Kitab Atok: tuturan alambina

shortest night

Yesterday was the longest day when the sun appeared at 23.45 degrees above the celestial equator.

posted by Atok @ 11:25:00 pm (0) comments

colours

One thing I really enjoy during Springtime is looking at this in my front garden:

posted by Atok @ 1:17:00 am (0) comments

semua hilang

sekarang jam 4:40 petang... waktu pejabat ni tamat jam 5:00 petang. tapi....
staf lelaki hampir semua dah hilang... lenyap bermula dari 4:30 lagi, slowly packing dan blah. in my team, tinggal atok sesorang je ni.

> ada england vs trinidad&tobago @ 5ptg... hahaha.

posted by Atok @ 4:41:00 pm (0) comments

My Girls

photo credit: shaliza.mokhtar

posted by Atok @ 10:30:00 am (0) comments

What a Saturday it was...

It was indeed a full day when...

Had to rush to the Town Hall for an open audition of the Aladdin pantomine to be held during Christmas and New Year's period.

Only last nite Kakak finally decided to go for this audition which mean that we have to reschedule our planned visit to San Diego to see Naz.Zie.Umar (sorry tuan, nanti kita discuss a new date).

10am it was, but we had to rush to Tesco for a new dance trousers... my God, the q was mmm... well, it's Saturday, can't complain.

To cut short, we had to run to the town hall. There were hundreds of kids, all hoping to get into the panto... and more importantly, to enjoy themselves doing the audition. They came in various uniforms of their dance/theatre schools.

Finally, after all the usual form filling stuff, the auditorium doors were opened at 10:30am. We were told, it would take about an hour for the first elimination to take place. Off I went... to move the car and window shopping....

An hour later I went back to the Town Hall. A lots of kids were coming out and dispersed into the enormous crowd enjoying the hot sunny afternoon. Kakak was not out yet... mmm. Okay, I said, I'd come back in half an hour. Went to enjoy some performances with the rest of the sunseekers...

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12 noon; town centre started to swell with England football supporters, packing into many pubs and clubs. I went back to the Town Hall... and only a few parents were waiting in the lobby. Kakak was still in the auditorium; door shut and no one was allowed in. I decided to stay... and waited, and waited...

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We could hear them singing and dancing; some parents took their peek...


Finally, at 1:10pm... the auditorium doors flung opened and we were asked to go in. Kakak was selected again (it's the same production company that did Cinderella panto Kakak had before) ! And the first thing the casting guy said, "Hi everybody, I've just ruined your Christmas!".

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Time for a quick lunch at Pontis, before Kakak's 2:30-5:30pm Stagecoach class. Had tuna melt and pasta, with wonderful vanilla milkshakes...

Then, sent Kakak to her theatre arts school; her principal was so pleased that Kakak got into the panto. She's the only one that got in from her Stagecoach.

Then, headed back home. Reading Regatta 2006 was on just a stone throw away from my doorsteps; a kind of warm-up event leading to the world's famous Henley Royal Regatta nearby.

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Didn't stay long... just took a few snaps. It was indeed a glorious day for such sports. This Regatta started back in 1877. Then, on the regatta event, the town's largest employer, the famous Huntley & Palmer biscuit factory closed for a day.

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After that, with Adik & Mummy, dropped by at The Oracle..

posted by Atok @ 11:59:00 pm (0) comments

Hilang...

Baru-baru ini, saintis di UK dan USA mengatakan bahawa mereka telah berupaya menghasilkan blueprint bagi mencipta invisible cloak (jubah/selimut/gebar halimunan) seperti yang dilayar-perakkan di dalam cerita Harry Potter. Diwartakan:
Di dalam alam serba misteri Melayu Nusantara, hal halimunan ini sudah lama wujud. Malah cerita dan hikayat silam terutamanya berkenaan dengan pahlawan dan tok-tok guru sering menyentuh hal ini. Namun, pada pendapat atok, ada sedikit kelainan dibandingkan dengan konsep halimunan bayangan Hollywood.

Ilmu ghaib yang dihikayatkan di alam Melayu tidak sama dengan ilmu ghaib Hollywood. Pada pemerhatian peribadi saya, ilmu ghaib Melayu tidaklah seindah seperti yang difilemkan Barat. Ilmu ghaib Nusantara adalah lebih tepat digambarkan sebagai suatu kelebihan individu untuk 'meloloskan' diri dari sesuatu keadaan ataupun seseorang.

