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...

If memory serves, the last time POD and Nic were in town was in 2010  to visit a friend who was unwell. Fast-forward 2024, they were in Kuala Lumpur for a happier reason-- POD's brother was getting married. Rather than the infamous Federal Hotel, they upgraded to DoubleTree by Hilton this time round. Met up with them at the lobby and walked over to our dinner venue at De.Wan , The LINC KL. Both of them looked well, and it was always never dull talking to POD. Always some travel stories and drama to share, especially with new in-laws in the picture. In terms of food, we all agreed that the Ayam Buah Keluak was delicious. As the night progressed, the conversation naturally touched on aches and pains and blurry vision. Hope to see them again soon. 

Tater was in town again and staying at his usual hotel in Bukit Bintang, so KH and I moved our Saturdate to the heart of Kuala Lumpur. The ramen at Tabushi was underwhelming and the only memorable thing about the whole meal was a weirdo who sat beside us. His meal was groceries from Isetan Food Market. He started with a banana, and when it came to the blueberries, he ate them directly out of box like a puppy. KH nearly choked on his ramen. Our first cafe stop was at Kita Coffee hidden somewhere in Fahrenheit 88. Took us some serious navigation to find it. When it was time to meet up with Tater, KH just fell flat right in front steps of Uniqlo Bukit Bintang. I suspect that it's due to his flat feet. Helped him limp all the way to Westin where Tater requested housekeeping for some ice cubes to ice his knee. We started with a yumcha session at CHICHA San Chen , Pavilion KL. The place was so messy and dirty, not recommended at all. When dinner time cam...

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...

March is the season of Lent and also the celebration month for KH's birthday. Birthday eve lunch was with JadedJeremy BunnyBan, QueerRanter-D and his boyfriend. A triple date of sorts. Right before the lunch, I had come from a funerary training at church which touched on emotional subjects on grieving, acceptance and moving on. On the practical aspect, the session also explained about the funeral mass with Xiao En Memorial Park providing a full setup including a casket!  Pretty subpar food at the fusion Japanese restaurant - Fugu . Stuff like charcoal soba with goma dressing and sashimi have no right to exist. After a coffee break at Provisions , we had a chance meeting with Lewky and his mum. His mum exclaimed that we should swing by more often. In truth, the old gang had changed dynamics and formed separate, smaller cliques. From then onwards, it was just the two of us. The teatime stop at Nichole's was quite memorable because we were serv...

Chap Goh Meh Year of the Dragon started of with a late lunch at Ni Kizoku  in the old part of town. The quaint restaurant reminded me of western style cafes in Japan. Pretty food presentation with hits and misses. Couldn't brain the Ram-bu-tan cocktail which they served me at room temperature. Although the streets were sweltering, we still did a bit of exploring at Jalan Sultan. Didn't take us long to stop for iced coffee at Stellar Coffee though.  To escape the heat, we boarded the MRT to The Exchange TRX . My virgin visit. Just another mall really. The only thing that interested KH was the hamachi sashimi at Seibu . Gathered at a friend's house for a potluck to celebrate the end of the lunar new year. A fun group of people who meet once or twice a year. A few days later, mum and I helped put with Seputeh Parliamentary district level Chap Goh Meh celebration. We were responsible for the 'tang yuan' stall at Salak Sou...

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...

2024 marks the seventeenth year KH and I declared our love for each other. After 17 years together, KH is so much better at sensing my mood, but he is still clueless as to what triggers me. After 17 years, KH has resigned to the fact that he is the planner, and I am the spouse who 'just turns up'. After 17 years together, there's no need to fight over who 'right', or who has the last say. Being together should be simple and joyful. Just enjoying each other's company, and being comfortable enough to show our weakness, and being silly around each other. 2024's celebration was on Hari Wilayah, and well into pre-CNY season. During the day, I brought mum to the Balik Kampung Fest that was held at Pavilion Bukit Jalil's Piazza. A pretty well-thought out event highlighting the many new villages around Selangor, combining arts, history and culture through a socio-economic lens. Each new village had their own 'pavilion' to tell their story, each with a ...

Sea, surf, and sand holidays are not my cup of tea, so it's no surprise that I had never visited the island of Phuket. The hiao trip had been planned in the last quarter of 2023 with KH, Simon Lover, and ForIHaveSinned. It required me to take only 1 day of leave across the Thaipusam weekend. In my current job, annual leave is very precious as I only have twelve days a year. Please donate me some if you're feeling generous. Packing was done pretty last minute, and you won't believe the amount of skimpy items that I brought. Well, you know, to counter the hot Island weather.  On the day of departure, I left my home at 6AM via GrabCar and met up with the boys at KLIA. Purposely avoided AirAsia due to their recent reputation for flight delays and cancellations. Put our money in Malaysia Airlines. The Aerotrain was still out of service so we took the bus to the terminal. The little time to burn we had to burn before boarding time we spent at the newly-renovated Plaza Premium Lo...

Saturdays were usually reserved for cafe-hopping with KH. He brought me to Yasumi , a cafe that didn't look like a cafe. Even the signboard was non-existent, except for a narrow plank at the entrance scrawled with artliner. The past life of that shoplot was retained as here were glass display cabinets that reminded me of stationery shop from my childhood. And the white-tiled bathroom was so very reminiscent of what I grew up with, down to the water tub and the hole in the wall that allowed for two rooms to be lit at the same time.  Later in the afternoon, we had massage sessions at Relax Two Brickfields which was operated by the blind. Would have enjoyed the massage more if the masseuse didn't use that massage stick on my feet. Really hate that. Lots of interesting and old buildings near the massage place. The Sree Veera Hanuman Temple is an ornate place of workship dedicated to the Hindu monkey god and it even features a pair of Sun Wu Kong statues flanking the entrance.  ...