April 26, 2025

LOOKING BACK 70 YRS DOWN THE ROAD

 


On March 31, 2025, I amazingly entered the 70 series: a milestone if one succeeds this far. It’s a time to reflect past achievements, experiences and memories:

Born uniquely tongue-tied made it impossible to properly recite the Quran, I wonder why I was born with this handicap but it taught me humility from a very young age. Over the years, I’ve been literally broken here, mended there but Alhamduillah, still in one piece. I should have kicked the bucket as early as 4 but for reasons Allah knows best, I survived death many times. There obviously must be something crucial that I not die yet. Being playful during school days saw me get poor exam results but a change in mindset earned me a degree. In career, I earned 3 Excellence Service Award, even got honored AMN, I think could have clinched a State Datukship had I stayed longer but I was more interested in furthering my studies where I was awarded a MSc. My old man who almost gave up on me when he saw my MCE results, smiled a quiet relief. Tinkering Open Source not of my line, my name became synonymous with QGIS in the public sector when I promoted it seeing its potential to save millions ringgit of public fund. The final feather in the cap came after I pensioned as I was recognized as a departmental pioneer for promoting Open Source.

Yes, there were good times: I studied abroad, I visited 30+ countries through holidays and on-government service, I been fuly sponsored for umrah. Obessed with customization, I realized my radical Fiat 131 Supermirafiori after a few years of working and owned a zebra stripe hardtail bobber, my schoolboy's dream at the age of 60 but life has been challenging to say the least. I’ve tasted blood, sweat and tears yet somehow bounced back. I've survived a broken arm bone, a hemorrhoid and 2 separate hernia surgeries plus a hairline fracture at my hip bone. As life and death is Allah's previlege, I feel I was created to give birth to my 3 children so that they too can have their seperate legacy, Insyallah.

Reaching 70, I find now I easily get tired and wonder when my time will come and this always takes me to a time after bapak had a second stroke. I asked if he was ever afraid of dying? He was 64 then and said living any day after 63 (the year Rasul demised) was a bonus so it didn’t matter. I too have that similar feeling and see death merely a gateway to the permanent world; we are not perfect but insyallah, to Jannah.

The 10 death defying incidences mentioned above are:

1. At 4, I lost much blood after broken glass milk bottle cut my arm vein. Doctor said had I reached hospital 1 hr later, I might not have made it.

2.  At 7, I dived into deep end of PD beach lagoon without first checking. I managed to get out safely after some struggle and my feet somehow  managed to touch the edge of slope so I pushed myself forward.

3. At 18, the car I was in spun on top of a hill ledge around the wet road missing cars from both directions because my brother had not serviced the brake pads. 

4. At 19, the car I was in sommersaulted down 40' ravine but stopped short of crashing into rock boulders. Police inspector who visited site said I should have died but it was not my time ... yet.

5. At 25, I drove along JB-Kota Tinggi road in the night, took hair pin corner suddenly the right side of car lifted. I drove on 2 wheels for a while but landed gently as road curved to the right.

6. At 26, I got leg cramp while swimming in the Tioman sea. I managed to swim with one leg to a friend 10' close by who then helped me swim back to our boat.

7. At 33, an oil tanker crossed my path from left to right then stopped 3/4 way because of on-coming traffic. A mad 3 sec. manuever helped avoid direct collision.

8. At 34, I drove along Batu Gajah-PD road in the night, suddenly, I came across cows lazing in the middle of the road. I miraclously drove in-between them and avoided a head-on accident.

9. At 35, I again drove along Batu Gajah-PD road and just managed to avoid a fast army truck that popped out from deceptive undulating corner.

10. At 37, I was about to fix a wall bulb when suddenly fell off the ladder. I manage to flip mid-air and avoid breaking my back, thankfully, just broke arm.

To have my 70th birthday fall on Eid Mubarak which has never happened before in my life is statistically rare and I think is auspicious but I'm no fortune teller and leave it all to Allah, He knows best and He knows me better than I know myself.