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 […]

Taxes, aging, death…

August 11, 2025.Reading time 6 minutes.

Nothing is certain but death and taxes. Aging is also certain. If we don’t get hit by a bus or die instantly from a heart attack. Thanks to modern medicine, prolongation of life, the process of living longer is more certain than not. No so certain is the quality longer life offers. Aging is inevitable. […]

Pickleball tumble

July 28, 2025.Reading time 6 minutes.

I’ve felt dizzy, nauseas and sweaty, before. Singularly and all at once, at various times. But not quite like the way I felt at pickleball the Sunday before. I was all three plus blurry eyed, unable to focus and in agony. My wrist throbbed. Everything spun. Sweat ran down my face. And I was shaking. […]

Nice HTTYD experience

July 14, 2025.Reading time 6 minutes.

Niece number 3 recommended the live-action movie of HTTYD. She gave it her personal thumbs-up, must-watch, sure to entertain, five-star rating. Hmm. I was sold on her enthusiasm but not so on the movie itself, at least not immediately. Only because I wasn’t familiar with the animated film series or the characters. She had reminisced […]

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 […]