WE-MEN OR WOO-MEN

That’s a toughie! Almost a day does not go by when we are involved in a conversation or chance to overhear people talking about “woo-ing-men”. This conversation is either by men, women, or both.

So, we began to wonder why these people try to woo men. Sounds like getting them to fall into a trap. Many times they do.

Then, when you hear a conversation with “we men”, you may be forgiven to think that that’s all us men have to talk about besides, sports, drinks, business, gambling, investment and of course, women.

It all boils down to that – WOMEN.

The English language can be so confusking at times…well, actually most of the time.

Take the word, “Woman“. It is singular for a woman – a lady be she your wife, mother, sister, aunt, girlfriend. Woman is pronounces as “woo-man”, not “whoa-man” (sounding like this).

What is the plural for woman? Hang on to your seats…It is “Women” pronounced as “we-men”. Yes, take note of its spelling. It is not pronounced as “woman”.

So, ladies, gentlemen and those who rather not say, there you have it. A confusing word or words in the English language made simple to understand.

As this is International Women’s Day, I give recognition to the women who inspire me daily:

My wife, Jeannie; who has been by my side for over 27 years, supporting me in all my aspirations.

Laura, my daughter, who inspires me to think up new ideas and challenges.

My mother – who, by still making her world famous cakes, makes a statement that age is only a number.

Mother Mary, who has always been by my side.

The list goes on…

While this “celebration” or “recognition” is one day only, I don’t think it should be so. I think women should be recognized by merit in all that they do; every day. They are just as good or even better if given the opportunity to do so.

Celebrating International Women’s Day with Jeannie, we had dinner at Kar Heong Restaurant – Jeannie’s choice. The food was excellent. I had plain 1 ton noodles. It is Wanton noodles. Jeannie had plain Hor Fun (yes fun) noodles. The dishes we ordered were char siew / siew yoke; steamed chicken breast and tougey (bean sprouts). The condiments were the plain soup that came with my wanton noodles, the chili and ginger. The chili and ginger is a must have regardless of how crazy spicy they are. Perspiration for sure and tears streaming down faces for the uninitiated. The servings seem to be shrinking each time we patronize this restaurant. The prices remain the same.

Jeannie’s very green drink was umbra. Though one could feel the fibres going down as it was drunk, it was delicious. I went for the iced-coffee. Pretty good if I don’t say so myself. There wasn’t any after taste that many brands of milk have. So, I could actually get the taste of coffee.

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY TO ALL WOMEN WHO MAKE THIS WORLD POSSIBLE.

With my two most favourite women, Jeannie and Laura. Perfect. This was Jeannie’s and my last day in Decatur, Illinois; just before heading to Chicago (December 31, 2022).
This picture was taken with a Samsung S21 Ultra. I wonder how much better it would be if it was taken by a Samsung S23 Ultra.

Dinner at Kar Heong.
I had plain 1 ton noodles. It is Wanton noodles. Jeannie had plain Hor Fun (yes fun) noodles. The dishes we ordered were char siew / siew yoke; steamed chicken breast and tougey (bean sprouts). The condiments were the plain soup that came with my wanton noodles, the chili and ginger. The chili and ginger is a must have regardless of how crazy spicy they are. Perspiration for sure and tears streaming down faces for the uninitiated.
Jeannie’s very green drink was umbra. Though one could feel the fibres going down as it was drunk, it was delicious. I went for the iced-coffee. Pretty good if I don’t say so myself. There wasn’t any after taste that many brands of milk have. So, I could actually get the taste of coffee.

REPUBLISHED: The Swim Athlete’s Future

Her swim career started round about this time😊

The article, “The Swim Athlete’s Future”, which was published here at http://www.leatherpotato.com on February 7th, 2023; was republished in Swimswam on February 10th.. I sent in the article to Swimswam to have them consider publishing as I believe that readers of this publication maybe able to resonate with these article.

There are three main groups who will be able to identify with this article:
1. The swim athletes: Through the various stages of their career; from beginner right up to world elite.
2. Parents. The sacrifices of their time, effort and money.
3. Non-swim fraternity. They may have a better insight of the life of a swim athlete.

