88 today

September 27, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

It’s my mum’s 88th birthday today. It’s a super special birthday on many levels. My mum is super-duper special to me. 88 is a grand old age to get to. 88 is an auspicious number. In Chinese it means fortune and luck. As my mum is a quarter Chinese, she will receive abundant blessings of […]

Confusion

September 20, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about how I was forgetting stuff more than usual. It was just after my mum started exhibiting some worrying symptoms of memory loss and confusion. She has forgotten this and that, like me, and like most of us, now and again. A birthday or anniversary. A scheduled […]

Mums

September 13, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

I sent my husband to the airport last Saturday. The first time since January 2020 that we’ve both been to the airport. Also, the first time that he has flown to England minus me since we’ve been married. It feels quite sad and disconcertingly quiet to be home on my own. My husband is not […]

Not remembering

September 6, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

I used to have a photographic memory. I could remember contents of pages and even page numbers where the contents could be found in books I’ve read. Now, I’d be lucky if I remember the title of a book, any book. My fading or loss of memory worries me. It frustrates me more. I was […]

Coping

August 23, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

Very early one morning I noticed an accident from my condominium window. It involved a motorcyclist. I knew it was fatal because of the piece of white cloth placed over the deceased and vehicle. The police had cordoned off a part of the road and there was a long queue of cars. I couldn’t get […]

Cooking shows

August 16, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

I’m only now watching MasterChef Australia: Back to Win (season 12). A season or two behind. The winner has been announced. But I don’t much care. I still find it entertaining to watch the contestants conjure up delightful creations. And, discover who gets eliminated each week. I am maintaining the suspense and keeping it in […]

Caring and loving

August 2, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

My initial reaction to some articles I read about caregiving, aging parents and siblings was incredulity. Really? Seriously? How can? I u-turned quick quickly. Especially when I recalled stories from friends and former colleagues who’ve had and continue to have difficulty in trying to provide care for their elderly parents. An ex-colleague gave up a […]

Job-free

July 26, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

I’m not work-free. I’m job-free. I no longer take on any fee-earning projects or commissions. No more meetings. No more crazy deadlines. No more writing to suit clients’ requirements. No more commuting. I never was caught in rush-hour traffic as I worked mostly from home – one of the early adopters of the current Work-From-Home […]

OMGs

July 12, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

I pray. I’ve prayed all my life. Prayers. Gods. Temples. They are staples of my life. Growing up in Alor Setar, I remember my dad prayed a lot. There was always an altar in the house. He rose early every morning. Prayed and headed off to his workplace. Let himself in as he had the […]

Corona

June 28, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

I didn’t want to write another post on Covid-19. But here I am doing just that. The fact is it’s a little difficult to ignore or delete all things Covid-19 related. It’s everywhere. In my daily, personal, physical, mental and virtual life. I wake up to it and go to sleep with it. I can’t […]