Saturday, October 9, 2010

Alhamdulillah...

These past couple of weeks has been a real blessing to me...

Alhamdulillah,

~ My book, Legenda Elfarren is in second printing now.
~ The feedback i've received so far has been between 'Good' and 'Excellent'
~ Got 5 stars from a review by Berita Harian (ruangan Sastera, Jumaat, 8 Okt) - For a new writer, i'm not sure i deserved it, but still...
~ Got green light from Alaf 21 to write the sequel for Legenda Elfarren, as originally planned.

Here's the link to the BH review of my book http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bharian.com.my%2Fbharian%2Farticles%2FDuniaBuku_LegendaElfarren%2FArticle&h=58ff1

Alhamdulillah...

(This entry is written in a hurry. Hopefully i'll be able to make a full entry of the story behind the writing of LE, which took almost 6 years to complete)

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Resurrection of AidanZ with the birth of a legend...

Assalamualaikum...


It's been 3 months since i really write in this blog. Part of it, because i was busy. Other, because the internet connection 'sucked' at my hometown in Melaka. But the biggest contribution factor for me is the introduction of Facebook world to me by my good friend, Shah. Okay... yeah... i know, i'm a bit late for that, but hey, i am NOT technology or computer savvy alright.

But truth be told, all the above are just excuses. Like i always tell myself, if you wanna write, you write... It is that simple!

I guess what i wanna say is, I may not be updated this blog for a long time if not for what had happened yesterday, when Puan Saadiah, Editor-in-Chief Alaf 21 called me and told me about my second book, Legenda Elfarren which has just came out a week before.

It was then that she asked me whether i have a blog or not. Hesitantly i said yes. Good she said. How about FB? Yes, i said, this time not hesitate at all. Then i quickly said, "err, but my blog is not active!" to which she told me matter-of-factly, "then, just reactivate it!"

After i hung up the phone, i went straight away to my laptop and opened my blog. It looked... seasoned and unattended. And that was the moment i thought, yeah i will do that! I'll reactivate this blog and i'll resurrect it... in line with the birth of my second book...

InsyaAllah...

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Ramadhan Al-Mubarak

Assalamualaikum...

Selamat Menyambut Ramadhan Al-Mubarak


Moga menjadi Ramadhan terbaik bagi kita dan moga ketemu dengan Lailatul-Qadar...


InsyaAllah 

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

The Greatest News in the Whole Wide World...!!!

Assalamualaikum...

Alhamdulillah... all praise to Allah The Almighty... Finally i've got the news that i've been waiting for 5 months now!

My beautiful wife; the woman that is my soul mate and the love of my life, is PREGNANT!


No words can be said to describe this feeling inside me right now... as if this is the moment that i've been anticipating my entire life! 

The tears that flowing freely right after the news is the epitome of my entire being at the time as joy, relieved, gratitude and so many other unidentified feelings washed over my inner side, as this words echoed loudly and melodiously inside my head, 

"I'M GOING TO BE A DAD!!!"  
"WE ARE GOING TO BE PARENTS!!"


Oh, i'll remember what happened last Saturday until the end of  my time. For that is the day, that will change our life forever. Until now, i still have teary eyes everytime i talked or even think about this very tiny little being, growing rapidly inside my wife and will be born to this world as our child...


Alhamdulillah...


In this opportunity, i wanna thank everyone that prays for us... May Allah bless us all!


And of course to my beloved wife, Zue:

Thank you sooooo much Honey! You just make me the happiest man in this world! Just when i thought i couldn't love you any more than a normal person could; this love inside me, just growing even more and more by the passing days. And i know now, that there won't be any limits for this love for you and our coming baby!


Praise Allah with all our heart, all the time, Darling; for He just granted us our dearest wish to have a baby. We need Him more than ever now, so much more than we need air to breath and water to drink. This first trimester will be extremely hard for you because you have to be careful with your movement and everything, but don't worry, Allah will be with us, caring us, loving us and blessing us the way only He can do...

And me... i promise that i will always be there for you, My Love. To look after you and our baby, to be the best husband and father for both you and our child respectively. Count on me, Sweetheart. This growing love inside me has no stop sign to it, and together, let it be the strongest fundamental of our young family...!

Alhamdulillah... Alhamdulillah... Alhamdulillah...


AidanZ (18th May 2010)



Thursday, May 13, 2010

Pengembaraan Afiq

Assalamualaikum...

As i promised, this is a post solely for my first book, "Pengembaraan Afiq" that's being published this May. The book is published in Malay, and for that reason alone, allow me to continue this entry in that beautiful language of ours...

Saya mula menulis buku ini pada pertengahan tahun 2008 sebelum terhenti selama beberapa bulan lantaran sibuk dengan beberapa perkara lain, di samping harus menumpukan perhatian terhadap 'editing' novel Lagenda Elfarren yang terlebih dahulu siap sebelumnya. 

