ahh...yes..life starts now.. or does it really?

Yes. I turned 40 on sunday. No fan fare. No cakes, no parties. Being woken up and wished in the morning, after a late nite watching football, by my two daughters was the best gift I could ask for.

Theyre still down a bit with cough and cold. D took the trouble to do a birthday card with a drawing of a tortoise within. She had traced it from an animal book. Ok, I get the message. Her old man was getting old!

That nite, coincidently, there was a cultural show in town. We brought the kids there. All the way, throughout the show and the way back, D and K kept asking and mentioning the same thing. Wahhh.. Dad's birthday got show. Why? ... Naturally, dad answers "Cos so many people likes dad"..LOL!

Well, its the big 40. Its just another number. Somehow the feeling this time around is a bit different. One tends to realise that life is precious. Lost touch of Shak, an old classmate for like 25 years, and a group of us were emailing about 2 years back. We just found out he passed away due to illness a few weeks ago.

We are reaching an age where one by one, quite a number of us will depart. Losing Dad one and a half years ago was a major blow to me. I still wish I could have done more for him. Well, thats life, most will say.

Attended a funeral of a family friend's dad. He was 92 and died after an illness. Now, thats what one calls a ripe old age, living a full life. I had casually mentioned to a couple of uncles in the 50s and 60s age group that the younger generations can only dream to reach the 90s age band. We're not even sure to reach the 60s or 70s. Somehow that didnt come out right. I had to elaborate and say that with each passing generation, the life expectancy is reducing.

Another year passed. Wishes? Yes, am hoping for many years to come. Hoping to see D and K grow up and be there for them. And for mom to see it too. To see them settle down and have kids would be a bonus. As for now, I just hope they stay healthy.