will i am's delayed diary

A trip to my hometown of Kuantan is not complete without sampling the exquisite Malay food. Breakfast was at the famous Nasi Kerabu Mekla , Permatang Badak with the Y Tribe. Always a great place for a large selection of traditional Malay delights. Then we were introduced to Slow Bar by Kopicat , a cafe operating out of an old wooden house along Jalan Alor Akar. The young baristas with their manual espresson machines make quite a mean cup of coffee.  With our bellies full, it was time to visit the goldsmith. Quite a tradition to buy gold from the shop owned by the Y Tribe due to their honesty and competitive pricing. Mum would always gather her loose or unwanted items for a trade-in. Hours would go by browsing the selection of chains, rings, lockets, and charms. In the end, we found something for Mother's Day.  KH and I slipped away later in the afternoon for a paktor session at The Rolling Dough , a cafe located in the Alor Akar neighbourhood, very near to where I used to stay...

FYI, Toast Maker Kota Kemuning hires young Chinese boys ( Roshan Melwani's voice rings in my head ). Not sure if there's plenty of consent though. Haha. 

Back at Terrance and Phillip's Christmas party , KH and I got to know Drake and Ken who extended an invitation to us to enjoy some Klang delights. We finally gathered on Raya Pertama to celebrate the start of Syawal with steaming bowls of BKT at Samy -- Drake's favourite. Although it was the HQ, it wasn't my 'bowl of tea'. Obviously we did not have enough tea at breakfast and continued with another round at Midoree Matcha . This tea specialty shop is quite a find with its super zen atmosphere. Ordered the Japanese ceremonial tea but it wasn't a good choice for a long yumcha session because it was only a few sips worth.  After the cafe session, we made a short stop at Drake's home which turned out to be a mini zoo of sorts. The moment we walked through the front porch with its wisteria-like arch, we were greeted by dragon chickens and even a baby peacock in the various cages. In the living room, we were introduced to his mu...

Charcoal rose latte with a kouign amman seems like a good combination for tea time, but that wasn't the case at TOGO Bukit Jalil. The chewy pastry and bland coffee was only bearable due to the appearance of twinky couple of ah boys ( as SimonLover would so affectionately call them ) who busied themselves taking photos the whole time I was there. I wonder if they are as diligent taking photos in the bedroom.

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...

The old man with the cute corgi whom I visited a month earlier passed away peacefully at his home. Mum and I attended the funeral mass. When we arrived at church on Saturday morning, a pair of newly-weds had just finished their wedding mass. Before they cleared off completely, the casket was already being pushed into the church. Life and death, side by side. Mum followed the family members to Xiao En Memorial Park for the cremation, but I didn't join. Lunch boxes were compliments of the earlier wedding since there were lots of leftovers.   Joined KH to meet his boi boi friend at  Hide and Seek Coffee . The cafe is unmarked, and you need to be buzzed in. Pretty much an art space with coffee and cake. Neither do they have a proper menu, nor a cash register. The boi boi had just finished his internship and was job hunting. A regular at Chin Woo swimming pool, he has a lot of interesting locker room stories.  JJ invited us to to Bunny's birthday dinner, but we had a cou...

On Labour Day, KH and I ventured to Sushiya at Mont Kiara. The meal was expensive and we didn't leave feeling satisfied. Went down to the nearby 163 Retail Park for coffee at Whisk . Met up with KH's friend there. Halfway through our coffee, I went to the counter to order a slice of cake. The girl at the counter handed me the carrot cake in a box, and told me that it was on the house.   "There wouldn't be anyone to eat it tomorrow anyway." Actually I was oblivious to the fact that the Keeper of the Rulers' Seal had declared that Hari Raya Puasa was the next day, a day earlier than what was stated in the calendar. From experience, Raya was celebrated on the 2nd day of the lunar calendar, so it wasn't a complete surprise to me. The staff ( who were all Malay ) were already busy closing up, and there was a similar commotion outside as well. People were rushing home for Raya preparations, or to prepare to travel back to their hometowns.  Abnormal traffic was ...

