VIBRANCY, COLOURS, STORIES AND BATIK; THE WEEKEND THAT WAS

Another angle. The author and his newly published book, SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT. Notice how the sparks of joy are the “jewels” of life.

I had written in my recent article, “Seize The Moment With Batik and Sparks Of Joy” (1) how fast each week goes by, that I am more convinced that the weeks have been shortened to just Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Now, it looks like the weekends are getting shorter too, may be shaving off some seconds here, and minutes there. Just as fast it comes, it seems to go faster.

It is for that reason why I talk about “moments” (2). To me, I believe a moment is way faster than 1 second. I also believe that we should not take time for granted, that we have to use it wisely. I will save the topic of “Moment” for another essay.

Yes, the one and the same.

Jeannie, the Batik Influencer; and I, the Hatted Writer; had another good weekend at Amcorp Mall. The Batik Influencer had multiple pieces of her Batik Cape Creations under her label, JEANNIE’S OWN; “acquired” by existing and new friends. The Batik Influencer was in her element as usual.

I see…Interesting; listening attentively. Batik. Dynamic!

I, too; had my fair share of meeting with existing (notice how I didn’t use the word, “old”. It could end up in the same sensitive vein as “hotdog”๐Ÿ˜‚) and new friends, readers of http://www.leatherpotato.com and owners of their SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT copies.

David Fernandez texted me a couple of times earlier in the week, making plans to meet at Amcorp Mall for coffee. He was the first one to get his personalised copy of my book. He knew I could not leave my “work station” for long to grab an enjoyable time for coffee, so he included an extra amount for a great cup of coffee. Thanks for the coffee, David. Looking forward to meeting with you over a real mugga (for coffee as in “cuppa” for tea).

David Fernandez and the author, me; Alan Ian Atkinson.

The Batik Influencer is always spritely when talking about her Batik Cape Creations to just about everybody. The patterns, the colours, the whys, whos, hows and the list goes on.

It was a slightly quieter weekend due to the long holiday. People would travel outstation, while people from outstation would come over. It was fun, all the same.

We, Jeannie, the Batik Influencer; and I, the Hatted Writer, will be at Amcorp Mall to meet all you wonderful people. There were many who contacted us, saying they want to meet with us. We will be in the same place this weekend, at F1.08; 1st Floor. The Batik Influencer has some great new pieces on offer, especially with new muted colour designs. Very, very limited number of pieces. Come early to ensure you get your very own JEANNIE’S OWN Batik Cape Creation.

I will be at hand, to personalise your acquired copy of SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT.

We are expecting this weekend to be another amazing weekend.

The poster. The Book.

The author. The book. The poster.

David Fernandez and his personalised copy of SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT.

The Batik Influencer, Jeannie; explaining the vibrancy of batik.

One (and more for the camera) – to get their daughters to choose, by video call.

I like this. The Batik Influencer showing the finer ways of getting more from the style and beauty of her JEANNIE’S OWN Batik Cape Creations.

“This is definitely me”, she seemed to be saying.

The Hatted Writer

Nice Tee, Davis. Davis with his personalised copy of SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT.

Sivakumar, his son and the author.

Sivakumar, displaying his personalised copy of SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT.

She’s back, as she said she would come back. ๐Ÿ˜Š

Listening attentively and sharing / exchanging views and ideas about batik, with the Batik Influencer.

Josh, grandson of George; with his copy of SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT.

“There is so much to know about batik”, said the Batik Influencer. “It is always exciting.”

Every edition is a “Special Edition” of the JEANNIE’S OWN Batik Cape Creation.

Address:
Amcorp Shopping Mall,
Booth 1.08, 1st Floor, ,
8, Jalan, Persiaran Barat, Seksyen 52 Petaling Jaya, 46050 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Date: April 5th – April 6th,  2025
Time: 10.00am to 5.30pm (can be extended to 7.00pm)

NOTES:
1. https://leatherpotato.com/2025/03/29/seize-the-moment-with-batik-and-sparks-of-joy/
2. Historically, a “moment” (as a unit of time) was roughly equivalent to 90 seconds, while a second is, of course, a second. Therefore, a moment was significantly longer than a second. However, the phrase “a moment” is often used in a more general, a slang, if it may; subjective way to mean a very short period of time, which can be shorter than a second.

Here’s a more detailed breakdown:
Example: If someone says “I’ll be there in a moment,” it doesn’t necessarily mean 90 seconds, but rather a very short amount of time, potentially just seconds, or even less.
Historical “Moment”: In medieval timekeeping, a “moment” (or momentum) was a unit of time, with 40 moments in a solar hour, which was a twelfth of the period between sunrise and sunset. On average, this equated to about 90 seconds. 
Modern “Moment”: While the term “moment” still exists in the context of time, it’s now more commonly used to refer to a very short period of time, often shorter than a minute, and potentially shorter than a second. 
Subjective Perception of Time: Our perception of time can be subjective and influenced by factors like boredom or excitement, making “a moment” feel longer or shorter depending on the situation. 

SEIZE THE MOMENT WITH SPARKS OF JOY AND BATIK CAPES THIS WEEKEND

What a fun time it was for the Batik Influencer, Jeannie (who oso [the word “also” pronounced this way by some people here๐Ÿ˜] happens to be my wife); and myself, recognised by more and more people as the “Hatted Writer” (This recognition is gaining traction), at our stint at Amcorp Shopping Mall last weekend. It was fun from the word “Go” when we set up our booth until we packed up to leave.

People started streaming in, browsing all the things that were displayed on the tables. Soon enough, others started checking the various Batik Cape Creations under the JEANNIE’S OWN label. Before long, the buying started. JEANNIE’S OWN Batik Cape Creations were very limited in stock, making it exclusive to those who purchased one or more of them.

A moment of humour.

Off and on, Jeannie and I managed to get short rests here and there during the day. I have to admit, I managed 40 winks…ok ok…it was 57…I counted๐Ÿ˜‰๐Ÿ˜‚. That super short power snooze was a great help as I had about a couple of hours sleep before getting up to come to the mall. The reason for the short sleep (or lack of it) during the night was because I had a couple of essays I had to work on, while the ideas were still fresh in my mind.

The Hatted writer (me) and the Batik Influencer in one of those rare moments of rest and “regroup”. ๐Ÿ˜‰๐Ÿ˜€

Over the weekend, multiple numbers of the book were snapped up. I had a lady who was an avid reader stop by. After reading the back cover, she got a book. I was happy to personalise it for her.

With Derek Fernandez, who asked me to personalise his book, dedicating it to his wife.
The Man from MCMC with his copy of the book, with the Hatted Writer.

Another book acquirer was Derek Fernandez. He is one of the senior guys at MCMC, heading a very major portfolio. He showed me an app that he and his team had developed, one that is going to put “Speedtest” an excellent app itself, until now, in the bin. With this new app, you can test the broadband speeds from wherever you are. When testing the speed in an area, even if in a shopping complex as such, and the speeds fall below its approved level, it will send the speed result to the broadband provider and at the same time, to MCMC to take whatever action necessary.

With Derek Fernandez, the man from MCMC. Here he demonstrated on my phone, an app which he led in the development of it.

Derek, demonstrating, on my phone, an app which he led in its development. I think it is a super-cool app, one that everyone would surely want to have on their smartphones. I have downloaded this app on both my smartphones.

Avid book reader had to get my book, especially since she could get a personalised message from the author. ๐Ÿ˜€

Several people who had purchased the book earlier / previously, also turned up, just to chit- chat. Many were curious as to how I came up with this book, and discussed the various articles and chapters. They are eager for me to write my next book. Wow! That is motivation.

Jeannie, the Batik Influencer; modelling one of her Batik Cape Creations under her JEANNIE’S OWN label.

