I am now half way into a small book of 82 pages. The title is called Time in The Life of the Muslim by Dr Yusuf al-Qaradawi and published by Islamic Inc,Cairo.

I strongly recommend to all my fellow muslims to read this book. It is about time ;hence it is about life that many of us wasted away every second and yet we ask Allah to give us a longer life.

Isn't it a mockery to ask for more and yet we are throwing it away all the time?
Would you give money to someone whom you have given but keep it spending it wastefully?
You know the answer before you finish reading the question.

To-day I 'discovered' BIG Bookshop at Ampang Park,KL and found a few good hard covers books sold at deep discounted prices. These books are marked down because they are "oldies" as compared to new arrivals but they are still good. If my wife were to buy a book,then I know it is good value for money.

Last week I bought a magazine called Writers Digest. What motivated me to spend RM 30 for the magazine is about its special articles on writing. It tells about the lives of writers, and HOW TO GET INSPIRED, HOW TO GET INVOLVED AND HOW TO GET STARTED writing!
I love writing but I am not there yet.

Now, I am trying to get into the flow of writing...
My favourite author Nicholas Sparks advised: Read, Research and wRite!
-another 3R I have to abide by if I want to be writer. It is a long way to go for me ; but I know how to get there.

When I left my bookcafe meeting this afternoon,there were three persons including yours truly.I hoe to see more more attending the gahtering next time. Anyway, we discussed a few things and Tim will report later.

One project I suggest is to get another friend/office-mate/relative who never read a book a year to read a book this year.This is an interesting challenge.

My bookcafe egroup will be having our second gathering next Wednesday14/5/03. It is a public holiday due to Maulid Rasul( Prophet Muhamad's birthday). InsyaAllah, I will be there even though there are only two of us.

I look forward to see as many people as possible.

I am happy to note that my youngest son is reading novels. Thanks to the government efforts introducing English literature in schools and to his peers for telling my son that they read this and that book.

I am still struggling to inculcate the culture of reading to my other sons:-(

At night, I read management books, and in the morning I read religous books.

Now, I have problem when to read novels and the like?
May be after zuhur prayer just to make me easier to have after siesta;-)

I never buy any book that costs more than RM 200, but to-day I just did. It is actually for my new business as the " new flea" on the block. It contains the success stories of project leaders and managers. I hope to use some of the stories in my lectures or discourse.

I like it because I believe story telling is a powerful medium to deliver a message- be it moral or management ideas or lessons.

My thanks to TimKwan for moderating my bookcafe egroup.

Yesterday, I took my son to British Council Library. I like the setting,especially with the cafe' bar inside the library but I observe not many books to borrow:-(

Borrowed a colletion of short stories-Elementals by A.S Byatt.

Kunikoniya bookshop is promoting Literature this month. I have got three vouchers worth RM 30!
Now, what books I must buy?
Btw, I have at least ten more books that I bought but have yet to read!

Yesterday, I bought a book that I was looking for months. It will cost me around USD80 if I were to buy and fedex to KL from USA. But I was lucky to have to pay only RM 127 for the book at Kunikoniya. Lesson learnt: Just wait for a few months, then you can save a few hundreds bucks.if you can't wait, just buy-which I do many times!

It is entitled : Building Project Management Competency

Now, I have two PM books to read this month(April ,2003). Another one is Radical Project Management!

Yesterday,just finish browsing surah al-Rahman.
Now, I continue reading The Elephant and the Flea, but I broke my own rule never to read the last chapter before I even finish the book.
My friend who recommended the book told that the last chapter was very sad.I agree with him that it is very sad for mankind.

If you are reading this and wish to know,please do not ask me. Just go and read the book.

Just finish writing a speech for a senior government officer to deliver during the opening of a seminar conducted by my company.Wheww! I prefer to go jogging than writing speeches....

Now, let me do some reading on Tafsir Fizillil Quran.

Too busy with my xproject course that I have neglected my reading.

On the way to buy bread for my son to-day, I dropped by at Kunikoniya Bookshop and bought The Elephant and the Flea.

At KB airport last night, I bought a booklet on Tarikat and Tasauf. It is a short note on the meaning of tarikat. Many talk about it, but as always only a few really understand it. I am still reading to understand it...

Bought another book-The Mindgame by Yong May. She also wrote The Flame Tree. The book cost me RM 9.90!

To-date , I lent three books to my friends:
Al-Khushok(TSO)
Realities of Faith(DWO)
Speeches(MHH)

I hope they will read the books and reap benefits as much or better than I did.

Another interesting book that I forget is Speeches for An Inquiring Mind by Imtiaz Ahmad. InsyaAllah, I will reprint this book and distribute them for free.

When I was in Makkah and Madinah, I bought the following books:
1. The Right Way-by Ibn Taimiyah
2. Madinah -Kelebihan dan Sejarah by Abdul basit Ab Rahman
3. Shahih Qudsi Hadiths by Magdy Fathi El-Sayed
4. The Kaabah is the Centre of the World
5. Time in the Life of The Muslim-by Dr Yusuf al- Qaradawi
6. Al-Quran-The Miracle of the Miracles- by Ahmed Deedat
7. The Seekers of Truth
8 The Ideal Muslim-by Dr Muhamad ali al-Hashimi
9.Selected Quranic Verses
10.Don't be Sad-by al-Qarnee

Now, I am reading two books at the same time viz: The mind of CEO and Unleasing Ideavirus.

