Mereka Yang Tertewas di Cherating

I just got back from a 3D, 2N family trip to Terengganu. Lately, my family has been going on trips quite frequently. It probably has to do with having Damia and Irfan around. They like to swim in the sea or any pool, so the whole family obliges... memang macam mentang minyak yang penuh! haha

We left home on Saturday (7-3-09) at around 10am and we reached Rumbai Resort in Paka, Terengganu at around 3pm (after stopping twice at RnRs). There's not much to explore there, so I was getting a bit restless. I kept thinking: I should have brought my students' books along... I really could have gotten a lot of things done...

Rumbia Resort Villa

At 6pm, we took a drive to Kerteh, to visit my dad's youngest sister, whom we called Ucu. We stayed at her house until 9pm after having a delicious tea and dinner. On the way back to the resort, we made a short detour to the Kerteh oil refinery. In the resort's brochure, the refinery at nighttime is said to look like a brightly-lit, sci-fi city. Indeed, the description is most apt. The combination of bright lights, fog, and fiery towers makes for a bewitching sight.

On Sunday (8-3-09), we checked out of the resort at around 12pm. We had our lunch at the Mesra Mall. I couldn't remember we we reached our next destination - Holiday Villa, Cherating.

I rested for a while before joining the rest at the beach. I brought along the novel 'Mereka Yang Tertewas' after neglecting it for a long time (I've been reading the book since January!). Ever since I've started working, I hardly have any leisure time to read. So hopefully, I can finish the book during my stay here.

The book has had an amazing journey.
Remember the recent DBP Sale I wrote about? Well, while browsing the books there, I called my friend Majidah, who's a Malay-lit enthusiast, to share my excitement (read: to make her envious... haha).

Majidah asked me to look for the book "Mereka Yang Tertewas". The book was published by DBP a long time ago (1989), so it's no longer in circulation in bookstores. But perhaps I could find it at the sale.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find it. And after enquiring at the counter, I was told that DBP has ceased publishing the book for a long time. I relayed the bad news to Majidah. She took it well and said that she had expected as much.

Later when I googled the book to find out its author's name (Hasanuddin Md. Isa), I came across a review of the book. The review also features a cover of the book. Why does it look so familiar?

Taken from: http://bukuzaharah.blogspot.com

I rummaged through the BM section of the library at my home and lo and behold, I found the book there! It's still in good condition, albeit a little bit dusty. There's even the receipt of the book tucked in between the book's pages. There's no date in the receipt but it has a DBP logo on it. I guess it must have been bought in the early 90s at a DBP sale like the one I had just been to.

I'm just amazed by this serendipity. The book has just been lying there for years waiting for me to read it up. Coupled with Majidah's recommendations (which I highly value) and the internet review, I needed no further promptings to start reading the book straightaway. But my progress has been thwarted by work.

Once, I brought the book to school when I was supposed to supervise Rumah Ungu's marching practise. I didn't get to read much but a fellow teacher saw the book and said that she has read it when she was in school. Apparently, it was the textbook for the subject Malay Literature (which is not to be confused with the komponen sastera of the subject Bahasa Melayu).

At last, 2 months later, at Cherating, I finally came close to finishing it (tapi masih belum betul2 habis lagi... huhu). It was a most scenic setting for reading: sitting on the sandy beach, facing the vast sea, hearing the sounds of the ocean... :-)

I had too many distractions to be able to write a review that will do justice to the book. So I won't try. I will just say that though the book didn't really "hook" me in, it did leave an impression on me.

The story is about Lebai Pa and his wife Jamilah (aka Mak Milah), who tried to bring a change to their villagers' corrupted way of living. Such effort is sure to be met with resistance in the forms of suspicions, direct oppositions, and character assassination. So this book chronicles how Lebai Pa, Mak Milah and their small band of friends face those resistance. Quite a simple storyline really, but it can really resonates with a lot of people. Especially those trying to bring about a similar change.

So, If there's anybody who's interested in reading the book, I can post it to you (since it's no longer in circulation).

Good things are best shared :-)