On the exact date of KH's birthday, we still met up although it was a work day. A simple dinner at a nearby cafe  just to mark the occasion. And of course with a slice of cake thrown in. But no present for him. Bwahaha. Is this what happens to  old married couples ? The coming Saturday, we went for a nice dinner at Azeta Kitchen in Bangsar. A really quiet restaurant in Bangsar. Enjoyed the modern Italian cuisine there, and server was really friendly. Took us a while to get our heads around the mix-and-match course menu, but I think we found the sweet spot. Half way through the amuse-bouche and the cold cuts platter, we were practically full. Even so, we braved the dessert menu and had the server bring us a deconstructed panna cotta ( my brother would roll his eyes ). Whatever the case, it was delicious! 

COVID was seemingly getting better, so mum, KH, and I went to get our much delayed annual body check ups done at a clinic at Taman Equine. No red flags from the resting ECG ( just some love bites on my chest ) and abdominal ultrasound. Would have to wait a few days for the blood work to come back. Finally went to the pet shop to get some fishes for the water hyacinth outside. Needed the fish to be hardy, can survive without a water filter, and suitable under the sun. Got some guppy-like fishes in red and yellow. According to the owner of the shop, business was much better during the MCO because people who were cooped up found more time for hobbies like Betta fish and aquarium landscaping.  March is KH's month. Arranged a pre-birthday celebration in Kepong. Being too early for our dinner appointment, we loitered at a nearby cafe called KAPE . Very popular with the young crowd. I was happy with their RM8 Americano. Our dinner appointment was upstairs, a Peruvian Japanese restaurant c...

With just a few days to go before the Lunar Chinese New Year, SimonLover organized a little get together with ForIHaveSinned, TummyFull, Alanic, Khatijah, KH, and I. He suggested Awesome Canteen at Taman Paramount. Interesting stuff on the menu, e.g. Tomato Brown Rice Saikoro Steak, and Suzuki Curry Risotto. The Yu Sheng was good too, to my surprise. Well-executed and refreshing. Khatijah ditched us right after dinner, and we went looking for a suitable place for coffee. Much disappointment later, we ended up at Tujoh . The six of us took the long table after they shoo-ed us away from the 'TV Courtyard' area. The moment we got settled down, we heard a loud "Bang"! At the end of the table was a laser printer, and a Microsoft Surface that was on it committed suicide. The staff just came over without saying anything and started banging things on the table. Well, excuse us!  < TIGHT SHORTS + BARE THIGHS > Much of the night's conversation revolved around 14...

It was a Friday night, and KH and I were out in a cafe in Bukit Jalil. Spotted these two young'ns behind the counter. Boys have such unique sense of style these days. What conversation do you think the Barista Babes are having? Hope to see an interesting exchange in the comments section. :D. And can you guess which cafe?

Morning walks are usually uneventful. On a lucky morning, I may spot a cutie in sexy sports gear. But it was a bizarre morning at Taman Saujana Hijau because there were a whole bunch of Genshin Impact cosplayers at the European gazebo. No cuties, unfortunately. In the afternoon, KH brought me out for a cafe-hopping expedition in Cheras. Started out at Poppy Kat , a croffle joint on the second floor of a shop lot. Painted floors and tiled walls give it an old school charm. For some reason, both their staff sport the same haircut, and wear the same type of oversized Ts. The Jalapeno ham croffle didn't impress, but the Sitrus Black did. The latter is a cold long black with a good balance of citrus zest. Right at the end of the lot is a single-storey house that was converted into a cafe called Ah Gong House . Probably really someone's grandfather's house as the name implies. Prior reservation is required, but we were lucky enough to be allowed to walk in. Very homey, with the ...

