I had a most unexpected conversation with Baby over lunch today (that’s her nickname).
She’s a fairly new friend, whom i feel a lot of love for, and she suddenly shared with me how her dad passed away from cancer at age 66.

I just stared at her in the eyes and said, “I’m so sorry…”

Her: Yeah. He was in the hospital for three months before he passed away.
Me: What cancer was it?
Her: Lung cancer.
Me: Shit.
Her: Yeah…

Then we were quiet for awhile.

Me: That’s like, my worst fear.
Her: I know right. It’s the worst worst…

Baby’s eyes went slightly glassy and i started choking up from the emotion that filled the air.

She told me how they only found out at stage 4 cos it’s such a silent killer.
How he felt tired for weeks and didn’t want to go to work.
How he lost his appetite.
How his back hurt and he would want to lie on the floor to sleep cos it felt better.
How he refused to go to the doctor.
How the family forced him to go in the end.

She said that he gradually became immobile, and couldn’t talk for 2 months leading up to his death.
He vomited blood cos his lungs were failing and somewhat cracking inside.

Me: Oh my god… it must have been so painful… To have your organs fail in you while you’re still alive…
Her: Yeah la. He was on morphine all the time. He couldn’t even drink water.
Me: Then how?
Her: We had to drip it into his mouth…
Me: Oh man…

Her: On the day he died, he couldn’t move or talk. He moved his finger a little bit like this *gestured her pointer finger moving up and down slightly* to show that he wanted to sit up, so we would all prop him up la. Then he moved his finger like this *moved her own finger slightly from side to side* and we knew he wanted to look out of the window. So we carried him with his morphine and everything to the window so he could look outside. He smiled a bit… then we carried him back to his bed. After that he just… got worse and passed away at 7:30pm.

Oh i couldn’t take it. I was totally crying openly by then in the cafe.
Luckily we were sitting in a corner but i don’t think i cared very much.

The reason this came up is because Baby and Vince convinced me to get a vape recently. I’ve been trying to stop smoking, and it’s so hard. I figured this could be a stepping stone for me to wean myself off cigarettes till i get disgusted by its smell and taste, and then wean myself off the vape. (We got ours from Vapebrothers.) Baby said that her dad had been smoking since he was a teenager.

Me: Do you regret not telling him something to stop him from smoking..?
Her: ALL THE TIME. I would never wish what we went through on any of my friends… to watch someone you love suffer like that… If i know that my friend’s parents are smoking, i have to tell them.

Me: Do you think about him?
Her: Every day. We still talk about him, like memories we have, “do you remember..?”

Then she told me happy memories of how her dad and her would have a lunch date every Friday since she was in primary school, and how her mum and him made a pact that they would only be separated by death. I was quite amazed by how she could tell me all this without crying. I guess she must have cried everything out.

Me: 2011… it’s quite recent…
Her: YEAH. I knew i had to stop smoking after that happened but i didn’t know how. Then Vince intro-ed the vape to me la.

Me: Have you told many people this story?
Her: Just close friends…
Me: You should write about it and tell people. It’s not that we DON’T know all this… we somehow delude ourselves into thinking we won’t get it, or it’s a small percentage.
Her: No man. Lung cancer is real. It’s REAL!

Then i thought about how i’m the one with the blog.
So maybe i’m the one who should be writing about it.
I asked Baby for permission to blog about what she told me today,
and she said yes, hence this post you just read.

Thanks for letting me share your painful experience with everyone today.
I already have a desire to quit smoking, and this further cements my resolution to stop.

If this post affects even one person enough to make them rethink their addiction to cigarettes, or even to talk to someone they love about their addiction, then it is not for nothing.

+ + + + +

I posted the link to this on my Facebook and decided to share some comments on similar stories:

“Sad. And unfortunately it could have been worse. I saw my Dad going through the same aged 67. My memory is normally rubbish, but what I saw 25 years ago was truly horrific and permanent. Fuck me – if (for whatever reason) your lungs end up in that state, please make sure you have your Geneva clinic booked in advance. No family should have to go through that kind of ending.”
– Lui Zurawski

” 🙁 My granddad smoked from when he was 18. He finally quit when he turned 59/60, but by then the damage was done and a couple of years later, lung cancer struck. He was gone in 4 months or so when I was 12. My cousins and I don’t smoke because we remember his last months where breathing was difficult, and chemo was harsh on his body, and how tough it was on the family. Today, we still miss him dearly and wish he were here to see us grow up 🙁 It’s really not worth it, Joyce!”
– Xin-Ci

     COMMENTS (10)

OK well technically, it’s Wednesday now.
I guess it’s cos i have been working every day except Saturday night…

Was ON IT half of Sunday when my laptop decided to fail on me
The Finder just wouldn’t OPEN
The heart attack i tell you
I prayed, wailed, and even tried meditating my hands over my keyboard -_-
After an hour plus, i had this one thought, “Okay fine. What if i don’t do work tonight but i REALLY NEED you to work tomorrow!”

