I should be thankful at 70.

8.12.2014.

Friday 5th. December, 2014 (12 Safar 1436), that was three days ago. But the pc had to give me trouble. I only got it back this afternoon.  So, now I put it on record. Last Friday I reached my 7th decade.

I remember Tg. Malim town celebrating the crowning of Queen Elisabeth II, with fireworks at the town padang. It was 1953. I remember the gunshots exchanged between  Government Forces and the Communist terrorists in the rubber estate behind the "Rumah Empat" teacher's quarters we lived in. I remember the big piece of shit left by one of the Home Guards who were supposed to man the light tower outside the barbed wire built around the S.I.T.C. living quarters. He probably had "to go" but was too scared and did it in our house drain. 

I remember the long bicycle rides Kuala Pilah 1960 with the late Husin Ali, from Bkt. Temensu to Bemban, Senaling, and to Kg. Ibol, Terachi.  We stopped and Husin taught me how to eat "lombo" shoots in Bemban, and we got some mangosteens off the tree at Kg. Ibol. I remember the midnight "Beatles" movie at the "Rex" 1962.

I remember RSM Rositer and his booming voice on the laterite air strip in PD 1961. 

I remember Mokhtar Hashim as the UMSU President during the Freshies' Orientation for the entire 600 new undergraduates at the Arts Concourse in 1965. 

I remember the lucheon at the Melaka Governor's Residence in my honour as the new ADO of Alor Gajah in 1968. 

I remember the evening we were coming back in Sayed Mohamad's Mercedes 190 from Felda Bukit Jalor on May, 13th, 1969, and hearing on his car radio about the troubles in Kampong Baru, KL, and on reaching Jalan Peel in Cheras, saw groups of Chinese men on both sides of the road, holding sticks and cangkul handles, and on reaching the Jalan Tun Razak-Jalan Raja Muda to go to my rented place inside Kampong Baru, was stopped by the same portly Police Sargeant who served me the traffic summon at the university in 1965, and I told him I was returning to my rented house, and he let us through, and by then we saw the burning motorcycles and the men running about in panic, and then only realized we were in the middle of the infamous May 13 riots.

I remember the hajj  in 1983, and I prayed at the Multazam for a girl after the first three boys, and in 1984 Dekna was born, exactly 9 months and 10 days after the return from Makkah. 

I remember Idah sending the children to Sekolah Damansara Utama. I remember the trip to Hawaii to see Banjat, attending Adik's graduation in Sydney with Bang Piei and Cik Ani. 

I remember  the three graduations at UiTM Shah Alam for Memi and for Dekna's  double-degrees in Law. And I remember how the grandchildren came. All eight of them. And this coming Ramadan Dekna's  twins would make it ten, God Willing.

Friday night Dekna  and Haniff treated Idah and I to dinner at "the Manhattan Fish Shop" at the Jusco S2. She also gave me a dozen Titleist Pro V golf balls (probably the best there is, I said to her) and a FJ tee shirt made in Vietnam. So at least one of four children gave me something this year. Last year Memi gave me an "Oddysey" China putter, which I haven't used - my "Yess" USA putter is doing great right now, and you don't mess with putters. Dekna , Haniff and Idah also sang an uninspired "Happy Birthday to you" and I blew the lone tiny candle on the piece of carrot cake.

It's not a spectacular life, but I'm thankful for memories and little mercies.  At 70.

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