關於 malaysia restaurant job ，我們在網路上蒐集到這些相關的討論、資訊與評價

说一说…..父母

前一阵子，参加了一个心灵课程。
一位三十岁左右的男人出来做分享。
他在新加坡工作，去年得知妈妈的癌症复发，而且还开始扩散，心里很难过，也很纠结。
他问了一个长辈朋友他该选择留在新加坡继续打拼事业还是辞职回去陪伴妈妈？
那位长辈朋友跟他说了自己亲生的经历。
长辈朋友说他年轻的时候，母亲患癌症，他带着母亲到处寻医，希望可以把母亲治好。
最后有位医生跟他说，他的母亲只剩一个月的命。
他致电给远在国外念医学系的弟弟，告诉他这个消息。
他的弟弟几年前获得了某间著名大学的医科奖学金，一个人到国外升学。
他还剩四个月就毕业，正式成为一个专业医生。
他跟教授申请一个月的假期，希望自己可以陪母亲走完她最后的人生。
结果教授不领情，说如果他这时候停学，就没办法毕业。
后来，他跟教授说，他很谢谢教授这几年对他的照顾和教导，但母亲只有一个，于是他选择了停学，回到家乡照顾妈妈。
长辈朋友说，他的弟弟归来后，每天无微不至照顾卧床的母亲，喂食，洗澡，清洗排泄物….。
而母亲在孩子细心的照顾和陪伴下多活了三个月才离开人间。

听完长辈朋友的故事，他决定辞职，回到他成长的土地，回到那个赐予他生命的母亲身边。
他的妈妈因为不想再承受多年前做化疗的幸苦，于是选择自然疗法。
他陪着妈妈一起学习气功，一起练习。
当妈妈学习遇到障碍时，他耐心教导妈妈，陪伴她一次又一次的练习。
这一次她带着妈妈，甚至爸爸一起来上课，三人之间的交流一天比一天温暖，一天比一天更往内心深处流动。
你可以看见这个三十的大男孩，边哽咽边诚恳地分享他内心的感受时，脸上闪耀着光芒，他的孝心滋养着他的生命，富足了他的灵魂，也感动了所有聆听的每一颗心。
你可以看见他患癌的妈妈因为他的爱而流露出幸福的笑容。
你可以看见他踏出的每一步是如何地一点一点软化了平时大男人的爸爸，让老夫老妻的爸妈重新感受相爱的甜蜜。
这段分享一直在我心中流淌，像安静清澈的河流，流过之处都获得了一份滋润。

今年农历过年前，九十几岁的外公中风跌倒，摔断了腿，也检查出食道收窄而必须插鼻胃管进食。
外公一向喜欢独居，就算孩子怎么相劝，他还是不愿意搬去跟任何一个孩子居住。
于是妈妈在家里附近准备了一个房子给外公住，方便照顾他老人家。
这个区可热闹了，小弟，大舅，表妹，两个表弟都住在附近，而二弟和二弟媳就住在正对面，很多照应。
外公出院后，爸妈，三个阿姨和舅舅们每天轮班，24小时在身边照顾卧床的外公。
有个专业护士来给外公做护理和检查时，跟他们说以她的经验观察，外公可能没办法坚持到过完年。
妈妈致电给我，让我有点心理准备。

农历年回家乡时，本来妈妈阿姨们已经订好餐厅一共六桌酒席给外公和我一起庆祝生日，因为我们两人是同一天生日，而且经常很靠近或在过年期间，已经有好几年，我都和阿公一起接受大家的生日祝福，一起许愿，一起吹蜡烛，切蛋糕。而这一次，阿公不止不能庆祝生日，而且长辈们也交代我们不要提这件事，因为在马来西亚华人的传统习俗里，老人家病重忌过生日。

于是所有的孩子，孙子和曾孙子每天都到外公家拜年，聚餐，非常热闹。
外公虽然行动不便，但躺在床上静静的聆听子孙们欢乐的声音，让他觉得很开心，嘴角不自觉微微上扬，好像这些陪伴就是他最好的良药。
他不停吩咐阿姨一定要记得帮他准备好红包，他要亲自给我们每人一个红包。
“爸，新年快乐，身体健康…阿公，恭喜发财，身体健康….阿祖，恭喜发财…。“我们七十几个人沿着客厅到厨房排成长长的队伍，一个一个握着阿公的手，从他手上接过那封非常珍贵的红包。
过完年，回到家，每天和妈妈通电话跟进外公的情况。
一天一天细心的照顾下和子孙每天的陪伴下，外公不止渡过了整个农历年，还自行拔掉鼻胃管（因为太不舒服），然后神奇的开始可以自己进食。
前几天，弟媳传来一条短片，一打开，看见外公竟然可以站起来慢慢的步行了。