And then BLING it suddenly started working.
Just like that.
And because i made a sorta pact to NOT work if my laptop worked, i had to adhere to it…
So i bumbled around the house thinking WHAT SHOULD I DO
and ended up colour coordinating half (or a third) of my wardrobe
into creams to whites to silver to greys to black,
pinks to reds to oranges, blues to greens and turquoise,
yellows to limes to olives to golds.
Got confused at some pieces which had SO MUCH colour on it i couldn’t decide what the primary colour was so started a “colourful pattern” section

Took me almost three hours, i realised it was almost 1am and had to go to bed
Showed my work in progress to some friends and they said, “You have a shitload of clothes.”

:p

I’m purging, i’m purging…

In between work i had the cleaner come over this morn and got her to wipe out ALL the cupboards and shelves.
While she took out all the stuff i tried to tidy up and organise them simultaneously
and discovered so many hidden treasures i never knew i had… like a John Legend & The Roots CD that’s now playing in my car.

Found some old memorabilia of past jobs or occasions (sometimes even something as stupid as a paper plane i folded :p) and had to make myself just CHUCK IT. I’m trying not to be a hoarder, and just CHUCK all these things i don’t need.

The cleaner today must’ve been super happy cos i gave her an old ipod and blackberry (they’re seriously old…) i found lying around.

And that’s just the start of it.

Next i’m going to find time on weekends to finish up my wardrobe, sort out all my books, toys, decorations, present wrapping corner, clean out the larder, medicine box, shoe cupboard, everything.

Well, that’s what i’m hoping for.
Some order in the home will bring some order to my life.

+ + + + + + +

Drop by the Main Concourse area to see all these activities they have going on,
and view the project Vince Paul Yong and i have been working on!!!

LEAVE A COMMENT     

* Text by Joe Kwan *

I was reticent to attend this event upon invite; mainly due to the fact that I know absolutely nothing about regular timepieces, let alone luxury timepieces. As much as I hate admitting to being a millennial cliche, my mobile phone is hardly ever out of sight (I panic slightly when it is, but shhh!) and over time, it has become my method of choice to tell the time. I can feeeeeel the disapproval of proper adults everywhere as I typed the previous sentence.

Still, with an open mind, I gussied up and headed over to Starhill on a sunny Wednesday afternoon, hoping to gain new perspective on the subject of timepieces. 30 seconds inside the Jaeger-LeCoultre boutique and I immediately understood why luxury timepieces are considered the hallmark of quality living.

Rows and rows of watches displayed immaculately.

A fairly intimate event, these soirees for selected media and guests are put together by Jaeger-LeCoultre every month to introduce different methods and skills used in their watchmaking process so that people know exactly what they are paying for when purchasing a Jaeger-LeCoultre piece. This month’s theme was Enamelling!

CLICK TO READ MORE

     COMMENT (1)

My first visit to KEN Rimba was sometime in 2012 when i went to have a look at the residences there and was smitten by the corner housing lots with private swimming pools. Back then they were going for around RM800K and now they’re around RM1.2 mil? (correct me if i’m wrong) I did tell a couple of friends about it, hoping they’d buy it as an investment, and now i’m all “I told you so!”

Last week i went back to check out the show units for KEN Rimba Condominium 1 as they’ve just released units in Block B and C for sale.

The new freehold condo is part of KEN Rimba’s eco-green residential project based on sustainable building technology, that takes up a whopping 60 acres in Shah Alam.

I know many developers out there are trying to ride on the green wave, but KEN Holdings is a pioneer of green property and was the first developer to receive the BCA Green Mark Gold Plus cert in 2009. Even so, they have been constructing properties in accordance to green ratings since the 90s, long before the rating cert even existed.

KEN Rimba is Malaysia’s first multiple award-winning green township consisting of two residences (Legian Residences and Jimbaran Residences), two condominiums, a commercial centre, and an upcoming boutique hotel and serviced suites.

The whole area is connected to major highways (NKVE, KESAS, LKSA, Federal Highway) and other transportation routes. However, measures have been taken in the planning of the township to reduce the carbon footprint of residents, such as:
– bus stops within the township for easy access to public transportation
– covered walkways to the adjacent Padang Jawa KTM station is linked from every component of the township. (Padang Jawa station links directly to KL Sentral.)
– parks, bicycle tracks, and footpaths been given priority in the township planning with free access to dozens of bicycles for residents which they can use to cycle around the KEN Rimba Township.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg.

But then again, let’s return to why i’m writing this post.
To blog about the show unit i visited!

Taken from entrance of the show unit of KEN Rimba Condominium 1, which consists of three blocks of freehold units, penthouses, and pool villas. A plus point is that the property was given the BCA Green Mark GOLD PLUS Award (Provisional) last year.

The condominiums are designed to a north-south orientation according to wind direction for better ventilation while also being able to receive natural light without being submitted to the sun’s direct heat and glare.

