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 […]

Thevaya

January 12, 2026.Reading time 6 minutes.

I learnt a new word from a local radio station, while I was driving. It was the Tamil word for necessary. I wasn’t particularly concentrating but I think the DJ said something about trying to teach listeners one Tamil word per day. A ‘learn-a-word-a-day’ sort of thing. As it sounded interesting and a bit of […]

Nice … not nice

December 22, 2025.Reading time 6 minutes.

December is my favourite month of the year. Second only to March, which is my birthday month. Growing up, the final term school holidays was in December. Seven weeks of freedom, starting in middle November. The whole of December was ‘cuti time.’ As a working adult, December was when office parties and get-togethers were held, […]

Money or passion …

December 15, 2025.Reading time 6 minutes.

Money or passion? Interests or needs? A few weeks ago, my husband and I had a good morning at an exhibition by students from a local art college. They were from the illustration department, and they put on an enthusiastic ‘show and tell.’ From the exhibits, we saw that much thought, effort, and time had […]

Trains, not buses

December 1, 2025.Reading time 6 minutes.

I like trains. Buses, not so much. I’ve taken buses most of my life. To school in Alor Setar and whilst I was in university. For four years, I did a four-state hike of Selangor-Kuala Lumpur-Penang-Kedah. I travelled every three weeks, on a Friday, from Bangi to Kajang to Pudu Raya to Butterworth to Alor […]

Happy events

November 17, 2025.Reading time 6 minutes.

My husband and I were invited to two graduation ceremonies. The graduates were my nieces, number 4 and 5, brother number 2’s daughters. Coincidentally both sisters had their graduation in early November. One on the 1st, the other on the 13th. 1st November was niece number 5’s big day. She got a First in Mechanical […]

My mum’s celebration

October 20, 2025.Reading time 6 minutes.

It’s Deepavali today. I’ve been thinking about my mum for a while now. How excited she got at every Deepavali. It was her celebration. She said and reiterated how Deepavali was the main event in her life. Not Ponggal, Thaipusam or even her birthday. Nope, it was Deepavali. From childhood, all through her married life […]

Conversations

October 13, 2025.Reading time 6 minutes.

I’m not a talker or so I tell myself. I considered if that was true. I do talk. I ask questions. I engage in conversations. At work or rather when I used to work, I was vocal and I was heard. As a journalist, I asked or shouted out questions, depending on the situation. One-on-one […]

Thinking of my Booby

September 22, 2025.Reading time 6 minutes.

My days are quite full. I try to only do things that I can and want to. And, in amongst all of that, I think of my mum. I do. In the morning, during the day, when I go to bed. She’s permanently etched in my head and heart. Next Saturday, she would have […]

Collecting collectibles

September 8, 2025.Reading time 6 minutes.

They are everywhere. Almost. Well… feels that way. I first noticed them many months ago in a shop selling toys. Not the kind you play with. Collectibles, mostly. With dramatic features and expressions, they are cutesy and a tad creepy. Not in a bad scary way but in a quirky, appealing way. They made me […]