From Malaysia: The ImJerry.La Experience

By Elie - 2:30 AM

Hello from Malaysia! Honestly it feels so surreal that I've made it back and I'm already returning to Amsterdam so soon...but more about that sometime later. Because today, I need - read, NEED to talk about the coworking spot called ImJerry.la.

Oh and for disclaimers' sake: This is not a sponsored post. I've paid to work at Jerry thrice now and I'm low-key sad that I won't be there again anytime soon.

And since that's the case, here's a selfie from when I was at Jerry!

So, what is Jerry? Simply put, it's an extremely fuss-free coworking spot that's seemingly mushrooming in most KL hotspots at this point and I'm super amazed by it. It's also the sister (or should I say brother?) company to the otherwise luxurious Colony Coworking, only way more simple, a whole lot more affordable, and downright recommended.

Simplicity appreciated

Access per person starts at RM 30 (before taxes) for a day pass, which is perfect for people who want to try the space out without full commitments. Of course, they also have deals for monthly or yearly office rentals but I was only going to be in Malaysia for 2 months and was mostly working from home anyway.

The only times I'd be at Jerry is if I knew I had a dinner to go to after dinner and didn't want to be late for it because Jerry's locations are impeccable to say the least. Here, I tried the Jerry Coworking Space at TTDI.

Just the basics

But make it safe

Unlike most coworking spots that promise you the luxuries of fancy offices and amenities, Jerry prides itself in giving you nothing but literally the bare bones of what you'll need to work. A table, a chair, and 2 plug points. You're given a private room sized depending on how many people you need it for - in my case just for 1, and high speed wi-fi access for up to 6 devices.

And when I say basic, I mean it

While I had a friend mention that the single room looked like a prison cell when I first posted this picture on Instagram, I appreciated that the place didn't come with fancy carpeting or unnecessary fluff that would have otherwise jacked the prices up. After all, these are literally the things you need to get shit done.

And speaking of...matters

Toilets at Jerry are non-gender specific, I suppose as a way to save on space and cost. It was surprisingly clean and well equipped with sufficient toilet paper and a bidet for hygiene, while the sink area was kept dry despite being shared by what could have been more than 20 rooms.

Jerry with a friend

And since my first visit to their Taman Tun branch, I've made it a point to try another Jerry spot - like this one in Damansara Uptown with a close friend of mine. We rented a 2-person room this time and found ourselves sitting back to back from each other. This obviously didn't stop us from having a good day of working and chatting, though I would have better appreciated having our tables side by side.

That may have been the one downside to Jerry - and that is that you don't get to choose your room or seat orientation. You do get to pick if you'd like a window to your room for an extra RM 15 - something which we didn't opt for but were assigned a room with a really tiny window instead. What a win!

Common spaces available

And a pantry for all your bare necessities

And finally for the shared spaces: You'll find a common area at every entrance of Jerry as well as a pantry where water is available. A microwave that can be freely used is provided, while you'll have to remember to label your name and room on your food if the fridge is to be used. The entire space is really clean and I was really impressed by the work being put into keeping it that way.

Overall, I have to say that I'm pleasantly happy to have discovered the Jerry Coworking Space concept, with the fact that you can just book day passes without extreme commitments being a huge plus. Some other coworking spaces have since offered day pass deals as well, but they often come with a steep price tag and you'd be pushed into a shared open space for work. At Jerry, you get your personal room. I mean, it's a no-brainer really.

But until my next return to Malaysia...Stay clean and affordable, Jerry Coworking Space! I can't wait to be working here again in the future!

Editor's note:

Unfortunately at the time of writing, the shop beneath Jerry Damansara Uptown is undergoing extremely noisy renovations, so focusing can prove difficult unless you bring really good noise cancelling headphones. If you'd like to speak to your friend while working, that could be a tough one too unless you start screaming over the drilling. Warning: It does get awkward when the drilling suddenly stops...only to start again in a bit. I do wish the staff at Jerry would have warned us about this, because then we would have gone to a different branch instead. Proceed at your own risk!

