The Mystery of The Deforested Woods (Chapter 1: The Discovery)

When Pete was about to go to sleep, he heard a man crying outside. He wondered what it was. He got up from his bed and he took a peek outside. Everything seemed normal, maybe it was just somebody crying in the woods. He took a look at the woods again and saw that something was not right. The trees looked as if they had sunk into the ground. Then he remembered the clattering sound that he heard from the woods that morning.

“Safora! Come here, please,” called Pete. Safora was his sister. “Anything weird out there?” asked Safora. “You see, I’m kind of sleepy. So, how about talking about it tomorrow,” said Safora as she went back to sleep.

Pete sighed and continued looking outside. “I’m going up, I mean I’m going out there to have a look at the woods,” said Pete while he put on his jacket. “Something is wrong, the woods is sinking.” “I’ll come along then,’ said Safora as she got up from her bed. “I’m not going to let you go outside all alone. But please ask for permission from Mum first, Pete.”

“Mum, can Safora and I go upside, I mean outside to take a look at something for a while, please?” asked Pete. “Alright,” said his mother. “Just  don’t do weird things out there and do not stay out there for too long.” Pete and Safora went out to inspect the woods. “Hi Mic, what are you doing here?” asked Pete and looking at Reen he said, “And Reen, you are much taller!” Mic and Reen were their neighbours but they had not seen each other for months. “What do you mean by upside, do you mean outside?” asked Reen. Pete sighed “Yes, I always make that mistake.” ”I heard a man shouting in the woods and I could not sleep,” said Mic. “Well, did you notice that the woods look kind of weird? The whole woods seems lower as if the trees had sunk into the ground. So, I came upside to inspect it,” said Pete. 

“Don’t waste your time, everyone. We must find out what’s happening over there,” said Safora. So off they went to the woods. Just before they reached there, “Stop!” shouted someone while putting his hand in front of the children. It was Mr. Brown the gardener. “What are you children doing out here?” he asked. Pete answered, “Were just going for a tour in the woods and ….” Mic give Pete a nudge and said, “What he meant was we’re inspecting what is wrong with the woods. It looks weird. That’s all.” Mr. Brown said, “Fine, you can take a look at the forest but don’t be up too late because it’s already time to sleep and it could be dangerous out there.”

To be continued …

Please click here for: The Mystery of The Deforested Woods (Chapter 2)

Malaysians Say No To Irshad Manji’s Program

(On May 23, 2012, the BFM 89.9 radio had cancelled airing Irshad Manji’s recorded interview-please click here for the news.)

Tomorrow Irshad Manji was supposed to give a talk at Monash University, Sunway Campus in Selangor entitled, Moral Courage: Creating Space: for Islam and Democracy from 1.00 to 2.00pm which is during the Friday Prayer.

Someone tweeted her:

  Hi, selamat datang  Is this event catered to Muslim women only? Not gonna include Muslim men? Friday prayer is at about 1-2pm

She tweeted back:

  All r welcome, sis. Quran does not prescribe how/when 2 pray. This is man-made, not God-given, ritual. Salaam from KL

They choose the specific time for the program so that the Muslim men cannot hold a protest and to disgrace Islam because she claimed that, “Quran does not prescribe how/when 2 pray.”

But the program had been cancelled because of the ’pressure by Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS)’.  

Borders Books also cancelled her program because of the security concerns.

Her publisher, ZI Publication is trying to find a public space in which Manji can discuss her book, Allah, Liberty & Love.

Do Irshad Manji and her publisher  really think that Malaysian Muslims really want to listen to her?

Malaysia is a Muslim country and the majority of the Muslims here are good Muslims who do not want to hear anything about her books because the books disgrace Islam.

So, only very few people welcome her here, those who are liberal like she is.

Rather than trying to reform Islam, she should make a change and learn be a good Muslim.

She is the one who should learn about Islam and not the one to teach other people the false Islam.

