Revolving door

October 30, 2023.Reading time 6 minutes.

The onion man made me think of the revolving door of people, shops and trends my husband and I have encountered/experienced in the 15 years we’ve lived in our condominium in Kuala Lumpur. We have remainers. Owner-occupiers like us and many of our neighbours. We are mostly lift or lobby buddies. The usual meeting place […]

Letting go

October 23, 2023.Reading time 6 minutes.

I had tea with a school mate recently. I was looking forward to meeting up with her. Catch-up on our personal lives as I haven’t seen her since before March 2021. Discuss and debate the socio-economic and political situation of the country with a like-minded person. Do something fun and relaxing like have tea and […]

Prolongation

October 16, 2023.Reading time 6 minutes.

People are living longer nowadays. Thanks to a host of factors like advancements in modern medicine and cutting-edge treatments. Also, better health policies, improved hygiene, smarter lifestyle choices, and a constantly growing population. ‘In 2020, the number of people aged 60 years and older outnumbered children younger than 5 years… By 2050, the world’s population […]

Photographs

October 9, 2023.Reading time 6 minutes.

Niece number 3 snapped several photos with her pink, an ala-Barbie polaroid camera, at my mum’s recent 90th birthday party. She took one of my mum and me. An instant, hardcopy photograph that captured a special moment on a special day. A fitting keepsake. And, a party favour of sorts. See, touch, immediately own. I […]

Brother number 1

October 2, 2023.Reading time 6 minutes.

I spent some time with bother number 1 at his condominium a few weeks ago. He’s been suffering from rib-shattering coughs for quite a while. Diagnosed with 4th stage lung cancer last November, he was on a chemotherapy and/or immunotherapy trial program until recently with Beacon Hospital. According to his doctor, brother number 1 was showing […]

A milestone birthday

September 25, 2023.Reading time 6 minutes.

My mum turns 90 on Wednesday. She is the only 90-year old I know, up close and personal. None of my immediate family members got this far. My dad and my maternal grandmother left at 62. My paternal grandfather exited at 72 while my father-in-law passed on at 82, a distant contender. Kudos to my […]

Running late

September 11, 2023.Reading time 6 minutes.

When I make an appointment, I am early or on time. Never late. I fret if I am going to be late. To avoid giving myself stress, I leave early even though I know I might be the first to arrive. Better early than late, I say. I don’t want the other person/s whom I […]

Sister number 2

September 4, 2023.Reading time 6 minutes.

Sister number 2 left for Sydney last Tuesday. She came home in August to visit family. And, to help me care for my mum while Kalyani, the caregiver, was away in Sri Lanka. Having sister number 2 with us was an unexpected bonus. Honestly, I did not expect her to jump in to help me. […]

Old is not gold

August 28, 2023.Reading time 6 minutes.

This August is two years since my mum fell ill. I’ve written a lot about her. Her recipes. Her life. Her stories. More recently, it has been about her ailments. Only because of how much it has changed my mum’s life. My dear mum’s Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), heart failure and kidney disease have deteriorated. […]

Also overrated

August 21, 2023.Reading time 6 minutes.

I used to buy into overrated, and sometimes pointless, waste of money things. Younger and gullible, I believed/half-believed the hype and marketing. Still gullible but a little less so now. I accept that people place different importance on different things in life. No judgement. Me, I will no longer book with Airbnb and operators of […]