FMC PD 1952 - 1961 Group.

 Wed 3.8.22

Yesterday was the meeting for the group  FMC  PD  1952 - 1961, for the intakes of those years.

At this late stage of the formation of this group, and the later still stage of the ages of its members, the meeting yesterday in one of the seminar rooms of the Wisma Pahlawan, ATM, still couldn't get 100% agreement on the date of birth of the college. In the meantime the OPA has fixed its 50th. annual dinner for 17th September at a whopping RM 360 per pax.(Is it the Sheila Majid effect ?).

There were differences on terms used, and understanding conceived, on statutes passed, and actual physical developments made, in the lively exchange that took place yesterday. The date of birth of the college is still in contest. And I almost missed the whole debate. 

As Hank later remarked, I gave myself enough time to make it to the meeting's venue on schedule. The infamous PLUS traffic didn't cooperate. I was in sight of the Sg. Besi toll plaza just before 10 a.m. But I was still 200 meters, and already caught in the hardly moving rows of vehicles. It finally took 70 minutes to move out of the deadlock, and I opened the door into the meeting room at 12 sharp. That made it 3 1/2 hours from Seremban ! At least I made it. Rizal sms'd he'd given up fighting the jam and turned back home.

Someone said at lunch that going back to Seremban should be ok. He appeared to be prophetic, except for the last 4 km to the Seremban toll plaza. Except that in the Sg. Besi case, I saw no reason for the mayhem - no accident, no breakdown, no enforcement unit blunder. In the Seremban case there were flashing lights and 3 - 4 vehicles idle on the left lane - obviously the result of some bang-up. So there was explanation for the jam.

Some sort of accident occurred in the meeting room, apparently, before I came. Halim fell off his chair. Fortunately there were no apparent injuries. Maybe when he got home some bruises would appear. I know that from experience. He did intimate to me though that there's a new-found coffee shop in PD where he has a weekend retreat, and recommended me to try it. I shall try it with Hank, I said.

The meeting proper started from 11.15, according to Halim (the other Halim). Since we broke up at about 1.45 p.m. it was a 2 1/2 hour meeting. Pretty useful, considering a whole lot of topics were shown on screen, and Nawawi, as usual, made sure each one was dealt with, no interruptions allowed, including my phone playing the Zohor azan. The question of enlarging the group to include the Sg. Besi intakes up to 1966 was left to be weighed, an another meeting is sure to come for that. Md. Sham made cursory remarks on the accounts displayed, assuring everyone that he knows what to do, since he's an accountant. That reminded me of Yazid Baba (no BB) in our Mubarak group, forever reminding people that he knows stuff because he's a lawyer. Well, everyone out of college has gone on to do "ok" in his chosen field, and we're proud of everybody's success.  We don't expect less, anyway.  But Md. Sham is ok, generous to a fault, in fact.

On the unresolved question of enlarging this present group to include the 1962 -66 intakes, the fact that their representatives were present yesterday indicated where we are going with this. If we're talking about FMC before RMC, this is it. And that should also address the concern about dwindling numbers. But then, why should it be a concern ? In 35 years those from 1961, that original group would be 112 years old !

We broke up for lunch, served in the dining room on the ground floor. We joined the serving officers who were already tucked in. There was sufficient choice of dishes, local and Western. Hank and another BB went to an empty third table because the two reserved were filled up. But not before the customary photo session. I'm glad I got my copy to show to Tok Sleman, my golf partner for Tuesday, as proof of my genuine excuse for abondonment of our fixed game.

Hank had beaten me to the meeting because he drove from Tropicana, in the Damansara area, instead of coming with me. I thought he wanted to go to IJN. Midway in the meeting he left. I thought he went to the loo. But my phone rang just as the meeting was ending. I was surprised that it was Hank. He didn't go to the loo. He went to IJN. Now he wanted to know if lunch had started - he'd like to join. "Not yet. Come. I'll hold a place for you" was my answer. He returned just as Nawawi was rearranging the chairs for the photo shoot. So if you see the photo, you can see Hank leaning to his right, catching his breath, his white hair dishevelled, having rushed from the car park, for lunch.

Nor Shaari and Mui were already waiting at the lunch table. They came for the lunch, not the meeting. Mui and I were both from B Company, intake 1961, but though I remember him, he doesn't seem to remember me. Nor Shaari and I know each other well. We played golf together many times, though it has been a long while.  I don't even know if he still plays. Hank has given it up. I still play in Seremban. Nor Shaari and I are also "besans". My No. 3 Son is married to his niece, Suhaili's daughter. Suhaili is, you guess it, Suhaila's sister. Suhaila was Nor Shaari's wife. Small world.

My drive from Seremban was at about 8.45 a.m. I reached the Sg. Besi toll area about 9.45. That's 1 hour. I was stuck for 70 minutes. I entered the meeting room at 12 sharp. That's 3 hours 15 minutes. I left ATM for Seremban at 2.55 p.m. and reached home just as the Asr call to prayers were heard outside my car. That's a total of 7 hours 31 minutes.  Travel and related delays were a total of 5 hours and 5 minutes. That's 67.63% of the total time.  As Md. Sham said, now "all time accounted for". But what of it ? Not really that much time left to account for, for the  FMC PD 1952 - 1961 Group.

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