Today, I turned 50. I am blessed beyond measure. My mother-thank God she still sees me in this age, said that I was given birth around 5 pm, about the same time I was writing this notes, fifty years ago in a beautiful town Tolitoli, a clove city, surrounded by exotic white beach as the fifth child of the family after Teddy, Evelyn, Fransisca and Harold. I have an only younger brother, the baby in the family, Green. My late father, Hendrik Manueke, along with my grand father, a great fisherman, the late Weliam Manueke, used to take us surrounding the coastal area, whether for fishing or for picnic in our childhood.
This age feels a little different, like my mindset was opened widely; I am changed in seeing myself and other people, I know more on my strength and my happiness, and understand people better than before. I feel more self control (especially in controlling my body and mind and more patient to behave to other people). As a part of ordinary people grew up in developing country, the blessings I have had are full; things I had only dreamed of have been accomplished through the first part of 50 years of life (hopefully I would have another one): getting education, having job as a lecturer, getting married, having two wonderful children-later a lovely grand daughter coming and of course a son in law, having an international working experience in teaching and in music performing; and this year marked as the starting point of my music career as a singer, composer, and songwriter. There are works to create something value for humankind ahead.
As a lively human being, constructing plans proves that we are alive and I am happy to have another more plans coming up but all I could say is, they are going to be the bonus; a chance for me to produce extraordinary works that need to focus on and be major on.
