Latest news with #tabby
Malay Mail
7 days ago
- Health
- Malay Mail
Cancer Diaries: Where I almost tumble off an escalator and get reminded I'm a fall risk
JULY 16 — I almost fell off an escalator the other day and it made me so angry. Yes, I know someone reading this assumed perhaps I was careless, inattentive, staring at my phone or somehow distracted. My phone was in my bag. I was staring straight ahead. One arm gripping the handrail, both feet planted firmly on the step. Yet for a brief moment I felt disoriented all of a sudden and I swayed backward. If I hadn't been holding on tightly the back of my head would have met the floor; it was terrifying as I held on trying to right myself. This, despite when I'm walking on level ground always having to fight my body trying to hunch over like Gollum. I hate being reminded about how much more fragile I am but at the same time I now get why people will avoid the stairs/escalators and choose the lift. The only reason I was out and about was because I needed cat food and my picky tabby only likes a specific type — no mousse, no jelly, no chicken, only soupy or with gravy and I'd forgotten to order some online. Not that I'm not getting better. It doesn't hurt sitting down getting into a car now though getting out is another story. Some days I still get disoriented at odd times — I found myself doing a 360 degree turn in the bathroom, like my head couldn't quite grasp where I was until I spun around. Still I'm very conscious that besides my near-bald head I don't look sick so I'm sure people get judgy about the way I walk or my hasty shuffle into an MRT lift. Being hyper-vigilant is exhausting, though. If I hadn't been holding on tightly the back of my head would have met the floor; it was terrifying as I held on trying to right myself. — Freepik pic I continue to lightly tread on my mini-trampoline, no energetic jumps just stepping in place or to the side, occasionally incorporating arm boxing movements and pacing myself. When I first got it I couldn't even stand being on it for more than a couple of minutes. I got too winded. Now I regularly do the bounce for at least 10 minutes after meals and my resting heart rate has improved. Still, my near-fall is a reminder that all I can do is try and cross my fingers. On social media Malaysians grumble a lot seeing our politicians happily post photos of themselves doing walkabouts in foreign countries that would not be possible here. Sure, someone wrote, Malaysia is very walkable if you have no fear for your life! I would just like everywhere to be walkable because even our hospitals are not exactly wheelchair-friendly, despite their nature. Having taken the walking paths around KL General Hospital I note how uneven some pavements are and the crossings that would be difficult to navigate if I was solo in a wheelchair. Meanwhile the woman I'm quietly stalking on Threads had given up on trying to get zakat to fund her medication. She was told that she needed to redo her application, after she had followed up with not one but two offices to ask if they needed anything else from her. It's harrowing to see the hoops people need to jump just to survive. There is plenty of zakat money — why is it so hard to access for those who need it? What is this gatekeeping from what zakat was meant for? Having to go to a third zakat office after the first two gave her the runaround, I know she must be so tired. No one should struggle this hard to afford life saving medication and treatments. Fortunately by the time I finished drafting this column, her application had been re-assessed and approved. The road to the end of my treatment is within sight, coincidentally around my birthday next year. For other people like this woman the future is still uncertain and a long, expensive road full of trials such as bureaucratic red tape awaits them. Depressingly, instead of making treatment more accessible, we now have a new paid tier for public healthcare. One doctor said on X, now patients are going to grumble at us saying they paid extra, why aren't they getting seen faster? The problem: too few doctors, too many patients. The solution, apparently, is to give the people the option to pay more to get seen first. I am not sure what problem this solution solves but I hope people get angry enough to make their dissatisfaction over this, the government's problem.
Malay Mail
7 days ago
- Health
- Malay Mail
Cancer Diaries: Where I almost fall off an escalator and get reminded I'm a fall risk
JULY 16 — I almost fell off an escalator the other day and it made me so angry. Yes, I know someone reading this assumed perhaps I was careless, inattentive, staring at my phone or somehow distracted. My phone was in my bag. I was staring straight ahead. One arm gripping the handrail, both feet planted firmly on the step. Yet for a brief moment I felt disoriented all of a sudden and I swayed backward. If I hadn't been holding on tightly the back of my head would have met the floor; it was terrifying as I held on trying to right myself. This, despite when I'm walking on level ground always having to fight my body trying to hunch over like Gollum. I hate being reminded about how much more fragile I am but at the same time I now get why people will avoid the stairs/escalators and choose the lift. The only reason I was out and about was because I needed cat food and my picky tabby only likes a specific type — no mousse, no jelly, no chicken, only soupy or with gravy and I'd forgotten to order some online. Not that I'm not getting better. It doesn't hurt sitting down getting into a car now though getting out is another story. Some days I still get disoriented at odd times — I found myself doing a 360 degree turn in the bathroom, like my head couldn't quite grasp where I was until I spun around. Still I'm very conscious that besides my near-bald head I don't look sick so I'm sure people get judgy about the way I walk or my hasty shuffle into an MRT lift. Being hyper-vigilant is exhausting, though. I continue to lightly tread on my mini-trampoline, no energetic jumps just stepping in place or to the side, occasionally incorporating arm boxing movements and pacing myself. When I first got it I couldn't even stand being on it for more than a couple of minutes. I got too winded. Now I regularly do the bounce for at least 10 minutes after meals and my resting heart rate has improved. Still, my near-fall is a reminder that all I can do is try and cross my fingers. On social media Malaysians grumble a lot seeing our politicians happily post photos of themselves doing walkabouts in foreign countries that would not be possible here. Sure, someone wrote, Malaysia is very walkable if you have no fear for your life! I would just like everywhere to be walkable because even our hospitals are not exactly wheelchair-friendly, despite their nature. Having taken the walking paths around KL General Hospital I note how uneven some pavements are and the crossings that would be difficult to navigate if I was solo in a wheelchair. Meanwhile the woman I'm quietly stalking on Threads had given up on trying to get zakat to fund her medication. She was told that she needed to redo her application, after she had followed up with not one but two offices to ask if they needed anything else from her. It's harrowing to see the hoops people need to jump just to survive. There is plenty of zakat money — why is it so hard to access for those who need it? What is this gatekeeping from what zakat was meant for? Having to go to a third zakat office after the first two gave her the runaround, I know she must be so tired. No one should struggle this hard to afford life saving medication and treatments. Fortunately by the time I finished drafting this column, her application had been re-assessed and approved. The road to the end of my treatment is within sight, coincidentally around my birthday next year. For other people like this woman the future is still uncertain and a long, expensive road full of trials such as bureaucratic red tape awaits them. Depressingly, instead of making treatment more accessible, we now have a new paid tier for public healthcare. One doctor said on X, now patients are going to grumble at us saying they paid extra, why aren't they getting seen faster? The problem: too few doctors, too many patients. The solution, apparently, is to give the people the option to pay more to get seen first. I am not sure what problem this solution solves but I hope people get angry enough to make their dissatisfaction over this, the government's problem.
