These dates have arrived. You are all warmly invited to come. Come with your families. Come with your friends. Come with your neighbours.
There will be multiple x multiple x multiple people visiting us throughout the day. It looks like everybody who knows everybody will be there. All with the intention of getting their copy of the book, SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT signed.
I will be having a special launch and book-signing time on Sunday, May 4th, 3.30pm – 4.30pm
We are excited. Can’t wait to see all of you. 😁😁😁
Map to our booth # 24 at Amcorp Mall. Easy peasy to fund our booth. Walk in through the main entrance. Turn right.
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”😂) 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. 😊
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.
As the weeks go by, I am being more convinced that the weeks have been shortened to three days, that is Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Where have Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (I have to state the days just in case they may become “things of the past” and get forgotten) gone? Phew! Talk about runaway trains!
Haha! As the saying goes, “How fast time flies when you are having fun” (No “?” because it is a statement, not a question😁).
Yes, we have had a great week, gone by. It may seem that we did our usual. However, if I apply that every moment forward is the future; the moment now is the present; and the moment gone by is the past; then things were actually different. We may have some of our usual family and friends, the time was different, which make the moments at each point of time, different. Which means different experiences.
I believe that we have to embrace and immerse ourselves in each moment. Then, possibly we will not take time for granted. This involves a lot of deep thinking. “To be or not to be?”, that is the question. Haha. I am writing this essay at 3.45am. So, just in case I snooze off zzzzzzzzzz.
Last week, At Amcorp Mall; it was another fun weekend. One of the people whom Jeannie, The Batik Influencer and I, the Hatted Writer; have not met for a long time, since our children were swim training at PADE Supersharkz and competitive swim championships was fellow parent and good friend, Emmanuel Pio. As this guy walked past, I recognised him and called out to him.
Emmanuel looked just the same, maybe a few more strands of grey hair; looking good. It was wonderful to come to speed about his family and ours. Emmanuel has been and is super friendly. With a smile that disarms the strange from stranger, no wonder. He got a personalised copy of my book SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT. We confirmed that our contact numbers remain unchanged and look forward to seeing each other more often.
Danny, who acquired a copy of the book two weeks ago; came back to give some feedback of the book. He loves it.
Danny, who purchased a copy of the book two weeks ago, came by to share some of his thoughts about the book. He likes the book, finding it a good read. He now knows many of the people who are in the book and feels that he has become their friends. It was a wonderful compliment. Danny also bought a couple of items on display while at our booth on his current visit.
“Do I look good?” she seems to be asking; to which the mirror holder answers, “Yes, get it.”.
The Batik Influencer had her fair share of “work” to do. Many of her JEANNIE’S OWN Batik Cape Creations were snapped up. She was in her element promoting Malaysia in the beauty of her Batik Cape Creations.
Data Nadesan, the proud owner of his very specialised , personalised copy of SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT.
A fellow booth operator, Data Nadesan, acquired his copy of SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT. A well-read person who never seems to have read enough of books, he proudly dictated the personalization of his copy.
Going through key-chains / holders. Many are over 40 years old. The open / lock mechanisms of key-chains / holders are unique to that era.
Here is one happy gentleman, who purchased the Shell Formula 1 Lego set / display. He told me he has two other sets. These sets are more than 15 years old. The Batik Influencer demonstrating the versatility of the JEANNIE’S OWN Batik Cape Creations.
The weekend was over before we could say, “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”. (1)
This weekend, that is, today, March 29th, and tomorrow, March 30th; we will be at Amcorp Mall, at Booth F1.08, First Floor. The JEANNIE’S OWN label Batik Cape Creations are all limited editions, with a few pieces available. Come early for your choice of design, more so; to ensure you get your Batik Cape Creation piece.
I will be there, at hand to personalise your copy of SPARKS FOR JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT. I will be most happy to chat with all of you on the multiple essays I have written. See you all at Amcorp this weekend.
