#sparks_for_joy_seize_the_moment

Just another weekend day at Amcorp Mall…or so it seems.

However, the Batik Influencer, Jeannie…who by the way, also happens to be my wife; and yours truly, the Hatted Writer, me (Alan); never seem to think so.

First of all, no two moments in any given time, can ever be the same. Think about it. You are now in this precise moment (the present) at the specific age. One moment later, you are a moment older, the next moment has already arrived. No moment in time waits for the next moment to catch up and level up with it before moving on. Heaven forbid to think that there could ever be a kink in time, even for one moment.

Next, while time is continuously moving; we may consume 34 gigabytes of data daily, our brain’s processing capacity is estimated to be capable of handling as much as 74 gigabytes of data each day (1). Therefore, we are constantly moving, physically or otherwise.

So, the “stage” (Amcorp Mall) may seem the same, but the scene is constantly changing. Enjoy every moment.

We have been making many new friends over several weekends – mostly Malaysians. Then, there are others from China, Japan, U.S.A., Singapore, to name a few.

*Alvin, the proud owner of his copy SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT.*

Among our new Malaysian friends is Alvin, a prominent lawyer. He loves to read – he acquired a copy of my book, SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT.

*Alvin, a prominent lawyer in his field; is an avid book reader.*

Then, there was Ms. Mitani from Japan. She collects fabrics as a hobby. She took a great interest in the JEANNIE’S OWN Batik Cape Creation.

*Ms. Mitani from Japan, is a collector of fabrics.*

We also had a young lad from China who acquired my rare, vintage, Parker Duofold Limited Edition MDRT ball point pen. I bought this pen when I attended the MDRT conference in Chicago, Illinois, USA, in 1998. My pen was in pristine condition – like new. I created the habit of wiping my pens (I had several other pens, too. I can’t say I had a collection of pens, it was just that I had several other pens) at the end of the day after using them. In this way, the pens always kept as good as new.

Many others who dropped by to say “hello” included Derek and his wife Judy, Anderson, Ching who has a store of unique collectible toys; and David, among others. The Batik Influencer was kept happily busy sharing her views with many enquirers on everything batik.

This young lad is the proud new owner of my rare Parker Duofold MDRT Limited Edition ball pen. I bought this pen when I attended the MDRT conference in Chicago, Illinois, USA, in 1998. My pen was in pristine condition – like new. I created the habit of wiping my pens (I had several other pens, too. I can’t say I had a collection of pens, it was just that I had several other pens) at the end of the day after using them. In this way, the pens always kept as good as new.

We believe that life is at its happiest when we can share it with others. That is the best R.O.I. anyone can ask for. R.O.I. stands for Real Opportunity Involvement. We wish for everyone to find their R.O.I. in the communities they are in.

Rigzin Dolma, Patrick & Jenny, Data Nadesan, Khatijah Marianne and Mahmud – all fellow booth owners, were the usuals who helped make the day colourful, lively and fun.

Rigzin Dolma (popularly and fondly known as “Dolma” to all the people around here having booths during the weekends, friends and her customers. I address her as “Rigzin”, her first name. Rigzin is a beautiful name.), peeking from behind the potted greenery of Patrick and his wife, Jenny.
In the foreground, are all the beautiful costume jewelry handmade by Rigzin. She also has for sale, bowls made from brass, that when tapped on their sides with those wooden mallets; create beautiful lingering metallic *sounds.*

The Batik Influencer and I will be at our usual booth F1.08 this weekend. Come by and see the latest but limited in number, Batik Cape Creation designs from the JEANNIE’S OWN label. Acquire one or more for yourselves.

You can get your own personalised (by me) copy of SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT, too. There are many other things including things from Rigzin’s booth and potted plants from Patrick & Jenny – their booths are just next to ours.

Looking forward to seeing you all this weekend.

*The JEANNIE’S OWN Batik Cape Creation sensation. She came…saw, tried it on… liked…and acquired.*

JEANNIE’S OWN Batik Cape Creations captures the attention of many a keen-eyed person, looking for that uniqueness, that additional touch, flair, story; not to make him or her just look and feel different, but to state that he or she is different; that what he or she does, will impact the world with that difference to make it a better place for others.

Not only does he want to be heard by the choices he makes, but also the colours that consistently ride the airways in his life. He simply loved the “You have not started living yet until you are in one of these JEANNIE’S OWN BATIK CAPES”. You most definitely will see him donning one of these amazingly beautiful capes because he has acquired a design for himself, with the promise that he will be back for more.

NOTE:
1. Venngage, 21 Eye-Opening Statistics About the Human Brain, Danesh Ramuthi, February 17th, 2025; https://venngage.com/blog/human-brain-statistics/#

Address:
Amcorp Shopping Mall,
Booth 1.08, 1st Floor, ,
8, Jalan, Persiaran Barat, Seksyen 52 Petaling Jaya, 46050 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Date: October 18th – October 19th, 2025
Time: 10.00am to 5.30pm (can be extended to 7.00pm)

Robots, robots everywhere. Three and a half feet tall, they look like they are from the 2012 movie, “Wall-E”. This place is populated by them. “Them”? They aren’t living…well at least, not just yet. They glide along the aisles silently and effortlessly. No they aren’t hovercraft machines, though they do give the impression that they are… Or at least a sort of.

