Speaking at…

January 25, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

A phone call from a friend, whom I hadn’t texted or spoken to in a very long time, made me wonder about conversations. She and I, two people speaking with each other; exchanging information and updates about each other’s lives. But, that wasn’t what occurred. After asking me how I was, obligatory niceties out of the way, […]

My mum’s fun times

January 18, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

I like to learn new things about my mum. I especially like it when I discover some interesting experiences that I can document. I already know the everyday stuff but very little, if any, of the fun and exciting things that she did and/or enjoyed in her younger days. To be honest, I cannot associate […]

Knee pain and the Net

January 11, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

A few weeks ago, my mum complained of knee pain. She had difficulty standing up from her toilet seat. She has chronic arthritis and osteoporosis. She aches all over. Her pain is constant. Accentuated by phases of more pain. I was concerned. About the pain. About sitting and walking in her condo. About the possibility […]

Wish list for 2021

January 4, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

I wish 2021 will be nothing like 2020. I miss my life before Covid-19. I want that life back. Practically, I know that’s not going to happen. Sigh. Not for the most part of 2021, and maybe even beyond. At least not in Malaysia. Not yet. According to news reports, the government has secured a […]

The week that was …

December 21, 2020.Reading time 6 minutes.

On Wednesday, I had to re-order my mum’s favourite Sunsweet Pitted Prunes online. This was after the previous online order failed to arrive. The seller on the first platform did not bother responding to five queries on the prunes’ whereabouts. I complained to the platform. It refunded my money to its wallet. And, explained that […]

Nine months on…

November 30, 2020.Reading time 6 minutes.

It still came as a shock when my husband told me that one of his mates had lost his job. I know him and his family. My first thought was his two teenage school-going children, who should be off to university in a few years. My mind was in a tailspin. I was full of […]

Yellow-black banana

November 23, 2020.Reading time 6 minutes.

Bananas ripen and turn yellow-black before I get home from the supermarket. Mangoes develop unsightly spots as I wash, dry and store them. Tomatoes get mushy and even the hardier carrots look scruffy in a few days. Fresh and inviting in the store. Wilted and sad at home. Fresh produce become un-fresh, and spoil at an […]

Not going away

November 16, 2020.Reading time 6 minutes.

It’s not going away. Not anytime soon. Eights month on and we’re now in a Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) in Kuala Lumpur. Various movement restrictions from MCO, CMCO, Recovery MCO, and Enhanced and Semi-Enhanced MCO’s have been enforced in various areas, districts and states in Malaysia, at various times, to control the number of […]

Real or fake?

November 2, 2020.Reading time 6 minutes.

Many years ago, my mum used to read a weekly magazine. I forget the name now. It was a Tamil tabloid that carried news on politics, celebrity and lifestyle interspersed with some bizarre short stories. What I remember most is my mum reading, half-believing and relating the whacky snippets to me. The ones that jump […]

Farewell old favourites

October 26, 2020.Reading time 6 minutes.

First it was Sri Melaka. Our favourite Nyonya restaurant. My husband and I spent many evenings there. In fact, not a week went past without us visiting Sri Melaka. The exception was when we were out of town. And, it was Sri Melaka that we visited when we returned from wherever. Quite longingly, I might […]