这一次新冠肺炎疫情在全球大爆发，欧洲许多独居和疗养院的老人，在未接受正式治疗下，在家或疗养院孤独离世。
而小黄花慈善教育基金会也在行动管制令期间为一些贫穷的独居老人提供免费粮食。

以前和阿姨们一起探访过一间老人院，院长说他看到越来越多的老人院开设，心里觉得很悲哀。
我们现代人引以为傲，这越来越先进，越来越文明，科技越来越发达，物品越来越精致，教育程度越来越高的都市里，为什么就容纳不下这些前半辈子都在为社会为家庭付出的生命呢？
他们曾经也是年轻气盛，朝气蓬勃的劳动者，为什么在他们最需要被关怀，被爱护，被疼爱的最后的岁月里却被遗忘甚至遗弃？

越来越多的优越感并没能让我们感受越来越多的快乐，越来越争取的私人空间让人们的距离越拉越远……。
远到我们都看不见一些真正重要和值得珍惜的人和事。

这些老人们的家人呢？
也许背后有很多很多的故事，但这些故事是不是也许可以因为少一点的自我，多一点的同理心而被改写呢？

宇宙创造生命，而父母就是带这些生命来到这个世界的桥梁。
为什么我们可以把最好的给孩子，却不能把最好的给父母？

好友奶茶一个人照顾奶奶，爸爸和妈妈三个老人家，经常就是走路去看他们，陪他们，给他们煮好吃的，大小事都替他们打点。
每次看到她分享和奶奶，爸妈的合照，影片和文字时，心里都特别感动。
她堂堂一个影后，视后，歌后，平日的生活里，就是一个尽心尽力在照顾上面三个老人和下面一个孩子的平凡妈妈，女儿和孙女。

去年，我和一个好友探访一家慈善收留所，里头住了六十几位失智老人，他们都是因为各种各样的原因而被收留，有一些偶尔有家人来探望，有一些甚至无人问津。
看着那些老人枯萎的身躯躺在床上，空洞地望向远方，任由孤寂一寸一寸地侵蚀他的灵魂，生命就在这暗淡的小屋里渐渐地走向死亡，心里很是难过。

让我们闭上眼，回想小时候，父母辛苦照顾我们的身影，安静下来，感受一下现在的父母，我们是不是还可以聆听到他们的声音，感受彼此连接的温暖？

Let’s talk about….. Parents

Just recently, I participated in a spiritual class. There was a man, in his thirties who did a sharing session. He works in Singapore and last year, he learned that his mother’s cancer had recurred and it had begun to spread. He felt a wave of sad and complicated emotions overcome him.

He asked an elderly friend for advice, if he should choose to stay in Singapore to pursue his career or resign to accompany his mother?

This elderly friend of his then shared his own experience with him. When he was young, his own mother had cancer and he brought his mother around to seek for medical treatment, hoping to be able to cure her. Alas, one doctor gave him one news he would not want to hear, mentioning that his mother only had a month left to live.

He has a brother who had received a medical scholarship to study in a prestigious University a few years back and was all alone studying abroad. He gave his brother a call and delivered the unfortunate news. He was only four months away from graduation before he could be formally known as a professional doctor.

He applied for a month leave from his professor, hoping to accompany his mother through her final days. However, his application was rejected with the reason given that if he was to stop his courses, he would not be able to graduate.

He then thanked his professor for his care, guidance and advices throughout the many years but he chose and decided to take his leave and return to his homeland to care for his mother as there is only one mother in the world to him.

When his brother returned, with the special, attentive care and companionship given to his bed-ridden mother; feeding, bathing her, cleaning up her excrement, she managed to live through for another three months.

After listening to his friend’s story, he made a firm decision to resign from his job, returned to the place he grew up, returned to be with the woman who gave him life. His mother did not want to go through the sufferings of chemotherapy and chose holistic treatment instead.
He accompanied his mother to learn Qigong and practiced it together with her. He would be next to her, teaching her patiently whenever she encountered obstacles in her learnings and practice with her continuously.

This time around, he brought his mother and father for class. As days passed by, it can be seen that the interaction among them 3 was all about warmth, delving deeper into their inner world.
One could see a 30 years old man, choking as he shared his deepest feelings but yet his face shining radiantly as his filial attitude nourishes his life, enriching his soul, touching everyone’s heart.

You could see his mother who has cancer beaming broadly because of his love.
You could see how each step he took soften his father’s pride and ego, allowing the aged couple to mesmerize the sweetness of love again.

This sharing has nourished my inner soul, flowing through my system, like a quiet, clear river.

This year, just before the Lunar New Year, my 90 years old grandfather had a stroke and broke his leg. It was also found that his oesophagus was narrowed and a nasogastric feeding tube had to be inserted.

