will i am's delayed diary

Through mum's connections, she managed to secure two free VIP tickets to Matilda Tao's first concert in Malaysia. Those tickets to “The Golden Age of Matilda Tao Live in Malaysia 2019” cost MYR488. Matilda Tao or better known as Tao Ching-ying is a famous variety show host in Taiwan. The concert marked her twentieth year as a recording artist. The venue was at Stadium Melawati, Shah Alam. My first time there. Horrible place~~ pot-holed parking, and dark, and dirty toilets. The  evening rain turned the place into a mini water park. People had jump across puddles to navigate the mini night market outside the stadium. There was a halal and non-halal section, selling all sorts of artery-blocking fried foods ( we had a lohmaigai earlier ), and concert accessories like light sticks, and glow in the dark hoops. Getting to our seats was a smooth process, once we knew where our entrance was. Supposedly couldn't bring in water bottles, but their half-hearted bag searches worked

Out of a sudden, I was directed to fly out for a business meeting cum training with our partner. The scheduled time was 8:30 AM. No choice then, I had to flight out the night before. Arrived at the airport with no hiccups and took a GRAB to the hotel. The ride-hailing charges were relatively cheap and the wait was nearly non-existent. Right after I had checked-in, my boss summoned me to a dinner meeting with our partner. Ordered another GRAB to the golf club for a dinner at a retro Japanese restaurant. Had a couple of Asahis and called it a night. Woke up bring and early the next day to have breakfast at nearby nasi kandar restaurant. A famous place that has several branches in Kuala Lumpur. The roti telur and teh tarik was quite satisfying, but I was alarmed by the Aedes mosquitos swarming the place. Here's a view out my hotel room window. Called another GRAB to my partner's office. The training went well with many cups of coffee to smooth the course of th

Called in late on Friday because I had to patch a punctured tyre. Took me less than ten minutes, and MYR5, which is cheap by usual standards. Decided pack a box of keria gula melaka for my colleagues before heading to work. I had to wait around half an hour for them to whip up the first batch. Towards the end of my wait, I observed a peculiar scene at the stall. A lady filled a wok with a bunch of palm sugar. Then she fished out a packet of rock sugar and proceeded to wash it with water. Once that was done, she slashed the top with a pair of scissors, and the contents joined the gula melaka in the wok. I squinted my eyes, and then it dawned on me why she washed the packet earlier~ the rock sugar in the wok was crawling with ants. Lol. I wonder if the batch the lady was packing for me at the moment had a similar secret ingredient. Haha. Later that evening, I had a dinner date with SimonLover, Boon, and KH. Boon wanted to eat at Grub by Ah Hong . SimonLover and I were able to g

On the final day of our Kuantan trip, we got up early to pack up and prepare to check out of the homestay. We met up with Mr and Mrs Y at Wong Ah Jang to visit Mrs Y's bedridden mother for a little while. She was alert, but needed an oxygen concentrator to breathe properly. Ventured out of town for our breakfast. For the best food, one must be willing to travel. Mek La 's scrumptious Kelantanese cuisine is located at Permatang Badak, a village located outside of town. The place was huge, able to accommodate a hundred or more customers. Must try items there are the nasi kerabu , nasi minyak , laksam, and pulut ikan kukus goreng . And they make a great teh tarik too. After breakfast, we ventured back to town for frozen seafood. The original plan was to go to Beserah to get fish from the fishing villages there, but Mrs. Y gave us an easier option. The frozen seafood seller was practically hidden in a stationery shop. One would never guess that there are fish and prawns

On Sunday morning, we attended mass at St. Thomas Church, while Gratitude went to have a leisurely breakfast at Kuantan Kopitiam ( the sign is so faded that you will never guess its name ). He picked us up after mass ended, and we went back to Kuantan Kopitiam! At that late hour, the place was quite chaotic and crowded. Thanked our lucky stars that we bumped into Kit there. He had just finished eating, so we took the table he vacated. SK swears by the curry noodles there. For his second round, Gratitude wanted kaya butter toast, but they had surprisingly run out of bread. Stock was so low, that some people didn't even get their curry noodles, causing temperatures to rise. Once we had finished eating, we went to Chen Hing to buy dried seafood products. A short distance from the shop in Jalan Besar is Kuantan's latest attraction~ Laman Teruntum . Its a waterfront of sorts along Sungai Kuantan, with Mercu Teruntum observation tower as its focal point. The tower isn't op

Out of the blue, I received news from ex-Sixers ( Form 6 classmates ) that my alma mater was organising a reunion dinner for old students. My old physics teacher was on the organizing committee, and he spread the word to those who were still in Kuantan. After some deliberation, we decided to attend. Would be good to see how my upper secondary school looks today. The night before the dinner, we received word that there's a theme. Whatttttt?! On my way home from work, I made a stop at Bukit Bintang hoping to find something that fits "Gold and Glitter". H&M was right outside the MRT station, so that was my first stop. Luck was on my side because I immediately spotted a black T with ornate golden decals across the neck. Was in and out of there in less than half an hour. Back home, had a quick dinner before starting my last minute packing. The road trip to Kuantan was joined by SK, Gratitude, and my mum. We started before 7 AM ( just a short stop for a meh breakfast

Timing was perfect this year because All Soul's Day fell on a Saturday. On Friday evening, Bro, mum, and I attended All Saint's Day Mass, and early the next day, we pushed off to Teluk Intan. We made good time because we started out just a little after 6 AM. No delays at all. In a break from routine, we ate breakfast at Bidor Wet Market. Kedai Kopi Pun Sim was a recommendation from BIL. They discovered the place during one of their many road trips. Go for their fresh YTF, very crispy and delicious. The kopi was a little off though. After eating, mum went exploring in the market. We arrived at Teluk Intan before 9:30 AM. Still had time to pack some CCF and glutinous rice for dad. All Soul's Day Mass was in progress at St. Anthony's Church, while the cemetery was a hive of activity. Not often that we catch the 'rush hour' crowd. After getting dad's grave cleaned up, we presented his favourite food, and lit candles and incense. This year, Little Monste