My Great Grand Father Passed Away

On Thursday, June 14, 2012 at about 5pm, my mother’s cousin called my mother saying that my Appa (my great grand father) is in the hospital.

My great grand father’s name was Mohd. Ya’acob bin Abdullah and his Chinese name was Tung Foo Piew.

He is my mother’s grandfather.

My father planned to go to Kuala Terengganu the next day to visit Appa at the Kuala Terengganu Specialist Hospital (KTS).

But after about half an hour later, my mother’s cousin called my mother again to tell that Appa had just passed away.

I was very sad when I heard the news.

Appa was a very nice man and he was still strong and active despite he was very old.

So we went to Kuala Terengganu that night after Maghrib and we reached Appa’s house at about 1:30am on June 15, 2012.

Appa was buried at the Perkuburan Tok Pelam at about 10am.

Please click here for: My Great Grand Father’s Burial.

Beautiful View From Bukit Puteri

The Kuala Terengganu Post Office and a part of Terengganu River can be seen from the Bukit Puteri.

I visited the Bukit Puteri the last time we went back to Kuala Terengganu.

It is a very beautiful place to visit >>>please click here for ‘Visiting The Bukit Puteri’ <<<

We can see beautiful views of Kuala Terengganu and the Terengganu River from the hill.

Another beautiful view of the Terengganu River.

Another side of the Terengganu River.

The jetty where we can board a boat to travel to beautiful islands around Terengganu.

Visiting The ‘Bukit Puteri’

From left are my big sisters Kashah, Kafah, me and Kaman in front of the Bukit Puteri.

Bukit Puteri is a 208-metre hill facing the Terengganu River.

‘Bukit’ means hill and ‘puteri’ means princess.

It was formerly a fortress between 1831 and 1876.

It is a very beautiful place.

Uncle Hulaimi or Awang Goneng wrote a lot about Bukit Puteri  in his books, ‘Growing Up In Trengganu’ and ‘A Map Of Trengganu’.

Climbing up the stairs to the hill top.

On the way to the top of the hill.

First we reached the site of 'Meriam Beranak' or the 'Cannon That Give Birth'.

The 'Meriam Beranak'; the mother and the baby cannon.

Then we saw another cannon.

Next we visited the 'Pondok Genta' or the 'The Bell's Hut'. Inside the hut is the historic 'Genta' or 'The Bell'.

The Genta or the bell.

This is the large brass bell known as the ‘Genta’. It was struck during emergencies as well as during important festivals and royal events. Uncle Hulaimi wrote about the 'Genta' in his books.

Then we climbed up the stairs to the fortress.

The fortress.

My siblings and I in front of the fortress.

We saw the throne once we entered the fortress.

Behind the throne is the 'Gun Powder Hole'.

On the left is the throne and on the right is another cannon. This must be the place where the archers be during the wars.

The lighthouse.

The lighthouse is on the hill top.

Going down the hill.

A Wonderful House By The Beach

At the gate infront of Ki Hassan's house. From the left is my big sisters Kaman, Kashah, my mother, nenek, me, Ki Hassan and my sister Kafah.

Last two weeks, I went to Ki Hassan’s house.

Enjoying ourselves at Ki Hassan's house.

Ki Hassan’s name is Hassan A. Karim.

He is my grandfather’s cousin.

Ki Hassan is a good man.

He teaches the students around the area for free.

He is also a blogger, please click here for his blog >>>http://almanar-nuri.blogspot.com/<<<

His house is by the beach in Mengabang Telipot, near Kuala Terengganu.

We played in the large backyard facing the beach.

Pretending going home from the camp.

From the front is Kashah, me and Kafah.

The drink was very delicious and I ate my favorite snack, ‘kerepek bawang’.

I really had a wonderful time over there.

Playing on the swing with my big sister, Kafah.

New Mosque In Taman Jaya, Jalan Pusara Opened For Friday Prayer

On 29th July 2011, I went to the Taman Jaya Mosque in Jalan Pusara, Kuala Terengganu for a Friday Prayer.

That Friday was the first Friday when people can perform their Friday Prayers at the mosque. 

I walked to the mosque with my father since it is near my grandmother’s house

It is a beautiful new mosque.

My father took some pictures of the mosque after our prayers. 

I'm walking to the mosque.

I'm standing outside of the mosque.

Another view of the mosque.

I enter the mosque.

The prayer hall.

Side entrance and prayer clock.

The main entrance hall.

The picture of the dome from inside.

Interesting patterns and colors that match the color of the carpet outside the mosque also provides a comfortable environment to worship rituals celebrated in conjunction with the surrounding population tarawih.

The sign by the gate of the mosque has not been written and I don't know the officiate name of the mosque yet.

View from Jalan Pusara as I walked from my grandmother's house.

