Buka Puasa at the OPA Penthouse

I have been trying my best not to miss the Buka Puasa at every Ramadhan organised by the Old Putera Association ( The ex- FMC/RMC alumni ) for the last several years because it is the only time to meet old friends from the College in Sungei Besi. Last Sunday night, on 14 August it was held at the OPA Building near Saujana Resort and as usual my fellow OP (Old Putera)Hamzah @ Hank whose blog entitled 'Birdhouse' came to fetch me and we were the early birds to the function. However it gave us the chance to be at the Secretariat and and perused the old photographs of the activities of the College's Coys (Companies)and tried to recall the Budak Boys in them. Hamzah also got his copy of the annual directory of the Old Puteras which is normally circulated during the Annual Dinner.

This time the Buka Puasa is sponsored by one of the OP's and thus we did not have to pay for the food served, unless one wants to donate for the Charity Fund of the OPA. I have been noticing over the years the people who seemed to attend are the same familiar faces, and this is understandable because they know that it is at such functions that they can meet old friends. For this Ramadhan I notice a few absentees probably they prefer to break the fast amongst their own family members because it falls on a sunday night. As usual the normal routine of Buka Puasa ended with "Moreh" after the "Terawih" and we left fairly early, that is before 10.30 p.m. To me the significance of the Buka Puasa at the OPA gives me the opportunity to see some of my old colleagues which I have not seen for many decades and this time I did come across my old Company Boy who came with his son, also an OP and we shared the same table. Sheikh Taufik, the uncle of that first Malaysian who travelled to the Space station some years ago kept us laughing all throughout with his non-stop jokes. This is something which is not easy to share the precious moments of your lifetime amongst friends who went through the regimented life of the only unique institution of our Nation. The uniqueness is reflected by the presence of our non-Muslim friends who came to share the food with us such as OP Frank Beltran, OP Mike Tan and others. It is indeed a manifestation of the dream which was first started by the late Field Marshall Templer when the FMC was established as an institution to prepare young Malayans irrespective of their creed, colour or religion to take up their positions as leaders in the Armed Forces, the Higher Divisions of the Public Service and in the industrial and commercial life of the country.

Ramadhan O Ramadhan

The month of Ramadhan 1432 Hijrah is the most significant for me because for the first time I am welcoming the holy month without my father because he passed away last May 2011.

It was only in Ramadhan 2010 that he was admitted to the Tuanku Jaafar Hospital, Seremban at about 3.00 am in the morning during the first week of Ramadhan. I was in Kuala Pilah when myn sister phoned me asking me urgently to come back to her house, and I knew something was not right with "Abah". Upon my arrival he was already taken by ambulance to Hospital and I followed later.

Now he is gone but the memories still linger on and I supplicate to ALLAH that he is placed amongst the pious and his soul be Blessed with peace. My father had a very strong will and he fasted for the first few days though we asked him not to because of his age and frail health. He was then 90 and was not too well due to his condition of having to live with an internal cathether due to his bladder problem and his mobility was limited because he had a hip joint operation twice many years back.

Of course when I was in Seremban helping my sister to look after him, I used to do my Terawih in Masjid Panchor Jaya and only on the weekends I came home to PJ.

But as a consolation, this Ramadhan I have my son Haniff to accompany me to Terawih at Kelana Jaya Al-Hiadayah Mosque. He had been away for the past half a dozen years and we had no opportunity to go together for terawih. Indeed it is a Blessings which I readily welcome and grateful to ALLAH for the chance given. I supplicate to ALLAH that our Ramadhan this time will bring us to greater heights in our " Taqwa " which means our closeness in performing HIS Commands and refraining from what is Forbidden, InshaALLAH.