HAPPINESS A FEELING

LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO BE UNHAPPY.

HAPPINESS IS A FEELING.
THE SECRET?

YOU CAN FEEL AND / OR BE UNHAPPY IN A VERY PLEASANT AND WONDERFUL ENVIRONMENT,
OR
YOU CAN BE HAPPY IN A VERY CHALLENGING SITUATION.

~ ALAN IAN ATKINSON
Writer, Author, Storyteller

LIVE THE JOURNEY

BEING EAGER TO COMPLETE OUR GOALS THAT WE’VE SET IS GREAT.

MANY-A-TIME, WE FORGET TO LIVE THE JOURNEY TOWARDS THOSE GOALS.

PERHAPS WE CAN PACE THE REST OF THE JOURNEY AS WHAT GROWS SLOWLY OFTEN LASTS LONGER.
IT ALSO CARRIES A DEEPER MEANING.
AND, WE ACHIEVE OUR GOALS.

~ ALAN IAN ATKINSON
Writer, Author, Storyteller

Fagala Voet

PHILOMENA AND EUSTACE

19 and 24 makes 1956

The year 1956. June 16th.

It was 2 days after her birthday. She had just turned 19.

He was a young officer in the Malayan army. His parents and siblings had relocated from Ipoh, the capital of the state of Perak; to Kuala Lumpur not too long ago. The location his parents and siblings moved to in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaya, was next door to her house, where her parents, siblings and she lived….

So, now you know the story…and they lived happily ever after… The End.

Just kidding. There’s more… I just have not thought it up yet. No, this is not fiction. You may ask, how do I know about this story if I was not there… more precisely, not born…yet. Like the most famous book of all time, the Bible, these stories were told to us from multiple (…instead of “many”. Very American.) one, two generations ago.

She was 19.

From their union in Holy Matrimony on that memorable day onwards have come two generations of Atkinsons. They tried convincing us they got us from P.J. Store (of the 1960s, along Jalan Gasing [1]) when there were big discounts on kids.😃 We weren’t fooled that easy. We knew P.J. Store is where they got the toys from for us for Christmas. It was one of those early 1960s Christmases where my late sister, Jennifer; came up with a plan at that time (she was about 4 yrs old; and I, 3).

One evening, she knew that our dad and mum were going out for the evening. She knew that all our Christmas presents were in our parents’ bedroom (is that where Santa Claus emerges from every year?). She also knew the room door would be locked.

When dad and mum went out, her plan, “Operation Early Christmas” (No, she didn’t name this sneaky scheme. I just came up with it to add more drama to this little story😉😁😂) took off. She knew our parents would lock their bedroom door. So, she led me to their bedroom through our bedroom, to the toilet and magically to their open adjoining bathroom door. It was paradise as all the Christmas presents were there. She led me to tear open all the colourful wrappings off the presents. Picture this: she was the ringleader and I being the younger of the two; had to follow what she said. Needless to say, paradise soon came to an end when our parents got home and were really cross (that’s the English way of saying “angry”). I can’t remember what happened next… (selective memory?) It was a long time ago😁

Fast forward…and we are in 2026. We…some of us of their children and grandchildren who could make it, gathered on June 14th for mum’s 89th birthday. Besides it being Father’s Day as well; it was a gathering to wish them – the couple,

Mum, on her birthday.

Dad & Mum,
that made this all happen (us), a
HAPPY 70th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY.

They are still rocking it!

Today, dad is not in the greatest of health. He is in hospital, frail and dependent on the people around him to look after his needs. And they are. He had a good video-call with mum – both happy to see each other. They are blessed.

With family.

With family on mum’s birthday, June 14th. 2026

ARE YOU SPRINTING IN A MARATHON RACE?

~ ALAN IAN ATKINSON
Writer, Author, Storyteller

In your quest to achieve your goals, you could drive yourself or push the envelope to attain them.

You may forget to savour the moments of success along the way, getting there. Even with these multiple little successes that add up, you may find stress and tensions building up within you.
You may find yourself sprinting in a marathon race. It’s normal.

Take a short break. Take stock of what you’ve achieved so far, and what else needs to be done.

Remind yourself of why you are doing it for. Picture yourself at the Finish Line. Enjoy yourself.

There’s more of a story to tell about what you did to achieve it, than, after having achieved it.

~ ALAN IAN ATKINSON
Writer, Author, Storyteller

I’VE SUNSHINE IN MY POCKET

As I was doing a short (as in distance, not height) walk this morning, I passed by some of my neighbours who were chatting with each other.

“Wah! So leng chai”, they remarked when seeing me with my new hair colour.
“Like Hong Kong…” one lady was saying as I interrupted, “movie star”, I said.
“No lah!”, she exclaimed. “Like the Hong Kong chee chong fun seller in Court 2”, she said.

The other lady said, “Before, like one of the singers from BPS group”.
I corrected her, “You mean BTS, the Korean singing group”.

“What BTS? BPS you know” she said, sounding slightly irritated. “Batu Pahat* Seniors group”, she said.
“Oh….Okay”, I laughed and nodded, understanding.

Then, she shows me her smartphone (Known as “cell phones in some countries. But, here in Malaysia, they are known as smartphones. If you try to argue, people will give you the “Don’t try to give me the lip”).
She said that she could hardly read the time on it. When I saw the screen of her phone, smartphone that is; “10.17am” in big bold digits.

