It is so ironic ... ;-((

While we were having a gala time at Syafiq's convocation, who would have thought that Akmal would be lying in a hospital bed - unconscious??? He did not want to spoil the mood of the happy occasion that he waited until the next day and was discharged to call and inform me of his mishap. I was wondering why he did not reply to my sms. Talk about irony.

Akmal had an accident. His motorbike's tyre burst and he lost control of his bike. As he had a pillion rider with him, he tried to hang on to his bike so that both would not be flung out from the bike. What he did not realise was that his friend had already jumped out from the bike. He tried to control his bike and when he awakened, he was already at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kota Kinabalu.

When he called me, he tried to downplay his injury. He said he was returning to his hostel after buying lunch when he heard a loud bang. He realised that the bike's rear tyre had burst. He was more concerned for his friend's safety. They told him he was unconscious and they took him to UMS clinic. The clinic sent him to the hospital by an ambulance. He thought it was so comical as he would be the one in the ambulance. He recovered consciousness after a while and was discharged 6 hours later. When I asked him if they did an x-ray or MRI on him, he did not know. So, I had to pressure him and emotionally blackmail him to do it the next day. Thus, to appease his concerned mother, he went and had a thorough body x-ray for internal injuries. The doctor checked his head without doing any scanning. Since he did not vomit and neither did he had any headaches or nauseousness after more than 24 hours, the doctor declared that his head was still round in shape and the skull intact. Hmmm...he was lucky I was not there to ask him questions !!!!! Anyway, one consolation was that Akmal was to return for a follow-up check up in 2 weeks. If the doctor declared him fit, then he could go for his expedition to one of the islands in south Sabah.

I do not like the sound of that. Akmal, being Akmal, cannot sit still and will be so restless that he will do anything. And being so obliging and helpful, he will not be able to just sit and look at others doing their work. That is what I am worried of. I asked him not to do any diving until the body healed. It takes time for the injured soft tissue and the impact of the fall to get better. I cannot do anything except pray.

I am thankful and grateful that Akmal is always in Allah's protection. There is so much to be thankful for - the accident occurred in campus, thus no flowing traffic. There is a witness - the pillion rider - who go and get help from the boat boys and the aquarium. There is no major injuries and no broken bones or torn tendons and ligaments. He is unconscious for a short period of time. Allah is still kind. Maybe He is trying to tell Akmal to slow down and take things easy for a while after years of hectic activities and good health.

All I can tell him is to rest - which is not possible for someone hyper like him - and let time does  its work. Do not abuse the body as it is a gift from Allah. Time heals all wounds. Just be patient and let the body heal. I am not there for him but he sent some photos of the accident taken by one of his good samaritans aka friends. I did not like what I saw but I trusted that he was honest when he told me he was okay. I will only see him in 3 weeks time for his convo. In the meantime, I hope he has the common sense and I leave him to Allah. Only He knows best. InsyaAllah.

What happened to his bike ....

Graduation ..... (2)

What I liked most of the graduation was the finale. The seriousness was broken by the bubbles and balloons thrown towards the graduates from the top of the hall while the Pro Chancellor and his entourage walked down the stage. All seriousness broke loose when the graduates scrambled to burst the balloons with anything they had in their hands. The sound of the popping balloons, the colourful bubbles, the screams and shouts .... signaled the ending of solemness and having put on their best feet forward for 5 hours..... :-)) 

After that was of course the photography session with friends, parents ...every graduate, every space and favourite spots were full of graduates and families. It was a relaxing and happy occasion. Alhamdulillah, for the good weather as it was raining cats and dogs the day before, for the smooth conferment ceremony, the last minue baju melayu bought in Alor Setar fitted Syafiq, for all the well-wishes and congratulations from his many uncles and aunties and for the presents and gifts. May Akmal has a great convo too, insyaAllah.

Syafiq (third from left) walking into the hall with other graduates to take their respective places

The happy finale .... the bubbles and the balloons gave a fiesta mood to the solemn ceremony ...

The graduates taking their places

The rows of mortar boards- the graduates stood to attention for the national anthem and almost everybody in the hall including parents sang along ... "Negara Ku"

Graduation ....