A few days ago, I bought four "old" management books:
1. The Mind of CEO
2.Plain Talk by a maverick CEO
3. Bill Gates speaks..
4. Unleashing ideavirus

Now, I am half way through Jack Welch Leadership book. Hope to finish it by end of this year.
By the way, I will be away for about 44 days, from 11.1.2003 till end of Feb.,2003.

Happy reading to all.

Just completed reading The Summons. Nice drama but the ending is not interesting at all.Just my personal view.

Every time I am overseas, I will buy some books as souvenirs. And this time around, I did it again even though I have more books than I can read in the next six months. Bangkok is not my favourite city, but I have to be there to attend a regional dialogue organised by Global Water Partnership, UNDP,MRB. The trip is all paid for by the organisers.

I love free trip....anyway, we went there not for our personal gains.

Books bought:
1-Summons- John Grisham( my favourite author)
2-Teams and Teams Building-Phil Baguley
And was given a book for free entitled Solstice by David Hewson.

No more buying books this year for me.
I hope not to buy any more books this year.

I took more than a month to finish reading The Hungry Spirit. It is good for the mind as well as the spirit. The book expounds on the meaning of capitalism and beyond!

To-day, I have gone 'hungry' on books. Bought four books at Kinokuniya:
1.The Balanced Scorecard
2.Six Sigma
3.Life of Pi
4.Everything's Eventual.

That should enough for the rest of the year 2002.

Reading this book called The Naked Truth will accelerate me into buying my dream iBook;-)

Mus has loaned me a book called The Naked Truth. It is about mac users!It looks interesting.I hope to read it over the weekend.

MPH bookshops is my one of my favourites other than Kunikoniya. I am glad to hear that a Malaysian owned company has gained control of the bookshops retail business. Now, it is up to Malaysians to take it higher.My only request is that the new owner include more Malay books...

One of my favourite books is Five Equations that Changed the World. I lent it to a friend a year ago. Now ,it is back on my bookshelf.

After lunch with Dr Y, we went to Specilaist Bookshop.The book on Islam and Secularism is stiill out of stock.Posted remotely from avantblog.

These few days I am reading PMNetwork magazine.

Just bought a book by Syed Naguib al-Attas-Islam and Secularism.

To-day I am going to buy a few books to give to my friends when we have dinner at Shah Alam.

During a lunch to-day, I gave Dr Y a book entitled The Natural Way .After that Peter took me to Kinokuniya to look at some British books on British humour at its best.I was informed by him that Americans love to laugh at others but Brits prefer to laugh at themselves. How about Malaysias? Semua boleh;-)

For the record, I just completed reading The Pilgrimage.It is a spiritual journey by the author.IMHO, I like Alchemist better but I also learnt a few thing here about the processes one had to undergo in learning about oneself.

Next two months, I will be reading Project Management books and notes in preparation for my prgofessional exam PMP.

Last Saturday, I released three books to my friends. Please visit my bookshelf:
http://berisman.bookcrossing.com

Yesterday, I visited Mischief Bookshop at Ampang Plaza and bought a book A Malaysian Journey written by Rehman Rashid. After that I visited Julia at IWK and loaned her a book on Project Management.

To-day I bought two books on Gibran Khalil Gibran.(Times Bookshop) Also bought a book for a friend entitled Islam The Natural Way by Abdul Wahid Hamid.(The Specialist Bookshop).

Just finished reading Inside Organisation by Charles Handy. It is an eye opener for me to see many organisation as small as family to MNCs in a new light.

Now, I am reading Pilgrimage by paulo Coelho.It is about life ....
At the same time, I am reading Inside Organisation.

Yesterday I registered five books at bookcrossing.com

To-day I borrowed a book entitled Inside Organisation by Charles Handy from Dr Yeoh. At the same time I also loan my book entitled Empty Raincoat to LKE.

Two new books are being added to-day to my book collection:-
1. Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho
2.Hungry Spirit( given by Peter Wood as a present.

Note: Yahya donated a book entitled On Writing for my book project. TQ

8/6/2002 8:13:08 PM
Dear friends/sdara,

I am planning to launch a book project. The risk of failure is quite high but I am willing to take the risk. This idea comes from a similar project launched by the people at : http://www.bookcrossing.org It is about promoting the culture of reading. Considering our Malaysian habit, the chance of its success is low. The original idea was to get a few books and leave them at public places for people to take and read and 
THEN they pass on to their friends and so on. My modified model of the project is to get a few books and give out to a few friends to read. After the readers read the books, they will check into my website: 
http://www.communityzero.com/bookcafe  ( an online forum and bulletin board) and post their comments there. After that the readers will identify the next potential readers to read the book and repeat the same 
process again. The project can fail in many ways: the potential readers don't read the books or they don't pass the books after reading them. My only monitoring system is through their feedback at the mentioned 
website.If they don't give feedback,then I am lost...

For the moment, I am going solo on this project. If it works, then I will extend invitationS to all of you to donate books for the project. In the event anyone of you dare to take the risk to join me in this project,you are 
most welcome !
 
