HARD TO BELIEVE, PERHAPS…BUT IT’S TRUE –
YOU HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE YOUR STORY. DON’T JUST LET IT SLIDE.
ADD SUCCESS –
YOU HAVE THE CHOICE BETWEEN SLOW SUCCESS AND FAST SUCCESS.
SLOW SUCCESS BUILDS CHARACTER.
FAST SUCCESS BUILDS EGO.
IN THE END, SEEK RESPECT. IT LAST LONGER.
CHANGE YOUR STORY.
BUILD CHARACTER.
EARN RESPECT.
ALAN IAN ATKINSON
Writer, Author, Storyteller
“Hi Alan. Can you reserve a copy of your book, SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT for me?”, a text appeared on my phone (usually referred to as a “smartphone” [I am still trying to figure out why]). It was a message from my old (referencing “old” as in number of years ago instead of age) classmate.
“Let’s meet next week, say Monday or Tuesday”, I suggested. He said “yes”. Now, to contact the other guy.
“Duncan and I are meeting next week. Can you join us?”, I asked Eddie. A reply came a short while later.
“Sure”, replied Eddie.
Now, to text back to Duncan.
“Hi Duncan, can we meet Monday at 9.30am for breakfast? Eddie Lim is joining us. Let’s meet at the coffee shop next to the pasar pagi (1)”. Duncan agreed.
“Hi Eddie, Duncan is on for Monday, 9.30am at the coffee shop next to the pasar pagi.”
Eddie replied, “OK, I will join you guys on Monday morning”.
It was Friday night, March 20th; when the last message was received. Our meeting plan was set. The three of us – our first get together in over 10 years.
The weekend went as fast (maybe faster) than it came, and I was cruising down the Federal Highway after having dropped my wife, Jeannie at work.
I was an hour away from our 9.30am appointment. I expected to be early into Klang and had made plans to drop in on my folks to see how they were doing. It was one of those rare occasions when my visit to them was an early morning one.
They were having their breakfast when I arrived at their home. Mum was with a bit of a flu, otherwise; both were well. Dad was back to reading the newspaper, from cover to cover. Good for him as he wanted to be up to speed with the going-ons in the world.
It was a good “whirlwind” visit, yes a whirlwind visit as before long, the time crossed over past 9.30am. Both Duncan and Eddie presumably were punctual people and I did not want to keep them waiting. Just as I thought this thought up, I received a call on my smartphone from Eddie. I told him to hang on (to?😂. These English sayings…keeps you wondering at times…😉😇), I would be there in 5 minutes (including factoring parking-the-car time).
As I parked my car in a lot by the field (there is a field around the area), I spotted Eddie and he, me. Or was it the other way round?
As we got to walking to the coffee shop, we spotted Duncan. The three of us meeting together for the first time after over 10 years. The coffee shop was crowded. Notice that throughout this essay, I referred to this eatery as “coffee shop”, and not restaurant? The reason is quite simple. This is Klang. People here tell it as it is. “Restaurant” indeed! (Supposed to look like I’m mumbling under my breath. Haha)
Eddie led us to a couple more, “restaurants”, however they were crowded, too. Next time, we will have to make reservations… at “restaurants like these😉😂🤔THen, Eddie took us to a slightly off the beat, Indian shop. Here, Eddie and I went for capati, Duncan settled for a drink only.
We sat at the shop for a couple of hours, reminiscing old times, school days, what we’ve been doing with ourselves over the years. Eddie then suggested we adjourn to his house nearby. Both Duncan and I agreed.
The walls of Eddie’s house were adorned with all his beautiful paintings that he painted over time. Eddie was simply great at art since as long as I can remember, even when we were in primary school. Testimony to his talent hung on the walls all over his house. An amazing artist he is, even today.
Eddie has three sons, Duncan has two daughters, and I, one daughter. Our children are all doing well in their lives.