NOTES: 1. Made popular in the “Mary Poppins” Musical. The word supercalifragilisticexpialidocious is said to be simply a word used as “something to say when you have nothing to say,” but the mouthful of nonsensical syllables certainly has brought cheer to audiences for decades. It turns out the first established use of the word “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”—or at least a word that comes extremely close—was not in London, by a mysterious nanny or a chimney sweep. It came from Helen Herman, a student at Syracuse University in 1931. She was a student writer. Syracuse University News,https://news.syr.edu/blog/2016/12/20/first-known-use-of-mary-poppins-best-known-word-not-in-london-but-in-do/
Address: Amcorp Shopping Mall, Booth 1.08, 1st Floor, , 8, Jalan, Persiaran Barat, Seksyen 52 Petaling Jaya, 46050 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia Date: March 29th – March 30th, 2025 Time: 10.00am to 5.30pm (can be extended to 7.00pm)
It was a moonlit night in Tudor Residency, the rain clouds were kept at bay. The wind blowing was extra light – one would have to be very sensitive to the weather to feel it. I am sensitive in a positive way to the weather. I have to adapt to it in order to go for my daily walk in any kind it presents (offers? / throws) at me.
I started on my 10 kilometer walk. This was one of the days when I started my walk late. “Late” here was because I usually go for my walks in the afternoon. Yes, the afternoon, when the sun is supposed to be at its scorchiest (1). I also started my walk, bringing along with me a copy of my just published book, SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT.
I stopped by at Rahmath Cazi’s home on 4B street which was a few hundred meters away from where I live. I hand delivered the book to her. We are part of the Tudor residents community.
Rahmath and her husband have been strong supporters of my writing work. She is an avid reader.
As soon as Rahmath knew my book was published and was available, she texted me and said that she would love to have a personalised copy. So, here I was, delivering a copy of my book to her.
Rahmath is one of the growing number of book owners from our Tudor Residents community who now has a copy of SPARKS OF JOY – LIVE THE MOMENT. More and more, from the community are texting (WhasApp) messages to me, requesting for a copy of the book. It looks like our Tudor Community is gaining momentum into reading actual books, which is totally a good thing.
One of the main reasons why reading an actual book is better or an advantage is because there are no distractions from it. You can concentrate and / or focus on what you are reading without the distractions or interference like pop-up notifications and messages that you would otherwise get on your device screen.
Lets revive and build on this momentum of numbers in reading physical books and re-take our rights back into wanting to concentrate and focus on the things we do without distractions.
In the three pictures below, you can see the words “SPARKS FOR JOY” are illuminating like “sparks”. These are caused by the reflection of light.😁
picture 1:Rahmath holding her personalised copy of SPARKS FOR JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT.
picture 2
picture 3
After I delivered the book, had a chat and took some pictures with Rahmath; I continued on my 10 kilometer walk. The weather was being good and inviting me to walk…I could not resist the invitation.😉😁 Happy reading!
NOTES: 1. “Scorchiest” means the most intensely hot or burning, or the most severely critical or caustic. It’s the superlative form of “scorchy” or “scorching”. Though I did not think such a word existed, the meaning of the word is as what I intended for it to mean.
What a fun time it was for the Batik Influencer, Jeannie (who oso [the word “also” pronounced this way by some people here😁] 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 counted😉😂. 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”. 😉😀
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. 😀
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)
The morning was good. The weather looked decently cool, though it was brighter than usual. As per what I first do on most days in the mornings, I go through all my messages, social media and answer text messages if there are any (which is guaranteed “sure got” (local slang for definitely will have).
If I am to be more accurate in how my normal days start after I get out of bed; I start by making my own bed. It gives me a sense that I have started the day off by completing a task.
Ever since I watched a video of a U.S. Navy Rear Admiral giving a speech about personal discipline by completing tasks each day, to a room filled with young naval officers, it has inspired me to do the same. He said, “Start with making your own bed”.
I have made this beautiful idea my own to keep. I have shared this beautiful, yet simple idea; to my family and friends, as well.
When I left my house that mid-Tuesday afternoon to deal with an insurance policy matter at my insurer, I had already done walking my everyday 10-plus kilometers which is 15,000 steps. I also completed a few other tasks (errands), too.
The plan was that I would be at the insurer for about half an hour, then, head over to Good Ground Bakery (GGB) a few doors down the street, for a cup of coffee before heading to PJ (Petaling Jaya) to pick my wife, Jeannie; up from work.
By the time the insurance errand got done, it did not leave me much time for coffee at GGB.
I went over to GGB just to say “hi” to the folks there. They are always a pleasant and cheerful bunch of people to be with.
As I stepped in through the door, I was greeted with the usual cheer from Monique – bright and spritely (hmmnn… This is the second time I used the word “spritely” in recent times) as usual. And warm smiles from Sarah and Joanne. When you are in SS17, Subang Jaya, or around these parts; GGB is definitely a place to have a good afternoon beverage, pastries and a relaxed atmosphere. For sure.
