will i am's delayed diary

My father had only one elder brother. Perhaps if my grandfather didn't 'vanish' during the Japanese occupation, they would have had more siblings. While growing up, spending Chinese New Year with my cousins in Teluk Intan was a highlight of the year. Once a year, we would make the 8-hour journey from Kuantan ( no highway back then ). In the family, I was the youngest, so I would tag along my elder cousins for fun and games. Back then, it was a whole lot of fun with Moon Travelers, Thunder King, King Cat, and other fireworks. When indoors, it would be hide and seek, and perhaps a game of carom. Sometimes they would bring me a long for a bowl of lai fun or the famous chu cheong fun . Among my cousin brothers, the second eldest was called Starry. He was the most artistic of the lot, and eventually started his own business dealing with events and advertising with his wife. They had two beautiful daughters, but somewhere down the road, their marriage failed, and his business su...

Received sad news that The Chief's mother had passed away. Took half the day off to attend the wake at Gui Yuan Crematorium and Funeral Hall. Before we went to the wake, met up Gratitude at Pokok KL Cafe for brunch first. My first time going into MAHSA College actually. SK and I entered through some service entrance located near the restrooms, and it turned out that we bypassed all the Covid checkpoints. LOL. Had to backtrack. Pokok KL is really like a greenhouse. Lots of natural light. We shared a nasi lemak , Caesar salad, and baked eggs. Decent food, but it can get really crowded, so go early. Surveyed the place a little, and found that in general, MAHSA College is very Instagram-able. Every strategic corner is designed for a photo-op with decorations and props. In the upper floors, one can find a nail salon, a soap boutique, a florist, a cafe, and some misc. shops.   When we arrived at the wake, the first day of Buddhist ceremony was ongoing. During the break, we had the ...

   On Sunday morning, saw a sad post from my mum's friend on Facebook. It was an obituary for her ( mum's friend ) mother. Right after church and lunch, we made our way to Nirvana Memorial Centre to pay our last respects. At the lift lobby, I tried to find old lady's name in the parlour directory, but I wasn't successful. Going through the Facebook post again, I realized that we were at the wrong Nirvana! Gosh. Didn't know that there's a newer building at Bukit Seputeh, near the Kwong Tong Cemetery. The place is called Nirvana Life Centre. Since it was newer, it was also more posh. Many hotels don't even look half as good. Luxurious, with premium materials and workmanship. Mum's friend wasn't there as she was still out of the country. Didn't matter as mum knew a few of her siblings anyway. Turns out that the old lady choked on her breakfast... After a short prayer, chat, and a cup of black coffee, we left. Rest in peace, Aunty.

Out of the blue, my sister and BIL went on a trip to Bangkok, and left the kids with mum and I. The amount of activities the kids have on the weekends are really astounding. On Fridays morning ( Awal Muharram ), we woke up at 7:00 AM to get Big Monster ready for his drama class. Once we dropped him at school, we dragged Little Monster to the wet market. He was kinda attracted to the sights and sounds, but he quickly complained that he had walked too much. I asked mum what she wanted for breakfast, and she suggested Cha Wala at Pearl Point. We parked at Pearl Shopping Gallery, thinking that we could use the link bridge, but it was way too early. Since the shutters were still down, we had to trudge back down and cross Jalan Sepadu. Found the stall at the food court, but it wasn't open for some reason. Ack. Dragged ourselves back to Pearl Shopping Gallery and ate at the only place that was open for business-- Take Eat Easy ( their kitchen opens at 8:30 AM ). We had the cafe all...

Mum bought a pair of chili red pants from Ms. Read, Midvalley last week but she suddenly decided that she did not like the colour. So after mass, we braved the horrible traffic jam around Midvalley Ring Road and inside the parking lot to make an exchange. By the time we got in, it was already 1:30pm. Walked out of the elevator near Yuzu only to receive SK's message that she was there with Gratitude. Since we had not eaten, mum and I decided to gatecrash their party. Turns out that they were in a private room with TZ, Evan, Bear and Pikey! I shared a cha soba and nigiri sushi set with mum. Was quite filling. The conversation was primarily about the CSL-LGE debate. LOL. Didn't tarry as we were rushing for time. Quickly got the brown pants and left for home. By the time we reached home, it was already half past three and that meant that we were thirty minutes late for my neighbour's daughther's third birthday party! Sis, BIL and Cyan had also arrived already. Wrapped u...