After 3 years of burning the midnight oil, spending semester breaks doing his short semester paper, sweating it out when his projects were rejected and had to be done all over again, spending money on everything and nothing, having fun at the same time .... finally Syafiq graduated with his diploma from Malaysia Technology University (UTM). As he was at the Jalan Semarak, KL campus, his graduation was at the UTM Skudai campus. We had fun during the convo. Syafiq was very proud of his achievements and so were we. Being the second child and being caught between 2 high achievers as brothers, he was confident in his own way and thus did not feel inferior to both of them. So, 28th October, a week after his 21st birthday, he held the scroll in his hands with pride and determined to complete his degree in electronic engineering at Universiti Tenaga Nasional. All our blessings and prayers follow you wherever you go ....

The Invitation pas for parents

The jam heading into UTM at 7:00am - graduates' families and staff

UTM Skudai - main campus

One of the many stalls selling the usual flowers and teddy bears - RM50 for flowers and RM75 with the medium sized bear... Syafiq got his courtesy of Pakcik Shah, his uncle

Families who were not allowed into the hall waited at the tent prepared with a big screen TV

The convocation book with the lists of graduates and convo schedule

The Sleepy Hollow awakens ..... (3)

After looking around the clock tower area, acting like tourists and taking photographs ... we continued our walking cruise to the famous Jonker street. It has been revamped for the better. What used to be OCBC bank if I was not mistaken was now a building up for sale. The rows of baba nyonya houses along the street were converted into shophouses. What a waste as they were not interested in the intricate architecture nor the tiled and laid-in mother of pearl walls which was synonymous with baba nyonya culture. I related to Ikram what this place used to be and how quaint and quiet this place was until they created a short cut from Klebang to Bandar Hilir passing through the narrow Jonker street. From an exclusive baba nyonya restaurant, it slowly developed into a commercial area and became the place to visit and hang around. Thus, we acted as tourists. For Ikram, it was his first time here again in his teens. I took them here when they were kids so he could not recall much. We looked into the shops, browsed through the items on sale, bought a few souvenirs for myself and friends and chatted with the friendly sellers.

The road sign that welcomes you into Jonker street

A replica of Admiral Cheng Ho's ship, I guess ... ;-}

This was outside a large Chinese restaurant at the entrance of the street

Another welcoming signage

The famous chicken rice ball restaurant - one of its kind and only found on Jonker street, so they say ...:-D))

One of the many shops that we entered and bought souvenirs

The cute key-chain for friends ..

From one magnet ..... in the end, I bought 9 fridge magnets .... :-D))

We just continued walking and crossed over into Jalan Bunga Raya again. We stopped for mee rebus and cendol. After a final look around at a place so familiar to me .... we drove on to continue our bonding time together.....

The Sleepy Hollow Awakens ..... (2)

 We stopped at the famous clock tower cendol near the river. It used to be a meeting point of friends with just a hawker stall. Then, we had the stall converted into a mangosteen shaped stall. After so many years, I finally had the chance to wander around Malacca on my own with my son, Ikram. There was a crowd of locals and tourists so we shared a table and had a cendol drink. No more the simple just a simple cendol but mind-boggling choices. I chose cendol with kacang merah and Ikram had cendol with ice-cream. It lacked the ooommmph of yesteryear cendol. Ikram told me to wake up to reality and accept that everything changed. It lacked the santan and sweetness of pure gula melaka. The cendol seller was a much younger guy. Hmmm ...       ;-)} 

The cendol stall - now more commercialised ..

The view from the cendol stall across the river. A sprawling spanking up to date Hard Rock Cafe .. I guess to cater to the tourists who usually flock to this area as a hanging place day and night

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Another view from the bridge towards Jonker Street - most of the old shophouses had been converted and repainted. The back corridors are now walkways for pedestrians to go for a "walking cruise" .. ;-)) It is now much cleaner and easy on the eyes. Attractive murals and new paint to refurbish the old buildings. A good move for Malacca tourism industry and a happening night life with the night river cruise .... a busy Jonker street with bistro and cafes to hang around or just take a walk around Malacca most historical site in the cool, refreshing night air.

