Sunday, June 20, 2010

Mother of all days

Happy Father's Day, dudes. My dad was a biker. He was not interested in politics. When I was growing up in Singapore, I never heard him say anything bad about Lee Kuan Yew. He never had anything good to say about him, either. But he thought taught me how to ride a motorcycle and bought me my first bike. When I got a place in the School of Mass Comm, ITM, in 1982, we rode on his bike from Melaka to Shah Alam.

41 comments:

  1. Anonymous12:09 pm

    Bro.. he thought ke he taught?

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  2. Anonymous12:35 pm

    wow! That is a Harley. Your dad must be very groovy then. So are you now.

    Along

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  3. Anonymous1:06 pm

    it's damn cool man...
    happy father's day

    -m fadhil yahya

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  4. thank you, editors.

    Anon, that's a Harley alright. A Road Warrior, according to bro Engku Emran the Harley man from Bernama TV. But no, my dad never owned one. He had a Gilera, a Triumph and, after the Japanese industrial invasion, a string of Hondas.

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  5. Melaka to Shah Alam? Thats a long trip for a first timer..you must have really enjoyed the ride..
    Happy Father's Day Datuk!

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  6. patriot jawa johor1:55 pm

    arwah bapak aku dulu naik honda c70 je. tapi dia cool jugak.
    happy father's day bro

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  7. Bapak aku kalau naik C70 nampak funny beb. He was big so motor kena yang besar sikit lah.

    And Mamasita, that wasn't my first bike ride. I got my riding license in 77.

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  8. Anonymous3:24 pm

    Bro
    You are lucky able to to migrate to Malaysia to earn a good living here. Anwar would have no place in society and Lee Kuan Yeaw will make sure that Anwar will diminish under LKY autocratic rule. Even worse Anwar family will suffer too.

    Proud Malaysian

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  9. Happy father's day, Dato'.

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  10. sir rocky,
    di singapore, mamat melayu mesti ada Lima M kalau nak nampak cool, bukan Motor saja.
    Minah
    Marlboro
    Metal (heavy rock)
    Motor
    Menten Balan (maintain balance).

    alright bebs, ride on!

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  11. Kumar(SK-NKP)4:57 pm

    Happy Fathers' Day, Bro!

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  12. Anonymous5:06 pm

    Bru

    Just curious..Is the Gilera and Triumph still around and 'rideable'? My dad rode a Norton and a posthumous Happy Father's Day to him for being a wonderful dad.

    Happy Father's Day to you too, Bru tho' you aint my father, dude.

    Warrior 231

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  13. Anonymous5:49 pm

    lots of Malays esp from Malacca , a straits settlement state migrate to Spore looking for jobs, became mandores, policemen, office boys..their children like Rocky were sent to mixed schools..It was UMNO and esp Tun Razak who gave them carte blanche to move back to Msia after LKY's PAP colonise and Chinesenise (pardon to coin that term)Spore...

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  14. Anonymous6:07 pm

    Kepada Ayahanda,,Ayah,,Bapak,,Daddy,,Appa,,"HAPPY FATHERS DAY"

    Latuk Xmau cerita macam mana latuk bawak itu keleta RX7 sampai naik divider di Section 14 in the late 80s,,,!!!!!

    -BAPAK ORANG-

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  15. Bangchin6:21 pm

    Ayah never owned wheels other than a bicycle. Life was difficult but he was not a complainer. Being cool, to him, was having kampong folk partaking of whatever little we had: the generator-powered TV, the badminton court on dirt, the occasional luxury of putu piring takeaway from pekan nat. Miss you so Ayah!

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  16. abah hantar aku ke itm melaka pada tahun 87. kami naik bas aje, masa tu bas mcw dari muar ke melaka. dua orang adik aku pun ikut sama masa tu. mak tak ikut sebab ada adik kecik umur 2 tahun. selama aku 3 tahun kat itm melaka abah ada beberapa kali melawat aku, dia naik bas selepas habis kerja jam 5 petang.
    semoga abah sihat sentiasa di kampong di muar

    usabukata

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  17. looking at your harley bring me back fond memories of my mat motor days too.. used to ride GSX400 during the zaman gemilang.. so sad nowadays only can see motor cubs around...

