Road trips with my mum

March 25, 2019.Reading time 7 minutes.

Road trip from KL to Butterworth and Penang

My mum is in her 80’s. She is not quite the sprightly and enthusiastic person she once was; game to travel, inquisitive and interested to try new things. These days, she is genuinely happy pottering around her condo, praying, doing her daily exercises, going for short walks around the block, reading her novels and watching […]

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 […]

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, […]

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 […]

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 […]

Pooh

December 3, 2018.Reading time 7 minutes.

I was given three movies to choose from. Gold, Christopher Robin and Juliet, Naked; in that order. I picked Christopher Robin. My husband immediately said that he knew I would. Too right, he was. Never hurts to watch a fantasy feel-good movie with stuffed animals that talk and have adorable names, especially on a rainy […]

Old faithful Vicks

December 3, 2018.Reading time 6 minutes.

My first go-to when I have the sniffles or a cold is Vicks VapoRub. I have used it all my life or at least as far back as I can remember. The vapour it emanates, a menthol-minty aroma is soothing and nostalgic all in one. The latter because it reminds me of my mum caring […]

Celebrating Deepavali

November 5, 2018.Reading time 10 minutes.

I don’t get excited any more. I don’t think even my much younger nieces and nephews get excited. The one person in the family who does is my mum. We know Deepavali is happening because of the almost childlike excitement my mum exudes. Her joy and enthusiasm are palpable. She gets into prep mode, well […]

Old and older

August 1, 2018.Reading time 8 minutes.

Age has a way of happening. You get a bit older every year, but the ‘getting older’ process is so gradual that it sort of sneaks up on you. I felt like the face, body and mind, and the general attitude packed-up and forgot to tell me about it.