50 is the new 30 for Chen Liping and Rayson Tan

SINGAPORE — As a happily married couple, Rayson Tan and Chen Liping do everything together, but turning 50 along with Singapore must top the cake.

Tan hit the big 5-0 in January, while Chen will mark the milestone next week, on Aug 22. “I’ll probably be working on my birthday,” she said. And because of that, Tan said he thinks it will be difficult to surprise her with a cake and celebrations this year.

Yes, the couple have also just started work on an upcoming MediaCorp TV Channel 8 drama that they both star in. The 120-episode drama, which will take over 118’s 7.30pm slot, is titled Life — Fear Not and is set in a traditional guest house.

“We will be spending a lot of time together on this show, so I don’t think there’ll be much of a surprise,” Tan chuckled; although something tells us he is sure to think of a way. As a husband and father to the couple’s 13– year-old son, Tan said he is always the one organising celebrations for their special days. “I always make plans and surprise them. Two years ago, I was in Malaysia for three and a half months. I secretly flew back to surprise them. Who would have thought that I would be the one who ended up surprised because they were not surprised? They knew me too well.”

Probably since her husband is so good at such things, Chen said that she has no plans to celebrate her upcoming birthday. “For me, the older you are, the less you make an effort to celebrate. I also feel that birthdays are more for mothers; my mother still gives me a hongbao every year,” she said. “If not for SG50 this year, I don’t think I would have especially noticed my age. It has been so many years — I don’t really keep track of my age. Now and then I just think, ‘I was born in that year’ and calculate my age.” She added: “Actually, I have to thank Singapore… With the SG50 atmosphere, it feels like the celebration has been going on for the whole year!”

Turning 50 along with Singapore does give Tan, who had spent a quiet birthday at home with cake and family, a special feeling. “I’ve seen Singapore grow and change … (into) a beautiful city. Just like me; I’ve gotten younger as I’ve aged. I am ‘Majulah Rayson’,” he quipped. “Singapore is green and growing, just like me. My biological age is 50, but I don’t look it. With people who don’t know me well, I can pass as 30-something or 40. I just use normal moisturiser and (take) Vitamin C. Other than that, it’s all original; I haven’t had any work done! My personal motto is to live and learn. And I’m not shy about learning things from young people. For instance, I learn communication skills from my son. I’m not just his father, I’m also his friend — and his Chinese tutor. I hope we’ll grow together in this way. I’ll teach my son how to age gracefully. One must grow old with style.”

Indeed, there will be no midlife crises for Tan or Chen. “I don’t feel the need to dress or act like a young person. I have friends who buy sports cars but only have a few strands of hair left. Sometimes you see a sports car but when you peer in, it’s being driven by an uncle,” Tan laughed. “I’m also an uncle, but I’m a young uncle. (Liping) has also aged well. She’s very bubbly and positive like I am. When she laughs, I cannot stop myself from joining in. I think our family thinks of laughter as a form of exercise.”

Chen agreed: “Mentally, I don’t feel 50. 50 is the new 30!”

Catch Life — Fear Not from Oct 19 at 7.30pm on MediaCorp TV Channel 8.