These robots are waiters n/ waitresses. They move on wheels, I am sure. We (Jeannie and I) are here at Shaaz Nasi Kandar restaurant next to Rock Cafe in Sunway. (1)

There are four of them, gliding along the aisles between tables, serving food and drinks, that were ordered earlier, orders taken by humans. It has been somewhat of a fascination for Jeannie and me as we sit here, watching these things do their work, effortlessly, without complaints of having to go up and down with hardly a chance to catch their breath…cool down their batteries and recharge them.

A human being came to take our (Jeannie’s and my) order. Shocking! Not robomated… yet? I ordered a mamak rojak and Nescafe ais kaw (2); while Jeannie ordered a roti canai (4) and Nescafe panas (hot).

My rojak (3) order was first to arrive, followed by our drink orders. Both were delivered by humans. How disappointing. Minutes later; Jeannie’s roti canai was robomatically delivered by Alice. “Alice” is a good enough name to give to a robowaitress. The robowaitress was professional, maneuvered between the rows of table, came up to our table, then turned to face our table. I took Jeannie’s roti canai order off the tray of the robowaitress and forgot to tap the “Return to station” button. However, the robowaitress got the hint that we had taken our order and returned to its station after waiting for a minute. with no response from us. It will stop in its track and find another route if someone is standing around or blocking the way.

Our meals were cleaned off our plates fast as we were famished. It didn’t really matter how the food tasted (it tasted good), as long as we could eat something edible. Then, the wait began as we were meeting my cousins Christopher Nellaiah and his wife Evalina, and Dato Ronald Gomes and his wife, Datin Debbie…yes, for dinner. But they were only going to arrive at 8.30pm, which was kind of late for dinner. When they arrive, we would have drinks and spend time with them.

So, while waiting, I started with this essay.

————————————————————————–

It has been a Wow! last 8 days. My just published book, SPARKS FOR JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT, is out. I have been actively promoting it. The physical book in my hands, it has given me the opportunity to tell my story – different stories from the book to different people. It has helped me relive the stories as I tell them.

A whole new ball game. I’ve been promoting and marketing the book, letting people know that they can get their copy now and where to get it. The book has not officially launched in the major book stores yet, however multiple numbers of people are buying copies off me. The response has been more than amazing.

One of the latest to get a copy of this book is my cousin, Haji Ahmad bin Mahmuddin. His mother and my mother are sisters. He was very excited and happy to get his copy of my book and requested me to personalise it with this message, “To my cousin, Haji Admad bin Mahmuddin”. We took pictures. He had me have a photo taken with his cute granddaughter, Aileen.

We hadn’t met for quite a while. This short meeting gave us the opportunity to catch up and bring each other up to speed with regards to our families. Ahmad has always been very supportive of our family, especially us cousins.

*My cousin, Haji Ahmad; receiving his copy of SPARKS FOR JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT from me.*

*My cousin, Haji Ahmad’s granddaughter, Aileen; with me and their copy of SPARKS FOR JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT; which I had specially personalised with a message for them.*

Though the time was short, we spent it well with many laughs, too. We will meet again soon.

This weekend, Jeannie, the Batik Influencer; and I, the Hatted Writer; are setting up a booth at Amcorp Mall. There are many, yet limited pieces of the Batik Influencer’s Batik Cape Creations under the brand, “JEANNIE’S OWN” that are on sale. They are great for among the many occasions; informal and formal wear, and the upcoming Hari Raya celebrations. Come early to get 1 or more pieces of these beautiful and elegant wear.

*A Batik Cape C reation under the JEANNIE’S OWN label*

I will also be promoting my SPARKS FOR JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT BOOK. Come and get your very own personalised copy of the book.

Jeannie, the Batik Influencer and I, the Hatted Writer; look forward to meeting all you wonderful people there. We know we are going to have loads of fun there at our booth F1.08, and want you all to join us.

NOTES:
1. Sunway is part of the Subang Jaya district in Selangor, Malaysia.
2. Nescafe ais Kaw In English is strong Nescafe ice (cold).
3. Pasembur or rojak.
4. Roti canai is an Indian flat bread.
5. A robot waitress is a robotic device that can serve foor and drinks in restaurants, hotels,, and other businesses. Some robot waitresses can also greet customers and interact with them.

Address:
Amcorp Shopping Mall,
Booth 1.08, 1st Floor, ,
8, Jalan, Persiaran Barat, Seksyen 52 Petaling Jaya, 46050 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Date: March 1st – March 2nd, 2025
Time: 10.00am to 5.30pm (can be extended to 7.00pm)

leatherpotato

The future is now. Live it!

#sparks_for_joy_seize_the_moment

THE BOOK WRITER AND THE CAPE CRUSADER

THE WRITER AND THE BATIK INFLUENCER AT AMCORP