To my dear ex-schoolmates...

I was at the gym earlier this afternoon and I was thinking of how I should write my latest blog posting and I came up with an idea to write in a letter format, you know, like a letter to a friend! Then half an hour ago, when going through my emails and yahoogroups mailbox, i stumbled upon a mail from an ex-schoolmate in my alma mater group mailbox. It was from the head prefect Sze Keat who's currently working in Japan.

What a pleasant surprise to know that recently got married and is going to have his wedding dinner back here in Ipoh. So I thought I'd write a letter to all my ex-schoolmates! Here goes...

To my dear ex-schoolmates,

Oh my gosh! It's November already? Another year gone by in a blink of an eye. It seems like the years are going by faster and faster nowadays, or is it becos we're getting older?
Next year will mark the 14th year we left school. We've been through so much individually and for some of us, together. So, as we brace for the end of the year with the barrage of wedding invitations, the long vacations, the year end closing of our departments and not forgetting Christmas and New Year's.

This time of the year always presents me with a potpurri of emotions ranging from relief to anxiety to stress to joy all bundled together as one like a big xmas gift pack waiting for me at the fireplace. Relief because I finally get to wrap up all the projects I am working on in the office and I can finally pull out the 2008 yearly planner and plan for a better year ahead.

Anxiety because I am yet to meet certain deadlines I am supposed to meet for the year in terms of my job and my personal life, and stress for the same matter. Maybe it's the targets I had set for myself at the beginning of my new career journey which in my personal capacity I have not readied myself enough for, thats why I have to do all the catching up in the end.

Its like climbing Mount Everest without prior training and prepping! The end result is leaves much to be desired. Finally Joy because I can finally look forward to a brand new year which promises to present me with brand new promises, opportunities, friends, challenges, (love and relationships) perhaps?

I break into cold sweat just thinking about the last one. I know my mom and dad hasn't got to pressuring me about it yet, but if I were in their shoes, the thought of their soon to turn 31 year old eldest son still living a bachelor life far away in the capital would get me kind of worried too. But at 55 and 54 respectively, they're still not grumbling about not having grand kids yet, I mean, I wouldn't want to be questioning why I don't have grand kids calling me grandpa yet when I turn 55, thats why I'm pretty sure thats the reason why my mom and dad's not complaining (or so I reckon)... Well they haven't said a thing yet so I'm just gonna leave it at that for the time being.

Opportunities to become rich and not having to work another day of my life? I, like any other person living on the face of this earth, save for those who have already made a ton of money and sipping coconuts on a beach in Malibu, Bahamas or Bermuda, pine and yearn for that day to come. It is no wonder why casino and lotto operators get richer and we get nowhere near. Maybe it's time to wise up and start thinking of better ways of getting rich or, an alternative to that is, to redefine what we mean by getting rich or becoming rich.

To many including me, the definition of richness is having a million bucks in the bank and another million to blow on a 100-room castle, a yacht, 10 ferraris, lamborghinis, maseratis, porsches and the likes, a first class ticket around the world, a handshake and a cuppa with Donald Trump and Warren Buffett perhaps?

Well to redefine it would maybe mean that our definition of richness is now having enough money to send our kids to college and buy ourselves a nice cosy house on a hill overlooking the sea in the Pearl of the Orient (Penang) and still have enough to enjoy a good meal and drinks at a nice restaurant everyday or getting to go on a cruise holiday or take a trip to Europe once a year. Wouldn't that be less stressful on ourselves than set goals and targets too high for our own good?

What I like about the New Year is that each and every one of us gets a clean new sheet of paper to set for ourselves what we want to achieve for that year. Let me gently remind you that the white piece of paper that each and everyone of us gets is for resolutions for that year and that year alone. Perhaps the one thing that holds everyone back from achieving whatever they want to every year is that they set their goals too far ahead, 6-12 months (short term plan), 1-5 years (mid term plan) and 5-20 years (long term plan). Sounds familiar?

Its one thing to be thorough and plan ahead in life. There's nothing wrong with that. I sometimes get carried away and do that too. The problem with that is, we get carried too far ahead that when we look back, we don't see dry land anymore! Thats when all our hopes and dreams fall out. I read in a book that, if your dreams don't scare you, they ain't big enough! The problem with big dreams is that when they do scare us, we're too immobilized to act upon them and thus as a result, don't follow through on them. Then finally one fine day 11 months later you look back at the sheet of paper you wrote your new year's resolutions on 31st December 2007, 2 things would be playing about in your head. First, you'd be thinking of the 31 ways you would want to cook that piece of paper and 2nd, you'd think of 31 ways how you'd want to punish yourself for finding yourself in the same position you were in 11 months ago without feeling or becoming any better, or richer for that matter.

I don't qualify as a preacher, I don't even practice christianity, nor am I a wise old man from the mountains of Tibet. I'm just a writer and an aspiring (perhaps one day) Best Selling Author, my advice for the new year's is this. Dream big, but make reasonable, achievable, measurable and attainable goals. Thats what I'm gonna do, wait a minute, I think Donald Trump said that on a CNBC show. Well, I can't say for sure if thats what he said but if he did, it's really good advice.

To my dear ex-schoolmate Sze Keat and your new found love and happiness, I'd like to warmly congratulate you and wish all the best! I'd also like to wish for you lots of happiness, lots of love for each other, lots blessings from above and lots of kids and grandkids to be proud of eventually!