The beauty of a journey lies in the unexpected. When the senses are stirred, the journey itself is already fruitful. The loveliness of new sights, the intensity of new smells and tastes add colours to the interesting characters that we meet along the way. Unhurried steps, an open mind and an innocent expectation are all that are needed to make every trip a pleasure. This beautiful photo of a waterlily was the consequence of a journey that was as annoying as it was a gratification and unanticipated.

After having travelled to KLIA on the Express Rail Link (ERL), Wuan and I decided to experience the trip to the airport by road. We started out early to give ourselves some allowance should something untoward happen, like the taxi breaking down, and at the same time, we wanted to spend some time wandering around at the airport.

As fate would have it, the taxi ran out of petrol and gas just as we were about to reach the toll plaza to KLIA. We were stranded there for more than half an hour while waiting for the Elite Ronda Truck to rescue us with some petrol. I cannot imagine how one can drive a taxi without keeping an eye on the fuel gauges. And to run out of petrol and gas at the same time still bewilders us.

The petrol provided by Elite Ronda was only sufficient for the drive to the nearest petrol station, which was about 3 kilometres away. As the taxi pulled into the Petronas Station, Wuan spotted the blooming waterlilies and snapped a few shots.

This image is one of the most beautiful in my collection. Had the taxi not run out of fuel, we would not have had the opportunity to catch sight of this beauty of a flower. This reminds me of Robert Frost’s poem The Road Not Taken. Sometimes, trampling off the beaten track can bring about a surprisingly delightful outcome. We had not intended to do that but the effect was equally as gratifying.

The Road Not Taken
by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on back to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.

-->

Food of the Gods, and aptly called so. Its glossy peel of deep-orange and red hues belies the succulence inside. As you sink your teeth into its firm flesh, the sweetness within fills your mouth with a taste that is pleasant yet decadent. It looks almost like a tomato but is inversely sugary. The sight of this ambrosia is enough to make one drool with delight.

Every year around this time, if Wuan comes to Penang, she would lug one carton of the juiciest Sharon fruit for me. The Sharon is touted as the world?s sweetest persimmons. They are seedless and have been found to significantly reduce the risk of arteriosclerosis. The Sharon fruit is cultivated in the Sharon Valley of Israel.

Wuan is here for the weekend and Eid holidays. Imagine my delight when I caught a glimpse of a box with some of the persimmons peeking out from among the things that she brought. Those were the shiniest and yummiest persimmons that I have laid eyes on for a long time. And they were also the most delicious.

-->

With a flimsy piece of tissue paper wrapped around the lever, she cautiously pushed the door. As it creaked open, a thousand thoughts ran across her mind. She wondered what she would find inside – a stench so repulsively strong that it was as if something had been decomposing inside for weeks, or one that reminded her of a garden full of blooming fragrant flowers?

No, this is not a whodunit or even a horror story. This is what Wuan and would I do whenever we are at a shopping complex or hotel. We would check out the disabled toilets there. This is not some bizarre perversion. After all, that is one of the places where we would go to discharge, forgive the pun, one of our basic bodily functions every few hours or so.

Some disabled loos are there just for show and most times they are in a sorry state – leaking faucets, dirty sinks, wet floor and cans that are not flushed. While most people can decide not to use that particular latrine, the disabled have no choice because such facilities are limited.

And then, there are establishments that take great pains to keep their johns for the disabled more than spanking clean. These are not your run-of-the-mill water closets. They are replete with floor-to-ceiling tiled walls, motion-activated faucets and flushes, and floor-spaces that are larger than my bedroom.

In that aspect, Jusco Mid Valley Megamall wins hands down with its impeccably clean disabled toilets. Notably, the Household Department at Level 2 boasts of one with a floor-space that is at least 14 square meters (150 square feet). The floor and other fixtures are clean and dry. The door slides effortlessly and the latch works. Bravos to Jusco for taking into account your disabled shoppers’ comfort and to the cleaners for a job well done. Terima kasih.

-->