Who is “SwimSwam”? SwimSwam news is a swimming news organization covering competitive swimming along with diving, water polo and synchronized swimming. SwimSwam launched as a website in March 2012 and quickly became the most-read swimming website in the world.

This may just be the sport parents are looking for their children. It encourages, discipline, competitiveness, fun and a sense of empowerment.

To the finish line…

https://leatherpotato.com/2023/02/07/the-swim-athletes-future/

The Swim Athlete’s Future

Lap after lap. 3, 4, 5 kilometers a day in the pool. Day after day…week after week…month after month.

At 9 years old, wanted to be world champion. Forgoing parties, events and other fun things.

In the water, lap after lap after lap. 20 meters…50 meter lengths.

School holidays and other holidays – the same.

Personal times for her 50 meter and 100 meter pet events kept dropping… So did the times of her other events. Kept on improving. Kept moving up the heats… From the 1st heat in the very beginning… Kept moving up the heat charts. When she reached the last 3 heats in her events at each championship race, the state athletes at that time started paying attention to her. A new kid on the block as competition.

13 years old. A big responsibility added on. Selected to represent the state team. Swim and training was now an average 9 times a week (twice each on Saturday and Sunday).

Kept on at it. Times kept improving. Was a contributor towards the team’s many championship wins. Within a short period of time, reached the top 3 in the country for her age group. Broke individual and relay records all along the way.

Graduated from high school. Went on to further her studies in the U.S.

Was on the university’s swimming team. Helped the university move up the swim charts. Set individual and relay records for the university.

There were many ups and downs, bumpy roads, disappointments, total excitement and joy throughout her swim athlete, school and university story. She held fast to her belief in herself and her goals. She had fun. It was not so much just about the “winning”. It was the “experiences” take away: winning yes, also teamwork, sharing and building relationships with various people along the way.

The role of parents? Support, love, care, support. Always be enthusiastic for your children. Driving them to 3-hour daily training and then back.

As parents, we have to continuously encourage them, even on the days they may be tempted by non-athletes to skip training. My wife and I use to tell our daughter, “your fiercest competitor will be training while you are thinking of missing it. The decision is yours. What is the end result you want?”

Be with them, cheering them on; even if it means spending 15 hours at a swim meet, each day on a three- or four-day championship.

Past and current swim athletes, when looking back; can relate to this “grueling lifestyle” during their swim career. When looking back they can smile, joke about the times their energy was completely spent and they still had 25 meters of the race to go, times when they lost and the many times when they won both in the pool and out of the pool. About the times they literally had fun.

Now, graduated – B. Sc. Entrepreneurship. Looking for a job in the U.S. With 16 years of swim athlete experience and an Entrepreneurship studies degree; she wants to share her experiences by applying them in the work that she will be doing.

Now, she takes with her a way of discipline in doing things, a “never give up” character and the bright side of things when she goes employment hunting.

~ Dedicated to Laura Atkinson

The 15th Day

Chap Goh Mei which is today, is the last day of the Chinese Lunar Year celebrations or Chinese New Year. The day is celebrated similarly to the day before Chinese New Year, it is celebrated with much joy and festivity. This is the year of the Rabbit. The rabbit (兔) is the fourth in the twelve-year periodic sequence (cycle) of animals that appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. (1) The sign of Rabbit is a symbol of longevity, peace, and prosperity in Chinese culture. (2)

On the night of Chap Goh Meh, unmarried girls will throw tangerines (oranges) in the sea or river in the belief that they will be able to marry good husbands. I don’t know how the guys could identify which tangerine belonged to which girl “in those days”. Today, maybe the girls will write their name, telephone number and Instagram or TikTok ID (Facebook is for senior citizens, so they’ll skip adding their Facebook ID) on each and every tangerine with permanent ink pen markers.

Jeannie and I decided to celebrate this last day of festivities in a small way. We went to Sunway Pyramid Shopping Centre in Subang Jaya. (3)

Since Laura is away in the U.S.; we decided to stop by at one of her favorite stores in this shopping Centre – Popular Book Store. Laura loved to shop for stationery especially in this store – pens, pencils, color pencils, magic ink, glitter ink, various types of writing and note books, and drawing pads. She had hundreds of these writing instruments in various shades, sizes and color. She is quite the artist, too; follows after her mother. Me? I can’t draw two straight lines with a ruler. We had quite a good time. Jeannie and I purchased a few items.

