Kuih untuk 'Chain'

He lived in a small wooden house with attap roofing near the river and infront of Siti Aishah's house, he was alone...living his life with people's sympathy..

There was a 'putat tree' at the back of the house with flowers dangling beautifully and young shoots are great to go with gulai ikan temenung and sambal belacan.

That wooden house was dim and looks like rumah pak belalang..just a simple plain house with one door and window.

I don't know much about him..I was still small..I only knew his name as 'Chain'..

And one day, Abang Azam went to send him kuih and found his body lying cold on that timber floor..dying alone

No one knew what really happend ...all I could remember is the kuih and his house near the nipah trees.

Al-Fatihah

Rumah Mak dan pokok jambu air Nek

We are not from a rich family, they have nothing to pass on to us, no boxes of jewelleris, diamonds or pearl, no antiques except this piece of land that shared among three siblings and the most important is the MEMORIES...

I spent most of my childhood time at my grandma's house which is just next door, I call her 'mak' and my mom as 'mama'..Nek was still alive when I was in primary school, she left us at almost 100 years old with small build and skinny and grey eyes due to age and poor eye sight, I still remember her wrinkle skin and her grey hair, how she sit on timber floor in a small room with fixed louvered timber window overlooking the river

This is the spot where she planted pokok jambu air..it was a big tree covering the whole compound, there were money plants creeping on its trunk and roots that sprawling her piece of land...sometimes we peel off its bark while eyeing for a ripe fruit. Everything was green around this area, this compound was bigger back then even though there are many houses with staircase facing this tree. Everytime after the rain, I might rushed and collect jambu air...I don't know how to explain but the sight of the fruits make me happy, for a little girl it was as simple as that.....I like to brush the bark after the rain when its still wet and fresh..some part of it was covered with mossess..it make a great combination with the cracked bark..

Nek died sometime in the 90's when I was in primary school, I did not feel sad the moment I heard about it..it only made an impact few months later and now it still is..especially when the tree is no longer in the compound....but I could draw it anytime, I remember the spot where I plucked the money plant...miss her....

Nek is Mak's mother, Mak is a single mother who is tough and strong..I don't know much about it, it was not an issue back then...this is the house where she lives forever...until now

There is a door on the left of this picture, and there was a timber staircase facing the river, most of this house was made of timber and attap roofing, sometime Mak weaved these attap and I watched her doing it closedly and sometimes I got a chance to try it...

Rumah Mak is a typical traditional house with rumah ibu, beranda, separation of private space and semi private and well ventilated. My uncle ,Arwah Pak Teh used to have a built in 'tabung' which was covered with plywood on his bedroom wall..

There were line of pokok puding along the house and one lime tree..everytime the image flashed, I will remember Nyonya Eng's house, and with that will come this song..'nyonya bangun pagi, siram pokok bunga'....

Restoran Bunga Tanjung & Alhamdulillah Store

Just came back from Alor Setar and the town is almost the same except for some planning that are exhibited for public viewing and feedback.

Brought hubby to Poliklinik Hidayah and stopped by to get some bread and mineral water at this store where they have been here for more than thirty years now, still going and getting bigger with new sotre opposite the road. When I was in school, this is the place to buy 20 sen stamps when going to the Post Office was a tiring task :-) This shop is biger than it used to be, but the ambience is still the same.

The traditional house next to shop is still in a good condition except for the main drain that has been covered. Kedai Gunting Rambut Muthu was actually Kedai Pak Mid - Restoran Bunga Tanjung which is now located opposite the street.

It was like highlight of the week whenever we came back from Pekan and stop by for some ais kacang and mee goreng, sitting on a laminated chair with the environment that brought back the era of P.Ramlee's movies...

View at the junction leading to Jalan Pegawai, Seberang Perak on the right, Market Sbg Perak and Kilang Ais on the left...

Back then when beca Pak Harun passed by this area, we will feel the mist from this high tower..The road is smaller and no divider, cars are not many as now but it always congested at the start of the bridge.. Making a turn to Jalan Seberang Perak was a tough one for me either on beca or bus (of coz as a passenger) where the road is only one lane for each way and no proper turning radius...

Decaying Waterfront

Sometimes people can't relate themselves to place where they live until they move out and live in a different place. Then only the former place will become significant in their lives.

Seberang Perak might be a decaying waterfront village in an urban area but any development should be based on a thourough research and consideration. Any new idea that will be implemented should blend in with its original character otherwise the history will gone forever.

Abandoned old building not far from the river..it might be an eyesore to some, but if you really look at it in a different perspective you'll see the history, the shadow, the pattern of the branches making an arch, the leaves falling and then flowing smoothly on the water body...Anyone who have been to European country could imagine or relate this ambience....there is something about this place that need to be revived.

Rowers practising for Sultan's Birthday Celebration.

During my childhood time, Sultan's Birthday was a big thing for us, not because we were specially invited to the Palace but simply because of this water activities that goes about one month including the training session, the sounds of pedals flapping the water, the voice of the rowers and of coz the cry of the family members who lost their proud rowers due to this are something that is so significant.

Land Consolidation / PTB

Pembangunan Tanah Bersepakat - Seberang Perak & Limbong Kapal:

I don't know much about this program, Land Consolidation or pooling or locally known as Pembangnnan Tanah Bersepakat (PTB)

But its about time for me to sit down and study about it NOW...proposal has been tabled in Langkawi sometimes last year and now they are displaing this proposal at Majlis Bandaraya Alor Setar- weekday during working hours.

I'll find my way there and allocate my time to do whatever I can...