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  18. Anonymous9:45 pm

    Datok,

    Singky's called him Hally, wasn't It? Even though at Oxon the milky called him Harry.

    Prof Awe Kecik

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  19. Anonymous10:25 pm

    Bro - wa tahu lu kat ITM bawak scrambler...nampak ganaz giler sampai wa takut sama lu...:P


    -same batch-

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  20. Anonymous1:18 am

    Oooo I tak bole masuk gang..

    Strange, all my life I have never seen my late dad riding on any bike! Or for that matter, even my uncles n brothers!

    Turun ke anak cucu...
    Keluarga gayat.. hehehe

    PERWIRA

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  21. pak joni6:04 am

    dulu aku tunggang kerbau aje ikut bapak pegi sawah.

    Bapak aku bagi nama dia Roki - ala cerita Rocky Balboa boxing tu. masa tu kan top cerita tu. takda kena dengan lu pun.

    Tapi si roki ni memang le kuat kerja. tak sesia bela dia. Tapi dah kena korban tak lama dulu oleh bapak aku jugak. dah tua beb.

    happy bapak day to all.

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  22. Happy bunny9:05 am

    Rocky

    Happy Fathers Day to you and dad.
    Wow, your dad sure is someting. I admire him.
    I imagine him a rocker just like Ramli Sarip, Papa Rock.
    You know my dad will go ballistic if anyone of us wants a bike.
    He is so scared his kids will end up maim or dead on the road.

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  23. Happy Father's Day Dato'
    This comes a day too late but you are a father 365 days a year, right? I also want to thank you, here and now, for being directly responsible for bringing together Mat Cendana and I. It was through this blog that I first got to know of him. I am forever indebted to you. Thank you, Dato'. I really hope that one day I would be able to say it in person.

    Aniza

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  24. Anonymous10:53 am

    hey malakie donkie (self professed soldier turn farmer, built like a pugilist, but actually a skinnie inbreedie, resultie of an unholie liasonie betwie his mumie and grankie)

    Just to remind you that your father is also your grandfather
    hahaha
    warrior 123

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  25. My father had a big blue coloured Honda bike once, forgot the series but when we were little, the trusty Honda can carry 5 people, me in front of my father and my 2 little brothers and my mother(last person at the back) behind my father.

    Happy Father's Day to all Fathers.

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  26. Anonymous3:17 pm

    Abg Din...motor CG110 ke masa kat ITM tu?

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  27. Whoa, some very dangerous comments here! Hehe.

    Warrior 231, I think Gilera turned to bicycle manufacturing. And scooters. Not sure how they are doing but Triumph was making a triumphant return a few years back. Diorang bikin retro bikes.

    Anon who wrote "Abg Din...motor CG110 ke masa kat ITM tu?".
    Whoa, pls sms aku. If you can remember that bike, boleh ingat that CG model, terer lah. Remember tempat letak sayur kat belakang motor tu? Abah suka betul letak benda tu kat motor2 dia..

    Bapak orang who wrote "Latuk Xmau cerita macam mana latuk bawak itu keleta RX7 sampai naik divider di Section 14 in the late 80s,,,!!!!!".

    Citer lama tu bro, toksahlah ungkit. Luka lama berdara kembali.

    Kumar, thank you old pal. Happy father's day!

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  28. salam

    wow.. damn cool man..

    really had fun dude..

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  29. Ah...so that is where you got misdirected from your true calling!!!....ITM!!! What a pity!! You could have been a true biker!!

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  30. Cool...

    WIsh you the same

    Happy Father's Day :)

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  31. I've always wondered what your dad and mine used to talk about at Jubilee Road. It must be about motor bikes.
    A belated HFD. It was also the spouse's birthday - so quite a lively weekend -phew!!!

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  32. Anonymous9:21 am

    Perwira.. kita sama.
    Abah banned all his children from riding motorbikes, because 2 of his cousins died riding them.
    Tapi gua cuba jugak..Di ITM try bawa moto scrambler member..turun bukit depan hostel 3 sampai round a bout tergolek...
    Dengan gf pulak tu...naseb baik tak seriuos ....lepas tu serik beb..hehehehe..
    Rocky..preparing for Kembara Makhota are you..?

