The Quiet in "Quiet Kiazen"

Something that we have discovered both here and from our time in Thailand is that the weekends can be crazy busy in the malls when it feels like all families descend upon the malls. As a couple of introverts, you can imagine that this doesn’t quite gel with us, as it’s too chaotic and we don’t enjoy it at all. We even find the malls in the evenings too busy for us.

For many, many years, I did not realise that there was a name for the type of person that I am. Then I learned about the term ‘introvert’ and bingo – everything made perfect sense to me! For anyone who doesn’t know what an introvert is, here’s an AI summary:

“Introverts are individuals who gain energy from solitary, low-stimulation environments and feel drained by extensive social interaction. They focus on internal thoughts, prefer deep, one-on-one connections over large groups, and require time alone to recharge. Key traits include being thoughtful, reserved, and analytical.”

Now you mustn’t confuse introverts with being ‘shy’, as anyone who knows me well will laugh uncontrollably at the suggestion of me being described as ‘shy’. No, I would argue that I am ‘quiet’ until I know you well or until I am comfortable around you, but once that happens, there is no stopping me. Hence, this is where the term ‘quiet’ comes in for the name of this blogsite (and elsewhere…). However, I also need my downtime after being with people, as my social battery only lasts so long before it needs recharging. Even when I’m ‘quiet’, I’m usually always ‘busy’, and I’m either doing something, involved in something, thinking of something or planning something. A classic example of me is that my mobile is normally always on silent mode unless I am expecting a call, and I’m much more likely to message you than call you on the phone.

R is also an introvert, and that probably explains why we get on so well – we are similar in many ways, so we are usually on the same page, as we understand each other. Still, we also have enough differences that keep things interesting, so that we are never bored either. That’s not to say we don’t drive each other nuts at times, as that happens too on occasions!

Even before we retired, we never liked going to the shops on the weekend. However, when we were working and raising the kids, that wasn’t really an option, as you had to fit in the general stuff when you could. Then COVID-19 happened, and everything changed.

Where am I going with all of this, you must be asking? Well, it’s a long-winded way of trying to explain why we generally avoid going to the lovely air-conditioned malls at the weekend. We can’t easily go for a long walk here as it’s just too hot and uncomfortable to be outside for too long, and we both get a bit cranky from the heat and the meandering general public. As a result, we have adapted to a pattern of being out and about during the week and then taking it pretty easy at the weekends by catching up with family, reading, blogging, doing ‘research’, going for a swim, watching telly and basically not going too far but still trying to get in some form of exercise, etc. This means that we have revisited several places that we have been to before, i.e. the GMBB mall, Lalaport & TRX malls, but we do it before it gets busy, and it’s mainly to either get something to eat, buy some groceries or get some steps in.

And that, dear readers, is pretty much what we have done for the last several days. I have no key activities or interesting places to share with you, instead I will provide you with a snapshot of these past few days (mostly out eating!), and hopefully, I will have some new places to tell you in upcoming posts.

Ps. We did have a really scary thunder and lightning storm, which we thoroughly enjoyed watching from the apartment.  You couldn't even see the Petronas Towers at one point, but it was really 'cool'.

Days 74-77: 6-9 February 2026

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia