THE LAST HOURS OF 67

The large industrial fan is spinning incredibly furiously to cool what seems an impossible task. The sun is blazing with all its might on this Thursday 5.30pm evening. There is no indication that it is going to let up anytime soon.

As we, Jeannie and I sit here, at the Nanking coffee shop (otherwise known as a restaurant) waiting for our placed orders for our dinner and drinks to be delivered to us, we do our own thing – she on her phone doing everything office – liaising with colleagues, marketing and advertising people, and everyone else – work related.

I was hoping to whip out my phone and get cracking on this essay – which was beginning to form in my mind. However, the strap of my Bellroy bag kept releasing itself from its loop on the right side of the bag. It was a bit of a fumble to get it back in its loop.

So, in my eagerness of whipping out my phone (picture movement at lightning speed), I moved  at a much slower speed…slower than you can imagine.

And so here am I…or is it I am, writing and hoping to put some thoughts down. At the same time, basking in the last hours of being 67.

I am not too sure what it is, whether it is because I am older than I was just now; or whether it is due to my writing, blogging, researching on a subject or bit of news that I find essay writability, things… life seem different. Very different.

For instance, I got on to the idea that a moment…that is (i.e.) one single moment is more than just that. Most people would define a moment as a sort of a flash in the pan,…quicker than a second. I say, “What’s the hurry?”. People say, “Stop being in a constant rush. Take time to smell the flowers”. I say, there is more time in a moment than you think. Live it. You owe yourself that. We owe ourselves that.

We are made to believe that our lives are in a rush…rushing for this and rushing for that…if not, we will be late. Being intelligent people, we get it. However, there are those who think we need help. And we do…most of the time. Hence, the introduction of A. I. (Artificial Intelligence). Help us get things done faster…to save time…for what?

Have we decided what we are going to do with all the free time we save each day, since we’ve got the latest in technology to make our lives bliss? Maybe, just maybe, we have to go for courses to learn how to live the free time that we have additional each day.

Hang on…when did you last check to see if you have gained free time each day? Maybe, an hour a day? Three hours a week? Or with that supposed time we have saved with modern technology and other help, we’ve cramped in more stuff to do?

The point is, Life is worth the living.
Live it.
Don’t discount the value of the moment, second or minute.
There’s so much to live.

Now, to get back to my food. My Sarawak Kolo mee (1) looks delicious. And the Coca-Cola in an ice-filled glass, thirst quenching. Jeannie’s finished her tou sa pau (2) and teh o kosong panas (3).

NOTES:
1. Sarawak kolo mee is an iconic Malaysian dish consisting of springy egg noodles tossed in lard, shallot oil, and light soy sauce, generously topped with char siew (barbecued pork) and minced pork. In Subang Jaya, there are several highly recommended local spots to enjoy this savory, authentic specialty.
2. A classic Chinese steamed bun featuring a pillowy, soft, and slightly sweet exterior packed with a rich, smooth red bean paste filling. wikipedia
3. Hot black tea without sugar refers to a hot tea brew served without any milk, creamer, or sugar. This drink is commonly served in local Mamak restaurants or coffee shops by steeping a tea bag or tea powder in hot water.

A boat made from a 3-D printer. The wonders of technology.

MAKE EVERY MOMENT COUNT

MAKE TODAY COUNT.

BETTER STILL, MAKE EVERY MOMENT COUNT.

LIFE IN ITSELF, IS SO, SO WONDERFUL.
WE HAVE YET TO BEGIN TO GRASP
WHAT IT HAS TO OFFER.

SO, DECIDE TO HELP MAKE IT COUNT,
FOR OURSELVES AND
FOR THE PEOPLE AROUND US.

~ ALAN IAN ATKINSON
Writer, Author, Storyteller

LAST MOMENTS OF 2025

As the seconds go past, equally spaced out, one after another, in precision; be year end becomes less and less further away.

The new year is eagerly rushing to reach us as fast as it can; bringing with it many, many surprises.

It is time to reflect on everything great, good and could-be better, how it has shaped us.

GOALS –
Have we hit them?
If yes, Congratulations.
If it was a near miss, re-focus, aim and get the goal in the coming year.

If you have missed and way off target, analyze what worked for you and what didn’t.
No point beating yourself up over it.
Just get back to the starting block / line and start all over again. If you did not leave the starting block / line; you have to be honest with yourself with the “why?”
Then, get back on the starting block, focus, aim, get the target.

If you want some form of consolation; even those who have achieved or just missed their goals this year,
have to start the new year at the starting block / line, the same as you.

As we close the final hours, minutes, seconds, moments; let us rejoice and be grateful for our family, friends, people in general, who have impacted our lives, that the wonderful impressions in the time over 2025 become the memories that we want to keep all our lives.