As the saying goes, “How time flies when we are having fun”, holds true. Before long, the weekend came to a close.

Engaging with a customer’s enquiry on one of our items on display.

Now, this weekend, which begins today; is at hand. Both, Jeannie the Batik Influencer, and I, the Hatted Writer; invite all you beautiful people, to come by. “You come by now, you hear!”, a line taken from the very famous tv show, The Beverley Hillibilles of the 1970s / 1980s.

All our items on display for sale, including a SpongeBob SquarePants in a purple amphibious-like vehicle and another – a little penguin with wheels.

Copies of the book, SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT, amongst the many diecast cars of various model scale sizes and types, up for sale.

As the Batik Influencer showcasing one of her creations while emphasizing the beauty of Batik it has to offer the world.

The Batik INFLUENCER, Jeannie; modelling her latest creation from her JEANNIE’S OWN LABEL

We had enquiries on many of our product offerings and also about the upcoming weeks which we also be around in the same booth location.

Four ways… It’s so easy.

Address:
Amcorp Shopping Mall,
Booth 1.08, 1st Floor, ,
8, Jalan, Persiaran Barat, Seksyen 52 Petaling Jaya, 46050 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Date: March 15th – March 16th,  2025
Time: 10.00am to 5.30pm (can be extended to 7.00pm)

IT’S AN AWESOME WORLD

YOU ARE THE CEO OF YOUR LIFE.
IT TAKES ONLY ONE TO CHANGE THE WORLD.
ALONE… IT CAN BE DONE.

WOULDN’T THE WORLD BE A BETTER PLACE IF YOU GET PEOPLE TO WORK TOGETHER WITH YOU…TO CHANGE THE WORLD?

~ ALAN IAN ATKINSON
Writer, Author, Storyteller

Kim Fitzgerald

THE FIRST WEEKEND WITH THE BATIK INFLUENCER AND THE HATTED WRITER

The first Saturday and Sunday, which is the first weekend of the year, 2025. Into the 4th day of the year, with 361 days to the end of the year; just in case you are counting.๐Ÿ˜‚

The first three days has put us through the paces with challenges (for the want of a better word) which we didn’t see coming, and those that we knew were on the horizon but kept putting them off “to a later date”.

Feelings or how we feel or react comes into play. Are we in control of them or they in control of us. It all boils down to the choices we make. Without a doubt, it has been an exciting three day start.

Jeannie, the Batik Influencer (who happens to be my wife, too); and I, the Hatted Writer (Alan); are in Amcorp Shopping Mall today and tomorrow. We believe that every new moment (and day), offers us opportunities to live life to the fullest, which we are doing and will continue to do.

Intrinsic designs and colours. JEANNIE’S OWN Batik Cape Creations.

We are so looking forward to seeing and meeting with all of you over these next couple of days. Share your experiences with how the start of the new year has been for you. Some of you may have extended your leave by taking January 1st and 2nd off; and would only be “starting” your new year per se on Monday. How nice. We are looking forward to having loads of stories, especially new ones to share.

The Batik Influencer has some of her new batik Cape Creations under her label, “JEANNIE’S OWN”, that she will be showcasing. These are an array of amazing designs and colours. Bright red, different shades of gold, light blue or a sort of turquoise (yay! I got that spelling correct). The patterns and designs – are works of art. One just gaze at them and be lost in the wonders of these beautiful designs. Come and get yours quickly.

My book, which had a bit of a delay, promises to be out real soon. It just went through its edit, with a few additional adjustments and then it would be good to go. Teaser: First word of it’s title: “SPARKS”. I am superly excited about it. It has elements in it that stretches the English language. I wish I could tell you more… Maybe, I can… it is a real book…for all ages. You can mark the chapters that you like best, you can put all sorts of markings it it, and you can share it with anyone.

