Growing up, I loved Westerns. I still do. One TV show that caught my eye was Have Gun Will Travel.
It was about a gentleman investigator-cum-gunfighter named Paladin who travelled the Old West helping people solve their problems.
His calling card read: Have Gun Will Travel. Wire Paladin, San Francisco.
I thought about the show yesterday, not because I needed a mercenary or a gun, but rather because I needed my mobile phone.
You see, gone are the days when you needed your wallet when you left home. These days, it is more like ‘Have phone can travel’.
It is more important than your wallet, as if you do not have cash, you can choose from the many e-wallets, and pay using the phone.
The phone is even more valuable now because you need to check in with the MySejahtera application before entering buildings and eateries to prove that you are fully vaccinated.
Most places have books where you can register manually, but some do not.
I encountered one such place yesterday. I had to run some errands but was running low on petrol and cash. So, I headed to the nearest petrol station to get both.
Unfortunately, I had left my mobile phone at home, and this particular petrol station did not have a book for customers to sign in. So, I had no choice but to go to another station down the street.
A friend told me she had recently forgotten her phone and was denied entry to an eatery as she could not prove she had received both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.
“I sent my husband to his office to pick up some documents. He said he was going to be there for only a short while.
“Instead of driving home and returning to pick him up, I decided to have a light breakfast,” said Sheila.
“I have two mobile phones, and unfortunately, I forgot the one with the MySejahtera mobile application.
“As I could not prove I had been fully vaccinated – and did not carry the vaccination card – I ended up tapau-ing and eating in the car. The only consolation was that my hubby settled his work quite fast, and it was not too long a wait.”
So, the next time you leave home, make sure you have your phone (and wallet) with you.
THE WORST MAY BE OVER
The number of new cases fell for the sixth straight week, and there were less than 1,000 deaths last week. The last time there were three-digit deaths in a week was July 17-23 (990).
In the past week, there were 735 deaths, including 76 on Monday, the lowest in a single day since July 4 (63). Total fatalities stand at 27,191.
There were 65,894 new infections, bringing the total to 2,323,478.
For the 22nd consecutive day, recoveries outnumbered new cases when 99,574 patients were given the all-clear, pushing the total to 2,170,289.
Let us hope that this means that the worst is over and that the upcoming Melaka elections will not cause a spike in cases.
Worldwide, there are 237.9 million cases and 4.84 million fatalities.
NO ONE’S PAYING ATTENTION TO ME
On Monday (early morning Tuesday) in Malaysia. The world ‘came to a standstill’ as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp were inaccessible for hours. Twitter was not affected.
One enterprising Liverpool fan did this meme after Mohamed Salah waltzed through the Manchester City defence to score a wonder goal.
WALKING BENEFITS
After reading this article about a hiker who found and got to keep a 4.38-carat diamond, I need to start walking outdoors.
SMART WIFE
Speaking of walking, here is a good idea.
WOMEN IN SPACE
Earlier this week, this website had the opportunity to interview Brelveenraj Kaur Rajwant Singh, an engineer in Measat’s Satellite Engineering Department.
Brelveenraj is also the National Point of Contact for the Space Generation Advisory Council.
This afternoon, Brelveenraj and the Space in South-East Asia (SpiSEA) team have a webinar entitled ‘Diversity in the New Space Era’.
It is in conjunction with World Space Week that ends on Sunday,
Coincidentally, this year’s World Space Week celebrates ‘Women in Space’.
Click here if you want to sign up for the webinar.
NASI AYAM BEREMPAH BELANDA
The couple running the stall only started their business a week ago. I tried it on Tuesday and was pleasantly surprised. There was quite a lot of rice, and the ‘Ayam Rempah Belanda’ was tasty. Best of all, it only costs RM5. I will be ordering again.
BALLAD OF PALADIN
This week’s musical selection is the theme song from Have Gun Will Travel by Johnny Western. It is a catchy tune that lays out exactly who Paladin is and what he does.
For the record, Have Gun Will Travel was one of the highest-rated shows on American television during its run.
In a twist, it inspired a hit radio show. Those days, many hit radio shows became television series.
Richard Boone, who played Paladin, was a descendent of Kentucky pioneer and frontiersman, Daniel Boone.
Among the writers on the show were Gene Roddenberry, Bruce Geller, and Harry Julian Fink, who created Star Trek, Mission: Impossible and Dirty Harry, respectively.
Until next week, stay safe.
