he was one of the instructor from the next platoon during my ocs days back in 1985/86. we had never spoken and i have never kept in contact with him after i graduated from ocs. i remembered him for having an interesting name, lanky and a little effeminate in his behaviour. fast forward to 31 dec 2009, some 23 plus years later. i was having dinner with some friends when i recieved an sms from an ex-ocs company mate telling me so and so had died suddenly. well, and for a short moment, i wondered who this name was. the name was not familiar. but his surname struck a bell. and after a short pause, i realize he was this ex-instructor. it was kinda surprising to get this sms i must say. nonetheless, i did not attend the wake. he was afterall someone that had crossed path with me years back.
over the past couple of days, i kept seeing news articles about him and how he died. apparently he had died after a liposuction treatment. and looking at the photo, he still looked somewhat similar to what i could recall of him. a lot more mature, a bit more padded all round. his face, his build and so on. i attribute these to nothing more than signs of aging. this was no different from myself or any of my contemporaries. reading the article, i felt a little sad for him. reading his credentials, it was clear that he had achieved much in his career. from his orbituary, it was clear that he had some problems with his marriage and that he was in the process of rebuilding his family. but for vanity reasons, he was robbed of his life.
sad wasn't it? but thinking of what myself and some of my friends spoke a lot about recently over the past couple of months/ years, it was clear that we all - middle aged men - had some point or other felt threatened by our degeneration as a result of middle age - increasing waistline, long sightedness, white hair, wrinkles etc. most of us accepted it and moved on. and most of us increased our resolve to want to live healthier. but one thing was clear, all of us wanted to slow down the aging process. all went for procedures and packages - facials, gym memberships, diets, and so on. for some who could afford it, more invasive corrective procedures were taken up - lasik, botox and so on. i guessed the thought staying `young' and beautiful, or at least, to slow down the aging process is a very very attractive idea. the quest for eternal youth. the quest for eternal beauty.
birth, aging, sickness and death are things that we cannot escape and that we must accept it. often, many of us keep forgetting about it and/ or refuse to accept it. accepting it will allow us to prepare for it when things happen. it also help remind us that beauty is only skin deep and that we should not be obsessed by it. we must also develop ourselves spiritually. we will only be able to age gracefully when we are able to do all these. anyway, this ex-instructor of mine had passed away. and judging by the press coverage and the on-going debate about aesthetics, liposuction and so on, i think his passing has not been in vain. it is a good wake up call for us.
may he rest in peace.
over the past couple of days, i kept seeing news articles about him and how he died. apparently he had died after a liposuction treatment. and looking at the photo, he still looked somewhat similar to what i could recall of him. a lot more mature, a bit more padded all round. his face, his build and so on. i attribute these to nothing more than signs of aging. this was no different from myself or any of my contemporaries. reading the article, i felt a little sad for him. reading his credentials, it was clear that he had achieved much in his career. from his orbituary, it was clear that he had some problems with his marriage and that he was in the process of rebuilding his family. but for vanity reasons, he was robbed of his life.
sad wasn't it? but thinking of what myself and some of my friends spoke a lot about recently over the past couple of months/ years, it was clear that we all - middle aged men - had some point or other felt threatened by our degeneration as a result of middle age - increasing waistline, long sightedness, white hair, wrinkles etc. most of us accepted it and moved on. and most of us increased our resolve to want to live healthier. but one thing was clear, all of us wanted to slow down the aging process. all went for procedures and packages - facials, gym memberships, diets, and so on. for some who could afford it, more invasive corrective procedures were taken up - lasik, botox and so on. i guessed the thought staying `young' and beautiful, or at least, to slow down the aging process is a very very attractive idea. the quest for eternal youth. the quest for eternal beauty.
birth, aging, sickness and death are things that we cannot escape and that we must accept it. often, many of us keep forgetting about it and/ or refuse to accept it. accepting it will allow us to prepare for it when things happen. it also help remind us that beauty is only skin deep and that we should not be obsessed by it. we must also develop ourselves spiritually. we will only be able to age gracefully when we are able to do all these. anyway, this ex-instructor of mine had passed away. and judging by the press coverage and the on-going debate about aesthetics, liposuction and so on, i think his passing has not been in vain. it is a good wake up call for us.
may he rest in peace.
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