I  intend to launch this project at my Palmx Annual Dinner  ON 24TH aUGUST,2002 with at least five books.The next five will be at SDARA Egroup Annual Dinner - making it ten books for this year as a trial. 
May I have your suggestions on the books that I should buy and distribute for free.Please give as many suggestionS as possible.

Just finished reading a book entitled The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.
Below are some lessons/notes that I derived from reading this interesting book:
1.Travelling is a journey of self discovery.
2,Treasure is where your heart is.
3.We do not live in the past nor in the future, but we live in the present.
4.The tradition is sacred- break at your risks!
5.The desert never change - only the sand dunes changes with the prevailing winds.
6.Some do not wish or dare to pursue their dreams because of their fear of losing what they already have and if they were to achieve their dreams, there is nothing more to dream. So they keep dreaming and do sit on their dreams.
7.To achieve your dreams, you need to stay focus and be willing to sacrifice even your life and losing loved ones.
8.Listen to your heart...
9.You will be tested along the joourney to your dreams.Each test will make you stronger for the next hurdle to achieve your dream.
10The omens are there to guide you provided your eyes and your ears are open.
11. In in a grain of sand,one can learn and discover many things if we dare to explore.
Points that I do not understand:
1. The meaning of the Soul of the World
2. Everthing is one.

On 14/6/2002 I bought A book entitled Empty Raincoat written by Charles Handy. He talked about a few paradox in our life ...

Last weekend, I met my friend and asked him to recommend me a few books on Islam. He suggested that I look for books related to Syaik Abdul Qadir Jailani.And I bought a copy of Secret of the Secrets.

After having lunch with Tan Sri Omar, he took me a Page One at Kunikuniya Bookshop and showed a few big size books on bridge. Btw, we love structural engineering especially beautiful skyscrappers and bridges.One thing I learnt from this wise man is that the beauty of the bridge is not only measured from exterior dimensions but also how good the designer is in managing the interplay of forces, moments, shears and torsions in the structures.

ON the way back I book entitled Bridge by Judith Dupree' that cost me RM 118.90

Went to MPH Midvalley. bought a book -a collection of short stories. To read A Doll House to be discussed at the coming MPH RG on 24/05.2002.

To-day I received an email from a dear friend who thanked me for instigating him to read. Now, he reads into the early hours of the morning.Before this, he never read a book in a year! That made my day.

During the KL International Book Fair, I bought three books:
Prodigal Daughter by Jeffrey Archer, How To Be Good by Nick Hornby and The River at the Centre of the World by Simon Winchester.

Now I have more books that I could read in the next six months;-)

A new addition to my bookself:-
A Bend in the Road by Nicholas Spark.

I have been busy and had dificulties to access this blogger website lately.
Just to update on my books:
15th Feb.,2002- Bought Visitors by Anita Bookner for my wife.
26th March,2002- Bought Project Management by Gary R Heerkens

Now, I am reading the second book mentioned above.

To-day I just got my March 2002 Readers Digest. It has many interesting articles worth reading...

For the record, I have just finished reading The Welch Ways and The Power of Simplicity. Both are great books and I recommend to any one in management should read the books.

Next on my list to read is Project Management for Dummies! It is better to read books like this tha pretending of having the knowledge but in actual fact we donot have the knowledge;-)

My fiction novels have to wait for at least another one or two months to go.

Dr Musa Fatullah Harun reminded my surau jemaah this morning about the culture of reading. He qouted the Surah Iqra'-the importance of reading in understanding Islam.

In the last few days I bought two books to read during the CNY. These books are about management.The first is The Welch Ways- 24 lessons from the World's greatest CEO and the other is the The Power of Simplicity by Jack Trout. He is famous for his books on marketing.

I am pleased to get hold of A Beautiful Mind at our local MPH MidValley for RM 33.90 as compared to the Airport at RM 43.00! I also bought Project Management for Dummies at the cost of RM 68.60. I will try to read later book first and the novel later.

To-day is the last day of January,2002. I have not finished reading World Class- I hope to do it over the weekend.

Encik Kissman,

Kenang Kenangan Hidup is the life story of Hamka, the famous Indonesian
ulama. He started the story from the time he was born until Sukarno's era.
Reading it has given me a glimse of Indonesian political history as well as
his auto biography-specially his role in the fight of Independence and his
spiritual upbringing.

Sungai Mengalir Lesu is a novelet by our famous author A Samad Said . The
story was about a community of poor and unfortunate community who lived by
the river during the Japanese occupation in Singapore. It told the hardship
of common people during the war. The story was not that extra-ordinary but A
Samad Said's command of Malay language is very good.

---Adib

From: "kissmanbucit"
Reply-To: bookcafe@yahoogroups.com
Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2002 13:08:45 -0000
To: bookcafe@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bookcafe] RE: Adib's Books Read in 2001


En.Adib,

Could u write a little bit about 'kenang kenag hidup' and 'sg.
mengalir lesu'

thanks
kissman che lah

> Books Bought in 2001
> -------------------------
> Ice Station
> Anil's Ghost
> Chocolat
> Brethren
> Disclosure
> On Writing
> Kenang Kengan Hidup
> Tenggelamnya Kapal
> My Little iMac Book
> The Bookstore
> Tasauf Moden
> The Painted House
> The Code Book
> Enigma The Novel
> Simplicity-Elaine St James
> Sungai Mengalir Lesu
> Frederick Forsyte Stories
> Power Book
> --------------------------------


Yahoo! Groups Sponsor

Now I am reading the book World Class by Dr Rosabeth Moss Kanter. She was elaborating on three C:concept,competence and connections!

