BERPETUALANG KE ACEH: Reminiscing the teenage years in Kluang

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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.

Saturday, February 02, 2008

Reminiscing the teenage years in Kluang - Part 1

Greetings all. Tonight, I'm glad to inform that I'm on the verge of ending my current travelling trip up north covering certain places in Kedah and Perak within a period of 2 weeks. As of this afternoon, I've left the borders of Perak and decided to take the air and spend the night at the quaint town of Kuala Kubu Baru in north Selangor. And tonight, I feel like continuing the story of my trip in Johor with a visit at a very important location of my teenages years, the town of Kluang in mid Johor. Here goes...

OK... After Smelling the sea in Mersing... , for 2 nights that is, it's time to head for Kluang. For information, I studied at the Sekolah Menengah Sains Johor (Johor Science Secondary School), a full-boarding school there about 20 years ago... From 1983 to 1986. So the town and district definitely have a big impression on me and how I turned up to be. So much so that even while on the bus from Mersing to Kluang, I tried to snap pictures of Gunung (Mount) Lambak, the tallest peak near to the town centre.

Now, at 500 metres high or so, it might not be a mighty peak at all. Still it was the first peak I've ever climbed up till the top and that happened in 1983 when I'm slightly more than 12 years-old, as a scout leader still trying to find my way as person struggling with the ways of the world...

I snapped a few pictures of the mountain from the moving bus. At last I got one that looks good enough. Then again, the bus was actually stopping to take and drop passengers. And I was lucky the view was not badly blocked...

Soon enough I arrived at the Kluang main bus station... This station might have been in operation for more than 10 years but as far as I'm concerned it is a new one because it was not around when I was still studying in Kluang...

The same thing with this building. It was not in existence during my teenage years...

So is this one...

In fact this river (the river Mengkibol if I remember correctly the name) used to mark the eastern borders of the town. Now it runs right across the centre... The town of Kluang have grown by as much as 3 times the size I remembered 20 years ago!

From the bus station, I had to walk almost a kilometre before I arrived at the rows of shophouse which used to also mark the eastern border of town...

I decided to walk to the railway station which is situated slightly uphill...

I turned around and savoured this picture of Kluang. I still remember the tall white building in the background from my teenage years. The one on the left though is a new one...

And a good view of Gunung Lambak to put things in perspective...

I walked again towards the town centre using another route. Hmm... I still remember this place and the playground there...

Me and friends used to rest around here while on outings during the weekends...

Going into what used to be the busiest part of town, I came across this building which used to be a cinema theater. Now it houses an electrical appliances supermarket...