Yay! It’s the weekend again! Actually… – I don’t like to use this word as I have learnt the meaning behind it. It means, “the truth is” or “honestly” or “to tell you the truth”. There I go , slicing through the English language. So, when you hear people use one of these terms, phrases or words…you begin to question, “Does this mean they weren’t telling the truth before this?” You will hear many public figures and celebrities use any one or more of these, often. … Just having fun with the English language… after all, it is Friday mah (English – Mal;aysianized 😁😂
So, as I was saying… Actually…I think I will use “As a matter of fact”, everyday is “Yay” for me. Every moment ahead which turns to seconds, then to minutes, then to hours, then to days is the future that unfolds in front of me. It allows me to do my thing, starting anew. Like an artist starts with a blank canvas, which awaits his or her inspiration.
The Batik Influencer, Jeannie; and the Hatted Writer, me, of course; will be having a booth, tomorrow, Saturday, May 18th, and Sunday, May 19th. We are looking forward to it as we get to meet lots and lots of new people, and friends, readers and subscribers of this website and the community of the other people who operate booths there on a permanent feature.
The Batik Influencer has multiple (the American version of the word “many”) new designs to showcase. They keep getting snapped up ever before we get to our booth. The numbers are limited. Here’s an opportunity to own at least one of the Batik Influencer’s latest creation under the “JEANNIE’S OWN” label.
Batik
As for me, I look forward to meeting all you readers and subscribers of leatherpotato.com. I can tell you now that I am putting together a manuscript for my first book. Yes, not the only book. This first book which is under wraps for the time being, was a suggestion put forward by several readers. I look forward to talk about this book, without revealing too many details.
I am formulating ideas, mission, vision of my next book. It looks like a three genre seems to be forming. Which one will I move into, Que Sera, Sera. I find it fascinating how a thought, just a fleeting momentous thought; can turn into an idea and become real. It must be magic!🦸🏻♂️
I will also be selling many of our personally pre-owned & pre-loved items.
Come over and let’s rock the whole place with fun and laughter, like always. We will be at our booth from 10.00am onwards. We, the Batik Influencer, Jeannie; and I, the Hatted Writer; look forward to see all of you.
And, as for the video below; I am not that man who knew too much. I am still learning.🕵🏻♂️😅
Booth F1.03, 1st Floor, Amcorp Shopping Mall,8, Jalan, Persiaran Barat, Seksyen 52 Petaling Jaya, 46050 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia Date: May 18 and May 19, 2024 Time: 10.00am to 5.30pm (can be extended to 7.00pm
Soundtrack from the 1956 Alfred Hitchcock film “The Man Who Knew Too Much,” with Doris Day, James Stewart, Brenda de Banzie, Bernard Miles, Daniel Gélin, Christopher Olsen & Reggie Nalder.
Writers just like to have fun…sounds familiar from a song…
After lunch at the King of Burgers a.k.a. Burger King; my wife Jeannie, went to do her grocery shopping and other stuff like that. I decided to do some window ogling. I find it interesting to see how major, and not so major brands, position themselves to get customers. The “why?” behind a brand for instance, can influence people to stay loyal with them for generations.
I met a person, Martin, from Sweden; for the first time, a few days ago. He is based in Singapore and his primary job is to help brands in their positioning, not only for the end customers to see, but also to associate with other brands that add value to them, and they in turn, add value to those brands. Like Rolex is to Rolls Royce; Tiger Woods is to Nike; the Batik Influencer is to beautiful designs and colours of Batik; the Hatted Writer is to making a difference, a good difference; in people’s lives, even if it is for a fleeting moment.
As a writer and journalist; I wonder at times, what sort of persona (1) I should have. Should it be created or should it be natural? I think a persona is an identity that can be either created, natural or both. It should be a process of continuous improvement.
As answers are found to the questions raised; more questions are raised. That is what makes life more interesting, I guess. Like I am fascinated with the thought that every moment that has yet to come, which is before us; is the future. That is mind-boggling. We can put the dots on the map of life as we reach it.
For now, I want to be ready for any occasion, yet attired comfortably. I have the tools of my trade, handy with me; to start penning / piecing / crafting / stitching (stitching?) an article together any time. And have fun doing so.
Here, I am having fun at this “photoshoot”. It may look like I am advertising a brand, maybe the Crumpler fold casual I have, since there are bag “props on shelves all around me. Perhaps the Teva hiking sandals. Or the tweed Gatsby / newsboy cap. The subtleness, yet the brand that stands out most would be Samsung – with a Watch 6 Classic and the item that is in front of all the pictures – the S23 Ultra.
