This made my day: Man surprises dad with air tickets to New Zealand on Hari Raya

It is customary for Muslims to give out duit raya (Raya money) on Hari Raya Puasa but one man decided to gift his father with something special instead — flight tickets to New Zealand. 

Armand Izzaq Shaqur, 26, took to TikTok on Wednesday (April 10) sharing a video of him surprising his father with two air tickets to New Zealand on Hari Raya. 

"Surprising my father who has never been out of Asia, with two tickets to New Zealand," Armand wrote in his post. 

Hari Raya Puasa marks the end of the Muslim fasting month, and is a day when many Muslims celebrate together with their extended families and partake in large family meals together.

Wanting to make this Hari Raya extra memorable for this father, Armand wrote in his post: "Dad has always dreamt of going to New Zealand, figured it was time to make a life-long dream come true."

'He deserves this trip more than anyone'

Armand who works as a Tech Education Specialist at Vertical Institute, told AsiaOne that he was inspired to plan the trip for his father thanks to the trending TikTok caption, "Be nice to your parents, it's their first time living life too".

"We are living our lives for the first time, our parents are too. And that's what really motivated me to make this happen for my dad," he said. 

Armand shared that his father, Victor Shaqur, 52, who currently works as a Deputy Dorm Manager at PPT Lodge, used to work full-time as a DJ. 

Having worked in the entertainment industry for 30 years, Armand said his father's career took a hit during the pandemic.

Armand shared that his father worked hard to "reinvent himself to keep himself afloat".

"I've seen how hard he has worked all his life, and I know that he deserves this trip more than anyone," Armand told AsiaOne. 

And so, Armand proceeded to reach out to Victor's supervisor on Tuesday, to seek approval for his leave of absence. 

Since Victor's supervisor was also a family friend, Armand said that "it made the process of me applying for his leave on his behalf a lot easier".  

'Our first father-and-son trip'

After confirming on April 9 that he was able to take leave of absence from work as well, Armand told AsiaOne that he booked two Singapore Airlines (SIA) tickets from Singapore to Auckland from Sept 6 to 13 that same day.

It took him three months to save up for the tickets which cost $2,700.

Regardless of the cost, Armand said that he wanted to give his dad "the best experience he could have".

"This is actually our first father-and-son trip together, and I wanted it to be this way so that we could really bond and enjoy this experience together," Armand added.  

He shared that Victor is a fan of Lord of The Rings and so, it was always a dream of his to visit New Zealand, where the movie franchise was filmed.

"I picked New Zealand also because if you asked him where is the one place he would want to see in the whole world, this probably tops the list easily," Armand said.

Armand decided to surprise his dad on Hari Raya Puasa as he felt the exciting news would add to the festivities.

And so, he printed the ticket confirmation and placed it in an envelope to give it as duit raya to his father. 

Even though he wasn't sure what to expect, Armand told AsiaOne that he thought that he was going to get scolded by his father for spending such a huge sum of money. 

"Thankfully, it was tears of joy and him just being happy," Armand said. 

'Too stunned to speak'

The one-minute clip posted showed Victor looking pleasantly surprised upon seeing the printed flight booking confirmation.

"I could feel that he was genuinely shocked and from what everyone could see in the video, it took a while for it to sink in for him too," Armand told AsiaOne. 

Armand shared that his father was "too stunned to speak" after he found out that even his leave was approved.

"Until now, it probably hasn't sunk in yet, but the tears of joy he let out yesterday speaks volumes and it made me super emotional too," Armand added. 

Armand shared with us a screenshot of Victor's message after receiving the heartwarming surprise gift. 

"I cannot find words to tell you how I feel. It's not about the money spent but you have gone above and beyond. I love you so much and I am truly humbled and blessed to see you grow to who you are," the appreciative dad wrote.

Armand's TikTok video has since gone viral, garnering over 246,000 views and more than 26,000 likes, with netizens loving the wholesome father-and-son moment. One netizen even commented: "That'll probably be his favourite present for a long time to come."

Many also commented that the video had them tearing up.

Some commented that they were inspired by Armand's video to do the same for their parents. 

Following the overwhelming response to the clip, Victor replied in the comments section: "Thanks so much for all the kind words and messages. Credit also needs to go to my daughter, Keesha, who captured this magical moment for us. I am truly humbled and blessed."

When asked if he would surprise his dad with another trip in the future, Armand said: "The possibility of another trip is definitely on the table. I think once he gets a taste of what it means to go on an adventure and see the world, he'll want to do more of that, and I hope that we'll be able to do that together."

ALSO READ: Touching CNY reunion: Hawker couple tear up after surprise visit from Indonesia-based daughter and grandchildren

ashwini.balan@asiaone.com