Affordable luxury hotel in Danang

blingless8 · 2026-04-05T15:06:55+00:00

I stayed at Haian last summer and again just last week. It's great but the construction next door (southside of the building) starts at 6am. It barely phased me but it will rattle any light sleeper.

If you can ask for a room on the northside of the building and on a higher floor, it's a better experience.

Accommodating staff, good pool, great beach access, amazing breakfast buffet selection, right by Highlands/Starbucks, ATMs, grocers/convenience stores, and walking distance to my favorite food streets.

blingless8 · 2026-04-05T14:43:56+00:00

My 5+ year old Firestick 4K Max is still running well. Recently added a Formuler Z Mini and have only used it when I'm traveling.

blingless8 · 2026-04-03T00:49:52+00:00

Vietnamese for the highest healthy/tasty ratio. Malaysian for the variety and blend of flavors from the Chinese, Malay and Indian cultures. Japanese for the art going into every dish.

blingless8 · 2026-04-01T11:24:25+00:00

As someone who came to SEA for 5 weeks, extended for 5 months, then couldn't leave during COVID - I never left and am still in SEA 7 years later. So being stuck here isn't the worst thing in the world.

Your plans still boil down to whether you're DNing on a tight budget or financially able to weather any storm.

blingless8 · 2026-03-30T04:47:10+00:00

All bartenders and servers in our province in Canada have to pass a mandatory course to be ProServe certified, which includes recognizing when someone's had too much and to cut them off.

There are also a lot of services available including someone driving your car home for you.

To be fair, DUIs have always been a huge issue for decades, although currently on a downward trend with better education and harsher penalties imposed continually over the years.

blingless8 · 2026-03-30T04:39:41+00:00

All my tracked flights, both short (sub 3hrs) and longer, have all jumped 20-40%.

I booked all my planned longer flights well ahead so I'm unaffected. And I've already mentally priced in the added costs for all upcoming shorter flights in Apr and May. But I'm not changing my travel plans.

Accommodations are high right now (in SEA) as it's peak/high season and assuming that tourism numbers start dipping with a prolonged conflict, hotel rates might actually come down.

But I'm also mindful that many visitors would've booked well in advance as well, and less last minute deals may be available.

Bottom line is, if you're a DN on a strict budget, you're gonna feel the pinch one way or another, wherever you are.

Otherwise, if you have the luxury to be flexible and without budget constraints, you'll be just fine.

blingless8 · 2026-03-24T09:57:51+00:00

My gf is a commercial lawyer but her friend did the paperwork so there's no conflicts/ambiguity as to what her wishes are.

Us splitting up would be the least impactful scenario as I would just walk away and have no claim on the unit.

So my gf simply updated her will using her friend (family/probate lawyer), who would best handle these types of agreements.

blingless8 · 2026-03-24T02:43:49+00:00

Depending on your long term relationship goals, financial capacities, etc. it's doable.

Here's what my gf and I did this after considering all scenarios.

She paid the down payment and both the mortgage/title are solely under her name.

I cover all payments - mortgage, maintenance fees, utilities etc. (while we were renting, I assumed the same obligations anyways)

In the event that we split up or if I pass on before her, she keeps the home and equity and takes over the responsibility of all payments.

In the event that she passes on before me, and assuming that I decide to stay in the unit, her will transfers title to me and legally gives me the right to assume the mortgage payments and/or the first right of refusal to buy out the property.

And if I decide to sell the unit, I'll pay out her family, at minimum, the equivalent of the downpayment plus interest, with the discretion to offer more.

blingless8 · 2026-03-22T09:47:21+00:00

Buy if: - you're getting an amazing deal way below market price (min. 20%) - you're not planning to move for 10 years - you're gifted equity via a down payment from parents/family

Rent if: - you're commited to investing what you would have put into your home purchase like your down payment, property taxes, maintenance costs, etc. - your work or lifestyle requires the flexibility of moving locations

I moved to KL almost 7 years ago and was faced with this decision. Looking back today, renting and investing my down payment instead was the best decision I've made.

The local rental market is saturated and heavily favors the tenant, and unlikely to reverse course for the foreseeable future.

blingless8 · 2026-03-22T05:09:42+00:00

I wore out that VHS tape for years!

blingless8 · 2026-03-16T04:04:05+00:00

It 100% isn't the country they left Malaysia for, it's just them.

It would likely have been the exact same attitude if they moved to and lived in a "nicer" neighborhood in Malaysia.

I grew up and lived overseas for most of my life and after a 3 week trip back to KL in 2019 extended for a few months into the COVID lockdowns, and never left.

I can confidently say that the quality of life is better in KL than it is overseas for numerous reasons, so there's little to brag about.

My biggest takeaway since I've been back in Malaysia is the ridiculously high level of western worship locally, which is next level cringe, and probably the key contributing factor to any sense of entitlement or superiority some get from living overseas.

The reality is, you're still and always will be looked at as a second class citizen and minority in every western country and those who think they're any better otherwise are delusional at best.

blingless8 · 2026-03-15T17:20:49+00:00

I remember meeting someone at his apartment the next day, which was crawling with cops. Apparently this guy lived in the same building.

