03 June 2008

USJ 2: Sanctuary for Retirees

I have not been writing for the past few days, as I was quite busy with my domestic and family duties and obligations.

For today I don’t intend to write on serious matters like politics, as I have written too much for friends and foes to read….now I just write on lighter side of life.

My 3 grandchildren were around and surely they amused me for the whole 2 solid days with me and made me just could not spend my time on other things.

I took half of last Saturday to play golf, a game which I love most but I have not been good at it.

I have set my mind that golf would be a once-a-week affair for me to revitalize my mind for the following good week of activities and normally I’ll be in flight with the same and normal group of close friends who stand by me when time of sorrow creeps in.

I have very close friends like Ku Rahman, Fuad Rahman, Azril, Dato’ Husin, Sani, Cikgu Wan, Khutairi and quite a few more who play quite a good golf, and if one sees the list of names, they are very simple with life who cares for each other well.

I just can’t help to mention another friend, Jismi, who is the naughtiest of all who would always pull every one’s leg whenever he seizes the opportunity at every tee box, fairway and green.

They are just very ordinary members of my civil USJ 2 neighborhood with no great names and tags on their chest and shoulders and who knows each other’s whereabouts every time of month, week and days.

The list used to be a bit longer but a few have made good in life and have unceremoniously left us as they feel that we are no more in the same ‘wavelength’ to make up good relationship with them….and we accept that as part and parcel of life.

We sit and joke aloud almost daily at our teh tarik spot, an Indian Muslim coffee shop called Ehsan at the later hour of early nights.

Sometimes we talk about serious matters too, like asking each other when would the PM steps down, who is going to succeed him, is Altantuya case has anything to do with Najib, and last but not least, can Tengku Razaleigh make up for the UMNO president so on and so forth.

The seriousness can go as far as asking each other whether Najib is quite a dangerous successor as he may be an easy prey of strong foreign elements with dubious intentions, because of his weak character and his indecisive attitude over important issues.

Somehow the most regular and popular topic among us is about who among us are ‘wife fearing’ guys who never want to admit openly with us but instead claim that they are superior over their wives.

Some talk about how macho they are but would immediately run back home once they receive sms’s from their wives…and no one among us knows the content of those messages……I guess it must be very frightful one.

There was also elements of ‘corrupt’ practices among us as some would ‘tapau’ some good foods for their wives……I guess to cushion the potential ‘barking’ from their wives for that small offence of coming back late.

We normally would laugh aloud at each other and none took offence, as we are already immuned to those kinds of practical jokes.

I reckon this is the usual topic discussed among senior citizen like us and that remains just as casual discussion to fill up the ample free time available.

The names that I mentioned are not short of qualified personalities but they choose to stay away from active businesses as they have resign to the fact that business opportunities are not for them.

They firmly believe that those opportunities are meant for people who have their ‘line’ to the strong personalities in power whom they are not accessible to.

To them opportunities are just for the few exclusive cronies and to solicit projects through these cronies would end up in paying a lot for unnecessary variable costs such as kickbacks so on and so forth.

In the end they frequent golf courses: feeling fascinated and exuberant when they stand on the tee boxes, the fairways and the greens, enjoying chippings and puttings for some small bets that was earlier set.

I can’t ignore this group of retirees as I am just one of those who can understand how they feel about life especially in current situation of uncertainties.

These group of friends are the most impeccable that I just can’t go without sitting around with them almost daily………..as and I am now a full fledge retiree as well.

I do hope we can altogether go to the mosque regularly to become a ‘god fearing’ Muslim rather than just being a ‘wife fearing’ group.



Thanks……………………………………………………………. Aspan Alias.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

klu 24jam fikir pasal politik je
nanti otak bole beku.....kes naya nanti....silap2 kene heart attack

mungkin suatu hari,INSYALLAH, saya dan saudara aspan bole bersembang di kedai kopi....sembang kosong

carcoon

pakbelalang said...

Ekau puaso dah boropo tahun complete, Pan. Kalau kat Muar ekau tak sembayang jumaat 3 kali berturut, ekau kono kojar dengan Mat Rempit kampong.

Aspan Alias said...

Joe, Saya menantikan temujanji dgn saudara pada bila-bila. Saya boleh dihubungi pada bila-bila masa dan kita sembang panjang-panjang. T Kasih.

shahbandarmalakat said...

bilo ekau minum teh tarik ekau lupo orang macam den ni...tak apolah..dah lah den masuk IJN buet by -pass, 4 saluran tak datang jongoh...

ompet bulan kono rehat ket rumah...baru minggu ini den start kojo balik...tak kojo maacam mano...anak den ket dublin tu dah dapet work permit..(green card belum laii)...nak cari duit tambang nak poii sanan ...kau poii laii ket London? Datuk M kita tiap tiap kali ajak makan hari jumaat...hari jumaat sibuk..den kat doket Zul, sekali sekali datang lah doket the CURVE parking sonang...makan mahal lah tapi dia nak bayar tak apolah...ini asyik asyik makan kat Rentry...