Everybody was kung fu fighting…
Inferno by Dan Brown
There are many wonderful things about living on an island, but the immediacy of acquiring a new book is not one of them. When I learned that Dan Brown’s Inferno was going to be launched mid-May, I placed an online order to Kinokuniya for a copy.
Two days ago, I received an email that the book was on its way. I tracked the parcel route online and alerted my local courier office of “The Imminent Arrival”. I intended to drive to Kuah and pick up the parcel personally. This is my ritual with books. I welcome them home as soon as they land at the ferry station. Sometimes I unpack them eagerly, unearth them from all their bubble-wraps splendor, at the jetty’s adjoining Starbucks while Dov looked on with raised eyebrows. This is our thing.
At 8pm, Kak Sharifah, the sweet courier lady who knew my habit all too well, sent me a text. I don’t know if you could skip in a car, but I think I did on my way to her office.
Which brings us to now. Candles lit, incense burnt, sunflower seeds unpacked. I’m going in.
Felt like moving office today so I did. The new office is 20 steps away from the old one.
We’re tooting horns and whoop-whooop-whooop cheering for you across two ponds, Zana!
It was another day at Stampede, only today my team and I were up for a client review for a project of ours. Half of us had been up for several hours already since yesterday, tinkering with the development site so it would be as spotless as possible for the client review.
Working remotely, all of us rely on Skype for interaction. Until at one point of time, Shaza suggested “I am tired of typing. Let’s do our internal revision, open mic style.” So she Skype-called up everyone in the channel, and there we were, across 3 states in Malaysia and with me across the globe in England, going through the revision list one by one while bantering with and teasing each other - down to the very last minute before client meeting. If it was a physical meeting, we would probably enter the meeting room in pyjamas and uncombed hair and the girls sans makeup.
It was almost a miracle - but needless to say, just like many other projects, the client was impressed. We walked out of the meeting catching our breath, celebrating our little victory Phase 1 with popcorn, pasta salad and perhaps cucur kodok munched in front of our respective screens.
It was another day of triumph for us, how little it can be - but again, just like another day at Stampede, tomorrow is another day. There is never time to rest on our laurels, because we always strive to be the best at what we do.
(P/s: Also, happy birthday, Shen!)
A little trivia about the Chaconne
When Chaconne, together with others, was delivered into outer space in the ’70s by the American’s unmanned space probe the Voyager in search of possible existence of Aliens other than us humans, the scientist responsible in the music project was asked: “Why not send all of J S Bach’s opuses?” “Aah,” the person replied: “but would it not have been too boastful?”
In the family, I’m the one who would listen to Bach’s Chaconne before sleep and Dov the semi-religious devotee of Russian rap music.
Which is why when he hummed to my Lindsey Stirling’s Crystallize fiddling, but sheepishly pretended it never happened when I caught him red-handed, it made me melt.
Some people are too tired to give you a smile. Give them one of yours, as none needs a smile so much as he who has no more to give.
Suck every drop of living out of this life… Sieve out every grain of happiness, grief, excitement, stillness, or anger that a fully lived life can offer.
Homemade baklava. That’s right. I can do Turkish dessert but hopeless at correctly identifying Malaysian kuih names. Sorry Ma, your daughter is too far gone now.
Mom-in-law knows how much I love my solitary tea time, so she bought this precious Kazakhstan porcelain tea set for one. Spasiba balshoy, Mom!
Get your twenties out of your system
“Let your dreams and aspirations be your destination, but let curiosity be your guide. Follow every side road that intrigues you. Explore. Exclaim. Don’t worry about finding your way back.”
“Ignore the biological clock. It isn’t a time bomb. Having kids right after marriage could be a suicide bomb. Those first few years are special. You won’t have anything like that in your marriage again.”
“Don’t be afraid of the dark. But if you know you’re in the wrong place, it doesn’t get less wrong the longer you stay there.”
Now reading The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap.
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