The 1119 sq. ft. units face the North where the pool and facility floor are located; whilst the 1183 sq. ft. units face the South.

I love how a large mirror always increases the appearance of a room, i’m definitely implementing this in my new home!

The thought of a white kitchen never appealed to me before but i felt allured to its concept  once i was standing in the sexy space. I definitely downloaded some interior inspiration from visiting the show unit itself!

Living room on the left and kitchen to the right.
The corridor shows doors that lead to two bedrooms on the left, the master bedroom at the end, and a bathroom on the right.

Bedroom #1:

Bedroom #2:

You can see the shared bathroom across Bedroom #2

All bathrooms have special fittings that save up to 40% usage of water, compared to normal fittings.

OHAI

Master Bedroom:

Wow the place looks so nice when made so minimalist. Unfortunately (or not), i’m a maximalist.

There are 637 units like this one i’m looking at, with each unit measuring 1,076 – 1,183 sq. ft.
The slight difference in the size is only present at the entrance of the unit which is like having a bit more space for your shoes.
Each of these units have 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, and costs from RM399K onwards.
It comes with at least one car park bay with the option to purchase more.

All resident car park bays are in covered areas, and there is a sky bridge that leads from the car park to the condo block.

In the whole of KEN Rimba Condominium 1, there are three major options for layouts – condo (whose show unit i visited), penthouse (out of the question for me for now), and pool villas. The whole condo is freehold property.

A pool villa seems within reasonable reach at RM306 per sq. ft. (From RM800K onwards) for 2 1/2 storeys.
That’s 3 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms within approximately 2,615 sq. ft.

They’re not ready yet so all i can do is imagine how they’d look like using the scale model.
Can you say SWEEEEET with me!?

The lit portion on the left is where the pool villas will actually be.
Can you imagine living in a house where you can just step out into an open garden and massive pool?
Even the carpark bays are placed right at the bottom of each villa.

Aerial view of the pool villas. The grey areas at bottom of pic are the pool villa roofs.
So right in front of one’s villa would be the garden, cabanas, and pool. I still can’t get over it.

To the left of the pool villas is the play area which has a natural shade of plants so doesn’t get too hot.

There are only 26 units of pool villas.
As for the penthouses, there are four penthouses in Block A & C, and eight penthouses in Block B.

Other tidbits about the condo include the fact that it’s made from environmentally-friendly construction materials, whilst its walls are covered with paint that does not contain lead.

Cavity blocks (bricks with air gaps) will be implemented on certain walls of the building to reduce thermal heat transfer, as it will cool faster than conventional solid bricks.

Compost bins will be available to create horticulture waste as plant fertilizer in the premises, and common areas will be installed with lighting with sensors to reduce wastage of electricity.

No wonder it got the BCA Green Mark GOLD PLUS Award (Provisional).

There are 109 units of commercial lots nearby, at the Ken Rimba Commercial Centre.

+ + + + +

For more updates on the properties, you can
LIKE www.facebook.com/KEN.Greenbook
Follow Sam on twitter.com/samcs10
Click on to www.kenholdings.com.my

For my previous blogpost on KEN Bangsar, click *HERE*

Awards & Recognition:

2013
KEN Rimba Condominium 1 – BCA Green Mark GOLD Award (Provisional)
KEN Rimba Condominium 2 – BCA Green Mark Platinum Award (Provisional)

     COMMENT (1)

So many changes have been happening in my life
Including this desire to know more about how to connect with God/Divine

I’ve known about the Oneness Awakening Course for a few months but never really felt like it was the right time for me to take it except when it seemed like the BEST time available to (they only hold it once a month) was this weekend. I was to spend 3 full days, but ended up only needing 2 days cos i had a one-on-one session with Lai Meng.

We go through some life lessons, meditation and healing (to clear my old charges so i can fully appreciate the present). I know it’s pretty out there. Even i have to admit that for a few split-seconds, i’d feel lame, and even frustrated and annoyed! It was so turbulent. But in the end, i knew that i wanted to be there and just… learn something.

I ended up getting a cert for being a Deeksha Giver.

That was really unexpected.
I didn’t even know i was gonna learn this (okay i admit i was bad, i skimmed through the course outline emailed to me :p).

So maybe now… i’m gonna be a real live fairy showering blessings unto everyone around me.

I tried just now during dinner.
I just imagine sparkly yellow sunshine enveloping the waitress that was so sweet to me.
Sometimes i imagine giant sparkly rainbows but another voice says it could be a bit too much.

BUT WHAT IS EVER TOO MUCH!?

“Too much” is just a concept humans came up with anyway.
Is the sea too much? I mean, there’s a fucking lot of water.
Is love “too much”? It probably is, cos everyone makes such a big deal out of it.

And it SHOULD be a big deal, cos we all ARE love.
That’s why it’s a challenge, it’s the very substance that pulls us to evolve.
Evolution cannot come without effort, so… we just gotta stop bitchin and make the best of it as we can.

<3

LEAVE A COMMENT