The last article on Men's Health Malaysia's May 2009 Issue features a list of defining moments we might have forgotten, being jaded, roughened by the cruel reality of Life over the year. I think I remember some of them, but not all too clearly, yet memory lane central nonetheless.....
Realising that your dad is not Superman
Complete with flaws, unfulfilled dreams and worldly wisdom. Your takeaway? Learn from his mistakes, not repeat them.
I am yet to realise that I am not Superman! Anyway, I remember one discussion I had with Dad, that time I was debating why I should not take the offer to UM to do medicine locally (I was midway through my A-levels that might send me abroad - the dream of any young Sabahan chaps tired of small town life) but Dad told me about his dream of sending us to local Universities (Dad's generation still taken into yonder-days prestigious names like UM), I followed and as a blessing in disguise, the economy crashed that year (1997) many students abroad got sent back while I secured a place in an institution that makes me who I am today. Dad still ain't Superman, but Superman doesn't know how to be a dad!
Going to a football game
That magical moment when you climbed the stones steps and caught sight of that wonderful amphitheatre for the first time. It was so big. It still makes your heart skip a beat.
The first time I went for a live football match was during SUKMA while I was still studying, and that time I went to Shah Alam Stadium with Soon Hock to watch the final match of Malaysia vs Thai, where Malaysia lost by a self-goal. Embarrassing, but I remembered the human wave best!! I'd go again just to do the human waves!
Casting your first vote
You'll never have a sense of being empowered like you did during your virgin visit to the polling station, even if it is a school. Mainly because by the time the following election came around, you'd realised they're all as bad as each other and may have never voted again.
My first time casting a vote was for the General Election-12. It was fun, that's all I remembered. A tad bit disorientating, but fun nonetheless.
Finishing a difficult novel
A real sense of achievement comes from having read and understood a work of literature. The fact that it proved to be the only 'difficult' novel you've read isn't really important.
I have read a few difficult novels, mind you... But one that gave a a great sense of achievement was being able to do Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder in only 5 days, the week prior to a final exam during Klang Hospital attachment.
Negotiating a pay rise
All you need was to ask, stating your case clearly and calmly. And had the good sense to know the limit you could push.
I guess being a humble government servant I would not have the liberty to negotiate my pay rise, we all depend on Cuepecs to do it. But I remember my first paying job as a floor staff at MPH Midvalley, but I kinda screwed up when the management saw my staff-purchase went up to over RM1k in just 3 weeks - that's waaay too much for a part-timer's purchase. The boss had to call me in to the room, I owned up to having used my staff benefit to buy stuffs for my friends, he forgave my naivety, gave me a chance but I resigned the next day, hah. Anyway, for all its worth, it was great being a walking discount voucher, even for just 3 weeks!
Hosting a dinner party
You arranged the knives in the correct order, topped up every one's drinks and you didn't doze off when the plus one from hell started talking about Gossip Girls. You're officially civilised.
Organising a dinner wasn't that hard when all I needed to do was to get the raw materials and my nurses did all the cooking, arranging and cleaning up after that.
Realising it's more than friends
Your pals teased you incessantly and you played along with the long phone calls and the longer IM-ing. Then it hit you that you meant more to you than going to the mamak stalls with your friends.
Huh? I don't understand the statement but I think I can guess from the title. The first time I felt it was more than friends was when she took so much care to nurse my bleeding fingers (for goodness' sake it was just a bloody paper cut, literally) but I felt really good about it ;-P
Opening your first pay-slip
Chances are you wasted every cent of that glorious payslip on a pair of shoes or that worthless piercing - and the fact that you could do that was exactly the point.
My first pay check... let's see when was that... ah, August 2003. I think my first splurge was on a Canon Supershot A400 camera, and I never regretted that purchase - some of my best photos were taken with that ol' junk.
At the driver's seat
You never felt more powerful, more in charge of your destiny or where you wanted to go - even if its just to the 7 Eleven down the road.
My first farthest drive before getting a license was with Henry going to Southern Park to get a haircut. It was the champion car ESA6588 - the training ground to all my siblings - and that time I was going on 20km/hour and I can sense the cars behind me were getting annoyed - but suck it up, I am still in front and this is MY WHEEL!! Woohoo!! I passed my driving test the afternoon of the same day I left KK to study in KL, so I never touched the wheel again until about a year later when I came back for holidays.
Patted on the back
You've worked so hard that you've forgotten about the rewards. So when the boss visited your cubicle and flashed you that rare smile of approval, you realised that there was more to the job than getting paid.