We had coffee at the Oriental Kopitiam (4) (naturally. It wouldn’t have been so traditional if we had coffee at Starbucks, The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf or at the mamak (5)). We had to have Oriental Kopitiam’s signature coffee. It was pretty good. We had butter with kaya on toast bread – one of the usual eats when one drinks kopitiam coffee. I had to also have Black Glutinous Rice or in aspirated local terms, “Pulut hitam”. Simply one of my favorites. It had two sort of glutinous balls with black sesame paste inside. People: it’s worth the try.

Jeannie spent a bit of time at her favorite stores; too. I…yes; at the gadget stores. Nothing really much going on in this area. You can find loads of interesting and cool new gadgets on the web, but they hardly seem to make their way to this part of the world.

5 hours later, we were on our way home. It was a great way to spend our Sunday afternoon, relaxed and had fun.

Jeannie and I with three gold boat-shaped ingots (part of the deco).

Year of the Rabbit.

I know, I know… I am not suppose to be on the bridge, but under it, waiting to collect oranges…er.. I mean find “that special orange thrown over by a lenglui” (6). I figure that since I am already spoken for; I might as well collect as many oranges from the lenglui(s). The guys aren’t waiting under the bridge. They are at home on their phones or PS5 games.😁

NOTES:
1. Wikipedia
2. Chinahighlights.com
3. Subang Jaya is a city in the state of Selangor, Malaysia.
4. “Kopitiam”: a coffee house serving traditional Malay and Chinese fare.
5. “Mamak”: Mamak stalls are indoor and open-air food establishments particularly found in Southeast Asia, such as Malaysia.
6. “Lenglui”: Pretty girl.

Healthy, Simple Dinner

After what was a very sweet coffee evening on Saturday, with the white chocolate cake that at one glance looked like a serviette dispenser; which tasted very nice, the white chocolate cake, that is; at The Social in Empire Gallery Shopping Centre; Jeannie and I decided to go for very simple food at Kar Heong “Restoran” (the Bahasa Malaysia spelling for the word “restaurant”) at dinner time.

Describing the picture above clockwise, I had the plain noodles & soup since I don’t eat rice (I stopped eating rice 15 years ago), two plates (1 each for Jeannie and me) of steamed chicken breast meat, toothpicks (in the red capped dispenser), sweet black sauce in the green dispenser with black vertical lines, soy sauce, red chili sauce (a must have when you eat steamed chicken with or without rice), a little container of what looks like white pepper, a plate of towgey (bean sprouts) that is a delicious side dish for a meal like this (to the left of my iced coffee, more popularly known as “kopi peng” in these parts); two small saucers of the red chili sauce. a bowl of ginger (the ginger adds the balance in flavor to the chicken), my iced coffee and Jeannie’s hot coffee (at the top of the picture).

I found eating my noodles and soup which I think was “hor fun”, with plastic chopsticks and soup spoon quite tricky. I couldn’t seem to get the noodles and soup to stay on the spoon with the pair of chopsticks. The noodles just kept slipping off the spoon no matter what I did to try keeping it on. I picked up pieces of chicken with the chopsticks to put on the slippery noodles on the spoon, and then add the chili sauce and ginger to it. I had to use an ordinary commoner’s (haha 😁) spoon and fork, which didn’t make all that much of a difference. I ended up with splashes of soup drops on my shirt. Quite an adventure. This happens all the time. I have yet to master these skills.

Jeannie and I came to the same conclusion: the food was delicious. We finished every bit of it and we were full. Yes, we enjoyed our meal.

As for my soup-splashed stained, shirt; it happens all the time. There’s a funny little saying😏 between Laura, Jeannie and me: “Can’t take you out anywhere” 😂 whenever any of us spill something. 😁Jeannie was egging me on to come to have this meal for over a couple of months. Finally, we did.

There are two or three Kar Heong Restoran within the same vicinity. The restaurant that we had our dinner at is located in SS14, Subang Jaya.

When I got home at about 8.30pm, I had to go for my 10,000 step walk. I met with my neighbor Sim and his wife. They had just begun their walk, too; which they do after dinner. We had a nice chat along the way. The weather was good, quite cooling. We completed our walk within the hour. A good short workout.