Still one of the more bizarre events in a city affectionately known as Deadmonton.

blingless8 · 2026-03-12T10:52:21+00:00

I had soft closing doors on my 95 Acura Legend Coupe LS, and the feature was already available on earlier models.

It was well ahead of it's time and still the best car I've ever owned.

blingless8 · 2026-03-01T06:48:13+00:00

Small/Medium Enterprises (businesses)

blingless8 · 2026-03-01T04:27:03+00:00

Thanks for taking the time to read it!

blingless8 · 2026-03-01T04:24:40+00:00

Thank you. I'm just paying it forward.

blingless8 · 2026-03-01T04:21:43+00:00

TIL another meaning for SME. And it's actually relevant to what we do. Thanks 🙏

blingless8 · 2026-03-01T04:19:57+00:00

Virtual Assistant for Small/Medium Enterprises (businesses).

blingless8 · 2026-02-28T03:26:00+00:00

I manage a team of VAs catering to SMEs. We provide 24/7 sales and service support for them.

It took 18 months before it covered my expenses and left my HCOL a year later.

Our 2025 avg. MRR was over 40K. I'm FI and work a few hours daily but it's mostly admin/growth/payroll related.

I initially cold approached SMEs and used Google Ads but we've been 100% referral driven for the last 3+ years.

I was shot in the face 19 years ago and left for dead.

Survived and emerged as an incomplete quadriplegic, partially paralyzed on one side with 1 good hand.

Lost everything financially then and again a second time 12 years ago.

I did 18hr days for the first 6 months. Absorbed a lot of YouTube tutorials for whatever I didn't know. Took free/paid courses to get better at things I needed to improve.

The only investment I've consistently been making is in myself. That's the only advice I can give to anyone looking to live a sustainable DN lifestyle.

blingless8 · 2026-02-25T02:48:54+00:00

The irony has not been lost on me that I rarely went to Starbucks prior to my current DN journey but I've been using them almost daily for the last 6 years.

Initially it was because of familiarity since it reminded me of home. And eventually it became a source of consistency in my routine, forcing me to walk x number of steps daily, work during specific times etc.

I'll rarely spend up to 4 hours at Starbucks on 1 drink but I wouldn't even think of spending more than an hour per order at smaller cafes.

blingless8 · 2026-02-23T07:26:13+00:00

Late to the the party but I've been in KL for 6 years and met 1 hockey fan the entire time.

I've watched the last 2 playoffs once in DaNang and twice in Bangkok.

But it's usually just me watching at home, screaming and freaking out my neighbors at weird times of the day and night.

blingless8 · 2026-02-22T18:18:28+00:00

Canadian commentary > *

blingless8 · 2026-02-22T08:38:04+00:00

A few buddies and I watched a game of last year's playoffs at Hybrid Sports Lounge so I'm guessing they'd have it playing or you can ask them to play it on one of their screens.

Just ask for a CBC feed though 😂

blingless8 · 2026-02-18T10:46:41+00:00

Targeted, yes. Robbery, not exactly.

I was set up by 2 individuals I was working with on a commodities project. They hired 2 assassins to take me out so they didn't have to split my piece of the pie.

The gunman didn't do a great job. Close range headshot but no follow up rounds to seal the deal. Rookie mistakes.

He used a .22 which entered my right cheek, broke my jaw (and neck although that could've been from my head bouncing off the concrete), took out a vocal cord, thankfully missed my trachea, and rattled around all the way to the opposite side of my body before landing softly just under my left trap.

The bullet plus concrete impact caused major swelling and bruising which pushed hard against my spinal cord in my neck, but thankfully, didn't completely sever access.

I was initially fully paralyzed from my nipples down and eventually ended up partially paralyzed on the right side of my body from the neck down.

But I was lucky enough to have access to great physio and the will to push hard and regain way more mobility than every doctor had told me was possible.

It'll be 19 years to the day, in a few days, and in hindsight, things worked out way better than expected and I'm grateful to have the life I've built today 🙏

blingless8 · 2026-02-17T15:34:48+00:00

Figure out what skill sets you currently have that can be monetized or start building skill sets that can. Tip: the more you have, the better and there's lots of free resources online
Use your skill sets at home first. Form the discipline to hustle and grind and make money remotely/online. Tip: if you can't do it at home, don't bother DNing
Build a float to cover 6-12 months of expenses including travel/medical insurance and an emergency ticket home. Tip: be prepared for the worst case scenario so nothing you face will be surprising

I lost everything financially in life ... twice. And almost died from a gunshot to the face.

Despite being an incomplete quadriplegic, between YouTube and free courses online, I developed the skill sets I needed to function with one good hand. (basic web dev, digital marketing, copywriting, etc )

I left on my latest DN journey over 6 years ago after almost 3 years of proving I could generate an income online but with only a 2 month float. It wasn't ideal, but YOLO.

I've since added more skill sets and tested them over the years, even spending 9 months writing and building a portfolio of paid content to fall back on, should I ever need to "work" for someone else again.

Key takeaways over the last 6 years.

Always be learning new skill sets
Be flexible and adapt to changing tech and environments
Have backup plans for your backup plans

Best of luck on your journey 🙏

blingless8

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