Category: Current Events

An arm-chair punter’s view on his world.

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The Lost Symbol

I have a confession to make.

I would lust after Kentucky Fried Chicken and would feel really bad after eating it. Not from a guilt point of view due to unhealthy indulgence. Nope, I really do physically feel bad after finishing the last piece of fried chicken that has been secretly embalmed with 11 herbs and spices. It always leaves a peculiar after-taste that can be described as a bad combination of sickeningly creamy grease, refrigerated overnight chicken soup and sweaty salty skin.

Which is like the new Dan Brown book, The Lost Symbol. While I couldn’t resist the marketing messages which promoted this book like it is the sequel to the Holy Bible, the feeling that I get after completing it can be described as a bad combination of sickeningly ill-constructed scenes and dialogues, refrigerated plots from previous books and conspiracy theories and non-sweaty predictable plot twists.

In this novel, Dan Brown took familiar plot elements from The DaVinci Code, Angels & Demons, Deception Point and Digital Fortress and transported the story to Washington D.C. This time around, a diabolical and murderous villain with the moniker of Mal’akh forces Robert Langdon to once again solve puzzles based on long lost symbols. I wouldn’t write anything more about the plot because the book has nothing else going for it and I do not want to spoil it in case one wants to read this book or wait for the Tom Hanks movie version of the book.

What I’ve discovered when reading The Lost Symbol is that Dan Brown has unabashedly recycled plot elements and characters from his old novels. (For those who do not like spoilers, skip to the last paragraph now).

For instance:-

  • Robert Langdon is forced into solving the puzzles
  • Female co-lead is forced into the situation too
  • It’s a race against time
  • The secret that is such a big deal is always hidden in plain sight in paintings, buildings, etc
  • The secret, if made known to all, will cause massive chaos and disorder
  • There is a an official from hell who apparently hampers Langdon and his female co-lead but who eventually turns out to be one of the good guys after all

The saving grace to this book is that with all the flaws it is still fun to read. That is if one lowers one’s expectations enough to read it for the pulp fiction value that it is and nothing more.

dsdI have a confession to make.
I would lust after Kentucky Fried Chicken and would feel really bad after eating it. Not from a guilt point of view due to unhealthy indulgence. Nope, I really do physically feel bad after finishing the last piece of fried chicken that has been secretly embalmed with 11 herbs and spices. It always leaves a peculiar after-taste that can be described as a bad combination of sickeningly creamy grease, refrigerated overnight chicken soup and sweaty salty skin.
Which is like the new Dan Brown book, The Lost Symbol. While I couldn’t resist the marketing messages which promoted this book like it is the sequel to the Holy Bible, the feeling that I get after completing it can be described as a bad combination of sickeningly ill-constructed scenes and dialogues, refrigerated plots from previous books and conspiracy theories and non-sweaty predictable plot twists.
In this novel, Dan Brown took familiar plot elements from The DaVinci Code, Angels & Demons, Deception Point and Digital Fortress and transported the story to Washington D.C. This time around, a diabolical and murderous villain with the moniker of Mal’akh forces Robert Langdon to once again solve puzzles based on long lost symbols. I wouldn’t write anything more about the plot because the book has nothing else going for it and I do not want to spoil it in case one wants to read this book or wait for the Tom Hanks movie version of the book.
What I’ve discovered when reading The Lost Symbol is that Dan Brown has unabashedly recycled plot elements and characters from his old novels. (For those who do not like spoilers, skip to the last paragraph now).
For instance:-
• Robert Langdon is forced into solving the puzzles
• Female co-lead is forced into the situation too
• It’s a race against time
• The secret that is such a big deal is always hidden in plain sight in paintings, buildings, etc
• The secret, if made known to all, will cause massive chaos and disorder
• There is a an official from hell who apparently hampers Langdon and his female co-lead but who eventually turns out to be one of the good guys after all
The saving grace to this book is that with all the flaws it is still fun to read. That is if one lowers one’s expectations enough to read it for the pulp fiction value that it is and nothing more.
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The Beginning of Sleepless Nights

Chloe’s Close-Up, originally uploaded by CeeKay’s Pix.

