2 in 1

I was tagged twice. The first time was on February 02 by an old friend and secondly on March 17 by a new friend. So this entry is about 16 dalil about Jumper which include his dreams in his life journey.


No 1 - The worth of 50 cents
I was born in Singapore and at the age of 6, I was supposed to die there. It was early in the morning. My father walked me to school. He tied a 50 cents coin at the edge of my handkerchief. He kissed me on the cheek and left to work. I had to wait for about 2 hours before the school started. So I was left alone to entertain myself in the school compound. I did the helicopter swing with my handkerchief. The knot loosened and the 50 cents coin took off. It was no where to be found. I panicked. I ran out of the school compound to get my father. I hoped he was still there waiting for the bus. I hoped that I could get another coin. Without the coin, there would be no Bubblegum after school (these were the days before Singapore banned on chewing gum). I ran across the street. I couldn't find him so I turned back. A car at high speed was supposed to ran over me but it stopped. I felt the wind at the back of my ears. I heard shouting and screeching. I continued running to reach the school compound. I didn't look back. I cried. It was not because of the serious near miss. I cried because I would miss the afternoon treat of Bubblegum. In the evening, a neighbour came to our house. She saw what happened in the morning and reported the details to my mother. She made a big deal of the whole thing. I psyched myself up for a good spank from my mother. After that nosy neighbour left, instead of getting the cane from the top of the cabinet, my mother went to the kitchen to make pulut kuning. As a child, I thought an angel had taken my 50 cents as a charge to protect me from the car and the cane.

No 2 - The temple
I love my mother. She taught me to read and write. I love my father. He taught me to ride a bicycle. I was a happy child thinking that I would always have them together for they have affected my life in different ways. But it was not meant to be for them to be together forever for me. The happiness in my childhood was gradually eroded with my parents' struggle to sustain their marriage. When they had their series of serious adults' disagreement and misalignment, I had my silence and sadness, mapped by the tears on my wet pillow. Then I started to realize that despite the love and shelter they provided, I couldn't count on them or anyone else for my own happiness. Overtime I have created a temple and a shield around it. This is my own happiness. The happiness may radiate beyond the shield but nothing can come in to ruin in. It is the core of my mental strength that has made me thick. By the way, my parents divorced when I was 15.

No 3 - The unforgettable moments
My worst living experience was when I had to look into my father's eyes to tell him that I would follow my mother on the day my parents split their way. I saw the hollow man who had lost everything. My younger brother and sister were too young to be asked. By default, they were with my mother. I knew my father had hoped that I would choose to live with him. But I didn't want to be separated from my siblings. It was a decision I have to make at the age of 15. Now I am blessed with intuition which allows me to be courageous in making any decision. It seems that there is nothing worse than the one I had made at the age of 15. My best living experience was when I cried thankfully when my daughter Aimi was born. She got stuck for nearly an hour and I was already thinking of losing her. She made it eventually and I was blessed to witness such turbulent and intense moment in the peaceful slow-paced Hospital Putrajaya.

No 4 - The magnet
I am inspired by others who push themselves to the extreme in difficult times. I am so easily attracted to them. On the other end, I am pissed off by ungrateful people who complain so loud and fashionably but never get things done. These are the people I repel.

No 5 - The love of unity

I like Geography. It made me realize we are all living in one big home - our home, no matter how different we can be. It is the strongest aspiration for unity. I hate politics. There is no sincerity in the games played by most politicians. It is a subject of manipulation. It's the leading devil that divides us.

No 6 - The phobia
I have never trusted anybody and anything on the road. I keep my distance and drive at a comfortable speed. I am not a risk taker when it comes to speed. I drive in full throttle only during emergencies and when I was late to work.

No 7 - The pet
I love cats. In my life I had lived with 3 cats, Baby, Belle and Bien. All of them had died and perhaps gone to heaven. I believe having a cat in the house brings good luck and protection. Would I have a cat in Dubai? Yes, I'd love to but at the moment I live in a furnished apartment. I worry that the cat would damage the things which are not mine. So currently I'm petless.


No 8 - The addiction

I drink milk every day. It is not only healthy, it is therapeutic too. I can feel it in my stomach. But I will suffer the symptoms of lactose intolerance if I consume more than 2 glasses (500ml) of milk in one go. I am addicted to the combination of coffee and milk.

No 9 - The music
I watch MTV at the age of 35! No I don't rewind much to the 80s and 90s though I am a big fan of REM and U2. I am well tuned to the current frequency that soaks me with the sound and music by Coldplay, Nickelback, Snow Patrol, Jason Mraz and even that gorgeous Katy Perry! I stay away from the music that is too loud and too trashy.

No 10 - The weather
I am cool under the hot sun. I can run, I can march, I can swim, I can simply do nothing for hours under the scorching sun. My body will sweat to cool me down like a reliable AC. I wouldn't mind getting my skin darker too. But anything below 20 degrees Celsius, will drive me crazy. There is no heating coil inside my body to generate internal heat to sustain low temperatures.

No 11 - The first few loves
My first love was the girl who liked to sit next to me in my kindergarten. She was the one who gave me the Bubblegum on the day I lost the 50 cents and almost lost my life. She was assigned as my dancing partner in our school concert. But it was a puppy love. When I was in primary school, I wrote to a girl a raya card which contained love at the elementary level. That was another puppy love that ended after she moved to another school. My first real love was when I was in the boarding school. I wrote my feelings for her in a series of love letter and got a series of reply. I like her smile and her innocent view of life. Then she became religious and started to rewrite her past. She changed and matured at the rate I was not able to cope and understand. She had become a woman and I was still a boy. One day she wrote asking me to decide on our affair as I had apparently become cold and distant. She didn't want me to keep her hanging on. This shook my shielded temple of happiness. My instinct decided to let her go, it's not meant to be.....


No 12 - The soul mate
My best friend is my wife. She has been a true friend before I actually fall in love with her. My shielded temple of happiness opened its gate and welcomed her. It's my destiny and it's written (ala the tale in Slumdog Millionaire) in my book that she's the one and it's meant to be, even though before we got married, we had lost contact and were apart for 7 years.

No 13 - The childhood dream
My childhood dream.....to live in a tropical isolated island and live with a mermaid. This is inspired by the combination of Gulliver's Travel, Robinson Crusoe and Little Mermaid.


No 14 - Another dream
My teenage dream....to write like Ernest Hemingway.

No 15 - More dreams
My young man dreams....to become a marathoner and a triathlete.

No 16 - The latest list
My young-at-heart dreams....to scale up Mount Kilimanjaro and to witness the wildebeest migration in Africa, to dive in the Mediterranean, to run in Boston Marathon, to complete the Ironman race, to trek in Tasmania, to tour across North Africa from Egypt to Morocco, to retire in a small tropical island and hopefully, to die in Mecca.

Next, I am supposed to tag 16 people. I would like to tag the seven dwarfs, Snow White, Prince Charming, The Little Mermaid, Pinocchio, Cinderella, The Fairy God Mother, Aladdin, Peter Pan and Captain Hook. So please guys, list the 16 things we ought to know about you..or else you might be cursed or something.....I guess.