Turning 60

October 19, 2026.Reading time 6 minutes.

My husband turned 60 on Saturday. I was more excited about his milestone birthday than he was. That’s not to say he wasn’t excited. He was. In a no-fuss, matter-of-fact way. Which has always been his approach to his birthday. Yes, his birthday. Not mine😊. He gets excited about other things. Holidays that focus on mountains, […]

Scottish tales

October 5, 2026.Reading time 6 minutes.

My husband and I will be flying home to KL tomorrow. We’ve been in Scotland for two weeks. As ‘they’ say, ‘All good things must come to an end.’ Why? I’m not sure. Probably because ‘they’ – the same lot – think, you and I, can’t have too much of a good thing. Because we […]

Now and before

September 21, 2026.Reading time 6 minutes.

My husband and I are in Pitlochry, Scotland. The first stop in our two-week drive holiday in Scotland. Pitlochry is a Victorian burgh or town, which has been described as a scenic gateway to the Scottish Highlands. True. It’s Insta-worthy or as I would say, postcard-perfect. The last time I was in Scotland, mainly Edinburgh […]

Coconut cake and rice

September 14, 2026.Reading time 6 minutes.

Today is my mum-in-law’s birthday. For sure, my Sinnavan would have baked a coconut cake for her. My mum-in-law is not a dessert or a cake person. But she’d happily have her neighbour’s baked coconut cake. My Sinnavan has been the baker and supplier of coconut cake for so long that I can’t remember when […]

Still thus far

March 30, 2026.Reading time 6 minutes.

It’s still my birthday month, yes, one more day to go. Last Tuesday, my mum-in-law asked about my birthday celebrations. I explained that it would continue until the end of March, as I cannot go cold turkey on my desserts. I needed a week to slowly wean myself off the sugar overload. Officially six and […]

Thus far

March 23, 2026.Reading time 6 minutes.

Six and a half decades. 23,741 days, 3,391 weeks, and 780 months. OMG. That’s a mighty long time to be around. Honestly, I didn’t think I’d get to this ripe old age. Why? I don’t actually know. Maybe, because my dad passed at 62. My maternal and paternal grandmothers also passed at 62. My mum lived to 90 […]

Smiley-happy orchids

March 2, 2026.Reading time 6 minutes.

I ‘woke’ up, and continued not sleeping, and walking into my living room feeling tired. Not an unusual start to many mornings for insomniac me. What was different was how quickly I turned smiley-happy. One of the buds of the orchid plant, yes orchird plant, was opening up. It was beginning to bloom. I forgot […]

Don’t touch

February 16, 2026.Reading time 6 minutes.

There’s very little I can say for sure these days. This I know for sure. I like learning things. I’m actually happy when I learn, know or gather information that interest me. It could be something I’d seen or experienced. Or would like to know more about. Not in-depth knowledge. Just enough especially as my […]

Happy discoveries

February 9, 2026.Reading time 6 minutes.

I couldn’t, maybe I could’ve, but didn’t in my condominium unit. Last week, my condominium manager sent out a notice for an electricity calibration exercise for the whole building. The notice said there would be temporary power disruption affecting all owners and tenants. Temporary. Hmm. I checked with the manager if temporary meant momentary, not […]

Pongal and others

January 26, 2026.Reading time 6 minutes.

I visited my mum for Pongal last week, not at her condominium, but at her final resting home. Pongal was an important celebration for my mum. It marked the beginning of the Thai month, which I, for the longest time thought, was the first month of the Indian calendar. Mainly as it falls in January, which […]