Snippets of Subang & beyond

1) Boo adjusting to life in AK's parents' house - sneaking a (forbidden) nap on the sofa and standing on tip toes attempting to see outside the house

2) Rustic cart-inspired coffeetable spotted in a homeware shop in Bangsar. Way out of my price range but I hope to get something similar made.

3) Pecan pie from Whisk in Subang Empire and all-natural Butterscotch cake from Food Foundry.

 

 

Cart-inspired coffeetable @ Bangsar Village

 

Pecan Pie from Whisk at Empire Subang

 

Love the use of unfinished walls + exposed conduits + mostly Ikea furnishings in Food Foundry

 

Butterscotch cake from Food Foundry

What works for me

I have been dabbling in the stock market for a few years now, with ups and downs. While I did not lose anything I could not afford to, I also lost out on some chances to earn the bucks. I am now trying to be more diligent in trading - recording what I do and what I've learnt, doing reading, making full use of the tools I have. So here's what I have learnt so far:

1) Stay out of day/technical trading. I simply do not possess the discipline nor the tenacity to thoroughly utilise technical techniques to make this profitable. MACD's and dragonfly doji's can only influence so much in a world so interconnected and currently economically unstable. Headlines overshadow everything - whether it's the Euro crisis (Greece, and now Spain), the US debt, Iran, to name a few.

2) Close the gate once you're done. If my trading portal stays open, I tend to search and "hunt" for something to do (i.e. buy, with what little information I gather in about half an hour. Not recommended). That's just the way it is. So once I have done what I intended to do, I logoff.

3) .......BUT keep track of what's going on. Have I mentioned that I can't live without my iPhone? Other than keeping photos of Boo, noting down songs for downloading later, recording my latest gastronomy discoveries and Facebook-ing, the nifty Bloomberg app keeps me up to date on what I want to monitor. Economic news, prices and trends of stocks on my watchlist. I can't trade, but at least I know what's happening.

4) Be selective. I have fallen for the herd mentality too many times. Whether it was succumbing to Analysts' recommendations (never made money off it, by the way), buying only after the publishing of good news, I realise now that it is all just too late. Now I monitor a few stocks I like, buying and selling when I see fit. And I can do that (with some confidence) because I keep track of their movements and know when low is really low and there is potential to rebound. There is no free lunch, whether it's analyst reports or Hedge fund managers' picks on CNBC. Just do your homework, and more importantly, stick to your guns.

4) Again, an iteration here, but in this interconnected world, one has to keep track of what's going on. You might have missed out on buying Apple at $21 (oh, and read about NY Times' readers' financial mistakes here - very interesting indeed. It made me feel somewhat less of a failure). And you might never want to see the APPL ticker ever again. That's what I felt. But there could be another crisis opportunity (and we have seen a few), another false alarm. But you wouldn't be able to tell if you didn't keep track. Opportunities knock more often than we think. We just have to be ready to answer the door.

Bill Clinton and Michelle Obama

The US Election Race.
Since 2008 - 2009, those euphoric days when Obama was elected, I have always been utterly enthralled by the US Elections. My parents and AK wonder why I, who skip over the local news section, who is sickened by Malaysian politics, who cannot name her own country's cabinet ministers, obsessively follow what is going on in the US. I can spend hours glued to CNN, watching the Convention speeches (have to resort to YouTube this year, given the "squatting" situation), Presidential Debates, and reading dozens of NYT articles and columns on the Republicans and Democrats. I have to say though, the 2008 elections was particularly unique and almost legendary what with the Barack Obama, first-black-president hype and of course, the comic relief of Sarah Palin. But as I listened, and I mean really really listened (and not just to laugh at Ms. Palin's gaffes), the issues they talk(ed) about, that they try to address or avoid, really affect us all. The sad thing is with all this listening and reading, the result is a deep cynism for politics in general. Lobbyists, "special interests", all prevail, and all too well in Washington. Check out the Republicans' blatant declaration that their top priority was to "make President Obama a one-term President". Really? What about creating jobs, improving the economy, all in the backseat, eh?

The 2012 Democratic National Convention happenned recently, and two speeches stood out like shining stars. Other than their content, they also serve as amazing lessons in authenticity and how spoken words can move thousands (or millions, I hope). Michelle Obama's speech was heartfelt, warm and painted the picture of President Obama's sometimes-missing personal side. I shall not be petty and compare it Ann Romney's, which was - to put it the most polite terms possible - insincere to say the least, almost childish and sets the movement for the emanciapation of women back by another 100 years.