As we talked about our lives during school; we never envisioned that we were going to be the age that we are now, looking back at our school years. We were not all that ambitious when we were 10, 11 or 12 years. We did the things normal kids do, I think. During our secondary school years, we were split and went to different classes / streams.
As I personalised Eddie’s copy and Duncan’s copy of SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT, I was looking forward to the next 25 years of our friendship growing even stronger than ever before. We had a good time at our first meet up after 10 years.
Our meeting was so good, that we finally said our goodbyes at 3.30pm, not without going through the stations of the cross. What one would expect starting at 9.30am, to end at 11.00am; ended at 3.30pm. Really good times. We intend to meet on a more regular basis. Perhaps the big one as our other classmate / schoolmate Mak Weng Kit suggested – our 50th year alumni gathering.
NOTES:
The journey from Pee Jay or PJ or Petaling Jaya (in full) after picking Jeannie up from work to Shah Alam was a long one, right from the word “Go!”. So, we decided to grab early dinner. I have to clarify something.
Today, there are more words and phrases that mean more than what you actually intend to say. Here, when I say “grab”, I don’t mean call Grab service or “Grab our meals over to where we are”. I mean to say “get” early dinner. I can hear some of you ask, “Why didn’t he say just that? “Get” early dinner. I used the word “grab” to emphasize that we were in a hurry.
Yesterday, when Jeannie, Laura and I were heading (going, for some) to KFC in Sea Park (I think), we passed by a restaurant called “Seapark Dessert”. It brought back memories to Jeannie and me of some over 25 years ago. “Some Over” is a bit of a stylo description.
Over 25 years ago, Jeannie and I used to work in Kuala Lumpur. By time we finished work and waded through traffic jams, it would be over 9.00pm. So, we’d swing over to one of the eating places in PJ to have dinner. One of those places was “Seapark Dessert” , though at that time, we never really took notice of the name of the coffee shop (now “restaurant”). I love bubur pulut hitam, bubur kacang merah and bubur kacang hijau. And so does Jeannie. We’d usually have noodles for our main course and one of this bubur choices for dessert. It was the coffee shop that we often visited because they were usually open to late in the night. This place was very popular at that time. Many a time, we had to wait to get a table for ourselves.
So, passing this coffee shop yesterday gave me the idea to stop by there for dinner. We wondered if it was as good as the last time.
The restaurant looked pretty much the same as the last time. It was a sort of a split-level, and there were quite a few people already. The time was around 5.45pm.
Jeannie ordered Yam cake and bubur kacang hijau. Jeannie said the yem cake was really good. The texture, the taste, the freshness. I am not a sort of a “yam” person. I will take her word for it that it was really good. Jeannie has been in the food industry line for multiple years. She is one of the most qualified persons in terms of experience to give opinions on food.
Her bubur kacang hijau was quite nice. I had a couple of spoons full to taste it.
The curry puff I ate was nice. It was quite large, tasty, but not spicy. “Spicy” in the Malaysian or Asian context usually means very hot. However, looking back at History during school days, the Portuguese, Dutch and English traders were drawn to this part of the world for its spices, like pepper, cloves and other spices. For the discerning food eater, he or she will be able to detect the spices, which includes but not limited to chili.
The bubur pulut hitam was nice. My mother set such a high standard for the bubur pulut hitam, bubur kacang merah and bubur kacang hijau she used to make. There was hardly ever a time that anyone would come close to how she used to make these desserts. But, we have to settle for what we can get now.
Before long, we hit the road and got to the Stadium Pusat Akuatik Selangor or Selangor Aquatic Stadium in Shah Alam, just after 7.00pm. Lots of good memories rushed back to Jeannie and I. This used to be our “first home” when Laura used to train and compete here as a swim athlete representing the state of Selangor as a state swimmer and as a club swimmer for PADE Supersharkz.
As we walked to the pool deck, we saw both Coach Ong Jin Kooi and Coach Mark Chua. Coach Ong was the first to greet us as we got on the pool deck. It was nice to see him after a long time. He looked just the same. Strict with the swimmers and also father to them.
