Mask police

July 27, 2020.Reading time 6 minutes.

I don’t want to be a mask police. I don’t want to police people or business. That said, in one week, I had to question the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) at two well established restaurants. Staff with no masks or masks worn under the chin. I was disappointment. I expected better. One, situated along Jalan […]

Sound of music

July 20, 2020.Reading time 6 minutes.

Caught in a massive back to before Covid-19 traffic congestion. Searched endlessly for a bay in a multi-storey, not cheap, car park. I was running late. And, on the verge of turning a little green and grumpy. When just like that. My mood lifted. A smile spread across my face. ‘Limbo Rock’ was being played […]

Stork King and Queen

July 13, 2020.Reading time 6 minutes.

If the lion is the king of the jungle, then the stork reigns in Zoo Negara, Malaysia’s national zoo. They live, eat, nest, fly, walk and roam freely just about everywhere. To me, they are the kings and queens of the 110 acres of land that is home to over 5137 specimen from 476 species […]

My mum’s recipe 4: Sambar

July 6, 2020.Reading time 7 minutes.

I learnt how my mum cooks ‘sambar’ or ‘dhal’ in her kitchen a couple of weeks ago. I’ve seen her prepare it many times but have never paid any attention to what it entailed. I now know that it entails quite a lot. Too much dicing and slicing, spices, cooking and slaving over a hot […]

It wasn’t me

June 29, 2020.Reading time 6 minutes.

I always wonder if it’s just me being ‘bodoh’ or stupid. What did I miss? What didn’t I read right? Did I tap the wrong key? Usually, I cannot be absolutely certain of my innocence. But this time, I am pretty sure it wasn’t me. I know the familiar drill. If something goes wrong with […]

In the present

June 22, 2020.Reading time 6 minutes.

I can feel sad. Surprisingly, suddenly. Without warning. A song. A paragraph in a book. A poignant message on WhatsApp. A scene from a movie. Just a few triggers that make me feel melancholy for no apparent reason other than the trigger itself. The change in emotion is quite dramatic. Thank goodness they are mostly […]

I, me and myself

June 15, 2020.Reading time 6 minutes.

It’s June. Six months into 2020. I was flipping through my table-top calendar (yes, it’s not digital) to check what I had jotted down in January for the rest of the year. Stopped in March, which was my birthday month, not the whole month. Although I do try to stretch my birthday for as many […]

Onde Onde ice cream

June 8, 2020.Reading time 6 minutes.

Onde Onde ice cream potong? Who would have thought of making ice cream from a traditional kuih or cake/snack in Malaysia? I didn’t. I am glad someone did because it’s fabulously creamylicious. I am familiar with most local cakes, snacks and pastries. Ice cream, I know only too well. Both making and eating them. Which is […]

Life and livelihood

June 1, 2020.Reading time 6 minutes.

I haven’t gone to the temple in SS3 since March 17, the Tuesday before the Movement Control Order (MCO) took effect in Malaysia. That’s 10 visits that didn’t happen in over 2 months. That’s 10 times I didn’t buy flowers from the florists stationed just outside the temple. The two flower stall holders are not […]

Serial Netflix

May 25, 2020.Reading time 6 minutes.

From the start of the year until now, my husband and I have watched over 25 series/movies on Netflix. That’s about one per week in the last 20 weeks. A hefty consumption of entertainment. And, it does not include daytime viewing, despite the Covid-19 lockdown. I’ve worked from home for more than 20 years now. […]