Kemudian, pada awal 2009, sementara menunggu respon terhadap novel LE tadi, saya mengambil keputusan menyambung kembali penulisan buku ini. Awal April, saya berjaya menyiapkan buku ini dan terus menghantar manuskripnya ke Alaf 21. Sebulan kemudian, saya mendapat respon positif bagi buku ini serta mendapat perjanjian mulut dari Editor di sana bahawa ia akan diterbitkan, cuma agak lewat, memandangkan jadual penerbitan mereka sudah penuh untuk tahun itu. Saya masih ingat pada masa itu, saya tidak menaruh harapan yang terlalu tinggi (lantaran pengalaman pahit manis bersama beberapa syarikat penerbitan lain berkenaan novel Lagenda Elfarren), dan saya hanya mengiakan sahaja.


Kemudian, lewat Februari tahun ini, saya mendapat panggilan telefon daripada editor di sana mengatakan bahawa buku Pengembaraan Afiq sudah bersedia untuk diterbitkan. Sungguhpun begitu, masih banyak lagi proses yang perlu dijalankan; seperti proof-reading, lagi proof-reading, pemilihan grafik, final proof, sebelum akhir sekali, percetakan...!


Alhamdulillah, kini, bulan May 2010, akhirnya buku ini sudah pun siap dan bakal diedarkan di kedai-kedai buku dalam masa terdekat ini.

Baiklah, itu tentang proses yang dilalui untuk menerbitkan buku ini. Sekarang, mengenai buku ini pula...


"Watak utama dalam cerita ini adalah Afiq, seorang remaja berumur 14 tahun; dan adik perempuannya, Hana yang berumur 7 tahun. Apabila berlaku satu insiden yang mengakibatkan kedua ibu bapa mereka 'diambil' daripada mereka, kedua beradik ini harus bersama-sama dalam satu pengembaraan yang sukar, bagi 'mendapatkan' semula ibu bapa mereka. Atas sebab tertentu, mereka hanya mempunyai masa selama 6 hari atau ibu bapa mereka akan hilang buat selama-lamanya. 

Dalam perjalanan itu, kedua beradik ini terpaksa menghadapi cabaran-cabaran yang tidak diduga. Mereka menemui sahabat baru yang datang tidak disangka-sangka, namun dalam masa yang sama, berdepan dengan musuh yang cuba menamatkan nyawa mereka. Mereka diuji sehingga had kemampuan mereka, ketika hanya tawakkal kepada Allah, beserta kasih sayang dan persahabatan yang mereka miliki sahaja yang boleh menyelamatkan mereka...

Dengan izin Allah, mereka boleh berjaya. Namun, persoalan yang lebih penting adalah, adakah mereka berjaya dalam pengembaraan lain yang sama penting; yakni kembara hati dan fikiran mereka?!

Justeru, novel ini menjemput para pembaca untuk mengembara bersama-sama Afiq dan yang lain, bagi mencari dan menilai semula apakah yang penting dan yang sebaliknya dalam hidup ini. Elemen kasih sayang, persahabatan dan cinta yang sesuai dengan tahap umur remaja kini turut diterapkan selain elemen misteri dan suspen yang mewarnai liku-liku plot di dalamnya."

Diterbitkan di bawah banner Alaf 15, sebuah unit di bawah Alaf 21 Sdn Bhd, novel ini sangat sesuai bagi para remaja, tidak kira di sekolah rendah atau sekolah menengah. Namun sebagaimana lumrah satu-satu buku yang tidak pernah dan tidak wajar dieksklusifkan kepada sesuatu golongan semata-mata, ia juga sesuai untuk golongan dewasa, terutama ibu bapa...

Mengambil idea daripada kata-kata seorang penulis Amerika, Mark Twain, yang sangat terkenal dengan karya-karyanya, 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer' dan 'Adventures of Huckleberry Finn', lebih 100 tahun dahulu,

"Buku ini sesuai untuk mereka yang masih remaja... dan yang pernah menjadi remaja..."

Terima Kasih,

AidanZ ( 13th Mei 2010 )

PS: Setiap komen dan pandangan sangat dialu-alukan untuk rujukan penulis pada masa hadapan...







Tuesday, April 20, 2010

A little update... (20th April 2010)

Assalamualaikum...

No need to say, it has been very very long...

During this 3 months hiatus, so many things have happened. Some of them sweet, some bittersweet, and of course, some bitter. But, life has to move on, and so here we are, one third of 2010 is almost behind us, facing the ups and downs of our future life, while trying and praying to Allah for the best...

Okay, the paragraph above may sounds gloomy; but rest assured. I just have a little headache right now and furthermore, it's raining lightly outside while i'm writing this, thus giving the cold and gloomy effect here. Other than that, everything is shining brightly as usual... if not brighter.

