THE BRIGHTEST STARS ARE OFTEN SEEN IN THE DARKEST SKIES. THEY TWINKLE BEAUTIFULLY.
LIKE THE BRIGHTEST STARS, A GOOD DEED BRIGHTENS A DARK WORLD. THEY ARE NOTICED.
~ ALAN IAN ATKINSON
Writer, Author, Storyteller
THE BRIGHTEST STARS
#ggb
TWINKLE IN THE STARS
What is life? That is the question, not the one that thinks it is the question, or the people the world over make it to be, “To Be Or Not To Be?”, a quote from William Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet”. When you ask anyone, even some random (my daughter uses this word quite often. Though it is a common word, you will hear from the generation born just after the turn of the century [this century, not the last; in case you were wondering], “flaunting” that word around) people walking on the street, “What is Life?”; they probably will give you their version of it, everyone with a different answer; all correct because it is their version of it.
Try asking them the “To Be Or Not To Be?” question, You probably will get stares, or “Whatcha talking about?”, or ‘”To be or not to be” what?’. Don’t mess around with them, literature people. They will know the answer or may think they know the answer. And you will have to know Hamlet and more.š¤š
I was at my favourite coffee bakery, Good Ground Bakery (G.G.B.); several times this week (and the week has not ended yetš). Each and every time I visit G.G.B., the experience I get is different. The experience is always new… always fresh. Sure, the bakery structure and its physical contents are the same. However, every visit seems to be refreshing, a refreshed, welcoming, comfortable invitation without it being dramatic. It has genuine-ness about it.
Sarah, Good Ground Bakery’s awesome owner; Joanne, G.G.B.’s bright and creative barista, whose smile puts the twinkle in stars in the sky; Monique, the public relations ambassador (whose “Hi, welcome” is warmly given to each and every person that enters the door, and “Thank you, come again” as guests leave that same door); and the bakery crew who put together an amazing array of pastries and bread, all together put the freshness in “fresh” each day.
Not forgetting that we get older as each moment goes by, factually meaning that we change and get older as each of those moments arrives us.
I am a firm believer and try not to take for granted of this fact. In the movie, “Star Trek” – Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise – to boldly go where no man has gone before! Each moment that has yet to present itself to us, is an opportunity for us to boldly go where no one has gone before – new adventures.
That’s the gist of this story. We have to keep reminding ourselves that we have to be thankful for each new moment, each hour, each day; to give the very best of ourselves to ourselves. This is reflected when we give the very best in what we do, to others.
We don’t have control as to when our lives begin (at birth) and when our lives end (our last breath). What we do have control of, is the in between. That is absolutely, incredibly awesome!
We have our own story, our own bestseller to tell. We can choose to write it in the past tense (a journal or a diary) or we can choose to write a novel, how we picture our lives to be and work towards it. Me? How am I going to write my story? The way I see it, I have volumes to write about. My past alone has 65 over years to talk about. I am excited about the present and the future… Page 1, Chapter 1…Year 2093…The next phase…
WRITING – AN OLYMPIC SPORT
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.
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. š
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.
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 š”for future essays, too.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
SATURDAY DAYTIME
I started the morning with a sausage egg McMuffin for breakfast. In fact the three of us did. On the way to McD’s, Jeannie and I picked up my M.I.L. (no, it is not one of those Russian military helicopters. It was Jeannie’s mother, my Mother-In-Law).
The sausage egg McMuffin comes with a coffee or tea. It’s a good value breakfast. Not too much of a meal to start the day with.
It looks like a burger and is a burger. Just like the burger, it is shrinking in size… physically, keeping it to an affordable price (that’s what we are supposed to thinkš).
It tastes quite good. This time round, we chose not to add hash browns to our order. I went for a coffee, black; Jeannie had a teh-O kosong and Mum Ong had a tea.
Did a couple of errands after breakfast and stopped by Good Ground Bakery for a quick mugga (coffee) and a cuppa (tea). Just thought that if a “cuppa” refers to a cup of tea; than a “mugga” should refer to a mug of coffee. We got the bright and chirpy greeting from Monique, as she always does with all their customers; when we walked in through the door.
