NOW & THEN: FIRST RANDOM NOTE DURING COVID19 MCO

NOW & THEN: FIRST RANDOM NOTE DURING COVID19 MCO: 24th February 2021

 Writing Through Difficult Times

Many great works of literature have been written during difficult times in the lives of their authors. One example is Tafsir Al-Azhar, a monumental work by Buya Hamka, which he wrote while imprisoned by President Sukarno of Indonesia. His confinement became a period of deep reflection and scholarly dedication.

Between 2020 and 2022, I, too, experienced a form of "imprisonment" during Malaysia Movement Control Order (MCO) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While my writings during that time were not of the same magnitude, they served as a way to process my thoughts and reflect on my life. They were more introspective than autobiographical and more personal reflections than a structured memoir.

The Beginning of My Writing Journey

My first serious attempt at writing during this period was on February 24, 2021. I was inspired by Sarah Werner, an Australian writer who had been blogging for over two decades. Like me, she started with casual blogging, but unlike me, she took her writing to the next level- publishing books, becoming a consultant, and establishing herself as a public speaker. I often wondered what could have been if I had pursued writing as seriously as she did. Instead, I remained active on social media, sharing my views, stories, and photographs.

Before even putting pen to paper, I found myself obsessing over the tools of writing: what notebook to use, what pen to write with. This was not new to me. I had started journaling in 2006 with a Moleskine notebook and a Uniball Japanese ballpen, setting a high standard for my writing materials. I knew that, ultimately, the content mattered more than the medium. The food is more important than the plate but I still cared about the plate. I wanted my handwriting to be neat, my sentences to remain horizontal, and my writing experience to feel just right. Eventually, I settled on an A5 Lattera notebook by Unicon, costing RM25, far more affordable than a RM100 Moleskine. To write, I used a Lamy pen with Lamy ink.

A Renewed Focus on Cycling and Photography

With no business coaching sessions scheduled that month, I decided to finally start two long-postponed book projects:

1. The Joy of Cycling in Putrajaya

2. Postcards of Putrajaya

These books would document my cycling experiences since 2008. Through cycling, I had developed an interest in photography, capturing the beauty of Putrajaya's landscapes and architecture. I envisioned turning these photographs into postcards for sale. However, in an era where people rarely send physical postcards and preferring WhatsApp messages and social media instead, I faced a challenge. After some research, I realized the demand for traditional postcards was low. So, for now, I focused on curating 101 postcard-quality photos on my blog while brainstorming a creative business model for selling them later In the meantime, I needed to complete my cycling books.

Memories of Reading and Learning English

On the early morning of February 24, 2021, I woke up at 1:30 AM and picked up the January 2021 issue of Reader’s Digest (RD), intending to read before going back to sleep. I was too tired and dozed off, but I managed to glance at the editorial, which mentioned that RD was first published in February 1922, making it nearly 100 years old.

This brought back memories of my first encounter with Readers' Digest in 1968, when I was 16 years old and studying at Sekolah Datuk Abdul Razak (SDAR), Tanjung Malim, Perak. I first found RD at the house of Ustaz Jailani Jaafar, a teacher from Kedah who taught at Madrasah Amir Indera Putra, a religious school founded by my late father in 1946 in Pondok Beris, Bachok, Kelantan. At that time, only two people in my kampung could read an English magazine—Ustaz Jailani and Mr. Hussein, an independent English teacher, also from Kedah.

Back then, there were no libraries in Bachok or in my school. My reading materials were limited to textbooks and Malay newspapers in Jawi. There was no electricity, no telephone, and no television in my kampung.

Being selected for a full-boarding school (SDAR) was a turning point in my life. Suddenly, I had access to television on weekends, and more importantly, I could go to the library to read and borrow books. These were luxuries for a kampung boy like me.

Coming from a Malay-medium school, I had to enter Remove Class, where I learned English from Mr. Ronald Weller, a Eurasian teacher married to an Indian teacher. To improve my English, I followed his advice and visited the school library weekly to borrow books. At home, my father only had Kitab (Islamic books in Arabic), so this was my first real exposure to English literature.

One of the senior prefects, Dato'  Salamon Selamat, supervised my prep class (Remove A) and gave me valuable advice: Create an English-Malay vocabulary book. At that time, I knew fewer than 100 English words. When my teacher asked, "Do you understand?", I would stand up in silence because I did not  even know what the word "understand" meant.

But over the years, my English improved tremendously. I could read The New Straits Times (NST), Life Magazine, and I even managed to finish all the Enid Blyton books in the school library.

During the mid-1960s, the ability to read and write in English was a major advantage. With just a School Certificate (MCE/O Level), one could even become a District Officer. Today, a university degree is required for most professional jobs.

By 1973, I had completed my Higher School Certificate (HSC/A Levels), with all subjects- Pure Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, and General Paper taught in English. That same year, in October 1973, I left Malaysia for the University of Sheffield, England, to study Engineering.

Final Thoughts

Reflecting on these experiences, I realize how much my early struggles with reading and writing shaped my life. My childhood in a kampung with no library, no electricity, and limited resources could have been a major setback, but it instead fueled my determination to learn.

Writing, like reading, has been a lifelong companion. Whether through blogging, documenting my cycling adventures, or reminiscing about my past, I continue to find meaning in words. My journey as a writer may not be as structured or successful as Sarah Werners, but it is uniquely my own.