It is what it is

May 25, 2026.Reading time 6 minutes.

My husband and I lit two candles on 15 May for sister number 3. As did my siblings and family. To mark her leaving us. I know … WHAT? This cannot be but it is. Even as I lit the candle, I was saying this is not right, this cannot be. It cannot be but […]

Remembering

May 18, 2026.Reading time 6 minutes.

In the first week, I visited two museums and walked in three parks. I watched a band at a local bar. Doing things, keeping busy should help. In the second week, my husband and I drove to Cherating in Pahang, and Terengganu for five nights. A change in scenery should help. Did it help? Yes and […]

What to do

May 11, 2026.Reading time 6 minutes.

The dominant thought, focus, theme of my every waking moment is my Sinnavan. I think of her. And, I think of her. I don’t want to. Seriously, I don’t. I don’t want to be sad and tearful. But I can’t help myself. Even when I’m doing things to keep my mind from thinking about her, […]

My Sinnavan

May 4, 2026.Reading time 6 minutes.

I’ve lost my sister. My best friend. My confidante. My second mum. My daily chat partner. Yes, everyday sister number 3 calls me between 12noon and 2pm, local time, depending on how long she has managed to sleep the night before in her home in London. When I’ve been out for lunch with family or […]

Up and up

April 20, 2026.Reading time 6 minutes.

I think about rising oil prices. I think about how it’s affecting the costs of almost everything. I kid you not. In the first week after the US and Israel attacked Iran, the price of a lemon, yes, one piece of lemon was RM3.30 versus RM1.80 – RM2.50. At first, I thought it was a […]

Still thus far

March 30, 2026.Reading time 6 minutes.

It’s still my birthday month, yes, one more day to go. Last Tuesday, my mum-in-law asked about my birthday celebrations. I explained that it would continue until the end of March, as I cannot go cold turkey on my desserts. I needed a week to slowly wean myself off the sugar overload. Officially six and […]

Thus far

March 23, 2026.Reading time 6 minutes.

Six and a half decades. 23,741 days, 3,391 weeks, and 780 months. OMG. That’s a mighty long time to be around. Honestly, I didn’t think I’d get to this ripe old age. Why? I don’t actually know. Maybe, because my dad passed at 62. My maternal and paternal grandmothers also passed at 62. My mum lived to 90 […]

Warring worries

March 9, 2026.Reading time 6 minutes.

The plan was good. The timing, not. My husband and I’ve been talking about flying to England to visit family for some months now. Over the last few weeks, we’ve been checking for the best fares and ideal flight times. Deliberation and a tad of blasé-ness lost us a couple of better fares, so we […]

Smiley-happy orchids

March 2, 2026.Reading time 6 minutes.

I ‘woke’ up, and continued not sleeping, and walking into my living room feeling tired. Not an unusual start to many mornings for insomniac me. What was different was how quickly I turned smiley-happy. One of the buds of the orchid plant, yes orchird plant, was opening up. It was beginning to bloom. I forgot […]

Testing the waters

February 23, 2026.Reading time 6 minutes.

My husband and I had a four-night, five-day stay at Tanjung Jara recently. It was the longest holiday that we’ve had, locally, in a very long time. We usually do two nights. By the third day, we are ready to go home. And, the last holiday was only for one-night in Malacca, which we thought […]