Grandpa has always enjoyed living alone. Nobody could convince him to stay with any of his children. So mum moved him to a house which she got nearby so that he can be taken care of easily. The location of the house is very strategic and lively as my younger brother, uncle and cousin sisters and brothers live in that area. The best part, my second brother and sister-in-law live just across the street.


When Grandpa was discharged from the hospital, my parents, three aunts and uncles took turns, rotating shifts to take care of my bed-ridden grandfather 24 hours a day.
There was a professional nurse who would come over to care, made necessary treatments and check up on Grandpa. She told my parents and relatives that from her experiences as a nurse, granddad would not survive till the Chinese New Year. My mum called me up to deliver this piece of news and told me to prepare for the worst.

We went back to our hometown for the Chinese New Year celebration and initially, my mum and aunts have made a restaurant reservation of 6 tables to have a feast for my grandfather and I as we share the same birth date and it was very close to Chinese New Year. We have had such celebrations for many years however, due to Grandpa’s condition, we were not able to celebrate together this year. We were all reminded numerous times that we are not to even talk about it by our elders because according to Malaysia’s Chinese Custom, it is best to forgo celebrating birthdays when our older relatives are gravely ill.

Therefore, all of us, the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren went to Grandpa’s house every day to gather and have meals during the Chinese New Year celebration. It was bustling with noise and excitement. Although Grandpa was bed-ridden, listening to the gleeful voices from his grand and great-grandchildren has made him feeling happy. It was as though these companionships were the best medicine where one could see the corner of his mouth rising up faintly.

He kept reminding my aunt to prepare the Red Packets (Ang Pows) for him and that he would hand it out to us each, himself.

“Dad, Happy New Year. May you be blessed with good health”.. “Grandpa, Gong Xi Fai Cai, to good health”.. “Azu, Happy Chinese New Year..” There were about 70 of us, we could see an extremely long line forming from the living room up to the kitchen! We would hold Grandpa’s hand tenderly as we take the precious Red Packets from him.

After the Chinese New Year holidays, we all returned to our own home and I called up my mother every day to check up on Grandpa’s condition. With the sincere care and accompaniment of his children and grandchildren, not only did Grandpa spent the entire Lunar New Year with us but pull out the nasogastric tube all by himself (as it was making him feeling uncomfortable) and surprised us all as he began to eat by himself!
A few days ago, my sister-in-law sent us a short video. When I played the video, Grandpa could stand and began to walk slowly!

This time around, there is an outbreak of a new pneumonia (COVID-19) pandemic. There are many elderly people living alone or nursing homes in Europe. Due to them not being able to receive the proper treatment at the right time, many of them passed away feeling lonely.

Little Yellow Flower Education Foundation did a part by supplying free food baskets for some of the poor elderly folks who lives alone during the Malaysia Movement Control Order.

I visited a nursing home with my aunt once and the administrator told us that there were more nursing homes mushrooming and it was so disheartening for him.

It is something that is not understandable as in this modern metropolis world, where we can be proud of our achievements, where the world is more advanced, civilized, technologies are more developed, goods are more refined, education levels are standing tall, why is it that we are not able to accommodate and tolerate these elderly people who have once devoted their early days to the society and sacrificed for their family?
They were also once young and energetic laborers. Why are they now forgotten and abandoned during their last years when they are the ones who needs to be cared for, and loved most?

Feeling more superiority does not bring us more happiness. The more private space we strive for, will only distance ourselves from others…..
So far… that we could not even see and remember the people or things are really matters and are worth treasuring.

Where are the family members of these aged people?
There may be many stories to it but can it be rewritten if there were less pride and a little more empathy?

The Universe creates Life and parents are the bridges that brings life into this world. Why is it that we can provide the best for our children but not for our parents?

My friend, Rene has to take care of her grandmother, her father and mother; three golden gems. She will always walk over to their house to see them, accompany them, cook delicious meals for them and take care of their daily lives. Each time I see the pictures, videos and texts she share about her grandmother and parents, I am deeply moved.

Even as an International acclaimed actress and singer, she would still try her very best to take care of the three old family members and 1 young child as any normal mother, daughter and grand-daughter will do in her everyday life.

Last year, I visited a nursing home with a friend where there were more than 60 seniors who had dementia.
They are given shelter for various reasons. There are some seniors being visited by family members occasionally whereas there are some who are being totally neglected and abandoned. Seeing some of them, fragile looking, gazing blankly into the wall, allowing loneliness to seep into their souls by the inches, waiting for death to visit them while lying on their bed in this empty, dark shed, left me feeling extremely sad.

Let us all close our eyes, recollect our childhood’s memories, picturing the silhouettes of our parents who were taking care of us. Quiet down, feel the presence of our parents now. Can we still hear their voices, sense the connection and the warmth among us?