Come over to our booth at F2.15 which is located on the second floor. We have many things of interest, including a whole range of James Bond cars and Ferraris, too. There is even an Alfa Romeo Tonale. Many are collectibles.

We will at our booth from 10.00am onwards. Let’s make some noise…Lot’s of noise๐Ÿ˜‰๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚

Something for everyone.

Amcorp Shopping Mall,
Booth 2.15, 2ndFloor, ,
8, Jalan, Persiaran Barat, Seksyen 52 Petaling Jaya, 46050 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Date: January 4th & 5th:
Time: , 10.00am to 5.30pm (can be extended to 7.00pm)

AT WEEKEND’S CORNER

Brr-urr-r-urr-rrr! Not sure if it’s spelt correctly. It is meant to indicate that the weather has been quite chilly today. For a short while (yes, just a teeny weeny time ๐Ÿ˜‰), I thought it was just me. My resistance to cold and extreme cold weather is wearing off. The excuse…er.. reason would be , is because I am getting older?

I am not the only one feeling the colder – than – it – ought – to – be weather. Jeannie felt that the weather was a bit more chilly than usual. It rained quite heavily in the afternoon. It has been raining heavily about an hour on the average over the last few days. The weather, when the sun is up, was humid hot, but not blazing hot.

I was back home at about half after eight this morning; after dropping Jeannie at work. Traffic was alright, not too much of a concern.

Then, I took time to check and reply emails and social media. I am trying to make it a habit to bring myself up to speed on all the platforms I am on. I try to limit 1 hour first thing in the morning, half hour during lunchbreak (Lunchbreak? What is that?), and about 15 minutes before 5.00pm. In that way, I don’t get consumed with the ever lively social media platforms. I definitely cannot cover all the platforms within the said time. However, I do work towards clearing all of them before the day is up.

My next calendar event for the day was my 10 kilometer daily walk. By the time, I got ready and started my walk, it was after 10.00am, earlier than usual. The sky was a mix of morning sun and light clouds. The clouds did provide some shade. It was a pretty good walk session. I completed a 10.33km walk in a time of 1:59.01, averaging a speed of 5.2km/hr. I liked the above average speed that I clocked in.

Speed
Overall info
VOโ‚‚
bpm

The above shows my health tracking on my Samsung watch. I am diligent at keeping pace with my health tracking. I am working at hitting at least the normal targets. I still have a long way to go.

Showered. Then got down to writing. One major thing that I learned fairly recently about writing: I have to write, everyday; for at least an hour. Whether I have an idea or not, about what I am to write about, just write. The whole process is to make it a rule or habit. There are no if(s), but(s) or maybe(s); just write. And, that is what I do. Writing for more than an hour, or at any additional time of the day is a bonus.

Before I knew it, was time to make my way to Laura’s (my daughter) office to pick her up. Being Friday, they knock off from work at 4.45pm. Traffic was good all the way. Then, we had Jeannie (my wife) picked up from her office. Laura and Jeannie had some grocery shopping to do. We stopped at KK Mart, a popular neighbourhood grocer in SS12, Subang Jaya (1); to get the groceries Jeannie and Laura wanted.

Then, Laura went to meet with Praga. Jeannie and I were in our usual predicament, “What to eat?” I suggested that we have our dinner at the T23 “chap fan”(2) restaurant in Taipan USJ as I wanted to pick something up from the pharmacy next to it.

When we got near the restaurant, traffic was a lot more civilized than usual – not much of a traffic jam. We managed to get a parking slot just before the restaurant. Well, maybe about a hundred meters (U.S. spelling of “metres”. They spell it as it sounds. Makes sense.) away.

We got in line. “Tak mau nasi” (Don’t want rice), and the server handed me an empty plate. I started choosing the food I liked from a wide selection of dishes. The choice of dishes today seemed like 10% – 15% less, as there was a few empty spaces for the food trays.

