will i am's delayed diary

In less than 2 weeks, I was back in Teluk Intan again, this time round to settle some legal issues. Something leftover from my father's time. A messy affair where my late father's name was on the land deed of the ancestral home. Two other names were on the land deed, and my late father was just a proxy. After his death, the ownership transferred to my mother. Finally after decades, someone in the family decided to buy the land, and everyone agreed to sell ( there was some drama before this ). Since everything was in motion, I quickly fetched mum to Teluk Intan to settle the legalities. Definitely don't want things to drag to my generation. Arrived in Teluk Intan bright and early. We were so early, that we had time to have a bowl of curry noodles before the lawyer firm opened. The signing of the sales and purchase agreement was done in a jiffy.  With the main objective achieved, we went to meet my aunt ( my late father's sister-in-law ) so that she could bring us to the ...

Tater was in town in early November, and as usual it centered on conversation over comfort food. Lounged in his room at The Westin first, and admired the complimentary KLCC Twin Tower chocolates that were compliments of the house. Once Tater freshened up, we crossed the road over to Starhill to visit the cafes there. COME True Cafe  looked the most attractive so we sat down there. Nearly every table had a plate of creme brulee souffle pancake on it, so we naturally also jumped on the bandwagon. Three of us broke our Eslite virginity after catching up over a couple of pineapple americanos. Our dinner at  El Iberico  centered on their signature aroz, and of course Tater wanted dessert. The churros were a great way to end the meal. Before we called it a night, we had more coffee at Feeka . Tater had a fun time flirting with the barista while he ordered his sticky bun latte. Maybe someone wanted to get some sticky buns that night. :P 

Checked out from The Tudor early the next morning, and headed to Chang Jiang for breakfast. An old  single-storey bungalow serves as a cafe, and coffee retail space. Business was really brisk. I don't recall the food being very memorable, but I can say for sure that the instant coffee is more expensive at the HQ than in KL! Ridiculous. Mum and I attended the 10:30AM Sunday mass at St. Michael's Church. Anyone approaching the church would first be greeted by the Catholic cemetery flanking Church Road on both sides. The main church has two towers, and has a bronze statue of St. Michael Archangel at the entrance. Churches usually have a Marian grotto, but at this Ipoh church, the statue of Mother Mary is located in an oriental pavilion.  The moment we left the compounds of the church, our Ipoh food hunt officially started. KH gave me strict instructions to get his favourite kaya puffs from Sin Eng Heong . BIL dropped me by the road and I hopped into the store. A man with a full ...

We were a lot more prepared for All Soul's Day for 2023 ( yes, I know that I have been slacking a lot! ). By 8:30 AM ( the ground was wet and muddy but the sun was shining brightly ) we were already at dad's grave and had decked out all our offerings. BIL brought a foldable stool for Little Monster who was now my go-to candidate for reciting the rosary. Wrapped things up, and by 10 AM we were having a dim sum breakfast at Teck Kee . The place has a weird self-service system. Generally not to my liking with the exception of the lohmaikai and kopi . The boss seems to have a landscaping hobby judging by the entrance that's decorated with all sorts of animal statues, Chinese proverbs, clumps of bamboo.  Then it was off to visit my aunt and cousin, before buying some Liew Kee CCF, and stopping for some cold desserts at Hawaii . So shocked to find a stray hard-boiled quail egg in my cendol . Next stop, Ipoh! Accommodations were booked by my sister at The Tudor , a bungalow in ...

Did you know that for every paid Basic Life Saving course that St. John's Ambulance Malaysia (SJAM) charges for, they provide free CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and AED (automatic external defribillator) training for the community. I joined one such course after my Gopeng trip and found it really useful. When someone stops breathing, there's only a golden period of a few minutes before brain cells start dying due to lack of oxygen. By the time an ambulance arrives, its already too late. Definitely very different from what one sees on TV. Ever since COVID, procedures have changed where blowing a breath is no longer needed, and we are even instructed to cover the mouth of the unconscious person. And the training made me realize that delivering quality CPR is quite a tiring process. And the chances of survival are enhanced using an AED. Basically it jump starts your heart automatically by delivering an electric shock. The device comes with sound cues and safety mechanisms wh...

On our last day in Gopeng, we had another adventure-- spelunking at Gua Tempurung! We were herded there via the lorries again. Equipped with helmets and headlamps, we headed into the limestone cave. The first part was a walk in the park, with flood lights, proper walkways, and stairs. A great way to admire the numerous natural rock formations, and the huge caverns. Ironically, the large caverns felt stifling, whereas the small caverns were cooling. Think its because the air flows near the cave walls. The next section was more treacherous and required guides. Some of the sections required us to slide down from a height of nearly two-storeys high, and also crawl into holes to drop to lower floors. Not something one can do safely without assistance. At one point, we had to do a claustrophobic crawl through a cave filled with water only to emerge into a pitch dark cave. Really quite an experience. When we came out, we were actually below the walkways of the first part of the cave. We were ...