thoughts

went swimming at downtown east and had really great experience. checked with the girl at the gate about when is the best time to visit the pool and she told be to avoid early morning before 9am as those old folks come in a group of about 10 to use the pool.  when i asked the lifeguard the same question (need to double check on things or might kannar Madoffed) and he told me the same thing.  all the time i did not get the feeling that they see me as one of the old folks!  that's reassuring .... unlike those kopi tiam people, kept calling me Uncle!!

told that to wife and she said since i am getting sensitive to being term OLD.  me sensitive? hardly right? i associate sensitive to Mimosa plant.  you touch the leaves and they close up.  Nah! i am not sensitive.  come to think of it, if anything like the mimosa, it will have to be the colour of the flower.  pinkish, bright.  see, i don't see RED when someone call me uncle.  i see mimosa pink only.  me sensitive? nah!

human beings are just funny creatures.  

you go swimming for relaxation and exercise.  then, you see someone swimming beside you.  if the person swims slower than you, you feel gooood.  if the person swims faster than you, you try to catch up and kick harder.  if you still can't catch up, you console yourself that you are long distance swimmer and the person beside you are just sprinting for a few laps and will soon 'pon chiag'.  then you realize that the person not only swims fast but also has great stamina.  you ended up with not so good a swim session.  Why are we so competitive?

i am just retired recently.  kind of retired.  call it provisional retirement.  you know, something like i have to wear this Triangle sign to tell me people that while i am retired, i am still learning to.  come to think of it, i did not get a cert or license, unlike passing driving test and you get a license, a provisional one.  you get proper license after one year of good behaviour.  all our life we get some sort of Proof that we have done something. you get yearly class photos even when in kindergarten.  you then get graduation photos and off course your parents go ga-ga on your K2 graduation day. then every year in primary school you get CAs SAs and report cards. PSLE.  O levels, A levels, now IB and what else...when you start working you get new name cards everytime you get promotions or when you change to a new job.  BUT, you don't get anything when you retire.  no certificate, no new name card.  I think i am going to design my own name card.  

HENG CHEE MENG

Retired -- provisional