'I'd be lying if I said I'm happy': Former para-athlete opens up on lost dreams, loneliness and regrets
'I'd be lying if I said I'm happy': Former para-athlete opens up on lost dreams, loneliness and regrets
For the last five or six years, 58-year-old Dasuki Johari spent nearly every day eking out a meagre living as a street artist in Kuala Lumpur.
In 1995, Mr Dasuki made headlines when he took home a bronze medal for Singapore at the 2nd World Disabled Water Ski Championships in Australia, his very first pro sports outing.
In 1998, he left behind his life in Singapore to “find something for myself” in Malaysia. “I wanted to have an adventure and to know what life is like for me outside (my) world.”
During his travels, Mr Dasuki met artists in Langkawi and Kuala Pilah and spent months learning from them. This would later become his main source of income.
Despite his carefree, animated demeanour, he acknowledged feeling lonely. “Once I finish my (work) as a street artist, I'm all alone in my room, in my own world.”
