When I started high school some 15 years ago, I remember being pretty bad at math. I was averaging a C for the most part of Form 1, until one school holiday, my mom took me to this math tutor. Cikgu Zul, in Uptown. He had a rundown tuition center called Pusat Tuisyen Farabi, on the same row as where The Ship is (or was?). So i attended his sessions, and next thing i know, i was scoring above 95% in my tests. I don't really understand how his magic works, for all he did was tell us the exercises to work on, then he just sits there reading his newspaper, or sometimes, fixing his watches. We went up to him whenever we got stuck with a problem, and he showed us how it is done. So I continued seeing him for 5 years, and while most people find Additional Maths impossible, that subject sort of became a hobby for me. A hobby that i was really good at. When i felt unsettled or worried, I solved add maths problems. I say was, because i have no idea how to solve a differential problem if you give one to me right now, though i did get back into it while i was bored in the hospital a few years ago. hehe.
Because my mom saw results in me, she started sending my brothers to him. Then my aunties started to send my cousins to him, until all my cousins who were in KL/PJ had Cikgu Zul as their math tutor. Even the one in Penang joined the club. So, at my cousin's wedding last weekend, it was quite the sight to see 15 people, age ranging from 14 to 31, fussing over him as he walked the red carpet towards the hall. And then again, at the end of the wedding, when half of us ganged up on him to make sure he doesn't leave before we got a group photo, and the other half stopped the crowd for a bit while said photo was being taken.
Talk about red carpet treatment, eh?