#说一说
#父母之恩
#letstalkabout
#loveforparents

【《金融時報》深度長訪】

今年做過數百外媒訪問，若要說最能反映我思緒和想法的訪問，必然是《金融時報》的這一個，沒有之一。

在排山倒海的訪問裡，這位記者能在短短個半小時裡，刻畫得如此傳神，值得睇。

Joshua Wong plonks himself down on a plastic stool across from me. He is there for barely 10 seconds before he leaps up to greet two former high school classmates in the lunchtime tea house melee. He says hi and bye and then bounds back. Once again I am facing the young man in a black Chinese collared shirt and tan shorts who is proving such a headache for the authorities in Beijing.

So far, it’s been a fairly standard week for Wong. On a break from a globe-trotting, pro-democracy lobbying tour, he was grabbed off the streets of Hong Kong and bundled into a minivan. After being arrested, he appeared on the front pages of the world’s newspapers and was labelled a “traitor” by China’s foreign ministry.

He is very apologetic about being late for lunch.

Little about Wong, the face of Hong Kong’s democracy movement, can be described as ordinary: neither his Nobel Peace Prize nomination, nor his three stints in prison. Five years ago, his face was plastered on the cover of Time magazine; in 2017, he was the subject of a hit Netflix documentary, Joshua: Teenager vs Superpower. And he’s only 23.

We’re sitting inside a Cantonese teahouse in the narrow back streets near Hong Kong’s parliament, where he works for a pro-democracy lawmaker. It’s one of the most socially diverse parts of the city and has been at the heart of five months of unrest, which has turned into a battle for Hong Kong’s future. A few weekends earlier I covered clashes nearby as protesters threw Molotov cocktails at police, who fired back tear gas. Drunk expats looked on, as tourists rushed by dragging suitcases.

The lunch crowd pours into the fast-food joint, milling around as staff set up collapsible tables on the pavement. Construction workers sit side-by-side with men sweating in suits, chopsticks in one hand, phones in the other. I scan the menu: instant noodles with fried egg and luncheon meat, deep fried pork chops, beef brisket with radish. Wong barely glances at it before selecting the hometown fried rice and milk tea, a Hong Kong speciality with British colonial roots, made with black tea and evaporated or condensed milk.

“I always order this,” he beams, “I love this place, it’s the only Cantonese teahouse in the area that does cheap, high-quality milk tea.” I take my cue and settle for the veggie and egg fried rice and a lemon iced tea as the man sitting on the next table reaches over to shake Wong’s hand. Another pats him on the shoulder as he brushes by to pay the bill.

Wong has been a recognisable face in this city since he was 14, when he fought against a proposal from the Hong Kong government to introduce a national education curriculum that would teach that Chinese Communist party rule was “superior” to western-style democracy. The government eventually backed down after more than 100,000 people took to the streets. Two years later, Wong rose to global prominence when he became the poster boy for the Umbrella Movement, in which tens of thousands of students occupied central Hong Kong for 79 days to demand genuine universal suffrage.

That movement ended in failure. Many of its leaders were sent to jail, among them Wong. But the seeds of activism were planted in the generation of Hong Kongers who are now back on the streets, fighting for democracy against the world’s most powerful authoritarian state. The latest turmoil was sparked by a controversial extradition bill but has evolved into demands for true suffrage and a showdown with Beijing over the future of Hong Kong. The unrest in the former British colony, which was handed over to China in 1997, represents the biggest uprising on Chinese soil since the 1989 pro-democracy movement in Beijing. Its climax, of course, was the Tiananmen Square massacre, when hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people were killed.

“We learnt a lot of lessons from the Umbrella Movement: how to deal with conflict between the more moderate and progressive camps, how to be more organic, how to be less hesitant,” says Wong. “Five years ago the pro-democracy camp was far more cautious about seeking international support because they were afraid of pissing off Beijing.”

Wong doesn’t appear to be afraid of irking China. Over the past few months, he has lobbied on behalf of the Hong Kong protesters to governments around the world. In the US, he testified before Congress and urged lawmakers to pass an act in support of the Hong Kong protesters — subsequently approved by the House of Representatives with strong bipartisan support. In Germany, he made headlines when he suggested two baby pandas in the Berlin Zoo be named “Democracy” and “Freedom.” He has been previously barred from entering Malaysia and Thailand due to pressure from Beijing, and a Singaporean social worker was recently convicted and fined for organising an event at which Wong spoke via Skype.

The food arrives almost immediately. I struggle to tell our orders apart. Two mouthfuls into my egg and cabbage fried rice, I regret not ordering the instant noodles with luncheon meat.