To-night I was at the surau and introduced to a on on Panduan Fardu Ain.

This afternoon I visited Jacklyn Chong at her office. She was very kind to loan me her book The Poisonwood Bible. I plan to read it by end of this month.
17.1.2002

Last night my cousin Nasir Zihni gave me a book from Mecca entitled The Creation of the Universe by Haron Yahya. To-day I bought a management book by Dr Rosabeth Moss Kanter entitled World Class so that I may understand better the effects of globalisation on my business. I also hope to write a short note to my fellow friends in water industry.

Last night my cousin Nasir Zihni gave me a book from Mecca entitled The Creation of the Universe by Haron Yahya. To-day I bought a management book by Dr Rosabeth Moss Kanter entitled World Class so that I may understand better the effects of globalisation on my business. I also hope to write a short note to my fellow friends in water industry.

Last night my cousin Nasir Zihni gave me a book from Mecca entitled The Creation of the Universe by Haron Yahya. To-day I bought a management book by Dr Rosabeth Moss Kanter entitled World Class so that I may understand better the effects of globalisation on my business. I also hope to write a short note to my fellow friends in water industry.

At last I finished reading the Painted House!

I am reading The Painted House again.Not very interesting really.....now getting fed up and started reading the Code Book.

LIST OF BOOKS BOUGHT IN 2001:
-Refer to Bookshelf

On second count, I discovered that for the year 2001, I have bought 18 books. I gave away 2 books as presents, and managed to read 12 books only. Another four books to read early next year.

Now, I am on chapter 3 of Sungai Mengalir Lesu, a novel wriiten by A Samad Said. He really knows how to use the language that made him Tokoh Sastera. Saya akur kehebatan Pak Samad! If we want to be successful in our work,one of the things is that we must be well versed with the tools of the trade.

cerita kedai kopi #81-[19/12/2001]
 
 
 
 
 

Remembering Ramadhan...

Again, I bade farewell to Ramadhan al-Mubarak. Thanks to Allah swt for His mercy that I was  able to fast in the holy month of Ramadhan 1422.I hope and pray that I will once again meet the next Ramadhan,1423. As a muslim, I fast during the day-lights and I do not have many stories to tell from my conversations while having coffee or tea. Occasionally, I did have some time after our teraweh prayers to sit down with my fellow neighbours at our 'surau' (minor mosque) and we chatted after the prayers over a cup of tea and some cakes before we go home. I think it was a time well spent to talk and to get to know my neighbours closer. Our urban life-style does not allow much interaction between neighbours-many of us hardly know our next door neighbours especially in big cities like KL. Most of the time,we just say hello as and when we meet them on our way to office or back home-that is all. By being at the mosque during Ramadhan, it allowed more time for most people to meet and get to know one another. Truly, this is one of the many benefits of going to pray at the mosque.

Now, I am back home with sweet and sad memories of 'balik kampung'(return to one's village). I was happy to meet my mother,brother,sister,relatives and friends.I was happy and even nostalgic to be 'home' where I was born,to see the school that I first learnt the alphabets and simple multiplication tables and to meet familiar faces that I grew up as a child. I was happy to eat 'moreh'(drinks and light foods) after teraweh prayers at the same surau that I prayed and played truant when I was a kid. It also reminded me of my late father who used to lead the teraweh prayers. Quietly, I told myself how lucky I am.

Most of the places in my kampung have changed over the years but a few remain as they were someforty years ago.On the other hand, I was equally sad because only a few of my elders are round-many had died over the years. I am no more a young man, and soon will have to take the place of my elders. During one 'asar prayer, I was the only makmum-for many young people have left the kampung. That is the cycle of life. A few of my relatives are gravely sick;even my fifty-two  year old uncle is still paralysed due to a recent stroke and my cousin is suffering from cancer. One of my classmates that I met at a kenduri at my uncle's house looks like a 60 year old man. My kids got a shock looking at him when he told us that he got eight children and already a grandfather.By the way, he is only 49 years old-same age as me. He is a father who supports his family using his 'tulang empat kerat'.(physical efforts).The hard life he had undergone was reflected on his wrinkled and worn out face. Again, I whispered to myself how lucky I am.

Balik kampung is an annual ritual for urban population who hailed from kampung. It is at least oncea year affair that many of us do. I believe not less than a million do it without fail every festive season and I think it is a good practice that we must maintain despite its negative effects like road accidents. I beg to differ with a local TV commentator who said that balik kampung is 'budaya lapuk'( obsolete culture). To be modern we do not have to drop our religious and cultural values and practice. Japan is a living example. In fact, I agree with with Dr Siddiq Fathil in his monograph produced by IKD that modern Malays need even more religious and cultural values to ride the New Millennium. I am afraid that our society will get lost on the road  for modernisation and globalisation if we start discarding our good religious and cultural values and practices.

