Tun Dr Mahathir Used To Be My Imaginary Grandfather

Most Malaysians of my generation would remember Tun Dr Mahathir throughout their childhood as the Prime Minister of Malaysia. But things are a little bit different for me. Thanks to my elder sister, I remember Tun Dr Mahathir throughout my childhood as my grandfather, or Tok Ayah. I could not understand her motive, but whenever Tun Mahathir came up on TV or the newspaper, she would say to me ''Opie, tengok ni, Tok Ayah masuk TV!''. As a child 4 or 5 years of age, of course I would believe in anything she said. So I believe that I have 3 Tok Ayahs. One is Tok Ayah kampung who lives in Batu Pahat, another one is Tok Ayah PJ who lives in Petaling Jaya, and the last one is Tok Ayah the Prime Minister. My delusion that the Prime Minister is actually my grandfather was so strong that one day me and my family went to a 'Disney on Ice' show premiere in Kuala Lumpur. Tun Mahathir was there with Tun Siti Hasmah. At the end of the show we had a chance to shake his hands, and I went to him and said 'Hi Tok Ayah!'. I could not remember the expression on his face at that time but it must have been a surprised one.

The delusion weans off as I grew older, I no longer look up as him as my grandfather, but I still look up at him as my inspiration. I could not believe that after 20 years, I get to speak to him again at an event held by my University. Tun Mahathir is a much older man now. Even early in his speech he seems to fumble with words, forgetting some of the things he wanted to say, but as his speech goes on, he speaks as well as he spoke 20 years ago. I fully took this chance to ask him a question, in an effort have a form of conversation with him. I asked a friend to record the video, and I shall put it here to preserve the memory:

Both ardent fans of him and his political enemies seems to agree that he has done a lot for the country. I was inspired by what he said in his speech, that he does everything for the love of the nation, he could not bare people looking down on his nation, and he feels humiliated that during his time the country were always under the rule of another. His love for the nation is above everything else. I have read a few of his autobiographies, the most prominent of course being his own memoir 'A Doctor in the House'. I was inspired when he said that his training as a medical doctor contributes much to his way of thinking when he solves problems as a Prime Minister. He admits that doctors has a systematic approach to solving problems, and that approach can be used not only to treat patients but to treat political, economic and social problems. At the age of 87, it is amazing that he can still be active writing, giving speeches and attending events. I am sure that when he looks back to his past life, he can be proud that he has changed the lives of many for the better. That is the life I want to live. To serve, to change people's lives, to be remembered, to leave a legend. I know it will be hard, but we have only 2 choices: either to tip-toe through life, avoiding getting bruised and die without a trace, or we can live a life full of ups and downs, filled with challenges...and be remembered long after we are dead and gone.Tun Dr Mahathir lived a legendary life, and I will always remember him as THE Prime Minister, and my imaginary childhood grandfather :)

Me and Tun Dr Mahathir after book signing

How Malacca Was Discovered (Alternate Ending)

Teacher: Okay everyone, please sit down and open page 23. Today we’re learning about the discovery of Malacca

(Flipping of pages)

Teacher: Aminah, can you find Malacca on the map?

Aminah: Yes, teacher, here it is!

Teacher: Good! Okay, class, who discovered Malacca?

Class: Aminah!

(Silence)

Teacher: Okay, but NO! It’s Parameswara

Class: Ooooh…

Amir: Teacher, who is Parameswara?

Teacher: He’s a prince. He ran away from his home, Palembang because it has fallen into the hands of Majapahit

Amir: Why did he run away from home? Did he hate his parents?

Teacher: No, because his hometown was conquered by outsiders so he has to find a new place to rule

Aminah: Did his parents hate him because he’s bald?

Teacher: Ugh, I told you, this has nothing to do with his parents!

Amir: They’re not related?

Teacher: No, they’re not!

Amir: Then who gave birth to Parameswara?

Teacher: Okay forget it! So one day Parameswara ran away from his parents’ house to find a new home, get it?

Class: Ooooh…

Teacher: First, he went to Temasik, now known as Singapore. At first, the ruler there gave him protection, but then...you know what happened? He killed that ruler!

Amir: OMG! You mean Singapore's name hasn't always been Singapore?

(Long silence)

Teacher: Ugh, yeah…but that’s not the point. Can you focus? I said, he killed the ruler of Temasik in order to become the new ruler!

Aminah: Oh no!!!

