will i am's delayed diary

In early March, the general populace was still very cautious about traveling although most COVID restrictions had been loosened. KH jumped on the opportunity and got us a couple of flight tickets to Sabah. A mere RM300 for MAS return tickets. At the boarding gate, I realized something strange~ our fellow passengers were lugging around large plastic bags of bread! Did a quick check on Google and this headline popped up:  "Did You Know Gardenia Products are Sold For Almost 3x the Price in Sabah and Sarawak?"  No wonder. But still, I didn't verify this fact while I was in Sabah. While boarding, a Sabahan made small talk with a tourist who was planning to explore the whole state in 3 weeks. She was obviously amused. We cleared immigration using our NRIC. I stuffed the white immigration slip deep into my wallet because losing it is a big hassle. KKIA was pretty quiet, and some areas of the arrival hall wasn't well-lit. The first thing we had to do was collect our car from ...

Flip Off Fred was spotted at Old Malaya Cafe , Aurora Place ( nothing special here ). The unique way he holds his smartphone might be an indication of what he likes. Haha. Do you hold your phone like Flip Off Fred? 

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! 

Been noticing something weird about my car: Musty smell Water droplets form easily on the interior glass surfaces On hot days, my glasses fog up the moment I get into the driver's seat Definitely a leak. The carpet on the driver's side was wet, so I inspected the rubber seals on the door. Couldn't detect anything wrong with it. In the end, I brought the car to a car accessories shop. The guy checked the boot instead and found signs of water seepage. He theorized that the water flowed from the boot to the front seat. That would explain why my experiments of drenching the car door didn't reveal any leaks. I asked him if he could fix it. From the way I hear it, he wants to charge me RM1,200 for cleaning the seats and carpets, removing any rust, and fix the leak ( if he can find it ). I'll take a raincheck on that. 

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...

For her birthday, SK requested for a trip to Genting. KH was the designated driver, and Lifebook joined us as well. Our first stop was Genting Premium Outlets. Business wasn't half bad as the crowds had started to return. It was a productive visit for SK ( no surprises here ), Lifebook ( no surprises here either ), and mum. The birthday girl settled her own birthday lunch. She made reservations at Sempah T-Farm , a private dining restaurant operating out of a farm located in the hills. The path up to the farm was lined with ginger plants, all sorts of creepers, and even waddling ducks. At the end of the path was al fresco dining area, with chickens running about, and dogs napping on the cool cement floor. And it was no surprise that there were photography spots to to take advantage of the rustic scenes.     The food came in courses, making use of fresh ingredients from the farm. The chicken soup and the prawn dish were my favourites. Some hits and misses, but overall, we ...

Every quarter, mum would visit her medical specialist for a follow-up. The clinic is located on the second floor, so she would have to climb up a couple of flight of stairs before registering at the counter. During registration, her blood pressure is also taken. Her blood pressure was high during the last visit, but I shrugged it off as a one-off thing. Unfortunately, it was the same during her subsequent visit. Wouldn't want to leave things to chance, so I brought her to a GP to check it out. The doctor diagnosed her as having hypertension, and started her on an initial dose of blood pressure medication. To start at age 76 is considered very lucky I guess. Also started monitoring her blood pressure at home to see if the medication is working. Mum had a perception that she could stop the medication after her blood pressure normalized. After a few rounds of explaining, she finally understood the medication wouldn't cure the root cause.