#teva

WOW! INTO MY EXCITING 67TH

/ Alan Atkinson / Leave a comment

On a cold but not so cold July 10th morning, waking up at a luxurious time of 8.16am; to the sounds of the heavens pouring squeezing the rain clouds below it and above us, all the water that it had been absorbing for some time. This water is what we know as rain. – The sponge-like clouds must be drying up as the rain seemed to be slowing down.

The ladies of the family had taken a day off from work to spend quality time as a family on this day, July 10th.

The first order of the day was to get some errands done. After all, it is a normal working day for everyone else. Came home and picked up the younger lady of the house to go grab some breakfast.

As we had a couple more errands in the “SS” area of Subang Jaya (1), I suggested a quick brekkie – a coffee and pastry at Good Ground Bakery (GGB).

Today was a first try for their plain croissants. As my wife Jeannie and I were browsing to see what we should eat, Monique, GGB’s bright and chirpy Public Relations person; suggested to try their plain croissants, just baked and out of the oven. Jeannie ordered it, with butter and strawberry jam to go with it. Jeannie, who is in the food business, said it isn’t easy to make good croissants. It needs to be gotten just right.

The plain croissant can be eaten with almost anything. Here, we asked for butter and strawberry jam to go with it.

The plain croissant can be eaten with almost anything. Here, we asked for butter and strawberry jam to go with it. We tried it on its own. Perfect! Jeannie and I loved it. Then, we ate it with the strawberry jam and butter. It was lovely.

The croissant, with part of it already cut and eaten. It couldn’t wait for its picture to be taken. 😂

The big, spicy chicken curry puff, was great, too. GGB is the bakery that you come, expecting delicious pastries with good beverages, hot or cold, always; spending time with family or friends, do some personal work or catch up on some reading. It offers you an experience wanting to come back again for more.

I just love colours. The colours of yellow, gold and brown makes this chicken curry puff, a work of art.
The  big chicken curry puff on the left with its light brown, golden accent crust. The croissant perfect, on the right.

Two hot blacks.
The blacks look great from an angle. This comes with satsifaction.

One for the family album…

And another… With our daughter, Laura; Jeannie and I.

I had planned a couple of weeks earlier, to spend a bit of time at Mid-Valley Shopping Centre on this day, my birthday. I thought that there might be some birthday offers if I decided to buy anything. I had in mind to buy a pair of Teva sandals, the model with padded straps and more comfortable to use. I loved the pair that I already had, but since I do a lot of walking, it would be nice to have a more comfortable pair. My good friend, Keith Ganesan once told me that we have to treat our feet royally as they carry our body everywhere. Wise statement.

“They” tempted me to get this. Looks good. However, it does not appeal to me.

The drive to Mid Valley met with the usual heavy traffic on the Federal Highway. It was not chockablock. We got there in fairly decent time.

First thing on the agenda a quick kopi-O ais (Malaysian for iced coffee, black) and a currypuff. Jeannie tempted me with the idea of having chicken rendang (2) currypuff, sold at the food court in Aeon departmental store.

We got there in the nick-of-time. There were only three of these currypuffs left. With kopi- o ais, it was a good afternoon snack.

I soon made my way to the Teva store. There was a RM50 (US$10.70) discount on this price range of sandals. I tried them on for size and found it comfortable – ideal for long wear. I got it.

Trying on the Teva M Terra F1 5 Universal for size. Got it. What do you think? In the foreground, is my current Teva XL@ Hurricane.
Looking at the Bellroy Tote bags for Jeannie and Laura, a birthday gift on my birthday, to them.

I then walked across to The Gardens to get a birthday gift each from me to Jeannie and Laura. The Planet Traveller store has some pretty cool things that the both of them would like. The Bellroy Tote bag is a nice everyday use item that both of them would like . No prizes for guessing what colour Laura chose.

No prizes for guessing what colour Laura chose.

We headed home at about 5.00pm, hoping to meet the after work traffic jams. We somehow managed to do that.

