RETRACING H3RO : AH CHAI (JEJAK-SEMULA H3RO : AH CHAI)

Ah Chai, came to visit Bonda (mother) recently, after a tahlil for my late father.

Sewaktu saya kecil, salah satu watak utama yang sering muncul dalam kehidupan niaga Bonda (dan paling saya ingat) ialah Ah Chai. Dia ialah rakan niaga Bonda sewaktu Bonda mula berniaga, membekalkan kain batik dari Kelantan. Saya masih ingat dia sebagai seorang yang lucu, ceria, suka berseloroh dan berjenaka, sentiasa bertenaga, sesekali gila-gila, dan menunggang motor kapcai mengalahkan mat rempit. Waktu tu, dia pun masih muda lagi. Dah berpuluh tahun saya tak jumpa dia. Tapi, waktu dia datang ziarah Bonda baru-baru ni, saya masih kenal dia dari jauh, walaupun rambut dia dah putih. Stail cakap dia masih sama. Seiring dengan pelarasan medan kuantum yang baik pada Hari Raya, saya dapati Ah Chai sebenornya ialah sepupu Dr. Chong, rakan dan guru astronomi saya di USM, juga pensyarah fizik di USM dan rakan seperjuangan dalam pelbagai program Bestari Sains-Seni di MGTF USM dan merata Malaysia. Dr. Chong merupakan 'orang kuat' saya semasa saya berkebun di MGTF. Kita semua saling berkait dalam tautan jaringan kuantum yang lebih halus.

When I was a little kid, one of the main characters that appeared in my mother's business life (and most memorable) is Ah Chai. He used to be my mother's business friend when my mother initially started her business, supplying batik from Kelantan. I still remember him as a funny, jovial, mischievous person who liked to poke fun, always energetic, sometimes crazy, and rode his kapcai (motobike) worse than mat rempit. He was still young then. It has been so many-many years since I last met him. Yet, when he came to visit my mother few days ago, I could still recognised him, even though his hairs were already gray and white. His style of talking was still the same. In tandem with the good quantum synchrony on Eid's Day, I found that Ah Chai is actually Dr. Chong's nephew. Dr. Chong is my friend and astronomy sifu, also a physic lecturer in USM and my collaborator in many Smart Art & Science programs that we ran together at MGTF USM as well as all over Malaysia. Dr. Chong was my right hand man when I was gardening MGTF. We are all entangled and connected in a much larger and fine quantum web.