#calamansicooler

WRITING – AN OLYMPIC SPORT

/ Alan Atkinson / Leave a comment

They say that being a writer is easy. I guess, “they”, whoever they are; are right. I propose that writing becomes a sport. Who knows, we, those who actually (“actually” is an interesting word) write; may want to campaign for it to be added to the next Olympics chapter. I look back at the recently just concluded Paris Olympics. I believe that breakdance “athlete” (you know who I’m talking about); copied some moves that I think are originally mine – that dive to the floor with the safest ever, fall – epic. So, writing the next sport for the Olympics. That sets another problem. Do we call ourselves as writers, athletes or athlete-writers? Let me know. Now the chant starts, “Writing as an Olympics sport! Writing as an Olympics sport!”

Coming back to “being a writer is easy”. The “they (Who are the “they”? Your guess is as good as mine). If whatever they say bears fruit, then, you will see them come out from the joints of woodwork, closets and other dark enclaves. However, if they are wrong, “they” will remain faceless and nameless.  “They”  probably think we writers use A.I. or Artificial Intelligence (the current buzz phrase or word) to help us with our work. Well, I can’t speak for other writers or comment about their work to know for certain if they guna (Bahasa Malaysia word for “use”) A.I. in what they do. I don’t.

As it is, our (including mine) intelligence (real intelligence) is usually in question, what more artificial. Haha. I won’t delve too deep into it for now.

It was one of those days where I needed a change of scenery. So, I hopped into my car and drove to Good Ground Bakery (G.G.B.) in SS17/1, Subang Jaya (1). Reached there within 10 minutes.

I was greeted warmly by their “hospitality team”, Monique and Joanne. Good Ground’s owner, Sarah; was right in the back amongst her ovenly things, coming up with more delicious pastries, I can imagine.

Umbrellas

I managed to get the corner table, right by the entrance, with umbrellas to keep me company. Just right – I could get some writing done, by typing or tapping on the keyboard of my computer and Samsung Fold; not physically writing with pen on paper, or quill on scroll. 😉

It was a hot day today, as it has been like most days over the last few months. So, I asked Joanne, G.G. B.’s super wonderful barista, for one of her famous Calamansi Cooler drinks, a refreshing cold drink that certainly quenches one’s thirst. I also ordered G.G.B’s famously (when I say “famous” here, I mean no exaggeration) delicious cranberry scones. I asked for a side order of strawberry jam and butter, though it was totally unnecessary; as the scones tasted awesome on their own.

Computer up and running, so was my Samsung Fold with my Bose QuietComfort II that provided me with unparallel quality sound for the music I was listening to; and the cranberry scone with the strawberry jam and butter, and calamansi cooler to satisfy my appetite while I worked on my next article.

The change of scenery did help. I could get more work done. I had some new ideas to toy around with, which I noted down on my ideaSketchpad 💡for future essays, too.

Just right? Acer Flip, Samsung Fold (both with Stylus pens. Plural of stylus is stylii?), Bose QuietComfort II Buds, calamansi cooler, cranberry scone with strawberry butter and jam; and the Crumpler).

The cranberry scone was as usual, superb; right down to the last crumb. It has a generous amount of cranberries in each scone. Thought I ordered a side dish of strawberry jam and butter to go with the scone, the scone on its own, is wonderful. You guys have to try it for yourselves. I added strawberry jam, and butter to some of the bites of the scone I had to add variation to what was already a perfect scone.

Close-up of the perfect scone. It has a generous amount of cranberries in each cranberry scone.

The atmosphere was nice. I had my Bose QuietComfort II Buds on, listening to music from Eric Clapton, Deep Purple, Elton John, Meghan Trainor and Bruce Springsteen to name a few. Great pastry and beverage. Acer Flip, Samsung Fold (both with Stylus pens. Plural of stylus is stylii? Just about right.

Butter and strawberry jam, anyone?

Work being done, while eating my delicious cranberry scone and sipping on the calamansi cooler.

