Distractions of Mortality

"Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life,” Steve Jobs, Stanford in 2005.

in no way am I comparing myself to Steve Jobs, but the comment seemed appropriate 

Sometimes I get flashes in my mind. Distractions, if you will, about mortality. Oftentimes, I ask myself, ‘what would I do if so-and-so died today. How would it affect their family ? How would it affect me and my family ?’ 

Frequently it helps me to get a sense of perspective about said person. Maybe it changes the way I interact with them. It helps me to pause before I say any cutting words. It’s like that movie cliché where the last words the deceased heard were unkind ones and the husband/child/parent has this thought tormenting them for years and decades on end. 

It could lead to actions as simple as putting a child in a car seat because the thought of losing them is too much to bear.

A thought popped into my mind yesterday : “What would I say to my daughter if I had only 5 more minutes to live ?” It came unbidden, out of nowhere. And it applied right now – at this stage of our lives. The answer was also immediate :


“You’re my favourite girl ..."

Reflections ..

Do you sometimes wonder what lies ahead in your life ? I do. Sometimes.

There are times when the road is straight and the light shines bright and you can see all the way down to the valley. And then again, there are times when there is mist and fog and things are opaque and you're not quite certain about the next step to take.

There are times when taking time out to think brings a clear conclusion and action steps to execute. And then again, there are times when taking time out to think only further confuses matters.

I've often found that a hug works very well in times like these even if it doesn't necessarily make things clearer. I think I'll get me a hug today.

All I Want for Christmas ...

For posterity's sake, I thought that I'd better post a photo of the little man's first teeth. Looks like he got his Christmas wish.

I Love London !

Notwithstanding my feelings for London - (I love London !) - this post is actually about The Real Tuesday Weld (wiki here).

They - or rather, he i.e. Stephen Coates, the lead vocalist and founder - are not very well known at all. However, their stuff does turn up on the fringes of the mainstream entertainment scene and their/his music has been used in films, ads and documentaries. Their/his last album ? A soundtrack for a book - Glen Duncan's 'The last werewolf'. You read right. A soundtrack for a book.

Their music is esoteric, so not everybody will like it. But  I think it's the bee's knees.



On a side note, how I came to know about The Real Tuesday Weld is a stumbling tale in itself. I was working at an IT company which had an MD who aspired to be a rock star. When the receptionist of that company left, I went to vet her PC in case there were any outstanding issues which she had forgotten to tell me about. It was while vetting that I stumbled across 4 songs from The Real Tuesday Weld. I loved the songs but couldn't imagine the receptionist liking those songs. I figured that the songs had to be traced back to the previous user of the PC - a sometimes jobber who was really hired to be the full time guitarist in the MD's rock band.

Hmmmm...... maybe this story about how I found out about the band explains why they're not very well known at all.

the List

The girl gave us a list of her favourite eating places. Places which we keep going back to partly because we like those places and also because she keeps asking us to. A win-win situation if ever there was one. And since these places have been on our 'go to' list for some 2 years now, I guess it's safe to list them down.

Ho's

Ho's (formerly Mr. Ho's)
I'm guessing this one has links to Mr. Ho's in Bangsar. When they opened, this place was pretty empty. Bandar Puteri Puchong isn't exactly the right place for their concept. Subang Jaya would have been more appropriate. Still, they have been here for some 4 years by now. Not sure whether there's been a change in ownership, though.

Why the kitten likes it :
* Their play area (toys !)
* Mushroom soup - one of her favourites

home cooked fare at Taiping Lang

Taiping Lang
I like this one. They do home cooked food apparently from recipes passed down from Grandma in Taiping. It reminds me of the food that I used to have in Penang. I must admit that my aunt did better food back then. Still, Taiping Lang's food is pretty decent so you take what you can get.

Why the kitten likes it :
* Toys !

the bak kut teh stall at the food court nearest to our apartment
Their soup is more Penang-style in the sense that the emphasis is on herbs rather than the more meat-based soup usually found in Klang. I like this stall because I can get one ingredient usually difficult to find in BKT shops here. Meat balls ! And their soup's pretty good too.

Why the kitten likes it :
* Mushrooms
* and the soup. We find that she eats more than usual when we order this.

Restaurant Cheong Wah
We used to call this the restaurant with the big fish because they had two rather sizeable ones swimming in a pond/tub in their compound. When the fishes were still around, every trip there would lead to a request from the kitten to see the fishes.

Why the kitten likes it :
* Tofu - in their ham choy taufu soup

The prevailing theme for the kitten in her favourite restaurants ? Soup and toys !
I'm just glad that the likes of KFC and McDonald's didn't make the list. We must be doing something right.

Free money from Standard Chartered Bank (M)

Here are some free money from Standard Chartered Bank, as usual some term and conditions:

The Campaign is open to New Customers who successfully apply for any of the following credit cards (as principal cardholder) with the Bank during the Campaign Period:
• Gold or Business Gold Credit Card,
• Platinum or Business Platinum Credit Card,
• Preferred World MasterCard, or
• Priority Banking Visa Infinite Credit Card,

AND maintain their accounts with the Bank in good standing, without any breach of the terms and conditions or agreements, throughout the Campaign Period.

"New Customers" mean applicants who have not held any Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia Berhad credit card whether as principal or supplementary cardholder within the past 12 months before the applicant’s credit card under this Campaign is issued.

Giving that they offer RM300 cash back rebate for direct application online, the TnC is consider very acceptable. No real string attached. However there is no waiver for gov tax, ie RM50 so still need to pay that. Annual fees are waived for 2 years.

The best part, you can actually apply for 2 cards and get up to total RM600 rebate. It is almost free money. Until 30th April only, act fast.