I was playing poker with some of the Nuffies the other night. On one of the rounds I got a pretty good hand. When I saw the flop though I quickly folded? Why? Because this was what the first 3 cards were.
After I folded I said “WAH who dare play this hand… aiyo aiyo I don’t dare man”.
But Yuen Yee, this brave Nuffie here on the right
decided that it was okay. So she played on… and she won that hand. After which she drew a lot of teasing from the other guys there who said
“Yuen Yee.. .that money you win.. careful ar.. dirty wan”.
After that night I started thinking about superstition. I always believed that I’m not a very superstitious guy but when I thought about it, folding that hand says otherwise. So I decided to be honest about myself and think carefully about things that I’m superstitious about.
1) Numbers 4 and 13.
I’m superstitious about the number 4 and 13. Call me Chinaman but I don’t like it. I notice it every time too. Whenever I go stay in a hotel and if I’m put on the 13th floor I feel uncomfortable. I don’t go to the extent of changing my room altogether but I just feel uncomfortable.
2) Don’t forsake money or money will forsake you.
It’s something that Ming once told me his Mum taught him. And that I think is totally true. Say you’re in a casino and you’re winning big. Then suddenly because you’re winning big you begin to be more free with your bets… then you end up losing it all. That’s because you start taking money for granted.
My superstition on that doesn’t really go on gambling though because I don’t really gamble much. But I follow it on a daily basis. So it’s like… if I’m walking down a street and I see 10 cents on the road, I stop, bend and pick it up. Because I feel neglecting it makes me feel as if I’m “forsaking money’ or taking it for granted.
It applies for so many other things too. Like even if I’m paying for a relatively small amount I never go “Aiyah small money la that wan I pay no problem”.
3) When Sleeping in a Foreign Place, Leave a Light On
This again is something Ming once told me and something I do up till today. At home whenever I sleep I turn off all the lights in my room. I sleep in pitch black darkness. It’s not the same when I sleep anywhere else though.
See these days I travel a lot for work and I stay in hotels every night. Whenever I stay in a foreign place that is NOT home, I make sure I leave a light on. Whether it’s the toilet light or some light in the room. Ming says its to keep ghosts away… I don’t know how true that is but I just leave it on anyway.
So these are my superstitions. What are yours?
Timothy Tiah – Co-Founder of Colony, Kuala Lumpur Co-Working Space