NOTES:
1. Jeannie and Laura are family.
2. Subang Jaya is a city in the state of Selangor, Malaysia.
3. Jamie Oliver and I are not on the same level as food critics. He is for the cameras, audience and the moolah. I am just a plain simpleton, telling it as I see..em..taste it. Hahaha😂😂😋

The Third Day. The Festivities Continue…

Its the third day of the new year, Chinese New Year, that is. Malaysia being Malaysia; the choice for food is endless, regardless of festivities. Having said that, at festivals, as it is now, Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year; cookies and certain types of food are specially prepared only during this festivity. Love it.

However, today; Jeannie and I joined her parents, her sister Judy who is here in Malaysia for the holidays; and Jeannie’s and Judy’s cousin, Cecilia; her husband Siow and their son, for lunch at Kayu Nasi Kandar in Taipan, USJ Subang Jaya; today. The food was good. I abstained from rice…of course. Stopped eating rice since 2007.

Before long, it was dinner. I said to Jeannie, “It’s been a long time since we have had satay”. So, off we went to the Taj Curry House in SS12, Subang Jaya. The diva took our order of roti canai and Nescafe kurang manis (less sweet which means less sugar). We placed our order for 5 sticks each, of chicken and beef satay with the satay chef, or the griller…better known as “boss”.

The meal was very nice. The satay was well marinated, the beef more on the sweet side. We were kind of full by the end of the meal. Delicious! Total cost of the meal US$6.30.

The 5 sticks each, of chicken and beef satay (skewed on the sticks), in the middle. It came with cucumber, onions and kutupat (rice cake); all of which is dipped in the somewhat sweet peanut sauce, which in some restaurants may serve a more spicy version.

As soon as I got back, which was about 8.15pm; I went for a short 7km walk to work off some of this meal. I joined Sim, my neighbor from a couple of streets away for the walk. It started to rain about 10 minutes after I started walking and then became intermittent. Our walk was cool and pleasant, though a bit wet.

Enjoy and have a great day ahead.

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS

Christmas this year: no visits to the most beautifully Christmas – decorated shopping malls and public places in Malaysia. Something that we would do every year to capture the latest, biggest, most dazzling decorations and all the festivities that come with it.

Our home will have a small Christmas tree with lights and ornaments on them. The presents will be ready for the family. Every year, Christmas is with the family.

This year, Christmas will be the same. But, this time it will be with Laura.

Yes, Jeannie and I get to spend Christmas with Laura. Jeannie and I have spent the last 3 weeks with Laura in her everyday life, here in the U.S.. It has been nothing short than amazing – that wonderful sense of love in the air even without it being spoken.

This Christmas, it will be the most joyful, so far.

We are blessed in abundance.

We would like to share this special picture, now a treasured picture of the Atkinsons – it was amongst the first of our family reunion after nearly 3 and a half years.

We, the Atkinsons, wish all our family and friends the world over, “Merry Christmas. May God’s peace be with you in abundance, always.”

We leave you with Mariah Carey’s, “All I want for Christmas is You”; specially chosen and dedicated by Laura for all to enjoy.

Our treasure

Christmas is Where Your Heart is

As Christmas is fast approaching us (5 days to go), it is kind of different how we, Jeannie and I; are approaching it this year. Wait a minute. Is this another Hallmark movie similarity?

Videos and pictures posted on the many social media platforms of the most beautiful Christmas decorations, lights, themes, live musicals and other performances and shows at shopping malls, and other public places – this has to be the best ever…until the next year.

These malls will be crowded with people. Everyone there, or mostly everyone; comes to these shopping centers to be in the “spirit of Christmas”. People shoot billions of pictures from their camera smartphones. Some may even venture to use real, full fledge cameras, you know the chunky over-sized, blob-shaped bodies (the cameras, not the owners…maybe the owners, too). Strapped, cross-strapped and tied to their torsos are camera lenses the size of bazookas and other accessories. The question is whether they will be able to get that rare million dollar shot? In the end, it does not really matter, they have the equipment, they might as well use it.

The food – yes, you can be forgiven if you go dizzy with choice. There are cakes, cookies (‘biscuits” aren’t as common these days), chocolates, sweets, savory and non-savory food; local, western, east-Asian; Malaysians love to eat.