In August, a Hong Kong newspaper controlled by the Chinese Communist party published a photo of Julie Eadeh, an American diplomat, meeting pro-democracy student leaders including Wong. The headline accused “foreign forces” of igniting a revolution in Hong Kong. “Beijing says I was trained by the CIA and the US marines and I am a CIA agent. [I find it] quite boring because they have made up these kinds of rumours for seven years [now],” he says, ignoring his incessantly pinging phone.

Another thing that bores him? The media. Although Wong’s messaging is always on point, his appraisal of journalists in response to my questions is piercing and cheeky. “In 15-minute interviews I know journalists just need soundbites that I’ve repeated lots of times before. So I’ll say things like ‘I have no hope [as regards] the regime but I have hope towards the people.’ Then the journalists will say ‘oh that’s so impressive!’ And I’ll say ‘yes, I’m a poet.’ ”

And what about this choice of restaurant? “Well, I knew I couldn’t pick a five-star hotel, even though the Financial Times is paying and I know you can afford it,” he says grinning. “It’s better to do this kind of interview in a Hong Kong-style restaurant. This is the place that I conducted my first interview after I left prison.” Wong has spent around 120 days in prison in total, including on charges of unlawful assembly.

“My fellow prisoners would tell me about how they joined the Umbrella Movement and how they agreed with our beliefs. I think prisoners are more aware of the importance of human rights,” he says, adding that even the prison wardens would share with him how they had joined protests.

“Even the triad members in prison support democracy. They complain how the tax on cigarettes is extremely high and the tax on red wine is extremely low; it just shows how the upper-class elite lives here,” he says, as a waiter strains to hear our conversation. Wong was most recently released from jail in June, the day after the largest protests in the history of Hong Kong, when an estimated 2m people — more than a quarter of the territory’s 7.5m population — took to the streets.

Raised in a deeply religious family, he used to travel to mainland China every two years with his family and church literally to spread the gospel. As with many Hong Kong Chinese who trace their roots to the mainland, he doesn’t know where his ancestral village is. His lasting memory of his trips across the border is of dirty toilets, he tells me, mid-bite. He turned to activism when he realised praying didn’t help much.

“The gift from God is to have independence of mind and critical thinking; to have our own will and to make our own personal judgments. I don’t link my religious beliefs with my political judgments. Even Carrie Lam is Catholic,” he trails off, in a reference to Hong Kong’s leader. Lam has the lowest approval rating of any chief executive in the history of the city, thanks to her botched handling of the crisis.

I ask whether Wong’s father, who is also involved in social activism, has been a big influence. Wrong question.

“The western media loves to frame Joshua Wong joining the fight because of reading the books of Nelson Mandela or Martin Luther King or because of how my parents raised me. In reality, I joined street activism not because of anyone book I read. Why do journalists always assume anyone who strives for a better society has a role model?” He glances down at his pinging phone and draws a breath, before continuing. “Can you really describe my dad as an activist? I support LGBTQ rights,” he says, with a fist pump. His father, Roger Wong, is a well-known anti-gay rights campaigner in Hong Kong.

I notice he has put down his spoon, with half a plate of fried rice untouched. I decide it would be a good idea to redirect our conversation by bonding over phone addictions. Wong, renowned for his laser focus and determination, replies to my emails and messages at all hours and has been described by his friends as “a robot.”

He scrolls through his Gmail, his inbox filled with unread emails, showing me how he categorises interview requests with country tags. His life is almost solely dedicated to activism. “My friends and I used to go to watch movies and play laser tag but now of course we don’t have time to play any more: we face real bullets every weekend.”

The protests — which have seen more than 3,300 people arrested — have been largely leaderless. “Do you ever question your relevance to the movement?” I venture, mid-spoonful of congealed fried rice.

“Never,” he replies with his mouth full. “We have a lot of facilitators in this movement and I’m one of them . . . it’s just like Wikipedia. You don’t know who the contributors are behind a Wikipedia page but you know there’s a lot of collaboration and crowdsourcing. Instead of just having a top-down command, we now have a bottom-up command hub which has allowed the movement to last far longer than Umbrella.

“With greater power comes greater responsibility, so the question is how, through my role, can I express the voices of the frontliners, of the street activism? For example, I defended the action of storming into the Legislative Council on July 1. I know I didn’t storm in myself . . . ” His phone pings twice. Finally he succumbs.

After tapping away for about 30 seconds, Wong launches back into our conversation, sounding genuinely sorry that he wasn’t there on the night when protesters destroyed symbols of the Chinese Communist party and briefly occupied the chamber.

