will i am's delayed diary

Over the long Merdaka weekend, KH and I made a trip down to Singapore to visit friends. Looking back at my passport, my last visit was in 2019, a few of years before Covid. At KLIA2, I actually bumped into my church member. Such a small world. We arrived at Changi way past lunchtime, so the hubby was understandably hangry. Randomly picked Tsui Wah at Jewel, and it was KH's turn to bump into someone he knew. I was amused by the way his ex-colleague's children were eating their lunch-- they sucked up strands of wantan noodles draped over their hands.  I'd have a fit.  Along the way to Tater's place in Bugis, we passed by all the memorable landmarks, Bugis+, Bugis Street, and Albert Centre, to name a few. And since it was the 7th lunar month, the spaces around OG department store showed signs of activities from the Hungry Ghost Festival. When we arrived, we were given the customary welcome bear hug, and peck on the cheek. That night, we didn't have dinner with our hos...

KH brings me to the most interesting cafes for our Saturdates. Shan Mu is one such place. The cafe is located in Cheras ( KH was in his Cheras phase ), and the shopfront is not obvious at all. No signboard, just a small wooded plaque beside a closed wooden door with the Chinese characters for "mountain" and "wood". Look out for a clump of bamboo trees out front. Mismatched furniture-- mostly timber and driftwood furniture. Drinks are unique, but some are misses. Whatever the case, do try their vanilla choux. This brings us to an interesting topic of our paktor routine. More often than not, KH would complain that he is stressed trying to figure out where to go every weekend. He claims that I cannot visit a place more than once. Paired with my demanding tastes, and pickiness, he has to crack his head regularly. Frankly, I am not THAT demanding, but since he puts it like, I now just play along. Bwahaha. At least I am guaranteed a constant stream of places to review o...

Once a year, my BEC would have an outdoor activity. In 2023, we chose to have a picnic at Taman Bukit Jalil. A simple affair of fellowship, food, group exercise, qi gong , and silly games. Towards the end of the outing, a security guard came over to let us know that we actually need a permit to have such an activity. Opps. Since we were wrapping up anyway, he didn't kick up a fuss. Funny thing was, he started trying to sell us products. Got to admire his entrepreneurship.  Although I was pretty drained from the morning activity, paktor with KH on Saturday afternoons is mandatory. Visited Pause Cafe which is located in a quaint part of old KL. They bake a nice Blackforest cake that doesn't taste like Blackforest cake at all. LOL. The second cafe of the day was BaoBao Cafe back in our corner of the woods. Basically, they took over from Bui Bui, and even acquired the recipe for their Japanese toast. Not recommended to visit the place during heavy downpours because the one and o...

During the Raya holidays, Tater balik kampung  to visit family and friends in Kuala Lumpur. Kampung Westin to be exact. KH and I met up with him at the hotel, and even had a morning swim. One of those rare times that I actually put my sexy swim trunks to good use. The highlight of the day was actually the gay matinee show at KLPAC. We had invited Tater to watch "Happy Fest" , a typical production from William Yap. As expected, Tater was the only potato in the village. Quite unexpected to see ang mohs at these Chinese productions although subtitles are provided. Can't say that I remember much of the details, but Jason Yau was in the cast to provide the much needed 'skin factor' ( I didn't bother to take photos although it was allowed ). Some topics 'covered' in the play was drug use, throuples, mental health x suicide (?), a Daddy's interaction with his mother-in-law. Douglas Wong's ( not too sure why he's wheelchair-bound ) portrayal as 塔塔罗...

In early March, mum attended the International Women's Day celebration that was jointly organized by the DBKL, the Seputeh constituency, and Taman Desa Resident's Association. Located at the commuity center, among the activities lined up were health checks, cancer screenings, aerobics, and some talks. The queues were quite long, so we went to the nearby Bakeroni Cafe for breakfast. I remember the place from when I started working at Faber Towers some twenty years ago. The lady boss was a real nagger. And too bad the coffee tasted just like hot water. Went home to freshen up after lunch to meet up with KH for his birthday celebration. He looked handsome in a floral batik shirt ( the older he gets, the more he favours loud prints ). Before dinner, we had coffee and cincalok fried chicken ( one of his guilty pleasures ) at Yunshu Coffee . The dinner venue was at Checkers , that was recommended by Janvier yonks ago. When we arrived, we found a party of ten in the restaurant. The g...

Some months back, we bought some early bird tickets to Van Gogh Alive at Pavilion Bukit Jalil. After Chap Goh Meh, we just tried our luck to walk-in, and luckily we managed to get in. The exhibition is basically a multimedia art installation of the life and works of Vincent Van Gogh. Through the use of high tech projectors, we were able to see how his art evolved over the years together with his mental state. There were also some physical exhibitions, like a mock up of his "Bedroom in Arles", and also a field of sunflowers which he was so fascinated with. Although it happened more than a year ago, but I still remember that I showed my black face to KH for being a lacklustre Instagram hubby. Hmmph! 

February 1st is Federal Territory Day, a holiday which commemorates the transfer of Kuala Lumpur to the control of the Federal Government. Prior to 1974, Kuala Lumpur was under the governance of the Selangor State Government. KH and I took the opportunity to paktor  at Petaling Street, the historic heart of Kuala Lumpur. Had no idea about lunch options, so we were lucky that the lady boss from Wu Li Tou Drunken Clam Noodles was very persuasive. The stir-fried noodles were quite flavourful with decent wok qi .  The restaurant was at Jalan Sultan, just a stone's throw away from REXKL, the old Rex Theatre. The theatre was rejuvenated into community and arts hub, and also houses a very Instagram-able BookXcess. The place has the feel of a bookstore maze. There's a food court on the ground floor, with some hipster cafes as well. Further down the road, we found a tong sui shop with some great options called Zhaoji Desserts . The ginger milk pudding comes with a mini hourglass to t...

