HAJI NOORKHAN .... d' LAST CHILDREN'S GRAND PA


SUNDAY..31 OCTOBER 2010.....     10.00 AM

NEWS of sadness... another loved person had his last breath....
d' last few years I lost  my brother...my mother...my grand mother...my father...and now......my father in law....     my wife's mother had passed away years ago...
D' truth couldn't be told n written here...    as I'm not a good writer...buuut.....
the feeling of... frustrated...n.. guilty.....n.. here... 'boomshield' exploded in my heart....
Guilty...coz not  at d' bedsite....... no sleep.. after finished my last blog.....  was  there at d' hospital ....   few minuters stepped out n home for a reason.... there U're....

We understood...soon or later... my  father in law would be gone.... but he was a srong man.... for about seven years since his 1st heart-stroke....  but lately his condition was deteriorated .. with breathing difficulties.....the oxygen given at d' Hospital RIPAS..ward 4 no.25.....won't much helped!!!!!
Al...Fatihah....




Happy Times...... these were taken... 1st Raya....1st Syawal 1431...10 September 2010.

All aliked...grand children....old -  young  .. in laws too.... had to 'QUE".....

for d' worth waiting for........ "Ang pow"....

Would it BE the same NEXT year....??????



Good Dividens...for every one....

under d' company of Haji Noorkhan.....   now Late Haji Noorkhan



My family with ..2 grandsons...3 granddaughters



Acin....ZakirKhan and family...one grandson



Abd Rahman... in law n family....two grand daughters...one not in picture



Hjh Anit..Zaianit..(husband Late Hj Ahmad) ..n family...2 grandsons  n 2 granddaughters



Ong....ZamalKhan with family...one grandson

THREE FAMILIES are not here.... photos NOT taken....soriii...

First.....Abd Malik...in law...1 grandson n 2 granddughters....

Second.....JamilKhan..n family...2 grandsons..n  1 granddaughter. 

Third....Sitam... ZapirKhan n family...1  grandson n 1 granddaughter...

Jamil n Sitam are now performed their pilgrim to MECCA..









Last physical meet..... kiss good bye..... another group... Sebahyang Jenazah....



Soon...... rites  n.. doa....  d' body had to be leaving home n to d' last destination to d' burial site...







Carefully packed with sarongs... then   coffin carried to d' waiting van.....

 


Helping hands..... doa  n ritual so people could hear... d' meaning of life...

  

 Name : Haji Noorkhan bin Abdul Khan
Born : 17th July 1934
Passed Away : 31st October 2010/23hb Zulkaedah 1431
Age : 76 years 3mths n 14 dys

The burial site at Sengkurong...near to wife's burial grave.... at Bukit Berayun.....Jalan Tutong....
Al...Fatihah...
May peace upon Ur soul.....
Aminnn...



CLOCKS ..... SYMBOL OF TIMES.....

Where can U find ...''Clock Towers"  .....here in ................. 
                              ........BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN.....  ??
 ........ RArely Found here  .........oh yes ...    of Coz ............
                             U can count.....         .........for it...
A Malay proverb...saying.... "MASA ITU EMAS"
 ( Time is Gold  ... as U may say... direct Malay translation)
                                                                                       Is it really ...TRUE...?????

This CLOCK .....is a memorable .... 
                    .......Bandar Seri Begawan's  "Landmark".

The milage begins here....

Once there were committees tried to change to a new modern looked...  with a NEW clock.... 

        ............ the clock was than moved n replaced....   BUT.....

.....had to respect d' history behind d' original stone concrete 4 faces - clock....

The clock returned back to  d' original position...at d' center of the road... as not  meant for 'round about'  too ....( a brief short history)

Lets' read d' inscription of the bronze copper  ........

DULI YANG MAHA MULIA SRI PADUKA BAGINDA

TUANKU ABDUL RAHMAN YANG DI-PERTUAN AGONG

PERSEKUTUAN TANAH MELAYU TELAH MELETAKKAN BATU ASAS

BANGUNAN JAM INI KERANA MEMPERINGATI KE-BERANGKATAN-NYA

KA-BRUNEI PADA 11 HARIBULAN JULY 1959



 

(top) 
A clock tower located far at the outside of the mosque .........
......situated on the road side where the lagoon ....................
                      ......is obviously as one main theme .............. 

Was an easy landmark for any body wanted to go into the road leading round the lagoon .......... 

Once upon a time a Malay Village as called .... Kampong Sultan Lama was here...  so this  was an entrance to d' packed houses here as they were part of  traditional Brunei Kampong Ayer... 