Everyone of us has a story to tell every time we balik kampung.This year my family and me went home from KL to Bachok by train. We boarded the train(Kenali Expess) at KL Sentral at 7.08am and arrived at Wakaf Baru by 6.45pm. The KTM officer told me that we are 20 minutes late. To me, by Malaysian standard it was a perfect journey in term of time. My ever helpful brother in-law with his Volvo 920 was at the railway station to pick us up and he even got some food and drinks ready so that we can 'buka puasa ' in the car by about 7.02pm. How lucky some people are! Please don't get jealous because last year it was the opposite when no one turned up to pick us up because our train was delayed by 6 hours.(You can read the story entitled The Longest Journey Home at my Travelust,Pergi website-http://www.geocities.com/mohdadib/). Three days later,on the eve of Hari Raya Puasa(15/12/2001) my cousin left KL at about 9 a.m and managed to arrive at his father's house in Bachok, Kelantan at 2a.m the next day-The Hari Raya itself. The road was full with cars and at certain stretches in Pahang and Kelantan the road was under water due to heavy rainfall. In fact, I could safely say that many of us from the east coast were having a wet Hari Raya celebration. Only on the third day of Hari Raya that we can move slowly around even with our car.Kota Bharu was jammed with cars at every round-about and traffic junction. Most of my relatives were busy during the third Hari Raya,so I have to engage a private taxi(privet sapu) operated by Pak Lah who lives 200 metres from my house to send my family to the railway station. His car is a 20 years old Toyota, no air-con, smelly and there was one inch of water in it.On the way he told us how he raised four children by doing part job as driver privet sapu taxi because he was only a school gardener.(Pak Lah retired three years ago). Despite his low income and educational background, he managed to get two of his children to the universities. To me, that is a real achievement! As we endured the uncomfortable ride, I exchanged glances with my kids to ensure that they listen to Pak Lah 's story and telling them how lucky they were as compared to Pak Lah's children.We took The Wau Express from Wakaf Baru railway station at 6:38pm and arrived in KL the next day around 7:30am the next morning -almost on time by KTM standard but the train had to stop just before  Bangsar for almost 45minutes before we could enter the ultra modern KL Sentral Railway Station! Reason- there was a black out at KL Sentral ! Otherwise, my train journey would be almost perfect. That is too good to be true;-)

Despite the heavy rain during the time I was at my kampung, I made an extra effort to visit as many friends and relatives-especially the older and the sick ones.The lessons that I learnt from this short stay at my kampung are really a lot. Some have great spiritual impacts and effects on me. It would be meaningless for me to elaborate because they were of experiencial and personal in nature.If you wish to know more about it, just go home more often, walk around and meet your kampung folks.

Now, we are in Syawal and let's maintain and continue our good deeds and behaviour until the next Ramadhan. And let our balik kampung be our annual pilgrimmage to renew( tajdid) and rejuvenate our religious foundamentals, cultural roots and values.....and pass them on to the next generation, insyaAllah.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Semasa bercuti raya,aku sempat baca monograph Melayu Baru karangan Siddiq Fadhil.

Now I am reading Wired and FastCompany-Dec,2001. Both cost me RM51!

Email dari Madolah on my writing:

Adib,

Lazimnya seorang yang 'alim tidak akan mendabik dada
di depan khalayak ramai yang dia itu seroang 'alim
atau lebih arif dari orang lain.

Orang yang berilmu tidak akan mendongak dan
menghebahkan kepada duan yang dia itu behat.

Adib,

dari hati yang tulus saya nyatakan hang memang boleh
menulis. Saya masih ingat, semalam ada kawan kita dah
baca apa yang di tulis oleh cikgu Rahim di Mingguan
Malaysia. Seorang penulis biasa nya bermula dari
tulisan yang kecil-kecil.

Setelah dapat pendedahan sedikit demi sedikit, penulis
itu akan menimba ilmu dan akan mengexpress kan nya di
bukut coretan...... seterusnya akan di tulis di dada
akhbar... kemudian, membukukan nya seterusnya aktif
terus didalam penulisan.

Didalam menulis ini saya salute juga Pak PM kita - Dr.
Mahathir. Walaupun beliau sebaok dengan tugas-tuegas
PM, Ketua Negara, Wakil Parlimen dan wakil rakyat,
beliu sempat menulis. Banyak buku-buku telah beliau
tulis. Yang tersohor dan controversi at one time is
his book 'The Malay Delime'. Sekalrang saya rasa,
apart from book on him wrote by other authors, beliau
telah mengeluarkan tidak kurang dari 10 buku on
variuous topic. He is a doctor.

Based on that, I am confident, you as an engineer, one
way will publish your book dan market it. Your cerita
kedai kopi is good. If you compile it, it be a better
seller........ Mungkin hang boleh memberi tajuk
"Memori Seorang Pengembara". Lepas itu hang akan
keluarkan buku "Memori Seorang Jurutera". Lagi
buku-buku berkenaan "Water Management di Malaysia" dan
lain-lain lagi.

Setakat nak carikan publisher/printer tu kami boleh
tolong.

Hang akan dapat royalty.

