The alarm clock didn’t go off. We woke up late. Instead of panicking and moaning, you tell me you’re gonna take half the day off. Let’s go have breakfast in a place we haven’t in awhile together. Let’s have nasi lemak and then come home and nap some more before dressing and going to work. …

“Here, hold it like this,” you instruct. “A little bit lower.” “But the beans will fall off the dish if it’s too low,” I warn. “Not too low then. A little bit to the right now.” The girl from the café smiles. She is used to the two of us, arguing back and forth over …

You will not move me. The sun is too hot. It’s not a day for walking or running or doing much, really. The grass is too comfortable, prickly and green and green things are healthy, aren’t they? So let us just lay here and allow our bodies to worship the sun, to soak in the …

It’s almost time. We need to head there before 12:30 when the freshly roasted siew yoke comes out. The thick slabs of creamy pork belly fat and crispy crackling (so flavourful, it tastes like lard crisps would) have rested only for a while so they are still irresistibly warm. We order two portions; any less …

This is one of my favourite drinks and it really shouldn’t be. It’s a mongrel of a beverage, mixing chocolatey malt powder with some local coffee brew, harsh and bitter, all whipped up into a bubbly frenzy before finally topped up with a sprinkling of ice cubes. It already sounds like it ought to taste …

We can begin again, we can start anew. It’s springtime and the flowers are blooming everywhere. A fresh start. A new season. We have the joy from the surprise from not knowing what’s in store. We can forgive ourselves for the chances we threw away and forget the bad times that once held sway. Time …

The noodles are superb, I say. Al dente and very slurp-friendly. A smooth, noisy funnel of firm, curly strands straight from bowl into mouth. Perfect. (The soup, however, I find hollow, entirely without character.) The broth is amazing, you say. Thick and full of pork bone flavour. The umami is out of this world, you …