My boss is the forever smiling type and always dishing out encouraging words so I don't have a problem with rare smiles... (thanks a zillion DrYusof) but I remember the first tangible pat I received from my job was on this lowly programme I got involved in setting up while I was still in Tungku, Lahad Datu. When Dato'DrNarimah, the Head of Family Health Division of KKM came to my humble clinic, I had to show her some slides of the activities that we carried out. After the whole presentation, she asked to flash back to the few slides on Father Friendly Workshop - those 2 slides I inserted just for completion's sake. But Dato' has different take on it, she was impressed with the simple work and granted me a slot, there and then, to present the activity as a free paper during the National Technical Meeting for Family Health, Ministry of Health in Sunway! Till today, whenever I think back of that moment, I go "Wow..."
Getting dumped
Or rejected. You couldn't articulate the sensation you felt deep inside at the time. You just wanted it to go away. It took you a few more exposures before you realised that the gnawing feeling was called heartbreak.
Yep, I remember the first. 1997. It was like being asked to down a bottle of vinegar while watching Titanic over and over again. The whole thing felt terribly long, painful and leaves an aftertaste in the mouth that makes you nauseous. Exactly that.
Saying no
And meant it. Whether it was drinking or plainly just doing something bad. Remember how good it felt to walk away?
Saying no to other people wasn't half as hard as saying no to myself. I can't remember the first but I remember the last - I was fighting the temptation to buy another leather bag on discount at MetroJaya MidValley. It was on about 70% off, and it would definitely add an air of sophistication to my not so sophisticated outlook. But I figured I don't need another bag at that time and walked away. It wasn't a good feeling, I still dream about the richness of texture of the leather and how good it smelled and how handsome the bag looks, but deep down inside I am glad I didn't get it, a small victory but a victory nonetheless.
Getting tested
Your first blood work, whether it was brought on because you had a STD scare or a new job, you've never felt so nervous waiting for the results.
I am never anxious going for a test or exam, but I will have a near mental breakdown waiting for the result. Once I didn't go and see my result of my exams, even after 3 days being displayed on the Faculty's notice board. Our marks were shown against our matrix number so people couldn't come and tell me my result. When I finally went there to see, it was at night, and my knees were wobbly and I almost pissed in my pants in excitement and relief to know I passed. 3 days!! 3 long and excruciating days!!
Hitting the sweet spot
We're talking about sports like golf, badminton or tennis here, and not anything you might get up in the bedroom. Although it doesn't mean it doesn't apply as well.
Okay, if it's about sports, I may not have much experiences to remember. But I remember how good it felt to finally know how to swim after practicing at Klang Sports Complex - and after reading the theory on swimming from 3 book I borrowed from the library. Pelik tetapi benar!
Realising that your dad is not Superman
Complete with flaws, unfulfilled dreams and worldly wisdom. Your takeaway? Learn from his mistakes, not repeat them.
I am yet to realise that I am not Superman! Anyway, I remember one discussion I had with Dad, that time I was debating why I should not take the offer to UM to do medicine locally (I was midway through my A-levels that might send me abroad - the dream of any young Sabahan chaps tired of small town life) but Dad told me about his dream of sending us to local Universities (Dad's generation still taken into yonder-days prestigious names like UM), I followed and as a blessing in disguise, the economy crashed that year (1997) many students abroad got sent back while I secured a place in an institution that makes me who I am today. Dad still ain't Superman, but Superman doesn't know how to be a dad!
Going to a football game
That magical moment when you climbed the stones steps and caught sight of that wonderful amphitheatre for the first time. It was so big. It still makes your heart skip a beat.
The first time I went for a live football match was during SUKMA while I was still studying, and that time I went to Shah Alam Stadium with Soon Hock to watch the final match of Malaysia vs Thai, where Malaysia lost by a self-goal. Embarrassing, but I remembered the human wave best!! I'd go again just to do the human waves!
Casting your first vote
You'll never have a sense of being empowered like you did during your virgin visit to the polling station, even if it is a school. Mainly because by the time the following election came around, you'd realised they're all as bad as each other and may have never voted again.
My first time casting a vote was for the General Election-12. It was fun, that's all I remembered. A tad bit disorientating, but fun nonetheless.
Finishing a difficult novel
A real sense of achievement comes from having read and understood a work of literature. The fact that it proved to be the only 'difficult' novel you've read isn't really important.
I have read a few difficult novels, mind you... But one that gave a a great sense of achievement was being able to do Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder in only 5 days, the week prior to a final exam during Klang Hospital attachment.
Negotiating a pay rise
All you need was to ask, stating your case clearly and calmly. And had the good sense to know the limit you could push.
I guess being a humble government servant I would not have the liberty to negotiate my pay rise, we all depend on Cuepecs to do it. But I remember my first paying job as a floor staff at MPH Midvalley, but I kinda screwed up when the management saw my staff-purchase went up to over RM1k in just 3 weeks - that's waaay too much for a part-timer's purchase. The boss had to call me in to the room, I owned up to having used my staff benefit to buy stuffs for my friends, he forgave my naivety, gave me a chance but I resigned the next day, hah. Anyway, for all its worth, it was great being a walking discount voucher, even for just 3 weeks!
