Aziz Hitam

Mon 20 Aug 2018

Saturday 18.8.18 (Aziz was obviously proud of the numerical combination because he emphasised it in his invitation and on his door gift) I attended Aziz's daughter's wedding reception at the Sime Darby Convention Centre at Bukit Kiara. This was the first such reception of his I was attending. Since we're the same age, this daughter must be his youngest and born late in their married life. Even if she's 28 (I'm guessing), Aziz must have gotten her when he was already 45. If the wife is 5 years younger, she would have been 40, and that's a bit late for childbirth. Or this daughter is past 30. But she didn't look it. I mean, she looked younger.

We were together from Std. 6 to Form III at T.M.S. Kuala Pilah, before I went to FMC Port Dickson (Later RMC at Sg. Besi). I consider him as a close friend then, together with Kamaruddin Mansor (deceased), Hussin Ali (deceased), Sulaiman Arshad (deceased), Mansor Idris (deceased), Mizayaudin, Jalaluddin Hashim, Samah Katas, Hazarul, Wahab (deceased), Tunku Hanizar, Sudin, Daman Idris, Nordin Tadpole, Hashim Bulat, Dermi Habib, Dini, Sha'ari Mak Ayo, Akbar Zainal, Mustaffa Custom, Liaw Gee Min and several others whom I can't recall their names right away (it's 58 years ago!).

I went on to university and graduated at 24, and started working the same year I graduated.  Aziz, I remember, went to a teacher's college and taught school for a few years. I don't remember it, but he must have sat for his HSC privately (that was the only way you could enter university then) while teaching, and after graduating did his Masters and landed the faculty job at UTM, Jalan Gurney. I went to his office a few times, because Felda HQ is just across Jalan Maktab (College Road) to UTM KL branch (they have a bigger campus in Sekudai). During the wedding reception Saturday they referred to him as "Professor" but I don't remember him having a PhD, which is required nowadays to be "Professor".

Off and on we had contact through the years. Our houses  were not too far from each other. I was in Damansara Utama, Aziz in Taman Tun Ismail. Later I had some proposals with the MoE that fell through (no political clout!) when I invited Aziz to join in because of his academic background.

Anyway, I'm glad I came for the reception. We're in our 70's, and I'm more than happy to see an old friend, reminding fond memories of time gone forever. We should cherish old friendship that survives. 

They put me at table 20, together with Borhan, Rosli and 2 others from TMS but I don't recall them, although one of them, on hearing my name, said "were you in Felda Angkut?" - so he must have known me from somewhere. Rosli I remember. He's a Padang Lebar boy, and while in TMS stayed at Kamal Omar's house, next to my grandmother's. Many Padang Lebar students studying at TMS rented rooms in houses around Bukit Temensu because of the distance from school and inadequate public transport in those days. But I also remember meeting him many years ago at Kajang Hill Golf Club (now closed). Having remembered him even then, I wanted to warm up to him, but he was cool, so I cooled off, too, and I remember it till now. So at the table I didn't say anything to him, except saying, when asked, that  I stay at Ampangan, Seremban. The funny thing was, he remembered my nick-name "Zam". Only my close friends use that name, until today, even some of the ex-Felda boys.

By the way, Aziz's  son-in-law is Spanish. Adios, amigo!

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