Semuga berjaya.

salaam
MA

Semalan Negara kehilangan satu tokoh yg sukar dicari ganti-Usman Awang.Berikut adalah satu email yg aku tulis kepada rakanku:
Madolah,

Masyarakat sepatutnya berkabung kehilangan sastrawan negara yg begitu
prolifik semasa hidupnya.Tapi sayang seribu kali sayang, masyarakat kini
lebih tertumpu kepada yg berpangkat ,berkuasa dan berharta.Sastrawan kita
kadang2 nak hidup pun susah.Begitu juga dengan tokoh ilmu ....

Dalam buku The Asian Renaisance karangan Anwar Ibrahim,beliau ada
membicarakan supremacy of culture and knowledge.Culture comes before the
empire, not the other way around. Kisah Si Tanggang yg lupa diri ,lupa asal
usulnya telah di sumpah menjadi batu oleh ibunya yg terhina dengan sikap
angkuhnya .Sekarang kita lihat ramai Si Tanggang dalam pelbagai
bidang.Manyarakat telah terpedaya dengan budaya Barat dan telah meninggalkan
budaya dan nilai timur kita yg mulia.Sebab itu sudah ramai yg telah tesumpah
menjadi batu-sumpah oleh Ibu Pertiwi!.Batu dalam ertikata badan yg sudah
kehilangan rohnya. Amat malang sekali nasib bangsa kita:-((

----adib,

----- Original Message -----
From: "Saa'il Bareed"
To:
Sent: Friday, November 30, 2001 11:35 PM
Subject: Re: [sdar] Usman Awang


> sdr Adib,
>
> sebutir lah mutiara yang telah kembali keRahmatullah
>
> Semuga Allah memasukkan arwah kedalam golongan mereka yang beriman,.
>
> salaam
> MA
>
>

Munir and me watched Harry Potter movie this morning.
Very good!

In My Own Write
The family that reads together...
By Vasanthi Ramachandran
“The man who is too busy to read is never likely to lead.”

B.C. Forbes

A DIARY which writes back; portraits with curlers in their hair each night; a professor who dies but does not notice it; children flying on brooms playing a ball game called Quidditch and magic hats which tell a person’s character.

Magic and more can be found in “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer”s Stone” making the book, the movie and its author the hottest items this millennium.

It is impossible not to be sucked into JK Rowling’s contemporary wizard world that is so real and yet goes beyond anyone’s imagination.

However, though the film has a lot going for it, I would say that there is a lot more of the picturesque stuff that director Chris Columbus (who also did Home Alone) could not capture.

Rowling’s narration using new words, new games and new names is so unique and amazingly-believable. That is the beauty about a good book and a successful author.

In a well-written fantasy, the reader will depart from reality and be absorbed into the fantasy of it.

With the success of Harry Potter, we realise what children really want from books — fantasies, twists and the ability to identify with the characters that they care about. But most of all children want to know that justice prevails, there will be good over evil and that there are clear distinctions between right and wrong.

Though children read mainly for pleasure, we can weave in lessons, meanings and messages with a beautiful narration.

“I wanted to write a book that I enjoy now and would have enjoyed when I was 10,” said Rowling, a single mother whose own life magically transformed from living on unemployment benefits to being one of the richest in the UK.

Rowling came out of nowhere to hit the top of the adult hardcover bestseller list all over the world. Her book has brought a new phenomenon in reading — a book that both adults and children enjoy with the same intensity.

I understand Rowling’s euphoria when she said, “I love writing these books. I don’t think anyone could enjoy reading them more than I enjoy writing them.” Her success is the dream of any writer.

Rowling, wrote on scraps of paper in a local cafe while her three-month old slept at her side. “It was pretty cold and miserable in the flat, so as soon as Jessica fell asleep in her buggy, we’d head for the cafe and I would start writing,” said Rowling.

Her ideas first evolved when she was stuck on a delayed train to London.

“It started with Harry, then all these characters and situations came flooding into my head. It was an excitement I’d never known before. But it took me six years to write the book.”

Rowling clearly possesses both ear and eye for the unexpected, working her own brand of magic with turns of phrase and flashes of humour that are subtle. Undeniably, Rowling’s series plucked an imaginative chord, and children responded with enthusiasm. These vibrations rocked the adult best-seller lists as well and got the attention of the media.

Indeed, what it boils down to is, there is no substitute for reading, even in this era when knowledge could be acquired from other means. Reading is the key that takes us to a world of thought, fancy and imagination that is beyond our everyday experiences.

Sadly, Malaysians hardly do read. They read textbooks merely to pass exams.

A lot must still be down to change this. Reading must be seen as a fun thing - a family activity, if possible.

Well, the Harry Potter series have indeed given my three children, my husband and I a lot of joy. The books have become a conversation topic as well as invoked other fun activities.

Start by reading the first book or catch the movie and you will know what I mean...

* The writer can be contacted at hsskns@pc.jaring.my

The family that reads together....

Dear Vasanthi Ramachandran,

Referring to your article in the NST to-day, I can only dream of it. I have three kids ( all boys ranging from 12 to 20 yrs old) and only my second son enjoys reading . I have tried many methods, but the other two of my boys just only read their school text books:-((

Btw, my wife and me read books at home. Any tips?

On the other hand, I started a mailinglist among friends who enjoy reading. Please check it out at : http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bookcafe
You are aslo welcome to join us.

