88 today

September 27, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

It’s my mum’s 88th birthday today. It’s a super special birthday on many levels. My mum is super-duper special to me. 88 is a grand old age to get to. 88 is an auspicious number. In Chinese it means fortune and luck. As my mum is a quarter Chinese, she will receive abundant blessings of […]

Confusion

September 20, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about how I was forgetting stuff more than usual. It was just after my mum started exhibiting some worrying symptoms of memory loss and confusion. She has forgotten this and that, like me, and like most of us, now and again. A birthday or anniversary. A scheduled […]

Not remembering

September 6, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

I used to have a photographic memory. I could remember contents of pages and even page numbers where the contents could be found in books I’ve read. Now, I’d be lucky if I remember the title of a book, any book. My fading or loss of memory worries me. It frustrates me more. I was […]

Coping

August 23, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

Very early one morning I noticed an accident from my condominium window. It involved a motorcyclist. I knew it was fatal because of the piece of white cloth placed over the deceased and vehicle. The police had cordoned off a part of the road and there was a long queue of cars. I couldn’t get […]

Cooking shows

August 16, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

I’m only now watching MasterChef Australia: Back to Win (season 12). A season or two behind. The winner has been announced. But I don’t much care. I still find it entertaining to watch the contestants conjure up delightful creations. And, discover who gets eliminated each week. I am maintaining the suspense and keeping it in […]

What to write now?

August 9, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

I try to write one story per week for my blog. It’s my 7-day achievement marker. When I’m done writing my post, I’m happier. I feel almost settled for the week. I’ve met my own target of doing something I enjoy, for myself. It’s a nice and comforting feeling. I’ve been successful, thus far, in […]

Good books

July 19, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

A good book is a delightful companion. An entertaining experience. I like how a good book makes me feel. Happy, sad, involved, questioning, curious, enlightened, helpless, angry and vindicated. A gamut of thoughts, feelings and emotions. Sometimes, I even speak to the characters. That’s how interactive I get. Thanks to the host of brilliant writers […]

Corona

June 28, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

I didn’t want to write another post on Covid-19. But here I am doing just that. The fact is it’s a little difficult to ignore or delete all things Covid-19 related. It’s everywhere. In my daily, personal, physical, mental and virtual life. I wake up to it and go to sleep with it. I can’t […]

My mum’s recipe 7: WIP – Suji Puttu

June 14, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

Two weeks ago, my mum announced that she was going to cook Suji or Semolina Puttu for her Friday lunch. Just like Upma, there’s nothing about Puttu that I like. Not the sand-like texture, taste or pale colour. But, that’s just me. Despite my dislike and disinterest in Puttu, I volunteered to help my mum. […]

Rain

June 7, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

Rain is not a topic that’s top of my mind. Except, when there’s too much or too little of it. There’s been a lot of rain in KL over the last few months. Like clockwork. This almost daily occurrence made me think about rain. Do I like rain? I do. Late in the night or […]