A wet market may seem the most unlikely place to go to for music, but, if you go to the wet market in SS2, Petaling Jaya on the weekends, you may sing another tune.
Thanks to busker Sunny Ah Fai, a routine Sunday market trip is uplifted because of the evergreen tunes from the 1960s that he sings to the accompaniment of his acoustic guitar.
The 70-year-old began busking about three years ago, just as the pandemic restrictions were beginning to be lifted. Devastating as the pandemic was for many of us, it also was the impetus for some to make pivotal changes in their life course.
That was the case for Sunny.
Although being confined to his home for months was frustrating, it prompted Sunny dust off his old guitar and start playing the instrument again. As a youngster growing up in Kuala Lipis, Pahang, where he was born and raised, the guitar had been his constant companion. But as life unfolded — with a career to build and a family to nurture — music gradually slipped into the background, its melodies fading into the hustle of everyday life.
It didn’t take long before his passion for music was rekindled. Even so, he didn’t plan on busking. He was apprehensive about being judged by his friends for busking in public.
“I was anxious and also a little shy. I was also concerned about what my friends would think when they found out because people tend to think that buskers are begging for money.
“But, once I started, all my anxiety and shyness just went away. I began to enjoy myself and when I saw people stopping to listen to me and give me some blessings … I felt so much joy. If I can make people happy while doing something that I enjoy so much and get paid for it … why not?” says Sunny,
Singing, says Sunny, brings him “great joy”.
Prior to the pandemic, he was an e-hailing driver for a short period. Before that, he was an entrepreneur with a successful business that allowed him to live comfortably.
“But, I have never been as happy and at peace as I am now,” he says, “I had a very successful business and owned seven houses at one point. Then, I sold my business which left me with more money than I knew what to do with.
“But what I’ve learnt is that money comes and goes. When you have money, you also have people seeking you out … they want to ‘help’ you finish your money. I thought those good times would never end but I eventually all that money because of some bad choices I made.
“In all seriousness, even with all that money, I wasn’t happy. Now, I live in a rented house and I am really happy,” says the divorcee who has four children and eight grandchildren.
Singing, he reckons, is a talent he got from his mother, who is in her 90s.
“It’s only recently I learnt that she used to sing too! When she learnt about my busking, she told me that I must have gotten my talent from her as she too used to sing,” he shares.
Sunny only busks on the weekends – “that’s when the crowds come out and people have more time to listen”. On weekdays, he practices his music to build his repertoire.
“I have discovered that I can carry songs that I never thought I could, such as Isabella by Search, for example. It’s not an easy song and I never thought I’d be able to sing it. But now, I’m so excited to find that I can!” he says. Sunny says he sings “old school” music from the Beatles to Bee Gees to Frank Sinatra and Paul Anka.
“Even though I don’t have a fixed income anymore, I earn enough. There are good days and off days,” he says,
Sunny, who says he believes in the Japanese concept of Ikigai (finding a reason for being), says that “in my twilight years, I just want peace of mind and happiness.” At the moment, he gets that from his music. – S. Indramalar