Contohnya, di dalam pertempuran/persilatan, keupayaan seperti ini, selalunya hanya amat singkat dan terhad, digunakan untuk 'mencuri langkah'. Kebolehan 'mencuri langkah' ini, walaupun sesaat dua, pada yang mahir dan ahli, boleh memberi sejuta advantages dan memberi peluang untuk menghembur jurus maut ke atas lawan. Bukannya lawan beliau tiba-tiba tak nampak tubuh badannya, tapi seolah-olah tidak perasan kewujudan dan posisi beliau buat sesaat dua.... namun ini sudah cukup untuk membawa kejayaan kepada empunya ilmu; zzzzaaaattt !

Bicara tentang ini, atok teringat satu kisah di penghujung tahun 70'an. Pada masa itu, kami sering bercuti ke Singapura di setiap tahun; melawat kakak sulung atok yang sedang menuntut di STF dan juga bertandang ke rumah saudara mara di pulau singa.

Kami sekeluarga, seperti biasa, berkereta dari Tanah Serendah Sekebun Bunga ke selatan... keretanya Ford Escort GT warna biru. Selalunya kami berhenti makan tengahari di mana-mana pantai di Terengganu dan seterusnya berehat dan bermalam di mana-mana hotel di bandar Kuantan. Satu-satu stretch jalan yang paling ditakuti orang ketika itu ialah di sekitar Nenasi yang merentasi hutan Endau-Rompin. Macam-macam cerita kalau lalu jalan ni terutamanya di waktu malam. Lain kali lah cerita hal ni, this time, pasal halimunan kan...

Bila kami akhirnya tiba di Tambak Johor, hari sudah pun senja. Proses imigresen di pihak Malaysia berjalan lancar seperti biasa. Bilamana tiba di booth imigresen Singapura, maka kami pun hulurkanlah pasport kami kepada pegawai yang bertugas. Dia ambik, pegang sekejap, dan terus pulangkan pada kami dan mengangguk memberi isyarat unutk jalan.

Terus kami menghala ke Commonwealth Drive. Bila tiba di flat saudara kami (yang juga pegawai imigresen) dan setelah selesai menaikkan beg-beg semua, maka bertanyalah kepadanya:

"Tadi masuk, dia tak cop pun passport. Dah tukar law ke?"
"Hah!. Eh tak de tukar pun. Macamana ni? Nak kena pergi balik la", kata Busu.

Maka kami pun (dengan Busu) bergegas patah balik ke Courseway; dah almost midnight sampai sana balik. Disergahnya mamat imigresen di booth tu dek Busu; tak buat kerja betul-betul. Pucat dan gementar mamat tu... tak boleh explain macamana dia boleh 'lepaskan' satu kereta masuk tanpa rekod.

Atok masa tu masih bersekolah rendah, tak faham sangat. Only years later, I was told that Papa had with him besi kuning and was testing its power and had hembus that mamat.... padahla, kesiannnn dia.

[ Besi Kuning, di dalam alam misteri Nusantara, telah lama dikaitkan dengan berbagai 'kuasa' dan 'kelebihan', terutamanya memberi perlindungan kepada pemakai/pembawa (dengan izinNya) ]

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A few years later, masa tu atok di Tingkatan 2 dan pulang ke rumah di masa cuti. Papa was in KL for a few weeks attending a course. Tinggallah atok, adik lelaki dan Mama. Suatu awal pagi, dalam jam 2 atau 3 gitu, hujan renyai-renyai, adik saya terjaga dan terdengar macam bunyi orang berjalan di luar rumah. Oleh kerana simen basah dek hujan maka bunyi selipar jepun bilamana berjalan boleh kedengaran. Katanya, dia nampak kelibat seorang lelaki di luar (kami di tingkat atas). Kita cepat-cepat kejutkan Mama.

Then, Mama keluarkan this one keris (Papa has many), and asked me to hold it, "Papa pesan, kalau ada apa-apa, pegang keris ni". My God... I was sweating, trembling and my heart was pumping like thousand African drums.. I tell you.

We waited for a long time that early morning, until whoever it was... for whatever reason, decided to cabut.

When Papa got back, he told me... that there was actually a way to hold the keris. There was a tiny hole on the bilah, near its hulu... and I should cover that hole with my thumb and hold my breath. This he explained, would give me the ability to 'curi langkah' (invisible) for a few seconds during tempur (God willing).

But hey, it's not that simple actually. Not every joe bloke can get it; it needs lots of amalan... and I mean lots. Even if I did cover that little hole and hold me breath for as long as I could... I doubt it would do anything for me... myself, I have no amalan of that such whatsoever :((

Dok Mmolek, Jjalae Bbaik.......

Next time, atok kisahkan tentang invincible (ilmu kebal) pulak....

posted by Atok @ 1:11:00 pm (0) comments

preamble

foto kredit: hazmanhilmi

posted by Atok @ 10:31:00 pm (0) comments

my new toy

walked into Jessops earlier today and came back with this....

posted by Atok @ 11:24:00 pm (0) comments