Magic Hands - Miss Who?

It was only yesterday I had exchange notes with my buddy Bangkai.Didn't know he is into abstract of some form.Some known rene-science man.
I could pick only a few,Van Gough the mad painter with his 'Sun Flower'or John Constantine with his much celeberated 'Hay Wain'.
I had the chances to see the real 'Hay Wain'.So call Art critique add him as an expressionist.So do Monet and Renoir etc.etc
That painting of his really had an impact on me.
It was at the British Mesuem exhibit sometimes ago.There was a bench right opposite the painting,it was one nice summer hols,I stood right facing the painting for 3 solid hours.
I must be on a trip to stood there that long, admiring the much celeberated master piece.

I am not a painter neither I have every tried one.
I'm having a second thought of taking it up casually.Did tried pottray making but give up due to time.
Monet ,Renoir or Piccaso or Mike Angelo means some thing to someone but for me not a painter,they are okay.

But...I must have one of Allahyarham Dato Hossein Enas pieces.
The pipe smoking painter.Always with his berret hat while working
He left a legacy behind and most of his pieces were at the TNB and SHELL corporate Room at Bangsar. How ever 16 pieces has been return back by SHELL to the KEKKWA as a coporate social responsibility.
'Must have' means must have those 'piti'.
Those pieces is a must.I dont undersatand abstract.It make me sick.

I am a beauty lover.
Allah love's beauty and life is beautiful.
I love beauty forms but not abstract.
I fall in love with the 'Miss Magic Hand' straight away after recieving an attachment email from my sister Ade from Jak.
Miss Illana!!!!!she 's a wonder?
Those hands are bless. Message sent and recieved.
Let me kiss those 'Magic Hand' me lady !
Like a gentleman I will.....

God Gifted Voice

I enjoyed listening from Allman Brothers to ZZ Top,but this voice is a gift from Allah.

From Zero to Hero - Allahyarham Tuan Hj.Abbas Bandung

**Atuk Pakeh and Hj.Abbas Bandung on sarung in the middle and Buya Hamka,ayah far end right.

More info on the vist of Buya Hamka then, visit here.

It was two years ago I wrote in the blog about 'The Minang Connection'(Dec.2005 archives)
The early 'sawo matang' immgrant in Malacca.Malacca or 'Maaalako' with a a thick minang accent as prounounce by my late grandad Hj.Pakeh Temenggong aka Pak Tuo as he is affectionaly know among the minang community in Malacca back then.
He pass away peacefully in 1983,the most remembered is how he was call by his Lord,fell down and rush to home in unconsious state,after locking the last wooden door of his shop preparing to call it a day as usual.
It shows how deep the love for his shop and job .As his shop advertisment written,as I remembered then, 'PAKIH TEMENGGONG MENJAHIT SONGKOK AND CAPAL'.

How I wish I could have that zinc made advertisment both enscript in Malay and Jawi or the very least a photo of it.
That his life proffession and yes if you have met him you would definately fall in love with the wise old gentry.
Man with few word and all day his eye's down to earth,concentrating on what he knew best,on the sewing machine,his only techno gadget and a transistor radio as his companion.
Remain a Bachelor till death after the dismiss of my beloved grand-ma Nenek Sayan in 1968.How many of us still do 'till death depart'with our other half?
How I wonder!!

This written blog is not about him,but about a man who stood on firm ground and remain a loyal friend to Arwah ATUK.
He left a legacy in Malacca and much remembered by all fellows Old Guru-Guru Melayu of Malaccans.
As his name stood High and Tall among the contributors of the development of Malay Interlectuals in post independence era.
He is not a politician,neither do a nationalist but a visionary buisness man which put all his skill of hard work,determination and persistence will WINS.
Malacca in the pre and post Merdekah days was a sleepy hollow.
It slips away being the centre of trade and commerce because largely due to the fact,that Kuala Lumpur the new adminstritive city was laid and shift in 1923.
Since than Malacca lost its centre point.
Thanks to Yap Ah Loy the Chief Capitan MAFIA Cina'.
(If one wants to dispute those facts, pleased clarified it with Prof.Zainal Keling or Prof.Khoo Kay Kim,they are able to clarified futher)

One of the main legecy left by the Brits,is the 2 tiers Education system,the English schools medium and the Malay Medium.As a result of this diversity two set of text books are need and written in Bahasa Melayu and in English.
Without a single doubt,the problemmatic of logistic issues arise in the newly independency nation.
We want Malay schools but no text books writers in Bahasa Melayu,we do not have ample and capable writers in Maths,Science or vocational subjects in Bahasa Melayu and worst of it, we do not have able and qualified teachers to teach in Bahasa Melayu Maths,Science ot technical subject to our children.
As a result,the Kementerian then import Indonesian teachers to teach our children Maths and Science because most of the Malay teachers then,were only capable of teaching sejarah and ilmu alam or Bahasa Melayu then.

Thus,the question arise,where do we get those Malay text books?
In Malacca those days two prominent text bookshop are monopoloised by Lim Brothers and Tai Kuang Bookshop.
They only sell English Text books and mag.
Even me, gets my weekly Beano and Danny comics from Lim Brothers or the Uncle's Aneh shop junction of Jln Bunga Raya.The Hole in wall type of shops.