Best regards,

---Mohd Adib Noh

Books to read by year end 2001:

1. The Asian Renaissance-Anwar Ibrahim
2.The Painted House-John Grisham
3.The Code Book-Simon Singh

Now, I am reading The Asian Renaissance- a very intellectually provoking book.Hope to finish by end of the year 2001.

Dah hampir tamat baca buku Tasauf Moden. Satu pengajaran dari sabda Rasullulah apa dia tanya Jibrail sama ada dia hendak kaya saperti Nabi Sulaiman atau miskin saperti Nabi Ayub? Rasullulah menjawap:
Dia mahu senang satu hari supaya dia bersyukur dan susah satu hari supaya dia berdoa kepada Allah.

Some notes from Tasauf Moden by HAMKA:

The rich and the poor may have different foods at different places, but the feeling of full( kenyang) is the same. Similary, the feeling of headaches or other illness is the same irresppective where you live either in the palaces or on the roadsides. The final event -death of oneself ,is also the same.

Cover Story (NST)
Hats off, Harry!
By Sharon Nelson
THIS goes out to all Potter fans who refuse to watch the film on principle: Don't be so blitheringly mule-headed.
Yes, Hollywood is particularly adept at turning gold to flaking-off gilt, and yes, the hammy Home Alone are no great testament to director Chris Columbus' ability. But since you believe in magic, believe that some of it was at work here. If previous Hollywood releases are anything to go by, the bigger the hype, the bigger the let-down. Not so with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, which is a beautifully-rendered piece of work, as fine as if it were outlined by a feathery quill and filled in with all the colours of enchantment. In short, as you would have no doubt heard or read by now, it stays remarkably close to the book, no mean feat since J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Bloomsbury, 1997) simply fizzes with witchery. Rowling, a struggling single mother at the time, shot to fame and wealth with this first of an anticipated seven Harry Potter books. The arrival of Harry changed children's reading habits worldwide -- he has been translated into every conceivable language, including Persian. In the initial euphoria, CNN reported in its health segment that kids the world over were turning away from computer and television screens to read about the boy wizard.
The story goes like this: Harry is an orphan who lives with his mean, repulsive relatives, the Dursleys. The Dursleys relegate him to a cupboard under the stairs and the misery of his life is untold. Until, that is, his 11th birthday, when Harry finds out that he is, in fact, a powerful wizard and a household name in the wild world of magic. He gets accepted into the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and, like all interesting people, quickly makes good friends and deadly enemies. Soon, he finds himself the main player in an Arthurian quest -- to recover the Sorcerer's Stone and more importantly, to prevent it from getting into the wrong hands. Rowling's writing is replete with visual drama and wonderful quirks, all spectacularly captured in the 2 1/2-hour-long film. From chocolate frogs and feasts that magically appear, to the power of unicorn blood and the danger of flying high, you get the sneaky feeling that someone stole into your imagination and took what was there. The casting, essential in a story where each character is described to a T, is as precise as a pinprick. Daniel Radcliffe, the boy who plays the title role, was decided upon after eight months of casting calls during which tens of thousands of Harry-hopefuls were weeded out. Though the search for his two best friends - the large-nosed redhead Ron Weasley and bushy-haired know-it-all Hermione Granger - was by no means as exacting, there is definitely a welcome onscreen chemistry between Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson. The rest of the cast, stunningly talented and no doubt dramatically expensive, deliver the sterling performances expected of them. Richard Harris plays wise and kindly Albus Dumbledore, Maggie Smith the no-nonsense Professor McGonagall and Robbie Coltrane, the gentle giant Hagrid. Particularly outstanding is John Hurt's dry, sibilant Mr Ollivander, the person who sells Harry his wand. Columbus shows a sharp eye for what translates well into film. One of the main strengths of the film is that it does not try to be the book. As good book-to-film-makers (think Merchant Ivory, Lasse Hallstrom) know, pregnant moments in writing often come across as damp squibs of emotion on film. Take, for example, the scene in Mr Ollivander's shop. In the book, Harry needs only hold a wand for Ollivander to fathom its unsuitability. On the screen however, the scene is modified to be slightly more energetic. Harry's wand-waving goes awry and the sense of chaos is only heightened by Hurt's raised eyebrows and an understated "I don't think so". Another sign of a thoughtful production is Alan Rickman's Professor Severus Snape. In the first book, Snape is Harry's sworn enemy, cast in the mould of the teacher-bully who picks on people because he can. But readers learn in later books that Snape is not all he is cut out to be. Without the luxury of hundreds of pages, Rickman's sardonic, proud and threatening Snape conveys all the complexity of a character who is by turn cruel, misunderstood and a bitterly-reluctant good guy.
Rowling's heavy involvement in the film configuration of her beloved novel (she only liaised with one person in the whole of Warner Bros whose job description was the Harry Potter Gatekeeper) paid off tremendously.
Given the care that went into the making of the film, one cannot help but wonder why the promotion locally was so - come on, let's say it -- soggy.
Earlier this year, insiders in Warner Bros Malaysia promised a bewitching lead-up to the release which included, a ride in a train dressed up to look like the Hogwarts Express, a Harry Potter buffet and a costume party. None of this happened and the reason this is worth the grumble is not because journalists missed out on a palmful of freebies. No, promoting Harry Potter matters because it would have been the ideal tool for drawing children into the magic world of the written word, ESPECIALLY in a country which is not known for its devotion to books. As it was, there were grave errors on the invitation - "veune" for "venue", for one - a dismal representation of a writer who nearly won the Whitbread.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is by no means a perfect film. In remaining so loyal to the visuals and the text, the filmmakers seem to have neglected the emotional muscle which gave the book its luminosity. The reason that millions of children, from Iran to China, let Harry into their hearts is that he is really, astoundingly ordinary. His is a flame of grief that never gets put out no matter how many friends he has, or how much better his life gets; and if you think that children don't understand these things, then you're seriously kidding yourself. Radcliffe's expressions however, range only between impassive and in bright moments, a sweet, sweet smile. The Harry that we all fell in love with gets angry, breaks rules and is too curious for his own good. Most of all, he is no stranger to the searing pain that lives within all of us, the loneliness and yearning which is burnt into our very beings.
The film-makers chose to work around that, rather than with it. In doing so, they missed out a large chunk of what makes the book enduring.
Still, the film is full of spellbinding moments loving depicted - in a word, magic.
* The writer can be contacted at sharon@nstp.com.my
------------------------------------------------------------------------