(Actually, triggered by the word 'new ruler' Aminah just realized she forgot to bring her new ruler for mathematics)

Teacher: The people of Temasik were angry and didn’t want Parameswara to become their new ruler, so he went off again to a place that will soon become Malacca. Now, who knows where Malacca gets its name from?

Class: (Silence, looking at each other)

Teacher: Okay, so Parameswara was tired from running away, so he went on to rest under a tree by the river, when suddenly came a Kijang. Parameswara brought along his hunting dogs. Uhhh, what a tasty feast the kijang would be! Yum yum! So Parameswara commanded his dogs to catch the kijang...go get 'em my faithful dogs!

Amir: Parameswara can talk dog language?

Teacher: No,it's just for the sake of narration. He must have pointed his fingers at the Kijang and the dog understood

Amir: The dogs can read Parameswara’s mind?

Teacher: Yeah, sort of. ..Anyway, as soon as the dog was about to bite the Kijang, the Kijang kicked the dog away, and into the river!

Aminah: Oh, poor little puppy! Can they swim?

Teacher: No, they can’t

Aminah: So, they drown and died? (watery eyes)

Teacher: I’m afraid so

Aminah: Waaaaaa! (Cries heavily)

Teacher: Now, now Aminah, don’t cry…I was mistaken. I’m sure there are fishermen there at the river, so the dogs must have landed in their boats safe and sound, and the fishermen took them home and feed them to become healthy dogs

Aminah: Really? Yay!

Teacher: So, Parameswara was astonished by the strength of the Kijang. So, he asked his bodyguard ‘I’ve never seen a kijang so strong! What the hell is the name of this tree I’m resting under?’

Amir: Wait, what does the tree has to do with the kijangs and the dogs and the fishermen?

Teacher: Nothing. Because Parameswara already know the name of his dogs, John and Denver, the name of that kijang, Sang Kijang, and also the name of his bodyguard, Ali Rustam, so he needs to ask something he hadn’t known already!

Class: Ooooh…

Teacher: So, the guard answered ‘Uh…I think it’s Malacca’. ‘Malacca?’ Parameswara replied. ''What a great name for a country! That’s it, I’m going to build a country here, and name it Malacca! Melaka Maju 2010!'' So that’s how Malacca was founded

END!

This must be the river that the dogs were kicked into

If Malaysians Rule The World

Got this idea while nearly dozing off in a 'hubungan etnik' class last Saturday. The lecturer talked about Westernization, and this idea came to me: What if Malaysians rule the world, what would 'Malaysianization' sound like? Here's a sneak peek:

OLD TOWN WHITE COFFEE, BROADWAY, NEW YORK

(The door opens)

Bartender: Welcome to Old Town! What can I get you?

John: Hazelnut white coffee for me…and you?

Jessica: I’ll just have the original white coffee

Bartender: Aite, that’s it? Have a seat, will serve u

John: Great, thanks man!

(John and Jessica took a seat by the window. Outside, it is snowing)

John: Sure is cold outside, nothing like a good cup of hot white coffee!

Jessica: Totally! Thank God we have Old Town at our place. Heard they ain’t got any down in Florida

John: For real? Well that sucks. But ever since Old Town got in here, every other shop’s turning into a café now. Put up weird names too: Starbucks, Coffee Bean, and Gloria Jeans? Can you believe it? I mean, c’mon, who the hell would put up their own name up for a café? If it's Haji Tapah it'd sound cool...but Gloria Jeans??

Jessica: Yeah, well, but I’m sure it’s a long way to go before they can catch up with Old Town. I’ve tried their coffee. Nothing like white coffee…like they’re making white coffee using tea leaves

John: Guess we’ll stick to Old Town for now. Speaking of the weather, have you’ve seen our friends’ photo on Facebook? Those studying overseas…in Malaysia?

Jessica: Hell yeah, God, I’m so jealous of them! There it’s like summer every day, and here we are, stuck in this frickin’cold weather with our cars sinkin‘ in the snow

John: Yeah, I know. Sucks to be us. Why didn’t you study there again? I thought you were on top of your class?

Jessica: Yeah I nailed 2400 for my SAT, 4.00 GPA, 34 for MCATS, and got pending offer for a scholarship to National University of Malaysia, but…

John: Shit, National University of Malaysia…like the ones in the movies?

Jessica: Yeah, like in the movies…anyway, my mom wouldn’t let me go there. You know how Republican she is. Just because Bush didn’t like Mahathir, she has this delusion that the old Harvard school is better than any university in the world. The joint’s 100 years older than this country, for God’s sake!

