A Map of Trengganu

Uncle Awang Goneng’s latest book, A Map of Trengganu is finally out! This morning, I went out with my father to pick up the books from the country distributor and helped dad with our first batch of deliveries.

I've got my copy... Have you got yours?

Anxious to be one of the first people to read it, I quickly picked up a copy from the box as soon as we reached home. Soon, I was too engrossed with the book that when my mother called me to help her with the chores, she was shocked to hear me laughing alone. At that very moment, I was reading the part when Awang Goneng ‘took a Law degree “from the Academic Registrar’s office one night when the door was left open”.

‘A Map of Trengganu’ proved to be as beautiful and fun as its prequel ‘Growing Up In Trengganu’. Since the book had just arrived from Singapore, (as for today) there is a big chance that you may not be able to get them from the bookshops in Malaysia yet. But you can calm those restless, fluttering butterflies in your stomach by ordering them straight from ‘The Pizzaman’ (who happens to be my father 🙂 )!

You can contact him by email (akarimomar@yahoo.com) or call/SMS 019-319-9788. You can check out his blog post on the book here!. And what’s more? He can send it straight to your doorsteps (which is why he was called ‘The Pizzaman’). Do not miss the chance and get your copy NOW

Anyway, right after I’ve published this post, I’ll be going back to my room where I shall not be disturbed (nor shall I scare mum with my constant outburst) and continue reading the book 🙂

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Awang Goneng Is In Town!

Today, I met Uncle Awang Goneng at the Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). Awang Goneng (a.k.a. Wan A. Hulaimi) grew up in Terengganu but later on moved to London, a place so far away from his homeland. His beautiful book ‘Growing Up In Trengganu’ (originated from his blog –http://kecek-kecek.blogspot.com) was written to share with everyone about the life in Terengganu in the 60’s.

I attended ‘The Writing Mind’ workshop where Uncle Awang Goneng taught us some tips on writing. One of them which sticks in my mind was to increase your vocabulary skills – or in other words, never be afraid of using a dictionary. It reminds me of Prof. Muhammad Al-Mahdi’s ‘favourite assignment’. He would tell my classmates and I to make a list of 20 hard words and remember all 60 words, it’s spelling and definitions. To make sure we memorised each of them, we shall have to take a test at the end of the week.

Uncle Awang Goneng also taught us  to read aloud what we have written after finishing a piece of work. It helps us to correct unnoticeable small mistakes. This was also taught by Prof. Muhammad and since then, I made a huge improvement in my writing class.

But Uncle Awang Goneng was really sad to hear about the unacceptable act of the government to demolish a more than a century old shophouses row in our hometown, Kuala Terengganu. Such historic building should be kept and preserved such as those in

Penang and Malacca. But we were even shocked to know that Uncle Awang Goneng’s house in Terengganu was going to be demolished

too. I guess one day, Terengganu would be the only state in Malaysia to lose all of it’s history and heritage clue to the cruel act of the state government.

Before leaving, I took the opportunity to ask Awang Goneng to autograph in my diary. Thank you Uncle Awang Goneng (Uncle Wan).

Hiccups

I’m very sorry for leaving the blogsphere for quite a long time. I had been busy reading, studying until I had forgotten to update my blog. Thanks to mum and dad I had finally returned. In this post I would like to share a little bit of what I’ve learned from one of the books I’ve been reading…

Nobody likes hiccups and looking for a perfect cure is always hard. My worst ‘hiccup attack’ was two years ago that goes on for 3 days. But that was nothing compared to what Charles Osborne had experienced. He started hiccuping in 1922 and continued for the next 65 years (1987). That’s 430 million hiccups! Can you ever imagine that?

Anyway not all hiccups are severe, infact most hiccups only last a few minutes and disappeared as magically as it came. But hiccups are so uncomfortable that even a few minutes experience is more than enough. Isn’t there a cure for hiccups which works instantly? If there is, what is it and how? Read on the following treatments and I’m sure that one of them would surely be your answer to the question…

1. Yank forcefully on the tongue.
2. Lift the uvala (that little boxing bag at the back of your mouth) with a spoon.
3. Tickle the roof of your mouth with a cotton swab at the point when the hard and soft palate meet.
4. Chew and swallow dry bread.
5. Suck a lemon wedge soaked in Angostura bitters.
6. Compress the chest by pulling the knees up or leaning forward.
7. Gargle with water.
8. Hold your breath.
9. Suck on crushed ice.

If those given above do not work, may be you’d like to try these instead:

1. Take a teaspoon of sugar and swallow it dry. Others recommend a tablespoon of sugar instead but that may be a matter of personal taste.
2. Fill a glass of water, bend forward and drink it upside down.
3. Hold your breath for as long as possible and swallow at the time you feel the hiccup sensation coming. Do that 2 or 3 times, then take a breath and repeat again.
4. Fill a cup of water and place it on a counter, then press your index fingers in your ears. Bend over at the waist and pick up the cup with the pinky finger and thumb of each hand and, while holding your breath, drink the water down in one or two gulps. [I highly recommend this one as it works for me 🙂 ]
5. Blow in and out exactly ten times in a paper bag. You MUST do it really hard until you are red in the face. You also MUST do it fast and you MUST make sure that no air gets in by forming a good seal around your mouth with the bag. You MUST follow all of the directions exactly as directed or it’ll never work.

ESPECIALLY FOR TOTS: Tickle them while they hold their breath and they must try their best not to laugh.

ESPECIALLY FOR BABIES: Feed them a half teaspoon of sugar dissolve in 4 ounce of water.

ESPECIALLY FOR NEWBORNS: Place a wet tissue on the baby’s forehead (Recommended by Kak Shahidah in her previous comment. Thanks, Kak Shaidah!)

Not everyone can be cured the same way. Try a few and see which works for you… Good Luck!

Note: I learnt these tips from ‘The Doctor’s Book of Home Remedies’ which was written by the editors of Prevention Magazine Health Books and published by Parsons/ Walton/ Press, Hong Kong in 2001. This amazing book contains thousands of techniques of preventing and curing everyday health problems. And I would like to thank ‘Apa’ (my maternal great grandfather, Hj. Yaacob bin Hj. Abdullah Al- Yunani) for lending me this wonderful book.

Launching of Gemuruh Alam at RA Fine Arts Gallery

On 7 June 2008 (Saturday), I attend a launching of Mustapa Haji Ibrahim’s poetry book ‘Gemuruh Alam’ at RA Fine Arts Gallery owned by YM Raja Ahmad Aminullah. The book was launched by Pak A. Samad Said (Sasterawan Negara/ National Laureate). Among others, the occasion had introduced me to ‘Anak Alam’ group and ‘Asas 50’.

I was really impressed by Prof Rahman Shaari’s style of reading sajak. I was never interested in ‘sajak’ ( a type of Malay poem) until the day I heard Pak Samad recite one of his sajaks at RA Fine Arts Gallery on 19 January 2008. It really open my eyes to the beauty of poetry. I was honoured to speak to Pak Samad when he gave good remarks on my reading (please click here).

Thank you Pak Engku Raja Ahmad for giving me the chance to experience the wonderful world of literature and art.