It has been quite a while,
I think it has been six years, perhaps seven.
Back then I that engineer on the verge of making the biggest bet in his life which was to jump into governance and politics while ditching the world of defence, business proposals and electronic circuits.
So many things happened, dreams came true then they came crashing down, worked in two ministries served three ministers and went to places I never dreamt of going.
Walked the corridors of power only to realise that even the caterer and cleaners walked it as well.
I dived head-on into controversies, scandals, debates, live TV and radio shows.
I saw the 4th Prime Minister became the 7th and I saw the house of cards fall right in front of me, it was mindblowing, the sort that you can't see or find on TV.
Hit rock bottom, went sky high, hit rock bottom again, up and down like a wheel on a bus that goes round and round.
Loved, lived and now in my little world.
So why did I return to this place? Well, in uncertain times and moments where one is out of his comfort zone, he needs an activity that comforts him, some see a shrink, while others drink, for me, it is writing, it soothes me, it calms me, and it allows me to reflect on things.
Writing allows me to put things into perspective like realising that I may be making too much of a deal on a minor setback.
But I have to warn you (that is if there is any of you left reading this) that I am not the same Lipas that you knew me from before, I would like to say that I am wiser now, but that seems to be quite far fetched. I guess the best way to describe my transformation (if you could call that) is by sharing this moment I had upon arriving at Akihabara, Tokyo a couple of years ago.
The younger Zaidel, upon arriving at Akihabara, the mecca of anime and manga, would shriek and lose his mind while shuffling through comic stores and maid cafes the entire evening taking selfies, photos and frantically updating the whole experience on social media. The Zaidel that showed up on that day though decided that after twenty minutes of walking, perhaps he would be better off visiting a jazz club in Shibuya.
Now it's at the end of 2019, a challenging year, and as I am typing this, uncertainty, fear, discomfort and worry envelops me.
But worry not, I am also surrounded by love, happiness, joy and hope.
I will write more soon, with more details, but for now just a quick update for you folks out there.
This quiet apartment of mine is no longer filled with the smog of a pipe nor the scratching sounds of vinyl. The vinyl is still there, but the vibrations in the air have been replaced with the shrieking piercing cry of this little lump of absolute joy.
She is quite a gem I tell you, and for all the roller coaster ride that I went through in the entirety of 2019, she made it all worthwhile.
So yeah I am okay, I am going to be okay, and you will too, and I can't wait to introduce her to you.
Here is to more notes, thoughts and short stories, and if you too are as uncertain as I am now, feel free to come over and tell me all about it here.
Till then, talk to you later.
