Most blogs would have died by now.
I love to write, be it typing or literally writing as you might wonder.. in today's AI age and a 'no reason' world we live today. I feel typing restricts my creativity somehow as part of my mind is preoccuied to searching for the keys although i can type blindfolded. Writing with a pen is still the way how my ideas flow well.
World has changed a lot the past few years, much more than what I had imagined what post Covid would look like. Humans, after the scare of a pandemic, have become more selfish/quiet/isolated. However, that being said, I believe everyone still yearns for the good old times and as such, this sole purpose retains the humanity and sanity that keeps the world going at least.
My dad remains the sole authoritative figure I hold so much respect for. However, he has changed a lot since, i would not like to admit - gotten some sort of dementia/delirium. He has forgotten many things and is no longer able to speak well and eats little. All the nice food he has loved before are no longer his favourites and when he turns into a Hyde, you no longer recognise him as a person, let alone a dear father. It is both sad and frustrating because you wonder how the heck did he become like this? There are all sort of illnesses but dementia/loss of cognivtive abilities are the most scary. You not only become less of what you were as u age but you cannot even remember yourself at times and your family and friends. This sort of punishment is the worst of all because it pains everyone associated with the patient and there is no reversal. It makes you think really hard at the end of the day what makes you happy. Does my own happiness matter or do my loved ones' happiness matter more? No brainer here. As long folks are happy, Missus is happy, I would be contented at anything. Just a cup of bbt to tell myself a good day has been clocked and watch some tv and game and sleep.
I am approaching my 20th year at YLP and I just picked up a 'wonderful' lesson that reminded me of many things I learnt and picked up in my earlier years. Not that I needed this type of worry at my age but from a very positive point of view, age and years of experience can count for nothing if you are not careful. What was most scary from this encounter was that some people do not change; give them a twenty-year period and they still do not.
Meantime, in 2025, I started to think that I should really treat the things I enjoy more sincerely aka - to enjoy them better. Thus I went back to Maplestory again. Hahaa uncle playing the game.. But I remember there were uncles playing the game when I was a young adult. The game created so much nostalgia with old battles with old friends etc and friendships built from the game. The whatsapp group is still thre although some have left but some remained. Of course there are only 2 active friends left and I am left scratching my head all the time what to do for certain quests etc. But the game has evolved so much that it is designed for people to solo train rather than in a party. Gone are many things I loved but i after abt a year being back, I still love the game and will continue to love it.
I have also gone back to futsal - 6-aside. Thanks a lot to Daniel, the player whom I take so much inspiration from. My ex sergeant in NS, he is a person whom I listen to everytime he speaks and he has never been the snobbish type in my years with him. He is an excellent defender but more a keen lover of the game. The monthly futsal games will never take off without him. I also treasure all the remaining years my legs can carry in futsal be it a one way striker (goes and never comes back) or a goalkeeper. haha..
In Feb 2026, I went for the Introductory Coaching Course conducted by FAS to fufil my dream of becoming a coach. Not that I can coach effectively now, but it was great to be able to rejoin a course which I took in 1998 at Jalan Besar. I was the youngest back then and now i am one of the oldest. A coursemate cheered me on when I was first to arrive and brought all the eq to the pitch and the last to return and wash the bibs and hang to dry.. saying' Tj is nearly 50 and look at that from morning till now!' It was an awakening to me and when I looked back at my dad, I realised he must have noticed that his memory has started to digress when he was abt 60? That was when he started taking down notes and jotting down things to buy etc, doctor appointments. When I think about that, I realised that time is short and fun time always seem to be finish so quickly.
I also finished an Aquaculture course in Feb 2026. First time knocking out a fish in clove oil, injecting fish, scraping skin to check for diseases, cutting the gills and extracting blood from the spine. what an experience! I love it and was closed to quitting the course when I had more stuff on my mind but luckily i chose to believe that this will be easy to complete since i love fish and I should enjoy it not run away from it.
I still love bettas but unfortunately I have come to realise that crabs are best left to nature. No doubt they are cute to watch but i feel its well-being is best served in the wild than in an aquarium. Having kept a few crabs by now, I always feel that they are not happy totally in a tank and they seem to know they are being imprisoned somehow.
Bettas on the other hand are intriguing. I continue to learn from mistakes and strive to provide the best for them. I love to maximise my tank and buying fishes remain my first love. Nothing beats choosing your own fish and asking the boss to pack for you.
Tuition wise, I have been blessed by God to be able to take in more students from Twl and am thankful for having the chance to impart life knowledge and lessons to them. Every year passes on so quickly and everytime when I wished that we could chat somemore to know each other better, they have reached the age of 16/17 when they would graduate and I would likely seem them no more. Not that its painful or regretful but I always wished I had more time with the kids and thus when they graduate, I always hope they have learnt a lot with me and would go on to be excellent figures for their loved ones and juniors to look up to. I did not have a shining example at 16 and thus the yearning for all of them to be something better than I was back then.
Right now, there are a few wars ongoing. We never know how it will go and how its impact to us will be even though it is far. World war 2 was far too but..
I feel wars are dumb and people who start them are even dumber and selfish.
Thailand - remains the most visited country by I and the Missus. We have explored many places and despite going there in Feb 25, May 25, Dec 25 and Jan 26, it still remains a place we love to go to for the food,shopping and or course Chatuchak \market. As most places are changed into concrete jungles, Thailand has largely remained the same past ten years. More shopping malls but still retaining the feel in markets like Chatuchak. Air tics are much more expensive and airline food sucks. lol
So much for now, and soon we will approach mid 2026.