A senior's lifestyle

As you grow older your life and you yourself undergo changes.For one thing we have less demands , be it for food, travel or other worldly needs.What you need to do ,you have practically done and most importantly you find that you can go to bed at night without worrying about the so many things which young people have to worry about. Job wise there is no longer the need or drive to climb the job ladder.You enjoy the privilege of being able to say " If you think I cant perform , sack me for I'm just working for the heck of it and I work as long as I'm happy". A big privilege indeed . Our basic needs have become more simple , food is no longer something to be fussed about.We eat what is on the table and if we should eat out, convenience is the main factor.I remember those days when we could only eat out once a month when dad got his salary and it was not in any fancy restaurant.But it was family and that kind of family outing meant a lot. I like to think of myself as a 'Kampong boy " forced to live in the city.There is nothing better than to have a meal of sambal belachan , salt fish and lots of green chillies.Give me this and I will anytime trade them for sharks fins,lobsters or abalone.we used to enjoy such meals within the family and though the food which my mum cooked up was simple , it was nevertheless so tasty and satisfying to the palate. With aging comes the need for less food and less materialistic needs.recently I bought a new golf club and before buying it was really indecisive as to whether I should or not until a good friend asked me : 1. Can you afford it ? 2.Are you using someone's money to buy it ? and the most interesting question :" How many more years do you think you can enjoy the game ?"That's it and I happily bought the club and was quite at peace with myself doing it and of course I told myself I should buy myself a good Xmas present.Today its no longer a question of this vs this because of limited financial resources.Its more question of why not ?. In Kl weekdays are quite routine , wake up , clean up and have breakfast at the kopitiam and then off to work.After lunch its just looking around the office , a word or two to the staff and its back home to spend some time with the little fella and then at 6 off to fetch the other grandson back from school.Then its shower and back to the bedroom to watch my dvds until around 10pm and then off to bed. Weekends are days to look forward to as it means golf and little family dinners which as you grow older take on new meanings. Unlike many other oldies my age I feel that I'm still able to contribute and keep learning new things to keep up with the times and not be too much of a dinosaur.I pad, I phone, internet banking , e mail ,power point are things which I am picking up.I believe you are never too old to learn and you must never be too proud to ask and hear remarks like " aiyooo ,so simple also you dont know?".Never be too proud to ask and never be too dumb as not to listen.Man can always improve and there is nothing that says you cannot do things if you grow older.Of course old people have their physical limitations which we have to accept. Growing old is a normal phenomenon and we have to just come to grips with it to find that your golden years can really be golden,

Resettling

Looks like we will be moving to a new area as part of our family planning.Mum has been a home maker for our three girls. First in Singapore , where she was looking after our grand daughter till she was ole enough to go to nursery .That settled she moved back to KL to look after after grandson who is now 6 years and ready to be quite independent. We are now needed or she is now needed for our youngest grand son .Our youngest daughter has got her new house and wants us to move in with her. Probably this will mean another couple of years more before the little fella can be sent to nursery and then time for us to move again.This coincides well with my career plans as I see myself being professionally active for another couple of years by which time my succession plan will see my juniors be competent enough to handle the business. Both of us would like nothing better than to be back in our own abode however humble it may be .It is the home which we built , in which our children grew up and once you come to your twilight years I guess that is the place you want to spend your last days. Staying with the children is fine. they treat us well and the in laws also get along with us without any problems. That is because we know how to play our roles as parents and in laws, be seen and not heard, give opinions when you are asked, ask no questions, listen when you are being told and know how to create as little problem to the children and in laws as possible.I believe mum has done a great job , looking after the grandchildren ,handing them over to the parents when they are ready and making home logistics a non factor for the busy parents. Moving to a new place would mean she has to make new friends and she will probably miss all her cronies in Ara Damansara but she has great PR and will surely find new friends in a jiffy.For me it will probably mean getting lost a couple of times as it always takes me time to know the roads and recognize them.But we will manage as the thought of being helpful to our daughter in her hour of need makes all these little things seem unimportant.

Sharing some of Lee Kuan Yew's thoughts

He is 89 years old and like old old people facing their twilight years has put on paper some of his more pertinent thoughts : 1.On his wife.He does not believe that they will ever meet in the after life and that she is gone, she is gone.He has good memories of the times spent with her , how she stood by him during his difficult times and the words of encouragement which she had for him.To him the bond between a couple who have been through thick and thin can never be erased through time. It means to me that while we are together we must learn to value and treasure this as one day one of us will no longer be here . As you grow old you must never forget the happy and sad times you had together.Can we be like we were before during our courting days ?Today as we age do we look at each other like we did before? If not why not ?Relive the olden days and you will find life more meaningful and as we look at each other try to remember what we were like before. 2.On food .We have denied ourselves certain foods which we like for health reasons.Is it time to let go ? Can we now indulge in the things that we love to eat but have refrained from because of health reasons? LKY believes and I agree that we should let go and enjoy ( within moderation ) the things we love to eat.I call myself a " kampong man" as we were brought up on the simple foods as becoming of simple people.I remember when young one of the simple foods we love was breaking a freshly laid egg on hot rice and mixing it well with black soya sauce and pieces of fried crispy lard and eating it with a piece of green chilly .It was as good a meal as you will ever find and really enjoyable. Ice cream , ABC with an ice cream scoop on top are things which I have been refraining from ...hmmm maybe I should have a splurge now and then. 3.Sickness.If you fall sick at this age dont waste your money trying to get well and just let nature take its course>He does not want a fancy funeral service as it is a strain on the family.A simple cremation and his ashes should be kept next to that of his wife.Though he does not believe that they would be together in the after life for the sake of convenience he wants their ashes to be kept in urns in the same place. 4. A time for regrets ? Who has no regrets in life ? I have mine too but they are relatively little ones as compared with his.What are the things we should do but not done ? Certainly food for thought for those who are young and have still time to change their destiny and do what they want to do.

Watching the kids grow up

One of the joys of being a grandparent is to watch the little ones grow up.Aaron is now quite a sensible guy but he needs to be handled with care and reason.He has grown big physically but mentally he is not yet 6 and as such his mental age is like that.Its interesting to note that at this young age a child's character is starting to show and parents need to understand this and take corrective measures at this point of time or they may find difficulty later on and this may be the cause of juvenile delinquency .Whatever , parents must have time to talk to and understand their kids as at this stage they are beginning to have opinions of their own and also to a certain extent start forming their values base as to what constitutes right or wrong and what behavior is acceptable. Like adults , children listen to reason and even at this early age want attention and some respect for their opinions.Aaron is a sensitive boy and we have to be careful when Lucas is around to make sure that some attention is also given to him.I am observant by nature and notices when we all fuss over Lucas he becomes very quiet and his body language shows that he needs some attention too. He is also a proud little fella and likes nothing better than to show off his achievements and we adults have to make him happy and a little reward here and there motivates him further.He has a huge appetite and loves to eat and that is probably one of the reasons when he has grown to such a strong boy.Physically he has grown well and its his mental and psychological growth which have to handled with care or we may be responsible for a rebellious and stubborn kid.To fulfill this the adults must well be aware of their responsibility in this field. the thing that I enjoy now is watching little Lucas grow up.He is so playful yet so lovable and because of that I get home early every day in order to spend some time with him and also to give mum some time to prepare dinner without him getting onto her hair.Part of parental joy is to be able to see the offspring growing and in the process learn and do new things.The amount of time , attention and anxiety which parents go through will enable us to understand why parental love is so special and this is something which every child should learn to value and appreciate.