Johnny…

Johnny was in my MUET (Malaysian University English Test) class in Lower Six one year. He was one of those students that one would take an instant liking to – very pleasant and polite but he did not stay long. After a while, he switched classes when he changed from the science to the arts stream so I did not teach him anymore after that.

However, we would see each other frequently in school and because he could sing very well, he would perform at any school function such as Teachers’ Day and the like.  Eventually, he went to Johore to further his studies in the university there.

I cannot remember how I came across him on Facebook – maybe his brother, Jaeden, told me about what happened and I decided to get in touch with him. I think I saw somebody’s comment asking whether he could remember him/her…and he said he was sorry because he could not. The poor boy was involved in an accident in Johore and as a result of the concussion, he suffered near total memory loss. I asked him if he could remember me and wished him well…and by George! He said he could!!! I was stunned!

Fast forward to the present, he is all right now – things eventually came back slowly but surely…and he graduated last year…and this Chinese New Year, he and his brother dropped by my house and their mum, when she came later to pick them up and take them home, passed to me two BIG fish because, in her own words, I had always been so nice to her sons. Blush! Blush!

I’m no authority on fish so I do not really know their names. I thought this was ikan sultan or jelawat…

My missus had it steamed…

…and it was really very nice – soft and smooth unlike those that I used to buy from the market. They often had that horrendous mud smell so I stopped buying them altogether. However, after googling that up, I found that it was ikan tenggalan/menggalan (the mum did say a name that sounded something like that – probably the Foochow version of it) – you can read more about the fish here. I don’t know what the other fish is called though. I think I will save that for Chap Goh Meh so I suppose everyone will have to wait for a while before I will blog about it.

Thanks so much, Johnny and Jaeden, for dropping by…and to your mum for so very kindly and generously sparing me the fish. Qong Xi Fa Cai to all of you, all the best in the Dragon Year and God bless always.