BIRTHDAY TO' WAN  

Posted by Chon On Blog






My father-in-law celebrated his 71st birthday over the weekend. The kids decided to spring a surprise on their grandfather by presenting him with an unconventional birthday cake in the form of cute colourful cupcakes, which they baked themselves with Mama in-charge, of course. What made it more special was the fact that this was the first time they had the opportunity to celebrate their grandfather’s birthday with him. He happened to be in town that weekend.

For someone who is almost three-quarters of a century old, my father-in-law is still full of zest and refuses to live the life of a retiree. Come to think of it, he is in fact still actively working, blogging and traveling!

It is my wish that my children could spend more time with him, and unabashedly let their grandfather know that they love him so dearly and how they look up to their to'wan. After all, he is the only grandfather they ever know.






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MERDEKA YANG SURAM  

Posted by Chon On Blog



Selalunya ketika ini, Jalur Gemilang sudah lama saya kibarkan di rumah kami.

Anak-anak akan bertanya itu dan ini tentang kemerdekaan dan sejarah tanahair kita. Saya pula tidak berasa jemu menceritakan peristiwa-peristiwa bersejarah kepada mereka.

Saya juga tidak akan lupa menceritakan kisah saya pernah berjumpa dengan Bapa Kemerdekaan kita, Almarhum Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Alhaj. Betapa dia melayan saya dengan mesra, laksana seorang datuk melayan cucunya ketika saya menemu ramah beliau beberapa kali dahulu.

Saya juga tidak jemu-jemu mencari bahan-bahan bacaan mengenai jejak-jejak kemerdekaan Malaysia supaya anak-anak tidak lupa. Berkongsi pengetahuan dengan mereka tentang sejarah Malaya, penubuhan Malaysia, termasuklah bagaimana Sabah dan Sarawak menyertai Malaysia.

Kalau nenek mereka ada di rumah di bulan kemerdekaan, mereka akan mendengar cerita mengenai era penjajahan Jepun, keganasan komunis dan bagaimana datuk nenek mereka bangkit menuntut kemerdekaan daripada British.

Tetapi entah kenapa semangat kami tahun ini kendur. Suasana menyambut kemerdekaan amat suram. Begitu sedikit bendera negara yang saya lihat berkibaran, baik di rumah, bangunan mahupun kenderaan. Begitu suram kali ini.

Malah, saya belum mengibarkan Jalur Gemilang di rumah kami tahun ini padahal 31 Ogos tinggal 7 hari lagi.

Saya tahu apa puncanya tetapi malas hendak diceritakan. Saya percaya anda juga begitu. Jika tidak, masakan anda pun tidak mengibarkan Jalur Gemilang!

Jangan salah saham, saya amat menyayangi negara saya. Inilah tempat tumpah darah saya. Di sini saya dilahirkan, membesar, berkeluarga dan di sini juga saya ingin disemadikan. Jika perlu, saya pasti di barisan hadapan untuk mempertahankan Ibu Pertiwi ini.

Sudah puluhan kali saya ke luar negara, ke negara miskin dan negara maju. Setelah beberapa hari di sana, saya pasti rindukan negara saya, Malaysia dan sentiasa teruja setiap kali pesawat memasuki ruang udara negara. Kelakar, macam lah saya sudah meninggalkan negara berpuluh tahun tetapi itu hakikatnya. Amat gembira dapat pulang ke negara sendiri.

Tetapi, tahun ini, ada yang tidak kena. Suram dan muram. Sedih pun ada, kecewa terasa juga. Bagaimana dengan anda?



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THE MAGNIFICENT ELEVEN  

Posted by Chon On Blog




A rare photograph of the Magnificent Eleven. It was taken by our eldest brother-in-law (he was the only one with a camera then) in front of our house in Lorong Liku, Bakar Bata in Alor Setar.

This picture is ‘rare’ because in those days it was not often that we had a chance to get our photographs taken, and to get one of all eleven of us together was nearly impossible then.

It was taken in December 1970, when I was 9 years old. Back row, standing from left, Sibling Number 2 Halim, Number 5 Johari (deceased), Number 6 Mahadzir, Number 3 Sobrey. Second row, from left, Number 7 Rashida, Number 1 Zakiah, Number 4 Fuziyah, and Number 8 Ahmad Kamal. Front row, from left Chon-on-Blog aka Hardknocks, Number 11 Haslinda and Number 10 Salahuddin.

All grew up to be successful in their own rights. Between all eleven of us, we have 49 children, some of whom are now married and with children of their own. It would be interesting if we can all gather together for a complete family photograph! How I wish all of us could ‘balik kampung’ this Aidilfitri for another rare photo session. We will probably need a superwide angle lense to capture everyone in one picture.



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VITILIGO (Pronounced /Vertil~eye~go)  

Posted by Chon On Blog




I know of a school friend suffering from this skin disorder. Oh my, how he suffered… He didn’t have many friends in school then and I’m sure, doesn’t have many, still.