As I got to the counter, I heard someone behind me call out to me. I turned around to see Jordan, one of my neighbours from our Tudor neighbourhood home community, sitting at a table near by. Jordan had a big smile. He always has a big smile when we run into each other.
I was happy to see Jordan. He was having one of GGB’s nice, hot beverages. I have bumped into Jordan and other neighbours from our Tudor neighbourhood community at Good Ground Bakery on several ocassions.
“Alan, I heard your book is published. Can I buy one with a personal message from you written in it?” Jordan asked.
I had a book on me and was honoured to personalise it for him.
Jordan is among one of the fast growing numbers from my Tudor neighbourhood who have got themselves a copy of the book, SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT.
Jordan and the Hatted Writer, me. This excellent photograph was taken by Good Ground Bakery’s very own talented barista, Joanne.
Before long, it was time for us to go; he to pick his children from school activities and I, to pick Jeannie up from work.
What an exciting time last weekend was at our F1.08 booth at Amcorp Mall.
Saturday started with a slow sort of idyllic morning. I guess people were soaking in / absorbing the first morning of the weekend. Many would have been quite reluctant to get out of bed, I guess. Except the Batik Influencer, me, and a whole lot of people in the country. We were up and out of bed at our usual time, like always.
The first thing we do when we get up each morning, is to make our beds. It gives us a sense of accomplishment – one task completed, starting off the day on a right footing.
We loaded the vehicle with all the barang – barang (things that we were going to put up for sale). We were at our booth in Amcorp Mall at half nine in the morning. Got the booth set up in no time at all. Before long, visitors starting streaming in to visit us.
The Batik Influencer, who also happens to be the wife of the Hatted Writer (me); almost immediately was strutting her stuff. Batik was like second nature to her. Both, men and women; were equally interested and impressed. Her Batik Cape Creations under the “JEANNIE’S OWN” LABEL; was fast snapped up.
The Batik Influencer with some examples of JEANNIE’S OWN Label Batik Cape Creations.
By the end of the weekend, the Batik Influencer had many new friends. And, many of the Batik capes; had been acquired by new owners.
Stefanie was one of the earliest in the day to obtain her copy of SPARKS FOR JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT
Andersen Lee, a property investor; was the first to get his copy of my book, SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT. He was thrilled to have his copy personalised by me with a message.
Mr Law Yaw Bang with his personalised copy of SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT.
Soon, there was a steady flow of people enquiring about the book, and other things we had on display. I had the opportunity of meeting many, many (I wanted to use the word “multiple” but [not however] – more ooomph in expression) followers / readers of http://www.leatherpotato.com over the two days at the booth. In the process, many people purchased a copy of my book. All wanted the book personalised with a message from me.
Vanesha, second from right, with her son, her aunt and her mother (far left). She just got her personalised copy of SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT.
It was another great weekend where we had the opportunity of meeting people and making new friends in the process.
The Batik Influencer, doing her stuff with her ultra unique, ultra chic JEANNIE’S OWN Batik Cape Creations.
There are more than one or two ways of wearing the JEANNIE’S OWN Batik Cape Creation.
This weekend, we will be at the same booth, F1.08 (First Floor). We are expecting a whole new crowd of people, plus our existing friends.
There are new pieces of JEANNIE’S OWN Batik Cape Creations, however, these are limited. There are always unique and are limited edition in their own right. Come and become owners of one or several pieces. They make amazing gifts, too.
SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT: The book, through the many stories it holds and tells, is a keepsake for people of all ages, both young and older. When you turn each page, the feeling of paper, the scent of ink with words printed in it on each paper, stories that pop up and take you to the scenes like the time when the exhaust pipe fell off the car – a hilarious scene; or when we, as parents, spent 15 hours in a day at the pool just for a 35 second race – the commitment the athletes put into that 35 seconds. These are stories that can be read many times as each time can put the reader in a different scene.
Here is Stefanie with her personalised copy of SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT. Also, notice my latest tattoo?
Zoe, (second from right) my youngest reader / customer, and her family; with her personalised copy of SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT
Among those who obtained their copy were Stefanie; Vanesha; Laura’s (our daughter) sister-in-law, Zoe; Mr Law Yaw Bang and Nur Azalina. Zoe, who will be turning 12 years old; is my youngest reader / customer.