My meal: Left to Right at 12 o’clock: sliced potatoes in brown gravy sauce, a slice of luncheon meat (spam), egg omelet and steamed egg (white in colour) with mince meat. Somewhere underneath all that is curry-ed potato. And underneath all that is the sweet chilli sauce.

My today’s selection first started with a sweet chilli sauce because it was amongst the first dishes. The chilli sauce was meant to go for another dish; a chicken dish, I think. I got a few pieces of potato from the chicken curry dish, steamed egg with mince meat, a slice of luncheon meat (spam), potatoes in a brown gravy sauce and fried egg omelet.

The potatoes in a brown gravy sauce is a must try. Not spicy. When dipped in the sweet chilli sauce for an added, different flavour; ooo-la-la! The steamed egg with mince meat is a Chinese dish, I think. Unusual, it tastes pretty good.

The finale of my meal was the curry-ed (or is it curri-ed?) potatoes because it was under the pile of food.

Jeannie’s meal was more of a set bet for those who are not adventurously daring for spicy food. Not that Jeannie does not eat spicy food. Her meal was more vegetables and rice with a black hard boiled egg made in a dark brown sauce. The hard boiled egg prepared in this way is very popular with the Chinese.

We found a couple of seats at one of the long tables. The meal was enjoyable. Either we are taking more dishes than the normal amount (which I don’t know how much the normal amount is), or the meal is getting more expensive. The meal is still reasonable but not cheap. Free hot soup and hot or cold water is available. Any amount.

We headed to the pharmacy a couple of doors (not blocks, as the shops here are in a terraced row) and got the item that I needed. We got home a short while later.

It was more eagerly to get home so as to pack for our short holiday tomorrow. Golden sands, blue, green, murky seas, sun (hopefully not too hot). Clothes, food, cables to keep my gadgets going when their batteries run low… Did I mention clothes and food? Jeannie likes to over-pack. Laura is joining us, too; on this central, south western state of Negri Sembilan’s city of Port Dickson and its beaches.

Happy Weekend!

NOTE:
1. Subang Jaya is a thriving city in the state of Selangor, Malaysia.
2. Chap fan which is pronounced as “chup fun”, means economy rice in English.

BEAUTIFUL SUNDAY AT F1.16

Sunday morning, 10.27am (I think).

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).

THAT’S A GOOD THING

A fun weekend it was. We were at our F1.16 booth, setting up all the things we were putting up on sale. There were lots of new things we brought this weekend. Some of those new things included hats and angpow packets.โ€‚For our readers who are connecting from over 80 countries; the ang pow packets are in connection and celebration of the lunar new year or “Chinese New Year”, as it is known in Malaysia and it’s neighbouring countries.

Once our booth was ready to rock ‘n roll; I headed over to Mahmud, the hat-seller’s booth. The traditional red & black tartan cap was there, waiting for me to choose it for my own.

The Hatted Writer with my friend, Mahmud; the man with many hats – the hat seller, if you may.

Mahmud confirmed that this cap suits me. What do you, readers; think? I love it. I bought it. It is just the right size, very comfortable to wear and creates an understatement about the Hatted Writer.

A nice pic of the Hat Seller and the Hatted Writer.

The Batik Influencer in the meantime, was busy explaining to everyone that stopped by, about her Batik Cape creations: unique, for formal and informal use, and when not in use; fold it into a small bundle which can be slipped into a handbag or small bag for ease of carrying and taking with you wherever you go.

When Derek Fernandez found out through an article I published that morning that we were in Amcorp Shopping Mall that day (Sunday) and that the Batik Influencer was there with a limited number of batik capes available; he asked me to send pictures of what was available, chose one and said he would come over to get it in a while.

He was not kidding. The next thing we knew, he showed up to pick his chosen Batik Cape. We chatted for a while. Very interesting guy. A lawyer by profession, he has served on many committees, all with the aim of improving and “jaga-ing” (1)the beauty of Petaling Jaya (P.J.) for residents and people who are in P.J. frequently; from especially what development of concreting almost everything in sight calls “modern times”.