We had a fairly late dinner (at least to us, it was; as we usually have dinner around 6.00pm to 7.00pm). I decided on something simple yet fit for a “king”. We ate at Burger King.

Laura was feeling a bit under the weather – she went for fries only. Jeannie went for the Whooper (no not swan. It is the way she pronounces it) set. Mine was like an oblong burger.

My burger reminded me of McD’s prosperity burger, at least the shape of it. Instead of an oblong beef patty like that of McD’s, this came with two small round patties. It tasted nice. The sauces in it, made it all the more nicer. I think this is a new variant. You should try it. They have a choice of either beef or chicken.

Family bonding at the King. I wanted something simple for dinner. And quick, too. I chose Burger King.

Laura was feeling a bit under the weather – she went for fries only. Jeannie went for the Whooper (no not swan. It is the way she pronounces it) set. Mine was like a oblong burger.

Since today only comes once a year (just like every other day. haha), Jeannie bought these packets of chocolate for me. I love chocolate. Perhaps I should write about chocolate. Maybe….will see.

Birthday spoils – chocolate. Yum!

We ended the day by having some birthday cake – buttercake made by the famous buttercake baker, my mum. It was delicious. The cake was soon gone as we started cutting the cake to give to friends and family.

Buttercake birthday cake made by mum. Awesome! Delicious and even more than before.

An inside look of the beautiful and yummy buttercake.

The side of the cake. This is absolutely a work of art.

I met with Su Yin, Jeannie’s colleague and a birthday celebrant, too. Her birthday was July 9th. I see her quite often when I drop Jeannie off at work and pick her up. This was the first time I met her in person. Jeannie says she is a super, super, super wonderful person. From our brief meeting; I totally agree with Jeannie – Su Yin is a super, super, super wonderful person.

Here I am with Su Yin, a birthday celebrant, too. Her birthday was July 9th.

I dropped by at St. Thomas More Church to give parish priest, Monsignor Patrick Boudeville some birthday cake. He invited me to join him for lunch with his staff in the dining room. I thanked him but said I was in a rush to several other cake delivery stops. “You are always in a rush. At least have a coffee”, he said. So, I did.

Having coffee with Monsignor Patrick Boudeville at St Thomas More Church in Subang Jaya. He is very witty.

He is very witty and kept me laughing most of the time. It was a really nice coffee break for me. I was off to make my birthday cake delivery rounds. It has been a great start into my 67th year.

My mother-in-law made this cute little knitted apple in a keychain for me.

I received hundreds and hundreds of birthday wishes and they are still coming in as I put this essay together.

Starting from one the earliest messages from my La Salle School classmate, Mohan Singh, followed by a telephone call from him a bit later, to the phone calls from my mum & dad, to all the messages from the various social media platforms, family members staying near & far, my La Salle School alumni year, St. Jude BEC…, on Facebook, Instagram, X, Tik Tok, emails…Whatsapp, Messenger… WOW!

Thank you everyone for a great start into my 67th year.

NOTES:
1. Subang Jaya is a bustling and exciting city in the central peninsula state of Selangor, Malaysia.
2. Rendang is a dry style of curry that is simmered until the gravy thickens. Classic rendang is usually made with beef, but chicken is also popular. Beef Rendang takes twice as long to cook and so Chicken Rendang is a delicious alternative. It is somewhat lighter and “brighter” in taste and appearance. http://www.rotirice.com

THE PERSONA

/ Alan Atkinson / Leave a comment

Writers just like to have fun…sounds familiar from a song…

After lunch at the King of Burgers a.k.a. Burger King; my wife Jeannie, went to do her grocery shopping and other stuff like that. I decided to do some window ogling. I find it interesting to see how major, and not so major brands, position themselves to get customers. The “why?” behind a brand for instance, can influence people to stay loyal with them for generations.

I met a person, Martin, from Sweden; for the first time, a few days ago. He is based in Singapore and his primary job is to help brands in their positioning, not only for the end customers to see, but also to associate with other brands that add value to them, and they in turn, add value to those brands. Like Rolex is to Rolls Royce; Tiger Woods is to Nike; the Batik Influencer is to beautiful designs and colours of Batik; the Hatted Writer is to making a difference, a good difference; in people’s lives, even if it is for a fleeting moment.