“Interesting…I like”, she seems to be thinking to herself.
Dass of Display Asia, gave me a heads up on what my next book should be about. Admittedly, I have started the “machinery of my mind” as to what my next book should be about.
Nur Azlina, a fellow writer; with her copy of my book, SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT.
I am with Nur Azlina (third from right holding a copy of her newly acquired, personalised copy of SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT) and her family.
Come, and bring your whole family, and share your experiences, too. Jeannie and I look forward to seeing all of you. See you there.
Address: Amcorp Shopping Mall, Booth 1.08, 1st Floor, , 8, Jalan, Persiaran Barat, Seksyen 52 Petaling Jaya, 46050 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia Date: March 8th – March 9th, 2025 Time: 10.00am to 5.30pm (can be extended to 7.00pm)
The marvel of modern technology – we are not connected, yet we are. Let me explain.
Don’t leave home without it. No, not American Express; your smartphone.
Today, most of us use smartphones . According to Priori Data, there are 4.88 billion smartphone users (1). I repeat, smartphone users… not mobile phone users. 4.88billion is over 1/2 the world population of 8 billion.
These bits and pieces of technology has made us reliant…ok ok… that’s putting it mildly… has made us over-reliant on this technology. Nowadays, meeting face-to-face is becoming times of scarcity.
While we are connected with almost everybody on earth, the distance cannot be further from the truth when we talk about physical connection.
All said and done, the smartphone is definitely a must have. Almost every facet of your life has to function through your smartphone. To delve what it can and cannot do (got meh? [2]) will require another essay, chapters, books to be written.
It is because of this technological marvel – the smartphone, and the multiple social media applications that run on these devices that my classmate Mohan Singh, and I; and our other classmates and schoolmates, have re-connected with one and other, and have remained connected after all these years. Many of our classmates reside in other parts of the world – and we are connected.
Mohan, with his personalised copy of SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT.
Mohan and our La Salle@75 Whatsapp (one of the most popular, if not the most popular social media “connection” applications [apps for short] in Malaysia) group, have been keeping abreast with my posts on leatherpotato.com. At this juncture, I like to note that an evergreen teacher of ours, Mr. Michael Xavier; is in our La Salle@75 Whatsapp group. He is an active participant, with his usual “Good morning, take care guys” daily greetings. We are blessed to have him with us in the group.
One day, about a year ago; Mohan calls (Whatsapp phone, what else? 😁) me and said, “Let’s meet for breakfast”. At breakfast, he said that I should publish the book that I talked about writing… that I had my manuscript which I just needed to put together.
From there, I connected with one of his friends…and the rest as they say is….elementary. 😁
We met at Star Bhavan for breakfast today. Mohan acquired his copy of the just published SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT.
Star Bhavan was more than its usual hive of activity. There was a group of elderly ladies who sauntered in for breakfast and a spritely chat after what looked like an exercise outing for them. They talked quite loud, excitedly. We young ones, that is Mohan and I; had a bit of a time trying to concentrate on our own conversation.
In our discussion, Mohan shared ideas on further promoting the book. We also talked about my next book. Hint: It has something to with a bicycle. 😉😊
NOTES: 1. As of 2024, there are approximately 4.88 billion smartphone users worldwide, accounting for about 60.42% of the global population. The number of smartphones in use globally is around 7.21 billion. China leads global smartphone ownership with 974.6 million users.1 Jan 2025 https://prioridata.com/data/smartphone-stats/ 2. Local Chinese way of expressing disbelief.
The journey from Pee Jay or PJ or Petaling Jaya (in full) after picking Jeannie up from work to Shah Alam was a long one, right from the word “Go!”. So, we decided to grab early dinner. I have to clarify something.
Today, there are more words and phrases that mean more than what you actually intend to say. Here, when I say “grab”, I don’t mean call Grab service or “Grab our meals over to where we are”. I mean to say “get” early dinner. I can hear some of you ask, “Why didn’t he say just that? “Get” early dinner. I used the word “grab” to emphasize that we were in a hurry.
Yesterday, when Jeannie, Laura and I were heading (going, for some) to KFC in Sea Park (I think), we passed by a restaurant called “Seapark Dessert”. It brought back memories to Jeannie and me of some over 25 years ago. “Some Over” is a bit of a stylo description.
