Four Fabulous Men and a Lil Lady (literally)

Any girl will feel lucky to announce that they have A loving father. Me? I have FIVE. How is it possible, you may ask.. I guess LOVE is my secret. My biological father, "Bapak" has sacrificed a lot since I was born. He always wanted a girl, to the extent that, as he loved me so much since I was a baby, we did not need a food mixer to blend my baby food. Just leave it up to bapak to chew my food down to a mush, then feed them to me. Mom always said that he already sucked all the juice out and what was left was his saliva. Gross, but it may be the reason why I have teeth that all dentist love to explore... (self boast alert!) Anyway, this is not the story of my lovely bapak (I love you, but I'll save the 'juice' for another time). No, this is the story of my other FOUR fathers, who,... Let's just say they are tight friends, and I have no idea why I am here typing this... (you'll probably see). First let me introduce to you the FAB FOUR...

Papa Jo.. the father who invites me to contribute to crime and go to war (on Mafia Wars of course).. and just this morning, encouraged me to eat fast food.. How cool =D

Ayah Wan.. the quiet type, just before he burst out into a laughing fit. A handsome joker, who is always quip with a witty comment that can make you smile even on the worst of days.

Ayah Lan.. a soft hearted fellow, who acts tough, but still, he is mortal. A serious journalist, he has a gift for coming up with out of the blue with remarks that lethally could send people rolling on the floor with aching cheeks.

Then there is sir Mahzan, a zany Head of Department who would just pop out from anywhere and ask you baffling questions. But I can tell ya, the most baffling part is, he prefers to wear his shoes without socks. Don't believe me, ask him to personally show you..

A deadly bunch? You have no idea..

So anyway, why me? Why them? Why this? Hehe.. I don't really know, but today, all four, from different angles seemed to bleep out their signals, which got my attention, and got me thinking (they apparent are masters in disguising this ability. You won't even notice that your brain is actually functioning)

Who are they? First and foremost, they were my lecturers. I say were, because now they are far more than just lecturers, thus me calling them 'fathers'.

I remember the first time I went to let my stress out to Papa Jo... He said, "What did *tuut* do now?" Haha.. No, he wasn't swearing, but he just gives you the feeling that everything will be ok.. Awesome and caring, I am always reminded to go back whenever he finds out I spend too much time in the conty, but lovingly never actually stop me from having ideas or go crazy on matters to do with the radio. He taught me that passion in work is the most satisfactory reward there is. Ikhlas.

Then there is Ayah Wan, who looks over your shoulders when you answer his exam papers, giving you the hibby jibbies because you caught a snicker after he read a few lines of your answer. It did not help when after the exam, he would rummage through the sheets to find your answer booklet, and mark them in front of you! Yep, I still remember that.. My eyes bulged out with all the red markings =) He sometimes pokes jokes, but I don't mind, because when he smiles, it's like the sun will never stop shining. Also a hard worker, he opened up my mind to a whole new world of culture with his stories of travels and adventure. And mind you, these are real ones, not made up fiction (I think... hmmm..) The world became bigger and greater through his lens, and someday I hope to have the opportunity to visit at least one of the countries he has set foot in, and divulge in the culture.

Sir Mahzan, as I mentioned is bonkers. I know.. He's the HOD, but seriously. He has a lot of information in his mind, given his age (oppss..), and also his experience. You feel that you can ask him about anything under the sun, and he would have a point of view for you to ponder, or more likely, get confused with. Management, to me, is his specialty. But being sir Mahzan Ahmad, he always has the laid back approach. With the famous "Hello" in his British accent, he pops in and out, but his thoughts lingers around for days.

Ayah Lan.. What do I say. Stomping his boots around in his military suit, intimidating would be anyone's first impression. A closer inspection will portray a much deeper man. Loony may be the word to describe him, because he just love to stir up our brains. Taking his words on how he conducts his classes, I may say that I am glad I am not in it. Although maybe one day I'll peep in and hang just to see the reaction he gets. Hehe.. you must be confuse. You see, like I said before, he loves to crack jokes at abrupt moments. One minute he would be saying something from the textbook, then explaining it. The next moment he would out of the blue make a comment, that if you are not quick enough, the moment is lost in translation. Oh, by the way, this does not only happen in the classroom, but most of the time, where ever he sets foot on this earth. He can practically joke about anything, even periods (long story).

You know, it may seem that they are just an ordinary bunch of (old) guys =P, but honestly, getting to know them has been both pleasure and pain. Like they say, there is no yin without the yang. They have managed to teach me things about the working of life in the most lovingly insane way. I keep stressing that I love my moments with them, but indeed they can drive you up the wall, in a good way I mean. They do the craziest things, make you laugh, poke you around, tell you to do stuff, but every time, I am always too glad to comply. I don't know, maybe you think they have voodooed me or something. But I can honestly say, it is the sincerity of them wanting us to learn the lessons of life, wanting us to understand how to protect ourselves from the wolves of the world, giving us the flying lesson we need to spread our wings, loving us with all they can, caring for our well being like we were their own children... I can go on and on... Their jokes can drive you bonkers, make you teary eyed, but the special treatment that each and everyone of us get from them, we feel them strongly in our hearts. Their lessons are powerful and bold. I just would love to thank them from the bottom of my heart for all their time spent. I probably could not got through my final year without them behind me, pushing me to go forward, and sometimes even taking my hand when the steps seems so painstakingly heavy. Their love, I would cherish forever. The bond and memories we shared will be forever be engraved in my memories, and I will indeed tell them to my children. I may not share them all with you, because the memories are private. But I can tell you this, each day I am blessed with tem around.

To my ayahs and papas, THANK YOU for everything. I can never do or say anything that will come close to how much I appreciate all of you, and nothing I do will ever be enough to repay you all. All I can do, is to pray for you, your health, you life, and always, always be in His Love, Guidance, Mercy, Blessing and Bounty.

***Just as a precaution, when you put Papa Jo, Papa Mahzan, Ayah Wan and Ayah Lan together in a room, be warned, your brain may end up needing to be rewired, and you abdomen restitched. Attempt at your own risk. Trust me, I (unfortunately) know.***