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This blogspot is a medium to share my thoughts and adventures apart from promoting my books. Below are the books which have been written or authored and published by myself.


"Berpetualang ke Aceh: Mencari Diri dan Erti".

ISBN 983-42031-0-1, Jun 2006


"Berpetualang ke Aceh: Membela Syiar yang Asal"

ISBN 983-42031-1-x, May 2007


"Berpetualang ke Aceh: Sirih Pulang ke Gagang?"

ISBN 978-983-42031-2-2, November 2007


It is interesting to note that while these books were written in Malay it has gained enough attention to merit being part of the collections of the American Library of Congress and National Library of Australia. Look here and here.


While the first three books were published by my own company, the fourth titled "Rumah Azan" was published in April 2009 by a company called Karnadya with the help of the Malaysian national literary body Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. It features beautiful pictures along with stories behind selected mosques which could be related to the history of Islam and the Malays alongside the formation of the Malaysian nation. Look at the article A collaboration of old collegemates - the book "Rumah Azan".


My fifth book "Ahlul Bait (Family) of Rasulullah SAW and Malay Sultanates", an English translation and adaptation of the Malay book "Ahlul Bait (Keluarga) Rasulullah SAW dan Kesultanan Melayu" authored by Hj Muzaffar Mohamad and Tun Suzana Othman was published early 2010. Look here... My 5th book is out! Ahlul Bait (Family) of Rasulullah SAW and the Malay Sultanates... . For more information check out my Malay blogspot CATATAN SI MERAH SILU.



Like my fourth book "Rumah Azan", the sixth book "Kereta Api Menuju Destinasi" is also a coffee-table book which is published by the company Karnadya with the cooperation of Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (the main Malay literary body in Malaysia). Coming out January 2011 it features pictures and stories on the adventure travelling by train to all of Peninsular Malaysia along with the interesting places which could be reached this way.


My seventh book "Jejak keluarga Yakin : Satu sketsa sejarah" in turn is a coffee-table book which is written, editted, designed and has pictures taken by me. Coming out of the factory October 2011, this book which combines family history with history of places such as Singapura, Johor, Batu Pahat, Muar and in fact the history of the island of Java and England has been reviewed with me interviewed live in the program Selamat Pagi Malaysia at RTM1. Look at the article Siaran langsung ulasan buku "Jejak keluarga Yakin : Satu sketsa sejarah" dan temu ramah di Selamat Pagi Malaysia. Some selected contents have been featured in Sneak peek "Jejak keluarga Yakin : Satu sketsa sejarah".


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The "Berpetualang ke Aceh" series of novels could be obtained in e-book form. Enter http://www.e-sentral.com/, click general novel and go to page 4. You can also type the word "Aceh" at the search box. Or click straight Book 1, Book 2 and Book 3.


Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Al-Rasyid's antics at a cousin's wedding...

Continuing the 'idle' January stories started with the article A relaxing afternoon at Batu Arang.


So that article was ended with a snap of my beloved big bike taken on Friday. That night I brought the wife and our 1 year 3 months old baby Al-Rasyid to attend a cousin's wedding.


We immediately went to a private room reserved for family members.



Held at Shah Alam's Concorde Hotel, it was quite a grand affair.




For Al-Rasyid however it was just something that aroused his curiosity to explore.



Mind you from the private room behind the main hall which is separated by another section also full of tables and guests he managed to weave his way around more than 100 metres to the stage.




Perhaps it is his own instincts, perhaps it's a chip off the old block. He found the going-ons amusing without a thought to all the looking eyes.





Being a grand affair of course they have a number of well-heeled guests and many conscious of protocols and appearance of what such people thought are good manners that shows one is well-raised up the ranks, allegedly. Well, not baby Al-Rasyid and not me. We (at least me) knows where we came from. And no that's not from the gutters. Where our family really came from, it is the so-called VIPs and VVIPs who have to bow down their heads in total humility and submission as we do what we want to do without caring for the commoners' protocols and artificial concerns (sorry, that's the old rebel me giving the snob speech against today's rampant snobs created by the capitalistic system)...





Al-Rasyid playing the thoughtful and discerning observer. Hopefully he'll develop my natural ears and taste for a wide variety of music and not pretend to like classical because it makes one looks upper-class, again allegedly...






Why, he was so comfortable with the scene that he climbed up the stage many times and I had to pull him down. At one stage (pun unintended...) he tried to join the performers and a male singer picked him up and continued routine with Al-Rasyid in arms for some 2 minutes! I thought I got it on video only to realise that I have pushed the wrong button on my camera. So there, no record of that but many still noticed. In fact my mum who was watching the proceedings from the big screen inside the private room thought it was me who carried and danced with Al-Rasyid on stage. No surprises for her if I actually did that...



Al-Rasyid posing one stage in-between shows. For more stories on weddings look at these old articles...


A wedding on top a hill in Janda Baik

The bride's home wedding reception on Saturday

The lavish night reception at Shangri-La

The cousin's reception...

The bride's wedding reception in Singapura

The groom's turn for reception


Hmm. I thought I've already did a piece on another cousin's wedding to a New Zealander who lives in Australia held at Damansara Heights towards the end of 2009. I found it to be very eventful not because of the lavishness or presence of VIPs and VVIPs or guests from abroad but because almost all members of my extended extended family (4 generations descended from a great-grandfather) managed to make it. As far as I could remember that was the first time in years we managed to gather such a quorum of relatives...


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