John: Dang, what a waste! Should have given me your scholarship!

Jessica: Yeah, oh well, it’s kinda hard to enter Malaysia nowadays. We have to apply for VISA now. The government found out that many US citizens overstayed there after finishing their studies

John: Haha, of course, who doesn’t want to? We get better pay there, the job’s secure, and we don’t have to pay a single cent for healthcare services! Geez, I wonder when that Obama will finally walk his healthcare reform talk. It has been years.

Jessica: Hm, oh by the way think I’m gonna visit Malaysia next year.

John: For real? Dang, can I come along please, please, pleaseee? I wanna see their 100 storey mega tower!

Jessica: Where do you live John, in a cave? Don't you ever read MalaysiaKini? Now they're not even sure if they're gonna build that frickin' tower. The Malaysians don't want it.

John: What the hell?! Why?

Jessica: Hell do I know, guess they already got too much towers.

John: Bloody rich country...

Jessica: Yeah. They rule the economy. Anyway, I’m starting to learn Manglish slang now

John: Give me a preview

Jessica: Well, okay: Aiya John, if you want to follow me to Malaysia ah…you got to learn to speak Manglish you knooow? So, how do I sound? Good or not? Goood rite? I know it’s good maa!

John: Holy shit, u sound exactly like Phua Chu Kang’s wife!

Jessica: Phua Chu Kang’s Singaporean

John: Yeah, whatever, they sound the same

Jessica: It seems like everybody’s putting on a fake Manglish accent around here. It’s true what our 'Ethnic Relations' lecturer said. The kids nowadays are so influenced by Malaysians. They’re ‘Malaysianized’.

John: Yeah, they waste their money and time at tanning saloons and beaches to get their fake tan. Color their hair black, putting on dark contact lenses. Geez, what’s wrong with these young people?

Jessica: I don’t know. People just don’t appreciate our own culture anymore. The country singer’s are losing their popularity. Like, who listens to Hannah Montana or Taylor Swift anymore? Even Lady Gaga's extreme attention seeking behavior didn't take our kids' eyes off Maya Karin

John: Yeah, kids these days. All they know is Zee Avi, Yuna, Nana, Mawi, Aizat. Oh, and have you heard that Colbie O’Donnis made a duet with Mizz Nina?

Jessica: Whaaat? Colbie O’Donnis with Mizz frickin' Nina? How the hell did they get him to sing with her?

John: I don’t know, they must have pulled some strings

Jessica: Oh geez

(Awkward silence)

Jessica: Think we should get moving. You know your cheap 'General Motors which went bankrupt' car can’t last for long in the snow

John: Yeah, let’s go. Dang, how I wish I have a Proton Inspira!

END

I know this is far from the reality, but come on man, let's love our country, yeah!

The Last Call

“You, medical student, come here!’’

I was in the wards, as usual exhibiting non-purposeful movements in, out, and around the wards when suddenly that deep voice came from behind. I turned around. The voice belongs to a specialist consultant. ‘Oh shit’, I thought. ‘He either wants to scold me for lying around the wards without purpose or wants me to run somewhere and fetch him some blood’. I came towards him anyway

“You, undergraduate student right? Come here and auscultate (listen to) the patient’s lung. Tell me what you find!’’

Dang, breath sounds. I wasn’t prepared for this, but hoped to get it right this time. The curtain around the patient’s bed was closed. Without hesitation, I went in. Inside, there were nurses around the bed, must be 4 to 5 of them, because I remembered I felt like drowning in there. Judging by the looks, the patient must be in a critical condition. I took out a navy blue stethoscope from my white coat, wrapped one end around my neck, and adjusted the round shaped object we call ‘diaphragm’ at the other end. I put the cheap plastic piece on my ear, the diaphragm on the patient’s chest, and started listening.

Perhaps there was too much noise. The nurses around me were talking loudly to each other. What are they doing here anyway? I got irritated. I couldn’t hear a thing with them in here! I pressed the earpiece harder towards my ear. I listened again. Still, there’s nothing. I rechecked the diaphragm, twisting the cord clock and counter-clock wise again. There’s nothing wrong with it. By that time the nurses had stopped talking and started giggling. I decided to get some hints and ask one of the nurses.

“Uh, nurse, what does this patient have’’ I asked

“What does he have? Hmm…well, I’m not really sure’’. She had a sinister smile, then the other nurses giggled harder.