Worked at a comfortable pace, which was faster than normal (I think). Ideas for new topics kept flowing in. Just have to piece a storyboard together and see where we go from there. I took several breaks to savour the pastry, enjoy the surrounding and the enjoyable mood that it offered. I think the “right mood” is offered to us on tap, we just have to get into the groove of things.

The cranberry scone, when cut through, reveals its rich texture. It does not only look good from the outside, and its inside; it tastes just as good, if not, better than it looks.

While it is true that the pastry or / and beverage here and the scenes may seem the same or standard, I look at them differently. Each moment as we get older, we are different. So, we experience things differently. In order to do this, we have to empty our experiences of the past and start with a clean slate. It is quite interesting as we go through each new moment without pre-fixed expectations, but with hope of experiencing each new moment as a new experience.

Every crumb, every molecule, right down to its miniscule bit – awesome!

The “proof of the pudding” is the result of what was on the plate and little bowl. It is all gone! Need anything more be said?

Before I knew it, it was time to go, to head on to the next event on my agenda. I use Calengoo, which is an Android Calendar / Tasks app on both my smartphones. I have been using this app extensively for over 5 years. I think it is one of the most comprehensive and complete Calendar / Tasks apps there is available; without it being overly complicated where you spend a huge amount of time trying to figure out the bells and whistles of other apps. Try out Calengoo. Maybe, I should write about Calengoo. Should I?

NOTES:
1. Subang Jaya is a bustling city in the central state of Peninsula Malaysia, Malaysia. It is an amazing place to come for food as one is spoilt for choice. Subang Jaya is self contained with schools, universities, hospitals, places of worship, entertainment, the list goes on.

WHEN IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY, CELEBRATE!

/ Alan Atkinson / Leave a comment

Going to Mid-Valley at around mid-day, was a good choice.  Lunch, some shopping and then watch a movie – that was the game plan.

I had the opportunity to spend time with my two favourite women in my life; Jeannie, my wife; and Laura, our daughter. The both of them had taken leave from work today. It was Laura’s birthday.

The Oriental restaurant at Mid-Valley, was like all their other restaurants – crowded. We got to the restaurant just after mid-day, at slightly after a quarter past twelve. Though they have a large seating capacity, they had a long queue waiting to be seated.

The restaurant has a good queue control system, ensuring we did not have to wait too long. As we got nearer to the end of the queue in front, one of the waiters gave us the menu to browse through and make our orders through them. So, by the time we got to our table; our food order arrived shortly after that.

To me, one of the best things about this restaurant is that it is brightly lit. I mean talk about bright; this is the leader. I like to see what I am eating.😁😎

We did not have to wait too long before our food arrived. Everything looked good and tasted as good as it looked. We left soon after we finished our meal. Jeannie and Laura went to the stores they liked while I went to the ones I liked (generally). I walked quite briskly to cover more ground and to make up for my usual 10km walk that I missed out today.

I met with them about an hour later, after having covered several stores. I did more of a window-shop looksie walk. I found a couple of things that was of interest to me, including a pair of Teva sandals that has all its straps padded for a more comfortable wear experience.

Laura and Jeannie did some shopping. Laura was happy that she got some things with a good discount.

It was mid-afternoon, when we headed back to Subang Jaya. It was a hot afternoon. I suggested that we swing by at Good Ground Bakery for a thirst quencher and some of its delightful pastries. The ladies agreed.

Here we (Jeannie and I), are, with the birthday lady, Laura; seated in a nice, cozy corner, behind a brownish-red divider / wall, in the front of the bakery. Prime seating area.

Laura had a iced chocolate drink, while Jeannie and I both had Calamansi Coolers; prepared by the up and coming renowned barista in the making, Joanne. We had a slice of dark chocolate, cut into 3 equal slices by GGB’s Public Relations Specialist, Monique. Sarah, GGB’s owner; was busy in the back, working on their delightful pastries.

This picture looks kinda nice, well arranged. The chicken puff surrounded by the three equally cut pieces of cake from the slice of dark chocolate cake; the chocolate drink and the 2 calamansi coolers..

