Age must be catching up on me. Things which I thought no longer choke, does now though less sparing than before. Have to admit, I was never a tough guy in the neighbourhood nor in primary school. But things changed rather drastically once in secondary school though not as drastic as one would want to imagine.
It is said that we live in a cycle; as we grow older, some parts of our behaviour or character in younger days would surface again. Its like a warning for some of us that our time may soon come. Then - as they say - our life history would come rushing by us.
The other day when Jeff Ooi announced his decision to join D.A.P., I was present. It was during Jeff's speech when I spotted Ahiruddin Atan. Decided to introduce myself and as I was doing so, someone tapped my shoulder from behind and asked "Were you my junior from school?" Just prior to that, I had noticed something peculiar about this guy but could not put my finger on it. Thus when I turned around to look at this same guy who tapped me, somehow I instantly recognised him! I mean, wow! It been like 26 years since I left school and this guy 5years my senior still recognise me? But it was embarrassment that I could not remember him earlier. Afterall, he was the taiko in school.
The only reason I mentioned the above is because its related to the title and that of late, I seem to be meeting some long lost friends and cousins.
As a committee member for "Kami Perihatin / We Care" club I've just joined, I volunteered to call the broadcast media to request free airtime for the free concert we are preparing. After calling several radio stations, I decided to call TV3. The voice that answered the call sound strangely familiar. But since I was concentrating on my task, I did not give it much heed. When the extension I requested did not answer, the telephone operator asked me to call back. Somehow we got into a short conversation and before I could say bye, he called my name! I was like shocked! But he introduced himself as Sofian, the sightless telephone operator for TV3! We came to know each other when I was selling insurance and haunted the TV3 station in Jalan Liku quite regularly. MasyAllah! After a good 13 years this guy still recognise my voice! We met, what, only once or twice!
I thought the two incidence within the matter of a few days apart was getting scary already. But it got worse today. It was just after Asr and I wanted to watch the TV. Once switched on I surfed the channels and found a movie I thought I would never want to watch again - The Sound of Music!
The first time I saw it I was about 4 or 5 when we were living in Pengkalan Chepa, Kelantan. Then after several years of having shifted to KL, the movie made a rerun and the whole family went to see it again. It was only then I understood the story...and choked at several scenes. But as I grew much older, I resolved not to watch such soapy-mushy movies ever again. After all, men, must act tough. Still, there I was, glued to the TV along with emak. Never had I seen her watching an English movie so intently. Something either in or about the movie brought back lots of memories to her and yours truly. Then I realised the story of Von Trapp family and mine have several things in common, especially the final part when they crossed the Alps. I choked! In fact I began to choke much earlier in the story, as I noticed emak too did.
Getting mushy again? Perhaps. Perhaps because as age takes hold and maybe with it a grain of wisdom, I keep being reminded of a life thats constantly near its end. That, is the only thing that Allah s.w.t. promised to us: to each a life to be lived till the end. Whence? Only He knows.
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