#merdeka

MERDEKA – A NEW NATION AT 68

/ Alan Atkinson / Leave a comment

As the weekend approaches, the atmosphere begins to lighten up a bit. Stress (for those who have it) seems to be offloading itself into the corners of the work week, people become more at ease…somehow, we can hear music… and it’s getting louder… lively music…dance music…. Then, reality hits…We are stuck in a Friday stall…crawl, jam. But it doesn’t hurt to set the mood…

We are happy… or at least relieved some what that the weekend is upon hand. We get to do “our thing”, whatever it may be. I know of a guy some years ago, who would get home, sit in front of his large fish aquarium, and talk to his fish for hours. He said it was very teurapatic (therapeutic) [my spelling of the word versus the actual one in brackets – close😏😉🤣]. Right…

Celebrating the Writer INNOVATOR.

We, that is my wife – Jeannie, the Batik Influencer, and I – Alan, the Hatted Writer; will be at our booth, located at F1.10, first floor; to celebrate the 68th year as an independent nation with all you lovely people. As Malaysia celebrates, so does its people.

Merdeka today, is not just about flag waving or standing at attention when our national anthem is sung, it is more than that. It is about a nation that continues to work towards being a culmination of peace. That peace is freely offered towards all its peoples and the ever-growing number of people visiting our country, and even calling Malaysia “home”. Sure, there are little bumps and hiccups along the way, it is evident that we are conscientiously working at smoothening them out.

This gentleman definitely has moved in strides and made a fashion statement. I love his spectacles. His hat hints that he could be a Broadway dancer.

The Batik Influencer will be showcasing her latest in Batik Cape Creations under her JEANNIE’S OWN label. The number of pieces available is very limited. So, it would be best for you to come early and get at least one for your very own self. What a way to celebrate this year’s MERDEKA.

I, amongst the many things of our own which we will make available for you to acquire (yes, these multiple items were collected during our travels made over the years); will be showcasing my just published book, SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT. Here is the opportunity to get a specially personalised copy by the author, direct from the author, himself.

Celebrate Merdeka 68 with Jeannie, The Batik Influencer; and I, Alan, The Hatted Writer, at Amcorp Mall, 30 August – 1 September 2025.

The Batik Influencer demonstrating the versatility of one of her JEANNIE’S OWN Batik Cape Creations.

Yes, this is totally me! Awesome!

Samsung Galaxy Fold 5, Crumpler and Ferrari all have something in common, quality. They ooze in greatness.

Mother and daughter combination – JEANNIE’S OWN Batik Cape Creations.

Long time dear friend, Richard Kok; with his copy of SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT.

I am glad to share the success of having published this book with Richard Kok. Success is about getting on with it. Now, for my next book…

Prim and proper. Beauty and elegance. Everything matches, including the ring,

With the unique lace version of a JEANNIE’S OWN Batic Cape Creation.

A new follower, Erryq; with his copy of SPARKS OF JOY – SEIZE THE MOMENT.

Address:
Amcorp Shopping Mall,
Booth 1.10, 1st Floor, ,
8, Jalan, Persiaran Barat, Seksyen 52 Petaling Jaya, 46050 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Date: August 30th, August 31st & September 1st 2025,
Time: 10.00am to 5.30pm (can be extended to 8.00pm)

IT CAME, IT WENT

/ Alan Atkinson / Leave a comment

Aren’t we all in a hurry? Everything seems to be in a rush or rushing to catch the tail end of something. Tail end of a moment? Now, that will be a feat to watch. A moment is what I believe to be wa-a-a-y faster than a second. So, can you imaging trying to catch it’s tail end? I think a dog, running in circles, trying to catch its tail is more likely to succeed though the odds are stacked against that from happening. Compared to us trying to catch the tail end of a moment.

