The Enigma of the 80's

1981 - I went for a trial for the school soccer team. Of course I was not choosen for that team as in my school the competion was very stiff - there were so many young Pele's & young Maradona's then.The teacher that were in-carge of our soccer team is Mr. Gun. He was a non-nonsense person & was so "garang". He was also our displinary teacher as well. During our BM lesson, I once got punished by him for spelling "ayur-ayuran" instead of "sayur-sayuran". Don't mess with him, or you will get to paid for it. Hahahaha.

I went to Langkawi for the first time with my family. This would be the last time we travel with dad around. We travel with a small Cessna plane, that will flop down when it hits the clouds. When we approaching Langkawi, the scenery was so beautiful with a lot of groups of small islands. The airport was so small then, with only a field like a soccer field & a small tent for passengers to wait for a plane just like the bus stop. W e stayed in the Langkawi Holiday Resort - now known as Sheraton Langkawi near the Kuah jetty. The places in Langkawi was a lot more original then. We went to Tanjung Rhu during that time, it was one othe beautiful places I've ever seen.

This is also the year that I first completed my full month fasting of Ramadhan. On the raya eve, all of my family member able to gather together for the very first time including my estranged brother. That raya also we are able to decorates our house a lot including hanging the hari raya greeting cards. Of course now is the moments of e-mails, e-cards etc etc & the original hari raya greeting cards are nowhere to be seen. My mum also able to make & sells a lot of Hari Raya biscuits then in resulting we have quite a lot of money to spends then. That is my best Hari Raya ever. One of the defining moments in my life.

The following year - moments of sadness....

1982 - I first enter secondary school - Penang Free School. Traditional trend of my family indeed. During my time there, the school is very good in Hockey, Soccer & Rugby. For rugby we are even 3rd in the whole country. My best friend, Izham Che Amat is the captain of the rugby team. I heard he is once the best student in ALAM (Akademi Laut Malaysia) & worked in Japan. But he is arwah now, may ALLAH bless him. He is the pure example of a poor kid from small fishing village in Kuala Muda, Seberang Perai, Penang who make it big. Masya-ALLAH times do fly so fast. For hockey, my class mate, Musthapa Ariffin once played for the country in the 90's.

My sports house in the Penang Free is Cheeseman - the offical colour is red.
The annual cross country event (merentas desa) needs us to runs across the chinese cemetry in Batu Lanchang. Luckily I don't have bad dreams at night after that:).

On the 4th.day of Ramadhan this year, my father passed away due to asthma. He was 73 years old then. He was ill a few days before. But on the morning on the day he died he was so healthy & even performed the oil change on the car. But after breaking fast, he complaining of pain. Mum try to convince him to go to hospital. He refused to go maybe he knowed the time has come. It's not really the same you know, when you growing up - your father is not around. My sincere advice - to all that still has his dad, just valued & earn your life. Life is just not the same without them.

1983 - during the fasting month, I fell down when running & broke my right hands that needs to be cemented with plaster of Paris.That is the time that I need to sit for my form 2 mid-year exam. Luckily I write with my left hand but I fair badly in that exam. Finished among the last in my class. But my defining moments came during the final year exam - I just don't know why. But sometimes miracle do happens. Everything was right for me. I was in the right frame of mind. I studied so hard. It's quite strange as usually I am the lazy type.The result shows immediately - I managed to be among the top in my class. I jumped from No.28 to No.5. It is a record during that time!The thing that I cannot forget up until this day is when my form 2 class teacher Miss Anna Tan called the pupils who excel in the exam in front of the class. I was called last, I guess the best is saved for last.The word that she says about me later, flourishing in my mind forever -that my achievement was so special, unbelievable & urged others to set me as a role example. It was so special to me - coz' I rarely tastes success again in my life, ever.

You just don't know what it's like. It's so hard to be me, so hard....

George Lucas released the 3rd installment of the Star Wars franchise - The Return of The Jedi. With my father no more to accompany me, I watched the movie alone in the Cathay Cinema, Penang Road (the place now occupied by Mydin Wholesales). I have just no idea, what are the things that I will face through out my life. It's never the same when you're alone.

In the music scene, Alleycats still managed the chart with M.Nasir's compose Sekuntum Mawar Merah & Setahun Sudah Berlalu so on...