Everyday Hero: He isn't chiselled, he looks like a cheezel!

Sweaty, smelly, disheveled, sun burnt. He is not your Marvel comic hero and he doesn't have a spanky costume or an iron suit. He doesn't have gooey stuff in his hands that allows him to swing from one building to another.

He is common sight during the weekends at the side entrance of Aeon Bukit Tinggi, Klang. He wasn't bitten by a radioactive spider or exposed to some cosmic ray during a freak incident. He is your common everyday Joe making a decent living with with a whole load of heart.

It is dreamy if not romantic for Superman to pick a falling damsel in distress from a tall building but that never happens in real life. Spiderman if bitten by a rotten radioactive spider should have turned out to have many eyes, grow 8 legs and have hairy body to really look like a spider man.

Realistically, this is what a hero looks like in my books. Trust me, although he looks like a terrorist, the weapon he carries is neatly tucked between the legs.

He interviews potential candidates whowishes to adopt the puppies and kittens that he has rescued from the road like it is an episode from 'Sharks' Tank'.

Noone wants to do that in the scorching heat, and of course it is easier to agree to any adoption request because it would mean lesser hours in the sun. After a gruelling interview process, the answer may not always be positive. Who knows the puppy may end up in the wok of the Korean across the street.

The thankless job does not deny Francis off his rewards. Sometimes, sweet young thing like this damsel comes into the picture. That makes both individuals grinning from ear to ear. One, because she got her puppy, secondly he got his imaginary high from decent proximity with a damsel. To prove my point, here is a teaser picture of some visits he gets.

NOT YOUR AVERAGE HERO

Francis's role is not limited to stray puppies and kittens. It can be a little slithery and 6 feet long.

The rescue mission does not stop there. It also comes in the form of a river turtle weighing 20kg that is heading for the chopping board in a local chinese restaurant. The saying goes, the damn chinese eats anything on 4 legs.

The adventure does not stop there, it also has forked tongue and walks on fours.

It is time that we stop telling our children that heroes are flying aliens from planet Kripton, or that they can transform into posh sports cars. They are everyday man and woman born with a heart bigger than their soul. They pour in their time, sacrifice and money to make sure that another living creature has a good shot at life.

It is time, we tell our kids, the man that stands with a placard deserves more adoration than a make belief Captain America. Before penning off, if you do see this man standing by the roadside looking real lonely, please offer his a mineral water and a few chats. He lives on pats to his shoulders. That is his chicken soup for his big big heart!

Cheers my dear friend, Francis. This tribute is for all the hundreds of animals that you had tirelessly saved. I know you jumped into monsoon drains and stinks like rotten cheese cake with maggots, but we love you for what you did.

Here, have two bottles of coke dude! phewwwiiiit!

Steemout!