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...

The month of May is reserved for celebrating mum's birthday. In 2024, The Tribe brought my brother and mother on a road trip to Kuantan for makan-makan and visiting old friends. From the photos, it looks like mum had loads of fun at Sungai Lembing and Gunung Tapis. Very surprised that she managed to navigate the rocky terrain at the waterfall. Fantastic sunrise and 'sea of clouds' photos too.  I joined them later due to work commitments and spend some quality time with KH. Started our journey after noon and by 2PM we were at Mentakab. Made a short beverage stop at Rakutea, a bubble tea shop that no longer operates today. We arrived at Kuantan some time before 5PM, and were just in time for a yumcha session at Rasa Sayang Cafe with   the Y Tribe who are our Kuantan hosts. So many goodies on the table -- kopi , roti titab , pulut panggang , tebosa , mango cheesecake, toasted kaya bun, and  kuih ketayap.  The best thing is, dinner ain't gonna be light.  Acc...

The Year of the Dragon was the first year that mum didn't cook reunion dinner. Instead of slogging in the kitchen, together with SK, we ate at Rinjin Shokudo , Bukit Jalil. The Japanese restaurant offered special dinner sets complete with lou sang loaded with salmon sashimi. The rest of the food came mostly from their regular menu with some special add-ons like fresh oysters. No need to stress about cooking and cleaning.  The first day of the lunar calendar was celebrated at church with a special mass. Unlike the other zodiac animals, the dragon is shunned so it's not used in the decorations. The most tiring mass in the whole year, having to deal with all the people who do not balik kampung  or are already in their kampung and the 3,800 mandarin oranges that needed distribution. Fun fact: KH helped out with the mandarin oranges preparation, removing the packaging and picking out the bad ones.  CNY lunch we had at De.Wan , BSC. Was so glad to plop myself on the cushioned...

Finally, it's 2024 at Will.I.Am! On the first day of 2024, Sam ( KH's art lecturer friend ) invited us to participate in the Alfa University College New Year Art Jam event. For 14 years running Alfa University College had invited people from all walks of life to create folk art revolving around the Chinese zodiac. In the afternoon, we went up to Alfa University College at SS15. A bunch of people were already there huddled in the only room with air-conditioning switched on. Before we officially started, Sam gave a briefing on the project, and what we should do. The project is actually a composite mural made up of many A3 sheets. The idea is to get many different individuals to complete each sheet with their own style and creativity. Congruency is not required at all. Mum, Big Monster, KH and I worked on our sheets with various degrees of speed. Art supplies were provided, and in addition to the usual paints and inks, we also worked with mixed media like red packets and bits of q...

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 ...

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 ...

In anticipation to our Bali pilgrimage tour, mum had to renew her international passport. Photo studios are now few and far in between. Found one in Happy Garden, just half a shop really, but the guy was good. The amount of photo editing he did was impressive. Stray hairs, asymmetrical face, earrings, deep wrinkles, all did not survive his Photoshop selection tool. That night we started a series of makan-makan to celebrate the May Babies-- mum and Little Monster. First it was House of Petai with its 'vomit beans' in every single dish, and its singing chef. Second was a shabu-shabu buffet at Wagyumore because Little Monster liked the spaghetti at the salad bar. Mind-blown. Third was Euro Deli  which was also right up Little Monster's alley. Let the kids try some lager, and they didn't like it!  

On the second day of Year of the Rabbit, we made a trip to Bagan Sungai Burung to visit my maternal cousins. Did the usual visiting at the fishing village. For the first time ever, my cousin brought us to the nearby beach. The mind-blowing thing was that it was just a stone's throw from the old house. Just a short walk. Guess we never went there because it isn't a particularly beautiful beach. The government fortified it with stones to stop erosion. According to my cousin, its popular for wedding photography among the Malay community. That beach is close to the estuary of the Bernam River, so once in a while there would be tourists waving to us on their boats. Being a fresh spot, we took quite a number of photos. Would have taken more if not for the sweltering sun.  With the touristy things out of the way, it was time for a hearty home style seafood hotpot. Anticipating our arrival, my cousin laid crab traps at two in the morning, and brought home loads of flower crabs when the...

2022's All Soul's Day trip happened on the 29th of October. In a departure from past years, we did not have breakfast at Lorong Maharani, but went to Kedai Kopi Ah Wah instead. Lorong Maharani has already declined to a state where there's not much to eat there anymore. But we still go there to buy Nasi Kunyit for dad. Also stopped by the wet market to get flowers.  Years of rain and shine had eroded the gold paint on dad's tombstone, so we had a touch up this year in addition to the regular grave sweeping, incensing, and prayer recitals. The weather was so hot during the end of October that we actually hid in a Starbucks for a couple of hours. Once we had cooled down, we headed to my maternal uncle's place. Big Monster was elated that my uncle had miku in stock. Lastly, we visited my paternal aunt, and by that time, the kids were already depleted. Before leaving Teluk Intan, BIL suggested that we make a stop at Glutton Square for the famous yutiao at Stall 52 ....

Early the next morning, Mei followed KH and I to Church of St. Henry ( St. Henry the Exuberant, Holy Roman Emperor ) for 9:00 AM mass. Her last visit to the Catholic church was during her godmother's funeral. Many years had passed in between. The architecture of the church is really quite unique, with a bell tower rising in the middle. Frankly, reminds me of a surau. The congregation was small and very friendly. Coincidentally, the parish priest was celebrating his 60th birthday, and we were invited to join in the fellowship. As we had plans to eat with Mei's parents, we politely declined. Breakfast was at Sin Tian Tee Food Court , but Mei also bought a packet from dry duck noodles from Restoran Ledang for us to try. Super spicy, and I don't have any recollection on the taste of the famous braised duck.   Our tour of Batu Pahat continued with the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, a grand historical building in the middle of town. All white with beautiful balconies and balustrad...

Mum's pilgrimage buddies from East Malaysia planned a trip to Cameron Highlands, and she joined them. KH and I took the opportunity to go on a little road trip of our own. Batu Pahat was our choice I had never been there ( KH went there with some guy years ago ), and it was a great opportunity to visit Mei and MiniMei. Before leaving KL, we had breakfast at Cotta , Bukit Damansara. Perhaps you can guess that their specialty is ricotta cheese. The owner's morning energy was a little painful for me to watch, even with a long black in hand.   The drive to Batu Pahat was pretty smooth, but we were a bit spooked by a route that Google Maps chose for us-- a single lane road with palm oil trees all around. Our timing was pretty good because her class had just ended when we arrived at her doorstep. She gave us a short tour, and she drove us out to lunch at Kampung Segenting, a fishing village nearby. Parked outside, and walked in. The main attraction here is the Lover's Bridge, whi...