I was in an awkward situation. Then, the curtains open abruptly. It was the consultant.

“Hear anything?” he said

I had read the patient’s note before. It said that the patient has ‘bibasal crepitations’, crackling breath sounds you hear in your stethoscope when auscultating patients with certain lung disease. I had an impulse to say it, but I decided to be honest, and glad I did:

“I couldn’t really appreciate the sounds, doctor’’. He had a similar sinister smile as the nurse before.

‘’Do you know what’s a last call?’’

‘’Last call?’’ I asked

‘’Yes, last call, you know how to do it?’’

Then it came into my mind. Last call. I heard of it in TV series. That was when everything fell into place. The noisy nurses, the inaudible breath sounds, the eerily silent chest, the closed curtain. How couldn’t I realize earlier, that there was a resuscitation cart next to the bed? How couldn’t I notice the chest wasn’t moving? Or there’s not a heart sound along with the breath sound? No wonder the nurses were all over. Perhaps I was too nervous by the specialist suddenly asking me to examine the patient, or perhaps his instructions to ‘hear the patient’s lung’ confused me, or the nurses overwhelmed me. Of course I couldn’t hear the breath sounds...

I was auscultating a dead patient!

Having understood the specialist was playing tricks on me to make me learn a valuable lesson, I confirmed the patient’s unresponsive pupil with my pen-torch, confirmed the pulseless carotid on the neck, confirmed the inaudible breath had heart sounds, and made the last call. It sounds something like this:

‘This patient, Mr Y, announced dead at 3.45 PM, 23rd of December, 2010”

I learned a great lesson that day. Do you know that in the midst of the stormy disaster, the most tranquil place to be is in the eye of the hurricane? That's where I want to be in the midst of a disaster. To remain calm, controlled, careful, focused and observant, even when the world is in a storm.

The Cat That Was Human

Once there was a cat so convinced he's human. We called him Bambang. There were 8 of us in the house, and each of us has our own story of how we met Bambang for the first time. Mine was when I sat alone, minding my own business, when he came out of nowhere and sat on my lap. I was alone. He figured that I need company. That was when I met him for the first time. I took my guitar, played him a song by Cat Stevens just because the name of that singer fits, and welcomed him into my room

Bambang officially became the 9th member of the house after Azhar Hussein gave him a bath, (although he hated it), Hadi Fadhil gave him Friskies (he prefers it to be served in the dustbin), and after Ismayudin Ismail hated him for voiding in front of his room. Before long, we noticed that Bambang has some typical human behavior: he watches TV on the couch, sleeps on our beds, eats chicken steak from Clemmons, drinks Sprite and tried to joke around with us. I remembered once I woke in the middle of the night and heard the TV was still on. So I went down to turn it off, but Bambang was there on the couch, the remote beside him, staring into the TV screen attentively at David Letterman. His face was serious as always, which was why we never got his jokes.

Another day, I went into the toilet and saw him there, drinking from the toilet bowl. Bambang liked to lick our fingers, and drinking from the toilet bowl seems inappropriately human, so I taught him to drink from the pipe water instead. I told him sometimes people drink from the pipe water too, so he agreed to change his habits. When he knew that humans either go to work or school, Bambang decided to become a house guard. When we all went for lectures, he would sit in front of the door, protecting the house from thieves until we return. I think he liked his job very much, and did it well too. So we'd pay him with more Friskies. Each day, Bambang grew fatter and fatter, which offered him a second job: working as a pillow. Bambang didn't mind even when the heavy weighted Faizul Ramli used him as a pillow.

But now Bambang is gone. Nobody knows where he went to. Nooraishah Saadon told me that it is a common thing for a male cat to disappear for awhile to fight with other male cats, expanding their territory. But I think Bambang is smarter than that. I believe his humanlike instincts brought him to places humans go: studying overseas, joining the army, or simply having a family

Bambang

There's Something Fishy Goin' On Here

Have you ever wished life is as simple as fishes swimming around in a pond?

Let me tell you about a fish. Let’s call him Fishy, because there’s always something fishy about this fish. Fishy lives in a pond full of other fishes. But they don’t eat each another. Because it’s a small pond, and all the fishes are of the same species that feed on algae. One day, Fishy decides to swim around in circles. So, he swam around in circles. Around and around he went, chasing his own tail, until one moment, another fish saw what he was doing and asks:

“Hey, Fishy, you’re not a dog are you?”

