Reader's perspective: Wealth, lottery, and a gentleman’s approach to wine and fine dining

Of the 25 James Bond films released in theaters, Casino Royale is now considered one of the most iconic, as it contains some of the best scenes seen in a James Bond film. Among them, the poker sequence has become an essential moment in the universe created by Ian Fleming. It is a dramatic turning point in Casino Royale , the first real confrontation between Agent 007 and the film's villain played by Mads Mikkelsen , Le Chiffre. The financial stakes are enormous (more than $100 million on the gaming table) and James Bond intends to overcome his opponent of the evening - which he will do, after many twists and turns.

Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen portrayed Le Chiffre in the 2006 film 'Casino Royale'. Everett Collection

Question from Mr. Samuel:

Dear GC,

Someone wrote to you about "wang haram" which triggered me to share this with you.

My parents have always been playing sports toto for the past 20 years. They have won 3 times. I started playing 5 years ago and won once. So we really build our wealth by this. My uncle also plays it, he also has won more than once. We were all fortunate that we all won those that were in millions. My parents are now in their 70's so once a week they would go up to Genting to play the casino and sometimes would come back with tens of thousands in their hands. We are rich but we continue to show that we live a normal life. My parents live in a nice condo in Kuala Lumpur. It's not even a penthouse. They drive a Honda city. I drive a 2011 Honda CRV. I still play the lottery and I would also play for people who can't play the lottery by charging a small commission. If they win, I also get another small commission. What I can tell you here is that there is a huge number of people who I am currently playing for. I would never force them to play the lottery just because I want to make a commission out of it. So to protect myself, they would need to sign a disclaimer that they voluntarily seek my help to play for them because I respect other people's religion.  I will not force someone to play something that is forbidden in their religion. My point is, the cost of living is so unbearable that people who know they can't play due to religion or customs or tradition are willing to forgo all that so that they don't sink into the water. My parents have both retired when they were 50 because they have accumulated their wealth with all these games. But they know very well that if they didn't do all this, they would not be able to sustain. My dad has a heart problem so he uses the money to pay for his medical bills which are extremely expensive but he needs the best medical treatment. He was lucky that he has the money to pay because without the money he has, he would no longer live today. I am so thankful that he made so much money from lotteries. My mom has kidney problems so she also uses her money to pay for her medical bills. Both of my parents do not want to trouble their kids. That has been their stand since day one. So I can understand why others would forgo their religion or tradition to play the lottery because they might be in the same situation as my parents. They desperately need money not only to pay for medical but other mortgages and trying to live a proper life. I followed in my parents footsteps by engaging in the lottery. My older brother and younger sister also do it and they have also won millions. So what we do with our money we would invest in FD's, stocks, shares, unit trusts.  We have also bought properties and rented them out. This is our passive income. I am 39 years old and I do work at an office for leisure because I do not want to be rotten by staying at home. So I still pay my taxes and contribute a bit to society. By going to work 9-5 I also can understand the stressful life of ordinary Malaysians. It's overwhelming if you don't have enough money.

You might groan hearing this because you have heard it from others, I also did not have much luck with marriage life. It was a short 1.5 year marriage. She didn't like how I portray myself as a low profile guy. She wants me to change my car, change my home. She knows I have money so she wants branded items every week. She wanted shoes, she wanted branded clothes and then went out and showed it off to her colleagues. She sees her friends getting cartier jewelry, she gets jealous and wants to compete then shows off on her social media. Our principles do not align with one another. I don't like to show off mainly because of security and also our family beliefs not to show to the world. Keep it low. She shows off everything on social media until one day a stalker came to her house thinking she was rich. Thank god I am only staying in a double terrace house with my 2011 Honda CRV. I use my money for travel and expensive food. She attracted attention because she loves to show off her branded items in public. My principle is that you can do that if you attend a ball or to a fine dining restaurant but you don't show off your bling bling when you go pasar malam or when you take the public transport. Common sense rite?  I married a stupid girl who just wants money to show off to people and compete with her peers. Even someone with money can have a hard time managing a married life. That is my point. Money is not everything. It's just sheer dumb luck if you are able to find someone to complete you. Even during the divorce process, she made it so complicated because she refused to let me go because I showered her with money.

Bottom line is if more people have begun playing lotteries, they may even start playing games that have a sophisticated allure that you'd usually find at a casino. I think you should have more stories on blackjack / solitaire / poker which can attract more readers to your site. People are desperate so they would find anything now that can generate money. A few tips on poker would be great as it is considered an upper class game due to its proper decorum and to be mindful of your language at the poker table. There is also a rule that you need to maintain proper hygiene and be well groomed at a poker table - something that would suit your theme.

Another area I would like to suggest is having more articles on wine.  Wine is not just a gentleman's drink but they are very valuable in time. They are also considered an ephemeral work of art. The older your wine is, the better it tastes. My dad has a Chateau d'yquem 1847 white wine which people are selling today for 70,000 US Dollars!. My dad is a wine collector because of the money he had accumulated from his lotteries,  he has some of the most expensive wines in his wine cellar. He also buys and sells wine because wine appreciates with time. Last 2 years he sold a 1945 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild 1945. He bought off from an auction at 150,000 us dollars and he sold it for 200,000 dollars. he made 50,000 dollars for selling a red wine bottle.  That's about RM 200,000. A money that one would usually make from selling a house! Wine is another great investment if you really want to be rich. This is also another reason why our families love fine dining because they have some of the best wine bottles. Many fine diners do not really know the value of wines. You might think a bottle of wine would cost RM 5,000 in the diner but actually it could cost double outside. So my dad might just buy 1 bottle which he is familiar with and re-sell it to make money. He knows the value of wines. You can make wonders if you know the value of your wine. As mentioned before, wine is an art so its value is like a piece of art.

Since we are on the subject of wine and fine dining, I'd like to also suggest having more fine dining articles with a review on its wine selection. My dad would love to read them if it includes wine. I went to Kikyo the other day after I googled about it. There were a few blogs and articles on Kikyo and one of the searched articles came from your site. My suggestion is to include more pictures of the food because people would be more interested to see photos of the food more than its interior. I think the photos featured were primarily the restaurant's interior. You should also cover fine dining restaurants outside of Malaysia. That would attract more readers, especially international readers because they travel a lot to find food. I always travel alone and find a companion (usually women) as I travel. I have been to Maison Medard in Boulleret, France which they make exceptional french dishes, Villa Crespi in Orta San Giulio, Italy has a wonderful innovative mediterranean dishes, The El Celler de Can Roca restaurant in spain makes the best cod brandade in the world and they have some of the most impressive collection of wine neatly stacked in its wine cellar. Its Puligny-Montrachet Champ Gain 2016 was my highlight. Just some tips to impress your readers on wine and fine dining.  Maybe you might want to send your writer to cover some of those top rated fine dining restaurants.

I didn't realize I had written such a long email. I can keep going but I think I'll stop here. I don't want to load you with too much information. I hope you could consider some of the points I have made that can benefit current and future readers.

Thank you and I wish you the best in your endeavors.