At the invitation of my niece Maria, we met these four highly educated young Malaysians - middle class professionals, very urbane, perceptive and articulate - and we were so glad we did. We met young people who hold a lot of promise for this Malaysia, this Bumi Bertuah. If such conscientious young people are given an opportunity by the wiley old foxes - in the political and non-political establishment - to contribute effectively in the running of this country, then there will be hope for the future - for both the old and the very young.
They are all lawyers but unlike the earlier generations of lawyers they have branched out into diverse fields of finance, IT and renewable energy, Islamic Banking and Islamic Estate Planning. They are indeed indicators of some very worthwhile NEP investments.
With two of them, our connections began many years ago when they were just striplings.
Anis came with Maria to visit us in the Boon Lay flat in 1987 when they were both Form V students at Sekolah Tun Fatimah in JB. What a joy it was to see her again after 26 years!
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| From Left to Right : Maria, Anis and the Gorgeous Geriatrics. |
As for Julie .........
.......... her parents were not able to attend her Convocation in 1993 at Liverpool University and as Maria's parents were present for her, we made ourselves available to Julie as her "rent-a- parents". We did the same for the two of them when they were called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1994 and up to the present day the two of them have not settled the rental payment!
Somehow we could not locate an image of the Fourth Person Zahid - the Man of the Moment - who paid the bill for the great lunch. But this photo is a demonstration of our appreciation. This yummilicious Cendol is for you, Zahid .....
.......... even though Anis and Maria scoffed most of it down.
During the meal, I referred to them as "middle-aged". This naturally met with a yell of disapproval! By the end of the lunch I had changed it to 'youngsters' and that pleased Julie no end.
Then, by the time Maria had left our house (on dropping us home) I asked her to thank the 'kids' - the juveniles!
From Uncle Iain and ma'ngah, thank you youngsters/kids/juveniles for the lunch and the time you gave us.
Here's a big hurray for the 1980s Generation!
'
,
Mak Ngah,
ReplyDeleteIt's really awesome and pure happiness meeting you today. Hope to meet you again soon, InsyaAllah.
Salam,
Anis
Mak Ngah dear,
ReplyDeleteWow....awesome description about us. It was lovely meeting you today. I hope we'll meet again soon. Take care Mak Ngah and Uncle Ian.
Salam,
Anis
Dear Mak Ngah,
ReplyDeleteErrrr... Sure you had lunch with us????!!! He he he ...
Lunch had been a blast .. And so was was, is and always will be a blast for my life, our lives with both of you around!
Love always!
Maria
P/s do you think Zahid would mind paying for our accrued rental on the rent-a-parent deal?
Dear Mak Ngah,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the shout-out. Feeling like a celebrity now ;)
It was absolutely wonderful visiting with you and Uncle Iain yesterday. Errr would you accept an IOU on the rent-a-parent deal?
Anyhooo...here's wishing you Godspeed, have a wonderful autumn and winter. I shall look forward to seeing you again in the new year, InsyaAllah.
Love,
Julie
My dear Anis,
ReplyDeleteI think I must be thinking of some other 'middle-aged' characters when I wrote that description, ha ha!
Thank you and InsyaAllah we'll see you 4 horrors next year.
Thank you Maria,
ReplyDeleteIndeed lunch was a blast especially for the Chancellor of the Serai Exchequer.
Still menginding tak habis, habis!
Dear Julie,
ReplyDeleteYou and Maria are absolutely shameless. IOU? we are hard-nosed capitalists like our bankers. Just keep the interest piling and it might just be enough for us to get a break in Liverpool.
Thank you and don't forget our patchwork and X-stitch date.
Salam Mak Ngah and Uncle Iain,
ReplyDeleteThe moment I was told about the lunch date, I was a mixture of a teenager's excitement in getting a driving licence and that of a juvenile delinquent's fear in getting caught smoking in the toilet... But all that evaporated once you and Uncle Iain spoke! Alhamdulillah...
Your description of us, myself particularly, was too generous. We are none of those without people like you, Uncle Iain, our parents, teachers and elders who had taught us well with knowledge and wisdom.
Thank you...
p/s: let's do this again once you and Uncle Iain are back from your annual sojourn in Leceister.
Thank you delinquent driver - it was a pleasure to meet the people who will one day, InsyaAllah, take over the reins of this "tanah air".
ReplyDeleteWe used to scare people - before, during and after we meet them!! But we've mellowed, I think.
Now get back to work or else ......
InsyaAllah we look forward to another meeting.
As Salam. I used to study in Leicester ( 1984-1985 ) and I am sure iit has changed over the years. As always I enjoyed the write up Cikgu. Cikgu Dan suami nampak sihat Dan Ada " Nur" Dari air muka - alhamdullilah. Saya berharap satu hari nanti cikgu boleh jumpa dengan anak2 murid saya untuk memberi mereka pesan bahawa " orang Melayu juga bole menulis Dan bercakap Bahasa Inggeris" Kalau kita gigih.
ReplyDeleteSuka blog cikgu.
Dear Anon, Sept 7 2.22am.
ReplyDeleteSalam. What a beautiful bouquet! What can I say but to thank you. As always I'm very glad to know that someone out there enjoys what I write.
Yes, Leicester has changed and I'm certain you will not like what you will see when/if you go back.
InsyaAllah I will be very happy to meet your students one day. But do tell them "orang Melayu" can excel in anything as long as they are willing to work hard - and to forego and sacrifice today's short-term comforts and consumerism for tomorrow's achievements and long-term success.
This is the basis of what is described as the "Protestant Ethic".
Once again thank you - fellow Cikgu.