I was born on the 8th of March 1962 in Parit Buntar Hospital, Perak and registered as Mariah Mohd Hassan. I was told that after 3 days, I was taken away to KL to be adopted as Shahidah Mohd Hashim by my eldest brother whom I grew up to know as my Bapak and his wife Juairiah Md Syed as Mak. I am the youngest of 27 children from two mothers ! As I know it, my biological father was a well respected and known hospital assistant in the district of Parit Buntar, Perak. My mother was his younger wife after his first wife passed on. I have 17 other step siblings from my father’s first marriage to my step mother and 9 siblings from his second wife who is my biological mother. According to the Salsilah keluarga (Family Ancestry Tree), I am a descendant from the communion of two royal families namely from Java and Siam. I do not carry the royal title from the last seven generations as my great grand parents decided to drop using it for reasons only known to them. Nevertheless, I am of blue blood..! Anyway, as I grew up, I was affectionately nicknamed Tita. No reason, and when I asked Bapak, he said it’s your nama ‘manja’. Forty six years now, and I’m still affectionately known to those who are close to me as.. Tita, whilst I am known as Sha to my friends and office colleagues.
As far as my memory can go back, I remember the good days of my childhood from the time I was 5 years old and the house in Pasar Road, KL. I can only relate to my biological parents as as my grand parents as I visit them yearly and I called them Dato Hassan & Tok Chik. It was not revealed to me who I was until I was 13 years.. I never knew of my other siblings except that I would meet them at family functions and I was to call them uncles and aunties.
From my childhood as a 5 year old, I can still recall my police patrol paddle car and 3 ft tall doll “Goldilocks”. The family also had a pet Dalmatian we named “Tessa”. Our neighbors, dad’s close friend Eng Lai, these people are still in my memory as a child. My birthday parties were grand. There was always a special cake with a doll and laced with fresh cream and fondue. When I was twelve we even had the snake charmer.
I grew up to discover that I have an elder sister and brother who were perpetually away in boarding school and overseas. I only get to see them when they get back from wherever they are for their semester breaks. I remember the grand engagement of my sister when she got engaged to Noordin Sopiee (the late Allahyarham Tan Sri Dato’ Dr. Noordin Sopiee). Prior to that, when she got back from England I got the first whiff of the English and western culture. These two were passionate lovers and I witnessed their love affair right through their marriage. My eldest nephew was my playmate. I discovered classical music, my writing flair and the Queen’s English as my major form of communication from the influence and motivation of my beloved brother in law.
My brother Ismail (now YBhg. Dato’ Ismail Mohd Hashim) on the other hand was my living idol. I would wait for him to give me a ride on his bicycle to meet his friends in the neighborhood. When he got older, I waited to ride in his MG sports-car. I get to meet his girlfriends and was most of the time his favorite alibi! When he got home for holidays from Australia, I remember him throwing a grand 21st Bday Party. His was then dating his present wife who was a model. I had a gala time during this party amidst 21 year olds. It was an all nite long dancing rock & roll celebration. He was dubbed the Elvis of the family at the time and you can imagine the music played for the dance floor…Some of his friends of whom I still remember, Wah Chai, Felix and his Australian wife (who always called me “the little small fry”), Abg Karim, Abg Kassim.
I have another sister who is the closest to me since I was three. I was placed in her care when I could no longer share the room with my parents. Occasionally though, I would still sleep walk into my parents bedroom if it wasn’t locked because it was the only room in the house that had a window unit air-condition. Kak Che Mah as she is fondly called, was the younger adopted niece of my mum’s sister. She grew up with our family since she was four. I remember her working with ROTHMANS eversince she graduated from college. I can still recall saying goodbye to her every morning as she leaves for work in her beautiful working frocks and attire complete with can-can inlay and dark glasses. She was the typical 60s working girl of that era. One particular dress that she wore seem to be a permanent imprint in my memory was the one with black & white polka-dots. I am her shadow to this day because she imparted most of her values and principals to me in the absence of mum who was a career lady.
When I was six, we moved to Petaling Jaya and I grew up at No. 7, Lorong 16/3C. Our telephone was then the finger dialing one and I can still remember the number as 561350. This was way back in 1968 when we had our first Phillips TV in black & white.