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Life

Thankful For Thirty

By Elie - 2:40 PM

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Life

5 Things I Learned From Moving in Amsterdam

By Elie - 11:30 AM

I'm back...and tired! Honestly, nobody warned me that moving was such a tiring affair - what with organizing moves, dealing with minor house improvements, and simply getting used to the new lifestyle.

Of course, while it does feel like such a draining journey, the experience has taught us so much about ourselves and each other along the way. And thus the idea of talking about the 5 things I learned from moving was born!

Paint to make it your own

I mean, why are there so many whites?

We found that the first step to turning a house into a home was to give our walls a fresh coat of paint. While most of the walls at the house were white, the previous tenants also had accent walls across all the rooms that were all different colours - so we had brown in one room, a bright yellow in another, and a dark pink in the last. They were interesting, but we wanted something more uniform in our home.

After looking through Reddit, we found that the 2 brands that were being recommended the most were Sikkens and Sigma. We went with the former despite its price point, simply because we didn't foresee wanting to do the painting all over again while we live here. It turned out to be a really good idea because the paint was extremely forgiving to us novice painters, going on easy and seemingly "repairing" itself at parts that we didn't do a truly good job at.

To that point though, the second thing we learned was...

To be okay with mistakes

Also RIP this t-shirt...

I remember how there was a day we were both feeling so tired and cranky that we nearly gave up turning this into a DIY project. There were glimpses of temptations to hire someone to do the painting and everything else, but trust me when I say hiring a handyman in the Netherlands costs you an arm and a leg.

And so, I'd definitely say that you should be okay with making mistakes in your house. Don't like the paint job of the first wall you did? Be okay with it. You can always come back to fix it after you've gotten enough experience from painting all the other patches. Eventually, we downed enough coffee into our systems to push through and turned every accent wall white - which in my honest opinion was the best thing we did for starters.

Learn where to get your paint, tools, and more

So this should have been the most important point, but I also felt like getting yourself in the right mindset is just as crucial as getting the right tools. Once you're sure you're ready to move on with making your house a home, these are the places you get explore to get your things.

Hardware stores for paint, ladder, and floor coverings

Two major hardware stores that you can find around Amsterdam are Praxis and GAMMA. Their prices can get rather competitive with each other, so it's always best to survey between the two. For instance, we got our paint from GAMMA but picked up a smaller can from Praxis after when we needed some touch-up done.

The paint, the ladder, the floor coverings...everything!

When painting your walls, you'd want to be sure to cover your floor with something that doesn't slip and can absorb paint in case of spills. The woven floor coverings that we got from GAMMA were slightly pricier than expected, but it helped during our klutzy moments and I'm grateful for it. You could also get drills and stuff from either GAMMA or Praxis, but a price comparison on Amazon won't hurt.

The only thing I don't recommend purchasing from GAMMA, however, would be their paintbrushes, rollers, paint holders, and such tiny accessories. Instead, you should look into visiting Action, a store that's neither a real hardware store nor a grocery spot. Action sells a whole load of random things from food to hardwares to furniture, kids' toys, shoes, and more - including paintbrushes and rollers. Heck, they also carry paint brands but they're not of the best quality.

Furniture - couches, beds, mattresses, lights, tables, and more

I am obsessed with my yellow armchair!

It's no secret that my home is now made of 90% IKEA furniture - as would most starter homes. IKEA furniture are known to be reasonably priced, sturdy, and to a point easy to put together. The one thing I really enjoyed was knowing that I could pick between paying for a delivery to get to the door or to the specific room I wanted. Despite having to pay an extra €10 for the latter, I found it to be the best €10 I'd spent because our bed frames, cupboards, and my other half's work table would have never made it up our stairs.