“My job is to be the middleman to express, evaluate and reveal what is going on in the Hong Kong protests when the movement is about being faceless,” he says, adding that his Twitter storm of 29 tweets explaining the July 1 occupation reached at least four million people. I admit that I am overcome with exhaustion just scanning his Twitter account, which has more than 400,000 followers. “Well, that thread was actually written by Jeffrey Ngo from Demosisto,” he say, referring to the political activism group that he heads.

A network of Hong Kong activists studying abroad helps fuel his relentless public persona on social media and in the opinion pages of international newspapers. Within a week of his most recent arrest, he had published op-eds in The Economist, The New York Times, Quartz and the Apple Daily.

I wonder out loud if he ever feels overwhelmed at taking on the Chinese Communist party, a task daunting even for some of the world’s most formidable governments and companies. He peers at me over his wire-framed glasses. “It’s our responsibility; if we don’t do it, who will? At least we are not in Xinjiang or Tibet; we are in Hong Kong,” he says, referring to two regions on Chinese soil on the frontline of Beijing’s drive to develop a high-tech surveillance state. In Xinjiang, at least one million people are being held in internment camps. “Even though we’re directly under the rule of Beijing, we have a layer of protection because we’re recognised as a global city so [Beijing] is more hesitant to act.”

I hear the sound of the wok firing up in the kitchen and ask him the question on everyone’s minds in Hong Kong: what happens next? Like many people who are closely following the extraordinary situation in Hong Kong, he is hesitant to make firm predictions.

“Lots of think-tanks around the world say ‘Oh, we’re China experts. We’re born in western countries but we know how to read Chinese so we’re familiar with Chinese politics.’ They predicted the Communist party would collapse after the Tiananmen Square massacre and they’ve kept predicting this over the past three decades but hey, now it’s 2019 and we’re still under the rule of Beijing, ha ha,” he grins.

While we are prophesying, does Wong ever think he might become chief executive one day? “No local journalist in Hong Kong would really ask this question,” he admonishes. As our lunch has progressed, he has become bolder in dissecting my interview technique. The territory’s chief executive is currently selected by a group of 1,200, mostly Beijing loyalists, and he doubts the Chinese Communist party would ever allow him to run. A few weeks after we meet he announces his candidacy in the upcoming district council elections. He was eventually the only candidate disqualified from running — an order that, after our lunch, he tweeted had come from Beijing and was “clearly politically driven”.

We turn to the more ordinary stuff of 23-year-olds’ lives, as Wong slurps the remainder of his milk tea. “Before being jailed, the thing I was most worried about was that I wouldn’t be able to watch Avengers: Endgame,” he says.

“Luckily, it came out around early May so I watched it two weeks before I was locked up in prison.” He has already quoted Spider-Man twice during our lunch. I am unsurprised when Wong picks him as his favourite character.

“I think he’s more . . . ” He pauses, one of the few times in the interview. “Compared to having an unlimited superpower or unlimited power or unlimited talent just like Superman, I think Spider-Man is more human.” With that, our friendly neighbourhood activist dashes off to his next interview.

Happy holidays! Sharing this again in case you’re looking for something to do with your little this week! ❤️

Enjoy!

Whether it's the school holidays or not, if you're looking for a fun day out with your toddler, here's the ultimate list I compiled over Ella Grace's 3 week break! 😂😅

Everyday, I would look through the list then narrow it down to one or two choices for Ella Grace to pick from (freedom within boundaries, mamas!) and off we would go!

The list is categorized by area and includes at least one activity and one restaurant. Depending on how she was feeling that day, traffic, dinner plans, etc we would either nap-on-the-go in her stroller (and mama got a quiet coffee!) then continue or we would head home.

Change it up, make it your own, invite a friend, be flexible, but most importantly, enjoy your time together and I'd love to see what adventures you guys get up to! <3

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KL SCHOOL HOLIDAYS (TODDLER EDITION!):

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BANDAR UTAMA
1 Utama
Watch people "fly" at the AirRider, have a little splash at the fountain below, stop for a little play and pouch at SquEEEze Me Baby and slurp down some noodles at Go Noodle.

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BANGSAR
Join a class or open swim time at Aquabubs Swim School(heated salt pool w child-friendly facilities and play area) then stop by La Juiceria Superfoods Signature for fresh organic yumminess and Floristika on the way home for a bundle of happy and a horticulture lesson.

Bangsar Village
Walk over to I Love Snackfood and Nala Designs to explore, have a play and meal at Marmalade, check out Janie & Joe and the awesome dot-to-dot markers and train sets at Kiddos' Gear before finishing off w a sweet "guilt-free" treat at Kind Kones!

BSC
Stop for chicken rice or fish noodles at House + Co before having a little play at Jungle Gym, a little read at Times , a little exploring at Mothercare Malaysia, a little oohing and ahhing at MoMa Lifestyle and top it off with a babycino Jason's Foodhall and a balloon from Chilli's while you wait for your car!

