August 2026

The idea for the outing began the week before, while Ruky and I were enjoying our Kuala Lumpur staycation with Robert and Vivian. While we were together, Ruky mentioned that she had been craving a really good banana leaf meal. Naturally, there was only one person to consult—our family food expert, Ms. Vivian, affectionately known as our “suteranning queen.”

Suteranning is a bit of Tamil slang we use for someone who loves roaming around, discovering places and somehow knowing where everything is. If there is somewhere worth eating, chances are Vivian has heard about it—or already been there. True to form, she knew just where to go.

A week later, the four of us met again. Robert and Vivian—the other half of “The Roberts”—picked us up at a nearby LRT station, and together we headed to Big Leaf Restaurant in Taman SEA, Petaling Jaya.

Big Leaf turned out to be a great choice. Before long, we were seated with banana leaves spread before us and lunch underway. The food was delicious, satisfying and exactly what Ruky had been craving. By the time we finished, the four of us were thoroughly full and quite content.

There was, however, one small matter still unresolved: dessert. None of us had any room left, so the sensible thing would have been to forget about it. Instead, we followed Vivian on a 40-minute drive into the forested hills around Palimbayan, Sungai Penchala.

Our destination was Hill Side Cafe, a peaceful little escape surrounded by greenery, with hills around us and a pond nearby. After leaving the busy city roads behind, it felt wonderfully quiet and remote—the kind of place where you naturally slow down.

Our stomachs had not forgotten lunch, so the grand dessert expedition became a modest affair: cold drinks and a single piece of tiramisu cake to share. But it really wasn’t about the cake anymore. We spent about an hour enjoying the scenery, fresh air and each other’s company before making our way back down from the hills.

From Sungai Penchala, we headed to Robert and Vivian’s home in Gombak, where Earnest and Luwinda joined us. What began that morning as Ruky’s craving had turned into another family gathering, with more food somehow appearing, drinks being poured, conversations flowing and plenty of laughter.

By the time we called it a night, it was already past midnight. Earnest and Luwinda kindly took on the final leg of the adventure and drove us home to Kota Kemuning.

One banana leaf craving had carried us through lunch in PJ, dessert beside a pond, an evening in Gombak and a late-night ride home. No elaborate planning and no special occasion—just good food, family, a little suteranning, and an ordinary day that became worth remembering.

After arriving home around one in the morning following the previous day’s adventures with the Roberts, sleeping in would have been welcome. But there was little time to recover—a spontaneous trip to Port Dickson was already waiting.

Chris and Judy were heading to Port Dickson for a little fishing and had invited us to tag along. It was a last-minute plan, made possible when Judy managed to secure a reservation at the TNB condominium, The Cahaya Resort. Ordinarily, a getaway like this might have included the usual suspects, but with everyone else needing to work the following day, this trip belonged to just the four of us: Chris and Judy, Ruky and me.

We left Chris’ place at around 1:30 that afternoon and reached the resort just in time for our 3:30 check-in. Our two-bedroom suite was spacious, comfortable and well kept—more than enough room for the four of us to settle in for the next couple of days. After unpacking, we eased into the afternoon with coffee and snacks we had picked up along the way.

Later that evening, Chris and Judy headed to a quiet, isolated stretch of beach nearby to do some fishing. Ruky and I took a leisurely stroll and joined them for a short while. They stayed on to fish a little longer, but the lingering heat and humidity eventually sent the two of us back to the resort.

Once everyone had returned and freshened up, we sat down to a dinner of fried mee hoon that Judy had prepared. The rest of the evening unfolded easily, with drinks, old stories and memories that seemed to lead naturally into one another. Before we realized how much time had passed, it was already after 2:30 in the morning.

The following morning, Judy and I were awake a little before eight. We drove out in search of breakfast and returned with roti canai and nasi lemak for everyone. After breakfast and some quiet time at the resort, Chris and Judy went out for another round of fishing while Ruky and I were perfectly content to stay behind.

I watched the final few episodes of Yellowstone and felt a little sad when the series came to an end. After spending so much time with those characters, it was strange knowing there were no more episodes waiting. Ruky occupied herself with a few things on her phone before settling in for a good afternoon nap.

