Charles
@cvco
American expat in Malaysia
Forum posts
1235
Contacts
14
About me
American
Speaks English
Registration: 10 June 2014
Activity
High-end living with low-end amenities by sfk
High-end living with low-end amenities.A police inspector who helped patrol the East-West Highway to keep it safe from insurgents during its construction. A high-ranking official in the local MACC office. Air force and armed forces personnel. A tire ...
Ok. All govt services, including POS Malaysia which is private now, do not work on anyones requests, needs or schedules except their own. IF and WHEN they feel the need for something based on their own surveys, they do whats needed. It might be ... Read More
Possible to get multiple live-in housemaids? by SingularitySoon
I have several small children and need 3-5 housemaids to stay-in. I found out that in Malaysia this is highly restricted; in my country, you just hire whoever you want. Of course if you are sponsoring a visa, all kinds of stuff is required but do if ...
Personally I have never heard of multi-maids except in the Prime Ministers house. Im trying to help here and its not my business why you feel this need. Moral questions come in when a single person is trying to get even one maid and to my knowledge ... Read More
Managing mailboxes or PO boxes in Malaysia by Cheryl
Hello everyone, Something as simple as receiving mail can become a whole new experience when you settle in Malaysia as an expat. Mailing management can indeed be different from what you are used to. In order to help other expats and soon-to-be ...
I had the same experience as Wyngrove. I never had a PO Box nor saw the need for one. Wherever you are living, thats the address. And, I never had anything sent to me UNTIL I was living somewhere. Packages from home, etc, were held back until I ... Read More
Managing retirement savings in Malaysia by Cheryl
Hello everyone, Saving for retirement as an expat in Malaysia can be challenging. With different options, rules or even taxation, expats have to understand how it works to make informed decisions. We invite you to share your insights in order to ...
What retirement savings? Read More
Road safety in Malaysia by Cheryl
Hello everyone, Navigating roads and experiencing traffic in Malaysia as an expat can be a learning experience. We invite you to share your insights in order to help other expats and soon-to-be expats stay safe on the road in Malaysia, whether ...
Ok, I drove for years in KL and except for frequent surprise police checkpoints, had very few problems. The biggest was learning the roads. You can see out on the horizon the building you want to go to but how to get there? Years back there was an ... Read More
Malaysia, a welcoming destination to expats? by Cheryl
Hello everyone, Settling in Malaysia, like every new environment, can feel like stepping into the unknown and brings many questions: how will it go, how to integrate successfully, etc. To help smooth this transition, we invite you to share your ...
A lot of what is welcoming about any country is what the expat is able to create. Id say the people who had the best luck with that word were those who didnt wait for a place to hold its hand out but that the expat did. Read More
International Driving License by eathenHunt
Hello "I have a valid international driving license from India. I am not a tourist—I live and work here. Am I allowed to drive here using my international license, which is valid for one year?"
I used my IDP for 24 years exclusively. I was stopped more than 50 times in road blocks and a few times they suggested the local license but I never did it because the IDP is perfectly valid. But, as I know, it must be a license issued under the ... Read More
Malaysia, a welcoming destination to expats? by Cheryl
Hello everyone, Settling in Malaysia, like every new environment, can feel like stepping into the unknown and brings many questions: how will it go, how to integrate successfully, etc. To help smooth this transition, we invite you to share your ...
The questions were asked and answered before but i'll say something about the word "welcoming."There was a time was Malaysia was possibly the most welcoming place in the world. I think it has to do with the simple nature of the place which changed ... Read More
How to adapt to the expat challenges of everyday life in Malaysia by Cheryl
Hello everyone, Adapting to everyday life as an expat in Malaysia can be both exciting and overwhelming: different habits, systems, and sometimes even unexpected surprises! Simple things like paying bills, using public transport, or even greeting ...
Wyngrove,Maybe I would be more afraid or cautious if I had kids. That does make a difference and the world is becoming crazier all the time.There is a law in physics about attraction in which two dissimilar objects can attract each other when one if ... Read More
How to adapt to the expat challenges of everyday life in Malaysia by Cheryl
Hello everyone, Adapting to everyday life as an expat in Malaysia can be both exciting and overwhelming: different habits, systems, and sometimes even unexpected surprises! Simple things like paying bills, using public transport, or even greeting ...
Ok, on all the questions there is a common denominator. In my experience anyway, any difficulties basically come from the expat not wanting to invest time and energy to understand the mind of the malaysian. He or she expects the local to put that ... Read More
How to adapt to the expat challenges of everyday life in Malaysia by Cheryl
Hello everyone, Adapting to everyday life as an expat in Malaysia can be both exciting and overwhelming: different habits, systems, and sometimes even unexpected surprises! Simple things like paying bills, using public transport, or even greeting ...
Wyngrove,Im thinking about your safety comment. In my 24 years I never once felt unsafe. Wait, thats not true. ONCE, I was riding my motorcycle through kampungs in the northeast region, people would stop what they were doing to stare at me sourly ... Read More
KL 5K salary: enough for a single guy ? by ThomasL12
Hi everyone, I got an offer for 5000MYR (gross) in Kuala Lumpur, curious to know if that would be enough to live on..I have less than 5 years working experience, currently in my home country I earn about 10 250MYR net.I would really like to move ...
Up to at least recently I could make it on 5000 even though most people couldnt. But prices have risen so much since the pandemic that 5000 (before tax, no less) is going to be something of a miserable existence.Something that never gets asks in ... Read More
Preventive care in Malaysia by Cheryl
Hello everyone, As an expat in Malaysia, taking care of your health would be one of your main priorities. Preventive healthcare plays a crucial role in keeping fit and healthy. We therefore would like to invite you to share your insights on ...
Ok Cheryl, you have to differentiate between preventive health and insurance-funded preventive health. As I know, most insurance doesnt cover routine exams but sometimes hospitals or Drs have "preventive health" drives which in reality serve to get ... Read More
Overstay issue by Ritchie Samuel
So i have overstayed in Malaysia for 5 years now, i want to leave i dont mind the blacklist i earned it(lol) i just want to go back home. I recently heard about the Repatriation program i wanted to know anyone who has used it. They say set an ...
I have a feeling blacklisting is the least of your problems. IF Malaysia has a program to simply let people go, doesnt it follow that everyone in the world would do it? What would be the purpose of immigration laws then? Am I wrong? While I havent ... Read More
Opening a Restaurant by Sarveessh
HI Im planning to open a fine dining restaurant in either Selangor or kl with some of my friendsWe're planning to include cuisines from different parts of the world so foreigners who stayed long would like to eat the food from their regionAnd we're ...
Some questions,Are you a chef by trade? Do you have certificates? Where have you cooked fine food? What are your specialties? In KL, what fine dining places have you visited to compare whats available to what you would like to do or do better?In my ... Read More