happy birthday mckk 9600

it was a fine tuesday morning. i was with my parents. we arrived in the royal town of Perak, a small pekan called Kuala Kangsar the night before. we were tired. it was a long drive all the way from Kuantan. i was 12 years old during that time, not yet 13, almost but just not quite yet.

i was still in my rocky one cap, kiko stripes collared tshirt, dek dek khaki pants and bata bubble gummies flourescent blue shoes. hahaha. we stayed the night at arwah opah's (peace be upon her) old crib at Kota Lama Kanan. we had dinner and small chat with her. then i went to bed, and yes, in my green stripes pajamas (hehe), anxious about tomorrow. the registration. my first day as a collegian.

the next morning, i still remembered my first look on Big School when we passed by Jalan Kolej Melayu or was it Jalan Keretapi. not sure of myself. i remember i did ask my dad, " abah, kenape boy kene sekolah kat white house?" hehe. yeah, i have to admit, it was a bit naive of me but Big School and The Overfloor did look like Washington's White House. in a way. the thoughts are still here, in my head and in my heart. like it was yesterday. never thought that alma matter would change me and would have me changed. i am who i am today because of the school. literally and technically speaking.

oh yes, i have fond and pond of memories there. i spent my precious 5 childhood years there. away from parents and family. it built a character in me and the rest of the boys. we had our ups and downs. we were together in every thing we did. we lined up to dinner and lunch. to class. we lined up to go play. those days. those were the days that i was so light hearted, nothing to worry about, nothing saddened me, i was broke all the way, away from my family yet, i was so happy. irony.

i learned a lot there in The Malay College. the love for our nation, for malay race and for my religion, of course. i learned about survival, leadership and unity. sigh. i seriously miss those days..when i think of it, i miss those white uniform and red stripes tie, black leather shoes, black belt and pin on type batch, preferably the metal type. the all white baju melayu with red checkered sampin and not forget the black suede songkok too.

it was our home, and she is still our home. home of leaders. The Malay College is not just a secondary boarding school. she is an institution. a training ground, a breed nursery for all rounders, multi skills soldiers and a sanctuary for production of survivors. i like to think of that way. i don't know why. it was not an ordinary school for straight As. if you want to excel in book or academic studies, well, i hate to decline but The Malay College, the national heritage is not the place for book smart. she is to breed street smart. sorry. it's kinda annoying when people keep asking me "malay college bukan dah tak bagus ke? takde pun dalam rank top ten spm? ade anak saudara aku baru abes upsr..ok ke nak antar dia mckk?" so wrong.

but we are 14 years after that day. away from it away from the sun. and surely we are not kids anymore. we are not boys anymore. we are a lot more than that. everybody has moved on, went through a lot of things, and we all changed, at least a bit but one thing for sure that the foundation is still the same. thank you Koleq, thank you for all you have taught me. i never regret anything you put me into even the bad ones.

" bangga ku rasakan, khidmat ku berikan, tak ku lupakan jasa jasa mu, oh, Kolej Melayu"...