PETALING JAYA: It was the perfect Fathers Day gift for two men when their daughters aced the SPM examination.
Dr Vickneshwaran Muthu was over the moon when his eldest daughter Karunyaa Vickneshwaran scored straight A’s.
“This result was definitely a superb gift for this year’s Fathers Day. We thank the teachers at SMK Taman Melawati for her achievements,” he said in an interview.
Dr Vickneshwaran, 50, who is with the Health Ministry, said his daughter had faced difficulties with her studies when most of her classes were held online during the MCO.
Standing tall: Dr Vickneshwaran is over the moon with his daughter Karunyaa’s SPM results.
“Despite that, she told me that she wanted to study by herself.
“She only took tuition for History for a year and a half since Form Four and she started taking Bahasa Malaysia tuition three months before her exam. She managed other subjects herself with the help of her teachers,” he said.
The father of four spent Fathers Day by going for breakfast at McDonald’s and visited his 15-year-old twin daughters who are studying at a boarding school.
He also has a six-year-old son.
Karunyaa won’t become a doctor like her dad, though. She aspires to pursue engineering.
Dr Vickneshwaran said that as parents, he and his wife would be supportive of her goals.
Karunyaa, 18, said she was ecstatic with her SPM results.
Her father, she said, had often reminded her to lead a balanced life by focusing on studies but also to have fun.
“For Fathers Day, I made an online card for my dad. I hope in the coming years, I can plan a more luxurious day for my dad.
“I would also love to send my dad on a fancy vacation in future as he really does deserve some ‘me time’ for all that he does for our family,” she added.
For Saiful Nizam Ab Wahab, Fathers Day was extra special this year, thanks to his daughter Ain Husniza’s excellent SPM results.
“It is a very special and proud moment for me,” he said.
Ain Husniza, who inspired the #MakeSchoolASaferPlace movement, got 7A’s and 1B.
There was also another reason to celebrate. Fathers Day yesterday was also his second child Khairel Aiman’s 16th birthday.
The family spent time reading at the Raja Tun Uda library in Shah Alam before going out for a Fathers Day meal, said Saiful Nizam, 43.
Ain Husniza said Fathers Day was a special day for her as her dad had always provided neverending support to her in everything she did.
She made news last year after exposing a teacher who allegedly made rape jokes in class.
Nom nom: Ong’s son Kah Hee feeding him durians at their home in Penang. — CHAN BOON KAI/The Star
As for single father Kelvin Ong Ghee Tien, he is still learning to adapt after his wife died in December last year.
“Previously, my wife and I would bring our children out for a meal to celebrate Fathers Day,” said Ong, who lives in Penang.
This year, he stayed at home with his two children – a 10-year-old son and a five-year-old daughter.
“The handwritten card made by my daughter is already good enough to warm my heart,” said the 43-year-old journalist.
Ong said the days had been hard but he had to accept the reality and move on.
“Both my children are coping well, although my daughter would ask about her mother every now and then.
“I would explain to her. She has slowly understood that her mother is no longer with us,” he said.
Ong is thankful that his father and an aunt are helping to take care of the kids.
“I will send my children to school before I head to work. Then my father or aunt will pick them up from classes, get them food and guide them with their homework.
“I will pick them up from my father’s place after work in the evening.
“My aunt provides them with nice home-cooked meals,” he added.
As for engineer Joan Lai, 28, she was glad that she could make it home for Fathers Day.
Based in Melbourne, Australia, she had been away for the last three years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It’s been great spending time with my family, especially with my dad who is 65 this year,” she said.
She recalled her childhood days when her father Casey Lai would read her bedtime stories, teach her how to write and comb her hair before they went out.
“Those are all the great memories that will be in my heart forever,” she said.