Look who dropped in. Kirk Raymond; St Thomas More’s Sound and Technical Specialist. With the author.

Surprises of surprises, I saw Kirk Raymond, St Thomas More’s sound and technical specialist, passing by and called out to him. He was just as surprised to see Jeannie and I manning a booth. We had a nice chat. He had to do a drama shot of us (picture aboveโ†‘).๐Ÿ˜

Farid, our new friend, just bought this hat from us. He looks a typical journalist.

We had a couple of hats of our own up for sale. This guy, by the name of Farid, sporting a grey worker’s cap, tried on the Fedora hat. I took a picture with him wearing it. I told him that he looked good in it. He bought it.

A Japanese interested customer, with the Batik Influencer.

The Batik Influencer, Jeannie; and the Hatted Writer, the author, me, Alan; having a “wefie” moment. It was more like several minutes ๐Ÿ˜ because we had to re-take this picture several times to get it right. ๐Ÿ˜‰๐Ÿ˜

The limited number of Batik Capes the Batik Influencer had with her today, were sold out. She will be working on new designs and have them ready soon, for the many, many enquirers. Many of the Hotwheels and ang pow packets were sold. We found it really fun to meet so many people – friends as well as new friends. We got to talk about fun subjects: family, living and what they do to chill and relax. We have learnt so much from them. The biggest take away on weekends like these, that we, Jeannie and I; get, is that people are relaxed and away from the everyday hustle and bustle they get during the week. That’s a good thing.

We packed up by 5pm as we had a birthday dinner celebration to attend in Subang Jaya. We were hosting a dinner for Jeannie’s dad, my father-in-law; who was turning 85 years old. Yes, of course I would be wearing my tartan flat cap.

NOTES:
1. “Jaga-ing” (If there is ever such a word), is a Malay word, the “ing” part is the English side; meaning protecting.๐Ÿ˜‰๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜‚

DRESSED FOR THE OCCASION?

Monday evening. Time: 6.07pm. Place: D.C. No, not Washington. Damansara City.

Jeannie and Laura are with me after work. Laura was not going to the gym this evening. Getting back to Subang Jaya was the usual crawl, slower than a snail moving in reverse.

We did not have that usual question pop up: “What are we going to have for dinner?” Laura straight away said that dinner will be at that Scottish restaurant (I learnt this from a very good friend who resides in South Carolina, and is about to celebrate his 85th birthday soon – Richard [Dick] Black). This was / is usually an everyday tough question – “What to eat?” Now that that was settled, getting back to Subang Jaya would only on a fairly good day, take an hour and a half.

I already had in mind which McD’s I was planning to head to, when Laura said, “You are planning to go to the SS15 drive- through”. I said, “Yes”, mainly for the ease of parking. This restaurant had a more spacious layout for a comfortable dining experience.

After a long while, we were on the Federal Highway and passed the suspension bridge next to the former Motorola factory. Traffic was still at a crawl here, when normally, we would be able to pick up the pace. The reason for the longer than usual crawl was that a DHL truck had broken down on the fast lane (far right of the highway). Once we passed this truck, the traffic was smooth sailing or was it rolling as we were on the highway, not on the river? We got to the Scottish restaurant a few minutes later. I was obviously dressed for the occasion. I had my newly acquired Tartan design (and material? -wool?) flat cap on.

Laura and Jeannie made the orders. I had the usual – Beef Prosperity burger which is dressed with black pepper sauce. It came in a combi set with a large packet of fries and coke. My first experience with prosperity burger was 30 years ago, when I went on a Prosperity burger lunch date with a girl I had eyes for.

The prosperity burger is on sale only at McD’s for a limited time each year just before Chinese New Year (CNY) (Lunar New Year), till just after CNY.

Laura and Jeannie both ordered the hot ‘n spicy fried chicken, also in sets with drinks and fries. Jeannie ordered apple pie as dessert for herself.

