These are some of the people who were born on my birthday - John Lee Hooker, Tori Amos, Claude Debussy, Karl-Heinze Stockhausen, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Vernon Reid, Deng Xiao Ping, GZA, Roland Orzabal, Leni Riefenstahl and Dorothy Parker amongst others.

So, if you take birthdays seriously, I was destined to make art, or music.

I guess.

After so many years of putting out numerous albums, I'm still not sure.

And in a bat of an eyelid, I'm 50. I look back and wonder, what was that all about? It all passes too fast.

The idea for a box set to commemorate my 50th birthday came about, ironically, from Death.

Quite a few of my contemporaries I've known from school, or all walks of life, had passed on, some as young as 16.

I've learnt from their passing on, not to take life for granted. Or Art for that matter.

I'm so grateful that I'm still alive, and that in spite of where we live, I'm able to live the creative life all my life, and to still be making Art now, whether people know about it or not.

So, this box set is called THE 50.

It comprises a box set of 5 CDs of 10 songs each. 50 songs in all.

The title of each CD is symbolic of the biblical idea of the number 50. Each title has with it a Hebrew translation; could be a nod to the great John Zorn, but I'm not sure.

The actual Boxset can only be bought as a set and not as single CDs, retailing for $50, and will be sold exclusively at Room For Dessert at 62, Somme Road (www.roomfordessert.com.sg). Tel: +65 6337 7637.

The Boxset, beautifully designed and made by my good friend Weng Pixin, will be officially on sale on my birthday, 22th August, and will be in limited amounts.