First year anniversary

June 16, 2025.Reading time 6 minutes.

My mum’s ‘Thevasam’ or first year anniversary prayer was on 7 June, 2025 at the Maha Shivan Temple in Jalan Gasing. The appointed date or ‘tithi’ was based on the Hindu lunar calendar. Driving along Jalan Gasing and up to the temple that Saturday morning brought back a flurry of memories. My husband and I […]

Fast time

June 9, 2025.Reading time 6 minutes.

Is time whooshing past me? Maybe, sometimes. Apparently, it does for old people. My mum used to say this all the time. Yes, time. Once Monday comes, before you know it, the week is over. And, Monday is back again to kick start another week. My sisters say it now. Last week a friend, whom […]

Closure or no closure

May 26, 2025.Reading time 6 minutes.

I thought closure would help me. How? Be less sad, maybe. Feel less guilty, hopefully. How though? By seeing my mum and saying to her all the things I want to say to her. Like what? Like I love her. I wish I had done better by her. I wish I had been there when […]

365 days today

May 19, 2025.Reading time 6 minutes.

Today is one year since my mum passed. Yes, 12 months since she hasn’t been a part of my life. 365 days that I haven’t seen nor spoken to her, for real, I mean. I speak to her. I tell her things that are going on. Which is basically me speaking to myself. A one-sided […]

A little samey

May 12, 2025.Reading time 6 minutes.

My husband and I returned yesterday from a 5-day holiday in Khao Lak, a quieter tourist destination some 90km north of the more popular Phuket in Thailand. We met up with my husband’s friends, who had planned this holiday, a year in advance, yes, one year ahead. We’ve had other holidays with them. One in […]

A good read

March 17, 2025.Reading time 6 minutes.

I wish I had read this book a few years ago. But then, I might not have appreciated it as much as I do now. Why? Because I didn’t really think too much about aging or the elderly. Yes, I had grandparents. They were, in my then young mind, older people who weren’t really a […]

Memories

March 10, 2025.Reading time 6 minutes.

Sisters number 1 and 4 were in KL last week. Spending time with them made me think of life’s luxuries. Why? A few weeks ago, I had written about life’s ‘real’ luxuries. A subjective, non-exhaustive list of 11 nice-to-have luxuries such as time, health, ability to travel, meaningful conversations, people you love and people who […]

Visiting Vietnam

February 24, 2025.Reading time 7 minutes.

My husband and I returned from Vietnam yesterday. We had an eight-day holiday in Hanoi, Ninh Binh and Sapa. Verdict. Worth a visit. We didn’t go to or see everything recommended on the numerous travel sites. The plan was to do what we could without rushing from A to B. It was a holiday, after […]

Downsizing

February 10, 2025.Reading time 6 minutes.

A few weeks ago, I deposited a large bin bag at a recycling centre in KL. I’m downsizing. The bag contained mainly clothes. T-shirts and skorts that I no longer wear. Dresses that I haven’t worn in months, maybe years. They fit but they didn’t quite feel age appropriate. I was a tad sad and […]

Life’s luxuries

February 3, 2025.Reading time 6 minutes.

I received a text about life’s ‘real’ luxuries from one of my chat groups. ‘Real’ as in not the things that some people would consider or think of like sports cars, mansions, and fancy handbags. Around the same time, brother number 2 shared the same list with the family. Hmm. The contents of the list […]