One of the most frequent reply that I got on SMS amidst all of the congratulatory messages was that I have to bid farewell to my nights. Little did I know that the senders were dead serious.

On average, I had slept no more than 4 hours per night since Tuesday. There were times when I was lucky enough to sleep for 2 hours straight. In the morning, I was rushing around, trying to get one thing or the other done.

It simply isn’t easy.

But something in her brings out that extra ounce of energy in yourself that you need to push yourself further beyond your breaking point.

After starting the day being heavily deprived of sleep, I was rushing from the one place to another, buying last minute baby items and ensuring that Cheryl is comfortable so that she can recuperate. After all that helter skelter of a day, as I was about to fall asleep, a tiny cry came from the crib in our room at 2.30am.

I walked there, feeling tired and I saw a priceless stare (as captured in this photo) from Chloe.

She could have asked me to walk to the moon and back and I would have happily complied. Luckily, for her and for me, she didn’t. However, 10 minutes after the photo was taken, she wailed until 4am. After trying all methods from feeding to swaddling, she eventually fell asleep on her mother’s bosom.

Babies are designed cute to elicit an emotional response from their parents to provide for them comfort, food and attention even though they could only cry and wail. After experiencing this first hand, I must conclude that this is probably one of the most brilliant evolutionary development in the human race.

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Welcome to the world, Chloe



Introducing Chloe Koay, originally uploaded by CeeKay’s Pix.

It was scheduled for tomorrow but she just couldn’t wait.

Cheryl was having contractions last night and it persisted until this morning. Fearing that we were going to go into labour, she called up Dr. Ravi who asked that we come in within the hour.

Upon arrival, Cheryl was strapped to some thing-a-magics that could detect contrations, her heart rate and baby’s heart rate. When the doctor arrived, he advised that we go ahead with the C-section today rather than the scheduled one tomorrow.

I was then whisked away to don on the blue surgeon robe while they prepped up Cheryl for the spinal anesthetic. We met again in the operating theater and the baby Chloe out less than 15 minutes into the procedure.

We are very grateful that the baby turned out okay and our heartfelt thanks to Dr. Ravi who handled the whole procedure professionally and to the staff of Gleneagles Intan Ampang who were very helpful.

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Spring in Oslo

City Hall Oslo, originally uploaded by CeeKay’s Pix.

I haven’t been to Scandinavia since the days when I was still in Cell Network, which was a good 6 to 7 years ago.

Recently, I was in Oslo for work. Perhaps not a lot of people (outside of the telco industry) know that DiGi is owned by the Telenor group. We are part of the 7th largest telecommunications company in the world.

We managed to take some time off to see Oslo. I’ll be uploading some photos as I get the time to do it.

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Finally, all settled in…

One word of advice, moving house can reduce your weight significantly.

I found this out the hard way when we recently moved into our new place in Lake Fields. Apart from the anticipated physical work of the move, there is also the mental anguish when contractors do not complete their tasks on time and vendors break their promises to deliver on time. Of course, all those are a walk in the park when one compares it to the ultimate definition of frustration– dealing with the civil service.

(A disclaimer: I was really happy with the water and power service and I think that they were professional, courteous and prompt. Dealing with a quasi-civil service private entity like Telekom Malaysia on the other hand…)

Two weeks on, we are beginning to really love our new home. The boxes are all unpacked, the CDs, DVDs and books have all returned to their shelf (in order), the clothes are all hanged and organized neatly in our relatively gianormeous closet. Really love the orderliness of the whole place.

I also love my trimmer tummy and I really do hope that it lasts.

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Tomorrow is moving day!

After seven years in Bandar Sri Permaisuri (and four for Cheryl), we’re officially moving to our new home tomorrow! It’s a bittersweet moment– a mix of nostalgia and excitement.

On one hand, we’re really going to miss this place. It’s more than just a house– it’s the home where I first carried Cheryl through the door as newlyweds. It’s been our small, cozy nest, filled with countless memories.

On the other hand, we’re thrilled to be moving into a bigger space– one that truly feels like us. Every aesthetic choice, fitting, and extension reflects our taste, and we can’t wait to create new memories in a place designed for the next chapter of our lives.

Alright, back to packing– the movers arrive bright and early at 9:30 AM!