When He Was 64

My late father was born in 1922. He chose the date 4.4.44 to marry my mother. He was still only  a few months shy of 22. My mom was then only 17.

By the time he was 40, going on 41, they already had 9 children. Mom was just 35, 36. The gynae suggested that she had her tubes tied, to which she agreed. Otherwise there might have been 3 or 4 more of us.

The years passed, we finished our schooling. Dad made sure we all went through tertiary education, and got decent jobs and.... got married. By the time he was 64 and Mom 59 they've already had 15 or so grandchildren, and my youngest sister 23 years old.

Year: 1986

 

So I guess they could breathe easier with everyone grown up.

I am 57 now and if I get to see 64 my youngest would be 25 years old. No more school uniforms to be bought, even since last year for that matter.

It's just that I have a couple of 64, 65 year-old friends, albeit on Facebook, who still have teenagers running around them. And they are not the grandchildren.

These coots look youngish and spritely though. I'm just wondering whether they treat their young children as children, or grandchildren... because these daddies are old enough to be grandfathers anyhow.

I remember my own maternal grandfather had 3 little girls in his sixties when he re-married after my grandmother passed away. They were very much younger than me and I think he doted on them  as he did us, his grandchildren.

Usually grandchildren get away with things that would definitely be frowned upon by the parents.

Like peeing on grandpa

This is my nephew Rez

 

Or punching him in the eye

This is Amin

If my father were still alive, he would be 88 and probably enjoying his 31 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren like Mom is now. He passed away at the age of 71 with 9 additional grandchildren. May Allah bless his soul and place him among the righteous.



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Just A Post

There is "NOT" and there is "DOG"

Put the two together and you get


...oops


There is "TON" and there is "GOD"

Put the two together and you get

T.O.N.G.O.D

TONGOD

pronounced as TOW-NGOD

So what is TONGOD?

A junior Medical Officer in Sabah might know.

Is it a disease? Or what?





Clue...

AHA!!! It is a PLACE.

A very small town, if you can call it such.

Or just a post.

Population: seems like very few

The "pekan" consisting of a row of about 10 shops.


The MP must have done his job well - there is electricity - notice the street lamps.






And a Kelinik Kesihatan...

With staff quarters!

 

My son Amin the MO, just out of housemanship, says he is very happy to be posted here.

TONGOD, smack in the centre of  Sabah - 2 hours from Sandakan by proper road (not dirt track). 

Again, Good Job, MP!

Are those telephone lines? But whatever, MAXIS connection is ultra loud and clear.

Here is a map of Sabah. Tongod is not even shown but it is 50km away from the nearest civilisation which is Telupid.

 Go for it Amin. Serve the villagers here sincerely and professionally.

You won't regret it, Insya Allah...

Dr Amin

Why Some Teachers Go Mental (from my Inbox)

Up Terengganu Way

This time last year when we drove home from a short holiday in Terengganu, we took the less popular jungle route that passes through the new township of Bandar Al Muktafi Billah Shah. I remember that this route was not very well maintained some stretches of which were clearly marked as dangerous. Our GPS very frequently warned us about school zones, hence to slow down. I lamented about the yet to be completed Terengganu section of the new East Coast Expressway (ECE).


Last weekend we had occasion to be in Kuala Terengganu (KT) again and this time we returned via the more scenic coastal road; the expressway still uncompleted. This route takes us through the more developed areas of Terengganu which naturally offer more pit-stop possibilities than the other one. However, as soon as we entered the district of Dungun, we had to contend with endless traffic light intersections from Bukit Baok all the way to Kemaman near the Pahang border. I counted altogether not less than 23 such junctions, which make for a very slow drive indeed. It took us 7 hours from KT inclusive of a Kopi O and Roti Kaya break at the famous Kedai Kopi Hai Peng in Kemaman, and a prayer break at Gambang R&R. The drive on the ECE portion from Gambang to Subang was a mere 2 hours only.


Next May school-holidays we'll be making the trip again. I wonder if the Terengganu section of the ECE will be completed by then. I hope so but then again I don't think so. It'll be yet another super long tiring drive but one which we will have to make. My no. 3, Adeen aka Amal the airline pilot, will be getting married then.


Last weekend he and his sweetheart, Cikgu Akma, were engaged.

I'M GOING TO BE A MOM-IN-LAW!!!


..............