The Beginning

Photo taken with my great grandmother (of father's side). This grand old lady continue to live for another 18 years, till mid 80's. Photo shot at grand mother's house (mom side), and it was during monsoon that this baby was born and it is no wonder why rain and myself has always had some chemistry bonding.

I never knew her name until very recently when the photo was removed for scanning and the back of the photos revealed my father's scribbling. My father has the penchant of jotting down every little details into the back of photos, his note books, diary etc and many-many years down the road, such notes is found to be priceless. It tells where I was born, whom I with, my weight, date of the shot and date of birth.

Before the Beginning - The Birthday Party

Kelantan folks celebrating birthday in what I think was in 1968! emmm,very modern.... I recognized an auntie, 2 cousins, and I guess the rest would be distance aunties, cousins and relatives.

If my fading memory serve me right, photo was shot at the grand uncle house in Kota Bharu based on the type of timber flooring it has. The house still stands to this date, albeit in dilapidated condition, unoccupied and with overgrown lallang on the courtyard......that's a cycle of life. The house was once the the grandest house in the whole of the village. A village just 2 km away from Kota Bharu town centre.

Before the Beginning 6 - Kuala Lipis Now

Now and before, what have changed? the photo snapped on the verandah of Pahang Club recently at almost the same spot where the earlier photo was shot a generation ago @ 40 ++ years ago, and the charming building (formerly rest house) had so far won the test against nature and time.


There in Kuala Lipis you will find mileage stone that tells you are already in K Lipis, in case you don't realize. Wonder where it begins? Kuantan, and it is still in British Imperial Unit,a reminder of the past.

Before the Beginning 5 - Kuala Lipis Before

Found this photo which indicates that it was shot in front of Kuala Lipis rest house in the 60's. The building is now occupied as Pahang Club House. The present rest house located at Bukit Resident and Tg Lipis, both on the peak of two hills overlooking the town and surrounding areas.

In time before me, the town was used by British Colonial to administer the state because of of its strategic location in the centre of Malaya (or in the centre of nowhere). This is where you will find colonial's relic such as Governemnt Administration building, British's Resident Sir Hugh Clifford's house, Post Office
and Train Station.

Kuala Lipis - "where clock stops ticking", people are laid back and appears in no rushing mood, only made famous in recent time by Malaysia's most coveted singer, Datuk Siti Nurhaliza. I ve been making countless trips to Kuala Lipis for the last 13 years not realizing that a generation before me had left their footprints earlier. Me, married to a lady from Kuala Lipis now, and each trip to this town certainly an escapade from the daily rat race.

Before The Beginning 4 - Singing in the face of danger

The year was 1965, Malaysia was in the midst of 'small war' with Indonesia. Confrontation was launched by Indonesia (President Soekarno)in 1963 to annexe Malaysia after the admission of Sabah and Sarawak into newly formed Malaysia.

The Indonesian Army which was largely influenced by communist, had the impression that invading Malaysia would be easy. They almost got it correct in Kalabakan, Tawau, Sabah when they ambushed our 3rd Battalion Royal Malay Regiment resulting in many of our young soldiers and the Company commander killed and many others injured. Al fatihah to our braved men who perished in the incident.

Photo showed our men in the remote outpost of Tawau, Sabah in 1965 during confrontation, possibly the last frontier facing Indonesian border. They were unwinding themselves, probably after a day out patrolling the border. Tawau was the springboard for the defence of the east coast of Sabah and many of our young men saw action there.

More of the history of confrontation with photos that were never featured anywhere before on Indonesian botched invasion of Malaysia.

The phrase 'Singing in the face of danger' is borrowed from an article wrote by former Army General in last 2 issues of NST.

Before the Beginning 3 - Flood

1967, heaven's gate opened, Kota Bharu was flooded, but there was neither dull faces nor dull moment, this was the time where love first sighted and blossomed. People went out in drives to 'main bah' or literally means 'playing in the water'.

Strangely, this only happen in the east coast corridor of Malaysia. 3rdd photo featured my dad and uncle, wearing quite a daring outfit for a Kelantanese in the 60's.

1st and 2nd picture was shot a few days later when flood water receded.

Before the Beginning 2 - The Soccer

Dad (centre) before boarding MSA Flights. Destination unknown to me. I believe it was before or after Malaysia Cup football game. Yeapp!! he represented Armed Forces football team in the 60's, they were a team to fear. In mid 60's they went to Malaysia Cup final and lost 0-2 to Selangor with the like of Ghani Minhat playing for Selangor.

A bit of the MSA. It was a National Airline for Malaysia before it was split in early 70's into Singapore Airline and Malaysia Airline System as its known today.

Before The Beginning - The Introduction

This is window to the past, both photos was shot in 1967, 2 years before the beginning and 40 years from present day. That's explain the title of the blog, which is not particularly about me neither my dad (who is regularly featured in the photos) nor my family. It about anything that is connected with collection of photos that I had, story behind it and history.

Through collection of the old photos, I ll rewind all of us back into the glorious past. The past perceived by many (including myself) appears only in black and white.

A keen photographer himself, I must thank dad for his collection of photos. First photo was shot in Singapore and 2nd one was shot in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. A world apart!! Why Singapore and Kota Bharu? we will discover it in later part of my blogging experience.That's my dad and mother, young married couple in their late 20's, then.

With the help of my fellow blogger and brother wmsoo who has been scanning these photos, more and more of the past will be revealed...and of course bit of present day.