Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Tuesdays With....



...my friend and former colleague -- Aishah Ali or, as friends and family call her, Kudu.

"Tuesdays With Bapak" was slowly weaned off this blog after Bapak passed away last September.

It was difficult to reminisce. Perhaps, the heart and mind just refuse to, or has simply stopped functioning to do that.

I'm not sure if I want to revive it. To resume posting my reflections and reminiscences of my childhood and adulthood when Bapak was (somehow still is) so pivotal in my life, is a bit unsettling for me at the moment, as I am convinced that it will be an emotional journey which I'm not so sure I want to get on.

So, I decided that I'll just post little happenings for Tuesdays.

Like this little birthday gathering we had for Kudu at Treats (a cafe/restaurant) in Taman Tun Dr Ismail last Friday.

Kudu was three years my senior when I enrolled at ITM's School of Mass Communications in 1975.
But we got really close when I joined the NST after graduation in 1978. We have remained so.

I remember her as the tyrannical senior lady who told me off the first day I stepped into the 13th floor of the School Of Mass Comm for not attending the school's induction week.

(Induction week was when first-year students get to know the school and the seniors and this came after the college's orientation week.)

I was at the 13th floor lift lobby of ITM's multi-storey building when Kudu appeared and asked me, in a stern headmistress-ish voice : "Freshie, why were you not at the induction?"

Me: "I am not a Freshie" ( because I attended Pre-University at the college, so I was technically not a Freshie).

Kudu: (Looking so not amused) "The School Of Mass Comm has not declared you a junior!"

(I think that translated to -- "waah...kau ingat kau terror, eh?")

Then, miraculously, the lift door opened in front of me and I was saved from further verbal assault.

I decided I did not like this senior lady.

So, I turned to her and uttered, quite softly: "Too bad".

Suddenly it hit me that I was going to be in that place for the next three years.

"Alamak....I hope she did not hear that...", I thought.

But she must have heard.

Bapak who had helped establish the School Of Mass Comm and was lecturing part-time there, was also not amused by my "attitude". as I discovered.

Someone or more, without wasting time, must have happily reported to Bapak about my convenient absence from "induction week" and that brief exchange with Kudu.

You see, Bapak -- if you knew him -- had a way with young people. He was managing editor of NST at that time and he had developed close ties with the school and even better relations with the students who were my seniors.

Word got round, I suspect, that "anak Pak Samad" was enrolled at the school, did not attend induction and, when encountered was "mengada-ngada". Such exaggeration!

The following morning, I was summoned to the office of the head of the School of Mass Comm - Marina Samad (no relations).

There, waiting for me was Bapak, cigarette in hand, smiling. Aaah...that smile was deceptive.

"I hear you've been arrogant to your seniors......", he remarked.

To cut the story short, Bapak was not pleased with the way I conducted myself, insisted I made up for the bad behaviour by treating the seniors I had offended, to lunch. So, he gave me some money. And yes, I did give them a treat, as instructed.

So...a lesson learnt and remembered.

Back to Kudu's birthday tea last Friday.

The little birthday gathering was organised by a few of Kudu's former classmates with whom she is still in touch. It was kind of impromptu.
The only non-classmates there were my own former classmate Hamidah Yusoff and me.

I got her a mixed bouquet, including roses. She got a beautiful piece of fabric from her former classmate, Nik (nicknamed Teo).

The tea was compliments of Datuk Zainul Azman, otherwise known to his former classmates as ZA.

Making a nostalgic evening for Kudu were (also): Baharuddin, Rose, Molina, Dee Basariah, Zohara (Lola), and Datuk Poziah (Jee).

The food was good -- mee siam Singapore, spaghetti (Olio). popiah, karipap, chicken wings (masala) and of course, the sangat sedap birhday cake.

Great company!

Notice I have left out Kudu's age.

Oh....she is still 35 as far as I can tell.

Happy Birthday, Kudu!

Thank you for an enduring friendship these past 30-plus years...

*By the way, Kudu was NST women's editor and The Sunday Mail editor. She left the NST group in 2006. She is now a media consultant (Ali & Ali) and is a free-lance writer. She is married to former NST and BBC journalist Ishak Nengah, mum to Jo Flizow of Too Phat, Ashraf and Iman, and sister to Datuk Zainun, Mustapha, Saleha (former NST features editor and now editor of Prestige magazine), Othman Hisham and Abdul Rahman..

CAPTION: (from left) - Jee, Kudu, Molina, Dee, Hamidah, Nuraina and Lola....

31 comments:

Anonymous said...