I like The Planet Traveller because it has an extensive range of items for travel, the outdoors, or just for everyday use. What I like most about them is that I am sure to find new innovative ideas and things almost every time I visit their stores.
Looking good at every angle.
Dropped by Crumpler and saw this riot red “Comfort Zone” Messenger bag. From afar, the riot red magnetized me to the bag. I like the innovative strap-locking system and the extra strap (once adjusted to your length for carry / sling), is pocketed (tucked away) in a little side pocket. Cool looking bag. Messenger bag…Hmmm💭…who knows?🤔😉
NOTES 1. A persona is the image or personality that a person presents in public or in a specific setting—as opposed to their true self. The word is especially used in the phrase public persona, referring to the personality that a person presents in public and that they are known for by most people.
Someone’s persona is the aspect of their character or nature that they present to other people, perhaps in contrast to their real character or nature.[formal]
…the contradictions between her private life and the public persona.
From time to time he will take on a new persona. Collins dictionary
I guess it’s one of those days…You know… when something does not go your way… I was working on this article and had put together something. Was half way done. Then, my wife Jeannie had to go on an errand to the shops nearby. I volunteered to go with her. I thought I had saved my work before shutting down my pc. It didn’t save. I think my pc shut down faster than it could save. Well, that means, my re-written / typed / Logi keyboard thumped work, should be better than the first one lost.
It was a good day to start with. It was like a day off with plenty of time…no I will rephrase that, “quite a bit of time”, free. The tasks I set out to do until now, was completed ahead of schedule. So, extra time to spare. After a couple of hours extra rest, I felt I needed to do something.
I have talked in my earlier articles that we may have forgotten how to enjoy the extra free time we have (1) . People become fidgety and load their time-schedule with more things to do and then complain that they are so stressed with too much to do and too little time to do these tasks.
It is something somewhat like the phrase, “No choice”. It is very common among Malaysians. However, there is no such thing as no choice. There is always a choice. Whether you choose to take action or not doing anything is a choice.
Wanting to jalan-jalan (2), my wife, Jeannie, the Batik Influencer; and I, the Hatted Writer😉; decided to take a drive down to Starling Mall in Damansara, P.J.. (3) It has no connection (I think) with Star Bhavan and Starbucks, just because of it having “star” in its name. It was more of Jeannie wanting to go there – change of scenery. The last time we visited the mall was several months ago.
Traffic was slightly heavy. It was smooth flowing. We arrived at the mall in under half an hour. The first thing we got there was to look for food. No wonder I am 76.8kg!
We came across this little restaurant at Foodies’ Nest called “Triple Happiness”. Their menu was basically noodles or rice based. We ordered “Roasted Pork Mihun Curry”. Jeannie and I had a heavy brunch, so we decided to share 1 bowl of this meal.
Roasted Pork Curry Mihun or Curry Mihun with Siew Yuk.
It did not just look good, it tasted great to the very last drop of the curry. Simply delicious. It came in a normal size noodle bowl. There was a generous serving of big pieces of siew yuk, half a hard boiled egg, tofu, green long beans, bean sprouts and spring onions. The meal was spicy, but not to the extent that you would perspire profusely. It was so good to the very last drop. It is a “must try” for those who can eat this. After our meal, I went up to the lady at the Triple Happiness restaurant and complimented their food as “excellent!”. She thanked me for the compliment.
The Curry Mihun with siew yuk. It tastes better than it looks.Seated with a “scenic view”.At the Foodies’ Nest.The whole setup is very oriental.
After our meal, Jeannie and I will usually go our separate ways – she to the stores she likes, and I, to the ones I like (which were very few). However, whenever we come to this mall, we will together, visit “Tiny Bench” first. It is a store that was started by two young ladies, selling local leather products. When I last spoke to one of the owners a few years back, she said they put in many a day with very long hours. They have done well for themselves.
The first product I bought: an A5 6-ring note binder in 2015.
The first product I purchased from them in 2015 was an A5 notes 6-ring binder which I still have today. My decision to buy this leather binder was because I was impressed by the quality build and the leather materials they used for their products. Their prices were reasonable, too.
Over the years, we have bought more leather note binders for Jeannie and Laura, leather key-rings, leather bookmark tags and other items from Tiny Bench. They have an interesting range of multiple product lines and have opened several branches in various shopping malls.
The smaller leather note binder is the right size for me to have it with me in my carry bag wherever I go.
Note the key-rings, and bookmark tags, too.
Neatsfoot oil leather preserver.