The frontage houses were mostly occupied by small business ... converted into shop houses...   Many people passing through this entrance to go to other kampongs ......   business were doing well....n....everyday these areas were linked as  market places.... where people were doing .... buying and selling..

Now.....NO where to be FOUNd......EMPty area...... seemed... like a dead zone...even d' clock also..should be considered a proverb saying.....' six feet under  the ground ' ....  had been death for quite long time..... 
                       .....   a stop zone ......... nowhere to go  .......
                                                         ..... so d' clock stops....



............ so here .....a BIG building ....but with a small clock... 
                                                  ............ ( better than NON... ah)

A making money building at the heart of Bandar Seri Begawan ........... Nice looked too.... belongs to Brunei Islamic Banking ......

.........situated ......where the space was once Pangung Bong Pang .... d' youngstars in 70s were most likely remembered well coz d' big cinema was the place of datings.. to see new films ...lol.... like ...LOVE STORY.... eeehhh so many...lah...  Indian film....SANGAM... so popular.....

.....that's all...for today......                        

   ........so..... I would like U to SEE more...clock towers ...in Brunei.... ..... later...... OK.

                       BUT     ...........never mind ......... more examples ..... outside BRUNei...

                                                    LET's SEE....around..........



 

  

     Somewhere in Europe...
                        .........U can find clock towers everywhere.....  

Why they appreciate clocks...!!!!

Most probably big buildings with clocks ....  so many..   n here are some    n happened just coinsidencly pictures taken by d' clocks' background....  what a memorable ... 
....of COz.....d' clocks were all in working condition...

 
Here...on d' bottom right is an old clock ............................... 
.........Duguesre Brewing Company Clock (18 meters) .......
...n..was d' largest clock the time of its installation (1933)......  
                                         ...............in the City of Pitsburgh

 

On d' RIVER THEMES.....of  London....
 ..... anybody remember... recognize this clock tower...  ????
                                          " BIG BEN "

It is just 23 feet in diameter .................................................
                  .......while its tower stands as a mere 316 feet ...

so popular.... not surprising d' rivals try to challenge .......!!!!

COLGATE Clock (New Jersey 15.2 meters).........
                      .........was designed by Warren Day...........n.     .... 
           ......constructed by a company called Beth Thomas clock in 1924...wooww...soo old..eh

This beautiful clock is located in Jersey City, New Jersy, USA...Designed on the Geometrical principle of octagon...i..e..a site having 8 sides...



FLOWERS Clock..Tehran (15 meters)............................

Took 2 years to build this flowers clock with d' help of Tehran Municapality n private sectors.

CEVAHIR Mall Clock (35 meters)

It is largest shopping mall in EUROPE .........
                 ..............located in Turkish City of IStambul....

Cevahir Mall contributing 343 shops..4 fast food restaurants...14 exclusive restaurants...12 cinemas..Wofld second largest clock is placed in the ROOF n its size is 36 meters ...............

........................... ok .....whAT ......else................???
                         .........something Uuu ...like to learn.........

 
Now......  NO 1
  During this Haj time...  lets' see...     Mekah..

ABRAJ AL BAIT ............
........Tower Clock   (40meters)  or MECCA ROYAL CLOCK Hotel Tower is located in Mecca City south from d' entrance of Masjidil al Haram ..........................................................
.......Appromately 595 meters tall tower....contain ONE 7 STARS Hotel..4 story shopping mall  n   parking garage for  a thousand vehicles...................................

 Clock with 80 meters high 80 meters wide...


Day ...n ...Night time looks different in colours .................. accordingly...the clock four faces are 130ft in diameter n  will be illuminated by 2 million LED lights along with huge Arabic script reading .......
            ...."IN THE NAME OF ALLAH".........



The clock will run on Arabic Standard Time which is three hours ahed of GMT ( Greenwich Mean Time).........

..............n...so..  wowww...



  

U know..the idea becomes controversial........
                    .............coz..  a straight forward challanged.....
                          .................  reasons...

"Islamic Scholars hope...as part of a plan for Mecca to eclipse the Greenwich Abservatory as the "true centre of the earth"   .....

"In the Islamic world the idea that it should the centred on a part of London is seen as a Colonial anachronism". ..............  soo

This world's largest clock on top of the second largest skyscraper in d' world overlooking the Grand Mosque in d' middle of d' Ismaic Holy City of Mecca, Saudi Arabia...hopes to replace GMT...as mentioned earlier.... with it is calling ......

                 ...." MECCA TIME   "......   ??????.



JAPANESE .......... MY FATHER...

