Birthday month

March 24, 2025.Reading time 7 minutes.

I like birthdays. Mine, particularly. March is my birthday month, and today is my birthday. Yay. Birthday month, yes. I started feeling celebratory on March 2, not March 1, as that’s sister number 2’s birthday. I let her have that day😊 For me, my birthday month is like a licence/permission/green-light to feel special, and do […]

Memories

March 10, 2025.Reading time 6 minutes.

Sisters number 1 and 4 were in KL last week. Spending time with them made me think of life’s luxuries. Why? A few weeks ago, I had written about life’s ‘real’ luxuries. A subjective, non-exhaustive list of 11 nice-to-have luxuries such as time, health, ability to travel, meaningful conversations, people you love and people who […]

Anecdotal Hanoi

March 3, 2025.Reading time 6 minutes.

My husband and I had an interesting eight days in Vietnam. It wasn’t long enough to really understand or know much about any city or country. I am still unaware and/or don’t understand or know some stuff in my country. Hmm. Anyways, it was quite fun being on the ground and observing – people, traits, […]

Visiting Vietnam

February 24, 2025.Reading time 7 minutes.

My husband and I returned from Vietnam yesterday. We had an eight-day holiday in Hanoi, Ninh Binh and Sapa. Verdict. Worth a visit. We didn’t go to or see everything recommended on the numerous travel sites. The plan was to do what we could without rushing from A to B. It was a holiday, after […]

Downsizing

February 10, 2025.Reading time 6 minutes.

A few weeks ago, I deposited a large bin bag at a recycling centre in KL. I’m downsizing. The bag contained mainly clothes. T-shirts and skorts that I no longer wear. Dresses that I haven’t worn in months, maybe years. They fit but they didn’t quite feel age appropriate. I was a tad sad and […]

Life’s luxuries

February 3, 2025.Reading time 6 minutes.

I received a text about life’s ‘real’ luxuries from one of my chat groups. ‘Real’ as in not the things that some people would consider or think of like sports cars, mansions, and fancy handbags. Around the same time, brother number 2 shared the same list with the family. Hmm. The contents of the list […]

Work and working

January 27, 2025.Reading time 6 minutes.

I am still mulling over my one word or phrase that would sum up ‘what I do‘ in my current life. It appears to be taking longer than expected. A work-in-progress. Why does it matter though? The condo-resident who asked me, ‘What do you do?’ was probably making polite conversation, and wouldn’t have cared about […]

What do you do?

January 20, 2025.Reading time 6 minutes.

What do you do? The question threw me. A fellow condo-resident asked me that while we were in the lift. And, I babbled ‘this and that.’ What? Seriously. Not quick on my feet or wit. Body and brain inertia. Big sigh. What do I do? The question made me ponder. Why couldn’t I articulate what […]

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 […]

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 […]