Life is beautiful yet fragile and sometimes fleeting. In loving memory of my late father who had finally found release from the terrible illness that is cancer which had caused him to be bedridden for the past 9 months.

He was a man of few words, but he loved us all dearly, always doing the best he can for us, silently shouldering the weight on his shoulders even when it tired him or hurt him.

I still remember during my younger days when I’d follow him to play badminton, of course I didn’t play much then as I was still a kid and didn’t really have much skill with a racket. I’d enjoy the motorcycle rides we took for the commute to the badminton court, wind blowing on my face. I don’t have a motorcycle license, so those were probably the most frequent I had rode on a motorcycle in my life.

Then tragedy struck and my late father had a rather terrible accident which crushed his left knee. Although he could still walk thanks to modern medicine, but he would never play badminton the way he could before. He would also sell off his motorcycle and ban me from getting a motorcycle license, hence why I have never rode a motorcycle on my own before. I do know how to ride a bicycle at least.

Growing up, I can’t say I was very attached to my dad, but he was still an authority figure and someone I looked up to and go to for advice. He was the voice of reason in the family, trying to balance things out and make sense out of chaos. I think the most important lesson I learned from my dad was to be true to your conscience in everything that we do and to do the right thing so that you can sleep well at night.

Being the sole provider of our family, he has tried his best and I truly am proud of the achievements he has made. He would sacrifice his own needs and wants to provide us with what we wanted. There were constant squabbles about money, but deep down, each of us still cherished being a family.

In some ways, I admire his ability to provide for the family; I don’t think I can ever be as good a provider as my father, and for that I do regret not being able to provide the best during his time of need. Having said that, I am glad I could be by his side all the way since we found out about his dreadful disease. The trips to the hospital, though tiring for us, are even more meaningful as an experience for me now.

It was heart wrenching when we found out he had stage 4 prostate cancer, and even harder when we knew it had metastasized to all his bones. At this stage, there was literally no hope of recovery, whatever we did were just minor roadblocks to slow the cancer down and hopefully lower the severity of symptoms.

Then nearly a year of hospital trips, probably the worst day for my dad and the family came. He had suddenly lost function of his legs due to the cancer causing a collapse in one of his spinal columns and pressing against his nerves.

The nightmare had just begun as he slowly deteriorated over the months. Under the attentive care of my mom, my dad was able to recover from a severe bed sore wound he acquired from being admitted to the hospital.

However, the cancer had other plans for him as eventually my dad would even lose the ability to sit up straight on his own. Even with something to rest his back against, he could not maintain an upright sitting position. It was heartbreaking every time I saw him laying in bed in his helpless state, unable to even do the most basic of tasks for himself.

As the months went on, his appetite declined. Then he started to have some difficulty breathing every once in a while, and his bones started to hurt, though he would not admit it to not let us worry too much.

It had been hard for us all for the past 9 months, even harder for my mom as she’s taking care of my dad full time on her own. I praise her commitment to taking care of the man she loves in his final moments. If it weren’t for her, my dad would probably not have lasted as long as he did.

Now he’s gone for a month already, time sure flies, but it still doesn’t change how much we miss him. May he rest in peace and be free of all worldly suffering, we miss you dad, but I truly believe you are in a better place now. If only you were not stricken by this disease, you would still be here with us for more years to come.

It was the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, and working from home had become the norm for many people. I was no exception. Although I enjoy the flexibilities that come with working from home, it has also created other unwanted “side-effects”.

Most notably, the lack of physical movement, and being in the same position for pretty much most of the day. This seemed perfectly fine, I mean who in their right mind would stand and work, right? Right?

Well, little did I know, being on your bum in the same position for hours on end can create dire consequences to our bodies. I can testify to that, as I have had first hand experience. Sitting for hours on end has resulted in a herniated disc in my lower spine.

Well, I’m not going to go into detail on the condition in this post, that is a story for another time. To put it simply, I had a slipped-disc due to prolonged sitting and if left unchecked, may deteriorate and cause serious mobility issues. It is something that I will have to live with for the rest of my life.

Anyhow, this was the reason that triggered me to seriously look into getting a standing desk. If I will be working from home for long term, I wouldn’t want my job to be the cause of further health complications.

There are many options when it comes to standing desks locally, some brands have a modern look, some have an authentic wood feel as their design, but Tyyli height-adjustable desks combine both style and functionality.