The chicken “curry” puff, was good to the last crumb. It goes well with any drink and other food you order.

This afternoon break was so refreshing, sort of having given us a renewed energy for the rest of day’s plans. We enjoyed being in the “present”. Highly recommended.😁

Picture taken: Courtesy of Monique.

We take birthdays seriously, enjoying the gift from God that has brought us to this point; and look forward to the future, from this moment onwards. Living life to the fullest!

CALAMANSI COOLER

/ Alan Atkinson / Leave a comment

The weekend came and went in all fury. It was so fast, that we did not even feel it. Feel may not be the right word. I think a better word is “experience” it.

So, if the word “experience” is a better choice, “Why don’t you edit (is a better word for “making a correction”(?)) it?” you may ask.

Too much work to do so. If I change that word, I would possibly be swayed (by myself) into editing the sentences or paragraphs or even changing the whole meaning in this paragraph, which may in turn cause a mood swing. Haha.

It was one of those (now) infamous sweltering afternoons that we are (I dare say) getting used to. Or are we? The sun is blazing hot. A while (long while) later, the rain and thunderstorms come pouring down on us to the extent that certain parts of the Federal Highway begin to flood with a few inches of water.

On this afternoon, however; it was dry. Jeannie, my wife and I; did a few errands in the morning, had brunch and thought we’d go to our common (more like my) hangout: Good Ground Bakery (GGB).

We were greeted as usual, by Joanne and Monique. I told Jeannie that we had to try their fantastically refreshing drink: Calamansi Cooler. And Joanne makes it super nice. We both ordered a calamansi cooler. I opted for this drink instead of my usual coffee order (It is usually an americano though of late, I go for the flat white, too – both great drinks from here, at the GGB).

I don’t know how they get this drink to this level, but it is an awesome thirst quencher. It was a good drink to keep Jeannie and I company as we chillax, something that we enjoy and is quite rare to us because of our hectic daily schedules.

The Pecan chocolate cake. It is delicious.

GGB is famous for it’s…you’ve guessed it: bakery. It makes great breads and pastries, never fails to delight. It’s testimony is by its constant flow of customers, both dine in and takeaway.

People come to establishments like this for the experience. They have the space to do their own thing. You will see many people of all ages come and read books, real books i.e. at a leisurely, calm pace. Or, work on their computer with whatever they are doing and you will notice that they are not stressed out as otherwise would be a common sight. Or they meet with family or friends over a mugga (as in “cuppa” for tea) coffee.

It is mainly an experience each time I visit a cafe or an establishment like Good Ground. I like observing people mainly because everyone is different. And I could be looking for that unique characteristic someone might display that I can use for my book that I am writing (work-in-progress). I find it absolutely intriguing that everyone seems different.

Here, I am penning, or is it S-Pen stylus(ing?) some ideas for an article down in the Fold.
Using a metal straw. It keeps the drink at the same temperature when it leaves the glass to the time it gets in our mouths, perhaps? This drink is awesome!

We ordered a slice of Pecan Chocolate cake to go with our drinks. We shared this cake as it was too much for either of us to finish a whole slice each, by ourselves. It was delicious. Sarah, the owner of GGB, is a fantastic pastry chef. You will see that she, together with all her staff; are dedicated to providing the very best in all they offer, to their customers.

Notice the tattoo? That’s a swagger (1) pose.😁😂

It was a nice hour and a half or so that Jeannie and I had. We left, somewhat refreshed, to continue the rest of the day. As we left GGB, we felt some rain drops falling. Dark rain clouds were forming, readying for a thunderstorm. A cool evening, perhaps?

NOTES:
1. Meaning of “swagger” : walk or behave in a very confident or self-important way.
If you see me write, “I will take you somewhere swagger”, it means I will take you or show you
somewhere smart or fashionable in my writing, like here, at Good Ground Bakery.
2. There is an attempt here, sometimes as usual, to challenge subtly, the written English language to past
its boundaries to add “colour”.