    Wak

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  33. Anonymous11:29 am

    Ah, first I thought this blog is dedicated to one commenters that non-stop talking about his mother? What a great misunderstanding.

    Why not father of all days?

    Rhan

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  34. Anonymous11:39 am

    Anon who wrote "Abg Din...motor CG110 ke masa kat ITM tu?".
    Whoa, pls sms aku. If you can remember that bike, boleh ingat that CG model, terer lah. Remember tempat letak sayur kat belakang motor tu? Abah suka betul letak benda tu kat motor2 dia..

    Abg Din...it was me Ariffin. I don't have your number...Happy belated Father's Day to my dearest father. He had been staying with me for the past 3 months in PD.

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  35. You father's a biker - that's really cool. When I was a kid, I had wished my father had a motorcycle instead of a car. But my uncle had one, and it was with his Honda 90cc (with clutch), KB 48 plates, that I learned to ride a motorcycle. I was in Standard 5, and the thrill of feeling the wind hitting my face and in control of the power with my right hand... it's a precious memory.

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  36. Burong Layang Layang12:53 pm

    A belated father's day greetings to my Darling Datuk Rocky. MUAH MUAH!!!

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  37. Yeah, I wasn't aware of the dangerous comments until after I had sent the earlier one:-) Anyway, the mention of Triumph brings back more memories. Triumph and Norton -- these were the `big bikes' that I never had the chance to ride. These were the eye-catchers of the 60's... their sound was sure to attract your attention. The older folks and owners were careful not to allow us `budak-budak' too near the bikes. And for good reasons -- they were really heavy and could cause serious injury should you be felled and trapped by it. Then there was the exhaust - I know of a few kids who suffered burns due to their curiosity.

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  38. eddy 2:33 PM
    If you had stated the year, and how many exhaust pipes it had, maybe I can guess the Honda model. If it's the 70's, it could be the Honda CB100. For some reason, many were white though. Its competitor was the Yamaha 100cc LS3 -- my father bought me a second-hand one when I was in Form 5.

    Then there were the CB125 and 175, with two exhaust pipes. I remember the model which replaced the CB100 - Honda Hawk, I think... 100 or 110cc, can't remember. But the exhaust was different in that it slanted at an angle.

    FIVE on a bike?? Wow, that's more than me. I had a Suzuki Best 110cc around 1997; and my youngest son (5 then) was in front, with legs in the basket. Then me, and behind were my daughters; 7 and 9 out for a joyride. A police patrol car passed by us once along the main road, before I reached the junction of a kampung road half a mile from my house. The policemen didn't stop us... only sounded a short siren sound as a warning. That was the last time I carried three passengers Heheh! Shouldn't push your luck, ya.

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  39. tahniah brother rocky.

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  40. Anonymous12:37 pm

    Wak.

    Oooh the ITM days, friend parked motor pi library... nak balik, minyak kosong..

    Someone siphoned minyak motor dia, so he had to push his bike all the way to the MARA pump station kat bawah bukit! Mana ada bus or taxi masa tu..

    Yang gayat macam kami, had to walk SO far fm our terrace house to the girls' hostel dining-halls for our makan..(12-storey masa tu lift belum siap, kena naik turun tangga pulak for our lectures).

    The Yayasan Sabah students scholars will be zooming pass us in their big brand new motorbikes!

    Masa ni Datok Rocky duk beringus lagi...baru Std1 kut Datok?

    PERWIRA

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  41. Perwira, Wak!

    Terrace houses tu saya sempat pagi. Masa pre-dip dok belajar English an hour or two a day, lepas tu English drama class at night -- banyak masa terluang, pukol 11 pagi main takraw, petang main takraw, malam pun main takraw jugak. This was early 82. By mid 92, Jati siap kitorang pindah duduk rumah flat. Ramai yang menapak naik bukit. Yang bermotor macam aku kena buat 2-3 trip, macam teksi.

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