Sixteen years together is no easy feat. Although KH and I had already spent so many years together, we can still say silly things to each other. Poke fun at each other about subjects that have origins from when we started dating. Our inside jokes. Does it mean that we have not progressed? I would like to think that we still maintain the same innocent love that we have for each other. To mark the occasion, we had a wonderful lunch at Entier French Dining located in Alila Bangsar. We had a table with a view, and the natural light really makes the food porn photos pop. A memorable dining experience complete with anniversary cake compliments of the restaurant.  Mei and MiniMei were in town, so we took the opportunity to catch up with them at Chye Seng Foo Coffee in Cheras. Perhaps MiniMei was exhausted from all the social events that her momma dragged her too, so she was a bit sulky. Nothing a little bacon fries couldn't solve. With Mei, she updated us on her situationship and life b...

With not much planned for the day, we had a leisurely breakfast buffet at the hotel, and later did some exploring of the grounds. One could really wear a tuxedo with pin tails, pair it with a top hat and walking stick, and not look out of place at The Majapahit. But then, you could be mistaken for a poltergeist. My favourite spot is the Cafe 1910 with its grand stained glass windows, and antique furnishing. Too bad we didn't have time for the pool.  Later in the morning, we took a Grab to Masjid Cheng Hoo , a Chinese-Muslim mosque that looks like a Taoist temple with its red Pagoda-like design. Its namesake is Admiral Cheng Ho, who had traveled to the  Malay Archipelago to trade and spread Islam. The mosque is actually pretty small and located behind a basketball court ( many Chinese temples in villages also have a basketball court ), so we were quite baffled when the Grab driver told us that we had arrived. Finished looking around in less than 30 minutes, and we were off to R...

At midnight, Pak Sulaiman drove us out to Paltuding , which is the nearest stop to the Ijen crater. For 2 hours he navigated pitch dark roads, while we dozed in and out of sleep at the backseat. Unlike Bromo, there isn't much decent infrastructure in the vicinity of Ijen, hence tourists have to stay at Bondowoso.  Everyone would wait at the many waroeng s near the carpark, sipping thick local coffee. Met up with our local guide who gave us a couple of 3M respirator masks, and headlamps for our impending trek into the sulphur fumes of Ijen. The hike up was 4KM over a tarred road. Our guide knew every bend of the road, and would update us about how easy or difficult the upcoming stretch was. Such intimate knowledge was picked up from his decades of mining sulphur in Ijen. His shoulders are scarred from carrying 70kg baskets of sulphur in and out of the crater daily. If your legs fail you, you cam pay to use modified carts ( the locals call it 'medicine for the knees' ) that t...

Pak Sulaiman navigated a slew of dark and winding roads to get us to Bromo. Lots of hotels and amenities in the area. The altitude is high, and its so cold that we could see our breath. Our guide is actually from thereabouts. Checked in to the Cafe Lava Hostel at dinner time. Lugged our luggage up a steep flight of stairs, jumped into the shower with its gas powered water heater, and put on our warmest jammies. Sauntered down to the hotel's cafe for a simple dinner of vegetable soup and coffee. Wake up call was at 2:30AM where there was a line of jeeps waiting to take tourists to Bromo to catch the sunrise. At around 3:40 AM, we arrived at a rest area with a lot warungs . Sitting on low stools, we huddled around a small charcoal hearth to keep warm. A lady served us banana fritters and hot coffee. While waiting for the cue to go, we chatted with a Malaysia couple who were in the same warung . Although I was pissed with Batik Air for transit fiasco,  the couple had it way worse with...

Woke up puffy-eyed and sleepy for breakfast at 6:00 AM. Finally had a good view of the surroundings at Yanti Homestay. The place is a cluster of rooms with common areas and a warung at the front. After our simple breakfast of a sandwich, omelette, and weak coffee, Pak Sulaiman met up with us with a clove cigarette in hand. One look at the shoes that we were wearing, he shook his head and told us to change into slippers. Together with a local guide, we walked a short distance to the Tumpak Sewu viewing deck. In the Javanese language, Tumpak Sewu means "a thousand waterfalls", and it's really breathtaking. Water flows down 120 meters over a semi-circular gorge with Mount Semeru in the background.   The real adventure began with our descent to the foot of the falls.  One would think that such a beautiful nature spot would be under the governance of park authorities, but in actual fact it's all maintained by locals. The path down was a mixture of trails, bamboo paths, r...

Remember my cancelled trip to Danang due to well-timed cyclone? To make up for that, KH arranged a trip to Surabaya at the end of November. The itinerary included waterfalls, and volcanoes. Nothing too strenuous he assured me. The night before our departure, KH notified me of some bad news. Surely it wasn't another cyclone! Batik Air had chopped our direct flight to Surabaya into a transit at Jakarta! Because of that, our arrival would be late, making our schedule a little more hectic. The check-in queue at the airport wasn't too bad. And there was small consolation of a check-in cutie in my line of sight. Tall Thai boy from the looks of it. Pretty good leg room on the Batik Air flight, and we were given a cheese bun, and a muffin. At 4PM+7, we landed at Terminal 3 of Soekarno Hatta International Airport. Thinking back, it was 19 years since my last visit, and that terminal didn't exist back then. Pretty large and empty, and for some reason the airport authority has a th...