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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

A relaxing afternoon at Batu Arang

Peace be upon you all. Today let us make an excursion from the northern trip stories. I don't think I've ever said in this blogspot that I've spent a rather tiring 11 days up the East Coast with the wife and baby from Christmas till 4 days after the recent New Year's day. Mind you I drove a total of 2367 km and took 4743 pictures...

It was taxing physically, mentally and financialy apart from putting a strain on the car. So for the month of January we decided to practically stay around the house and workplace. No long trips during this period, just short ones within a radius of 100 km I think. So let me just let out some short stories on the way the period was spent so far...




Thursday afternoon Jan 6th 2011, after 2 days returning from the East Coast I took my trusty bike around the small town of Batu Arang and saw a little pasar malam, the periodical night market just starting then. Living at the residential area of Bandar Tasik Puteri just 3 km from this town and often stopping by for meal and drinks or just simply riding if not driving I was surprised to see this. Maybe I've never came at the right time but this is the first time since staying nearby for about 2 years and 2 months that I noticed a pasar malam there.


The pasar malam was held not far from the local mosque. Then I realised another thing I've failed to notice before. There's more than one old chimney at Batu Arang.

A close up of the same picture showing the chimneys. Refer to my first article on this town, The quaint small town of Batu Arang made 2 years ago and find out what the chimneys are all about. And to think it took this long before I realised there's actually 3 chimneys within the vicinity, one of it at an angle obscured by the trees.


It was refreshing to realise this. And it was a relaxing afternoon as I also spent some time just sitting idly besides the main field.




Again while I've been to Batu Arang many many times as it is close to my house, this is the first time I actually sat at the town's main field rather than just passing by. Maybe the tiring trip up the East Coast finally made me want to sit down here to smell the roses or rather the field grass? Hmm... :]




Oh... this picture was taken the following day at a stall at Bandar Tasik Puteri. I was just playing about with the zoom of my new camera, a state-of-the-art compact Olympus bought just before the East Coast trip. Ah... how I love my bike. I've had it since 1997 and had travelled all around the Peninsular with it many times. And how I love my new camera, the 4th digital one since I started to seriously take pictures out on trips end of 2006.

For more on Batu Arang read The lakes at Batu Arang and The lake I've just discovered near my house..... Look also at the article Visiting the Chimney at Tanjung Kubong. While it is not about the town of Batu Arang, is is about batu arang as the commodity (batu arang = coal) and also about chimneys...


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