I don't mean running errands alone, grabbing lunch because everyone else was busy, or getting forty-five minutes to yourself while waiting for your next appointment. I mean actually waking up and deciding, today I'm taking myself out.

The idea sounds very normal until you actually try it. Breakfast alone? Okay, maybe. Walking around a bookstore alone? Fine. But lunch, a museum, coffee and a movie too? At some point you start wondering whether everyone is looking at you and thinking, kesian, takde kawan ke?

They aren't.

And even if someone does notice, they'll probably forget about you before their food arrives.

KL is actually a very easy city to spend a day alone in because you don't need to invent some grand self-care itinerary to fill the hours. You can start with breakfast somewhere you've been wanting to try, disappear into a bookstore for longer than anybody would normally tolerate, walk through a gallery, have lunch, book yourself a massage or facial, sit somewhere with a coffee and finish with a movie. If you're tired halfway through, you go home. If you suddenly feel like shopping instead, you change the plan. Nobody needs to vote.

For women who spend most of the week working, replying to people, taking care of family, making plans around everybody else's schedule or simply being available all the time, that freedom can feel surprisingly unfamiliar. So this isn't really a guide to becoming someone who loves being alone. It's just a nice day in KL where, for once, you get to decide what happens next.