Everybody dies, but not everybody lives. I have been fortunate to be born in an awesome country where you could make a decent living, have the freedom to make your own life and the security to reach to a ripe old age. I decided at an early age to experience everything, do everything and travel everywhere and live a fulfilling adventurous life. I would not regret, not having done all that I wanted to. Since I love the sea, I bought my first boat, an 18 foot wooden sampan at the age of 16 in 1976. I paid $188 for the bare boat. I couldn’t afford an engine, so I used long oars, secured to rowing-pegs to get around and occasionally borrowed an Evinrude 4hp from my friend Chris who lived in Telok Kurau. The sampan was beached at East Coast Park. It was there, that I learnt many valuable lessons about real life and experienced the seafarer spirit. It felt warm, spontaneous and contagious. We helped launch and recover each other’s sampan, carried each other’s gear and watched for each other’s safety whenever we were out at sea, fishing and netting. My fishing guru was Mr Lim, a local fisherman who lived in a 3 room HDB flat at marine Terrace. He had a larger sampan propelled by a Johnson 6hp. I marvelled at the ease with which he fished and cruised along the East Coast laying his nets. Mr Lim taught me how to repair the nets and maintain the sampan myself. Every few months, I would caulk the gaps between the planking just to keep the boat watertight or risk sinking. I had two bailers onboard. One I cut-out from a used 4-litre oil can and the other a plastic bathing scoop that I secured with a string. I would fish at night and go to school the next morning. Weekends at the beach was packed with onlookers vying to buy the giant prawns that we mostly targeted. $10 for one catty. (1 catty equals 600gm). The most precious equipment onboard for night fishing was my Butterfly brand Pressure Lamp. It lighted the boat and also served as a stove to heat and cook small food. In 1978, I was enlisted into the Navy. Goodbye kampong fisherman, Hello new world. My life took a dramatic change, I was sucked into the work environment of rules and regulations, conformity, discipline and regimentation. You had to account for your whereabouts every minute you’re at work or risk being charged for AWOL. I was forced into a straight-jacket, but I soon adopted and began to love the life in uniform. I grew up quickly from a boy into an officer and a gentleman. There were no ifs or buts, you had to conform or be thrown overboard to feed the sharks. Fifteen years came and went in a flash. In January 1994 I left the Navy and became a civilian. What a strange feeling. I was free again. No stringent schedules, no duties, no routine and no AWOL. They pulled me back July 1994 for reservists, as Commanding Officer of an Ocean Tug. I was elated, I had missed the Navy and felt proud of my Naval heritage. Unknowingly, the Navy had become a major pillar in my life. I felt the pride of being a Naval Officer. I was ready, willing and proud to serve. Today I turned 61. I am fitter, leaner and healthier than I was in my forties; or so I hope. I am optimistic, I am happy, I am content. I look forward to the wonders and adventures that lie ahead of me. The future is exciting. I want to be free and experience everything once again. No staying home. No tip-toeing through life, hoping I’ll make it safety to death. Nope, that’s not me… I’m casting off the bow lines, hoisting my sails, welcome world, I’m off to another adventure. It going to be awesome. WF 1960