SOUL SCRIBBLES

Astro Awani pix Nine years ago, I took part in the National Day parade. It was the country’s 50th year of independence but Aug 31 was, to many of us, just another reason for a holiday.  Growing up, celebrating National Day was about waking up early in the morning to sit in front of the television set to watch the parade.  After the parade, we would go back to sleep; if we hadn’t fallen asleep in between the live telecast.  A few years after I started work, I remembered going to Dataran Merdeka with my housemates and their friends on the eve of Merdeka Day. We did the countdown as the clock at the tower of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building struck 12 at midnight. After shouting Merdeka three times, we made our way to what was called Bangsar Boulevard (the open air stalls at one of the roads in Bangsar Baru) where we had supper until the wee hours of the morning. In later years, Merdeka eve was spent watching fireworks at KLCC.  One year, I actually took a room at...

I HAVE the Pokémon Go app on one of my mobile phones.  Yes, 54-year-old me.  Curiosity got the better of me.  Baby boomers like me are not alien to video and computer games. We started our adulthood during the Space Invaders, Asteroids and Pac-Man era. I believe if we were to play Pac-Man again, we could beat the pants off some of the millennials.  Pokémon Go is relatively easy to understand. I found out fast enough to know that you (called a trainer) can catch these Pokémons at public places while you refresh your supplies of the balls (used to catch these Pokémons) and collect other stuff at what is called a Poke Stop.  Since I began on Saturday, I have collected 60 Pokemons and surpassed Level Five (now at Level Six) where you can join a team and fight battles against other trainers for fame, glory and loot. My niece, nephew and I have since joined Team Valour but we have not had any battles as yet.  The Pokémon Go application for Android has registe...

I WAS at the Selena Gomez The Revival Tour 2016 concert at Malawati Stadium in Shah Alam on Monday night.  Yes, me. No, I’m not a fan, just an aunty who was there to chaperone my niece and her friend, who she invited to come along as my nephew decided not to go because he had to prepare for his examination.  I believe I was not alone in doing that. I saw parents with their children and guardians with their wards at the concert. Some made it an all-girls’ night, as like my niece puts it, “not all boys like Selena Gomez’s songs”.  But there are those who dragged their husbands and boyfriends.  The national anthem was played before the start of the concert.  The multiracial crowd sang the Negara Ku with such gusto. It was a night of screams. When the lights came on, the girls screamed. When it was off, there was another round of screams. The same thing happened when a band member took his position on stage. When Selena finally appeared on stage, the crowd went ...

My mother celebrated her 75th birthday in late December last year. Other than diabetes, which is under control for the past few months with her blood sugar reading hovering between five and 6mmol/L (milimole per litre), she is in good health. My brother and his daughter accompany her whenever she goes for her medical check-ups at the government hospital.  But, of late, she has been complaining of aches and pains. She cannot be on her feet for too long or else her ankles would be bloated. We gave her a cane to aid her walking. When she had trouble adjusting to the cane, we gave her a walker. Whenever we are out with her, we try to get her to use a wheelchair for ease of movements. But, she is more comfortable being left at home instead.  Now staying at home has it disadvantages. You see, she watches television and reads newspapers. And, more often than not, she would zero in on the advertisements and commercials for the so-called local health supplements.  I have asked ...

I have a confession to make.  Some years ago, I brought home RM600 worth of sparklers and fireworks. My mother didn’t ask me where I got them from and I didn’t tell her. She repeatedly said I was “burning money” for buying and lighting up the fireworks. That money could have put to good use elsewhere.  That was the year we beat the other houses in the area in an unofficial fireworks competition. It started close to midnight on the eve of Syawal and was based on who could shoot the highest or the loudest. We kept our “secret weapon” for last. We let our neighbours have all the fun — they had teased and taunted us with their fireworks.  At the stroke of midnight, our fireworks lit the skies. We gave our neighbours, and a passing patrol car, some two minutes of spectacular fireworks display. No, we didn’t get into trouble with the authorities. They didn’t even alight from their car. They probably saw that the fireworks were lit under adult supervision. We didn’t think the...

It is already the 11th day of Ramadan. Soon, we will see people rushing to do their Raya shopping although shopping complexes have been putting shoppers in a festive mood since the start of the fasting month. Huge (and to a certain extent, ugly) decorations are hung from the high ceilings; the banners and bunting are on the walls and Raya songs are aired.  Yes, there are still many things to be done before Syawal arrives. The Hari Raya cards need to be mailed; hopefully, it will reach the recipients on time. Despite the advent of technology, there are still people who mail greeting cards to friends and family members. Those with email addresses will be sent e-Hari Raya cards, of course.  On top of that, text messages will be sent on the eve of Syawal, which will see the telecommunication companies earning millions of ringgit. Have we ever gotten a text message greeting from the companies? What we do get is a reminder to spend more through their special Syawal promotions....

I went to a gathering of blogging and Facebook friends in Bukit Jelutong last week. I was invited to the gathering, hosted by a well-known ceramics designer, by a friend who is back from London for some work and some down time in Malaysia.  The London friend was in fact the guest of honour at the gathering. I’ve met one or two of the bloggers invited to the gathering while the others were relatively new to me; I know them by name, having read their blogs and also their comments on the London friend’s FB page.  The gathering was held at the ceramics designer’s showroom. The driver dropped us (the London friend and I) at the wrong showroom. “Why don’t you give her (the ceramic designer) a call and ask her for directions to the store?” I asked the London friend. “I don’t have her number,” she said. “Then how do you communicate?” I asked. “Through Facebook,” she said.  In fact, she told me she had never met the ceramic designer before this.  Yes, I believe we all sta...