Kammys Musing

Blog In Colour

  • Books of March

    I’m assuming different people would have different reading style.
    With the exception of Baldacci’s (Long Road to Midnight) which I finished in 3 days last week (not to brag but it’s a record for a non-reader like myself), nowadays I find myself reading a book for 10mins or a few chapters before resting and then start reading another book.

    Is this related to the Netflix syndrome where we scrolling for ages and finally giving up, not watching anything; I don’t know. In my case, the book-hunting – either from the library catalogue or Amazon Kindle is the dopamine-releasing act.

    There were books which I didn’t/couldn’t finish before; so there is a possibility I might repeat. No issue with it; if I just lost interest, I’m not forcing myself through it. It’s not like it’s food which would go bad.
    Raided my local libraries and managed to land a few in the list below.

    Plan to leave the list here and update it regularly for my future reference.
    Might make it a monthly thing; now that I have a blog its easier to keep track.

    Paperback/Hardcover
    1. The Hobbit Illustrated – JRR Tolkien/David Wenzel (R-I-P)
    2. One Piece – Volume 13-15 (DD) and Volume 16-18A (R-I-P)
    3. Minute to Midnight – David Baldacci
    4. Daylight – David Baldacci
    5. History of the World – Map by Map
    6. Killing Floor (Reacher) – Lee Child
    7. When Breath Becomes Air – Paul Kalanithi (DD)
    8. Wonder Woman – Azzarello/Chiang/Akins (Vol 1-5) (DD)
    9. Long Road to Mercy – David Baldacci (DD)

    Kindle/Kindle Unlimited
    1. Bird by Bird – Anne Lemont (R-I-P)
    2. Ikigai – The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life
    3. Unshakeable – Tony Robbins (R-I-P)
    4. The Blog Startup – Meera Kothand (R-I-P)

    D : Done & Dusted
    R-I-P : Reading-In-Progress

    Spider-man, Spider-man,
    Does whatever a spider can…

    Stay hungry, stay safe.

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  • All book-ed in

    Hey guys! I haven’t been to my local library…since…since…last year!

    Feeling a bit burnt out from reading self help books (how ironic) so I thought I’d just swap to lighter subjects.

    I think you should read what you enjoy, not just because it’s in the “Top 10 Things to Read” in some random Twitter/Insta post. There are books that I struggled to finish; some I just put aside, and some I actually enjoyed once I build up the momentum. Will post about this later.

    I enjoy investigative/espionage thriller so I searched for David Baldacci. Some of his books are centred around one main character but without a self-title like the Bourne series (Bourne Ultimatum, Bourne Identity etc). Currently its Atlee Pine and this is the 1st of 4th published book I’m reading. Man I surely missed the train. May need to check what else I miss from the Amos Decker series.

    Food Pyramid for my brain

    Reserved a book from my local library; went to pick it up and ended up with 8:)
    Now I know how my wife thinks when she goes shopping.

    Stay hungry, stay safe.

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  • Opening up…wide

    Booster side effect – shinier forehead.

    01 March 2022 – 522am – Perth
    I opened my eyes to the sound of the roaring aeroplanes in the morning sky. Must be Tuesday. I have noticed for a few months now – Tuesday mornings air traffic are are among the busiest in the week.

    So this is it I guess – after nearly two years since Covid-19 entered our lives, borders are now re-opening. I admit I am late to the game – I heard that people have been traveling abroad for months now. Some countries have ditched the usual measures – mask, social distance, quarantine etc. As long as you are double/triple vaxxed, you can go ahead with your life.

    Western Australia’s border is set to open this Thursday 03 March; weeks after ScoMo announced that Australia is now opened the world. With it comes more restrictions as the government gears up for the increase of more cases.

    Not gonna lie; in some parts I actually “preferred” the side effects of Covid-19. Less traffic, less aeroplane noises in the mornings (our place is 12 kilometres from the Perth International Airport T1). It was so fulfilling to read such news that tells of reappearances of wildlife or how clean some rivers/seas are when the lockdown was imposed. Definitely will miss it.

    “Mischief has appeared in the land and the sea because of what the hands of men have wrought, that He may make them taste a part of what they have done, so that they may turn (away from evil).”

    There were times BC (before Covid) that I wished for a day in the week where cars are not allowed on the road. Wish was granted; albeit for a short period. Progress stops at nothing.