With those white patches on his hands and cheeks, my friend was, how should I say, not normal. Most students shunned him. He was a social outcast, of sort. I cannot recall seeing him at any of our gatherings…you know… parties, campings etc.

He was a bright student but was reclusive because of the condition, sopak as we know it in Malay. He didn't mix around much, avoided crowd. Surely he was ashamed of his condition. Depressed, his results were in the red zone, his studies were effected, future doomed. We were of not much help either. We didn’t know what to do to lift his spirit because we knew next to nothing about the condition. He didn’t do well in school and after Form 5, returned to his kampung in Baling to help his father tap rubber.

We wrote to each other a few years after school. Then his letters stopped coming. I lost touch with him thereafter, until I was posted to Alor Setar. I was on an assignment in Baling Town one day in late 1990s, covering the visit of former prime minister Datuk Seri (now Tun) Dr Mahathir Mohamad to the district, when I noticed a familiar face in the crowd. It was him, my long lost friend, standing a distance away from the rest. I approached him, reminded him of who I was, and saw his face lit up.

After completing my work, we went for a drink and shared our life stories. It saddened me to find out that my friend was still very much a loner. He still had the condition, which by then, had spread to most of his face and body. Poor him.

What is this condition called vitiligo? According to Wikipedia, vitiligo or leukoderma is a chronic skin disease that causes loss of pigment, resulting in irregular pale patches of skin. The precise cause of vitiligo is complex and not fully understood. There is some evidence suggesting it is caused by a combination of auto-immune, genetic, and environmental factors. The population incidence worldwide is considered to be between 1% and 2%.

Half of people with vitiligo develop patches of de-pigmented skin appearing on extremities before their 20s. The patches may grow, shrink, or remain constant in size. Patches often occur symmetrically across both sides on the body. Occasionally small areas may repigment as they are recolonised by melanocytes.

The location of vitiligo affected skin changes over time, with some patches re-pigmenting and others becoming affected.

Vitiligo may also be caused by stress that affects the immune system, leading the body to react and start eliminating skin pigment.

Vitiligo on the scalp may affect the color of the hair (though not always), leaving white patches or streaks. It will similarly affect facial and body hair.

Some symptoms are:
  • white patches on the skin, including the face, limbs, torso, and groin

  • purple or golden brown patches on mucous membranes and around the eyes, nostrils, and mouth;

  • premature graying of hair;

  • sun sensitivity

Vitiligo is associated with autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, commonly thyroid overexpression and underexpression.

Vitiligo can have a significant effect on the psychological well being of the patient. This is especially true for darker skinned patients as the contrast between pigmented and depigmented skin can be quite drastic.

In some cultures there is a stigma attached to having vitiligo. Those affected with the condition are sometimes thought to be evil or diseased and are sometimes shunned by others in the community. People with vitiligo may feel depressed because of this stigma

There are a few famous people inflicted with this skin disorder, among them:

  • Amitabh Bachchan, Leading Bollywood Celebrity, diagnosed with the condition in the 1980s. In fact the patches on the hand are quite visible in a number of movies, such as Agneepath.

  • Michael Jackson, revealed he suffers during an interview on the The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1993, after being diagnosed in the early 1980s.

Why does this concern me? As a matter of fact, it does concern me, my family alot….specifically my son, Adil or Patpat, as we affectionately call him.

My wife and I thought a white spot on his right cheek, under his eye was just a fungus infection...panau, in Malay. Took him to the doctor, who gave creams to apply but the white spot didn’t vanish. Instead, it grew bigger to about the size of a 20 sen coin! Another spot also appeared at the corner of his right eye, at the end of the eyebrow.

A couple of months later, we decided to take him to a dermatologist. It was then we found out that stubborn white spot was actually vitiligo. Instantly, I remembered my friend in Baling and of his “sufferings”. It shudders me to think of the emotional effect this condition would have on my son. Like how it ruined my friend's life!

Patpat is on medication now and the spot, I observed, is fading. It is not as pale as before. We are praying for the best and InsyaAllah, won’t give up finding the cure for him, no matter how much it will cost us as long as we can spare him from the embarrassment.

We earnestly hope Patpat will lead a normal life, grow up happy, smart, well liked by all and achieve his ambition of becoming a neurosurgeon, that is if he fails to become a cardiologist. That was what he told me. ("I want to save lives. Make lots of money and drive a Ferrari. I'll buy you a BMW convertible, Pa," said Patpat of his dream job. Kids nowadays! When I was small, I only wanted to drive a bus...). Neurosurgeon, cardiologist, scientist, pilot, lawyer, teacher, soldier, entrepreneur...whatever, I just want him to be healthy and happy.

That reminds me..I must do something about that Playstation game!!!





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