The things that went into today are things I would like to see going into more of my days in 2016:

1. Walking. We walked to Petaling Street for breakfast, rejoicing in the car-free roads occasioned by some marathon we'd not heard of.

2. Eating. This morning I enjoyed a good old-fashioned Malaysian classic at the Tang City Food Court (my first lam mee since 2012, and what a soupy, slurpy, goodness-stuffed bowl of deliciousness it was, too). But fancy stuff is important too (this afternoon's was carrot cake at Ben's, with real carrots):



3. Communicating with friends around the world. If you can do this while drinking a good coffee, so much the better.

4. Learning things. Today's opportunity came from the new exhibition at the Petronas Gallery: "Two Decades of Bringing Malaysians Together". This features the story-based commercials made by Petronas on the occasion of various festivals and celebrations. It would be easy to be cynical -- and I'm sure many will be -- but I found the little tales quite moving. Couples who build their own little business, and survive the hard times to build a relationship that outlives the departure of the children. Young people who learn to appreciate what granny says, or stand up for the value of what's made in their own country. Children who come to honour the sacrifices their parents have made for them. Friendships that reach out across the ethnic gap. Didactic, yes, but still touching, because so very human.





5. Buying and reading books.

6. Feeling grateful...