The Calovinia – A Book By Ahmad Ali Karim

This is the front cover of 'The Calovinia'. I designed the cover my self. Ahmad Ali JetPlane Books is a subsidiary of one of my imaginary companies, Ahmad Ali JetPlane group.

I love writing stories. I wrote my first story, entitled ‘The Pink Elephant’ when I was about 3 years old. It was actually a really, really short story  And on my ninth birthday (February 13, 2012), I finished writing my first storybook! The book has 26 chapters with about 5100 words. My mother and my big sister Aiman Amani love my book and said that it is fun, funny and really amazing. 

I am very, very, very happy and excited when my father printed a few copies of the book I gave the first copy to Pak Cik Amin and Ummi Yati. I am very happy because Pak Cik Amin, Abang Aiman and Abang Hatim like the way I wrote the story. I wish I can print this book in a real story book format and sell it like Uncle Awang Goneng

Below is the first chapter of my book:

CHAPTER 1: THE CALOVINIA

   Once upon a time, there was a nice beautiful place called Calovinia. But one day, Brotosh armies attacked the place and destroyed some of the beautiful buildings.

   The next day, the Calovinians make an alliance meeting with the Brotosh and the Brotosh became allies. Sir Adhavadejonge of Calovininia told the Brotosh not to let the Arguays know about the agreement. But unfortunately the Arguays had already heard about it.

   The Arguays rushed in to the Calovinian castle and attacked them using some magical swords and arrows. Sir Ali ordered his griffins to attack the Arguays. The griffins blew big blue fire from their mouth but the Arhuays managed to steal the special dagger from the Calovinian treasure box and put it into their own treasure box before taking it away.

   After the Arguays had gone, Sir Ali’s friend named Jolly said,”I want to get out dagger back from the Arguays all by myself”. Sir Ali said,”I don’t think that’s a good idea, Jolly”. Sir Adhavadejonge added,”You will be captured if you go there all alone”.

   Then Sir Layon of Calovinia took out his sword belt. The sword belt was a special belt where there would always be a new sword whenever it’s owner put it’s hand into the bet’s pocket. Sir Layon said,” No one should bring their own sword because the Arguays will steal your swords just like they stole our special dagger. I have enough swords for all of us

The back cover of 'The Calovinia'.

Syair Awang Goneng

Bertahun merdeka di perantauan,

Segala kenangan tetap di ingatan,

Si Awang Goneng hasil nukilan,

Untuk semua jadi tatapan.

Bertahun-tahun di tanah Inggeris,

Bijak bermadah ilhamnya puitis,

Begitulah kisah seorang penulis,

Pengalaman diratah buku ditulis.

Suka duka tangis dan tawa,

Mok Mek dan Mok Nab semua dia cerita,

Cik Kaleh Teksi Pok Loh Standok juga,

Pok Ku Haji Ambak Serban Besar Bakul dia tak lupa.

Menyingkap kembali apa dirasa,

Sedari kecil ke zaman remaja,

Kerepok lekor rojak Pok Deh dia suka,

Itu dia Si Awang Goneng anak Trengganu kita.

Abang Dody recited this syair during the launch of Awang Goneng’s latest book, ‘A Map of Trengganu’ at the RA Fine Arts Gallery.

Please click here for, ‘The Book Launch of AMoT’.

To watch Abang Dody’s presentating the syair, please click here.

Syair is a traditional Malay poem.

To order ‘A Map of Trengganu’, please click here.

A Map of Trengganu Book Signing At Borders – In Pictures

I wish to write a wonderful book like Uncle Hulaimi and sign a copy of my book for him.

On Sunday, I went to the Borders at the Gardens for another ‘AMoT Book Signing’ event.

This is the last signing event as Uncle Hulaimi is going back to London in a few more days.

My mother says, this could be a start of a ‘ggocoh’ and even a ‘ggomo’ (AMoT page 250,251).

I met a lot of great writers and bloggers at the event.

Aunty Asma who was the chef for AMoT’s book launch at RA Fine Arts Gallery was also there with her family.

It is very nice to meet Pak Samad, the great writer again.