“No”, said Fishy. “What’s a dog?”

“It’s a type of mammal that likes to run around in circles chasing its own tail, exactly like what you’re doing right now”

“Wow. I’ve never seen a dog before, but I’d love to see one someday!”

“I’m sure you will, said the other fish”

So one day, a dog fell into the pond. Just before the dog splashed in, a bone dropped in. This dog must be one of those greedy ones which carry bones in their mouth and came across the pond and saw their own reflection in the water and fell in it to get the other bone, which turns out to be only a reflection. The other fish saw the dog drowning, and quickly came for Fishy. Fishy quickly swam towards the dog, and asked the dog:

“Mister, are you a dog?”

The dog didn’t reply to Fishy’s question. Instead, he yelped for help. He couldn’t swim! Fishy didn’t understand why a dog couldn’t swim, because he has been swimming since the day he was born, and he couldn’t imagine a creature that couldn’t swim. Soon, the dog drowned and died. Poor dog. Fishy was saddened by this unfortunate event, but he was thankful that he gets to see a dog and went along with his day swimming around in circles because he has nothing else to do.

“Mister, are you a dog?”

Life can be as simple as Fishy. Swim around in circles and never get thirsty because water’s all over you. Never worrying about being eaten alive, and there’s always plenty of food. You can be happy, swimming around in circles, but that’s it. Nothing more. The only chance you’ll see a dog is when one falls into your pond, which wouldn’t happen if not for the Malay saying: ‘bagai anjing dengan baying-bayang’.

Life can be hard, you run the risk of getting eaten alive (not literally, of course), but that’s life. Never give up because you will grow through each pain. If you give up along the way, your suffering would be nothing but a waste. That’s when you decide to be like Fishy, live in your own pond (own world), watch TV because it’s nice to see people more messed up than you. Slowly, you become a victim of your own fear and insecurities.

A common misconception about people who succeed in life is that they are fearless. It’s simply wrong. Fear is a necessary part of growth. FEEL IT and HURDLE TOWARDS IT ANYWAY. In the words of Susan Jeffers, a world-renowned psychologist:

Pushing through fear is less frightening than living with the underlying fear that comes from a feeling of helplessness

So get into this world. It’s wide, and it’s never too late to try

Note to animal activists: I am in not any way saying that life as a fish sucks. It’s just an analogy to get to my point. Don’t get me wrong, I love fishes. They’re tasty

My Lucid Dream

Have you ever experienced a lucid dream? A dream where you’re actually aware that you’re dreaming? A few weeks ago, I had a dream where I was pretty sure I was dreaming. So damn sure. Because I dreamed I was a dinosaur (no, not Zahira Tarmizi’s little dinosaur, the big, mean one). Specifically, a Tyrannosaurus rex. You know, the flesh-eating-king-of-the-Jurassic-age. I looked something like this:

Groar! (Heya, how’s it goin’ pal?)

The dream came, I assume, after I saw in Discovery Channel that dinosaurs roam the earth for over 160 million years. 160 million years! Can you believe that? What were they doing on earth for so long? I gave it a lengthy thought, but perhaps my thoughts were too lengthened that I brought it into my dream that night. But that dream holds the answer to the questions I have been scouring over all day, so…yeah whatever

How did I know I was a T-rex? Well, I was tall, taller than Yao Ming, I stand on 2 feet, I have long legs, but my hands are so short, they are practically useless. So useless I can just let them catch gangrene and rot, and it wouldn’t make any difference to my quality of life. Anyway, in that dream, I was hanging around, minding my own business, watching volcanoes blast or asteroids coming down from the sky, having a nice chat with brontosaurus and triceratops, when suddenly, I started eating leaves. That’s when I felt something’s not right. It was like I’m on autopilot, you know. Like I still have a mind of my own, but I’m stuck inside this idiotic T-rex who eats leaves, and all I can do is watch. It was very frustrating. I wish I could shout: “Hey, what are you doing, man? What’s with the leaves, man? You’re a flesh-eating carnivore, darn it! Why are you even friends with brontosaurus and triceratops? Geez, why am I even having this dream?!”

I was so disappointed of myself that when I was eating those plants, tears rolled down my eyes. When I woke up, I realized that my cheeks were wet and my eyes were watery. That’s how real the dream seemed to me. That’s my lucid dream. Have you ever experienced one?

Of PPSMI and the whole language mix-up

Just a catchy topic to attract you. Gotcha! What actually I'd like to write today is about how confused kids can be when you mix up Malay and English at once.