I remembered well this geniune smiling face Pak Aji.
Short and stout in nature.Always with a 'Songkok Hitam'.
Very loving in nature.Each time I goes to the shop I will always gets a sweets of 'Halls'Lemon in flavor from him.
His shop only stocks Malay book either novels,magazine and the main distributor for Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka in Melaka.Under his wings and supervision the mushrooming of small petty bookshop scattred in Melaka all over.
In Mesjid Tanah,Melimau.Jasin till the far fetch the boundry of Malacca states.The provisional schools are mostly of the Malay medium thus,TOKO BUKU ABBAS BANDUNG provides the missing gap of malay text books to the provisional schools.
The story of success of Tuan Hj.Abbas Md.Yatim has a long history.It is rather not discuss of how he built the book empire in Malacca.He was a dear friend of arwah datuk Pakeh.According to family ledgend,he arrive from Padang,atuk's kampong in view of being a teacher,which he was in Padang.
He teachers Quranic lesson in Kg.Banda Kaba.A pios man,He stays with arwah datuk in Kg.Banda Kaba together with nenek Sayan and ayah in the beginning stage and the rest is history.
I remembered well during my schooling days,when I have free time,I begin with Lim Brothers browsing for the latest Beano and Dandy and next the Tai Kuang ended up at his bookshop browing for latest Antrologi cerpen or novels.My early collection of Grand Pa (Dato'Samad Said)Salina etc...were all from his bookshop including Tongkat Warrant (Usman Awang),Keris Mas,Salmi Manja,Pram Meodya Anantantor,W.S Rendra,Khatijah Hashim,Latif Mohiddin (He is more of a painter),Fatimah Busu including Mastika,Dewan Masyarakat,Salina,Diskusi,Dewan Pelajar etc are still in my home library.Those where the first edition copies and I am proud owner of the first edition copies.

Without a single doubt Tuan Hj.Abbas Hj.Md.Yatim contribution to the malay community is well acknowledged.His buisness acuman without doubt set a precedent to the young new Malay interlectual breed in Malacca.
It is only via his bookshop the accumulation of knowledge grows among the Malay are noted.As the sahih Hadith "seek knowledge till China'

From my logic thought 'seek both knowledge and wealth as Tuan Hj.Abbas Bandung did"
I suppose it is full of barakah on 'hijrah'
and make the Awal Muharram 1429 more meaningfull

Al.Fatiha.
Allahyarham Tuan Hj.Abbas Hj.Md.Yatim pengasas 'TOKO BUKU ABBAS BANDUNG'

Siratul Mustakim via Siratul Rahim

For me,the very least it is one of the most memorial event of the year and a nice a closing chapter for 2007 and of 1428H.

Apart I was once, on the sub-commitee on the street festival where I used to live Westbourne Park Villa No.74 to be precise on the famous for world's festive
"THE NOTTING HILL GATE FESTIVAL' held on every last bank holidays every summer,
I played a small part in the community project group on the 1984 street carnival event.I am sure those into Hugh Grant remember the film 'Notting Hill'together with the pettit and beautiful actress Julia Roberts.That book shop runs by Hugh Grant in that film was only a couple hundreds meters from the flat I was sharing with.The flat he live with that weirdo where it was shoot was my neighbour,when I left in 1986 the door is Greenand in the film it is still a Green door.Right opposite is the famous local joint runs but a Malaysian 'Makan Take-Away"
Yes my friends are all over.Some came and spend the hols with me at home.
I even get wedding invitation as far as Norway and Sweden.
A proper wedding reception.There was once I was invited to wedding reception at the Serpentine,Hyde Park a Lord's I mean an English Lord living next door neighbour to Windsor.Whoooops.......FULL ATTIRE ONLY PLEASED.
My gentry was explicit.I was fummish really after the reception coz' they do not serve 'Nasi Minyak' on an English Wedding Reception.
Straight Jacket Governor!!.It really means 'Trim and Proper'.
There was once I was invited to a dear friends daughter Baptist sort of our 'Bercukur Jambul',my oh my....full metal jacket.
Yes of course," Grand Dad" is 'The Grand Dad Duke of York'
Food glorious food for 24 hrs.
I could hardly had anymore food for a week aftre the event.
Thus,that was part of me growing up 'Learning how to learn'process.

This one was extra special.A simple with no extra pomp-pomp but bless with barakah(Insyallah).
Yes.siratul rahim is the key gate to heaven.
Friends near and far together make it happen
3o years is a long and winding road for most of us.
I jes'couldn't find wordS to describe my feeling.
It is just plutonic.

Thank you, to all Bekas Putra MHS'es old and young.
There is no generation gap.
All are beneath al mighty LAW.
Never be so high,the law is above you.
Be kind to your neighbours.
Be forgiving to your neighbours.
Be humble before your neighbours.

In this urban web-scab,those essential element are almost forgotten.
Why do my children seem to be afraid to play in the feilds again?

'Tepok dada tanyalah selera!'