Oh, To Be Young Again! (Or Not)

When I asked a little girl how old she was, she said ten and a half. I smiled knowing that at one time too, halves and three quarters made all the difference to our ages. Somehow we could not wait to grow up, in short to be an adult. Even the song Sixteen Going On Seventeen in the Sound of Music soundtrack echoes the same desire.

It is all very confusing.

Children can’t wait to become teens. Then you have the awkward age where you are neither a child nor a teen and you become  a ‘tween’. We also have teens who can’t wait to become adults and will try to dress and behave like their pop idols.

Through the eyes of a child, the teenage or adult world certainly seems more fun : staying up late, less parental supervision, being heard , going places or maybe even experimenting with make up. Certainly there are many things that an adult can do but a child can’t.

And then the birthdays roll by.

Before long people stop asking you how old you are because that has become a sensitive area. We no longer put numerous candles on the birthday cake. In fact, every year we just have one symbolic candle.

In a classic movie called Big starring Tom Hanks, a 12 year old boy made a wish at a carnival machine and became a 30 year old overnight. As movies go, he managed to become 12 again before the reel ran out. Near the end of the movie, there was a scene where he asked his girlfriend in the adult world whether she would like to go back in time with him to being a 12 year old again. 

Her answer was “No. I've been there before.  It's hard enough the first time.”

My sentiments exactly.

If a fairy godmother gave me a wish to be ten, twenty or thirty years younger, I would politely decline the offer even if that meant an 18 inch waist and flawless porcelain skin.

We evolve from being teased as the sweet young thing or the most desirable hunk to being called ma’am, aunty, uncle or ‘pak cik’ and ‘mak cik’. We are secretly happy when the shop keeper calls us ‘langloi’ (pretty lady) or ‘langchai’ (handsome guy), terms usually reserved for the younger set, even though we are aware that he uses the same term for almost any potential customer in order to get the person to buy something from his stall.

So, what age is the best age for living?

I feel that it is the time of your life where you feel very contented with yourself. You can be the child with all the attention focussed on you. There is the baby book when every milestone is recorded: the first step, the first haircut, the first word.

You can be the promising young adult whose school year book has a brilliant display of photos that highlight amazing feats: the school sports champion, the national orator, the best academic performance.

You can be the professional who has just landed on a great job and has bought a house or a car.

Or it can be that age when you feel secure because you are proud of who you are. You no longer need to compare yourself with others and are not worried about what others think about you. It is when you know the difference between what really matters and what seems to matter and you make choices and stand by them.

When I visited my friend Sarita on her birthday, I found her sitting most resplendently in her beautiful and well manicured garden. I think every birthday is special because it reminds us that the beauty of living is that you have lived and are still living life to the fullest.

Every moment counts. There is nothing like living in the now.

 THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY NEW STRAITS TIMES   http://digital.nstp.com.my/nst/books/150524nstnews/index.html#/22/    24/5/2015 

Feeling like I'm at Home Again

Every now and again I meet up with Malaysians in this part of the world. The first reaction is that of surprise as there are not many of us around here and the next is noticing the unmistakable trademark –  the Malaysian identity that surpasses everything. We are no longer defined by psychological barriers like race, religion or class status. Instead we are all countrymen united by some form of camaraderie in a different land.

I first talked to Sham (Shamzuri) Hanifa in 2010 over the phone after watching an interesting documentary aired over national television about his success in the culinary field.

It is always lovely to hear a success story. Even more so when he is a Malaysian.

I was pleasantly surprised to see him in the flesh when I went for the National Crafts and Design Fair in Dublin in December 2014. There was a section called the Food Emporium where over 100 artisan food producers showcased the best of the season’s bounty.

Sham opened the award winning The Cottage Restaurant in Jamestown in County Leitrim in 2008. The menu at this restaurant draws on a rich culinary heritage that shines through chef-crafted selections of contemporary Irish cuisine with an Asian twist.

Not resting on his laurels, Sham recently created quite a stir with his new range of handmade cooking sauces, inspired by his grandmother’s cooking. The best part is that they are 100% natural with no artificial ingredients, no artificial preservatives, no flavourings or artificial colourings, no additives and no stabilizers.

When I visited Sham’s stand at the Food Emporium, it was well stocked with bottles of homemade sauces. As there were many customers at his stand, Sham reminded me to call again at his stand before I left the fair. I did and to my surprise he packed six complimentary bottles of his flavoursome sauces for me. I was thrilled to bits because that was totally unexpected. Immediately it reminded me of Malaysian kinship and generosity. I must certainly call at his restaurant when I go up to Jamestown.

Another interesting café and bakery that is near where I live is  I tea in Limerick. Run by young Malaysians, I tea serves an assortment of Irish and Malaysian cakes and buns as well as the traditional Irish breakfast.

Situated in a corner of the Limerick Milk Market which becomes very much alive on Saturdays, it caught my attention when I was doing my weekly shopping for fresh produce. Sitting down to a hot cup of latte and a meat floss or curry bun is quite an unbelievable experience in a place where buns are usually sweet and creamy.

There was a Saturday where my beloved and I sat down and ordered hot drinks and a pandan swiss roll at I tea.

Knowing that we would not be able to finish the whole swiss roll, I asked whether we could pay for the whole swiss roll but just eat two slices of it at the café and take home the remaining portion. They told us it wasn’t a problem at all and we happily had our fill.

To our surprise when we were about to go home, the owners gave us a brand new swiss roll instead of the original half!

Again it reminded me of Malaysian kinship and generosity. So I told my Irish friends about the shop and every time I’m in Limerick, I will surely pop by the shop. I guess it is the Malaysian in me who wants to see another Malaysian succeed, just like my Japanese friends who will only buy Japanese products wherever they are.

It is amazing how a country is defined by its culture and its people. It is the little things that we hold dear like the politeness, friendliness and generosity that continue to live in us wherever we are. We may take such things for granted. But when we are in a foreign place, and we meet other people from the country that we originate from, and they treat you so well, a feeling of pride and unity wells up within.

These little touches make all the difference.

I am left feeling that I am home again.

Weblink: http://digital.nstp.com.my/nst/books/150510nstnews/index.html#/22/