Independence

January 13, 2025.Reading time 6 minutes.

It’s been just over four weeks. I haven’t fallen off the wagon, yet. Pat on the back. Well done. This is the longest I’ve managed to voluntarily, not begrudgingly, not eat as much desserts like I always have, all my life. Seriously, I have been on a protein trail since my last medical screening. Even […]

Another new year – 2025

January 6, 2025.Reading time 6 minutes.

It’s the new year. Good health. Much love and happiness. Many successes. Glad tidings, and all that. The new year comes around like clockwork, and yet it kind of springs up on us. Even after a long 365 days – 52 weeks, 12 months. Fireworks. Parties. Blaring horns. Midnight traffic jams. The new year has […]

Nostalgic Penang

December 30, 2024.Reading time 6 minutes.

Penang evokes nostalgia, memories and emotions. I remember travelling with my parents and siblings from Alor Setar on single lane roads. Past kampung houses, paddy fields, Sungai Petani, Pantai Merdeka, and arriving at the ferry terminal in Butterworth. The excitement and sometimes discomfort of waiting in long queues under the sun to get on the […]

Earlier Christmas

December 23, 2024.Reading time 6 minutes.

Christmas came early this year. As early as Deepavali, which was on the 31st of October. Yes, that early. Christmas decorations were put up in parallel, whilst Deepavali was still being celebrated, and far from over. I kid you not. Shopping malls like ‘Avenue K’ could not and did not wait for Deepavali to be […]

Fair premium

December 16, 2024.Reading time 6 minutes.

After the three strikes, I decided to invest a bit more time and attention to my medical insurance policy. My new policy, as expected, is wordy. And, this time with annexures. Yes, annexures. Like an annex, an additional or supplementary document. With more words to read and digest. I made sense of most of it. […]

Climbing medical premiums

December 9, 2024.Reading time 6 minutes.

I didn’t pay enough attention to my medical insurance policy. I wrongly assumed that my already high premium would not and could not increase much more than it already has. It did. Apparently, it can and very possibly will. Again. And, maybe again. It all depends. I know insurance premiums are not fixed. They increase, […]

Space Hopper

December 2, 2024.Reading time 6 minutes.

She had me at the opening paragraph. ‘The loss of my mother is like missing a tooth: an absence I can feel at all times, but one I can hide as long I keep my mouth shut. And, so I rarely talk about her.’ Helen Fisher’s Space Hopper resonated with me. The book is about […]

Almost a year on

November 25, 2024.Reading time 6 minutes.

Almost a year has passed. Last Saturday was brother number 1’s ‘Thevasam.’ The first anniversary prayers, to observe his passing, based on the Indian almanac. I remember clearly – Tuesday, December 5, 2023. Sister number 3 and I had visited him in his home. As we were about to leave, despite the pain and discomfort […]

Six months on

November 18, 2024.Reading time 6 minutes.

Tomorrow is six months since my mum passed. I’m not keeping count of the days or months, but the 19th is difficult to forget. It’s etched in my heart and head, as is my mum. I see my mum every day, everywhere. I have a photo wall, photos on my side table and more photos […]

Keeping in touch

November 11, 2024.Reading time 6 minutes.

I met up with seven school mates a fortnight ago. One of them lives in England, and it was her ‘Balik Kampung,’ the reason for the get together. Our collective home town/kampung is Alor Setar, Kedah. We went to the same primary and secondary school until form five – St. Nicholas Convent (as did sisters’ […]