Jeannie shopped for some clothes and got something for Laura, our daughter. It is a local traditional outfit in a very nice, striking, elegant shade of red.
We spent another hour or so at Starling before heading back home. Our ride home was smooth traffic all the way. It was a very pleasant and enjoyable evening.
I’ve completed this essay, and saved it, too.😅
NOTES: 1. http://leatherpotato.com/2024/03/10/lemon-coffee/ 2. Jalan-jalan is a Bahasa Malaysia word for travel. 3. P. J. short for Petaling Jaya, is a bustling city in the state of Selangor, Malaysia.
That was the time we sauntered (1) in. We carried the two biggest bags out of our car. Looking at us, one would think that we were running away from home; or was it “ran away from home” since we had already done it; i.e. the action was already put into motion.
Just before arriving here, we stopped by at New Apollos restaurant near our house; to get my “fix”. Jeannie, the Batik Influencer, also known to be known as my wife; brought along our Goji and Rain 532ml Hydraflasks. For those wanting to go out and get themselves a Hydraflask Goji or Rain 532ml flask; it may be a bit difficult as it does not show up on their website. “Goji” and “Rain” are Hydraflask’s version of Red (Goji) and Grey (Rain). I know, I know, my thoughts exactly! Why can’t they just call a red a red and a grey a grey.
We hand over our Hydraflasks to the drinks guy who promptly fills these containers with Nescafe Ice Kaw Kaw, including adding several ice cubes to make sure the drinks stay chilled throughout the day. The Hydraflasks do an outstanding job in keeping my Nescafe ice Kaw Kaw super ice cold, right up till the evening, when we pack to head home.
So, we lugged, tugged, dragged (not really) our two biggest bags from our car to the booth, first. We laid out all the main things like the batik, Hotwheels cars, watches, and some tech stuff. We made a couple more trips back to our car, which was 3 levels below us, in the carpark.
It did not take us very long to set the booth up the way we wanted. People were in a “Relak lah, brudder” (2) “Sunday mood”, which was good. A change from the usual “hard at work week”, for most of us, at least.
Gong Xi Fa Cai (Happy New Year) – the Chinese New Year decorations are still up.
While I watched people go by, I recognised a gentleman walking by in his Sunday’s best at relaxing. “Mervin”, I called out. The gentleman turned round, “Hey! Alan”. With him, was a young lady who was heavily tattooed. She also happened to be the younger of his two daughters. Mervin, his siblings and parents, their cousins, uncles and aunties, have been close friends of the Atkinsons of Klang; going back over 50 years. It was good catching up on things since we last met, here, at Amcorp Shopping Mall; a few months ago, when he passed our booth.
Mervyn Gomes, with the unhatted (at the time of this picture) Hatted Writer.
I came to the mall today, unhatted. (3) I already had my sights for the “tweed” and was waiting for the right moment to visit Mahmud.
Mahmud was a floor above us, on the west side. I put the flat cap (also knowns as the “newboy” cap) on, and it was perfect. Mahmud said it matched the sling bag I had today.
Mahmud, the hats and specs guy with me, the Hatted Writer.
Me, the Hatted Writer; sporting the tweed Newsboy flat cap. I love it.
One could be forgiven if he or she for a moment thought this was Sir Elton John or John Lennon with me. I wonder why? Must be his smile, no? Mahmud, with me, the Hatted Writer; at his booth on the second floor.
Another satisfied customer. The red was super, awesomely striking; making the gold flower designs rich.
Throughout the day, there were people coming by, purchasing many of the Hotwheels vehicles that were on display, A guy bought my Thronmax full professional mike set. I used it only once thinking I was going into podcasting. However, I realised that I was not ready for podcasts now. The planning, script writing, perfect environment, editing – this was not my thing. At least for now. I may pick it up again sometime in the near future. Another person also bought my Cross fountain pen, which I first purchased 40 years ago. That guy is going to get many years of good writing experience from it.
Jeannie, the Batik Influencer, and I, (yes, ’tis I) Alan, the Hatted Writer; at our booth F1.16.
I was also the D.J. for the afternoon; playing a wide variety of English and Malay songs. I played Liyana Fizi’s “Nona Nona Zaman Sekarang”, “Stay”, “Jatuh”; CCR, Michael Buble, Meghan Trainor, Ushera, Sheila Majid with her hit, “Sinaran”; just to name a few. I saw lots of people moving to the rhythm of the songs,. enjoying what they heard. Probably a good 3 hours of music. I think the speaker must have popped as there is a bit of a rattling sound when the volume is turned up.
And another happy customer – this couple purchased the last batik cape under the label of “Jeannie’s Own” that Jeannie had with her for the day.
