My dad grew up in a village at East Coast Malaysia, I always mixing up the few places he mentioned, Trengganu, Paka, Pekan, Kuantan...as long as East Coast. He is an orphan and the only child. My grandmother passed away when he was 9 and grandfather passed away when he was 12. He then live with uncles and cousins, no siblings. He didn't finished his primary, started work since early teen-hood. He worked for his uncle's kopitiam, sells chendols, save some money and took a bus to Kuala Lumpur without knowing anyone, soon introduces by friend and he apprenticed with a carpenter master. When age 16 he went to Singapore alone with some money borrowed from friend.
He then settled down in Singapore for nearly 10 years. But do not know how he got himself involved as the representative for the labour force (I think) and politics. He is not a communist but his thinking is so communist :) with his limited education background and very much on self learning (I'm playing the scene now how he listened to the cassette self-learned his English), still his political views and perspectives was influential among the workers and even the Nanyang University's students. And he got himself hunted by the Singapore government for almost a year, caught him finally and expelled from Singapore, prohibited his entry to Singapore until last ten years I think, when he was reaching 60 after numerous appeals.
After being sent back to Malaysia, through Malaysia internal affair officers, then only he realized he can't go back to Singapore. Because of this political issue, our family has two nationalities, thanks much to politic, long story short, we have two nationalities in our family. My mom, my three younger sister and brothers are Singaporean and three of my siblings grown up there and now have their families in Singapore. My dad, me and my elder sister are Malaysian and living with my mom here in Malaysia.
Accepted the fact, from there on, he started selling goreng pisang (fried banaana), but knowing it won't bring him anywhere, he then learned baking, improvised it (my dad bakes well, really good, too bad I didn't pick up any of his skill). Started from cycling till opened his own bakery with the peak of almost twenty workers. He then ventured into other businesses like light bulbs manufacturing, farming and few more but all failed, some cheated by friends and piled him debts.
But I never heard him once mentioned any about his debts. Love my dad very much. Salute his courage facing difficulties, respect his toughness facing the whole world alone before he has his family. His teaching is much on talk to us, educate and explain why (but I got canned the most, well don't blame him now because I'm just too active :p ). Didn't realize he influence me so much in my life until I have my own kids. I'm adopting much of his way of bringing up my children.
He is very hard working, never complaint about how hard he work. He is humorous, He face difficulties alone with courage. He was hot tempered when younger (my mom is on my next writing, she is one woman behind a man, taking all his angers through these years). He doesn't smoke, doesn't drink, no womanizing. His only hobby is reading, even till now. He writes well, believe me, so well. I still remember clearly when I was young, our house never had a TV until I reached 17, all we had was books, so you can see how much he loves readings. Which is good, I think me and my siblings picked up our reading habits from that. We communicate a lot, almost in everything and especially politics. ^^
My dad doesn't make it big in materials, but he surely make it big in his children's heart. I am who I am today because I am standing tall on a Giant - My Dad. 我爸让我站在巨人肩膀上成长!
Ya, he is someone I respect much~ Love him too!
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