As I could recall back .....
There was a World War II...the year was  December 1941 until June 1945....
Japanese landed in Belait on d' 16th December 1941 before proceeding to Pekan Brunei....
That time of war was called "Japanese Occupation"

I got a rare collection of my father's photo when he was still young with Japanese style... 
look at the spectacles' frames..which symbolic of Japanese Emperor's looked.....
Of coz.... they had to be in favour of d' master at that time ... 

The story...... I heard many times from my late father.
At that time I just ignored to hear his tales..
I didn't make any effort to collect d' history of his life...   what a pity.....  
n.....  now I  fully regret.......   if  ever I could reverse d' time zone....!!!! 






My late father on the right.
Cousin with Japanese Cap on the left.

The picture was taken on d' 20.02.2604...Japanese Calendar... might be 20 February 1944... If it was right then my father was 19 years of age... He was born on d' 11th February 1925... According  d' caption on d' back of d' picture he was Pengiran... which meant he already married... 
his photo's partner was his cousin still Awangku Hashim bin Pengiran Jambol..  a bachelor........ 

He was d' late father of my 2nd cousins...so many children  ..... lol..  like..Pg. Haji Ismail... Lt Col (R) Pg. Tejuddin..  Pg. Dato Paduka Haji Maidin... Pg. Haji Othman.. Pg. Rosli..n so...

He was a student.. studying abroad...  n  not many people were as lucky as my father...
My father also mentioning he was sent there under the government's sponsorship....  wow.. it must be great....   Imagine... at that hard times of war II... !!!!
The place of study was Mechanic and Operator School, TEISHIN KUNRENSHO' Kuching, Sarawak...
See.....The Japanese was focusing on d' technology before everything else.... 

 



I heard my father repeated many times d' story of being chosen as one of d' best student  to be sent to Japan.. to further studies...

He didn't have d' intention to go abroad...at that time of war  ...n he was newly married...too...  so he made excuses to  go home to Brunei  first of all...

But he never returned  to Kuching...n... d' story ended.... 

d' war was nearing d' end.......

WE heard a fellow student, YAM Pg Setia Negara  Pg. Haji Yusof was in Hiroshima when d' American obliterated the city with  atomic BOMB ..n.. exploded...  killing hundred thousands of people.. ....

Later years.... he was..  the State Secretary n Chief Minister of Brunei.

But...... if my father ever had gone to Japan.... then...d' story would be different...???




The photos were taken from d' website
Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin (Third Right) with d' Japanese Officials
(He retained his throne as a PUPPET ruler n left Brunei for Limbang..
During War at beach.

ASIA for ASIAN....

was an excellent 'Japanese Propaganda' during d' World Wat II...to liberate Asia from Western Colonialism...

We heard 'hardship' of lives during d' "Japanese Occupation"... like..d' hard forced labourers of making roads....n..railways.....d' prostitution to entertain Japanese Officers,  n..even d' corporal punishments for wrong doings....n..even d' brutal killings n death for those opposers .....

The history was too much....but not compared to our country farr better......  might be true in d' other part of d' world... like in China... Malaya... Philippines...n many other conquered nations...

But...have to learn n took good sides after d' war......

  




The Bridge newly opened...
A parade for a Procession in Brunei Town in 1950's by Partai Rayat Brunei...

It was HISTORY...unknown...unless we look back the GOODS n d' BADS...

Many Asian nations learned d' lessons ..n  aware of their FREEDOM...

These Nations achieved..n.. gained..Independance from the master of their colonialists soon after d' World War II.

M'sia during d' regime  of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammed n during his early leadership... his motto was to "LOOK to d' EAST" ....   meaning learning from our Asian...mainly Japan...

WHY...????

Of coz... d' early developed mindset of d' Japanese People......as important assets..!!!!



Pekan Brunei.... Brunei Town..during d' Proession... became a crowd Jalan Sultan..

Quite...n..Sleeping Brunei Town.....



Our neighbour......M'sia
As we heard  lately......   took back their interest of learning HISTORY as a 'compulsory' subject for those to seat SPM Examination....('O' Levels Equivalent)..  within this coming years...
WHY....????
 BRUNEIANS too...should know their history.....
So..WE could gain this shrinking states back to normal  1 BORNEO   as if as...during Bolkiah Empire.......
There won't be necessary to build a bridge crossing Brunei Bay.....  wa..wa....w

KIMCHI ............. KOREAN FOOD



First...a Birthday Cake... a day to remember for  special date  20.10.2010.....

an immediate idea  n  so had to order a ready made designed cake too...  

a 2 pounds cake just to cater...few eaters..