The Hive- Bulk Foods
Spend a day talking to your little one about sustainability and conservation at this cute little zero-waste store in Bangsar. They have workshops for adults and little ones and also a little play corner if they get restless halfway through your browsing. Such a beautiful way to teach teeny tiny about reducing and reusing from helping to bring your own containers to filling them up with your sundries to picking out stainless steel straws for friends and bamboo toothbrushes for the family. The only bad part is when your child announces to the entire universe that "MAMA HAS A BIG ONE TOO!!" while pointing to the Freedom Cups.

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DAMANSARA UTAMA
The Starling
Spend a day at Kiddomo Universe or catch a kid-friendly movie (with a playground in the cinema!) at MBO Cinemas. Stop for a steaming yummy bowl of pho at Pho Vietz or walk outside for a super yummy nasi lemak and fried chicken at Village Park.

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DAMANSARA JAYA
Atria Shopping Gallery
Spend a day at Jungle Gym (Tuesday mornings are the best day to go!), eat lunch at Antipodean Cafe (they have a mini play area), get a massage at Healing Touch while teeny tiny naps or you can even drop them off at Playroom Malaysia. If you feel like blowing a few dollars on arcade fun, there is a Molly Fantasy on the third floor too! Ella Grace loves going to the Naughty Nuri's for dinner as there's always some sort of dancing performance to wiggle to!

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DESA PARK CITY
Plaza Arkadia
Depending on where you park, check out Noriter or Kinderia for a little play, awesome books at The Story Book, a balloon at Brrrloon, the most amazing toy store and lifestyle mash up at Carousel and Kaleidoscope, splash around in their splash fountain, swing on their tree house and stop for some chicken tandoori pizza at Nutz and Bolts or a nyonya meal at Aunty Lee's.

If you're at Waterfront instead, check out the fishes in the lake, the amazing walking trail at the park with lots of pets to say hi to along the way, playground to explore and then stop for a meal at the new Kenny Hills Bakers!

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KAMPUNG PENCHALA
Either on the way somewhere or as an activity by itself, stop by Restoran Sambal Hijau for an incredible array of authentic Malay food - Ella Grace's visit isn't complete unless she says hi to the cats, chickens, and checks out the banana leaf trees and gardens!

Bonus joy for mama, you can get your car washed and vacuumed while you have lunch!

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KOTA DAMANSARA
IPC Shopping Centre
Join a cooking class at Young Chefs Academy Malaysia, have a little play at Bucket B Cafe, enjoy some udon or sushi at Ben's Independent Grocers and end your day with a sweet treat at Inside Scoop or Magnum!

Alternatively, you could also walk over to IKEA and have a play at the playground in The Curve, ride a train, and have lunch at Macha & Co. There is also a KidZania Kuala Lumpur nearby for older kids!

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KUALA LUMPUR
Suria KLCC
Take the train to KLCC and visit Aquaria or Petrosains - The Discovery Centre, browse the books at Books Kinokuniya Malaysia and eat a lunch of local favorites at JP Teres in Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur
**If your little one can hold out, there is a beautiful musical fountain light show that comes on at 8pm/9pm/9:45pm

Pavillion / Lot 10
Take the train to Bukit Bintang and enjoy breakfast at Shook! in Starhill before checking out Toybox in Isetan a super fun interactive play area for little ones that is only available periodically. Take a little walk over to Pavilion (stop by to watch the Turkish ice cream show otw) and check out the play area inside Parkson for a little bit more running around before settling down for some La Boca (Ella Grace really likes their tender beef cheeks and we like their soft tacos!) or ramen at Ippudo

KL Bird Park
Spend the day at the bird park checking out free flying birds at the aviary, the bird show and depending on what time you get out, you can either grab lunch at the beautiful Peter Hoe at The Row or check out the new kid's high tea set at The Majestic Hotel.

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MID VALLEY CITY
The Gardens Mall
Have lunch at Benbino (The BIG Group) where there are ball pits, balloon rooms, tunnels, slides or spend a few hours at the new Jurassica on the third floor. They have an awesome play gym Ella Grace loves, along with some live reptile feedings. The dinosaur part is glow-in-the-dark and moves and roars...very cool if your little one is into dinosaurs but might be a little scary if not! They also have a rock climbing wall and flying fox in there. You can stop by Borders for a little coffee and warm milk, some books before nap time or for a little rest then head over to Fresco for delicious Mexican w churros for dessert!
***On Saturdays, our favorite SUPA DUPA Circus balloon team makes a special appearance in Benbino from 3-5pm!

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MONT KIARA
1 Mont Kiara
Check out the newly renovated Noriter 1Mont Kiara KL (it's now completely built out of foam lego blocks!) before having lunch at Kodawari Menya where the udon is good but the service is even greater! We also love getting a guilt-free treat and stopping for a little coloring at Kind Kones before leaving!