Friends and colleagues have also recommended designer items from a website called MADE.com but I've found their price points to be less friendly to a starter home. Granted that their items may be designer, but I can't vouch for its quality since we never took the leap to put in an order. For the most of it, I even found close-enough knockoffs from IKEA that I just continued going back to the Swedish furniture mogul.

Get help moving

Forever grateful we didn't think to do this ourselves.

So I have to admit that this is a slight culture shock for me, because the moment my other half and I started discussing moving, we had so many friends and colleagues who offered to help. People were literally telling us they can come drive us or help us pack and stuff - all of which we obviously said thank you to, but thought it was straight out of courtesy. It wasn't until my other half's manager offered to come on a set date to drive us and some of our items over to the new place that we realized how serious people were about helping.

While the gesture was amazing, we were obviously not packed or ready so that offer came and went almost as quickly. In the end, we scouted about for some movers and ended up with Student Verhuis Services. This is loosely translated to "student moving services", and as you can imagine it, the movers are students who are looking to earn a few quick bucks. The experience with the movers were amazing but I guess I'll keep that as a discussion for a different day.

The weather is everything

This was a day after the heatwave in the Netherlands

As with many things related to moving, I'd say the weather controls most of what you can and cannot do for the day. For instance, painting during warm summer days may feel like hell for you, but it sure does a good job at drying the paint on the wall. The same can be said about having the movers do their job, because we absolutely couldn't imagine having our belonging moved in the rain.

That said, I later understood why my friend said we got really lucky with booking a mover's slot in the summer because it was prime moving weather. We had the sun shining bright and dandy for us, and the longer days meant we also had more time clearing things up. Summer is apparently Amsterdam's moving season where everyone tries to start anew so apparently we did something good there without even knowing it.

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Of course, these things are arguably based on common sense when it comes to moving but sometimes you just get lost in the state of moving and hopefully this post will help you around especially if you're in Amsterdam. There's still lots of work to be done in our home as I'm writing this, but at least we know it's our place to be for the next many, many, MANY years from hereon out.

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Others

7 of the Most Breathtaking Lakes Across Australia

By Elie - 7:00 PM

With borders reopening from country to country, our passports are undoubtedly seeing the light again as we make plans for that long-awaited escapade. But whether you’ve already planned out your destination or you’re just looking for somewhere to go, there’s one marvel that you absolutely cannot miss in this world and that is the lakes across Australia.

So get ready to pack your bags, cause I’m gonna take you through 7 of the Most Breathtaking Lakes Across Australia!

Lake Eyre, South Australia

At the top of my list sits Lake Eyre - or more officially the Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre located within the Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre National Park. It’s the largest salt lake of the country, with its lake basin crossing four state and territory borders.

Photo by Megan Clark on Unsplash

Unlike most locations, Lake Eyre mostly runs dry - save for some heavy rain that falls every few years. Despite this, the salt landscape that is leftover by the drying water continues to make it breathtaking. If you’re into stargazing, Lake Eyre also makes for that perfect spot with zero light pollution so you can almost literally shoot for the stars.

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Blue Lake, Mount Gambier

True to its name, Blue Lake is one of the four gorgeous crater lakes located at Mount Gambier. This natural phenomenon can be mostly seen between December to March, though its colour will change to a grey-ish hue as the seasons change too. While this makes picking out the time to visit Blue Lake crucial, the sights that await as you make your way through the 3.6-kilometre Blue Lake Circuit to see the lake will be worth it.

Photo by Charles G on Unsplash

With the volcano’s last eruption dating some 5,000 years ago, the town mostly counts on water from the Blue Lake as its water source. This, however, means that as tempting as it is to freshen up in the Blue Lake after that hike, it is off-limits to swimmers. That’s right, Blue Lake is all see and no touch but it’s still as breathtaking as every other lake across the land Down Under.

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Lake Eacham, Queensland

Listed as a part of UNESCO’s World Heritage list of Wet Tropics, Lake Eacham is one of the main lakes in Australia. Its origins date back over 9,000 years ago, though the breathtaking views of this volcanic lake still wows guests of today.