Truth be told, I was introduced to Tyyli height-adjustable desks some months before I placed my order by a friend. I was instantly impressed by the way they integrate the Eubiq power track into their tables. Further research showed that the tables not only looked good, but is very practical when it comes to cable management and availability of power sockets right on your desk that looks modern and neat. Definitely a win.

It was quite a struggle before placing my order, as these standing desks aren’t exactly cheap. Ultimately I took advantage of the year end promotion and jumped the gun with a KlasseWood: You Raise Me Up Solid Wood Series desk. I went for the Regular size measuring 140 x 80cm as I wanted enough space for two screens and not feel cramped on space.

The option to pay In 3 separate payments using Atome definitely helped to ease the decision a bit, and made the purchase a tad bit more affordable.

After placing the order, I was told that it will probably take a couple of months before I can receive my desk, so I patiently waited. When I received the message saying that my desk was being prepped for delivery, I was ecstatic and full of anticipation for it to arrive.

Arrive it did, eventually, after quite a bit of drama from the courier company. In this case, it wasn’t just a matter of ‘Dua Hari Lambat’, but it was a total logistics nightmare waiting to unfold. First the courier calls up saying he’s arrived and asked if it was ok to leave it at the lobby as he did not have a trolley. I live in a high-rise building, so it’s going to take some effort to deliver to my doorstep.

Obviously, leaving it at the lobby was not a solution for me. First off, before placing the order, I had specifically asked the sales rep if doorstep delivery was possible for high-rise buildings, and I was assured it was. Secondly, I wouldn’t be able to carry such a heavy package on my own up to my unit. Thirdly, even if I could move such a heavy package, I wouldn’t want to risk worsening my back from carrying such a heavy load.

The ensuing story would revolve around the customer support rep ‘ding-donging’ with the courier company. Apparently the courier guys are dispatched as individuals to deliver whatever it is they had for the day, regardless of the size and weight of the package. So, on one hand I do feel for the courier guy, but on the other, it’s a service the company is supposed to deliver, and that’s something they have to settle internally.

Glad to say, the Tyyli support was excellent and they managed to get the courier to deliver to my doorstep eventually. This resulted in a whole week’s delay! However, that was still not the end of the drama as upon closer inspection, there were some scratches found on the table’s surface.

Again, upon reporting to Tyyli’s support staff, they were very helpful in arranging a replacement. This time round, Tyyli arranged the shipment with a different courier service and the delivery went smoothly this time.

After about 2 - 3 weeks of drama and delay, I could finally start assembling my new desk. Kudos to Tyyli’s support for guiding me through the entire assembly via video call. I must say that I had a pleasant experience assembling the desk and although there were some uncertainty for some of the steps, it wasn’t a complicated process overall.

I have been using the desk for more than 2 months now and I must say that I am satisfied with the product. The desk is sturdy and stable, coupled with the power track makes it so much more convenient to connect your electronics devices and get them charged.

The castors are also smooth to use and have a stylised look to them. Though sometimes you may need a little more effort to lock them in place, but I’d definitely recommend you to get the castors if you plan to get one of Tyyli’s desks as it makes moving the desk so much more easier.

If you are going to be working long-term from home, I would highly recommend you to get Tyyli’s standing desk. In fact, it would be best if offices could be equipped with similar standing desks, but that’s probably wishful thinking for most local companies to do.

Work is important to put food on the table, however, what’s even more important is our own wellbeing. Imagine giving you all the money in the world, but you do not have a healthy, functional body. All that money is good for is probably for your medical expenses!

You need not get a desk from Tyyli, as there are other options available. However, if you are like me and values the convenience of having a power track right on your desk, then a Tyyli desk would be a good match for you.

For those of you who do plan to get a Tyyli desk, you may make use of this coupon code - BACKSAVER - upon checkout to enjoy a discount of RM150 off on all products with a minimum purchase of RM1000.

Well, that is my journey with Tyyli in a nutshell, hope everyone who reads this gains an awareness on the importance of taking care of your back. This is especially important office workers and long-term work from home employees who tend to spend most of their time seated in front of a computer screen.

There are lots of other lessons for good ergonomics, the lesson here is to not be in the same position for too long. Hence, it is important to alternate between sitting and standing while you work at a desk.

You may browse Tyyli’s range of height-adjustable desks from https://my.tyyli.vip and apply the coupon code BACKSAVER upon checkout to enjoy an instant discount of RM150 with minimum purchase of RM1000.