We were waiting in anticipation for the weekend to come, because it was the “Merdeka” weekend. Malaysia’s 67th Independence anniversary. Though some purists will tell you that it was to be Peninsula Malaysia’s (Malaya in 1957) Independence. Sarawak and Sabah got theirs a few years later, what is now known as “Malaysia Day”.

Also, it was the first time that we, the Batik Influencer, Jeannie; and I, would be manning a booth at Amcorp Shopping Mall’s Flea Market starting on a Friday and ending on Sunday.

Friday came. We were at our designated booth on the 1st Floor by 11.00am, set up and displayed the things that we hope would have found new owners by this weekend. At first, we only expected the people traffic flow to be from the office crowd since Friday was a working day. The crowd was good, with a good mix of those still working and those who were not.

The first two of JEANNIE’S OWN Batik Cape Creations were quickly snapped up by these two ladies.

There was a D.J. / M.C. this weekend. He was good. We weren’t at our booth for too long before the M.C. (let’s call him that for the rest of the article) made his way to out booth and interviewed the Batik Influencer. He promoted her batik capes (Jeannie’s Batik Capes under the lable of JEANNIE’S OWN) over the air. I met him, but we did not recognise each other).

The M.C., Denis; getting to know about the Batik Influencer’s Batik Cape Creations under the JEANNIE’S OWN label.

A while later, I saw my cousin, Darren Atkinson, walk by. When he heard the M.C.s voice over the speakers, he said that was Denis Lim. I said it couldn’t be because we met each other earlier. However, I did not recognise him, and vice versa. No names were exchanged at that point of time.

Darren went looking for the M.C..

Friday was soon over, and Jeannie and I headed for home by about 5.00pm. We wanted to avoid the office crawl (literally). It is the usual time when you can see snails move faster than us. Looks like I’ve been influenced by “Turbo”.

The Batik Influencer demonstrating the multiple ways of using the JEANNIE’S OWN Batik Cape Creations.

One of the first people to visit us on Saturday morning was the M.C., Denis. Now, I knew who he was and vice versa; after Darren. We were all connected through the youth of Assumption Church, Petaling Jaya. (1) We reminisced of the great times we had when we were the youth (we still are…depending on how one looks at it😉😂) of the 1970s and 1980s.

My cousin, Chris; stopped by, too. We had a good chat since our last coffee meet up a few weeks ago.

We had many people come see us during the three days we were at our booth. There was never a time the Mall was quiet. The M.C. did a fantastic job, keeping the crowds entertained and updating them on where there could find great bargains for the bargain hunters. He also advertised the products of all the booths had to offer.

Emir visited us, and so did his sister. They picked up a few things of ours for their use. My Fujimi brand e34 BMW 535 SOHC unbuilt model kit which I bought in 1989 and kept all this while, has now found a new owner, who apparently does not intend to build it, but to keep it like how I kept it. He has a real “Mazda red” (colour) e34, double vanos model, as his daily use. He loves it.

More of my Hotwheels collection have found new owners, leaving me with barely 10% of my original collection left. They all must have new owners.

The Batik Influencer met with more fashion industry people and talked away about batik and how it is a growing powerhouse in the international arena. I met many more people who have become followers of http://www.leatherpotato.com. They have wished me well on the upcoming book and have indicated an interest in getting a copy each when it reaches the book stores in Q1, 2025. For, you, readers; a multiple number have indicated that you want a copy, it is coming real soon. It was supposed to be out for the Christmas holidays. However, due to a slight delay, it will be out in Q1, 2025 (not too long from now). I am excited to see its fruition.

We headed home by about 5.30pm. But first, we stopped by at Kwai Sun for dinner…

NOTES:
1. Petaling Jaya is a city in the state of Selangor, Malaysia.

MERDEKA 66

/ Alan Atkinson / Leave a comment

Malaysia celebrates it’s 66th year of Independence as a nation. We have come a long way since August 31st 1957 when our first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman declared, “Merdeka!”.

