What to believe …

June 30, 2025.Reading time 6 minutes.

I was told by a long-time friend that Christmas carols weren’t allowed to be sung during the Obama administration. This was just one of the many nuggets of information that was pronounced with conviction during our conversation which included events that have happened and are happening in the world. Serious stuff like war, beliefs, and […]

News detox

June 23, 2025.Reading time 6 minutes.

I had sort of a news detox without realising it. For about two weeks when sister number 3 visited, I didn’t listen to BFM, a local business radio station, from Monday to Friday. I didn’t do searches on YouTube for my regular dose of politics cum economics podcasts. I also didn’t watch the late night […]

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 […]

Requests

May 5, 2025.Reading time 6 minutes.

I was enjoying riding and reading on the LRT until a gentleman took a seat in front of me. He whipped out his mobile, and single-handedly robbed all the other passengers, mostly me, of peace and quiet. A cap on, face down, he cranked up his mobile to full volume. A non-stop barrage of music […]

Perceived value

April 28, 2025.Reading time 6 minutes.

A super expensive box of chocolates I received for my birthday made me think of perceived value. Four small chocolates in a beautiful box cost about RM56. Each chocolate, no larger than a dice, was a whopping RM14 per bite, literally. My husband, who bought the chocolates, wanted me to have at least eight pieces so […]

Personality types

April 21, 2025.Reading time 6 minutes.

I’m a combo-introvert. My husband thinks he might be a social-anxious introvert. Nephew number 2 says he’s surely an extreme introvert. Interesting diagnoses based on a spectrum of traits associated with introverts. Research on introverts for my previous post invariably produced results on other personality types. I looked them up not because I wanted to […]