    Don’t get me wrong; the impact of Covid is real – loss of jobs, family’s disconnected, mental issues due to lockdown, sickness….death. My brother just recovered from it just weeks back. He did experience mild anxiety, panic attacks as he was in home/room quarantine, all by himself for a week.

    We live in such a prosperous time; empowered with technology where we are able to make cheap, if not free video calls to our loved ones. For that, I am thankful and always make time in a day to count my blessing.

    Stay hungry, stay safe.

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  • 1992 – warming up

    Due to his full time work as a high ranking police officer in Kuala Lumpur, we rarely see our basketball coach in 1992. Later I found out that he actually made frequent visit compared to 1991, but not to the junior court. During my short stay in Kuala Kangsar (Dec 91- Dec 96) I only saw him less than a handful of times.

    But when he does come, its like a celebrity coming to town. Sometimes he’ll bring street food like satay for us to feast on. For growing teenagers eating Nasi Kawah* daily, this is definitely a blessing. *(Rice cooked in a large caudron, same style you would have in a British era prison).

    Word was that in 1970s he gave this boy a lift back to the hostel from the Kuala Kangsar town, had a chat and eventually volunteered as a coach. Rest is history as they tell it here.

    Occasionally all 5 teams (1 from each year) will gather at the main court behind the Big School where the senior team trains.
    Kids would be eager to show off their skills, hoping to catch the coach attention, earn some praises maybe.

    If it rains, the session will be held in the covered gymnasium.
    As it was mainly for gymnastics, the side long wall is lined with sticks slabs – imagine the bed wooden slab. You can climb up to the top, about 2.5m of the ground. I did a quick search and managed to find a photo (photo taken from fund.mckk.edu.my).

    The gym is small; if we are playing basketball; others have to climb up the stick walls and sit at the top to avoid getting trampled. Last I visited the gym was in 2016; quite shocked to realised how light we were to be able to sit on top of the racks; and more importantly how small our bums were that we could afford to sit at the top to the planks. Amazing.

    I believe that God bestowed His bounties accordingly in His Wisdom. Some people have physical advantages like Azran. Imagine Akagi from the Slam Dunk anime.

    Some are passionate, they keep sleeping with the ball. Asyaary aka Nanak came to mind – that and with an image of him drooling during Sunday naptime after lunch.

    Some guys are born talented that even the way they do their stretching is a feast to the coach’s eyes. In our team this would be Shahir.

    Tall, dark brown, lanky, long legs – we don’t wear short pants much but you could tell it’s there. There was a session where he was singled out to be doing a beautiful warm up run – you run full court, back and forth with your legs stretched as much as you can. Oooh how we envied him (at least I was); this guy was getting the coach’s attention even before touching the ball!

    Honestly I really can’t tell the difference between him and an ostrich running from a predator. (I did mention the envy part earlier, right?) Tried emulating him; stretch as much as I could with my loyal Pallas Jazz, one stride at a time. No luck; still looks ordinary to the coach. Bye-bye delicious Satay.

    Stay hungry, stay safe.

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  • Ring-ring.

    Last Friday 4th Feb we received 2 death news – a friend (K) and a cousin. K was a year junior in high school.

    I can’t remember the last time I spoke to either one. Occasionally I would browse through K’s Facebook page and see him smiling, with friends or family around. Some people left similar kind of messages; how they wish they had spent more time with him, how it’s been awhile since they have spoken to him.

    How is it that we, in this modern world, with the gadgets, apps, free calling plans; still fail to communicate better, frequently?

    We live in a high speed, high connectivity world but still manage to be… disconnected?

    It was with this in mind that I started ringing some of my acquaintances the past two years. Some would say “Is there any reason you are calling?” Sometimes I’ll get annoyed and replied – “I don’t need a reason to call a friend”. Sometimes I move them mentally to the “acquaintance-zone”.

    I can’t blame them 100% – in general if someone calls you out of the blue, 80% of the time it is to borrow money. You usually see the money back like – NEVER.

    Ever done a reverse-charge call before?

    In high school I’ll call home and while talking to my mom, I could hear my dad talking in the background “Dah takde duit lah tu” (You don’t have money left, right?). Mom would then repeat it, I assume she thought I couldn’t hear it. Or maybe she was just rubbing salt to the wound. Pretty sure the latter.

    I am writing this resolution down so hopefully it will stick – on a weekly basis I will randomly contact family members & friends. People who I last had contact during my school years or before I exited a Whatsapp group. Plan to increase this to twice weekly and maybe later to a daily basis.

