i was eagerly waiting for the weekend as my sister and her family planned to stay over at my place but after midnight i received a call that Atok was in a critical condition. Quickly packed my things and rushed back to Malacca. On the way, i decided to call Achik to check on Atuk's condition but to know that he has left us all. It is not something unexpected considering his old age and health condition but maybe i don't expect it would be so soon.When i was small i love to watch Atok prepared his roti canai dough and he will sometimes give us a lil bit of the dough for us to play with. I still remember his 'kuah dalca'..it is so yummy and it has been my benchmark for 'kuah dalca' for all roti canai. Still clear in my mind helping Atok at his small restaurant by the beach.
He cooked for weddings including for few of cousins' big day. I love helping him with the preparation and cooking...a good way to develop my passion for cooking. More often than not, helping him has become a great pleasure until one of his helper said that i should get Atok to inherit me his recipes. I guess he has passed down all his recipes to my aunts and eventually down to us, his grandchildren.
His 'basikal tua' brings lots of memories to me...to my siblings and my cousins. It was his main transportation to go about and around. He cycled his 'basikal tua' to his small restaurant, mosque and sometimes visiting his childrens whether at home or stalls. We, the grandchildren love to play around with the bicycle. With that his 'basikal tua' i learned to cycle and my newly bought pyjama was torn because of that.
These few days i heard good things about Atok...poeple acknowledged his contributions to the mosque. One said Atok brought some changes while he was the imam. i also heard my uncle telling my aunt, an ustaz told his jamaah at the surau ( after knowing that Atok has passed away) how Atok still remember surah2 Sajadah at his age of 96. Despite his weak conditions, Atok still performed his prayers. Even an hour or so before he passed on, he told Achik he wanted to perform his prayer..but due the chaotic moment it he did not got the chance to perform his prayer.
These few days i heard good things about Atok...poeple acknowledged his contributions to the mosque. One said Atok brought some changes while he was the imam. i also heard my uncle telling my aunt, an ustaz told his jamaah at the surau ( after knowing that Atok has passed away) how Atok still remember surah2 Sajadah at his age of 96. Despite his weak conditions, Atok still performed his prayers. Even an hour or so before he passed on, he told Achik he wanted to perform his prayer..but due the chaotic moment it he did not got the chance to perform his prayer.
My cousins and me sometimes teased him from far by saying "kesian org cina tua tu naik basikal"..this was because Atok's mom (our great grandmother) was from Hong Kong. Even Atok was born there...in Wan Chai. He told me, our great grandfather was HQ was in Wan Chai and he was based there. i guess he met my great grandmother over there.
Atok was shipcaptain before he got himself involved in business but he left his job during the war. Alhamdulillah he quit, the ship then was bombed by the Japanese.
