New Beginnings, A New Year; Previous Annus Horribilis,  Mine and the Windsors; 2024 New Year’s Eve Peaceful. Not So 2023 as Shown by YouTube Reels; Coming Back to Life at Lyf; Lyf Contrasted to E and O Colonial Luxury Hotel; Photos of Delicious Breakfast and Old Hotel

Thank goodness, thank my lucky stars, Alhamduillah 2024 is behind me (and us). Thank my lucky stars means to be grateful for something.
2024 has been a terrible year. For me anyway. I do remember that Queen Elizabeth II came up with a Latin phrase which meant bad year but do not know Latin. Nor any language except English, as a matter of fact. Maybe I will try googling something.

I found it!! Eureka!! annus horribilis  “A recent pun on annus mirabilis, first used by Queen Elizabeth II to describe what a bad year 1992 had been for her, and subsequently occasionally used to refer to many other years perceived as “horrible”. In Classical Latin, this phrase could actually mean “terrifying year”.

Wikipedia has something to say about it as well.
Annus horribilis (pl. anni horribiles) is a Latin phrase that means “horrible year”. It is complementary to annus mirabilis, which means “wonderful year”.
The phrase “annus horribilis” was used in 1891 in an Anglican publication to describe 1870, the year in which the dogma of papal infallibility was defined in the Catholic Church.

I do admit to rather enjoying the fading fate of the British Royal Family. Do have to admit that their  bad years were arguably worse than mine. Hahaha

Wikipedia lets us know all of the sordid details.
“The expression was brought to prominence by Queen Elizabeth II. In a speech at Guildhall on 24 November 1992, marking her Ruby Jubilee on the throne, she said:[2]
1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure. In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it has turned out to be an annus horribilis.

The “sympathetic correspondent” was later revealed to be her former assistant private secretary, Sir Edward Ford.[3] The unpleasant events which happened to the royal family in this year include:[4]

After her speech had been recorded, one more notable event transpired: the separation of Charles and Diana (9 December).

It did not end there. Along came 2019

2019 was described by some commentators as a second annus horribilis for the British royal family. In January that year, 97-year-old Prince Philip crashed his car into another carrying two women and a baby, and subsequently surrendered his driving licence. Later on in August, the Queen was involved in a constitutional crisis when Prime Minister Boris Johnson advised her to prorogue Parliament, a recommendation which was later ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. Prince Andrew gave a universally-criticised BBC Newsnight interview about his relationship with convicted child-sex offender Jeffrey Epstein,[5] and there was increased tabloid scrutiny regarding rifts between the Cambridge and Sussex household.

Wikipedia went on to remind us all of other bad years.

COVID-19 pandemic

The year 2020 was widely remarked as being an annus horribilis for the entire world in general, most notably due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which began in late 2019 and rapidly spread worldwide throughout 2020.[12][13][14] 2020 was also awarded a “Special Governors’ Award for The Worst Calendar Year EVER!” at the 41st Golden Raspberry Awards. At the end of the year, Netflix released Death to 2020, a mockumentary discussing the events of the year.

All of a sudden I feel better – even best. Covid-19 in 2020 was not a good year. But for me it was actually a great year!

You: How could that be a great year??????

Me: It was the year I became of the Islamic Faith. I do not call myself because: Islam is perfect, Muslims are not. Not that I am perfect but I try my very best slowly learning to not expect much from Muslims,  Many do not follow the faith but that is true of people of all faiths: Christians, Jews. Buddhists, Atheists etc etc etc.

Always returning to the Islamic Faith.The Islamic year 311 AH (923/924 CE) was known as the “year of destruction” (sanat al-damār) due to the Qarmatians‘ sack of Basra and the caravan.

Did the citation check finding it to be on good authority. A scholastic learned treatise. A treatise is a a written work dealing formally and systematically with a subject. In other words: a dissertation, or a study.

Launched into 2025 by having an extremely peaceful New Year’s Eve. I was thinking back on last year’s New Year’s Eve, I was in Bahrain. Luckily we can revisit it on my Youtube channel. The reel is called In the Lobby. I was upgraded to a view room. Unfortunately it was the situs of a loud rock and roll extravaganza. The noise was deafening. I went down to the Bahrain. Rex Carlton lobby to complain. Impossible to quiet the music HOWEVER I was provided with a quiet room for the night, at the other end of the hotel overlooking the city of Bahrain. PHEW .

It was one of two fantastic stays at the Bahrain Ritz Carlton. Two other YouTube videos you can check out are entitled Magical View and Marchi. Several others as well featuring Pink Flamingos.

Moved on to other places and other times. First back to Saudi Arabia, lived in Khobar, Back to Bahrain for awhile then to Penang where I have remained. But not for all that long, making other plans which you will hear about.

This hotel Lyf is bringing me back to Life.  It is a completely different concept, as mentioned in a prior blog it is cutting edge. I have speaking to staff, learning of its operating system.  The restaurant is independent from the hotel, operated by a third party. Parking, at the rear of the hotel, is run by a third party. Contrast that with the E and O Hotel, across the street. They have an enormous parking garage, part of the new ‘annex’. It is empty almost all the time. The E and O is described as being a colonial style luxury hotel built in 1885. History is provided by Wikipedia.

Having failed to adapt to competition following World War II, the hotel underwent several decades of decline, and in 1996 a decision was made by the management to temporarily close down the hotel for major reconstruction. Although the front wing of the hotel, which would later be known as the “Heritage Wing”, received restoration work, the rest of the hotel, including the easternmost 1929 “New Wing”, was either gutted and refurbished or completely reconstructed in the style of the hotel’s older architectural design; the mid-century E&O shopping annexe, which occupied the site of the original 1884 Eastern Hotel building, was also completely leveled for the new central wing of the hotel, which prominently features faux-cast iron-framed verandahs similar in style to those at the Raffles Hotel. Under its new owner, The E&O Group, the hotel was reopened to the public in 2001. In 2013, the old Victory Annex was demolished and replaced by a new, 132-room tower of the same name.[2]”

 Those in the industry say it did not work out very well. From my vantage point I can see it did not. I have stayed in the hotel four times during 2024. I was always upgraded. My last stay there was a total disaster. But who cares????? This is now 2025 and I am across the street, in a hotel that is full of Lyft and fun and is considerable cheaper.

Guests are encouraged to explore the neighborhood around Lyft Hotel, the hotel aims to be part of the community – assisting local businesses and local entrepreneurs. The opposite of a colonial luxury hotel – which is a citadel actually, an anachronism. An anachronism is a thing belonging or appropriate to a period other than that in which it exists, especially a thing that is conspicuously old-fashioned.

FINALLY

and at last, on January 1 at 3 am in the morning my Chase Fraud Alerts were solved. Woke up in the middle of the night and decided to make another noble effort. It worked. I charged my delicious breakfast. My new room rate does to include breakfast. I was able to pay the tab with my Chase card – operative again. I almost cheered when it went through. I was able to order from the brunch menu. You shall see photos of the delicious food, My flat white with a heart. An absolutely delicious salad, and I hate salads, particularly ones with kale. Then a flatbread with raw fish. Delicious, absolutely delicious all of it. Laughed with a little Malaysian five year old, who earnestly waived good bye when he left with his parents. Ignored a lone man. No more loan men for me. I will meet my next husband in Jannah. Returned to my room to find it already serviced. Started to do some serious unpacking and arranging of my clothes and very few possessions.

Plan on going for a walk visiting nearby restaurants and stores. NOT venturing upon  the grounds of the E and O. No thank you colonists. Hahaha