Bill Clinton's speech was the killer. I listened to it twice, never noticing how long it was (almost an hour). He dissected the Republican agenda and what it would mean in plain, simple terms. He highlighted what was so wrong with the right wing these days - that hate and fear are prevailing, that the Republicans blocked President Obama attempts at job creation in Congress at every turn. After watching this, and reading some fact checking sites, I just don't get how any average American would vote for Governer Romney's bill.

Oh, and let me just stay this - even if you are not the slightest bit interested in politics or world affairs, just watch these as they are - Masterclasses in oration.

Calvin sets the standard . . .

. . . I aspire towards.

Hearting the Olympics



The Russian basketball team collapse on each other upon winning the bronze medal match against Argentina. Source



What is it about the Olympics, that grand spectacle that has us all enthralled? Why do professional atheletes, who earn so much out of this arena anyway, display such passion and heart when it comes to this tournament? Why is it that a team of full-grown macho basketball players collapse to the ground in a heap of tangled bodies - when they realised that the bronze medal is theirs? Why did (my) tears flow just reading about Mo Farah crossing the 5,000m finish line (winning his second gold medal), or just at the very sight of Oscar Pistorius, the double amputee 400m runner?



Mo Farah's priceless expression upon finishing with gold in the 5,000 m - his second. {Check out this Source for super funny Mo's Meme's)





Double-amputee Oscar Pistorius "The Bladerunner" awaits his 4 X 400m relay teammate. Source



Why did the Lee Chong Wei-Lin Dan badminton final have Malaysians in tears when LCW pushed the shuttle across the court line, handing Lin Dan the gold, again? And post-match, have what seemed to be the entire nation speak up on social media on the pride they felt in LCW, because although he lost, he fought his heart out - for the nation's first ever gold medal? (By the way, was that ever a badminton masterclass of a final, or what? A true showcase of the beauty and delicateness that is badminton). Why does a gold medal even matter to us?

In this age of cynism, of individuality and the servitude of one's self-interests above all else (read about the EPL transfer sagas and you will understand what I mean), why is the Olympics different?

It is once every four years that I cheer on the runners at the athletics, be entertained by the grace and artistry of rythimic gymnastics, puzzle over fencing (so fast that most of the time I am left wondering what just happenned), debate the judges' assesments on the diving competition (congratulations Pandalela), thoroughly enjoy the music and creativity on display at synchronised swimming (supercool stuff, and how in the world do those synchronised swimmers make it look so ridiculously easy), gawk at the swimsuit parade that is beach volleyball, and wonder why in the world would someone take up weightlifting, discus or the javelin (I mean, football or running I can understand), and practice at it again and again and again in anticipation of the Games?

And while I disagree with/despise so many things about this bloody country, this has never stopped me from passionately supporting my fellow countrymen. I can't explain exactly why. But I guess that's what makes the Olympics so special and why it has endured since Ancient Greece, through war, disasters and everything else. It is a celebration of the human physique, and many a time, of the human spirit and the wonders of friendly competition. It is a testament to how sport can bring people together, unite a nation, how it can be a common language that all of us can speak, no matter where you are from.



“Oscar is someone I respect.”
Kirani James of Grenada exchanges bibs with after James won the 400 m heat and Pistarius was subsequently eliminated. Source 





"Skill wins you medals, attitude wins you hearts."  ESPN commentator.
Dato' Lee, we salute you.



Snippets of Pulau Ketam

I wish I could tell you that this was a place where life goes by a little more slowly, that you could consider making the two-hour journey (an hour each in the car and ferry) from the city centre if you feel like an idyllic weekend getaway. Well, what I can tell you is that this is a thriving, hustling and bustling fishing town. You navigate creaky mangrove plank walkways, dodging bicycles (no motor vehicles here) and many a fellow visitor sticking out like a sore thumb in his Ray-bans, squeaky clean Tevas and DSLR camera). The whole place reeks of salt, fish and sweat. I kid you not.
We spent two hours on the journey there, two hours picking up rubbish (AK) and plastering motivational quotes at a vastly underfunded government school. Then we spent two hours at lunch, which was sublime to say the least - spanking fresh seafood (clams, prawns, crabs, fish, squid) cooked really well. All in all, a Sunday morning well spent.

I'll leave you with these shots.

This is how you navigate Pulau Ketam - on foot or bicycle

Students' artworks adorn the walls of the school

Pretty ironworks above a kindergarten doorway

Tao Temple window

The school walkway

A couple manning their oyster omelette stall

Wonder what they're looking at

A touch of luxe for breakfast

Freshly cured bacon and fried kampung eggs, both purchases from Ben's Independent Grocer's, a food mart unlike any other. Oh, and the eggs are topped with a generous sprinkle of Dean and Deluca's heady truffle salt, my only souvenir from Qatar.