Wednesday 6 January 2010

..1st half of my life..the happier times..

pics from the past............


..pakmat's wedding day..circa 1971..first marriage..I was 26..not very sure what I wanted out of life, but I was damn sure I wanted to marry this lady..she was an English teacher in one of the schools in Kota Bharu..and I was a lowly federal clerk..footloose and fancy free..whilst my bachelor friends were revving it up in swinging Kota Bharu, I got hitched..most of the guests were staff of Land Settlement Office, Kota Bharu..and members of bands Suara Kilat and The Streaks..that she agreed to marry me sent shock waves among family members and friends..I matched her sophistication with the ability to quote from Chaucer and Shakespeare..


..later we were to have 7 children..this pic was taken circa 1977..pakmat was attached to the Terengganu Police Contingent Headquarters, as their Finance Officer..somewhere along the way, I got promoted..in 1977 we had our first 3 children, all girls..Tisa, front right, 24th May, 1972, Lina, half-hidden, left of Tisa, 29th January, 1974 and Ida, on her mother's lap, August 24th, 1976..pakmat on extreme right..

..on a police boat, class PA, visiting all the islands off Trengganu..on her mother's lap is Ida who later married Tom and make England her home..

..on an island off the coast of Terengganu..the boat in the background took us there, class PZ, a police marine boat..in the pic is the late Ahmad Salihin, left, holding his daughter, of RTM, Terengganu, to whom Wan Salman owes the song Kelohan Dara..a hit back in the seventies..

..our 1st son, Faiz, on our maiden trip to Singapore..it was 1984..and she was with our 4th daughter, Afzan..

..Afzan's 6th birthday, attended by Afnan and Anith..

..pakmat's late mother, Hajjah Aminah...of Melaka and Pahang descent..widowed on my birth she never stopped pining for her husband, the late Hamid, my father..


..life has a way of not turning out the way we wanted..but whatever way it turned out, I realised that it is the way God had wanted it to be...there are time I wished I can rewind and turn back the clock..for there are times when I jumped before I looked..and did not grasped what I should..and made decisions that led to regrets..

..on the final count, I may have missed some, lose some..but there are also gains..but whatever it is, it is what God had meant it to be...I have weathered the storm, life's trials and tribulations..

..out of my foolishness, I should think that I am now a little bit wiser..there is some remorse, of course, but I have seen and done most things..been there and done that..and for that, I am thankful..for I know that God, in his greatness, had given me what I deserved..a little bit of longevity that I may repent and be closer to Him..a little bit of bounty, that I may give thanks to Him...and children, that I may enjoy their careless laughter and smiles..and forever sees in them reflections of my youth...que sera sera...

23 comments:

anneaziz said...

Pak Mat,

1971...first marriage..hmmmm...but you have 7 beautiful children, that counts for something!

I was only 10 when you got hitched, but life has been a bagful of surprises for me too. Sometimes we miss the road less travelled and end up where we are today, though we may wonder where it would have led to.

No regrets only repentance!Regrets wear you down, while repentance gives you strength.

Unknown said...

..aaziz..I loved that hmmm...
..hopefull it is a hmmm..of understanding..that certain things are beyond pakmat's control..and
life is all about surprises, anne..but I have to agree..no regrets..let me draw strength from my repentance..thank you..for you have been kind..

Cat-from-Sydney said...

PakMat dear,
Hmmm...you've had those whiskers since young, eh? What a way to woo a lady, quoting Shakespeare and Chaucer. The past is the past, we can't change that or turn back the clock. So, let's move on and create new history. purrr....meow!
And "syukur" with what we have.

Unknown said...

...my dear cat..ah hah..those tom cat's whiskers since young..:) later I was to also be bearded and whiskered..will post about that later..and pakmat now not creating history anymore, lady..just resting with the historicals...heh..heh..take care, cat..

rizal hashim said...

hah PakMat, you and I have something in common haha. only thing I did not quote shakespeare and chaucer. Finally it is revealed...numbers and guns go together? hehe

Unknown said...

salam lc..:)..I knew that there is something in common..but numbers and guns..?..you got me there, lc..

Unknown said...

errr... kawe pun first marriage... hehehe

dah lama tak nampak parecut yg dijadikan khemah macam gitu kat kenduri kawen

Unknown said...

..sifu, jangan pulak ada 2nd or 3rd..tapi TGNA suruh tu..bagi orang-orang yng berilmu..:)..tajam mata sifu, nampak tali-tali parecut..but then you r sifu..hehhehe..

Lee said...

Hi Pakmat, wow! Really interesting read of your past, your marriage and your half football team of kids.

You have done well in life and have brought up your kids only you know how and the way you want them to be.
They all look great in the photos, you too. You were slim then and now too. Good for you.
You have lived your life well, better than most people in many ways.

Pakmat, here's wishing you all the very best with your growing family of children and grandchildren.
Best regards, Lee/

Mat Cendana said...

Oh, Wow! This is a very good post, bang Mat. A Kelantanese who quotes Chaucer and Shakespeare? Let's try to find one right now in any school you choose. Even the English Language teachers - I'll bet you'd find a few errors for every 100 words they write.

Unknown said...

..salam MC..wow..you honour me by your visit..and leaving your prints here..and that Chaucer and Shakespeare thing?..I think I bowled her over with my command of English..hehe..

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

obviously..even you have lost a lot but the love you gain from your 7+5+1 children and 7+1 grandchildren is greater each day.. The greatest father ever! And correction : its lina who is half hidden in front and tisa front right. Don't tell me you lost your memory as well! ...or lost your eyesight..maybe.

Unknown said...

..thank you, kaklong..papa's eyesight not so good..love you and will always love you all..

Lili said...

Pakmat... always good to have old photos to reflect when we really need to soothe the heart-ache. But then again, I have my reservations when it comes to topics on marriages. Not that I'm not happy with mine...hehe... but...there's always a BUT... something is holding me back from expressing my thoughts on my own marriage. I wish I could put it in words in my blog one day... Anyway, reading yours I could say that there lies one or two compunction in me.

Que sera sera...

Unknown said...

..lili..you still have a lot of living to do, lady..your whole life is still spread in front of you..take mine as a reminder..points to ponder..whatever it is, pakmat doakan yang terbaik untuk anda..

que sera sera...

Unknown said...

..ahh..uncle lee..my half football team have grown and spread..after all those years...that they accepted me as their father..warts and all, I am thankful..all the best to you, too, lee..you keep well..we need you to still be around for as long as forever, lee..

sot said...

Salam pakmat, nostalgic view on the memory lane, reminding who we are and where we are heading. I really admire your command of English and your passion for life, ever write a book? or open up tusyen center to teach English (or story about life) for the kids or adults?

Unknown said...

salam sot..and your English is not bad, either..:) write a book..?..no..I rather just blog..leave a mark in cyberspace..for my children, grandchildren and friends to read and ponder way after I am gone..
take care, sot..and keep on blogging..

Lee said...

Hi Pakmat, terima kaseh for the compliments.
You have fun, senang datang, Lee.

anneaziz said...

No worries Pakmat,

The hmmm...was one full of understanding. Sometimes, despite giving our best and our all, we get sucked into the whirlpool and getting out is the only way to remain sane.

So bila nak cerita yang selanjutnya? No. 2, No 3 dot dot dot?

Anonymous said...

yea laa pak mat, bila nak cite no.2, no.3, n dot..dot...dot...
eee xsabar nyer....siap ngan pics eh!

Unknown said...

..in time, gals...in time..:)