As a writer and journalist; I wonder at times, what sort of persona (1) I should have. Should it be created or should it be natural? I think a persona is an identity that can be either created, natural or both. It should be a process of continuous improvement.

As answers are found to the questions raised; more questions are raised. That is what makes life more interesting, I guess. Like I am fascinated with the thought that every moment that has yet to come, which is before us; is the future. That is mind-boggling. We can put the dots on the map of life as we reach it.

For now, I want to be ready for any occasion, yet attired comfortably. I have the tools of my trade, handy with me; to start penning / piecing / crafting / stitching (stitching?) an article together any time. And have fun doing so.

Here, I am having fun at this “photoshoot”. It may look like I am advertising a brand, maybe the Crumpler fold casual I have, since there are bag “props on shelves all around me. Perhaps the Teva hiking sandals. Or the tweed Gatsby / newsboy cap. The subtleness, yet the brand that stands out most would be Samsung – with a Watch 6 Classic and the item that is in front of all the pictures – the S23 Ultra.

I like The Planet Traveller because it has an extensive range of items for travel, the outdoors, or just for everyday use. What I like most about them is that I am sure to find new innovative ideas and things almost every time I visit their stores.

Looking good at every angle.

Dropped by Crumpler and saw this riot red “Comfort Zone” Messenger bag. From afar, the riot red magnetized me to the bag. I like the innovative strap-locking system and the extra strap (once adjusted to your length for carry / sling), is pocketed (tucked away) in a little side pocket. Cool looking bag. Messenger bag…Hmmm💭…who knows?🤔😉

NOTES
1. A persona is the image or personality that a person presents in public or in a specific setting—as opposed to their true self. The word is especially used in the phrase public persona, referring to the personality that a person presents in public and that they are known for by most people.

Someone’s persona is the aspect of their character or nature that they present to other people, perhaps in contrast to their real character or nature.[formal]

…the contradictions between her private life and the public persona. 

From time to time he will take on a new persona.
Collins dictionary

CHRISTMAS AT KLCC : OUR VISIT (Pt 2)

/ Alan Atkinson / Leave a comment

http://leatherpotato.com/2023/12/20/klcc-christmas-prelude-to-our-visit-pt-1/
http://leatherpotato.com/2023/12/17/shes-in-town/

As we got on the northbound LRT train towards Gombak (the other way is southbound, heading towards Putra Heights); I still hadn’t reached that “Yay! let’s go to KLCC” mood level yet. I was quite apprehensive that it was going to be overly crowded. Getting on the train itself met with quite a bit of a crowd. We managed to get seats as we got in.

Throughout the journey, the train met with near full capacity status. At one of the stops, an elderly couple got on board. Jeannie and I immediately got up to offer our seats. A couple of young ladies got up to offer their seats to us; we, who were slight-ly older than them.😉

We were at KLCC soon enough. Sure beats driving down to K.L. which usually requires a lot of energy sapping concentration due to the usual heavy traffic.

The shopping mall was as expected – crowded. However, we still could move around without physically bumping into people. We walked to the happening place, where the main Christmas decorations were up. The whole shopping mall was in Christmas mode with all its decorations, music and festivities. I will always love toys. What better way to know the latest and the greatest is when they are introduced just in time for Christmas. I figure that toys are an excellent way to get kids and adults away from screens – phone screens, pad/tablet screens, tv screens, cinema screens.

Here I am 🎅👆, in the two pictures above; inspecting the gingerbread train. Got such thing, meh? (Local English for: “Oh really! Is there ever such a thing as a gingerbread train?” You may be forgiven to think that this a subtle “Teva” brand advertisement (hint, hint).

Santa was not too good this year, so he was punished to sit up in the clocktower for a couple of hours. Poor guy. He did not realise that they removed the hands from the clock face. So a couple of hours could be eternity.

