Back in the day

May 20, 2019.Reading time 6 minutes.

Things were different in the old days. Coffee didn’t come from Starbucks or OldTown White Coffee. The coffee I knew, growing up in Alor Star, came from a no name tall gold colored tin from the back seat of a bicycle. Seriously. My mum bought artisanal ground coffee from a travelling or mobile coffee man […]

Birthday money

May 13, 2019.Reading time 6 minutes.

Samsung, cracked, old and broken but still working

I have some birthday money left that is literally burning a hole in my pants. Every year I am given money for my birthday and every year I vow to get myself one big item or a few small things to remind me of my birthday. And, every year, I fail in my quest. The […]

Resorts in our own backyard

April 29, 2019.Reading time 7 minutes.

My husband and I went on a three-resort holiday in the East Coast of West Malaysia. Two, we had visited before and one, we wanted to try out. We drove from one location to another and stayed for two nights at each of these resorts. It was, we found, an easy and relaxing holiday on […]

An unrequited love affair

April 22, 2019.Reading time 7 minutes.

I have an unrequited love affair with shoes. I love shoes. They just don’t love me back. The hurt and pain go a long way back. Like a one-sided relationship, I try them on and they feel so good. They make me happy. They come home with me and I wait for the right occasion […]

What for and why?

April 15, 2019.Reading time 5 minutes.

I cannot quite explain what I feel when I read the arrests of former ministers and corporate leaders. It isn’t jubilation or satisfaction. I thought I would feel happy because justice is finally about to prevail but I don’t. Now, I am just disappointed and sad on many levels. Disappointed at how these leaders, who […]

Forrest Gump

April 8, 2019.Reading time 7 minutes.

I did a Forest Gump. Stuck indoors for four days because of a nagging cold, I needed to get out and move. I thought I’d do a short 10 minute walk to Avenue K, U-turn and head back home. My feet had other ideas. They walked to KLCC and then to the park. One time […]

Baking Monday

April 1, 2019.Reading time 6 minutes.

I walked past Famous Amos the other day, and as usual, I shamelessly stole the sweet wafting smells of its cookies and brownies. But what was different this time was the realization that I now know how to bake cookies like the ones that were sitting invitingly in the display cabinet. It might seem and […]

Road trips with my mum

March 25, 2019.Reading time 7 minutes.

Road trip from KL to Butterworth and Penang

My mum is in her 80’s. She is not quite the sprightly and enthusiastic person she once was; game to travel, inquisitive and interested to try new things. These days, she is genuinely happy pottering around her condo, praying, doing her daily exercises, going for short walks around the block, reading her novels and watching […]

Present, Past and Future

March 11, 2019.Reading time 8 minutes.

ving in the present, revisiting the past and looking forward to the future

“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” Buddha[1] Wise people have said and continue to say we should learn to live in the present, not dwell too much on the past or spend a lot of time worrying about the future. I agree, sort […]

Stuffed tigers and real monkeys

March 4, 2019.Reading time 6 minutes.

I could not understand why anyone would want to buy an angry looking stuffed tiger. Its gaping mouth and serious demeanour were far from endearing or cutesy to cuddle up to. I first saw many of these stern looking animals in Kampung Cherating, a holiday village in Pahang. They were being sold in sundry shops […]