Over 25 years ago, Jeannie and I used to work in Kuala Lumpur. By time we finished work and waded through traffic jams, it would be over 9.00pm. So, we’d swing over to one of the eating places in PJ to have dinner. One of those places was “Seapark Dessert” , though at that time, we never really took notice of the name of the coffee shop (now “restaurant”). I love bubur pulut hitam, bubur kacang merah and bubur kacang hijau. And so does Jeannie. We’d usually have noodles for our main course and one of this bubur choices for dessert. It was the coffee shop that we often visited because they were usually open to late in the night. This place was very popular at that time. Many a time, we had to wait to get a table for ourselves.
So, passing this coffee shop yesterday gave me the idea to stop by there for dinner. We wondered if it was as good as the last time.
The restaurant looked pretty much the same as the last time. It was a sort of a split-level, and there were quite a few people already. The time was around 5.45pm.
Jeannie ordered Yam cake and bubur kacang hijau. Jeannie said the yem cake was really good. The texture, the taste, the freshness. I am not a sort of a “yam” person. I will take her word for it that it was really good. Jeannie has been in the food industry line for multiple years. She is one of the most qualified persons in terms of experience to give opinions on food.
Her bubur kacang hijau was quite nice. I had a couple of spoons full to taste it.
Jeannie’s order: Bubur Kacang Hijau and yam cake.
My order: Pulut Hitam and 2 curry puffs
The curry puff I ate was nice. It was quite large, tasty, but not spicy. “Spicy” in the Malaysian or Asian context usually means very hot. However, looking back at History during school days, the Portuguese, Dutch and English traders were drawn to this part of the world for its spices, like pepper, cloves and other spices. For the discerning food eater, he or she will be able to detect the spices, which includes but not limited to chili.
The bubur pulut hitam was nice. My mother set such a high standard for the bubur pulut hitam, bubur kacang merah and bubur kacang hijau she used to make. There was hardly ever a time that anyone would come close to how she used to make these desserts. But, we have to settle for what we can get now.
Yes, they are big, and tasty.
Before long, we hit the road and got to the Stadium Pusat Akuatik Selangor or Selangor Aquatic Stadium in Shah Alam, just after 7.00pm. Lots of good memories rushed back to Jeannie and I. This used to be our “first home” when Laura used to train and compete here as a swim athlete representing the state of Selangor as a state swimmer and as a club swimmer for PADE Supersharkz.
As we walked to the pool deck, we saw both Coach Ong Jin Kooi and Coach Mark Chua. Coach Ong was the first to greet us as we got on the pool deck. It was nice to see him after a long time. He looked just the same. Strict with the swimmers and also father to them.
Just like old times. Except that, in those days; we never thought of taking pictures of our food.
I thought I won’t know any of the current group of swimmers and I won’t recognise any of them. Surprisingly, there were quite a few swimmers who were just beginners some years back; who recognised us, especially me. They came up to say hello and ask how we were. One of the swimmers who was in Laura’s batch and is now amongst the fastest and most experienced in the country, George Ng; came up to say hello, too. He asked how we were. I think he is still connected to Laura on social media. Good to see him.
Finished. The meal was filling. One curry puff was meant to be given to an old friend that we were about to meet after dinner.
Coach Mark was all smiles to see us. It was a long time since we last connected. We sat down in the press room where we talked about old times. He remembered Laura’s 50m and 100m Breast, and 100 free times with accuracy. These are great coaches who are not just only interested in what their swimmers do at the pool and competitions, but also take a close interest in what they do away from the pool. There is that amazing bonding between coach and swimmers and vice versa.
We were happy to hear that Selangor did very well in the recently completed Malaysian International Age Group (MIAG) championships. Never one to take anything for granted, the coaches in the Selangor team, i.e. Coach Ong, Coach Mark, Coach Marilyn (Mark’s sister) and others; began preparing the swimmers again, to be at more than their best, both on deck and off deck.
We brought each other up to speed with where we are now.
Coach Mark and Coach Ong each obtained a copy of my just published book, SPARKS FOR JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT. There are stories, articles and multiple pictures of Laura in her many years with her team swimmers and coaches.
The curry puff filling. It was quite tasty.
Coach Mark Chua, Laura’s competitive swim coach, who is also Selangor’s senior coach, PADE and Orca junior elite team coach, with his copy of SPARKS FOR JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT.
This is supposed to be the “Let Loose / freestyle” photo.
Get your copy of the fast selling SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT at leading book stores in the country. You can also get your copy through me. I will personalize it with a short message for you.
