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 […]

Pet peeves

March 18, 2019.Reading time 6 minutes.

A list of do's and dont's that should include no spitting

The almost serene atmosphere in the KLCC Park was interrupted by a loud and all too familiar sound. The kind that is never nice, and a big pet peeve of mine. It was the sound of some guy trying to suction phlegm out of his lungs. Not once but several times. It was the exact […]

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 […]

Sleepy me

February 25, 2019.Reading time 6 minutes.

Insomnia, my nocturnal state of being. I have difficulty going to sleep, staying asleep and when I do sleep, I wake up too early, feeling tired and looking like a wilted daisy. I go to bed yawning and feeling exhausted (obviously as I haven’t had enough shut-eye the previous nights), but instead of falling asleep, […]

People make all the difference

February 18, 2019.Reading time 7 minutes.

My mum is prepared to travel 30 odd kilometres or km (one way) from KL city centre to see her cardiologist in Shah Alam, the state capital of Selangor. There are four credible hospitals including a heart specialist centre within a five km radius of where we reside. I, on the other hand, sit through […]

Young, busy and self-absorbed?

February 11, 2019.Reading time 6 minutes.

My now friend and ex-client said a decision she made when she was young continues to be her biggest regret. She was not present for her dad, who suffered a stroke and subsequently died. She still feels he may have lived a little longer if he had better care and attention but she was just […]

A 3-in-1 resolution

December 31, 2018.Reading time 7 minutes.

I am one for resolutions. Every year, I make resolutions. I like making them because it encourages me to think. Yes, just think of what I’d like to do better or different in the new year, never mind that I forget some and ignore others. Still, I enjoy the thinking and the listing, and hopefully, […]

All about the money, money…

December 17, 2018.Reading time 6 minutes.

I was watching ‘A Star is Born’ and multi-tasking by looking up Lady Gaga on my iPad. It was a general browse about the stars of the movie. I wasn’t checking on anything in particular but her net worth popped up, which was pretty impressive, but what really threw me was how much Kylie Jenner […]