My photo with other bloggers, Aunty Emy(L), Kafah, Kaman, Kashah(R).

I was sitting with Pok Ku Bustaman who taught me the meaning of a Trengganuspeak word, ‘rang’.

Blogger Kak Zura and I at the event.

My mother(L) talking to Pak Samad(R), uncle Datuk Azman Ujang (a friend of Uncle Hulaimi from Bernama) and Pak Samad’s wife who is also a writer.

A lot of Uncle Hulaimi’s good friends and family members were there.

And everybody had a good time

Uncle Hulaimi, the great writer and her sister Aunty Asma, the great chef.

Waiting for our turn…

Uncle Hulaimi’s friends and family members at the event.

And thank you Borders for the very delicious Terengganu food from the ‘Wau Penyu’.

There were tasty pulut lepa, akok, beleda(jelly), jjepuk pisang (banana balls) and keropok lekor.

The akok was especially ordered from the palace!

I enjoyed kerepok lekor the best

Please click here for ‘Kerepok Lekor Recipe In Photos’.

A group of bloggers at the bloggers’ table enjoying the yummy food while discussing about our blogs. Uncle Hulaimi is also a blogger.

Everybody is busy enjoying the tasty Trengganu food; we really had a good time.

Yummy food. At the front row are kerepok lekor(L) and a tasty coconut milk jelly or ‘beleda’(R); at the back row are banana balls or jjepuk pisang(L) and akok(R).

My big sisters, Kafah(L), Kashah(mid) and Kaman(R) are enjoying their food.

It was a wonderful event and I am very happy to meet all the nice people and so many wonderful writers and bloggers.

To order ‘A Map of Trengganu’, please click here.

The Book Launch Of AMoT

This afternoon I attended the book launch of ‘A Map of Trengganu’ at the RA Fine Arts Gallery, Solaris Dutamas in Kuala Lumpur.

 The book is about the old days of Terengganu.

Please click here to read my post on ‘A Map of Trengganu‘. 

Here is the program of the event:

• Uncle Raja Ahmad Aminullah gave a welcome speech.

• A talk about AMoT by Uncle Hulaimi.

Listerning to Uncle Hulaimi’s speech. I sat at the last row on the left.

• Book reading by Uncle Hulaimi.

• Abang Dody recited the ‘Syair Awang Goneng’.

Abang Dody and me after his performance.

• A song performed by Andre Goh and followed by another song by Uncle Adnan Osman (Adnang Osmang in Trengganuspeak ).

I am very happy to meet Uncle Raja Ahmad Aminullah, Uncle Awang Goneng, Aunty Zaharah, Aunty Asma, Pok Ku Bustaman, Uncle Som, Kak Raja Nadia, Uncle Adnang Osmang, Pok Daud, Datuk Jimmy Choo and more

Uncle Hulaimi talking to the press.

By the way, I really enjoyed the delicious Terengganu food prepared by Aunty Asma who is Uncle Hulaimi’s sister.

And I am very happy to meet a nice blogger, Kak Raja Nadia who is Uncle Raja Ahmad’s daughter.

Uncle Raja Ahmad Aminullah's daughter Kak Nadia and I at the event.

Congratulations to Uncle Awang Goneng on the launch of AMoT and I want to thank Uncle Raja Ahmad for inviting us to the wonderful event.

Please click here to order ‘A Map of Trengganu’.

A Map of Trengganu Book Signing

 

Uncle Hulaimi's fans listening to his speech at the event. I was sitting third from right in the front row.

Just now I went to the book signing of  ‘A Map of Trengganu’ ( AMoT ).

It was held in the MPH Bookstore, Mid Valley, KL.

We met some bloggers and some of my parent’s Terengganu friends.

Uncle Hulaimi’s teacher, Mr. Soh Kim Yew was also there with Aunty Dinah Soh and Aunty Soh Lay Choo.

From right is my mother, Mr. Soh Kim Yew, Aunty Soh Lay Choo and Aunty Dinah Soh.

AMoT  was written by Wan Ahmad Hulaimi or Awang Goneng.

