Cycling is good in more ways than we realise...

When some opposition MPs cycled to Parliament one day, Nazri did not think it was funny and said something with disdain.

This is unsurprising because our mentality seems to be that to progress, we look forward, not backward. Going back to cycling like in the kampong? No way. Don’t even think about it. We judge a person by the position he holds, the number of titles he has and the palatial size of his home as well as the luxury cars he possesses.

In developed countries, cycling is a way of life for some, not necessarily out of necessity, but by choice for health as well as environmental reasons. It is common to see partners of professional firms, company directors and professors taking the train to work.

It would be credible if someone like Warren Buffet, being the world’s richest man, were to advise on how we should not waste and that we should buy what we need and not because of the brands or to show off. For someone without the material wealth, to say things like that would invite comments like ‘sour grapes’ because you cannot afford the life styles of the rich and famous.

My wife met up with a former nurse who used to work in the same hospital. All these (almost 30) years she had been sending us Christmas cards whether we replied or not. Even when we did, there was no response to our invitation to meet up if she happened to be in Malaysia, until recently when she replied, giving us her contact numbers.

They met up at Picadilly tube station and CL’s initial reaction was that she could not recognise SP but SP could, which was a surprise to me because SP refused to wear glasses unless necessary, and most time she would say she couldn’t recognise someone.

Anyway, CL cycles to work but for this appointment, she took the train. She said most friends from Malaysia would ask, ‘where did you park your car?’ She thinks probably because she does not own a car, most friends did not bother to contact her when they were in London.

What was most surprising to me was the fact that over the period of less than 20 years when in London, she and her 3 siblings (a younger sister and two younger brothers) managed to buy and fully paid for 3 houses! The house where they are living now, is worth over GBP1 million! Not in MYR after conversion! Their lifestyle has not changed and all of them still cycle to work!

Recently, she renovated the house and the good contractor discovered that the old timber floor is actually old oak, which is much appreciated. He advised her not to replace but to restore it to its natural beauty. How fortunate, even when renovating the house, to have someone who knows and willing to advise her instead of secretly taking away the expensive wood for his own use.

I would leave the moral of my story to the reader.