Since Santa was punished, up in the clocktower; we had to send our Christmas wishes by post. Mine is a Rolls Royce Spectre (not Sceptre – that’s a clone copy) – the real thing.

No, our day is not over… yet. Taking a break from all this Christmasing…more like from all the walking.

We had to take a break from the festivities of walking the length and breadth of KLCC Shopping Mall for a while. Jeannie bought some curry puffs and other delights. Just before this break, I managed to find a writing instrument at Kinokuniya Book store for my mini folio.

The mini mechanical pencil fits nicely in the zip-lock sleeve which I keep towards the back of the folder.

The eats from “Kampong Kravers” was very, very tasty. You guys, if you ever do come to KLCC, should have a go at the variety of food they have on offer. At reasonable prices, too. Jeannie got a couple of can-packed coffees, both from the Pokka brand. Their premium rich coffee was quite nice. It did not have that bitter after taste that comes with most coffees in a can. Their Mocha was quite nice, too; though I stuck with their premium rich coffee.

Some drinks while resting. The Pokka Premium Rich Coffee is pretty good.

My wife, Jeannie; as usual, signed us up for the gingerbread decorating session. “Why, or why?”, I kept asking myself.

Some people around me may have thought I was a bit whacky, what with the waving my hand this way and that, raising and lowering it, opening it and closing; all these actions in front of my phone, sort of hand gestures with the hocus-poke us, abra-ca-de-bra magic mantra saying, trying to get the phone to do something. In this case, it was to take pictures.

When, the decorating session started, Jeannie and I were the two oldest amongst the children. Before long, we could hear kids telling their parents, “Stop helping me. I want to decorate on my own”. Those parents may have thought either their kids needed help to compete against us, or they themselves wanted to decorate gingerbread cookies but were to shy to come forward on their own. Now, they made it seem that they were “helping their children”. How mischievous could that be?

Jeannie’s work (top) and mine.

Jeannie told me that we weren’t (old word, not used in a long time. Pronounced as “weren’t”. However, locally pronounced as “wer-ren’t”) decorating gingerbread cookies. There were actually butter cookies.

My work of art, minimalist, yet edible.

That was fun. Especially getting to eat the decorated cookies after that. We were soon on the LRT train heading back towards Putra Heights, but had a stop to do, which Jeannie kept insisting we had to make. And that was to “Pasar Seni” or Central Market, where the artsy people gather to sell and buy stuff. It was only 4 stops from KLCC.

The weather held up pretty good, as we had to walk about 5 minutes (including crossing the very busy streets where vehicles do not respect pedestrian zebra-crossings at all.

Resting at the newly opened grocery store and a food court style eating place.

With a bit of patience, we managed to get across the busy street. When we got into Pasar Seni, we were greeted with a new, large grocery store, surrounded with many eating places. There was as usual, a wide variety of foods that one could choose from. Pasar Seni, besides the new grocery store and eating establishments, was as usual, a hive of activity.

Was trying to use the “magic wand” S-Pen to turn the butter cookies to gingerbread cookies. But I Kept getting a message on my phone that the S-Pen was connected to: “Unavailable. Maybe, in the next S-Pen software upgrade”.

Before long, (actually it was quite a long time), the Batik Influencer, Jeannie; had canvassed some of the grounds at Pesar Seni for what was new on the batik scene. She purchased several pieces of batik and a very traditional blouse for herself. She was happy.

I, in the meantime, came across Koopi, a new coffee brand in town. The booth was manned by Kate Poon and her mother. They were promoting their new brand (at least to me, it was new) by giving out taste samples.

Kate is a very approachable person. She was full of passion for her product. She was not trying to sell coffee. She was promoting an experience, a wonderful experience at that. A business that she runs with her father. She comes from three generations of kopitiam business. From the samples I tried,I liked the coffee. I purchased the different types of coffee they were promoting. Keep a lookout for my review on Koopi coffees.

We had to make our home as it had been quite a long morning and afternoon expedition. The train ride back home was not as crowded as when were we heading to K.L. We reached home with just enough time to freshen up and meet Laura and her boyfriend, Praga; for dinner.