Bad over good

One wrong decision. One poor choice. One bad behaviour. That’s all it takes. One mistake to erase or taint all the good – said, done and achieved – over the years. I don’t understand how one bad tick (✓) can override so many good ticks, but it does. And, try as I may, I am […]

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Reactions

I don’t always get the reaction I want or would like. After the time invested, detailed planning and injection of that all important, element of surprise, it fails. Not entirely as there are a few gushes. ‘Ahs’ and ‘oohs’. Certainly not the exuberant reaction I expected. It happens. A little disappointed, yes. But, certainly not […]

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Not so young

Her movements, familiar. Her hair, lustrous. Her body, slim. Her face, recognisable, yet not. There were traces of a pretty young girl whom I thought I knew from years ago. I was doing my prayers in the temple, as I do every Tuesday, when I noticed this not so young lady prostrating outside one of the […]

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Value of things

Should a porridge soup cooker cost the same as a brunch for two people? Should a hotel room per night cost as much as or more than some people’s monthly grocery bill or salary? Naturally, I am not comparing like for like. But, it made me wonder what I was willing to pay for the different […]

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Irony

When I was five, I wanted a bicycle. Not any bicycle. A two-wheel bicycle with pneumatic tyres. Preferably pink in colour.  I used to watch this girl, who was a little older than me, ride along the road, in front of my house in Alor Setar. I wanted a bike just like hers. My dad […]

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Caring enough

My mother is special to me. She was very unwell recently. Despite visits to the doctor and medication, her recovery was slow. She caught a cold off my brother. Maybe. I am not absolutely sure. He had a cold. She got one after he stayed with her while my husband and I were away on […]

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Sisters and brothers

Sister number three and I had a chat on WhatsApp a few weeks ago. It started on a general note, as it normally does. With questions about how we were and goings-on in our respective lives. We also talked about family events that are happening in the last four months of this year – our grandniece […]

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Selfie Musuem

It was a coincidence. My husband and I were having dinner at the Pavilion mall in Kuala Lumpur. I couldn’t help but notice a woman, she had her back to me, snapping photo after photo of herself. She was reviewing and editing every shot, probably using an app that was intended to make you look […]

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Forgetful

I didn’t think too much about getting out of bed (albeit a little slower now), and long before daybreak (being an insomniac), until my Achilles heel hurt. The pain hindered my out of bed movements, and made me reflect on things that should be important to me. The heel was just a reminder of the […]

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Photograph

There is a baby photo wall in the photo studio where I get my photographs printed. Yes, I do like to own some hardcopy photographs. Especially as all, if not most, of my photos are stored on my laptop or my mobile. The virtual photos on my mobile, I view now and again, before they […]

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