Saw a tweet about a MAS Pilot terus teringt kt abah's confidants. Handsome2 tau diorg ni Abah rmi kwn pilot MAS sbb when we lived in SA dulu, abah akan entertain mereka.

Semua around abah's age at that time, early to mid thirties, when men are at their prime (double yum )

Diorg rajin layan ak sbb I was an inquisitive little kid back then. So many questions to ask them, sampai it enraptured a colossal of interest in me on aviation. Lama jugak cita2 ak nak jadi pilot bertahan. Sampailah minat berubah kpd interior design (gay lol) in the mid 2000s.

Now jadi cikgu lol jauh beza ketiga2 ni lmao

Abah angkut diorg dr hotel bwk dtg rmah. Pernah abah buat 3 trips agkut diorg ajak dinner kt rumah. Ths was in the late 90's so über mmg xde, & th crime rate in SA sgt tinggi so abah didn't mind angkut mereka despite cab ada. Abah drove civic je time ni, itu yg berkali2 trips.

Mama is an excellent cook. Her being kelantanese, lagi lah pndai masak. And uncle2 ni suka dapat makan nasi kat negara org. Kalau x, makan local food je la. Tekak melayu mana nak kena.

Hmm rindu pulak kat mama..

Senang citer, almost every month if not weekends, akan ada uncle2 ni semua kt rumah kami.

Back then MAS masih buat direct flight dr KLIA ke Johannesburg, until MAS stopped in mid 2000s rasanya sbb x bnyk tmpahan & the cost was too high to operate.

And layover sangat lama, kdg2 smpi a few days sbb jauh sgt SA ni. Uncle2 ni smpi bosan x tahu nak kemana. Yelah, dah bnyk kali dtg SA sbb work kan.

First few times sronok la.
Dah kali ke 8, muak jgk.

I LOVE meeting them. Mereka dah la segak gila, handsome takyah ckp, and smelled great all the time. Clean shaved. Brows trimed. Rambut kemas. Bau mereka sentiasa wangi.

Ak pulak time kecik comel, so uncle2 ni would dukung aku & entertain my questions psl work diorg.

Nak imagine bau diorg mcm mana, they smell manly but not too strong. Its like softer Hugo Boss fragrances, & Davidoff Cool Water. Bau2 ni, infused with their sweat & natural body odour, haih siapa je tak cair.

Sbb ni kut agaknya ak suka bila diorg peluk aku :)

Ak anak sulung n time tu adik no 2 kecik lg, & no 3 baby. So ak lah yg uncle2 semua ni layan. Ingt lagi bila ke hotel diorg, mereka baru smpi dr airport n semua dlm attire pilot, haih hensem gila.

Segak as hell, seret luggage nak check in, coats & caps in their arms.

Sampai je mereka di hotel, aku akan berlari peluk mana yg rapat. Bukan sbb kecik dah gatal ke apa lol but I was just so fervently excited to see them.

I would scream their name & run to them. They would flash the brightest smile & kneel down, ready to embrace me with open arms.

Tak rmi Malaysians living in SA, so Uncle2 ni became like my real uncles. I would speak English to them in thick South African accent and they would reply back in Malay sbb tak nak aku hilang bahasa ibunda.

Okay kejap tau nak get ready for isyak. Nanti aku sambung citer :)

Uncle2 ni semua were young, semua in their 30s. Most of them baru kahwin & ramai baru je timang anak. They must've seen me as their own kid, thick with their warm fatherly love. I guess that's why they were so affectionate towards me.

Abah & uncle2 ni masih keep in touch till today. I was 7 years old back then & I'll be 29 this october. 22 years. Every year during Raya, we would go visit them.

Abah ramai gak kawan steward. Ini tak yah cakap lah, lagi handsome. Tapi not as segak as abah's pilot friends. Do you guys ingt "Kehidupan Pramuga yg Terlampau" ?

Ak yakin 90's kid would remember this sbb RIUH satu Malaysia when this erupted. I wont touch this, korg google lah.

And guess who has a picture with him? Haha He's very handsome!

Ingt lg uncle2 & abah would talk about this. Sebenarnya its not something unusual even back then. Bersepah married pilots yg ad scandal dgn stewardess. Beza nya uncle steward tu kantoi je.

Bila naik flight either heading to Malaysia or SA, uncle2 ni would bump our seats naik business. Best gila. I would get so many toys & ice creams.

Oddly enough, yg bnyk melayan ak inflight adalah stewardess, not stewards. Bagi ice cream lah, layan kerenah ak masuk pantrylah haha

Ada gmbar ak atas riba uncle2 ni dalam cockpit. Susah tau nk masuk cockpit.

Little me was ecstatic to be in the cockpit, mesmerised by the abundance of switches & buttons that propel to many sights & functions.

Waktu ni cita2 ak nak jadi pilot memang tebal.

Those were the days. A simpler time. 3 dari mereka passed away in the last 5-6 years. Al Fatihah. Daniel rindu uncle semua. Rindu those times.

Okay back to reality. Malasnya nak gi sekolah esokk haihh