I thought I won’t know any of the current group of swimmers and I won’t recognise any of them. Surprisingly, there were quite a few swimmers who were just beginners some years back; who recognised us, especially me. They came up to say hello and ask how we were. One of the swimmers who was in Laura’s batch and is now amongst the fastest and most experienced in the country, George Ng; came up to say hello, too. He asked how we were. I think he is still connected to Laura on social media. Good to see him.
Coach Mark was all smiles to see us. It was a long time since we last connected. We sat down in the press room where we talked about old times. He remembered Laura’s 50m and 100m Breast, and 100 free times with accuracy. These are great coaches who are not just only interested in what their swimmers do at the pool and competitions, but also take a close interest in what they do away from the pool. There is that amazing bonding between coach and swimmers and vice versa.
We were happy to hear that Selangor did very well in the recently completed Malaysian International Age Group (MIAG) championships. Never one to take anything for granted, the coaches in the Selangor team, i.e. Coach Ong, Coach Mark, Coach Marilyn (Mark’s sister) and others; began preparing the swimmers again, to be at more than their best, both on deck and off deck.
We brought each other up to speed with where we are now.
Coach Mark and Coach Ong each obtained a copy of my just published book, SPARKS FOR JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT. There are stories, articles and multiple pictures of Laura in her many years with her team swimmers and coaches.
Get your copy of the fast selling SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT at leading book stores in the country. You can also get your copy through me. I will personalize it with a short message for you.
“To love somebody…to love somebody the way I love you…” coming over the “airwaves(?)” Bee Gees… and I am taken back to 1971, 1972, when the movie “S.W.A.L.K” was showing.
It was also the time when Susan B**l was the “Wow! The gorgeous Girl” that every guy could only watch from afar. She was 21, we 13. Her boyfriend drove her around in his brand new Ford Cortina 2000 GXL, we…many of us did not even own a bicycle. I saw her a few years ago…she was still a stunner. Oh…and she married her boyfriend of 1971, 1972.
Mid-way through the second day at Amcorp Shopping Mall. The crowds are in, full-swing, browsing, window-shopping (no windows here. We are an open booth😂), shopping.
By the time I got to typing, thinking, tinkering, screen-tapping (was about to use “thumping”. Leave it to your imagination), Bee Gees was over. Either I was a tad slow in typing, Bee Gees was taken off the air, or the song finished. I will go with the last option.
Jeannie has sold her latest creation to a very, very happy customer. She said she will be proudly wearing it during the coming soon Chinese New Year (lunar new year).
And I; I met with a journalist from a leading Malaysian newspaper. I decided to add more pizzaz to the fun I have in writing. I went for the new look.
Towards the end of last evening, at the closing stages of sales for the day; I remembered that there was a booth selling hats. I went looking for it and found it. The booth was on the west side (our booth is in the east wing), 1 floor above us. I saw a couple of hats I liked, one much more than the other. However, I did not want to hold back the hat seller from packing up for the day.
Today, while I was eager to don a new look with the purchase of the new hat that I had yet to buy; we had a good number of people visiting our booth. Some were friends that we made in our previous outings here. I met an old La Salle Klang, schoolmate, Charles Thomas; too. He introduced me to his younger brother and a friend of his; both from La Salle Klang, too.
By the time I got going to get the hat I wanted, it was way into mid-afternoon. I met Mahmud, the specs & hat seller. He has an excellent selection of hats.
The hat, known as the “Panama hat” was still there. I tried it on again and confirmed it had to be you (the hat). The one I liked. I was sold.
If you are looking for a hat for any occasion, Mahmud’s the guy to see. He runs a booth on the 2nd Floor, East Wing.
While the hat itself has no. Magical powers, it sets the tone for new fun and conversations. For one, as I started wearing this hat, I noticed there were many others who wore hats, too. I mean, besides the common sight of those sporting baseball caps, there were many others who wore hats of all shapes and sizes.