He gave a nice speech and he talked about how to write books.

His speech was in English and not in Trengganuspeak

I was listening to Uncle Hulaimi's speech. From the right is Pok Ku Bustaman (a popular Terengganu blogger), my big sister Kaman, Kafah, me, my mother and somebody from the press (I guess).

I am happy that he also mentioned my name to the audience as ‘his friend, Che Ali the blogger’.

Uncle Hulaimi is the only person who calls me ‘Che Ali’

Some people at the event thought my name is really Che Ali

Before we go home, we waited for Uncle Hulaimi to sign the books that we have to deliver.

My big sister Kashah(R), Kaman and me with Uncle Hulaimi who was busy signing the books.

I feel so happy that I met Uncle Hulaimi, Uncle A. Samad Said, Aunty Zaharah and other friends of my parent’s

Please >>> click here <<< to order ‘A Map of Trengganu’.

Please click here for my other posts on ‘A Map of Trengganu’:

1. A Map of  Trengganu. 

2. Cik Omar’s Barber’s Shop As In AMoT

 

 

  

’100 Places to Go Before They Disappear’, A Book By Gaute Hogh

Gaute Hogh wrote a book  named, ’100 Places to Go Before They Disappear’.

The book was about the effect of global warming that can make some places disappear.

Global warming makes the earth hotter and hotter and sea level rises up because of ice melting at the North Pole and South Pole.

In Zahara de la Sierra, Andalusia, Spain, they get less and less rain and the place becomes drier and slowly turning into a desert; like bad drought in Kenya were killing plants and animals.

I think that it is a very good book for all of us to read, so that we can do our parts to stop the global warming and heal the world.

It will very sad to see all the beautiful places disappear.

( Please click here for my post, ‘Ways To Heal Our Earth’ )

I wish I can have a copy of  ’100 Places to Go Before They Disappear’

Go Green!

( Please click here for my post, ‘Plea For Survival’ about the effect of global warming ).

The southern shoreline of Manhattan Island, known as the Battery, is the largest public place in downtown New York. Hundreds of thousands work nearby and over 36,000 residents live in its surrounding area. About every 100 years, the area experiences extreme flooding that reaches heights of up to 10 feet. Climate change is expected to increase the frequency of winds and hurricanes and cause sea levels to rise. According to the worse-case scenario, extreme events may occur every four years by 2080, with floods raising water levels by 11-14 feet and paralyzing the whole Manhattan infrastructure. “The tidal area there with the Hudson River is a very beautiful place but it will go underwater,” Hogh warns. “There is more than 280,000 people working in this walking district.”

Esteemed as a winter wonderland, Austria and the Alpine region is Europe’s snow resort Mecca. It’s also gorgeous in summer with its evergreen pastures and cascading mountainsides, made famous by the classic Hollywood musical 'The Sound of Music.' “Everyone here in Europe is used to going there, for skiing,” Hogh explains. “They’ve been skiing there for the last 200 years and some of the country is less and less snow.They try to make snow with snow cannons. You’re not allowed to heli-ski as much anymore because of the pollution. It will go down by 80% of its normal size. Will my children be able to ski there? I don’t know.'

The Mississippi River Delta, with its rivers, marshes and barrier islands, provides a habitat for many species of birds, fish, shellfish and small mammals. At the rim of the delta, the Chandeleur Islands form a chain that acts as a buffer zone against hurricanes and storm surges for the densely populated regions of Louisiana and Mississippii. But ferocious storms, like 2005’s Hurricane Katrina, have greatly reduced the islands’ defenses. Storms and hurricanes are expected to grow even fiercer in the future with global warming, leaving the local environment and vital culture more exposed to destruction.

Stretching for 90 miles along the Californian coast midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, Big Sur is arguably one of the most breathtaking landscapes in the U.S. For the last 20 years, most of California has been experiencing increased droughts with less rainfall in the spring and summer, leading to a severe escalation in the number of large wildfires. In 2008, a major fire destroyed 16 houses in Big Sur and more than 50 square miles of forest were swallowed by flames. Fires and subsequent flooding also threaten the region’s fragile access roads and infrastructure.