Hosting a dinner party
You arranged the knives in the correct order, topped up every one's drinks and you didn't doze off when the plus one from hell started talking about Gossip Girls. You're officially civilised.
Organising a dinner wasn't that hard when all I needed to do was to get the raw materials and my nurses did all the cooking, arranging and cleaning up after that.
Realising it's more than friends
Your pals teased you incessantly and you played along with the long phone calls and the longer IM-ing. Then it hit you that you meant more to you than going to the mamak stalls with your friends.
Huh? I don't understand the statement but I think I can guess from the title. The first time I felt it was more than friends was when she took so much care to nurse my bleeding fingers (for goodness' sake it was just a bloody paper cut, literally) but I felt really good about it ;-P
Opening your first pay-slip
Chances are you wasted every cent of that glorious payslip on a pair of shoes or that worthless piercing - and the fact that you could do that was exactly the point.
My first pay check... let's see when was that... ah, August 2003. I think my first splurge was on a Canon Supershot A400 camera, and I never regretted that purchase - some of my best photos were taken with that ol' junk.
At the driver's seat
You never felt more powerful, more in charge of your destiny or where you wanted to go - even if its just to the 7 Eleven down the road.
My first farthest drive before getting a license was with Henry going to Southern Park to get a haircut. It was the champion car ESA6588 - the training ground to all my siblings - and that time I was going on 20km/hour and I can sense the cars behind me were getting annoyed - but suck it up, I am still in front and this is MY WHEEL!! Woohoo!! I passed my driving test the afternoon of the same day I left KK to study in KL, so I never touched the wheel again until about a year later when I came back for holidays.
Patted on the back
You've worked so hard that you've forgotten about the rewards. So when the boss visited your cubicle and flashed you that rare smile of approval, you realised that there was more to the job than getting paid.
My boss is the forever smiling type and always dishing out encouraging words so I don't have a problem with rare smiles... (thanks a zillion DrYusof) but I remember the first tangible pat I received from my job was on this lowly programme I got involved in setting up while I was still in Tungku, Lahad Datu. When Dato'DrNarimah, the Head of Family Health Division of KKM came to my humble clinic, I had to show her some slides of the activities that we carried out. After the whole presentation, she asked to flash back to the few slides on Father Friendly Workshop - those 2 slides I inserted just for completion's sake. But Dato' has different take on it, she was impressed with the simple work and granted me a slot, there and then, to present the activity as a free paper during the National Technical Meeting for Family Health, Ministry of Health in Sunway! Till today, whenever I think back of that moment, I go "Wow..."
Getting dumped
Or rejected. You couldn't articulate the sensation you felt deep inside at the time. You just wanted it to go away. It took you a few more exposures before you realised that the gnawing feeling was called heartbreak.
Yep, I remember the first. 1997. It was like being asked to down a bottle of vinegar while watching Titanic over and over again. The whole thing felt terribly long, painful and leaves an aftertaste in the mouth that makes you nauseous. Exactly that.
Saying no
And meant it. Whether it was drinking or plainly just doing something bad. Remember how good it felt to walk away?
Saying no to other people wasn't half as hard as saying no to myself. I can't remember the first but I remember the last - I was fighting the temptation to buy another leather bag on discount at MetroJaya MidValley. It was on about 70% off, and it would definitely add an air of sophistication to my not so sophisticated outlook. But I figured I don't need another bag at that time and walked away. It wasn't a good feeling, I still dream about the richness of texture of the leather and how good it smelled and how handsome the bag looks, but deep down inside I am glad I didn't get it, a small victory but a victory nonetheless.
Getting tested
Your first blood work, whether it was brought on because you had a STD scare or a new job, you've never felt so nervous waiting for the results.
I am never anxious going for a test or exam, but I will have a near mental breakdown waiting for the result. Once I didn't go and see my result of my exams, even after 3 days being displayed on the Faculty's notice board. Our marks were shown against our matrix number so people couldn't come and tell me my result. When I finally went there to see, it was at night, and my knees were wobbly and I almost pissed in my pants in excitement and relief to know I passed. 3 days!! 3 long and excruciating days!!
Hitting the sweet spot
We're talking about sports like golf, badminton or tennis here, and not anything you might get up in the bedroom. Although it doesn't mean it doesn't apply as well.
Okay, if it's about sports, I may not have much experiences to remember. But I remember how good it felt to finally know how to swim after practicing at Klang Sports Complex - and after reading the theory on swimming from 3 book I borrowed from the library. Pelik tetapi benar!
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