Yes, I am talking about Christmas in Malaysia. Many Christians would be in church for days before and after Christmas, involved in mass and organized programs. There are also the little pre-Christmas and post-Christmas gatherings of friends and family members at each other’s homes.

So, it is not quite a Hallmark movie small town Christmas. So far, snow flurries only, no full-blown snowfall.

We are having a very cosy, meaningful Christmas with Laura and a few of her friends. It is our first Christmas with Laura since 2018. We are enjoying a non-commercialized Christmas.

Our Lady, Mother Mary; has always blessed, interceded and prayed for us, that all the we ask for, we will be blessed. This Christmas, we lift up all our greatest needs in health, and all that we ask for. We lift “K” https://leatherpotato.com/2022/11/30/she-said-im-all-alone/ in prayer, as would have underwent the procedure in hospital. She will be recovering in hospital over the next few days, until after Christmas.

Mother Mary has always been a guiding path in my life. Though there have been many instances where I veered off track for a bit… more than a bit, maybe. Mother Mary has always been with us and has never left us alone.

Why is Mother Mary so important in the lives of Catholics? She is the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Mother Mary has a great sense of humor. Where do you think her son got His great sense of humor from?

As we move towards the day of Christmas; we wish you and your loved ones, full of joy, peace, hope, enjoyment and laughter with family and friends.

I leave you all with “Hail, Holy Queen”, a Sister Act version. Enjoy.

Doin’ the Coffee Thing

Jeannie and I have watched many Hallmark movies over the last 1 year or so as it sort of gave us a sense of being closer to our daughter, Laura: who was studying in the U.S.

Most of the cafes depicted in those movies were small, able to accommodate 15 – 20 people at any one time businesses. People usually had coffee to go, on their way to work; or on their way home after work. The baristas, waitresses and waiters usually knew all their customers by name. And so did the customers, they knew each other, too.

Apparently, Decatur, Illinois, is not that small a town as it is made out to be.

Laura and her college mate Pete; were going to grab coffee and do some work there. She asked if Jeannie and I would like to tag along.

Apart from the usual very commercial, run-of-the-mill “Pak HaiLam”, “OldTown”, “NewTown”, “Railway line” and “Setarbak” (1) which we are usually accustom to, we popped in at “Coffee Connection”.

Coffee Connection was not quite as what we (more like I) would have expected, which was a small set-up with some old fashion charm. Old fashion charm includes lots of wood with some leather thrown in here and there for some good measure. The setting / atmosphere was modern, with a sit-in arrangement for about 35 people.

Definitely a place where one could get some serious work done. There was a good age group mix of people when we were there. Some of whom were like us, were there working on their computers and other devices.

There were a couple of others who seem to want to resonate with the original form of writing, no not chisel and stone; but pen and paper.

Aside from work or college assignments; people were there just to chill (pun intended) with outside temperatures at -6deg C. The coffee and beverage menu offering was wide and have met most peoples’ requests. You can order from a nice selection of cakes and cookies to go with the beverages. Laura and Pete ordered their usual as they are regular customers there.

Jeannie and I ordered their house signature coffee. There was a choice of 4 house specials. The barista explained the 4 variants and suggested a couple of choices to us . Jeannie had the more traditional mocha coffee. Tasted as good as it looked.

I had a peppermint coffee variant. Smooth. As you take a sip of this coffee, the peppermint reaches your senses first, relaxing you as you take in the aroma of freshly brewed coffee, which then perks you up. Then, you take the next sip…and the next…and the next.

We busied ourselves with our own work and things, sitting inside a comfortable place, nice atmosphere with Christmas songs softly playing through small speakers in the background. The city of Decatur stares at us through the cafe’s wide glass frontal, shivering in its very windy -6deg C temperature.

Coffee Connection is the closest we re going to get to a Hallmarks movie type café. So far. This café is worth visiting again. Now, to zoom into the Christmas festivities here..🎄🎅

NOTES:
1. Mainly popular “kopitiams” (mainly refers to Chinese coffee shops) brands in Malaysia. Setarbak Kopi is based in Kelantan, an eastern state in Peninsular Malaysia.