The rectangular shaped prosperity beef burger was absolutely delicious. With spring onions and black pepper sauce.

The prosperity burger was its usual – really good. It has maintained its taste, quality and size for over 30 years (all but a couple of years where what looked like a reduced size burger and the black pepper sauce was not up to par). It came freshly prepared. I had to delicately unwrap the burger to prevent getting some black pepper sauce on me.

Laura and Jeannie enjoyed their fried chicken. It looked really good. However, there was no space in my stomach for the chicken, what with we having to finish two mountains of fries. The food looked like it was way more than the three of us could eat.

We did have a nice time. The drive-thru’ was not overly crowded and it was generally quiet. It was a good chill time for us family. We treasure our family togetherness time.

Just before we tucked in to our meals. Me, with the red tartan flat cap.

Notice in the middle picture and the one just on top. The guy with the tartan hat was holding his magic wand, a.k.a. (also known as) the “S-Pen” from his Samsung S23 Ultra; and shooting pictures while Laura held the camera phone at the right distance away to have all of us in the picture.

As for the girl I had a prosperity burger meal lunch date 30 years ago – she is now my wife.

THIS WEEKEND WITH LA BATIK INFLUENCER AND THE HATTED WRITER

Sa..aaa..yyy, weren’t we at Amcorp Shopping Mall just, oh so recently? We are at the weekend already.

We are back at Amcorp Shopping Mall, “we” meaning the Batik Influencer and the writer / author / storyteller from http://www.leatherpotato.com, this weekend; starting tomorrow, February the 3rd. This weekend, we will be on the 1st floor on the west wing.

My wife, Jeannie; also famously known as the Batik Influencer, will be there, too; with a line up of her new creations. They are fast taken up as they are all unique in their on their own way, more so with the fact that they are usually one-of-a-kind, literally speaking, pieces. So… I would like to say “ladies,… However, many men have purchased these creations for their wives, sisters, friends, mothers. Yes, ladies…come early to our booth at F1.16, 1st Floor, West Wing; to secure at least one batik cape for yourself as pieces are very limited.

I, the writer / author / storyteller from http://www.leatherpotato.com is sporting a new look, going as the Hatted Writer; will be there to meet our readers, and make more new friends. Come find out how the “Hatted Writer” came about. In our last few “episodes” having a booth at Amcorp Shopping Mall; I have had the opportunity of re-connecting with many school classmates dating back to over 48 years ago, colleagues from the insurance and financial services industry and friends, too.

Two separate people from Penang, one an old friend whom I have not seen in 15 years, and the other, whom I have not met; both connected with me through leatherpotato.com, will be meeting me over this weekend.

People are very fascinating. I don’t have to think too deeply to try to understand them. Maybe, it is because I have become the writer or journalist where I try to view each person as completely different from another, just like there are no two sets of the same fingerprints. This itself, is intriguing.

Come share ideas with me for my upcoming book. I am very much at the start of the chapter, type, type type. Junk it. Start again. Can you imagine if I was working on a typewriter? Type, type, type, junk it. Type, type, type, junk it. I will have the waste paper basket full of junked ideas. HaHa.

I will be putting over 100 Hotwheels vehicles up for sale. These sport the dark blue blister packs, indicating there are from the year 2005 – 2010 era; many are probably rare. There will also be some Corgi, Dinky, Matchbox and other brands of diecast vehicles, some dating back 45 years ago.

There are two rare ladies Swatch watches in the form of bracelets, up for sale, too. As for pen collectors; there are some rare writing instruments like the 1998 Parker MDRT Duofold ball point pen in blue lacquer with gold plated finishing – a very elegant and must have for the discerning few. We have lots more things of interest that you can choose from.

So, we are looking forward to seeing you all there. Let’s make plenty of noise over the next two days.๐Ÿ˜

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: Feb 03 and Feb 04, 2024
Time: 10.00am to 5.30pm (can be extended to 7.00pm)