After that we proceeded around the clock tower area. It was full of tourists. I heard very clearly a tourist guide gave a briefing in Chinese to his tour group. Another group had entered Christ Church. I had been inside the church during my school days with my Christian friends. What I could still recall was the coloured windows high up the wall creating a dim-like serene atmosphere. Life was so much easier then, everybody accepting and respecting each other's beliefs and faith. It had not changed. The old post office had been converted into a museum. The Stadthuys building was undergoing a renovation process so it was closed. There was also a replica of the windmill to remind us of the Dutch occupation near the bridge towards Jonker street.

The old post office - so many memories here. Now it is a youth museum.

The fully decorated trishaws with English speaking trishaw pullers

A view of the clock tower - it chimed at noon while we were there

The Stadhuys building undergoing renovation or repainting

A replica of a windmill to commemorate the Dutch occupation of Malacca

The Sleepy Hollow Awakens ... (1)

Malacca, my hometown. I have been in Kedah for more years than I was in Malacca but I still acknowledge myself as "the Malaccan living in Kedah". As the saying goes - "you can take the girl out of Malacca but you cannot take the Malacca out of the girl" ... or something likewise. :-))  I love Malacca. And I still do.

Malacca was known as a sleepy hollow until development took a fast paced forward and made Malacca into what it is now. The second day day of Aidil Adha celebration was a working day for Malacca. So, together with Ikram, my partner in crime, we went on a "walking cruise" along Malacca river until Jonker street and this was what we saw ......

The map at the old market

We started from Jalan Bunga Raya. We parked the car on what used to be the old market. We walked towards the river and found this map. I was telling Ikram how I used to come to this market with Bapak, his grandfather. He would always drag me along to the market that I knew all his regular vendors and they knew me. Thus, later on, when he was down with the stroke, I did the marketing for the household... From here I walked along the river walkway ...

The old bridge behind the old market has been upgraded

The view across the much cleaner and well taken care of river - most buildings along the river has a mural painted on them

The view of the river, which I think leads towards Bandar Hilir

 From Kampung Jawa, we walked through the shops selling variety of things until we came to the famous satay campur food stall. I had fun recalling what these places were and some nostalgic tales .. He listened patiently and humoured his mother. We became tourists in my hometown ... with me as the tourist guide. :-))

Chan Koon Cheng bridge after the satay celup food stall - we went across and started our walking cruise towards Bandar Hilir

A riverboat cruise passing by to pick up passengers, I guess

 Then, we reached what used to be the "Riverside Bookstore". I wonder if any of you can still remember - a row of Mara shophouses. I think there was a restaurant and a clinic. That bookstore was well-known for its second hand books. I used to loiter around here with some friends just to find cheap second hand novels. Usually you were not disappointed. Now, it is a big enclave where they have found that underneath those buildings was a leftover of a fort or a bastion.

This enclave used to be where the riverside Mara shophouses were ...

St. Francis church - where Maureen and Peter got married .... it's opposite the Queen Victoria's Bastion / fort

Final one takes flight ...

Akmal finally left for Kota Kinabalu last night. A new phase in his life has started. When he went off 3 years ago, we went to send him for registration at UMS. Now he went off on his own. He is offered to be a research assistant to his marine science lecturer. He plans to continue with his masters next year while he figures out what he wants to do. Underwater World Langkawi has offered him to be a curator there after his intern but I suggest that he continues with his studies first. He is also not keen to work in a close-up environment as he is the outdoor type. Open skies, endless oceans and live, free sea creatures make him feel alive.

So, all the three boys have gone to where they are destined to be - Ikram at Uitm Shah Alam, Syafiq at UniTen Bangi and Akmal back to UMS, Sabah. Now it's the two of us again until their semester breaks. Akmal will only be back when he wants to come home, I guess. Anyway, we will be going to KK for his convo next month, insyaAllah.

Thus, I pray for the safety of my children. May they always find joy in whatever they are studying, open up to new experiences and make the best of their situations.

Early birthday celebration - before he takes off for KK ....

Arranged Marriage????

An interesting question from a concerned friend - "Tak kirakan untuk dia ke?"

