Its been a blast!
Well where do I start, shall I say today is quite significant to my family and I especially my Dad in particular. Huurrmm just to let you guys know before hand that this posting is a bit sentimental and a tad sombre. Today is actually the last day on the job for my Dad. Yup he’s going to retire today. He’s 57. Ok some of you may say it’s not a big deal as it happens to all of us. You see it’s a bit different in our case. For me personally there’s this feeling of responsibility to shoulder. How I wished I was into my 4th or 5th year of working. I guess if I was at that level I d be more secure and more financially sound, then I am sure my parents would be more comfortable with the retirement. The truth is at the moment there’s still stuff that I rely on them. Unfortunately. Its different for us Malay’s especially, in my instance my parents are not trying to shoulder me with the responsibility. But as a son you’d always feel indebt to them. I just hope one day ill get to repay them for all the things they’ve done for me. Things that I don’t think I can even quantify.
The poignant thing about this retirement is the shift in lifestyle for my parents and us. Apart from the army my Dad has been a planter ever since. Life in the plantations is different. I think we are or my parents are among those blessed enough to experience it. Not many of us nowadays can experience the unique atmosphere of living in a Rubber or an Oil Palm estate. Having oil palm trees as neighbors has its perks. Ultimately you have the nature and privacy to your own. Unlike us urbanites, where the hustle and bustle are a blended together with all the pollution thus giving it an intoxicating mix. The comfort and simplicity of the estate somehow made it a pleasant experience. Among the 3 of us the most experienced in estate life would be my younger brother. My sister and I both moved to the city once school was required, in fact my sister went to live with Bah and Auntie Tin as early as pre-school. It was a unique way of growing up. Every school holiday we’d be looking forward to the estate. Ironically going back home was our holiday trip.
Each time my Dad had to move we would be excited, for all the years and numerous places we’ve been to not one place was bad. Each place was inimitable and had its own appealing distinctiveness. Places like Padang Serai, Sungai Senarut were among the best place. For every place that we’ve been to the people, the food, the town and the house itself would be the focal point. You’d be surprised at the number good of food places we’ve been to. Heck there’s this Kopitiam in Segamat that serves wicked kopi and roti kahwin that would have kicked Starbucks nuts back to the sky. See how fortunate we were. But of all the places we’ve been to Carey Island has to be the best of the lot. The people, the food and especially the house were something only the lucky few will get to experience. Those who have been to Carey Island would definitely agree. That’s Me and my Mum at the Carey Island house. Spanking huh? Where else can you get a place where there’s a club house with golf course and a jetty for fishing all within a stone throw away from the awesome house? And it’s not that far away from Kl. Hahah I know that’s a bit oxymoronic, wanting the estate life but still want the city to be near. Hahah.
Surprisingly the benefits of my Dad’s company are a lot. Well I guess you’d have to since not all of us would work at the estate. I know I can’t haha. They provide you with a house inclusive of the electrical and water bills and if you’re a manager you’ll get a maid and a driver plus a Range Rover. Impressive huh? The hard thing now is that all those things won’t be around anymore. I hope everyone including me can learn to accept that. I can imagine how hard it is for someone to retire. You ll get emotional, for my Dad in particular as he was hoping to get an extension. Obviously it didn’t happen. I really feel for him because my Dad enjoyed his job. He was enjoying it and is not as if he was looking forward to this retirement. Gosh I wish I knew what to say and what to do. Clearly I am not in the position to do so, its kinda like a staff telling his manager what to do. I just hope all of us can get his spirit up. Hopefully he ll get a job soon. Funny when he asked me for a copy of my cover letter. Let’s hope my lucky cover letter can do the trick. It helped me get a kick ass job I just hope my Dad is as fortunate.