I went to a Chinese kindergarten for half a year before moving on the St. Anne’s Kindergarten for the next half. I received my primary education at Assunta Primary School, Jalan Templer and elementary education at Assunta Secondary School, Jalan Changgai, Petaling Jaya. During this time until 1979, we were under convent rule and headed by Sister Enda (an Irish nun and missionary).
I remember having started school in standard 1, until 13th May 1969 when we were told that KL was under curfew. It was rather grim then when my dad seemed always to be patrolling with his friends around the neighborhood carrying his pistol and shotgun. I was not allowed to even leave the house. Somehow, I enjoyed it because school holidays seemed to be forever..
Dad specially constructed a Wendy House for me, made out of real wood, fibre board and plaster ceiling complete with roof tiles and concrete flooring where I housed my collection of dolls and toys. It was furnished with curtains, electrical fittings and even a small dressing table with a small mirror on top of it. Surrounding the Wendy House was my very own potted plants and a little garden patch. It was literally my very own little bungalow plot. He only thing that was missing was the swimming pool !!! This was a great get-away hideout for me and a secret seven clubhouse for me and my friends. My childhood friends in the same neighborhood were, as I can remember them, Mrs Ishi’s daughter (obviously, I’ve forgotten her name), Rozy, Azah, Liza, Julia & Juria, Anis, Farhah and Farah. My first get-away vehicle was my trusty Chopper bicycle, one that I would sometimes ride as far as section 22. It had a padded back rest and was always shining and spotlessly polished. Don’t I sound like that spoilt brat…
My first local reality tv that was a hit in the family was following through the heats, semi final and finals of BAKAT TV in 1971. I was 8 then and by the time the finals was held live at Dewan Tunku Cansellor, only my brother and sister gets to go. I was left at home to watch it in Black & White with dad and mum.
My favorite pastime was listening to music and playing on the piano (when my sister was not home that is). My dad bought a hi fi set with a long playing record turn table and we both would have a collection of LPs on all music genre. I particularly liked Pop & R&B. Olivia Newton John, Barbra Streisand, Irene Cara, Diana Ross, Earth Wind & Fire, Chicago, were some of my favorites to name a few.
No. 7 Lorong 16/3C was a bungalow at the end of the road adjacent to the boys’ dormitory of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in the 70s. You can imagine how much attention I had whenever I strolled in the garden as a young sweet thing. Mum’s garden was a paradise filled with orchids akin to an orchard. One of my daily chores was to water the plants and much to my delight, I would oblige ever so persistently every morning and evening. The boys at the dorm will wait for that moment when this young teenage girl would actually adorn the garden doing her gardening chores (yes, I was that popular pretty young girl of 16/3C). The dorm balcony will be on a full house frenzy and that’s when you will hear the cheers and wolf whistles until my mum comes out holding the broom in her hand and they’ll be scattering helter-scelter into their rooms. Being an English and a Domestic Science teacher and principal of Pusat Latihan Wanita that she is, one day, she decided to write to the university complaining about the boys. She suggested that the dormitories be transferred into a girls’ dormitory. Thank god when the University actually did, I was already engaged to be married. Honestly, I enjoyed the attention and I felt like the princess in the tower whenever I was released from imprisonment !!! They were my shining knights in armor !!!
Mum and dad were always at work and I was left with the maid or sometimes alone in the big house. I would run the house down with music singing along or banging on the piano with some compositions that never got near to being produced. Somehow, my neighbors who meet me now, still remember and they talk about it not believing the person I have turned out to be. They expected me to turn into a wild cat, too modern for prudent ways. On the contrary, despite being given all of the luxuries of life, I was really taught the values of having it all. Despite being over protected, I was really given the privilege of freedom but occasionally pulled on the leash so I can understand my limitations. I was taught never to abuse it and in all of my life throughout my childhood, being polite, courteous and respectful for the elders is of prime importance. Etiquette, grooming and manners are an exercise to be strictly adhered to. When eating, when playing, when talking, when sitting, when in public and even when mingling with the family or when writing in letters, we were taught always to be on guard and to mind our Ps and Qs.
This is the first chapter of my life. If you like my story, I will continue to write my 2nd chapter..