For now, its the ground work that need to be done.

Such a 'waste' issue.....

It seems like this problem is getting worst, before it was a small green garbage bin and now they took it away and let the garbage left on the ground. Don't tell me they are expecting self decompositing or something...

Location plan showing the hotspot of garbage area


What is the problem with Majlis Bandaraya Alor Setar..? or is it under others jurisdiction..?

Whoever is resposible they should think practically and wisely, back then it was a green metal dumper but still the size could not accomodate the amount of garbage per day, later they changed it to a mini version and proudly claimed that they only collect those inside it and the rest will be left on the ground...and now to make other people's life messy they took everything away and let it be just like this...what a shame..!! for a town that is trying and struggling for 'bandaraya' status, a small issue like could be resolved without cabinet approval.





But don't blame this current government because these issue arise long before they came in...

The only rumuors that we heard was not enough salary given to the workers..ohh come on, what a lame excuse..how to Kedah Sejahtera if we live and seeing all the waste and smell the flavour or stupidity all the time...

Okay la folks I don't want to 'waste' my time with this 'waste' issue...MBAS should do something...

Seberang Perak in December 2009

Its quite sometime I did not update this blog, anyway these are photos taken in December 2009 around Seberang Perak and Jalan Pegawai. Please ignore the noise in these picture, coz it was ll taken from a moving car using my N82....

There many are that has been develop especially infrawork around this area except fot road leading to Seberang Perak, recently there were upgrading work for the drain along Jalan Pegawai






Shops along Jalan Pegawai, there were government quarters along this road before it was developed into commercial area, the quarters were all made of timber and built higher from the ground at almost 1 meter high with concrete column.

This is at the corner of the road from Jalan Seberang Perak


Row of shop houses that has been there since I was born, the one with Saga park infront used to be Kedai Musa, mamak from India where we used to frequent his shop to collect Indian stamps..on the right of kedai Musa used to be my tuition centre at the top floor and a small coffee shop at ground level where one Malay man sell roti canai

This is at the junction leading to tanah perkuburan which is on the right..

I don't even know whose house is this, but I remember that their fencing wall was high with broken glasses on top for maximum security..no cctv at that time

This is Sekolah Rendah (L) Sbrg Perak..its a pity sight, it has been abandoned for many years, and the school and quarters has been left just like that....


And..wow a new building ..4 storey at the junction of Lorong Nipah, no signboard at all, I wonder whether they have building plan approval or not, but according to one resource, few officials from MBAS has came here...but what happen after that no one knows....I don't know how can they simply built it here.

It used to be a double storey shophouses, aboyt three units facing the road and I believed they were Chinese Shophouses influence and made of brick


Lorong Nipah..a small road leading to few houses where Pak Leh, Mami and Kak Seri, Haji Yusof and Nyonya Eng lives..
I remember seeing one of my Pak Teh and Pak Chak's photo of this place back in the 80's..
This is a house that could accommodate few families, there was a small verandah infront of this house where we kids used to lepak en route to kedai Brahim. One of the owner's daughter married a guy who I thought a member of Al-Ar*&^ or something coz she used to wear purdah all the time (I was a kid then)

It used to be a big compound where this stalls and mess are, it was like a grand entrance to few houses here and a road leading to my grandma's house. There was a big pokok sukun on the right with fruits that could be supplied to too many houses


On the left is JKR Quarters, single storey bungalow, it used to be fenced with bounganvillas and pokok teh by previous Chinese tenant back in the 80's. There are many edible plants around the house compound but the wife was so kiasu and that made all kids including Pak Hitam will tresspassed this property..Few officer ..in and out and the previous was Pakcik Zain who now lives just next door , he built a house on TOL..


This is Pak Cik Zain's house..a cheery tree is a must..it used to be a road connecting two government quarters which was built in July 1927. Those two houses were so special to me..will blog about it later...

Peluru mortar ditemui di tebing Sungai Kedah

Peluru mortar ditemui di tebing Sungai Kedah

ALOR SETAR: Dua butir peluru mortar lama yang sudah tidak aktif, ditemui di tebing Sungai Kedah berhampiran Persiaran Tanjung Chali di sini, hari ini.

Ketua Trafik dan Ketenteraman Awam Kota Setar, Deputi Superintendan Mohd Sham Abdullah, berkata peluru itu ditemui seorang pekerja Majlis Bandaraya Alor Setar (MBAS) ketika melalui kawasan itu kira-kira jam 11.30 pagi tadi.

"Polis menerima panggilan daripada pekerja MBAS lalu bergegas ke tempat kejadian dan mendapati peluru mortar itu tertimbus dalam lumpur di tebing sungai.
"Bagaimanapun, ia tidak aktif serta tidak mendatangkan bahaya kepada orang ramai dan dipercayai peluru lama yang dibuang oleh pihak-pihak tertentu," katanya ketika ditemui di sini, hari ini.

Katanya, polis terpaksa menunggu lebih sejam sebelum mengeluarkan kedua-dua peluru berkenaan, kerana Lembaga Kemajuan Pertanian Muda (Mada) telah membuka pintu tali air, menyebabkan paras air sungai meningkat.

"Polis kemudiannya meminta pihak Mada menutup semula pintu tali air dan menunggu sehingga air sungai surut, sebelum berjaya mengeluarkan peluru berkenaan pada jam 1.15 petang dan dibawa ke unit pemusnah bom untuk dimusnahkan secepat mungkin," katanya. - Bernama
Berita Harian, 12hb Feb 2010 Jumaat