Helen Chong's personal blog.
28 July 2026 marked my 34th birthday. Being the birthday person did not mean I did not need to do chores when it was necessary. In the morning, I did the laundry. Near afternoon, I went our with my parents. Days ago, we were informed by the developer of our new house that we would not be able to receive the key to our new house in July as originally expected, so my parents took the opportunity of…
Happy Pride Month! 🏳️🌈 Cassette Beasts 2002 Announced Permalink to section 'Cassette Beasts 2002 Announced' # Cassette Beasts , my favourite video game ever , is officially becoming a series, with a new follow-up game coming — Cassette Beasts 2002 ! An announcement trailer for Cassette Beasts 2002 was revealed during the PC Gaming Show 2026 , which was presented by PC Gamer , one of the largest…
Maternal Uncle's Funeral Permalink to section 'Maternal Uncle's Funeral' # On 21 May 2026, we received the news that my maternal uncle, who had cancer, passed away on May 20th evening. While I was not very close to my maternal uncle because I typically only saw him during Lunar New Year — the last time I saw him alive was indeed during this year's Lunar New Year — his passing made him the first…
My journey at 42 the computer science school is coming to an end. On 14 May 2026, the staff of my local campus of 42 made a major announcement: Starting from 29 May 2026, my local campus of 42 will transition to a satellite campus. This means that from this date onwards, us students will no longer have access to the campus and its facilities, and our student progress will be paused on 42's…
Grandmother's Death Anniversary and Tomb Sweeping Permalink to section 'Grandmother's Death Anniversary and Tomb Sweeping' # We had two busy weekends in a row, due to Qingming Festival and my paternal grandmother's death anniversary. Qingming Festival 2026 took place on April 5, but it coincided with my grandmother's death anniversary, so my father's side of the family decided to observe the death…
Eid al-Fitr 2026 Permalink to section 'Eid al-Fitr 2026' # Happy Eid al-Fitr to those who celebrate! While I am not a Muslim, I live in a majorly-Muslim country, so Eid al-Fitr is an official holiday, though here in Malaysia, Eid Mubarak is more commonly referred to by its Malay name, Hari Raya Aidilfitri , Hari Raya Puasa , or Hari Raya for short, even by English speakers. On the first day of Eid…
I was officially diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) on 30 November 2024 when seeing an eye doctor, then I wrote a post about living with RP in December. On 12 March 2026, 15 months after my initial RP diagnosis, I went to see another eye doctor for more thorough eye examinations, after a relative who also has RP recommended the doctor. After a series of eye examinations, my new eye doctor…
International Women's Day and Women's March Malaysia 2026 Permalink to section 'International Women's Day and Women's March Malaysia 2026' # Happy International Women's Day! International Women's Day also means the day the annual Women's March Malaysia will take place. You can read the march's 2026 demands on its official website. Lantern Festival and Total Lunar Eclipse Permalink to section…
It is March now, and today being March 1 also means it is Zero Discrimination Day . Returning to School After Lunar New Year Break Permalink to section 'Returning to School After Lunar New Year Break' # After taking one week off to celebrate Lunar New Year, I have returned to school on last Monday, February 23. Aside from that, not much was going on at school last week. Pokémon 30th Anniversary…
One of my uncles is taking care of our family durian plantation, with a dog he rescued as a stray a year ago and named Bak Baan after the mahjong tile 白板 . My parents and I met Bak Baan for the first time in 2025's Lunar New Year . When we saw Bak Baan the next time in 2025's Qingming Festival in early April , Bak Ban was pregnant with her first litter of puppies, then she gave birth in late…