will i am's delayed diary

Keeping with my BEC's tradition, Malaysia Day is reserved for our local pilgrimage trip. In 2023, we chose Teluk Intan as our destination. On our way out of Kuala Lumpur, we flew past the famous broccoli-like Giam Kanching trees over the Rawang Bypass and stopped at Kuala Kubu Bharu. We participated in a Malaysia Day mass at St. Paul the Apostle Church , a parish that's as old as Malaya. Fr. VA Michael celebrated the mass, and after that he gave our group a special blessing. On the way out, our bus got caught on a telephone line. Luckily we got hold of some long poles and managed to get ourselves out of the kerfuffle.  Continuing on, we had a short photo stop at Sungai Selangor Dam  before arriving at Church of the Most Holy Redeemer , Tanjung Malim for a private mass. The celebrant was Fr. Vincent Paul. We were a tad late for lunch, but luckily Ban Heong was not far from the church. No complaints about the food in terms of taste and portion.  Pushed on to Teluk Intan, a...

It's really no mean feat planning a holiday with friends-- getting everyone to agree on a time, place, and actually getting the flight tickets. KH, SimonLover, ForIHaveSinned, and I passed that phase-- we were going to Phuket during the Thaipusam weekend! Made a cafe date at Mimi Daifuku , and tried to tresh out some of the details. Being old school, ForIHaveSinned had a notebook with him on top of an iPad to organize his thoughts. In the end, I think we membawang-ed  more than any actual planning. LOL. But we were very sure of one thing-- we need a hotel room with private pool or something similar for our hiao photo sessions!

Before flying back to Malaysia, KH and I attended Sunday mass at Church of the Sacred Heart on Tank Road. The community is small enough that the priest actually blessed the September babies, parishioners who had wedding anniversaries, and couples who were trying to conceive during the announcements. The church has beautiful marble altars with intricate inlays, with two side altars dedicated to Mary and Joseph. Candles are lit high on the altar that the sacristan needs to use candle snuffer.  Made lunch plans with Tater at Maguro Brothers , Tras Street as KH is a big fan of expensive tuna. We were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food, and the friendliness of the service. KH was happy with the otoro-don, and maguro ribs was also perfectly grilled. With a little persuasion, the waitress got us drinking out of traditional masu cups. It was such a spectacle, that it influenced the adjacent table to do the same. Haha. And what does one do after getting a little tipsy on...

While we were out hunting for breakfast, I spotted the same tourist I saw at Yakun the day before, having his breakfast at Toast Box. Recognized his topknot, painted nails, and Kodama tattoo on his hand. Guess he's kopitiam hopping for the duration of his stay. We gave kopi and eggs a miss, and went to Albert Centre for prawn noodles instead. Compared to Malaysia, Singapore's version is often porkier with the choice pork ribs or pig tails.  Met up POD, Nic, and Suzy over a delicious Teochew lunch at Sin Chao Gardens , River Valley Road. For the first time ever, I met Suzy's boyfriend. Both POD and Nic were their usual lou fu, lou chai selves, and they always had fantastic tales to tell. Everyone was busy, so we didn't have round two.  As luck would have it, HornyBF was in town, on his way out to Boston. Caught up with him with at Xin Wang , Suntec with a whole different click. The only other person I knew was Nivlac, Azzuro Hyperion's hubby. Being an impromptu mee...

The next morning, I woke up to an empty house. KH and Tater had gone for a morning run, and came home in sweat-drenched running tights. Quite the morning sight. The two lads got freshened up, and we went out to look for breakfast. When in Rome, do as the Romans do-- have breakfast at Yakun . Haha. Tater's favourite haunt is at Fortune Centre. A regular there. That Yakun is also popular with tourists due to its close proximity to several hotels.  Tanked up on kaya butter toast, soft-boiled eggs, and kopi c, KH and I went to Fort Canning to admire the long queue of humans trying to get a shot at the 'tree tunnel'. Not only tourists lined up, but also newlyweds. Quickly left and headed to Fong Sheng Hao at NEX to meet up with Justin and his 'superhero' kid, Sen. There was some good news that he managed to enrol his son into public school despite his complicated health conditions, but his custody battle with his ex-wife was far from over. Sen actually complained to his...

Over the long Merdaka weekend, KH and I made a trip down to Singapore to visit friends. Looking back at my passport, my last visit was in 2019, a few of years before Covid. At KLIA2, I actually bumped into my church member. Such a small world. We arrived at Changi way past lunchtime, so the hubby was understandably hangry. Randomly picked Tsui Wah at Jewel, and it was KH's turn to bump into someone he knew. I was amused by the way his ex-colleague's children were eating their lunch-- they sucked up strands of wantan noodles draped over their hands.  I'd have a fit.  Along the way to Tater's place in Bugis, we passed by all the memorable landmarks, Bugis+, Bugis Street, and Albert Centre, to name a few. And since it was the 7th lunar month, the spaces around OG department store showed signs of activities from the Hungry Ghost Festival. When we arrived, we were given the customary welcome bear hug, and peck on the cheek. That night, we didn't have dinner with our hos...

  Gary has very prominent facial features, no? And look at that masculine jawline while he's munching down on his cheese-baked rice. Head down to your nearest Kim Gary and ask for the Gary Special.