epiphany

almost five months into my new life and it hits me today that one concept about sums up this entire season: learning curve, steep. i don't know about the next person, but i have stuffed more into my 'ere 'ead in four months and a half than i did for a long time before, and i wasn't exactly slacking before. that krebs cycle season doesn't come anywhere near this.

i hope HOM understands that this phoenix* act can only be survived a limited number of times in one's life, and i have pretty much exhausted my quota.

*dedicated homemaker morphs effortlessly** into savvy professional woman.

**that, of course, is a publicity stunt type of declaration and a blatant lie.

mother's day

for the girl who has everything

from the men who know her so well -

new home buttons!

belum terubah

the malaysian general elections are freshly over. they were keenly watched hotly contested and deeply angst ridden. the final results were painfully disappointing to many.

shades of ge 2011, a jaded part of me whispers. in this part of the world, can the incumbent ever lose? does a leopard change its spots? 

the wiser part takes a longer view. every experience counts, it says. civic disagreement and civil discourse do not quickly sit at the same table. in time, perhaps they may.

i would like to see that.

krung thep 2

what's new after a decade:

• suvarnabhumi
• drinkable tap water
• fuchsia-hued taxicabs
• tentacle-standard skybridges 

what's unchanged:

• the traffic
• the shrines
• the mendicants

arabian nights

we visit with an old friend, HOM and i. we are different in culture background pursuits priorities and religion. we live in different places far apart and we have different problems in life. we all three of us love hand knotted rugs. somehow, HOM keeps his number through years and cellphone changes and smartphone upgrades. he recognizes HOM's voice on the first greeting.

my son is big now, he tells us proudly. he's in university. my daughter weighs on my heart, he says too. we  barely understand this friendship, but we are humbled by it.

thai food

unlike its fiery red tom yam cousin, tom yam nam jae is a bland pale yellow broth with some random herbs and your choice of meat swimming inside. the heat develops in stages, beginning with your first unsuspecting gulp and expanding in your mouth and your gut until you gasp into you lemonade and weep into your rice. 

we haven't been able to get this outside of thailand. it has been worth the ten year wait. 

krung thep

back in the land of smiles for the first time in ten years. the nice nostalgic vibes come back readily. we recognize old landmarks amidst the new landscape and among the unchanged throngs. the weather is as hot as i remember it. the smattering of thai i know comes stuttering back. lot dai mai? HOM says with great conviction to the vendors. the street smells are as gorgeous as ever. the underbelly is as sleazy. the traffic has not aged a single day.