-----------------------

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".


-----------------------


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.


Monday, September 16, 2019

Views from Puncak Geurute

Continuing from The waves at Meunasah Lhok.


After the beach the road starts to climb up twisting and turning on some hillsides.





Then you can see wooden buildings beside.


Time for our next stop...





Perched precariously on a stretch up a hill called Puncak Geurute the wooden buildings are actually stalls offering superb views of the surroundings...














For information this is the 1,991th article in this blogspot.



























The waves at Meunasah Lhok

Continuing from Morning in Lhoong.


About 6-7 km later the road opens up close to a beach




  The sight was so beautiful that it prompted us to stop and go out for a better look.








The waves looked nice and alluring...











This was our best look so far of the mighty Indian Ocean since we arrived from Malaysia the previous day...








Morning in Lhoong

Peace be upon you. Today 16th September is Malaysia Day. On to the storytelling for the 2nd day of the Aceh and north Sumatera round trip 28th August till 4th September.


Early Thursday morning 29th August 2019. The sun was about to rise...


We were looking from outside a house at Nurin al Mansoriah Complex where we spent the night at.





It is situated in a district called Lhoong some 50 km south of the city of Banda Aceh.


After having a simple breakfast we left the place to continue our journey...








As we went out we could see the complex is nestled betweens some hills...








Thursday, September 12, 2019

The waterfront of Lhok Seudu after sundown

Peace be upon you all. This is my first posting here after the Muslim the new year of 1441th Hijriah have started 2 Sundays ago (on 1st Sept). For the record me and family made a long trip around Aceh and north Sumatera from 28 August till 4 September. This is its first story.


Originally we bought flight tickets for the 10 o'clock morning flight Wednesday 28th August 2019. But that was over 8 months ago. A month before flight we were told that it was cancelled and we were transferred to the 2 pm flight. As it turned out there more delays...


The flight left at 5 pm and arrived in Aceh after 6 pm (+7GMT). By the time we got out of airport there was only 30 minutes of sunlight left. Our intended target for the day was to reach the town of Meulaboh 249 km away. According to Google Map that should take 4 hours 30 minutes by road


Only about 20 minutes after our car trip started we got hungry. We asked our Acehnese friend who drove us in his car to recommend a place to eat at. Upon reaching a waterfront at Lhok Seudu he saw an opened restaurant and made a stop.


It is located about 40 km from the airport and 30 km from the city of Banda Aceh. There we found an interesting waterfront.








This was not a planned stop. Only circumstance made us spent time...





It turned out to be a very beautiful place...








Too bad it was already past sunset...









Monday, August 26, 2019

My new working and creative area

OK. There is something I'm so excited about that I must share.


This is my new working and creative area. Situated at the left side of my car garage where grows a cherry tree  it mainly comprises a long wooden chair and a table top of sorts.


The chair has been left some time unused outside by a neighbour. I asked for it and took it here about 3 days ago for two main reasons. One is to cover a part of the garage floor which was broken because of the cherry tree growing from its side. Another is of course for seating. 

However the chair was bare without cushions. Luckily I found a recycled cupboard door from somewhere which nicely fits to cover the bare parts. I also added some roof materials to cover the garage side and some shades around the closest parts of the cherry tree. This practically turned the side into a comfortable space for private activities, mainly for family.




Soon enough I found the area convenient and so comfy that I started doing readings and taking naps on the chair. What was lacking was a table top of sorts to place things including my laptop for doing work, writing or just be creative hearing songs and such. Yesterday, late in the evening I found the right materials to make the table top. I immediately set out to work on through the night and got it ready and nice by 11 pm.


There. The location of my new  'hide-out' relative to my house (on the right).


Look at how it is placed at the garage...


There is also a bench which was constructed using recycled materials a few years ago. Behind is an old tyre turned into a swing for the kids last week or so.


Next, and this was like just over an hour ago I decided to add this shade to make it more comfy while reducing glare from the morning sun.


I realised the need to add shade when my laptop was put in this position. To the left is the east where the sun rises. It was only this morning that I realised the need to add shade to reduce glare...


There. I was all set to start some writing in the new working and creative area. For the record this picture was taken at 11.13am while the laptop was playing "Flying in a Blue Dream" by the rock guitar instrumentalist Joe Satriani. Adios... :]