Akmal and I were having lunch after he picked me up from school today. We saw Fauzi, an old neighbour who had moved to another area. He joined us for a drink and he started to ask Akmal if he had any girlfriends. Akmal, being jovial and uncomfortable with such a direct question just smiled and said many girlfriends but nobody he seriously considered about. Then came the question that was directed to me - "Tak kirakan untuk dia ke?" What??? He said matchmaking. He said something about finding a girl of my choice for him. I just smiled at him and said Akmal was free to make whatever choice he wanted. Fauzi has 3 daughters. His wife was Akmal's primary school teacher. Well....  ;-})

During the trip down to KL to send off Syafiq, Akmal drove. Our topic of discussion was his current interest. He was wondering how could a relationship be so complicated. I asked him some direct questions and I got honest responses. I could only give my point of view as a female. Being so obliging, going out of his way to help anybody (especially the girls), being such a helpful and warm person - I could give many examples but that would be bragging of one's son - I would not be surprised if girls fell for him easily.

When he was home, he would help out with the chores. He would check out the washing machine if I had done any washing so he could hang the clothes to dry. Woke up early just to send me off to school. Took out the garbage on the days when it was collecting garbage day. Go to the shop to get things for me if I had forgotten them. Nothing was too troublesome for him. He was also quite generous even with his money. Or time. If any of the girls' families were visiting, he would willingly be the tourist guide and driver. Wouldn't a girl love that????

So, he decided that he wanted to take a break from this girl whom he felt was suffocating him. He felt trapped and he was not ready for any commitments. He just wanted to concentrate on his new job as a Research Assistant to his marine lecturer and pursue his masters degree. He took a deep breath and claimed that animals were easier to understand and got along with than girls....

I told him it did not matter to us who his choice will be. We do not care about race, colour, background but do consider religion. As long you are happy with her and feel that you cannot live without her...then you know she is the one for you. We will not push you nor get involve with your personal life. You are free to choose whomever you want to. Neither will we get involve and choose someone for you and make you feel oblige to accept out of filial piety.

So, back to the question above - why should I ? I gave a big smile to an obviously dissastisfied friend and neighbour. I was left wondering - do arranged marriages still happen? I suppose so for those who considered it is parental duty to find the best partner for their children. I trust the boys will make the best decision for themselves. InsyaAllah.

Undergraduate at UniTen

Syafiq is  and was a shy boy. He was unsure of himself, a little introvert and lacking in confidence to socialise and quite dependent on his elder brother. He was afraid of unfamiliarity, new places, people he seldom met or anything that was outside his comfort zone. He took time to warm up to people and get used to new surroundings. His brother, Akmal, gave his opinion that Syafiq should not stay at a hostel. Being a boarding school student, he felt that Syafiq would not make it in hostel. Thus, when he was offered SM Teknik in Pendang, I went to see a friend and had him transferred to SM Teknik Alor Setar. Thus, he travelled with me to and from school until he completed form five.

I was glad when he was instructed to go for National Service in Perlis. He was apprehensive, scared and nervous as usual. We gave him confidence and told him to make the best of the situation. National Service was where he became more confident and learned to mix around. He enjoyed the shooting experience and had made new friends out of his school. He enjoyed the stint and it helped to build up his confidence in facing people and new situation. When he was accepted into UTM for his diploma course, he was also quite nervous because nobody from his school got it. When he registered at UTM and he met a few of his National Service friends, he became more confident making me relieved of leaving him on his own.

Now, when he registered into UniTen (Universiti Tenaga Nasional), he had three of his UTM friends and some seniors making him more stable and sure of being left alone again.He continues his degree here courtesy of his father. Otherwise he has to wait for a year to apply through UPU as his convo will only be in late October.

Syafiq is the only son who lived with us until form five compare to Akmal and Ikram who went off since Form One to boarding school. He is very "manja" and would prefer to tag along with me whether to the market, shopping, visiting ... When he was home for the semester break, he would always messaged to ask how my day was and what was for dinner. During fasting month, he would be the one who requested special dishes. Syafiq is mechanically inclined and not academically inclined like his brothers. The three brothers may be poles apart in interest and in physical appearances yet they respect each others' unique abilities. Arguments among them are tolerated and handled with tact and patience. They are more friends than brothers. I must have done something right with these guys.... ;-)

Fooling around with Akmal (with sunglasses) before registration to calm nervous nerves ... ;-)

Registration with Noor looking on

This place is called "sunken" where 10 freshies at a time are sent to register online. They fully utilise the technology..

His room (single) for the year in an apartment of 4 rooms.

So, I left Syafiq, in his own new world at UniTen. InsyaAllah, he will be able to fend for himself and do his best for his own future.