Someone recently remarked that I tend to reminisce a lot lately, which according to him is a surefire manifestation of getting old. Whilst some people would vehemently contest this kind of sweeping statement, I just answered with a wry smile. After all, why should we see the age of 40 in much the same way a Finance Company would reject financing for a car which is over 10 years old?

If it's of any consolation, I know there's a lot of other people who are fond of reminiscing about those 'Good Old Days'. I recently received an SMS message from an old acquaintance informing me that a mutual friend is organizing a huge reunion party for old friends who frequented a certain entertainment spot circa late eighties. Goodness that's about 20 years agoif you were 17 then, you'd be 37 by now; manwhat are you all trying to do? Organize the Malaysian version of Oktoberfest?

Of course I'd take all these punches in relative goodwill. These are the kind of friends whom you should appreciate; they see things and they tell you exactly as they see it. That's the least you should do for a friend. Some things are better left unsaid, people used to say, but in an `umberrimae fide' relationship there are things which mere omission might tantamount to blatant disrespect. Even betrayal.

Honesty and diplomacy

If your Boss had a something on his teeth, would you point it out to him, or would you just try to keep a straight face and hope that somebody else would eventually be bold enough to tell him? Well, most of us would probably settle for the latter, never mind the fact that the poor guy is later scheduled to meet some international Oil & Gas corporate bigwigs. And the fact that the flake was actually an egg shell or Quaker Oats would purely remain academic.

When I used to run my own organization, I used to muse about this a fair bit. Remember that story about The Emperor With No Clothes? Simply replace 'Emperor' with 'Employer', and you get what I mean. Hence my choice of employees have always been those who could actually troubleshoot, or at least be able to notice a potential disaster and have the guts to say it out aloud. Though I never went as far as putting egg shell flakes or bits of pepper on my teeth, my interview sessions were more towards filtering out these potential 'yes men' whose idea of being loyal is their total commitment to the daily ritual of the 'angguk-angguk, geleng-geleng' (yes-men) culture.

Admittedly it's never easy to be honest and blunt to a superior; the fiduciary nature of such relationship in itself forbids you to do so, lest you incur his wrath and show you the door before you can actually say 'Menara Berkembar KLCC'. You just never know if that morning he got up on the wrong side of the bed. Or if that day he left home without his American Express Card. Or his wife left him that day. Or all of the above and more. Hence you choose the safest option i.e. to say nothing. 'Angguk' (nod your head). 'Geleng' (shake - also referring to your head). Never mind if some people secretly suspect that you are brain dead; that would still be much better than being brainy but unemployed.

Sorry to have digressed. It's something most of us have experienced at some time or other. The intricacies of the Master and Servant relationship. Of having to vigorously nod or shake your head. Of having to say 'yes' when deep inside it's a big no-no. Some call it kowtow, some call it ampu or bodek or what have you. The bottom line is the same. Of having to conform, albeit reluctantly. As a learned friend of mine succinctly described: Same Thing, Different Level.

How we react

Perhaps then, what ultimately differentiates us would be the way in which we react to things. For example, when there was news of an imminent hike in oil prices, some people, at 11.47 p.m., jumped into their car in a way that would put Michael Schumacher to shame and raced to the nearest petrol station, joined the long queue, managed to refill a full tank just before the clock struck 12 and drove home grinning, contented with the fact that he has just saved about RM6 in a vital last minute Oil & Gas Transaction.

There would of course be others who would just groan and start blaming the torrential rain, the landslides or the tsunami or whatever it is they could think of. After all that was what we were all thought about as kids, right? You trip upon a stone, you fell down, and your Grandma blame that stone, not you. And of course there would also be others too who would organize protest rallies in front of the nation's largest Oil & Gas Corporate Headquarters.

As for me, I'm the type who normally fills up RM20 per day. That's enough petrol to power the Malaysian-made car (not a BMW 745Li, so don't you dare tell me to change my car) on my daily route from Bukit Indah in Ampang to Bukit Antarabangsa to Kuala Lumpur to Jalan Kelang Lama to Kelana Jaya and then back to Ampang again. So, like all Ideal Loyal Citizens, I took the latest price hike in good faith. Since I don't smoke cigarettes, maybe it just means that I have to downgrade my breakfast from the wee bit luxurious Roti Telur to a more humble Roti Canai Kosong Taruh Bawang. And of course, no more Telur Tiga Suku Masak. Which would actually be good for the heart.

So, everything is fine. Life Is Good. The only thing is that, this morning I filled up RM20 worth of petrol in my car. Like what I have been faithfully doing all these while. Therefore it was with genuine surprise that I listened helplessly as my car's engine spluttered and died, right in the middle of the road. A Naza Ria full of teenagers waved and other cars blared their horns approvingly, thinking that it was some kind of demonstration against The Oil Price Hike. Good Lord, I was simply on my way to the mosque for Friday Prayers. With all that midday heat, all that I could manage was to wave back.

And, like all Ideal Loyal Citizens, a silly good natured grin as well

ZAIM AL-AMIN works for a think tank in KL. A lawyer by training, his passions are his family and writing.