Photo by WeSeekTravel

Beyond that, Lake Eacham is also known as the lake to be if you’re looking for various activities to fill your day. Whether you’re looking to cool off with a swim or go kayaking while bird watching, you’ll always find something in your to-do list while you’re there. As a plus, Lake Eacham also boasts some wheelchair-friendly amenities so it’s accessible with assistance.

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Lake Hillier, Western Australia

If you’re really into a unique lake on your trip to Australia, you wouldn’t want to pass up on the chance to visit Lake Hillier. Although it only measures 600 meters in length, what makes Lake Hillier breathtaking is its pink hue that not even the scientists can explain.

Photo by Atlas Obscura

Surrounded by lush eucalyptus and paperback trees, this lake looks exceptionally beautiful from the skies as it’s set next to the Pacific Ocean, giving you a contrasting look of blues, greens, and pink that’ll make the perfect addition to your social media feeds. Swimming in the lake is technically safe and allowed, but you’d first need approval from the Western Australia Department of Environment Conservation so maybe it’s best to just enjoy the sights instead.

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Lake Amadeus, Northern Territory

But why stop at pink lakes when you can also visit Lake Amadeus that’s surrounded by red dirt - turning the lookout into a colourful sight of reds, whites, and blues to behold? Known as the largest salt lake of the Northern Territory, Lake Amadeus of the Amadeus basin features numerous dry lakes across its 180-kilometer long and 10-kilometer wide radius.

Photo by Viator.com

As the areas of Lake Amadeus are usually dry, you may occasionally spot herds of wild camels strolling down the salty plains. Lake Amadeus is always best seen from the skies as you can then marvel at the patterns of the lake that nature has to offer.

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Lake St Clair, Tasmania

Lake St Clair is the deepest freshwater lake in Australia, measuring at 160 metres. Taking over two million years to form, the lake is breathtakingly cradled by nature as the slow-moving glaciers slowly carved Lake St Clair into becoming the tourist attraction it is today.

Photo by Tasmania Parks & Wildlife Service

Located at the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, Lake St Clair is often the end destination for bushwalkers trailing the iconic Overland Track. Once you’ve made it, a refreshing dip in the lake may await or if you’re lucky then you may spot an echidna or two. Be warned though that walking to Lake St Clair can take up to 6 days on average, but it’s a great place to be if you’re looking to unwind from bustling cities and the stresses of life.

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Blue Lake, New South Wales

Photo by About Regional

Not to be confused with the Blue Lake of Mount Gambier, this cirque lake can be found while walking to the summit of Mount Kosciuszko. It was formed around 10,000 years ago when a glacial erosion of the Ice Age happened and can go as far as 28 metres deep.

Bonus: A frozen Blue Lake in the winter

Photo by Stefan Karpiniec, courtesy of Wikipedia

In the winter, the area around the Blue Lake often gets covered in snow and quite occasionally, you’ll see the Blue Lake freeze over. This causes the water in the Blue Lake to feel cool even in summer, which makes for a rewarding swim if you’ve climbed your way to this area. If you’re content with just a view of the lake, then you’ll want to make your way to the Blue Lake lookout of the Kosciuszko National Park where you can appreciate the stunning views of the lake and its surroundings at a go.

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At this point, you’re probably thinking, “choices, choices, choices” because how will you ever be able to pick just one of these lakes to visit? Thankfully you can always contact Sedunia Travel to see what’s in store for your holiday plans by hitting this link.

Whether you’re ready to take up any of their pre-planned packages or you’re keen to have a vacation that’s tailor-made to your liking, the folks at Sedunia Travel are always happy to help you find that escape.

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Working From Malaysia: The ImJerry.La Experience

Thankful For Thirty

5 Things I Learned From Moving in Amsterdam

7 of the Most Breathtaking Lakes Across Australia

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