Joanne whipped up a tea for Jeannie. As for me, I asked her to make me what she thought would be an awesome drink for that time, at that moment; with one condition that it had to be cold.
A few minutes later, our drinks arrived, Jeannie’s first. Then, my drink came not long after. It was a coffee, chocolate, orange; or a mocha with a tinge of orange. Jeannie enjoyed her “earl grey” – very English, I think.
My orange mocha, if I may call it that; had a perfect blend of all the three “ingredients” in the drink. The blend was sort of melodious that I could get the distinct presence of the coffee, chocolate and orange; yet in harmony, each not over-powering the other. As I sipped my drink over the hour that we were at GGB, the orange mocha remained together as one, until the last drop. Compliments to the barista, Joanne.
Jeannie tuned in to one of BFM Radio’s podcasts earlier on this morning, where Dato’ Sri Bernard Chandran, the renowned Malaysian fashion designer, talked about his years of experience. He highlighted that his fashion creations are on display at Farenheit88, a shopping centre in the heart of Kuala Lumpur’s (1) shopping district (an equivalent to Chicago’s Magnificent Mile and Singapore’s Orchard Road). Jeannie decided on going to this exhibition which translated into I had to go too.
Traffic was heavy all the way, but bearable. We had to use Google Maps to get to the shopping centre as we neared the area. I remembered from a previous experience a long time ago; that getting to the entrance of the carpark needed maneuvering several inner lanes (roads) to reach it.
The exhibition was titled “Unmatched”, showcasing Bernard’s 30 years work. Located on the third floor of the shopping complex, the place looked like an art gallery as there were paintings of various sizes, decorating the walls.
Right at the entrance were his first designs. The year of each of his creations was stated under each and everyone of the outfits. His contemporary work is based on the traditional Malay women’s “sarong kebaya” They were beautiful.
I was attracted to the paintings (all of which were abstract art) on the walls. I found myself staring at many of them for a long time, trying to figure out what message the artists were trying to impress on their viewers. I love colours and found myself interpreting the strengths of the colours, the strokes of the brush, which colour was painted (splashed?) on first, the mood of the painter and so on.
Bernard’s designs were cordoned off with black steel cable about two feet high. Picture this, the gallery hall was dark black all around, with lights strategically emphasizing the works and also the art on the walls. Unless you are Tom Cruise of Mission Impossible or have a keen eye, you probably will walk into these “barricades”. The lady that greeted us at the entrance on our way in, informed us of these barriers. Initially, when we walked into the hall, we looked out for these cables as there were no warning signs.
I am not much of a fashion buff and made my way round the exhibition in no time at all. I lost Jeannie somewhere at the beginning of the displays. When I saw the exit (which was also the entrance), I headed in that direction and walked right into one of those entrapments. What a way to find out that there were steel cables there. Those cables were sure painful. I grazed my right shin and caused a bruise on the left one.
The exhibition gallery was large, with the exhibitions spaced out. I was on the left side of the room, saw the exit, and made my way towards it. Somewhere along that path, the steel cables laid, waiting to spring to action and catch the offender. The bruise wasn’t that big a deal. Jeannie had a band-aid with her. I put it on the wound / bruise to prevent further stinging (that was the pain I felt.
As for Bernard Chandran’s work, congratulations goes to him. His 30 years of hard work is definitely his success story. He is an inspiration for others to follow. Bernard Chandran has a store in Farenheit88, if you would like to acquire one or more of his pieces.
Getting onto Jalan Bukit Bintang on our way out, was needing patience. It was so crowded with vehicles. The sidewalks on both sides of the street had its fair share of crowds of people.
We planned for an early dinner. What shall we eat? I already had char kway teow and kopi-O ice on my mind and Jeannie was thinking of Bangkok-style fried rice. Next change.
NOTES:
1. Kuala Lumpur is the capital of Malaysia. A bustling tourist attraction, with so much to offer; definitely worth a visit.
CALAMANSI COOLER
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.