First of all, to all my friends that keep asking about 'baby', i wish i can tell you it's 'on the way' now. But sadly, no, it isn't... yet! But please... pray for me and my wife, will ya? Allah knows how much we want one now, and not a day passed by without me praying with all my heart for my wife to get pregnant.
Meanwhile, don't worry. We'll keep trying and do our best to make sure it becomes reality...

Secondly, after a little more than a year of waiting, my first book will come out this April. Published by Alaf 15, a division under Alaf 21, this is actually my second book, but the first one to be published.
The title is 'Pengembaraan Afiq' and it's a teen story, centered on a boy named Afiq and his little sister, Hana in their quest to find their parent that were taken from them. Together, they embark on a journey of a their life, while uncovering the real meaning of love, friendship and sacrifice. A light reading, i would say, but very fulfilling. This is the first book under Alaf 15 banner, and I'm really proud and grateful for this opportunity. Alhamdulillah.

This is the cover of the book. You can also find it at http://alaf15.blogspot.com/





As soon as the book is out, InsyaAllah, i will post an entry regarding the book and maybe the process behind the writing of this book...  
Oh, and as you would have known by the look of it, the book will be in Malay. An English book? Hopefully soon...
So, until then, may Allah bless us all and everything we do.
Thank you,

AidanZ

Monday, January 18, 2010

Inside her mind (18th January 2010)

Assalamualaikum...

Last night, my wife and I had a dinner at one restaurant in Malacca. We sat in the foyer, where there was Astro Supersport showing past matches of 2009 Australian Open Grand Slam (The 2010 Open starts today).

As has been my habit since i started playing tennis couples of years ago, everytime there's tennis matches on tv, i will be like... transfixed to the screen!
And certainly not helping my case last night, the matches featured two very attractive (and of course, sexy) female players!

So, i was between chewing my food and admiring the play (not the players!) when i realized my wife was staring at me with narrowed eyes.

"Honey..." I called. "Wh..what's wrong?"
She didn't answer. But couple of seconds later, she smiled a smile that i've come to know that there was something bothering her and she didn't want to tell me.

But i quickly put two and two together and realized immediately what was exactly inside her mind at the time. She was bothered that i was watching other women (no matter who or what they do) and that was when i was right beside her!

Well, being a charming husband that i am, hehe, i quickly apologize to her and for the rest of the meal, tried very hard to avert my eyes from the screen.

Later, when we were holding hands, heading to our car, i asked her playfully,
"Err honey, about what just happened, you still trust me... right?" To what she replied,
"Hmm, after what happened? Not really..." while pouting her lips.
"What?!" I exclaimed, faking a hurtful voice and look, which made her laugh, but still shaking her head.

For those who are observant enough -in human behavior (women's in particular)- would know that although my wife was laughing while she said that, she was actually kinda meant it! Of course she will deny it if you asked her about it point blank. But make no mistake, deep down in her heart, she actually had this very tiny doubt lingering about 'what if questions' and whether she can trust me completely!

And so, what did i do?
I put my arm around her shoulder warmly, but tighter than usual as to emphasize what i wanted to say to her and said,
"You know i will never do anything to hurt you, right? Believe me, honey. I will never cheat on you, not even in my mind! InsyaAllah!!!"
Later, i thought that was a very BIG promise, but still it's something that i think i can hold up to it.

Oh, and her respond to what i said?
For a while she looked stunned. Then, slowly, she nodded her head and said softly,
"I trust you, abang..."
After that we continued walking, as if nothing ever happened. Of course i can't really know what's inside my wife's mind. But as far as i can tell, i've covered everything that i should be covering and she fully accepted it.

I always tell my friends, that the key to a healthy relationship is understanding. And to understand other person, just picture yourself in his/her position, or as people said put yourself in his/her shoes, and BAM... InsyaAllah, you will get a glimpse of what's inside their mind!
And believe me, one glimpse is waaaaay better than nothing at all...

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Endless Love




Endless Love


My love,
There's only you in my life
The only thing that's right


My first love,
You're every breath that I take
You're every step I make


And I
I want to share
All my love with you
No one else will do...


And your eyes
Your eyes, your eyes
They tell me how much you care
Oh yes, you will always be
My endless love


Two hearts,
Two hearts that beat as one
Our lives have just begun


Forever
I'll hold you close in my arms
I can't resist your charms


And love
I'll be a fool
For you,
I'm sure
You know I don't mind


'Cause you,
You mean the world to me
Oh
I know
I've found in you
My endless love


Oh, love
I'll be that fool
For you,
I'm sure
That You know I don't mind


And, YES
You'll be the only one
'Cause no one no one can deny
This love I have inside
And I'll give it all to you
My love
My love, my love
My endless love