That evening, we went to a nearby Chinese seafood restaurant for dinner. Afterward, we drove around Port Dickson for a little sightseeing before returning to the resort. There were more drinks and conversation that night, although the evening was noticeably quieter than the one before. Perhaps our late nights were finally beginning to catch up with us.

On our final morning, we packed our things, loaded the car and checked out a little early. Before heading home, we wanted to visit Judy’s younger brother, Calvin, and his girlfriend, Helen. We met Calvin at his home in Seremban and spent a little time there before going with him to the Royal Sungei Ujong Club.

We relaxed over mocktails, snacks and a little more food, with Helen joining us later. Close to three that afternoon, we said our goodbyes and began the drive home, hoping to get ahead of the traffic.

What began as a spontaneous invitation became a welcome few days of fishing, shared meals, late-night conversations and time with family. There had been little time to plan, but perhaps that was part of its charm.

It isn’t often that we’re in Malaysia for Merdeka, so this year Ruky and I decided to make a little occasion of it—a one-night staycation in Kuala Lumpur and a chance to welcome Malaysia’s Independence Day right in the heart of the city.

And there was really only one place we wanted to stay: The Majestic Hotel, one of our favorite little escapes in KL.

We arrived early on August 30 and, as always, were greeted with the warmth and professionalism that keep bringing us back.

After settling into our room, we headed down for one of our Majestic traditions—afternoon high tea. Among all the little treats, there was one standout: jasmine tea with rose, quite simply one of the best teas I’ve ever tasted.

Later that evening, we headed to TRX for dinner at Cafe Colombo, a Sri Lankan restaurant Ruky had been wanting to try. Dinner was good, and afterwards we wandered around the mall for a while—partly to explore and partly, we told ourselves, to burn off a few of the calories we’d just consumed.

But the real reason we’d come into the city was still ahead.

Around 10 p.m., we made our way by MRT and LRT to KLCC. By then, the area around the Petronas Twin Towers was already alive. Thousands of people were gathering, the excitement building as midnight approached. There were live festivities happening around KLCC Park, but we had a different priority: finding ourselves a good spot beneath the towers for the fireworks.

And we found one.

There was something wonderfully different about welcoming Independence Day at midnight in Kuala Lumpur. In the United States, fireworks often feel like the grand finale to the day’s celebrations. Here, as with so many Malaysian festivities, midnight isn’t the ending.

It’s the beginning.

Just before twelve, the night sky came alive with a spectacular drone show. Then, precisely at midnight, the fireworks erupted above us.

We were almost directly underneath them.

Every explosion seemed to travel straight through us—the bang, the boom, the flashes of color filling the sky between the towers. For those few minutes, surrounded by an enormous crowd all looking upward together, Kuala Lumpur felt electric.

It was simply spectacular.

Our only complaint? Five minutes went by far too quickly.

Getting back to the hotel became an adventure of its own. Thousands upon thousands of people streamed toward the LRT station at the same time. It was incredibly crowded, yet remarkably orderly—no pushing, no shoving, just an enormous sea of people slowly making their way home after welcoming another Merdeka together.

By the time we returned to the Majestic, we were exhausted.

The following morning began, as it usually does at the Majestic, with their superb breakfast buffet—every bit as “majestic” as we’d come to expect. Afterwards, we hopped aboard the hotel shuttle to NU Sentral, where we spent the next few hours strolling through the mall and doing a little shopping. More than anything, it was simply a nice way to spend a few more hours together before returning to the hotel for our late 4 p.m. checkout.

Eventually, it was time to pack our bags and head home, bringing not only our little Merdeka escape to a close, but also another month of Life Between the Chapters.

A favorite hotel. Afternoon tea. Sri Lankan food. A midnight crowd beneath the Twin Towers. Drones overhead and fireworks exploding almost directly above us. And, the next day, a few quiet hours simply walking, shopping and enjoying each other’s company before heading home.

Sometimes a memorable getaway doesn’t require going very far at all.

What a night to remember—and what a way to bring August to a close.