    I feel that the telephone is among the best technology ever created. I think we have forgotten how sweet and fulfilling it is to actually talk and listen to the voice on the other end. Smile while you are on the phone; they said the other party would know you are smiling.

    So what are you waiting for? Pickup that fancy smart phone, choose a random letter, select a random name whom you haven’t hear their voice in ages, and press the call button. You might help someone get their money back.

    I would like to end this with a phone pun I think it’s a bit uncalled for.

    Stay hungry, stay safe.

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  • How I found my ball

    Growing up in Melaka I was never really into sports.
    Can’t run fast in athletics, nor skilled enough in football/soccer.
    I hated the physical contact, the slide, tussling for the ball.
    The fact that I started wearing glasses at year 6 didn’t help either.

    I got into high school in Kuala Kangsar. In my first year they had this football league and it was compulsory to join a team. Bummer. Not this again.

    Then came the call to join a basketball training session.
    I reasoned out that if I’m not good with my legs, I should try my hands.
    Teenagers are good with their hands, right?

    How come everyone looks so fair?

    We did not have a full time coach so the basketball basics were taught by the seniors. Some of them are still close friends to this day.

    Dribbling, passing, shooting.
    The mantra ingrained in us was to love the ball like its your own.
    The ball should be one with your hands. Don’t sit on the ball.
    Take it to sleep (some of us did).

    Occasionally some ex-students/old boys would come back to part some words of wisdom, brag their skills to us juniors, or both. Must be the testosterone.

    Some even had a team name like “POWER & GLORY“.
    If that doesn’t wet your 13 year old curiosity pants, I don’t know what will.

    I used a Pallas Jazz white shoes; the toe box area would start to tear after heavy usage. We were not poor but having a new shoes every time you damage one is not a priority.
    I tried sowing it and later apply liquid chalk to whiten it.
    I found that as it dries and hardened, the liquid chalk also has adhesive effect, albeit a temporary one. I bought a new shoe eventually.

    Certain Sundays, we will go for an early morning jog. From the school, up the hill to the Iskandariah Palace and back, about 6km return trip. Fondly called ‘sloping’, maybe because the Bukit Chandan is a hilly area.

    I remember running with mist still lingering around the area, cool air filling our chest. We’ll take a rest by the river, have a chat and run back to the school for breakfast. Once I accidentally farted and the seniors jokingly asked me to wash my bum in the river.

    One hell of a way to make an impression.

    Stay hungry, stay safe.

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  • Thank you!

    I believe its important to be thankful for all the blessings in my life. Wait, let me rephrase that; its CRUCIAL to be thankful.

    Without it, there’s a chance you might feel empty, insufficient, lonely, depressed…all those malady of the modern world.

    “If Adam’s son had a valley full of gold, he would like to have two valleys..”

    So then, is it wrong to dream for bigger things? To aim for a higher ground? To dream of a greener pasture?

    Definitely not. After all, how else can we measure progress?

    If like me, you need 10 mins to run a kilometre, definitely you want to improve your timing in the next run. That’s how I know I’m making improvements.

    The importance of being thankful, or gratitude; is that in case you fail in your pursuit, you know that it is just a hiccup, that a higher power is trying/testing/prepping you, in order to become ready for the next level.

    Some of the blessings in life comes in unexpected ways : –

    • Your kids driving you crazy; at least you have a progeny. Other couples have tried years but still not blessed with one.
    • That job promotion you didn’t get; it would have taken more of your quality time away from your loved ones.
    • That business deal that fell through; there’s a lawsuit waiting around the corner for your planned business partner. Had you join forces, you would have been dragged along with it.
    • That used car you were planning to buy, fix and resell; it would have given more hassle to keep and sell.
    • That bus/train you missed; a few hours along the trip it collided with another train.

    Okay2 I’ll admit the last one was quite dramatic, but you know where I am going with this.

    Until then; stay hungry, stay safe.

  • Breaking (My) Bad

    Well hello people!

    If you are reading this, it means that I am making use of the domain name I purchased last year.

    Paid some extra $$$ and here I am, writing and re-writing this to be my first blog. This might not last long; who knows. I can’t even decide whether to write in English or my native language, Bahasa Malaysia.
    Eitherway, I’m looking forward to sharing things I usually keep in precious head.

    I hope you are reading this in a good mood, just like me in the not-so flattering selfie last Christmas.

    Stay safe!
    Kam@