Always one to grab opportunities, KH turned my last working day into a paktor session. He picked me up and sent me to the office. After I was done with all the formalities, he brought me out for coffee at Bean Brothers . While sipping my long black, and enjoying my chocolate roulade, I composed the customary farewell e-mail. KH took one look at it and disapproved! A bit too fake lo. Try again. Hehe. Ran a few drafts past KH, and finally sent out a semi-fake version. Done! A surreal feeling to have finally left my first job. A long 'detox' session would have been beneficial before I started my new role, but I didn't have the luxury. I was to report to work on the coming Monday!  

JJ asked for a dinner meet-up with KH and I. KH thought long and hard on where to eat. In the end, he decided on So Cute , a Taiwanese restaurant in Sri Petaling. And since Sri Petaling is more challenging than usual a destination, SimonLover came along with JJ and Bunny in the same car. Reviewers on Google Maps kept complaining on the restaurants hideous interior, but many praised the food. Personally, the interior was fine, but the food sucked. Hated my bowl of spicy beef noodles with its weird texture and 'powdery' soup. Bunny took a long time to order, and in the end the pork that he ordered was too spicy for him. Since the food was so bad, it didn't bother us when Bunny described the sewage problem at his condo. The main sewage line burst at his unit, and the effluent marinated his floor a couple of weeks before the management office notified him. A home owner's horror story.  For after dinner drinks, we gave JJ a choice of bubble tea, yoghurt drink, and soy bean j...

The second Wednesday of March was KH's 40th birthday. I took a day off to spend time with him on his special day. Started the day off with some fooling around at home. He was turned on by my choice of a STUD jockstrap. Turning 40 didn't dampen his libido as well. After that rare jockstrap sex session, we went to Aurora Place to collect my multi-focals. Handed over my spectacles to the optician and waited for him to switch the lenses. Fifteen minutes later, he came out with bad news. He had cut the lenses, and fitted the left lens. While trying to complete the job, the right side cracked! Ack. He scrambled to find a similar frame and thank goodness that the first pair he picked out was a perfect fit, and I actually liked the design. Phew! The frame was complimentary. By the time everything was settled, it was already time for late lunch.  My hubby is a big Penang Char Kway Teow junkie, so didn't mind going somewhere far for a good plate of it. We drove all the way to Sungai ...

Made a date with Mei and MiniMei at T42 ( a cafe which is known for their leicha ), Bukit Jalil. MiniMei had just learned finger knitting and couldn't wait to show off her new skill. She made a bunch of bracelets for all of us to choose from. So sweet of her. Apollo, mum, and SK, also tried their hand at it since Mei brought lots of yarn with her.  In the evening, SK treated dinner at De.Wan 1958 . With many businesses losing money and revenue, her industry continued to do well because of the increased demand for cleaning agents. Hence she got bonus money to spend! Lifebook, Bless, Apollo, and KH also joined us. SK actually enquired if it was possible to get a private room. According to the staff, there's a minimum order of MYR2,000. Although the prices at De.Wan are higher than average for Malay cuisine, I really don't see how anyone can spend so much money there when there's no alcohol. Assuming that the most expensive main is beef rendang at MYR70 per portion, it wo...

During the final week of December, I was still clearing my annual leave. There were less problems to attend to because a lot of the customers and resellers were also clearing their annual leave. On one such peaceful day, KH and I had a nice afternoon delight. Once we were done basking in the afterglow of sex, we headed out to The Sherry for a spot of coffee. Ever since this cafe popped up ( rather quickly might I add ) on that quiet residential corner, it had been a hub of activity. At any given time, you can spot customers roaming around the front posing for photos. It's kinda nice, but NOT THAT nice. The owners have a thing for using dried plants for decorations. Better feng shui than the previous Chinese restaurant.  Although it was a weekday afternoon, the place was full. We took the last table for two. The long black was decent, but the flourless chocolate cake was too sweet for me.  While I was there, I ordered GrabFood dinner. Most of my Grab rewards vouchers were exp...