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 […]

Cookies and lion dances

February 4, 2019.Reading time 6 minutes.

Chinese New Year (CNY) will be upon us tomorrow. Another celebration that we Malaysians have the good fortune to enjoy with our Chinese friends. To get into the mood, I put up our Lunar New Year decorations soon after storing away our Christmas tree until its next appearance in December ( I always feel a […]

Agreeing to disagree

January 28, 2019.Reading time 6 minutes.

Recently I met up with my university mates for brunch, and in the same week, had dinner with friends whom I used to work with. That very weekend, my brother popped over to my mum’s in the afternoon, and we had tea. To be precise, he had coffee and I had some chocolate that I […]

Replaying holidays

January 21, 2019.Reading time 11 minutes.

El Chalten, Patagonia, Argentina, with the Fitz Roy mountain range in the background

It’s been seven years since my husband and I took a very belated but welcomed gap year. Yes, 365 days off from work and business to travel. Just thinking and remembering the year makes me light up like a Christmas tree. That feeling of freedom, Merdeka, as we Malaysians like to say, was palpable. We […]

Hand over fist. What?

January 14, 2019.Reading time 7 minutes.

I have never heard of the phrase “hand over fist[1].” My husband used it recently. When he did, I instantly got this image of my hand going over my fist like a contortionist. I couldn’t help but laugh and then questioned him how this could possibly be relevant to losing or making huge amounts of […]