My days of celebrating Merdeka every year without fail, especially when we (my sister and brothers) were growing up was to get up early on Merdeka Day to watch the grand parade on t.v. with our dad and mum. We’d be up by 7.00am to make sure we did not miss anything.

Our initial years was watching these parades in black & white. Color televisions (tv) were not available back then, not until the early 1980s. Nonetheless; it did not diminish our excitement. We’d have our snacks and drinks by the side of us so that we didn’t miss anything.

My favourite part was when the military with their armored vehicles and long range guns on trailers went by. The icing on the cake was when aircraft from the air force flew by. One of the earliest aircraft in our air force was the F-86 Sabre and later on, the Northop F-5E Tiger. These were the defenders of the nation. I was more fascinated (more like in awe) with technology and aircraft on the whole.

These parades aired on tv.

As we progressed in years, we were watching these same annual parades on our color screen tv. The aircraft and military vehicles had progressed, too; more modernized; though not the latest of the latest available. Malaysia was a small and young, growing nation; limited in financial resources. Having said that, our armed forces did well in protection of our country.

The airing of these annual parades on tv was usually until 10.30am or 11.00am. The rest of the day, we’d do our own thing. Watching these annual parades were I suspect, highly influenced by my dad, who was a military officer in the Malayan army at first. The army became the Malaysian army when Malaysia was formed in September 1963.

The rest of the Merdeka Day was light and easy for us. Amongst the Atkinson (dad’s side) and Gomes (mum’s side) families, we were the only ones living in Klang; (1) away from everybody else living either in PJ (2) or KL (3). Klang was 30 minutes away from PJ and a further 15 minutes from KL, by road. That made our home a sort of a getaway for our uncles, aunts and cousins to come and visit. These visits were usually on holidays and weekends. So, Merdeka Day was no different.

Our Jalan Ladang (4) house had a large compound around the house. It had a badminton court on one side of the house. This house was a hive of activities with our uncles, aunties, cousins and schoolfriends. The main sport for the Atkinson family was “Rounders”, a modified version of baseball. It was a game we took seriously with loads of fun.

In front of our house, across the road (“street” if you are American), was vacant land, cleared for building houses. The usual players were Uncle Jeff, Aunty Val, Brendon, Shenton, Uncle Ronnie, Aunty Maryjane, dad, mum, Jennifer, Nigel Terence and myself. Duncan, Audra, Darren and Malcolm were too young to play. Whoever else visited us, were conscripted into either one of two teams that we formed. As for the youngsters, they had their own games among themselves.

This was the “World Series” every time we had a game going. Rules were fluid, meaning that they were constantly “improved” or “upgraded”. We’d use a palm oil branch as a bat, and tennis balls. We’d play on the badminton court, constantly aiming at hitting the ball over the fence, towards the open land. The World Series was so much fun.

Today, we celebrate Merdeka with a serious outlook towards nation building. That is on a bigger picture. Zooming in on our immediate families, friends, and our neighborhood; we are proud to be a nation rich in heritage and culture of great diversity. Wherever we go in Malaysia; we can experience this diverse heritage, this diverse culture, especially when it comes to food.

Wishing all Malaysians, “Happy Merdeka”!

P.S.: I had a couple of Starbucks coffee in the morning. then, I had a “XL” zinger burger from KFC for lunch. The XL size burger is what you’d get if you were in the U.S. – huge. Came with black buns (said to be more healthy for us), and a generous chicken patty offering. The sauces added the “zing” into the zinger.

We’ve (Jeannie, Laura and I) planned to have a nice Merdeka dinner, celebrating Merdeka this evening.

NOTES:
1. Klang, back in the 1970s and 1980s was a small, growing town in the state of Selangor, Malaysia. Now, it is a fast growing city.
2. Petaling Jaya (PJ) is a city in the state of Selangor, Malaysia.
3. KL or Kuala Lumpur, the federal capital of Malaysia; is a federal territory of Malaysia.
4. Jalan Ladang is Malay for “farm road” in English. However, there are no farms anywhere near this area.