The Drs In My House......

"Let's see who gets to become Dr. first......I want to get my Doctorate before turning 30....." I still remember this conversation between Afzal and Jep, in 2009, when Jep got accepted to pursue his PhD in Melbourne, Australia.  Today, eventhough I qualify to claim there are two Drs in my family, only one now grace my life.

26th January marks the 33rd birthday of Dr. Mas Jaffri, who is now a lecturer at the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University Putra Malaysia. He may not be a medical doctor like Afzal, but I suppose the field he is lecturing in can be considered a close relative of medicine. As a matter of fact, his thesis titled "Chitosan nanoparticles as a delivery vehicle for [14C]-doxorubicin and the formaldehyde releasing prodrug AN-250" sounded very "medicine" to me.

Life can be a mystery at times because it sometimes unfold in a manner quite illogical to our mere human mind. For instance, my husband did Economics in the university and I did Creative and Descriptive Writing ( a relative of Mass Communications! ).....however, all of my five children pursued their tertiary education in Science subjects - Food Science, Biotechnology, Mathematics and Animal Science! Alas, Allah is so fair and all-knowing...nevertheless, I'm glad all of them retain their creative gene - they all love music......

To all parents whose children are medical doctors, I share your pride in them. I also pray Allah gives them the strength and perseverence to endure the many challenges that come with being a medical doctor. I remember on his graduation day in July, 2009, when I asked him right after the ceremony, if being a doctor has now sinked into his mind, Afzal said "...not yet, wait till the first day of work..."

Well Jep, you may be a father first and a PhD holder aka Dr. second, plus, your daughter sometimes says "papa why are you so crazy?". but to me you will always be just my lovely son. May you continue life under Allah's guidance and always strive for His acceptance and rewards.....Happy Birthday!!

.....Mama Afzal.