Marsha Maung: I write. I love. I live

When you're a single mother with no support system, being sick sucks. It's a big deal because you're trudging along like a sick cow, everything's still got to work like a well-oiled machine while your head is somewhere between the A&E and La-La-Land. I don't like to whine but considering the fact that this is my blog and all, shuff it. But it seems that this darn bug is not going anywhere soon. Even with enough rest and pills to knock me out for days on end, the bug is still here and my head is still foggy. My neighbor walked past and cocked her eyebrows at me and simply said, ' Doctor ?' She knows I will only see a Doctor when I feel like I am either gonna die or have no other alternative because she knows my usual solutions are as follows:- I guess it's something even a good book and sleep is not going to solve. I think I gave my kids a hell of a time this morning and afternoon (with the haphazard planning and scattered ideas). Poor kid...

Although we started off with grand plans to cuti-cuti Malaysia, for some reason, we ended up in Penang Island instead...and my cousins and sister were laughing about how their event-planning went awry. We know coordinating something like this is a task for the brave. But I think it was fantastic, though. It allowed us all to touch base with each other still and the bungalow we rented in Tanjung Bungah was quite the perfect fit. It was by the beach, not too far from the Georgetown city center and was spacious enough to fit all of us.  Horizon of clear, blue skies marked by skyscrapers Billowing clouds lining up like ducks in a row I don't know about the rest but we were just a tad worried about the floods and possible rain, considering the fact that Penang's just recovered from a major flood but as you can see from the 2 pictures above, it was blistering hot...almost like the sun's way of saying sorry for dumping a part of the ocean on the tiny island before thi...

Kindness is power. Use it Human Christina Perri I can hold my breath I can bite my tongue I can stay awake for days If that’s what you want Be your number one I can fake a smile I can force a laugh I can dance and play the part If that’s what you ask Give you all I am I can do it I can do it I can do it But I’m only human And I bleed when I fall down I’m only human And I crash and I break down Your words in my head, knives in my heart You build me up and then I fall apart 'Cause I’m only human, yeah I can turn it on Be a good machine I can hold the weight of worlds If that’s what you need Be your everything I can do it I can do it I'll get through it But I’m only human And I bleed when I fall down I’m only human And I crash and I break down Your words in my head, knives in my heart You build me up and then I fall apart 'Cause I’m only human, yeah I’m only human I’m only human Just a little human I can take so much Unti...

A relaxing read about how to give yourself an early and premature empty nest syndrome. Easy read and sometimes caught off-guard with Jem's (the leaving-home gungho all-too-assured-of-the-future daughter) sudden 'rudeness' or perhaps 'disregard' for her single mother's feelings. But I guess that's just the way teenagers and young adults are...maybe it's a little too close to home and it made me a little uncomfortable thinking about it, considering I am in the same position as Ginny (the poor abandoned mother). I do have a complaint about the fact there's very little of everything else, especially the 'one'. What's with so little of Finn, he's not even a supporting role? It's like he donated his sperm (sorry, a little spoiler alert) and he just sounds a little too gruff and nothing else. No sweet moments and no other details about him apart from his love life. A little less about Jem would be nice, really, considering the fact ...

I bought the bamboo roller sushi mat some time back, tried using it twice : once, a complete failure and second, a better try. This is the third time I am putting that roller mat to use after years and years of never-going-to-try-that-again. But people make it sound so easy and I felt like a Big Zero for not being able to roll the damn seaweed properly without everything plopping out of place, onto the plate and always getting sticky Japanese rice in my hair. Not naiz, chooknow. The easy part is cooking the rice and preparing the ingredients. The hard part, for me, at least, was the rolling. I finally rolled pretty decent ones this time round and the kids wolfed everything down in a matter of minutes and this is the only 3 left. The rice is so good you can eat it just like that, roll it and top it with remnants of ingredients. In fact, to make life easier, I might roll the rice with the vegetables and then top it with whatever meat of choice the next time I make this. Veg inside,...

My son was due to go to Penang with his friends (yes, without me) but considering the situation there right now, they've moved the trip closer to home. Right here. LOL. The last I heard, they'll have a massive sleepover with each other, anyway, by getting an Air B&B nearby and just hang out with each other. Quite a number of them are leaving the school next year and they just want to hang out after the exams. Credit : The Malay Mail Online Isn't it nice being kids? They've been planning this lofty-ambitioned sans-parents Penang trip for the longest time so, when they heard Penang got a bashing from the storm, they were rightfully a little upset. But I've argued ' Who are we to blame? Penang? Earth? The storm ?' Nobody asks to be flooded like this. Nobody. Our plans, a separate one, to head to the island remains, though, since we have a bit of time for Penang to recover from the torrential rain it suffered recently. Initially, my son would g...

I dont really like UEE but I saw a preview and I thought that would be kind of interesting. It is a little different from the conventional 'I will marry you in exchange for something'...in that it's a little more grave, the subject matter. This was me at around episode 1.... Let's see how it goes. It feels like a series that I've seen and abandoned prior. Not sure. You know in almost every single drama - matters not whether it's Hollywood, Hong Kong, Korean or Chinese - there's this unexplainable, unreasonable character that seems to have been plucked out to drama-hell and placed into the story line just to give you angst? Yeah, this comes in the form of the male lead's father. What's the f is wrong with you? Why are you angry all the time and not listening to anybody just die! #lol This particular actor must be really tired (and I mean it in the I-love-acting-but-can-someone-give-me-a-Batman-role kind of way) and often misunderstood for pl...

Spring is a great time of the year and while everyone thinks summer is the best season (sorry, we have summer all year round here and it's....meh when it's blistering hot outside ALLLLLL THE TIME), I think autumn is THE best time of the year. The colors, the cooler air, the approach of a harsher winter, the bracing of self, the respite from the hot (or the cold, for some), and it's like spring, the in-between weather, just more colorful, more crisp and signifies a season of letting go. When even nature is letting go and getting ready for something new, who are we to say 'no'? XOXO, Marsha