Happy birthday.
35 can be a great age.
http://www.whatwasdone.com/Age.php?&Age=35

Noor Hasilah Ismail said...

hi ina,

when i first joined bh in 1981, i memang takut dgn aishah kerana dia nampak "garang". tapi dalam diam saya memang minat cara penulisan beliau. tetapi lama kelamaan, setelah mengenali lebih dalam, saya amat menyukai dan menghormatinya. as for kak lola, dia pernah jadi bos saya semasa di ntv7 dulu. one of the nicest people i have ever met.

Anonymous said...

Hello Blue Lady, Sorry I am not amused by your story...

Hasliza said...

Viva Mass Comm @ Level 13!

Kudu said...

OMIGOD! A posting about me! I'm so honoured Aina, and blessed to have you as a friend and your Dad as my teacher and mentor.
Yes, I remember that afternoon so well when I tried the senior-freshie thingy on you. Didn't work did it? Actually I just wanted to laugh seeing your big eyes bulged in protest. Hahahahaha. Oh how I miss being silly like that! Miss 13th floor and all its "inhabitants" and proud of what they have aspired to. Take the group at Treats that afternoon. There's Datuk Gee, former Press Sec for Dato Seri Najib and now Deputy DG of Penerangan, Dee,Group Corporate Comms Head of UEM, Molin, Head of Malay Segment Marketing at Astro, Mid former Senior Manager Corp Comm at Tradewinds, Dr Baharuddin or Aboi, former Dean of Faculty of Communications and Media studies as well as Director of UiTM Melaka, Datuk Zainal Azman, MD of Dimensi Eksklusif, one of the largest duty-free chain stores in the Asia Pacific Region as well as Chairman of Tabung Haji Travels, Nik Nazman or Teo, Corp Comm Manager of Syabas grouip of companies, Lola former controller of TV2 and Vice President, Brand Content of ntv7, Rose, Corp Comm Head at Martrade and yourself Aina, former Political Editor at NST! See what I mean? So, hats off to Tan Sri Arshad Ayub for setting up the School of Mass Comm in 1972 and Datin Marina Samad and a host of media professionals including your Dad for making it happen.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

noor hasilah,

ya-lah. Kudu tu boleh buat muka garang. tapi, sebagaimana kita semua tahu dan kenal, Kudu seorang sahabat yang baik, pemurah dan setia.

Lola memang seperti Shila telah nyatakan....so so baik...

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

anon(6:51PM),

yes, isn't it so.

anon (9:09PM),

so, okay. you're excused.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

hasliza,

Viva! Yes.

I don't what to say (I peeked into your blog) but I hope you're well. Do take care.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

Kudu,

and that's just a tiny chip...

to reminisce about our time in ITM (now UiTM).
I "grew up" there. Made so many friends. Learnt so many things (about life).

And I'm blessed to have you as my friend!

Lola said...

Wow..photos of the Golden Girls in the blog..kinda cute :)It would be fun to see our 'younger version' pics next to the one you posted..Yes we all miss the level 13 days.. and the fun we had in campus..especially the demo..that I will never forget. But what I treasured most was the 'makan2' Pak Samad organised after our exams at the end of the semester at your house. And because of that memory, I do the same for my students now. Every semester after the last paper, it is a must to have a 'post-party' in my house for the students. The group gets bigger and bigger now because I invite my ex-students too, just so that the juniors can get to know and network with their seniors who are in the industry. Everytime I throw this 'makan2'- Pak Samad, you are always in my mind. May Allah Bless His soul.
p.s. this semester, The Peppermints (Kudu,Dee,Molin,Chah, Ann and Siti) must do their gig for my students ya..boleh kan?

Rockybru said...

Hey, Happy Birthday Kudu! You look your age, I'm sorry to say. 35 kan?

And Ena, happy you've found a way to bring back "Tuesdays ..."

syed syahrul zarizi b syed abdullah said...

Assalammualaikum WBT

Wow, lama tak baca Tuesday With Bapak. Puan, terima kasih & jawapan temubual sudah saya terima. Ia akan disiarkan esok. Pembaca lain di jemput baca dan berikan pandangan anda.

Wasalam
Syed syahrul
http://sirehdancengkeh.com

Anonymous said...

hi seniors rambut semua sepesyen nampak ....very the happy go lucky seniors ...

Basree Rakijan said...

I miss you Tuesday With Bapak. Hope you could continue it one day when you are up to it. But don't take too long.

Birthday party for Kudu..erhm... I have been trying to call her and few times my call went unanswered. I even called Bee thinking Kudu was not in town or what. Rupa-rupanya member nak sambut birthday! Ok, ok.

Saya memang hormat Kudu. Antara adik beradik yang paling cool dan mudah didekati. Masa saya dan Aman kecelakaan kereta (seorang sahabat karib meninggal dalam kereta tersebut) Kudulah yang banyak membantu mententeramkan kami semua. Sebagai seorang sister, memang Kudu da best!