I bade them a good day and continued on my short distance walk. Judith, my other neighbour living down Road B, said that I now look orang putih. I laughed😂….must be because of my name😁.

The first few…er many moments, minutes of being 68 years young, has been great.

The morning started with an early breakfast with family – Jeannie and Laura. Though there are multiple, more like many multiple restaurants in that area in Shah Alam; Yau Yat Khan is one of the busiest for breakfast.

Then, I went for a short walk, following that, replying to the hundreds of birthday wishes from people on social media. and the smartphone…family…friends…my book fans…people I have not met…yet.

As I write this article, I am thankful for the last 68 years. During the younger days of my siblings and cousins on my father’s side, my late Grandfather, Charles Atkinson used to sayon each of his birthdays, “Completed the year, now moving into my next”. This means that I have completed my 68th year and now am into my 69th.

I look at the future, which is the next moment forward, with awe, fascination and excitement. I don’t have too clear of an idea of what lies ahead…mysterious…journey into the unknown…yet. I intend to plot the course as I go along.

What I do know is that I have an amazing family – my wife, Jeannie; my daughter, Laura and her husband, Praga; Dad and mums (including Mum Ong, my mother-in-law), siblings and their families; uncles, aunts and their families, my La Salle School mates that go way back from primary school and the teachers and the other wonderful people, too; that make each day complete. My dear friend, Keith Ganesan, who is in Tokyo this morning, sent me a message saying that we must meet for a cigar when he is back. I replied, “That’s an absolute Will Do”.

I take this opportunity to thank everyone for all their kind wishes, thoughts and remembering this day.

Life is an amazing beauty in itself. Living it is taking it to the next level.

NOTES:
1. “wah” and “lah” are some of the expressions unique to Malaysia and this part of the world. If you are not from Malaysia; come and experience this unique living experience. The lives of Malaysians are centred around the food table. Anytime is a good time to eat. Before long, you’ll be wah-ing and lah-ing away, merrily.
2. *Batu Pahat isa town in the southern state of Peninsular Malaysia

THE LAST HOURS OF 67

The large industrial fan is spinning incredibly furiously to cool what seems an impossible task. The sun is blazing with all its might on this Thursday 5.30pm evening. There is no indication that it is going to let up anytime soon.

As we, Jeannie and I sit here, at the Nanking coffee shop (otherwise known as a restaurant) waiting for our placed orders for our dinner and drinks to be delivered to us, we do our own thing – she on her phone doing everything office – liaising with colleagues, marketing and advertising people, and everyone else – work related.

I was hoping to whip out my phone and get cracking on this essay – which was beginning to form in my mind. However, the strap of my Bellroy bag kept releasing itself from its loop on the right side of the bag. It was a bit of a fumble to get it back in its loop.

So, in my eagerness of whipping out my phone (picture movement at lightning speed), I moved  at a much slower speed…slower than you can imagine.

And so here am I…or is it I am, writing and hoping to put some thoughts down. At the same time, basking in the last hours of being 67.

I am not too sure what it is, whether it is because I am older than I was just now; or whether it is due to my writing, blogging, researching on a subject or bit of news that I find essay writability, things… life seem different. Very different.

For instance, I got on to the idea that a moment…that is (i.e.) one single moment is more than just that. Most people would define a moment as a sort of a flash in the pan,…quicker than a second. I say, “What’s the hurry?”. People say, “Stop being in a constant rush. Take time to smell the flowers”. I say, there is more time in a moment than you think. Live it. You owe yourself that. We owe ourselves that.

We are made to believe that our lives are in a rush…rushing for this and rushing for that…if not, we will be late. Being intelligent people, we get it. However, there are those who think we need help. And we do…most of the time. Hence, the introduction of A. I. (Artificial Intelligence). Help us get things done faster…to save time…for what?

Have we decided what we are going to do with all the free time we save each day, since we’ve got the latest in technology to make our lives bliss? Maybe, just maybe, we have to go for courses to learn how to live the free time that we have additional each day.

Hang on…when did you last check to see if you have gained free time each day? Maybe, an hour a day? Three hours a week? Or with that supposed time we have saved with modern technology and other help, we’ve cramped in more stuff to do?

The point is, Life is worth the living.
Live it.
Don’t discount the value of the moment, second or minute.
There’s so much to live.

Now, to get back to my food. My Sarawak Kolo mee (1) looks delicious. And the Coca-Cola in an ice-filled glass, thirst quenching. Jeannie’s finished her tou sa pau (2) and teh o kosong panas (3).

NOTES:
1. Sarawak kolo mee is an iconic Malaysian dish consisting of springy egg noodles tossed in lard, shallot oil, and light soy sauce, generously topped with char siew (barbecued pork) and minced pork. In Subang Jaya, there are several highly recommended local spots to enjoy this savory, authentic specialty.
2. A classic Chinese steamed bun featuring a pillowy, soft, and slightly sweet exterior packed with a rich, smooth red bean paste filling. wikipedia
3. Hot black tea without sugar refers to a hot tea brew served without any milk, creamer, or sugar. This drink is commonly served in local Mamak restaurants or coffee shops by steeping a tea bag or tea powder in hot water.

A boat made from a 3-D printer. The wonders of technology.