Story 1:

Do you know why I wanted to become a doctor? The story goes like this. When I was a kid (before I even went to school) my family thought I wanted to be a fireman, or ‘ahli bomba’ in Malay. What I really wanted to be was a ‘bomber’. Yep, bomber as in suicide bomber (except for the suicide part). All because I love this video game called 'bomberman' (it was a classic riff! Phenomenal back then…old school gamers like Ismayudin Ismail would know). So I told my parents: “Dah besar nanti Opie nak jadi bomber!” They must have misinterpreted bomber as ‘ahli bomba’ because every time a fire engine passed by, my parents will say “Opie, tgk tu…bomba! nampak tak?”…and little me would believe that somewhere inside that long, red vehicle, people armed with dynamites are ready to blow up some bad-arses. My parents must be proud thinking that their one and only son aspire to save some lives, courageously putting off fires, sacrificing himself for the sake of strangers. But little did they know, deep inside the little mind of mine, I was secretly planning to blast off bad-arses into smithereens. Just like Mr.Bomberman! But sometime later, my parents (still thinking I'm interested in becoming a fireman) showed me a fireman cartoon show on TV. I was so excited! Seconds turned into minutes, minutes turned into hours, I waited and waited, but there’s still not a single explosion in sight! Nothing can compare to my disappointment at that time. So, the moment the cartoon show ended, I swore I wouldn’t want to be a bomberman anymore, and become a doctor instead!

Thank you cartoon show, you saved my life!

Owh, I miss this classic riff. 1987? The year I was born!

Story 2:

When I was a kid, I thought that Kenny Rogers was a 'singa'. Yep, ‘singa’ as in Lion King? (Singa means lion in Malay). While we were having dinner at Kenny Rogers, I overheard my parents saying 'Kenny Rogers ni dulu 'singer' tau. Popular zaman mak ayah dulu'. So, since then, I thought Kenny Rogers was formerly a lion, and somehow transformed into a human being. Miracles happen, I thought...just like in Disney movies (beast turns into a prince, frog turns into a prince...owh, it happens all the time, but lion turns into Kenny Rogers?)

Owh, come on...even you cannot tell their difference!

My Grandfather

My grandfather is a teacher (note the tense). Formally, he was a teacher, but up till now, he never gave up what he had been doing all his life: teaching. My grandfather, or Tok Ayah, as we call him, used to teach Bahasa Melayu at schools during the post-World War II era. Today, Tok Ayah teaches the Holy Koran, at homes to his children and grandchildren on a monthly basis, and to his neighbors at a mosque near his house.

Once, on a long holiday after graduating from high school, I spent a week at my grandparents’ and got the chance to experience his daily routine. My grandparents live in Batu Pahat, Johor, about 4 hours drive away from Kuala Lumpur. Before Maghrib, he would get himself ready, with his favorite white jubah and neatly wrapped serban around his head. His articles would be ready on his table, several copies of it lay there, “Ikhlas” it reads. As I drove him to the mosque where he teaches, he told me about his life as a young teacher, how he got married real early, became a teacher to students only a few years younger than him, and how he made it to be the principal.

I’ve heard the story many times before, but it never bored me. I assume he’d forgotten he told me the story. As he is getting older, he keeps forgetting things. Sometimes he would forget things such as his glasses, or brought the wrong article, or even forgot the way back home. I remembered one time when we went to dinner at a nearby Thai warong. When the food arrived, my grandfather already had a fork in his hand. Just as he was reaching for the food, he stopped. “Atok kenyanglah, Opie makan la dulu. Atok nak bungkus je”.

My grandmother gave a puzzled look and tried to persuade him to eat. For after awhile of trying, he still insists on not eating. We thought that he had a stomachache or lost his appetite, so we let him be. After finishing our dinner, we decided to take the leftovers home, and so we called for the waiter. Realizing the food untouched in front of my grandfather, the waiter asked: “Atok, kenapa atok tak makan?” He didn’t say anything for a few seconds, but then he turned to the waiter, grimaced and said “Atok terlupa bawak gigi” as he pointed his fingers towards where his teeth were supposed to be. We all laughed. My grandfather smiled and his face grew red. This is not the first time Tok ayah left his teeth at home, my grandmother told me. Poor Tok ayah…

Tok ayah may be old, and keeps on being more forgetful. But one thing I am sure is that his passion for teaching will never be erased from his mind