The first Olympic Games are believed to have been held in Olympia, Greece, in 776 B.C. The earliest evidence of building at the site is the Temple of Hera, honoring the wife of Zeus, which dates to around 600 B.C. In recent years, extremely warm and dry summers have increased the number of wildfires in Greece. Fires in 2007 severely burned the area surrounding Olympia. With temperatures projected to rise with diminishing rains, the frequency and ferocity of wildfires are expected to grow. “If you go to Olympia in Greece and you can’t see it, that will be part of our history which will disappear,” Hogh says.

Gujarat is India’s largest producer of cotton and salt and is also the birthplace of Mahatma Gahdhi. Monsoons will intensify with continued global warming, causing severe flooding and destruction in India. In 1930, Gandhi launched a campaign against the British salt tax, which had made it illegal for Indians to produce their own salt. He eventually won that fight. India is now the third biggest cotton producer in the world after the U.S. and China and the majority of its cotton comes from Gujarat.

Hogh describes Zahara de la Sierra as “a white city in this very green place.” Also known for its olive oil production, the region faces the risk of desert- ification as olive orchards face increasingly dry seasons. Due to climate change, the IPCC projects that rainfall in southern Spain will decrease by 40% by 2080. Local temperatures in the Iberian Peninsula could also spike, turning green pastures into deserts and choking agriculture.

Kauai, the fourth largest Hawaiian island, is famous for its tropical beauty and lush mountains. Global warming could disrupt its distinct “cloud forest” ecosystem, pushing life-giving moisture to higher elevations. Home to the hummingbird-like honeycreeper, a rare and colorful animal that sips nectar from flowers, this cool zone is vital to Kauai’s verdant environment. Deforestation and non-indigenous species like pigs and goats have also decimated the honeycreeper’s habitat in recent years and the bird is now in danger of going extinct.

Located between Australia and Hawaii, in one of the most remote areas of the Pacific Ocean, lies the nation of Tuvalu. Only 10-square miles – made up of tropical reef islands and narrow coral atolls encompassing blue lagoons -- Tuvalu is the fourth smallest country in the world. Only 12,000 people inhabit the nine-island nation. At 16 feet above sea level, the country has one of the lowest maximum elevations in the world, making it extremely vulnerable to storms and changes in sea level. Tuvalu is also affected by the King Tide, a high tide that raises the sea level higher than normal. Coupled with the expected rise in global sea levels, the entire nation could ultimately become submerged. “I don’t care whether the place is big or small,” Hogh concludes. “It’s the same thing with people. No matter if you’re black or white or Chinese or whatever. It’s about treating each other with respect and it’s the same thing with these small islands.'

How To Order ‘A Map of Trengganu’

A Map of Trengganu

‘A Map of Trengganu’ is the latest book written by Awang Goneng or his real name, Wan Ahmad Hulaimi.

Please click here for my post on ‘A Map of Trengganu’.

It is a sequel to the best seller, ‘Growing Up in Trengganu’.

Order ‘A Map of Trengganu’ now!

Please call or SMS: 019-3199-788

or

email: akarimomar@yahoo.com

Only RM35.90!

Delivery: RM6 (for the whole Malaysia)

You can also order ‘Growing Up in Trengganu’ at only RM39.90 

Delivery: RM6 (for the whole Malaysia)

How To Order Minda Tertawan

Minda Tertawan

‘Minda Tertawan’ is a new political book written by YM Uncle Raja Ahmad Aminullah.

It was launched on last Saturday, April 9, 2011.

Please click here for my post about ‘The Book Launch Of Minda Tertawan’.

Order Minda Tertawan now!

ONLY RM23.00 EACH

Please call or SMS: 019-3199-788

Delivery: RM5 (for anywhere in Malaysia)

or

email: akarimomar@yahoo.com

YM Uncle Raja Ahmad at the launch of Minda Tertawan.