Salam Cik Ah Liang, Lama Tak Jumpa!

Masya-Allah, this Facebook post by Dr Maszlee really stopped me in my tracks. He’s pictured with Pak Ah Liang, a school bus driver and operator many of us remember fondly from way back in the 1980s in JB.

Yes, Cik Ah Liang -- as we used to call him -- was our trusted school bus driver for years. In my case, for my entire sekolah rendah period at STAR (2). Rain or shine, he was always there, faithfully ferrying us to and from school.  

A Chinese Muslim revert, Cik Ah Liang was incredibly kind and endlessly patient with us kids. And mind you, we were often loud, rowdy, and anything but well-behaved! Yet he rarely, if ever, lost his cool. Haha.

Here’s a little nugget from the archives: I used to supply Cik Ah Liang with cassette tapes to play on our daily journeys. Yes, I was already a tastemaker back then -- introducing fellow busmates to Duran Duran, Wham!, Prince, and, of course, Search and Lefthanded.

It’s truly heart-warming to see Cik Ah Liang still looking so good and healthy in his 80s. Alhamdulillah. And thank you, Dr Maszlee, for unexpectedly unlocking such a beautiful walk down memory lane.