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 […]

Don’t touch

February 16, 2026.Reading time 6 minutes.

There’s very little I can say for sure these days. This I know for sure. I like learning things. I’m actually happy when I learn, know or gather information that interest me. It could be something I’d seen or experienced. Or would like to know more about. Not in-depth knowledge. Just enough especially as my […]

Wonderings

January 19, 2026.Reading time 6 minutes.

I’ve been wondering if I want to continue writing or take a break or give it up altogether. I know why I started my Golly Molly Aiyoh. It ticked one of the three boxes that I had read somewhere that people ‘needed’ in life. The box it ticked was ‘something to do.’ The other two […]

Thevaya

January 12, 2026.Reading time 6 minutes.

I learnt a new word from a local radio station, while I was driving. It was the Tamil word for necessary. I wasn’t particularly concentrating but I think the DJ said something about trying to teach listeners one Tamil word per day. A ‘learn-a-word-a-day’ sort of thing. As it sounded interesting and a bit of […]

A new year

January 5, 2026.Reading time 6 minutes.

Another new year. No big resolutions. No big wants. No big expectations. For me, 2026 will be a good enough year if I can carry on doing the things I did in 2025. Do a bit more of what I didn’t do as much as I would have liked to. Plus, one or two that […]

Money or passion …

December 15, 2025.Reading time 6 minutes.

Money or passion? Interests or needs? A few weeks ago, my husband and I had a good morning at an exhibition by students from a local art college. They were from the illustration department, and they put on an enthusiastic ‘show and tell.’ From the exhibits, we saw that much thought, effort, and time had […]

Trains, not buses

December 1, 2025.Reading time 6 minutes.

I like trains. Buses, not so much. I’ve taken buses most of my life. To school in Alor Setar and whilst I was in university. For four years, I did a four-state hike of Selangor-Kuala Lumpur-Penang-Kedah. I travelled every three weeks, on a Friday, from Bangi to Kajang to Pudu Raya to Butterworth to Alor […]

Online, they or them

November 24, 2025.Reading time 7 minutes.

Sometimes it’s easy. Sometimes it’s not. And, I’ve wondered if it was/is I or me or ‘they’ or ‘them’ that make it not easy. To start with, it’s not easy to buy presents. For siblings. As they get older, they don’t want/need too many things. And, I don’t want to add to their clutter […]

Happy events

November 17, 2025.Reading time 6 minutes.

My husband and I were invited to two graduation ceremonies. The graduates were my nieces, number 4 and 5, brother number 2’s daughters. Coincidentally both sisters had their graduation in early November. One on the 1st, the other on the 13th. 1st November was niece number 5’s big day. She got a First in Mechanical […]