2021

 Sun Feb 14, 2021

I've been delayed in this first 2021 entry for so many reasons. Things came up, and this followed that, and before you know it, it's February.

The Movement Controls keep our , well, movements controlled. Among others, even my golf has been pushed aside (until yesterday, SIGC has reopened its gates). Members can now play again, and Dato' Sulaiman was quick to get me to register for our first game this Tuesday. I don't know if I can hit the ball; it's been that long.

2021 is going to be filled with anniversaries.

This is my 77th. year, can you believe it ?  December 3 would be our 50th. wedding anniversary. We'll have to celebrate that. February is the anniversary of the Movement Control Order also. Covid 19 has consumed the nation in no small measure. Our 2020 politics  match other countries' politics in not slowing down, pandemic notwithstanding. This past month also saw some physical changes to the house because of the growing family.

There's a plaque taken from my father's grave, after some concreting that had to get it removed. I had it done in Jawi, and it says "Haji Muhammad Yunus bin Musa, Sabtu, 6 January 1979, 6 Safar 1399". That makes it exactly 42 years ago. Dad would have been exactly 100. Mom died on 10th. September, 2008, which was also 10th Ramadan, 1429, actually aged 87. Her i.c. says " 261117 - 05 - 5044", making her 84, but in fact she was 3 years older. You know the registeration in those days. So she would also have been 100, can you believe it, although she outlived dad by 29 years.

I got married on 3rd December, 1971. That means I was exactly 27 then. Dad and mom knew Cikgu Ujang and Makcik Bonun very well and  for a long time. They were more than happy to see me getting hitched to their daughter, 5 years my junior. I have 9 siblings, she had 11,  but 5 have died.

There are 11 grandchildren now, but hopefully another one is expected this year from Dekna, to make it an even dozen. When everyone is around, say during Hari Raya, the whole house is turned upside down.

February is also the anniversary of the "PKP" for Malaysia. The enforcement couldn't have been total, thus the spread of the virus was unstoppable. As in the US, Malaysians are not 100% in acceptance of the reality of the pandemic and the clinical controls devised. The death figures  worldwide are too big not to give  that chilling impact.  Let's face it. The death is real. WW2 caused 75 million deaths over a 4-year period. That's about 3% of the world population. Covid 19 deaths worldwide now account for 2.2% of those afflicted. For great, modern USA, it's 1.8%. For us, it's 0.4%. Much better for now, but will it hold ? 

Going back to the grandchildren, to make the house more grandchild-proof, whatever that means, Idah, No. 3 Son and Dekna "pakat" and added a new room. It measures 15' x 15' x 8'.  I chipped in 3K for deepening the drain that goes around Dekna's room out to the outside brick wall. You won't believe the amount of stuff that had to be moved from my old computer room, to make it the new No.3 Son's room. (By the way, he tested it this week. I asked how is it, without a/c ? I think it's ok, because he fell asleep and forgot to switch-off the light). 

Idah moved 8 book-cases and 800 books from the tv room to the new room. Alone. In one day.

I moved 2 large dress cabinets, 2 steel filing cabinets, 1 large writing table,  1 large swivel chair, 1 book case , 2 book cabinets,  200 books, 7 large laundry boxes and baskets, 1 computer table, 1 pc with CPU and printer, and endless electrical wiring and plugs. And 10 years of  various golf magazines.  Alone. But it's not finished yet.

The whole exercise threw up a nice surprise, though. Sifting through the rubble, I managed to sort out a few things.

The 1,000 odd books are from some really early collections.  "Hikayat Abdullah"  and "Kesah Pelayaran Abdullah" printed by Malaya Publishing House, Singapore, 1947, were both given to me by dad in 1958.  I was 14, and already an avid reader, if I may say so myself.  Abdullah bin Abdul Kadir Munshi wrote his books about 1852. There is also "Pantun Melayu" but written by 2 orang putihs - Wilkinson and Winstedt in 1955 and published in Singapore by the same publishers. 100 plus books are on golf. The oldest one is "The Complete Golfer" by Harry Vardon, 1905 - that's 116 years ago!  But the oldest golf book I bought is "How to Play Your Best Golf All The Time" by Tommy Armour (1954), in 1985, the year before I got my handicap in 1986, aged 43. Was it good ? The book is "old school", but I went down to handicap 9 in July, 2002, at the ripe age of 59 (before 60 lah!), so it's not bad. By the way I went down to handicap 6 later. These days 15 is a comfortable handicap to carry.

There are hundreds of "old style" photographs that I managed to sort and so far have put them into 2 large bags for further action. In the mean time I've put together those containing people who have left us. A few are really old photos that needed some cleaning up. Those of the children growing up, and travelling the world, all bring warm memories to me.

There are also some old notes that the children made. They never thought these would still be around, I'm sure.

Politics were something unavoidable for 2020. The "Sheraton Move" back home still reverberates through the ranks today.  What's legitimate is no longer clear. High-ranking convicted UMNO leaders still strut around with no shame, when a Japanese counterpart would resign simply over unproven public comments. The US Presidential Elections 2020 have produced stunning images and lay bare the clearly flawed American claim to a high standard of behaviour to a watching world audience.

These are  my opening remarks for 2021.

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