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.
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.
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”.
RAIN OR NO RAIN
As I published the essay, I was planning to hit the coffee scene. My cousin, Chris; texted me in the morning and suggested we meet at Good Ground Bakery (1) at 2.30pm as our usual neighbourhood cafe was closed for the day. Probably, the two co-owners at Jings would be out for a round of golf on a Wednesday afternoon. I can just picture them: in full raincoats and carrying the usually large golf umbrellas, opened; lugging their golf carts. O.k. they may have caddies doing that for them. Then, one of them pulls out a 9-iron (like I know anything about golf); whacks (drives) the ball over 270 yards, clear of the fairway to the highway. The ball lands a few millimetres away from the hole, just needing to be putted in.
Not really sure if they play golf in the first place. However, there are some avid golfers who frequent Jings quite often. The ones I know are Sally Lee and her husband, Jeff; and Snow and his wife, Mandy.
I was running late for my 2.30pm afternoon meet with Chris. It was close to 3 on the hour when my essay went “live”. I got to Good Ground Bakery at 2.50pm only to learn from Joanne, the employee who is familiar with us by now, that “your friend, the guy with the long shoulder-length hair, left a few minutes ago.”
I called Chris to tell him I had just arrived. I was held up due to the fact I was rushing out an article to be published at that time. He said he thought that I wouldn’t show up, so he left. Chris is a guy who is one for punctuality. Me, too. However, to day was not one of those times.āI did tell Chris that if I commit to an appointment, I will show up. If I was not going to show up for whatever reason/s; I would inform the other party/s.
I headed back home. As I turned to Tudor homes; Chris called to say that he was heading back to Good Ground Bakery and it would be good if I could join him.
So, I did what came naturally: I kicked the sand with my right foot, swayed a bit from left to right and back and said, “Golly, shucks, aww ok”……. Actually, I said “ok”ā(minus the drama) and headed back to the bakery.
I was back at Good Ground Bakery 10 minutes later. By this time, the heavens (or is the floodgates?) had opened and the rain was beating down hard with a force like it was on a vengeance. I managed to find a car š park bay on the road. It meant that I had to make a 20 meter dash in the heavy downpour. I didn’t want to use the umbrella as it was too much of a bother to remember to take it back when I leave. I have forgetfully left a number of umbrellas behind where ever I go.
One of the first things I did as I got to theācounter before sitting at the table was to browse though their from the oven to the shelves baked goodies. I decided to go for their cranberry scone again, and I ordered an Americano to go with it.ā
When it was served, I noticed the cup, the same type that I usually have my coffee when I come here. The top half of the cup looked like it was coffee stained all round it. Sort of makes it look old. Another thing is that the cup and saucer looked like it was clay molded, more like a “do-it-yourself” molding. However, on getting a better look at the cup, the colour is the colour of the cup not a stain. The cup was commercially purchased, not homemade. I liked it because it seemed to keep the coffee hot for a longer period and it had a solid feel because it was heavy.
The scone looked really good. As I cut into it and took a bite without adding the butter and jam, it was delicious. The generous amounts of cranberries in it gave it that “reddish sweet” flavour to the scone. The butter and jam was like “icing to the cake”, as they seem to have taken the scone to the next level of greatness for scones.
Looking at the pictures, you can tell that the scone was literally just out of the oven. The freshness of its light, crusty top gives the scone a “must have” when one visits the Good Ground Bakery.
By the time I was half way though the scone, our friend, Jino, came and joined us for coffee. Jino never fails to share with us his experiences when he was the Numero Uno of Goodyear Malaysia. He has loads of knowledge that he is ever willing to impart with us and others. We had a good afternoon.
It was soon nearing 4.40pm when I had to leave to pick my family up from work. I am looking forward to another session with Chris and Jino. It is with sessions like this that we can impart our experiences, values and views with others. Not to forget an abundance of laughter and light-heartedness that comes with it.
NOTES:
1. Good Ground Bakery is at SS17/1A, Subang Jaya. Subang Jaya is a city in the state of Selangor, Malaysia.