Zawya
12-02-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Gulf fintech tabby doubles valuation to $3.3bln ahead of IPO
DUBAI - Gulf fintech tabby has more than doubled its valuation to $3.3 billion after completing a new funding round, as the buy now, pay later (BNPL) firm prepares for a stock market listing within 18 months, its chief executive told Reuters. The company raised $160 million in a Series E financing round led by existing investors Blue Pool Capital, a Hong Kong-based investment firm backed by Alibaba's co-founder Joe Tsai, and the Saudi pension fund's investment arm Hassana Investment Company. tabby was valued at $1.5 billion when it closed a previous funding round in late 2023. Customers can use tabby, which counts Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala among its backers, to defer paying for purchases. Founded in 2019, it has tied up with more than 40,000 brands and businesses including Amazon and fast-fashion retailer Shein in markets such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. BNPL soared in popularity after the COVID-19 pandemic forced more shoppers online. Regulators in Britain and the United States have previously warned about its use, saying consumers needed to understand the risks. Other existing tabby investors STV and Wellington Management participated in the latest funding round. "It really is around just making this next leap for the business, from a pure buy-now-pay-later business to a lot more than just that," CEO Hosam Arab told Reuters in an interview when asked how the new funding would be used. Arab said tabby wanted to keep investing in its product range including digital spending accounts, cards, payments and money management tools. The company, which is targeting 20 million users by the end of the year, is looking to float in the next 18 months, with Saudi Arabia among the potential listing venues, Arab said. tabby has hired HSBC, JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley to work on the IPO, according to a source with knowledge of the matter. The three banks declined to comment. The Gulf's stock markets have seen a wave of new IPOs in recent years, aided by the region's governments trying to diversify economies away from oil. Arab said that "a lack of tech and growth businesses in the public markets in the region" could help tabby appeal to investors. (Reporting by Federico Maccioni Editing by Tommy Reggiori Wilkes and Susan Fenton)
Reuters
12-02-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Gulf fintech tabby doubles valuation to $3.3 billion ahead of IPO
DUBAI, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Gulf fintech tabby has more than doubled its valuation to $3.3 billion after completing a new funding round, as the buy now, pay later (BNPL) firm prepares for a stock market listing within 18 months, its chief executive told Reuters. The company raised $160 million in a Series E financing round led by existing investors Blue Pool Capital, a Hong Kong-based investment firm backed by Alibaba's ( opens new tab co-founder Joe Tsai, and the Saudi pension fund's investment arm Hassana Investment Company. Advertisement · Scroll to continue tabby was valued at $1.5 billion when it closed a previous funding round in late 2023. Customers can use tabby, which counts Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala among its backers, to defer paying for purchases. Founded in 2019, it has tied up with more than 40,000 brands and businesses including Amazon (AMZN.O), opens new tab and fast-fashion retailer Shein in markets such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. BNPL soared in popularity after the COVID-19 pandemic forced more shoppers online. Regulators in Britain and the United States have previously warned about its use, saying consumers needed to understand the risks. Other existing tabby investors STV and Wellington Management participated in the latest funding round. "It really is around just making this next leap for the business, from a pure buy-now-pay-later business to a lot more than just that," CEO Hosam Arab told Reuters in an interview when asked how the new funding would be used. Arab said tabby wanted to keep investing in its product range including digital spending accounts, cards, payments and money management tools. The company, which is targeting 20 million users by the end of the year, is looking to float in the next 18 months, with Saudi Arabia among the potential listing venues, Arab said. tabby has hired HSBC (HSBA.L), opens new tab, JP Morgan (JPM.N), opens new tab and Morgan Stanley (MS.N), opens new tab to work on the IPO, according to a source with knowledge of the matter. The three banks declined to comment. The Gulf's stock markets have seen a wave of new IPOs in recent years, aided by the region's governments trying to diversify economies away from oil. Arab said that "a lack of tech and growth businesses in the public markets in the region" could help tabby appeal to investors. Get a look at the day ahead in U.S. and global markets with the Morning Bid U.S. newsletter. Sign up here.
