will i am's delayed diary

At the end of 2022. my neighbour's daughter got married, so mum and I received an invitation to their wedding reception. Been a while since I've been to a Malay wedding, and I must say that times have changed. Back when I was a kid, the typical Malay kenduri ( banquet ) was not done in a buffet fashion. Guests dined in quads, where when four guests sat down together at a long table, food would be served. Following the theme, there would be four dishes with a washing jug in the middle ( food tastes better when you eat with your hands! ). Typical dishes are ayam masak merah , rendang daging , acar , and papadam . And of course there would be rice, usually nasi minyak . At my neighbour's wedding, some of the traditional dishes were present in the buffet spread,  but there were many added bonuses. like an apam balik station, cendol station,  curry noodles station, and  roti jala.  Also the traditional door gift of bunga telur  ( hard-boiled egg decorated like a fl...

Most of my neighbours love cats. There are five cats living with my immediate neighbour. Each cat has a different demeanour. Today I am going to talk about Nek, an alley cat that my neighbour rescued. At first, he told me that he would send it to Pasar Borong Serdang, but in end he adopted Nek. Recently, Nek found a liking to exploring rooftops. Nek would slip out from a second floor window and jump to the other houses. But there's a catch, the houses are on a slope, so the roofs are not level. So when the silly cat jumps to a house on a different level, it can't return. Nek would start meowing in the most pitiful way to catch the attention of its owner. My neighbour would then have to mount a rescue operation by dragging a ladder to my porch. Unfortunately, the rescue is not so straightforward. Instead of running to the arms of its rescuer, Nek would run away! My neighbour would have to make several attempts to lure Nek with its favourite food or favourite toy. When my neighbo...

Woke up bright and early on Saturday morning to have wantan noodles at Kong Kee . Mum decided not to go to OUG that day, so just grabbed a few items from the grocery stores in Puncak Jalil. On the way back home, stopped by at the playground where mum's friends were resting after their morning jog. Here's what transpired: Neighbour: So good that your son drives you around. My son is still sleeping! Moi: If you want, you can tumpang my car next time. Neighbour: Good, good. But I wish my son would be like you. So good. Still not yet have girlfriend ah? Go after my daughter la! Although someone is wooing her, I'll put in a good word for you! Moi: .................................. My mother just changed the topic. Phew. At noon, we went out to have lunch at Nihon-Kai . It was a full house that afternoon with a family even dining out on the pavement in the heat wave. Gratitude joined us. It was good as we had not had a proper meet up in months. He paid for lunch. Alw...

CDM , swiped from williamnyk on Flickr. Received a wedding invitation from a neighbour in Kuantan for their eldest son's wedding. Old colleague's of my dad back in the civil service. Very good people who were there when we needed them. After my dad had passed away when I was seventeen, they consoled us. Since they were a Catholic family, they helped a lot when my mum decided to learn more about my dad's faith. Arranged for her to join RCIA and brought her to church. The uncle tried his best to help me brush up my driving skills, but I did not force myself to drive until I was in KL in the face of crazy traffic. He also tried his level best to teach how to ride my dad's motorycle, but my spindly arms really couldn't even handle the weight of the machine, let alone ride it. Haha. Oh well. I remember when my mum went out of town, the auntie cooked me a huge meal. She brought it over in a hospital tray and it was filled to the brim with rice, vegetables, free-range ...