Father's Day special - Tribute to all dad

The son speaks again for Father's day special.

I remember last time when I was small (maybe when I was 5-6 years old), people ask me whether I love my mom or my dad more...... (I wonder people still ask that question or not, and I have to say that it is instigate a child to decide this way, although in the child's heart they might have their own preference already haha......)

So to answer that question, I answered to him that I love my dad more. This is because my dad doesn't use the 'magic wandsssssssssssssss' which was my mom expertise. (Just in case you dont know what is magic wandssssssssssss, just check this LINK). And above that, my dad used to buy us toys haha.. Children just love toys and they are easily happy if you get them happy meals (but for current parents and future parents, please don't get your child McDonalds or KFC anymore, because it is totally unhealthy, and I could write a thesis for that one day!!!!!!)

So my dad is a person which action speaks louder than words. He is a person so focus on his work, and whenever you see him, you will see him writing and writing and writing without stop. I wonder what else does he do whenever he is not eating, sleeping and meeting his boss... and the word writing will pop up to my head. It is not that he don't enjoy life, but he just enjoy working.

He is a person who try very hard to open a conversation with us, and his topic will always be the headline on the newspaper. So if you think that it is easy to make a conversation with a dad like that, haha, you better get yourself more reading of the current event and more headline. It is not like he doesn't have other better topic to talk, but you know la, a man got pride and it is not easy open for inner feeling. He has a lot of hope of us, but never say much about it. Any time when we hurt him, he will never say it out but just keep to himself, just like a sponge, absorbing all those dirty water and then will squeeze itself and clear it...... I don't know where he clear it, maybe to my mom? haha or maybe to his writing? or maybe just neutralize it himself.

I just remember once where I hurt him badly, when during my first year staying in CHKL hostel. If you are aware, hostel toilet is never as good as my own house. In addition to that, due to hormonal changes during my puberty stage, I have to admit that I have serious constipation problem during that time. And I could only release my so called 'internal pressure' immediately when I go back. As I remember during that time, I was a cool dude wannabe, which the definition was given during the mother's day special blog entry. So a mixture of 'constipated look' and too cool to give an answer kid, the journey back home during that weekend from CHKL to my home was seriously fanatically unpleasant. My dad will ask me how I am, I just say ok. Then whatever he told me about those "headlines', wanting to make a conversation with me, I will just reply 'erm....... erm........ oh........ erm .......erm....... erm.......'. Not that I purposely want to do it, it was just a moment I want to meditate and visualise my bowel movement and stimulate some parasympathetic nerve so that I could relief my 'internal pressure'.

As predicted, I went into the toilet immediately after I relief my 'internal pressure', my dad came to my room, and he was asking me:' What did I do to you that I deserve this kind of treatment from you?'. Then just went out from my room. Well, time has past and I finally put off my OSA (official security act - leyhian version) for this matter, so the confession is done on this blog entry.

I remember last time we often go out to have a meal in hawker stall, which was very fun. Then when he went back to work as the civil servant again, it was a change in our life. I was kinda feeling insecure to let people know about my dad occupation, as it might be not safe for me to walk alone on street. And so, it is hard to answer to my friends what my dad do during that time. And actually there are people who are intimidated with what my dad do.

My dad always say in chinese (translation) if you have the capacity, then you will have the fortune (有量就有福), so he is very generous in certain way to other people. I couldn't say it is like a philanthropy, because I am very aware that we are not that rich haha, but just will not kiam siap to other people lo. He, as a proud Eng Chun, always train us to remember our roots from Mainland China, and made us memorize who we are， and then we will answer with the standard answer wa si hokkien eng chun o niu lao...... (it means that we are from Hokkien Province Eng Chun Clan of Low's Family). Every chinese new year we MUST go back to MUAR BUKIT GAMBIR. As that is the only time he see most of the relative and I see him happy, I will also feel happy now.

After my Hons thesis submission, I went to Muar with Eng Tat and Yong. 3 guys having a road trip to Muar, and we met up with Jactty. When Jactty ask about my dad, and she was so shocked, and immediately bring me to her family, and only then I realized that my dad is a good friend of their family. And during the duration of the trip, I get to know more about my dad, and luckily I didn't do anything hanky panky in Muar or else with my dad reputation at stake, everything will go round the whole town haha.

What I really wish is that my dad have more rest and take good care of his body. One can never finish work, but they have the choice of arrange the workload. And I also really wish that my dad could one day start learning buddhism and do more reading on buddhism book but not only LAW books and newspapers. Hope that one day he could be active in Soka Gakkai also and have a strong heart for faith so that every slander that people do to us, we could accept it as a ocean but not as a cup of water. Nichiren Daishonin state: if you have a drop of black ink, when dropped into a cup of water, the water will turn black, but if it drops into the ocean, the ocean will not be affected. Same as life, it is not easy to work in your current position. However, buddhism will give you a new perspective for life and hope you attain happiness in every moment.


Finally, Dad, I love you. Happy father's day.