I gave my wife (Awi) a read of the recently published blog. She gave some good ideas on what I should put inside the blog. Anyway, referring to my previous entry on the breaking of fast, I started to remember those single days when we used to hang around like that but in a totally different environment of course.
I came to Kerteh a bit late, in Sept 1999. My seniors who started working in 1997-98 really hung out in packs of wolves. Eating together was always in 5 or 6 cars. Every weekend, they would drive down to Kuantan, where all the 'entertainment' could be found here on the East Coast. I'm referring to basic entertainment like cinema and fast food restaurants such as McDonalds and Pizza Hut. Things that you take for granted in West Coast cities like KL, Ipoh and Penang are quite rare here on the East Coast. Sometimes, these seniors will spend the night in beautiful Cherating, where the night life is quite happening or so I heard.
By the time I came here, those so-called seniors of mine, you've guessed had mostly got married. So, I befriended those few singles friends like Mizan, Junai, Reza, Moree, Zaki and my future wife, Awi. The trips to Kuantan were still done but in smaller groups, perhaps one or two cars. But then, a few years later, Mizan and Zaki got married while Reza & Moree had moved to KL. Me and Awi were also married within a few months of Zaki's wedding. Gone are those days of hanging out with friends in such a carefree manner.
Now, we still hang out. We always invite friends like Am, Shai & Junai to our house for meals. They can also come and play with Haziq. The concept of hanging out with friends had changed drastically from a singles point of view to a married couple with kids. You are less free to do things that in the past you would be able to do something in a blink of an eye. For instance, if I am a bachelor today, I would just jump in my car on Thursday, drive down to KL and be able to catch Matrix Revolutions on the night show. Now, it would be impossible to do so. Preparing to travel down to KL would take hours when previously, could be done in minutes.
These are the small compromise that you have to make when you are a father. Of course, when I look at Haziq, those things that you value so much previously like going to movies, window shopping and so on, become menial and insignificant. Looking at how he is growing from such a small baby, to almost a toddler now. Seeing him smile at you when he wakes up in the morning or when he is able to turn himself on his back on his own for the first. These experiences are so much better than being the first to catch a hot blockbuster!!!
Of course, there are some things that you do miss. Especially, when I'm back in KL, I'd like to meet up with friends from my London days. I have this 5 close friends that I feel I couldn't hang out with them as much as I wanted to when we were almost inseparable during those university days. I supposed, growing up and moving on makes you lose certain things but it doesn't mean you don't value them anymore.
More on this later....