HAPPY NEW YEAR’S EVE 2025.
FILLED WITH GRATITUDE, LOVE, PEACE AND JOY; LET US ENJOY THE LAST MOMENTS OF 2025.

WEEKEND TO WEEKEND

Where have all the days, the work days, that is; in the week gone? Before you realise that you are on one of the weekdays – Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday; they vanish right beneath your feet. Time is moving so fast that warp speed seem unnervingly slow. It is quite unfortunate that many of us are moving from weekend to weekend, without actually living the workdays in each week.

Life is short, very short. Each moment that comes from the future, becoming the present, and soon vanishes into the past is gone – twee twee tak balik (1), unretrievable, can’t rewind… So, we should count each moment every day and make them count. There are gonna be great days and there are gonna be days that could have been better. Each day is definitely a plus.

I heard a preacher once say that we cannot control the beginning and the end of our lives, which are givens. What we can control is between those two givens. The length of time between those givens are different for each of us. It is like as though we are presented with a blank canvas for us to paint the best picture of how we are going to make our lives to be.

For me, I wish the weeks were elastic so that I could stretch them. I have so many things to do, writing being one of the main items on my list. I have a growing backlog of essays that I would like to write on subjects, that would be interesting and fun to explore and put pen to paper…in this case keyboard tapping to words on the screen.

One for the camera.

Showing that the JEANNIE;S OWN Batik Cape Creation is a fashion symbol for any occasion, anytime.

The WOW factor.

This weekend, which has begun just over 4 hours ago (the time is 4.10am at this point of keyboard thumping) this Saturday morning; the Batik Influencer, Jeannie (my wife) and I, Alan, the Hatted Writer; will be at our usual place at F1.08 on the first Floor of Amcorp Mall. The Batik Influencer has got a new range of her very famous JEANNIE’S OWN label Batik Cape Creations that she will be showcasing. Very limited in numbers; come quickly to acquire one of each design pieces. She represents the Malaysian in each of her pieces.

The doctor and the Hatted Writer.

Dr. Michael with his copy of SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT, and I.

Last weekend; I had the pleasure of meeting my school (La Salle Primary & Secondary School, Klang) classmate, Dr. Michael Lee Pillai who came by with his wife, daughter and her husband. Dr. Michael and I have known each other since we were 10 years old. I remember having had to go to his house twice a week for Bahasa Malaysia tuition when we were in Standard Five (1969’s version of today’s Year 5).

It was a nice surprise meeting him and his family. We don’t meet as often as we would like to. A major event in the works, coming up is our 50th anniversary reunion. It would good to meet with the other schoolmates of 1975 graduation.

Dr. Michael got a copy of my book, SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT, with me personalizing it for him.

I am expecting to meet a gentleman this weekend who had a serious issue in writing an article. He was inspired by my book, and my story behind writing and publishing it. Several months had gone by but he couldn’t stitch an article together. I helped him by providing him a solution. And that was it. He was sure to have this important article that he was to write, done, and present to an important group of people. He is coming back to see me and tell me how he fared with finally being able to assemble enough words together to create a highly credible article for his presentation.

The Batik Influencer and I, the Hatted Writer; have had the wonderful opportunity of meeting multiple number of people that visit us at our booth each weekend. These people are mainly Malaysians. We have also met many people of different nationalities from China, U.S,A., the U.K., Japan (Akato is coming to visit us again this weekend), Brunei, Australia, Singapore, India, Mauritius, Maldives, Italy, and many more. We welcome everyone to come visit us. That includes you, our friends. Looking forward to meeting with all of you.

NOTES:
1. Twee twee tak balik is a famous Malaysian play slang in the Bahasa Malaysia language; which means not “twee twee” coming back.
“Chup” is another word which means the same thing “or cannot take back.

Address:
Amcorp Shopping Mall,
Booth 1.08, 1st Floor, ,
8, Jalan, Persiaran Barat, Seksyen 52 Petaling Jaya, 46050 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Date: September 27th – September 28th, 2025
Time: 10.00am to 5.30pm (can be extended to 7.00pm)

LIVING TO THE FULLEST IN THE PRESENT

DON’T SPEND TOO MUCH OF TIME ON THE PAST.
IT’S GONE.
DON’T FRET OVER THE FUTURE EITHER.
IT HASN’T ARRIVED AND YOU CAN’T DO MUCH ABOUT IT.

LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST IN THE PRESENT.
MAKE IT BEAUTIFUL FOR YOURSELF, AND ALSO FOR OTHERS.
MAKE EVERY MOMENT COUNT.
WHAT BETTER WAY CAN THERE BE?

~ ALAN IAN ATKINSON
Writer, Author, Storyteller