Before we knew it, it was time for us to pack up and head for home. Not everything had gone the way we would have liked it to. I believe that the biggest takeaway Jeannie and I had this weekend was that we made more new friends.
Now, to go home and enjoy Harry Connick Jr.’s “It Had To Be You”.
1st Floor, Amcorp Shopping Mall (1),
Booth 1.16, Level 1
Amcorp Shopping lMall,
8, Jalan, Persiaran Barat, Seksyen 52 Petaling Jaya, 46050 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Date: Jan 27 and Jan 28, 2024
Time: 10.00am to 5.30pm (can be extended to 7.00pm)
It rained “rhinos and elephants” earlier this evening. That was the description a recently found old friend, Khatijah Marianne (Magness) Abdullah used to describe the early evening heavy rain. More on Marianne in upcoming articles.
Yes, it rained almost like crazy. I welcomed the rain (and I am quite sure others around this region did, too) to cool down the sort of heat wave weather we have been having over the past few weeks. It does not help that we have high humidity as well.
A good thing the rain was only for about an hour. Not a long drawn one.
I am seated at a table outside of Starbucks, Empire Gallery Shopping mall, Subang Jaya (1), where it is a bit warmer. It is too cold for me to be inside the mall, which makes it uncomfortable to get any work done.
The view from where I am seated is quite nice. “The Social”, a fine dining restaurant, is right in front of me. The food is pretty good there.
Jardin Coffee & Tea, is to my left, right in front of me. It is quite quiet here, with the once-in-a-while chatter from voices of people that walk past me. My table is along the general passage way.
I was exploring a few ideas for an article and “by George, I think I’ve got it!” No, it is not “the rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain”. That’s the ever-so-popular, “My Fair Lady” – The Musical. I think I have stumbled on an idea for my book. Based on an article I wrote recently, suddenly ideas seemed to be springing out.
It is fiction with some humor and a bit of romance thrown into the story for good measure. I will have to mind-map the ideas out on my storyboard.
It has been a good day. This morning I met a gentleman at the Kenny Hills (2) Cafe, located within the supermarket of the Bangsar Shopping Centre (3). The cafe has a nice setting within the supermarket bakery section. The ambience provides a comfortable experience.
We were at the cafe at 9.00am, so it was off the rush hour beat. The gentleman and I both had a hot americano each, and we ordered some local kuih.
In our meeting, we discussed the idea that either I write the book or we co-author the book based on this gentleman’s work experience. Off the hat; I had some ideas as to the direction we can take for this book. I am looking forward to our next meeting to firm up at least some ideas that could create the right “jigsaw puzzle” pieces for the whole picture.
Now, I have two book projects. Both stories are quite different from each other. It would be a worthy challenge to write two different books concurrently. My initial steps into these book ventures would most importantly have a goal / plan with an estimated time of project completion for each of them – have the end in mind, first.
I am going to be even more busy than I am now. I am thoroughly enjoying myself.
Let me know your thoughts on this: am I biting more than I can chew? I wonder.
NOTES
1. Subang Jaya is a city in the state of Selangor, Malaysia. According to a BFM 89.9 radio broadcast show, recently (from the date of this show); Selangor generated over 25% Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Malaysia’s GDP.
2. Kenny Hills or as it is now known as Bukit Tunku, is located in the lush greens of Kuala Lumpur, a city and Federal Territory of Malaysia. It is where the ultra rich stay.
3. Bangsar Shopping Centre is an upmarket shopping mall, located in the prima area of Bangsar, part of Kuala Lumpur.
This is my life…my story…my book. I am the author, the only author of my life.
I will no longer let anyone else write it and be co-author.
I will accept suggestions on how to improve my story.
I will not apologize for the edits I make. People may or may not like me, but it is important to me to stay true to who I am.
~ ALAN IAN ATKINSON
Writer, Author, Storyteller