A Singaporean couple came by just as were about to pack up for the day. They purchased the last of “Jeannie’s Own” batik capes that the Batik Influencer had for the day.
The “CARS” display, keychain, and the diecast cars of Mater and Flo, were also sold just before we closed. Everything CARS is sold.
By the time, we got everything packed in the car (we did not saunter. We moved at a much faster pace as we wanted to get home), it was past 6.00pm.. It had been quite a long day.
I, during the day, through observations as it (the day) went passed; have got several more ideas for my book. Right now, it seems disjointed. I need to thread the ideas together. While it looks like a trillion (4) piece jigsaw puzzle at the moment, the excitement is building up working at putting these pieces together.
NOTES: 1. “Sauntered” means to walk in a slow, relaxed manner. 2. “Relax lah, brudder” (spelt according to how it sounds) means take it easy. It is very common to hear this in everyday life in Malaysia. Though the little speck down south of the peninsula claims (like every other thing that becomes catchy and famous); that this popular phrase originated from them; there are doubts to this claim. 3. “Unhatted” means not wearing a hat. 4. Trillion a million million (1,000,000,000,000 or 1012).
Still in the celebrative mood of Chinese New Year… Jeannie wanted to go to one of the shopping malls to do a bit of shopping. She suggested Mid-Valley Shopping Mall.
Traffic was good all the way to the mall. It probably is a good time to sight-see K.L. (1) Getting a parking bay at our usual parking area (Yes, I do a usual area where I park my car, can easily find it, and then; quite quickly exit when we leave) was easier than normal.
Not even 10 minutes in the mall when I realise that I, the Hatted Writer; was without my hat. I thought that I had left it in the car. I went back to the car to get it only to find that it was not there. Which meant that I had left it at home.
When I was searching on line sometime back for hat boxes, I saws that Mid-Valley had a hat store called “Hat Attack”. I decided to visit it. Who knows? I may be able to find something I like. Just in case some of you may be thinking that I left my hat/s at home on purpose so that I would have an excuse to get another hat…no, I didn’t.
I whipped (slowly. It kinda of contradicts the action “whipped” which depicts super fast😉 for the store location😂) up my phone from, searched for the location and got to the store within minutes. I’ve passed by this store multiple (A descriptive word I learnt from Laura instead of using “countless number of”. Sounds better) times without stepping into it. It was the time before I got in to hats, something which Jeannie kept egging me to start using, especially after watching the movie, “Shadows In The Sun” where Weldon Parrish (Harvey Keitel), the eccentric writer, always wore a hat.
This store was filled with a fantastic choice of hats of all kinds. I tried on several hats, found some that I liked and sent pictures to my fashion critics, Jeannie and Laura, to get their opinion on my choice. Cherie, the store associate, described the materials of hats I picked, and how to keep them clean.
I asked Jeannie to meet me at the store and get her opinion on my final choice. Finally, after a long 15 or 20 minutes of going through all these hats, I picked the bronze colour panama hat.
This is how to take a picture, with your phone, while looking in the mirror. Dressed for the occasion – writering or authoring or even storytelling.
The happy Hatted Writer.
Here I am, with the beautiful Hat Attack associate, Cherie.
The Batik Influencer (Jeannie) and I were soon on our way to explore the rest of the Chinese New Year-ed Mid-Valley in all its festivities. We took a lot of pictures.
What are they looking at?
The Centre Court was decorated with orange trees, everywhere. Fake trees of course.
Sophisticated.Jeannie bought me my red tee to be in CNY colours.
The Batik Influencer in her newly purchased cheongsam.She was in the right shoes, too. Notice the others with white sole shoes, too.
We spent quite a bit of time at the Gardens. Their CNY decor was all about simplicity at home, the simple living. We thought the decor was very nice.
Notice how the back props matches my hat?
Red paper messages dropping from orange trees? Interesting. Very interesting.
The pictures taken of us at The Gardens decor display are very nice. A lady helped take these pictures, using my phone. In all the pictures, the Batik Influencer looks very regal in her cheongsam.
We decided to head home after spending about three hours at the Mall. How quickly time flew. The traffic on the highway back to Subang Jaya was smooth flowing. How nice it would be if the traffic was like this every day. Wishful thinking?
NOTES: 1. K.L. or Kuala Lumpur, is the largest city and the capital of Malaysia. 2. Cheongsam or zansae, also known as the qipao and sometimes referred to as the mandarin gown, is a Chinese dress worn by women which takes inspiration from the qizhuang, the ethnic clothing of the Manchu people. wikippedia
