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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.


Friday, February 08, 2008

Reminiscing the teenage years in Kluang - Part 3 and last...

Greetings all! At the end of the article Reminiscing the teenage years in Kluang - Part 2 , I did say I would write a pictorial story on my old school, in the Malay blogspot CATATAN SI MERAH SILU . Well, I've done it under the title Memori lama pahit getir SMSJ, Kluang, Johor... Still, it wasn't the end of the day's journey as afterwards, I made another walk around town by taking a different route.
Then again this article is about what happened the following day. So the picture above should suffice to represent the walk made after visiting my old school...
Remember in the article Smelling the sea in Mersing... , I said I spent 2 nights in Mersing and that was to be a prelude of me staying in Kluang for 3 nights? Well, if Reminiscing the teenage years in Kluang - Part 1 is about what happened on the first day in Kluang, that is immediately upon arrival from Mersing, then Reminiscing the teenage years in Kluang - Part 2 is about what happened the next day and thus this one should be about the following day.
Now, Reminiscing the teenage years in Kluang - Part 2 is set on 31st December 2007, the last day of that year. Thus there's no prize for guessing the New Year's Eve was spent in Kluang and here is what I did on the 1st January of 2008...


Yep... While many chose to celebrate the New Year in "happening" places like that in Kuala Lumpur where I'm based at, I actually spent the night in Kluang, the town where I grew up from 1983-1986. Not that it's not happening... The place sure has its own share of celebrations. But I chose to spent the night (after all the walk up till 10pm that is) rather secluded on my own.

Actually, up till 1am, I was at an acquaintance's place having a massage... No... Not the vulgar type OK... My body does need some serious rubbing because of all the punishing trips it had endured and this elder lady (I'm not alone with her OK, her children was around) do have the moves to put by veins back in place, albeit in a painful way...

Anyway that was in the night. Come the 1st day of the year 2008 which for all practical purposes could be considered as my last day in Kluang (as I planned to rush to Segamat the next day), I thought I would take a walk along other parts of the town that could help conjure memories of old.

Same as in the previous day, I started the morning with breakfast at the railway station. Then I walked again down the streets with many Indian shops. This time I decided to take a picture of the area, well not quite the whole area and that is the picture above...


If on the 31st, I walked up to the railway crossing and then head for the road alongside the main mosque before going to my old school, Sekolah Menengah Sains Johor, this time, I just crossed the track and then continue to head down south... Until I reached this building which is one of Kluang's main modern landmark...


Why did I go to this building? Because it is situated next to a lake which is Kluang's very own version of KL's Tasik Perdana or Titiwangsa. This is the place where they celebrated the New Year at night but that is not the reason I'm here...
This might sound strange but I was just trying to get a sense of bearing of places. You see, the last time I was in Kluang was actually in 2001. And this is the place I went then. Unfortunately, this was also the only place I stopped at as I was journalist covering a cycling event and the road in front of the building next to this leg was the starting point for the day.
So there I was in Kluang in 2001, the town and district I grew up from 1983-1986, the area I last visited then in 1987... But I stopped there only at one place because I was just following an entourage and thus not free to move around.
In 1987, the lake have existed but without the prominence of the said building and the build-ups around it to make it a major landmark. Then the town of Kluang was much smaller than the one I noticed in 2001.Thus since then, I sort of keep this wish... Should I be in Kluang again, I would visit this place again and walk around just so that I could see how big Kluang have grown and where's the place of everything...

Thus it is only during this visit that I realised where the lake is actually situated at within the grand scheme of the town's planning. Although I've been at the lake a few times during my school years, it was not a place of prominence in my memories...


I took a left turn and took this full view of Gunung (mount) Lambak...


I walked on and saw this left turning. Then only I noticed how prominent the main mosque of Kluang if seen from certain angles... That is, the green building with the minaret since in the middle background of this picture... Honest, as far as I can remember, I never noticed the mosque from this far away! Perhaps age and nostalgia are what made me notice things the way I did nowadays...


After sometime walking up that road (heading north that is), I found this row of shophouse with gargoyles on it. All were dated around 1940s...



I don't know exactly where I was but a look towards the east should provide a good idea...


And this group of buildings which looks like a cheap replica (sorry to say that...) of Disneyland should point out the way too...


Hmm... I'm sure when I took this picture, the wooden buildings did feature quite well in my old memory of Kluang. Too bad, when I wrote this, I can't tell what it's all about...


Not far away is this Persekutuan Melayu (Malay Federation) headquarters or something...


The row of pre-war (1939 or so) shophouses should point this area as part of old Kluang... But it's only in this visit that I realised, perhaps (perhaps because I can't remember for sure..), I've never been in this part of Kluang before although I've actually stayed there for 4 years!


Ah... At last an area I remember very well... Some wooden shophouses I used to often visit while on outings from school... For here are some stalls where I used to have tea and there's also places where I used to shop for Rock t-shirts...


The strange this, I don't remember this surau (small praying hall) next to it...


Nevertheless, I stopped by for prayers and then took a nap...


Suffice to say, both the surau and the wooden building are situated behind this building which to used to a cinema during my schooldays... So the main reason I'm familiar with this place is of course, because of the movies!


Hmm... I think enough of reminiscing Kluang ya... Here is a picture taken the next day, 2nd January 2008 that is. While waiting for the morning train to Segamat. Cheers! :]



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