Jom join kami pi reflexology dengan Kudu. You ask her where we always go. Saya belanja...Happy belated birthday to KUDU!!!

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

lola,

wouldn't that be great if I could find our old photos.....

oh yes, lola, i remember the dinners Bapak hosted for you guys...
I tell you....it was so amazing to see him connect and relate so fabulously with you all....

well...just tell us when your dinner for your students will be...

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

rocky,

it's all in the mind, Rocky...kalau rasa muda, muda-lah kita.

Memang, kudu nampak muda sentiasa...

anyway...I haven't actually gotten down to thinking about Tuesdays With Bapak...

Hopefully, it will come back!

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

syed s zarizi,

thank you.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

anon(111:37AM),

se hati s jiwa, se pesen rambut.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

basree,

terima kasih-lah.
Inshallah, saya berdaya menulis Tuesdays With Bapak.

Kudu ada text tadi on your invitation, tapi saya ada hal malam ni..

kita mesti get together another time.

thanks for the invite. :-)

Kak Teh said...

Apologies for this late comment - but hey ladies, you dont look a day over 30! and what a line-up!

Kudu, happy belated birthday. Yes, we were terrified of you when we first stepped on to the 13th floor and then again at the editorial floor of NST. Thank you for giving me all sorts of opportunities and one of them for being a friend.

Lola, I think there are pictures of the younger version at the Xmass com site...

Mid, long time no see.
Jee, what a pity we couldnt meet up the lst time you were here. Lain kali habark awai-awai.

Ena, nice walk down memory lane.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

Ah (Kak Teh),

never too late, Ah...

thanks for visiting...

mekyam said...

dear ena,

glad u've revived TW... it was rather special once when many of us whose nicks have now become familiar in msian blogville would eagerly converge here every tuesday (in my case, monday evening) to get your latest offering. :D

happy 35th to your pal, kudu! i'm sure i speak for many ladies when i say we wish we can look like you peppermints when we hit the 3.5 decade mark.

apakah rahsia anda semua? adakah seperti that curious case of ben button or that much darker case of dorian grey? ;D

Anonymous said...

mass comm bole la..!! at the school of engineering u pull that kind of stunt u would have been minced meat :D

engineer karat

IBU said...

Salam Kak Ena,

I must say I miss Tuesday with bapak. But fully understand... and will gladly read whatever Tuesday postings u have.

I love hanging out with buddies whenever we can - to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and sometimes for no reason at all. I found this posting very inspiring indeed....

Hope your friend Sis Kudu will find much happiness & wellness in the years to come. Happy ....err... 35th bday!!!

Btw, the birthday treat for 'Kudu' - is not part of a long term sentence for the absence from the induction I hope! hehe

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

(former?) judge zainon was supposed to hear my case against an inssurance company back in the late 90s but pulled out due to some connection with my dad. for the record, the verdict was favourable to us, Alhamdulillah!

anti-kutty said...

Nuraina, despite the fact that i am a man, and i am a non-muslim.. and despite the fact that it could be a fake.. but still somehow i felt so sad listening to the conversation below.

Maybe you would like to post in in your blog, as i have none, so that many will listen to it. We need to bring more awareness as to what happened to Manohara.

We've already lost an Altantuya.

Please, create the awareness if you possibly can. Noone knows where she is. What is the difference between Manohara and Nini?

http://www.sabahdaily.com/2009/04/eksklusif-percakapan-manohara-odelia-pinot-dengan-ibunya/

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the wonderful piece of reminiscence. I still remember walking in as a rookie "part time-full time" Asian Literature lecturer only to have the girls start a chorus of wolf whistles ... with the boys (including the then 'presiden KSITM' giving me a once over. It was a kind of 'ragging' that was simply memorable

As I have always told anyone who'd care to listen, the boys and girls of the 13th Floor then were simply like no other. Those were indeed days filled with immense hope (and unfettered fun) Will our learning spaces ever get back to where we once were?

Vaseau

Old Fart said...

Liked that. Please do continue with your "Tuesdays with...." series....

uncle gedek said...

OMG! This entry made me realise how much i miss "Tuesdays With Bapak"...

mutalib saifuddin said...

kak ena,

so now tuesdays with mass comm alumni?

mass comm ever rocks. then, now, future.

regardless if Dip now in Malacca.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

mekyam: thank you. and thank you....
rahsia: dalam foto memang nampak okay...

engineer karat: kita tahu. Budak2 engin memang pendera.

Ibu: Hahaa...memnag dah lama kita tidak brsua..
thanks.

Kerp: That's good to know..

vaseau: oh wow! really? you're not Vaz, are you?

Old Fart: Thought you'd say that. Thanks.

Gedek: Oh thank you!

Mutalib: Oh tidak. It will be Tuesdays with, anyone of interest to me.

thanks.