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

 

 

  

Cik Omar’s Barber’s Shop As In AMoT

My mother told me that in ‘A Map of Trengganu (AMoT)‘, Uncle Awang Goneng wrote about Cik Omar’s barber’s shop near Uncle AG’s house in Tanjung.

Cik Omar is Pok Mang’s son (AMoT page 147).

I wrote about it in my blog entitled, ‘My Grandfather Had A Hair Cut’.

But that was Cik Omar’s second barber’s shop.

The barber’s shop that Uncle AG wrote is not there anymore.

He rented his first barber’s shop from my great grand uncle.

Anyway, Cik Omar had retired and it was somebody else who gave my grandfather his hair cut.

I do not know Cik Omar; we got these information from our relative in Tanjung, Kuala Terengganu.

Anyway they are still using Cik Omar’s antique barber’s chair.

I really like the antique barber’s chair.

Atuk sitting on Cik Omar's antique barber's chair.

It is a very old barber’s chair and it was from Cik Omar’s first barber’s shop.

So, Uncle AG can go to the barber’s shop and sit on the antique chair to have a hair cut the next time Uncle AG go back to Tanjung.

[to order A Map of Trengganu – Awang Goneng - click here]

A Fire Destroyed 19 Hectares Of Forest In Bukit Kecil

More than 19 hectares of forest in Bukit Kecil, Kuala Terengganu were destroyed by fire.

Kuala Terengganu is my parent’s hometown.

I knew about the news from BERBAMA because we live in Kuala Lumpur.

This is a disaster.

The disaster started at about 2pm yesterday evening.

More than 100 firemen took more than 24 hours to control the fire.

Bukit Kecil is close to Bukit Pak Apil and not very far from my mother’s house in Bukit Besar.

I wonder if we can see the fire from my mother’s house.

I am sorry about the fire because it burnt the trees.

And if the trees are gone from the hillside, it may cause a landslide and mudslide.

BBQs with Pak Cik Burhan

I love barbecues and it was really fun when Pak Cik Burhan joined us.

Baberque with Pak Cik Burhan

Pak Cik Burhan is one of my father’s best friend from Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

My father’s close friends, Uncle Osman El-Mubarak, Uncle Taj and Uncle Fauzan also used to study in the USA together with my father.

 

Back row (L-R): ?, Megat Hisham, Mohd Ayub Amirdad, Abdul Rashid Hussien, Che Wahab Che Man, Haji Sulaiman Haji Osman, Uncle Burhan , Mohd Hussin Mohd Ali, my father A. Karim Omar, Adnan Alamasi Front (L-R): ?, Ghazali, Wan Ibrahim Wan Long, Abdul Rauff Sarail, Jani Majuni, Mohd Shukri Azam, Osman Mokhtar El-Mubarak(Uncle Osman), Tageldin As-Sanosi(Uncle Taj), Wan Abdul Azim Wan Abdullah

Last month, Pak Cik Burhan joined two of our barbecues in Kuala Terengganu when we were there for some programs.

My mother marinade the meat and my father and Pak Cik Burhan barbecued them.

We had prawns and sausages for the first barbecue with Pak Cik Burhan.

Tasty sausages and prawn barbecue.

On our second barbecue, we had mutton, onion, chicken, potatoes and sausages. 

Barbecued mutton, onion, chicken, potatoes and sausages are tasty too.

 

We also barbecued some chips like my father used to do in USA

I helped to barbecue some mutton and chips

My mother marinade the meat and my father and Pak Cik Burhan barbecued them.

Pak Cik Burhan and my father used to go camping and had lots of barbecues together in the USA.

L-R Jailani (TJ), Che Wahab, Yazid, Rashid, Karim (my father) and Pak Cik Burhan.

I like Pak Cik Burhan because he is fun to be with

By the way Pak Cik Burhan promised me to be a cameraman for my new project

mutton, onion, chicken, potatoes and sausages

BBQs In Terengganu

I love barbeque parties

I love barbecues

We have a nice veranda for our barbecues at our house in Kuala Terengganu.

First we need to buy the meat for the barbecue.

The day before our barbecue, my mother would marinate the meat.

Marinate will make the meat very tasty

We started our barbecues in the afternoon at around 4:30pm.

Before we barbecue, we have to get things ready; we put up the seats, tables and plates.

Then my father will barbecue the meat.

Tasty BBQ mutton and chicken.

We have chicken, mutton, beef, prawns, potatoes, sweet corns and sausages for our barbecues.

 

Mutton, onion, chicken, potatoes and sausages are delicious for BBQs.

Anyway I love sausage, sweet corn and potatoes the best

I love fresh prawns and sausages too.

Sometimes we invite our friends and families to join us.

It was really fun when PakCik Borhan, Mama Ibu and Kak Mamah joint us for our BBQs.

I wish that we can have a big and nice veranda for our BBQs in Kuala Lumpur too

 

One of our BBQs