My priority is to read my books on Islam during Ramadhan. May Allah swt open my heart to him. One can easlily looks good if one were to buy and wear new clothes but that easy to beautify one's heart. It take a lot of hard work and patience ....I am still trying harder.

Just finished reading Harry Potter's and the Philosopher's Stone.Whew! I thought I would never finish this book. At first ,it appeared boring and childish reading this book.However, as the story developed towards the end,it is getting better.I am glad that I read it but I will continue reading other books first before I start reading the HP second book;-)

Just arrived at Chapter 16 of HP. I hope to finish the story to-night.
My next book to finish is Tasauf Moden,insyaAllah before the middle of Ramadhan.

Popular Bookstore is promoting a few books especially the hardcover ones. To-day, I can't resist buying my favourite guru's book on SIMPLICITY.To me ,simplicity is a beauty by itself. The book is called The simplicity Reader written by Elaine St. James.

Note; The original price for the book is USD 10 but I got it for RM 17.90

Harry Potter movie is coming to KL on 22/11/2001 and Ramadhan starts on 17.11.2001.
So, I must read Tasauf and HP first.

On checking what I am reading, I found that I am half way on Tasauf, one third on HP, one tenth on The Code Book and one third on Painted House! Four books at the same time:-(( It is time to set up my priority right.

Just finished Chapter 6 of HP& TPS. At home ,I read from the book. On the move ,I read it from palm111c using Isilo. Hope to see the movie on 22nd Nov;2001.

Now, I am on page 60 of HP and the Philosopher's Stone. Hopefully, I try to finish reading the book before the movie comes to KL.

My friend Dr A told me that Harry Potter book is good to read even though it was meant for children. My kids are not interested to read it at all-too much fantasy according to Maher. Anyway, I will give a try;at least I will have some background when I see the movie later on.

Btw, there is going to be the premier show in London on Sunday 4.11.2001.

To-day I got sms from Fahroe that my email to Ryan( about Ryan's well) has been printed by Reader's Digest in the Nov.,2001 issue. I look forward to read it as soon as I can get a copy.

Now, I am also looking forward to buy another book called Fire by Christian Junger. The book relates to his story about the war in Afghanistan prior to 11th September 2001.He is the writer who wrote The Perfect Storm.

To-day I read in NST about the power of USA press in influencing the people and the subsequently the governmnet. Dr Mahathir is right about it.That is what I also saw how the press propaganda machine is labouring everyday to justify US attack on Afghanistan.

That reminds me to read a book written by Jefferey Archer called the Fourth Estate. I bought this book in May 1996 while I was in London with my family for a holiday. Now, I see the reasons why UMNO and MCA want to have a controlling stake in the media (newspapers/tv) business.

Time: sunday 21.10.2001
Place: COFFEE XPRESS,KINOKUNIYA BOOKSHOP,KLCC
Event: attended a reading by Mr Kee and his friends from Kopitiam.
Crowd: Full.
Met: Dina Zaman at the Coffee Xpress.
Saw: A Samad Said at the Bookshop
Enjoyed the show!

Tafsir Ibn Khaithir

Halim brought me to The Specialist bookshop and showed me the tafsir by Ibn Khaithir. I must agree with him that is one of the best tafsir. This tafsir is also recommended by Wan Ngah. The tafsir conyains in ten books and they cost RM 812 for a set.

Bought two novels to-day-one for me (Enigma) and another (Powerbook) for my wife as birthday presents.I am in my late 40's and she is in her early 40's. In the last fortnight, I already bought three books -enough to last me until the end of the year.

ENIGMA : the novel

To-day I saw a book that I must buy from MPH Jaya Jusco Taman Maluri. It is entitled Enigma-The Novel written by Robert Harris. Before the movie comes to KL, I must read it. Enigma intrigued me when I read the book called Station X. It is the story about code breaking and deciphering work at Blecthley Park,England. By the way, there was a related movie called U 571.