Father and Son

3X says to his children "To my dearest children... you all make my life complete. Each one of you are just equally irritating and equally addictive. You drive me crazy and at the same time you bring me back down to earth. The greatest lesson you teach me is tolerance, by testing my patience constantly.

Even from young each of you have special abilities, I am never short of feeling awed with the things what each of you can do. Juliana, most of the time you can be a whiner, but you are a very hard-working child I've ever known. Iman, you are such a cry baby, but you are a very lovable brother to your sisters, even though they don't like you that much. Nadhirah, you know you get attention, ergo you get what you want, and you are I think going to be the smart one when you grow up.

Listen....Take your time to grow up, just relax and take it easy. I don't want any perfection from all of you, in fact I want you all to screw up at times, because thats the time when you learn and grow, and be strong as a person. Don't study hard but play hard... Have fun, now and especially later in life. As a father, like any other father in this world, I worry constantly for all of you, what I can I'll do anything for your happiness, forgive me if I have lacked or screw up myself.

What inspired to write about all of you now is because I have been listening to the song "Father and Son" by Cat Stevens (now remake by Ronan Keating). And also because I know in a few blinks of the eye, you all will be flying off the coop, and living off your own lives, and soon we, your parents will be someone you see when you feel obligatory.

This Satuday let us celebrate the birth of our Father/Grandfather... for without whom, we will not be what we are today. What he have achieved, raising a dozen children during his time is beyond what is humanly possible. All of us will never- ever-ever know how it is to raise and feed so many children, its near impossible to do it in this present times. We worry about what cars to get, where to go for holidays, what toys/clothes to buy for our children... imagine him at our age, with so many mouths to feed, I don't think I have the resilience to achieve half of what must be done to raise a big family. So let's celebrate life, let's celebrate birth, let's celebrate him....

9th April 1918