When
I was a kid, I was fearless. I say and do what I liked. I learned via the hard
way.
When
I was in the army, I was fearsome. I didn’t need to say a word, yet soldiers
had to salute me when they passed me. Now that I’m older, I’m fearful to say or
do the wrong thing. These days, I try to say less and use my artwork more to express
my thoughts and feelings. Even this, some friends warned me not to put my brand
name on my creations as they might bring un-invited outcomes. Hmm…..
If
you have both health and wealth, kudos to you. You’ve have made it. Enjoy your
every day.
If
you have wealth but no health, you can use some of your wealth to take care of
your health.
If
you have health but no wealth, you have to continue your work to try to
accumulate wealth. Everyone says 'health is wealth'.
If
you have no health and no wealth, so sorry to hear that. Perhaps you can ask
for help.
Unless one has very deep pockets or hidden wealth, nobody could retire here due to the high cost of living. The key to survival is re-training or ‘re-tyre-ring’ to learn new skills for new jobs. Some seniors cannot find skills that interest them or are not so keen. At times, they have to take on risky and dangerous jobs to get by. This is the real world of high-expenses vs no or low income for seniors!
To excel in sport, one must start from young and do it full-time. Unless your parents have very deep pockets or someone sponsors you, very few could take this path. Every parent knows that sport careers are very short. Even shorter when one sustains injuries. So time, energy and resources are split among work, study, other commitments to prepare them for their next careers after retirement from sport. This is the main reason why we cannot be a sport powerhouse. Dream on.
Age does matter and it matters a lot in sports, in employment and many other physical activities. Whoever says it’s not does not belong to the real world. It’s just a common phrase used by old people who have finished the rat race and those who wants to comfort oneself to feel better going through the aging path.
I’d tried my best in sports with some regrets.
In secondary school, I tried to join the soccer team. The coach
told me my legs were too short, so cannot. Then I wanted to join the basketball
team. I was told my height was below the standard. Cannot also. Then I went to
join the air-rifle shooting club but was rejected due to my poor eyesight. After
school, I went to join as a sport volunteer with GetActiveSG but they asked me
to go pick litters at beaches and major non-sport events. 有冇搞错呀! Of course, I refused to do
it! They thought I’m stupid！
This explains why I ended up being a sport cartoonist creating arts to entertain others for free.
To many, it’s a dream comes true for those who are able to participate in the game. Also a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a few to get a medal. If you have missed it, you can try harder next time? Yes but only a few elites can do it. The fact is time waits for no man. With time, our body slows down, our agility deteriorates and our actions are getting sluggish. In a few years’ time, there would be changes like more ‘mountains to climb’ (一山还有一山高), face more competitors like clouds in the sky (高手如云). Soon, many will wake up from this dream and have to go back to work for money.
