A Celebration Of Memories

By Syed Akbar Ali

Warning : this is a light hearted post. Please don’t take everything too seriously.

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Last nite MPH organized a dinner to celebrate Tun Dr Mahathir’s memoirs ‘A Doctor In The House’. MPH has clocked up 40,000 copies of the book sold so far. At RM100.00 a book, that is RM4.0 million sales already. Congratulations Tun Dr Mahathir and MPH. (I think that is why we got a free supper). It is a great achievement. MPH says this is their most successful book launch thus far.

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It was an interesting nite. The singer Noor Adiba was on stage belting out old numbers, including Frank Sinatra’s ’I did it my way’ - Dr Mahathir‘s favorite song.

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It was not a very big crowd at the “black tie” affair. There was one mamak guy in the crowd in almost complete white - white pants, white jacket and a light colored shirt. Maybe one of those “anti” type of fellows.

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Anyway there was a major show stealer last nite. Datuk Johan Jaafar the Chairman of Media Prima and former Head Honcho of Utusan Malaysia presented the ‘honorarium’ for Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed. It was an entertaining and punchy speech, and it was also very honest.

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Johan has been identified as an Anwarista for a long time. But last nite he made plain his real feelings and where his sympathies lay. It is true that Johan was never included in the list of Anwar cronies which were exposed to the public in 1997. Neither did he join the Reformasi mob.

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Johan also paid much tribute to Dr Mahathir. His speech was frequently interrupted by applause. Being eloquent in Malay and English and being a Pressman too, he was the best man on the podium last nite. Congrats Johan. The pro-Mahathir Bloggers at Tables 5, 11 and 17 were also watching and listening to you closely. I think you passed bro.

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Now here is the light hearted part. I was fortunate to sit at table No. 11 with some very gregarious and sociable folks. Even before Johan had started his speech the ‘butt jokes’ started. They all centred around Dr Mahathir’s Memoirs and Lelaki Y.

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The question was, ‘What other names could Dr Mahathir have chosen for his Memoirs and subsequently what could Lelaki Y choose to call his memoirs?’

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Here are some possibilities for both Dr M and Lelaki Y.

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Dr M’s Memoirs are called ‘A Doctor In The House’

Lelaki Y’s could be “A Man In The House”

Here are some suggestions related to medicine and doctors.

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Dr M : ‘I am a Doctor‘,

Lelaki Y : ‘I am sick‘.

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Dr M : ‘I cured them’,

Lelaki Y : ‘I was not’

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Dr M : ‘My People’,

Lelaki Y : ‘My Man’

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Dr M : ‘My Country’

Lelaki Y : ‘My Countryman’

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Dr M : “Able”

Lelaki Y : ‘Able And Willing’

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Dr M : ‘Foresight’,

Lelaki Y : ‘Hindsight’

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Dr M : 'Pandang Ke Timur'

Lelaki Y : 'Pandang Ke Belakang'

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Dr M : ‘The Buck Stops Here’

Lelaki Y : ‘The buts start here’

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Sinatra’s song also inspired some suggestions:

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Dr M : ‘I did it my way’

Lelaki Y : “I did it both ways”

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Dr M : ‘I spat it all out’

Lelaki Y : ‘I took it all in’.

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Dr M : “On My Two Feet’

Lelaki Y : ‘On all fours’

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Dr M : ‘On Our Own’

Lelaki Y : ‘Together’

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Dr M : 'Thats How I Am'

Lelaki Y : 'Its not me'

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Dr M : ‘When?’

Lelaki Y : ‘But?’

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Dr M : ‘Just Do It’

Lelaki Y : ‘Yes Do It’

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Dr M : ‘No Ifs’

Lelaki Y : ‘Only buts’

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Dr M : ‘No buts’

Lelaki Y : ‘Why not?’

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Dr M : ‘Made in Malaysia’

Lelaki Y : ‘Make Coffee’

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Dr M : ‘Malaysia Boleh’

Lelaki Y : ‘Hari ini boleh?’

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Dr M : “My Legacy”

Lelaki Y : ‘Left Behind’

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Dr M : ‘Arise My People’

Lelaki Y : ‘Arouse my people’

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Dr M : R & D

Lelaki Y : DNA

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Dr M : ‘Berdiri sama tinggi, Duduk sama rendah’

Lelaki Y : Berdiri, Berduduk ….

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Dr M : ‘Follow Me’

Lelaki Y : ‘Right Behind You’

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Dr M : ‘Pimpinan Melalui Teladan’

Lelaki Y : ‘Sokongan penuh daripada belakang’

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Dr M : ‘Perjuangan Ku’

Lelaki Y : “Kehausan ku’

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Well we broke up laughing the whole time. Thats what celebrations are for. Chill. Thanks Eric, Zu, Firdy, Dog, Mao & the others.