Pencinta Krai: 08/05/14

In less than a month, i will be 50 years old. A golden age for a mankind and a half century of life on this earth as the the recipient of Allah's benevolence. At 50, we can either look back reminiscing on our good old days and pretending nothing seriously happened to us or we can start preparing to growing old gracefully and peacefully. One way or another, our existence in this world has been part of the "Qada & Qadar" or the grand design by Allah S.A.W. Our destiny in life is what we plan for but the outcome is beyond us to determine.

my self@KB 1965

Homer Simpson

At this age, it dawns upon me that everything seems to be in a slow motion cycle. My daily chores and tasks are very routine and mundane. Even my social life had seen better days before. Now it's becoming very dull and predictable. One thing Homer Simpson and i have in common is the rush back home to slouch on the couch watching TV. Now, my previous busy social life calendar seems to be a page from a history book, it disappears into oblivion and i am not in hurry to fix it.

A 50 years old man is not an old fart, he is just a matured boy with a balding head and a slightly bulging tummy for years of indulgence in good food with no serious exercise. This is the right time to handover our tight jeans to the teenage sons and unfortunately for ladies, ( i am a bit male chauvinist here) please get used to being called Makcik or Auntie every time you step out of your home. And for my friends out there who still have appetite for young girlfriends, it's a time to slow down because you could be staring at your own daughter's friends.

It's also the right time to invest in a better medical plan because you will never know

ARA Damansara Hospital - 2014

what would becoming of you ie; having blocked arteries, blood reading as high as KLCC , brittle bones or weak bladder/colon that requires 24/7 protection. Otherwise, men at the age of 50 can be as good as the men at the age of 30 because they have better judgement, better temperament, more caring and not to mention thicker pockets, except me of course....

2013

Approaching the golden age of 50, we should have developed our own unique identity and carry certain image that reflect our characters. For whomever you might be in the past, you should now completely overhauled your appearance to reflect your maturity that comes with the age. I am for one, chose to be a decent man with down to earth attitude and very flexible in nature.

Over the years I have been able to evolutionize myself in keeping up with the contemporary lifestyles of the particular period. From the 70's, 80's to the 90's and to the present millennium, i have seen changes in fashion styles, political, businesses and more importantly, the environment we're living in. I tried over the years to blend into the environment that that i am living in without being so eccentric or deviate from the norms of the time.

1) In the 20's

1991

1985-86

When i was in the 20's and living in the 80's decade, the fashion of the day was the smart casual style popularized by Don Johnson of Miami Vice series. We also grew up with the influence of 21st Jump Street's Johnny Depp's style and Madonna's for the ladies. This was the decade of discos and clubbings with the likes of Wham, Duran Duran, Foreigners, Air Supply, Run D&C, Billy Joels, Madonnas, Cindy Laupers and many more. During this decade of mix culture arts and musics, in KL alone, we had great hangout joints like the Phase 2, Betel Nuts, Rumours, Scandals, LA11, Piccadily and many more that were mushrooming during the period. For me, this was the "experimental period", the period when i was mixing pleasure with responsibility in life, the fight between good and evil and at the same time trying to keep myself afloat in the corporate world.

2) In the 30 's

1994

Going into 30 years of age and living in the mid 90's, my style and appearance changed in line with the new responsibility in life and career. This was the crucial time in building my working career, getting married and making the "right connections" in the corporate world. This was the time when i decided to make a career move from working in a large multinational companies to be in a small business advisory and ICT company with few friends. This was the defining moment in my working career that catapulted me further into a corporate world beyond my wildest imagination. This was also the decade for growth and venturing into new things to keep up with the fast phase of the corporate world.

1995

2002

1995

2001

3) In the 40's

When i reached 40 years old and living in the new millennium, it's time to change gear again.
The first half of the decade was spent on business development that requires plenty of travellings outside the country and obviously away from my home.

This was the hardest moment in my life because of the time spent outside and being away from the families most of the time. I didn't put detail attention to my kids and they were growing right in front of my eyes. One day i woke up to this realization that they have been growing up without me to give them the moral support they needed. Alhamdulillah, thanks to my wife, she managed everything for the family during my absence from home.

4) Now what???

Now going into 50 years old, one thing that i have not changed is my aggressive driving style. My son once commented, " Dad, looking at the way you drive, no wonder Allah didn't give you the wealth at the early age to buy Ferraris or Lamborghini, you might crash them left, right and center with your fast and aggressive driving" Since i can't still afford Lamborghini or Ferraris, and as long i can enjoy my long distance driving back to Kelantan every month, i am not in hurry to change my aggressive driving style.

Lately, i keep on asking myself what am going to do moving forward? I have many things in my mind such as, "I want to relax, i want to play golf every week, i want to travel the world, i want to do charity every where i go, i want to help the poors, i want to be more Taqwa person, i want to be happy" , and the lists go on... One thing obvious that i don't want to do is to be a politician because i know i will never be a good one. I still have a long way to perfect myself and to help the people around me. But to be where i am now, i am thankful for all the support that i receive from the families, friends and those who have been keeping faith with me all these years. And most of all, the Blessing from Allah Almighty, for allowing me to live until today and to write this piece as a momento for my existence in this world.

If i were to leave the corporate world, i might consider the followings:-

1) Going into agriculture