Not really to celebrate....  wow... Wednesday,.. a mid-week...n exam month too...

If U're studying abroad...Wednesday would be a relax mid-week to have activities or else a free half day....

Blew d' candles...  just photogenic action...needed... .

Together with family at home.... lol....   quite day...   ehh....

Icing cake with cholate ice cream... good enough to fill empty stomach.... not too much.. lah





Requested a special eating place  at KIMCHI... uniqe name...n..hardly being heard !!!!!

To know d' location of this restaurant..... U just enter d' dead end road to left of new shops blocks ..opposite d'  Mosque at d round about off Lebuh Raya Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah....

a couple of restaurants in this section...Japanese...aslo here..

Korean Foods served here... just look at d' Menu.. n pick up Ur choice...

BBQ... special made table,  in d' centre..  
which orders...including row meat... beef...lamb...... of coz..... tender n slices of meat ready...
put them on d' heated table.... wait while U eat....



Kimchi...as told a kind of dipped sour vegetables....  see d' food at the pots..
Ours like traditional  "Ambuyat"  .....
Assumed..  KIMCHI as one of a kind food being preserved long so it could serve  n taken again n again....
During  "Hard times"...  like looong wars....  we could hardly find fresh foods,
so now 'Kimchi' becomes modern menu with updated recipe so everybody can accept...
Korean traditional foods now innovated so to be accepted internationally n .. commercially.





To eat foreign foods in Brunei were far  known    ...n..  not many existance in d'80s... 

namely.....  popularly... Chinese...Indian... might be European...too...

Now younger generation  is unquestionable.... name it..???

We 're d' one left behind....        !!!!!




Time ....   checked out.....   d' budget must right .....  B$121 for 5 person.....  eeeh..!!!



SWEET 17TH ....... MALINA

Born  : 20th OCTOBER 1993
Name: DAYANGKU ZAYASMALINA
Short/Nick Name : 'MALINA'
                             'MAL'
                             'ZAYAS'
                              'Ghai'....????





Today 20.10.2010 seems to be LUCKY SWEET 17TH Birthday..... 

nice numbers this year added to U're chronicle future life...

Look at happy cute faces.......

But...here...



Why funny faces...  ????

Were U born funny....????

All females' daughters  named ZAYA ....at d'front arranged alphabet's letters .....

a special name added to remind U're belong to a special family...too.......  Chinese does....!!!

BUT somehow, U're third...  n.. d' youngest of all....could be tooo... many  ....lol....

n so.... Zayas...



BIG...

BIGGER...
BIGGEST...



Travelling seems most common to all of U in this family..... 

YEARS just passed by without noticing U're grown up to be a lady....



This year...  EXAM time.... U'r mid-June  2Bs' 'O' Levels were NOT enough...straight As' were most  WANTED...  n  .. targeted at d' end of this year's result...   Hopefully..... Amin....



Had been everywhere with family...

so...waste no time to take d' advantages of gaining valuable experiences..... 

where others NOT....

Hopefully..... could evalute....goood...n....baddd..  added to U'r memory's assets...



Good times.....
Bad times.....
All together.....



Wow.... this was only part of U'r.... LIFE......



Far ahead  ..... still vacuum

U've to fill with exciting, memoriable, valuable... meaningful...n...so.. lah...  banyak lagi tuuu...

n... a target point... now ready to achieve.... lol..

We only guiding, advising  n teaching ..U.... .....
all in U'r hands tooo.... U've to work hard.....ZAYAS

HAPPY SWEET 17TH BIRTHDAY



CYCLING .....in TEMBURONG....



SUNDAY 17 OCOTOBER 2010.

6.15 am ...at the jetty to Temburong was early enough.......

There were others with bicycles too. The sun looked good with brighter day... 

The jetty was quite .... few people had d' attention to travel by boat to Temburong...

My journey to Temburong was not  planned what should be... felt isolated n alone this later days.....n so..to make brighter day.... d' night before today....  I just make myself ready for the news I heard last week about "BASIKALTON' organised by Telbru... 

NOT  being advertised or promoted here.. I just dropped by... to the jetty..

It was right ..ok... a boat was chattered by TELBRU....when I was ready to pay for d' boat fee to Temburong.... a passenger list was given to me...as if I was one of the TELBRu people.. n so my name was the 1st in the list....

what a release mind...    I'm not alone...



18 cyclists were on the list.... I didn't know them...

somehow......  seen some of them...  somewhere..