Acoris
We love going to Ra-Ft Cafe' / Bistro for breakfast and then stopping at the Playground The Cafe after for dessert and play!

Publika
We love going to the The Little Owl, Korean Cafe, a beautiful enclosed play area with simple homecooked Korean food, good coffee and attached toilet (so great when you're newly potty trained). We usually stop by the sereni & shentel store to have a little look before picking up groceries at the Ben's Independent Grocer downstairs. Ella Grace also religiously checks the Inside Scoop case to see if the Unicorn flavor is in stock!

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SRI HARTAMAS
Join a Toddler Sensory class at Baby Sensory Sri Hartamas, grab lunch at Mei by Fat Spoon explore a little at The Batik Boutique then stop by the firestation on the way home to check out the fire trucks and vehicles, training tower and equipment!

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SUNWAY
Sunway Lagoon, Malaysia
Spend a day at the waterpark, tour the mini zoo, or build sandcastles on the beach. Make it a mini-staycation and rent a room at the nearby hotels for a little rest and check out the DreamWorks Kungfu Panda Village for a little meal fun. I was pleasantly surprised how much we loved Sunway Lagoon (even though she couldn't sit on any of the rides!) and have been back 3 times now! Get the season pass upgrade!

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SENTUL
Teach your little about refugees and take them for a giant croissant or delicious soft-baked chocolate chip cookie at Project B and get to know your waiter! Check out The Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (klpac) to see if they have any shows for children (we caught the ballet that day!!) or you can also check out the nice open space outdoors with the giant fishes in the lake!

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TAMAN TUN DR ISMAIL
Taman Rekreasi Lembah Kiara TTDI
Hidden inside the neighborhood is a beautiful park that you can bring your bicycle/scooters to, blow bubbles, have a little playground fun as well as watch people exercise in various forms from zumba to taichi to calisthenics! There is also some amount of wildlife like monkeys, iguanas, monitor lizards, water spiders etc as well as turtles and fishes in the lake. We usually stop by Aunty Manju's on the way home for the world's most delicious appom or even a rootbeer float at A&W!
***On Sunday evenings, there is a really cool night market that you can get groceries, meat, fish, fruit, etc as well as all kinds of yummy dinner offerings like J's favorite satay and my favorite sup ayam!

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RAWANG
Mari House
A new discovery thanks to the #LOccitaneCares program, this lovely little edu-retreat out of the city is a super fun day out for little ones from catching fishes in the streams, checking out tadpoles, learning how to grow organic vegetables using compost and other green techniques, cooking "farm-to-table" to just getting to run around in nature! Come armed in some serious mosquito repellent and on the third Saturday of the month, they have a market and picnic with workshops for the whole family!

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ETC
Look up the IBU Family Resource Group KL playgroup schedule for the week and see which one you might like to join. If at the IBU House, we like stopping at Aunty Nat's for some delicious Nyonya food after!

Go to the morning market in your neighborhood and stop for some roti after before getting the team at Playgroup_nestkl to come over for an afternoon of messy play that includes customized sensory stations, music, storytelling, and fun!

Set up playdates in your house and just let the kids entertain each other. I can't tell you how many times that even when we had grand plans to meet at all of the above, there were also some seriously lazy days where we just hung out at home and the kids made up their own games and stories and we ate delivery!

The key to it all is just doing what works for your family and your lifestyle. You know your child best and what they can handle, even the most "boring" days in your head are the most magical days to them if only because they got mama all day all to themselves.

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Racheal Kwacz is a child & family development specialist by trade but her most favorite job in the entire world is being mama to the most curious, fiercely independent, joyful little THREE-year-old foodie who she hones most of her parenting workshops with. Follow their adventures on FB and Instagram (@rachealkwacz)!

www.instagram.com/rachealkwacz

Rustic located at Vantage Desiran Tanjung Tokong.
Having a great dinner here tonight, overwhelming by the great hospitality. Good job service crew. Had a full meal tonight starting with Tomato and Mushroom soup which both are great in flavor, follow by Wild Rocket Salad with Aged Parmesan Cheese. While main dish we had Cider Braised Chicken Leg RM28 and Cast Iron Pan Seared 120 Days Grain Fed Black Angus Striploin RM80, Chicken is rather normal but Beef is perfectly done to texture, dipping with sea salt provided is just awesome, it greatly enhance it flavor and sweetness. I would said it is one of the best beef i ever had. Finish our meal with Tiramisu. Overall we had a great dinner.

Rustic
BG-1 Jalan Desiran Tanjung, Tanjung Tokong,, 10470 George Town, Malaysia

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