Just make my self available n friendly...  looking at their faces ...  senior aged people were not with this trip.......

Of coz...  a senior Telbru people seemed  here....  might be this boat meant for them...  or their cyclists...     bank cyclists were here too..  ????

Temburong is about 40 minutes with this fast powered engines..we'd no problem....

Temburong as d' same as old days......   I was here......early January until September 1980...

30 years had passed....   a little changed...not so aggressively as in Bandar....

Temburong is part of Brunei but...being.. out of  fast reached.... the people tends to move somewhere....n that's why d' population little changed... hopely in d' near future, a bridge could make a simple way to make 1 Brunei....!!!

Landed at the newly arrival/departure jetty building.... new... cos d' building is only being used early this year...may be February.... old one was just before Temburong Bridge, near the old Bangar Shops...!!!



Tel Bru Temburong is just around d'corner....on d'2nd right turn (if not wrong) after bridge...a road to Labu... Temburong Polis Station is on d' 1st right turn...

Opposite...on the other side of the road....are the District Government Buildings... supposed..

Just on time...about 8.00am... registration n pay $5 to join this bicycles joy ride....  for d'food, refreshment n lucy named later to be nominated.......a few cyclists from Belait  n Tutong too...not many...around 100+ cyclists... might be..

Cikgu Haji Selamat...a retired senior Edu. Officer, ..d' Chairman of Temburong Cyclists were given d' trust by TelBru.... gave a briefing about this route...few hills...waaa... quite farrrr...too



Given n served by arrival refreshments.... good enough... thanks TelBru...

Joined by few motor-bikers friends.... TEmburong Bikers.... well recgonizes their faces..

Not only them...there were few motor-bikers from Bandar too... TelBru people...ehh. ..Pg. Hj Arrifin...Pg Danan... Hj. Sulaiman...n so



Me..enthusiast cyclist since school days...early 70s   .... had been took part in Bicycle Races..from Belait to Brunei Town..trice..n join to Johore n Malacca Races too...early 70s.. 

Had been joining back with d' activities only on road '"bicycleton"... like "BASIKALTON"...lah.. NOT races... organized by certain orgnizations ..Government agencies and Clubs..

I joined lated...only in 2000-2002...not remembered well...cos of limited spare times concerned... n as well as work loads...

My mountain bike was an old one... bought it for B$500.00 only.... somewhere at Jalan Jerudong... that times cycling shops were mushroomed everywhere.... now, hardly...n.. we can only named fews....!!!

N..U know what...NOW......few organizers...   so limited choice of "Basikalton"...to join in...  ????



Joined d'group even though d' ages groups were far apart.. BUT we're d' same... like motorcycles as well.

 I am not alone... few others were much older....  much stronger ..supposed.

A enthusiastic friend n fomer colleague.... Haji Selamat..broke the news when I met him at a friend - Aidin's daughter wedding last week....

Here...we're at the START...not all in picture....  eeeeh..



Leaded. .... .by marshalls from Temburong Cyclists... so we followed behind...

Toured round Bangar Town before proceeding  d' way to  Labu....a pit stop later... n.. to d' border

....  farrrr...eeeh.. more..40km..



Colourful  n energetic cyclists were all around.....  they came far with cars crossing d' Limbang Border...!!.

I made myself easy with boat ride...n FREE...of coz....... to Bangar this morning....



Pit Stop at Bukit Patoi.... a nice destination for anybody from town to see here... an hour or more walk to d' forest... virgin forest...

Agroup picture with senior people..including Orang Kaya Sura, Penghulu Haji Ahmad..... my friend... Hj Selamat's eldest brother....  Local Temburong people...n  dozen acers of land inherited to their families... woww...good investment for Temburong future...  eeeh.

Bikers...n Tel Bru biker...Pg. Danan...



Last not least....   group picture..at the border Labu Immigration Post...

A friend..Haji Zack... motorbiker too.... Temburong Biker...



Another...group picture..on d'way back to Bangar...  a memorable Bukit Patoi......recreation forest tracks..

All...free style.... kah...ni..???

Another stop...    needed  be together in one group...   had to wait for a while....

luckily not busy road...        local  n  few foreign plates numbers' cars passed by...



By around 11.00am...   back to where we started.....

Soon...d'announcement of d' lucky names.... n  got take away presents...

The eldest was went to Penghulu Orang Kaya Sura Haji Ahmad....66 years of age...

Then...."makan time" for everybdy involved .....



Before dismissed.... a group Temburong Bikers photo....

Well.... I just put my self like home...       between them...   nooo I just on the right...!!!!

Thank Uuu................