Season 1 | Episode 28 | Show Notes & Transcript

Episode Title: T.R.A.I.L.S. to A New Neighborhood | Occupational Wellness with Author-Publisher Hidayah Amin IV

Music Copyright and Attribution 

1. “On My Way” by Kevin MacLeod. This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 International License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US
2. “Inspiration” by Ethan Tay. February 20, 2021 (Sydney, Australia). This work is an original contribution by the artist for the ASK Trio About Wellness podcast.
3. “Pro Wellness” by Ethan Tay. March 9th, 2021 (Sydney, Australia). This work is an original contribution by the artist for the ASK Trio About Wellness podcast.
4. “Tweets and Wellness Walks In Ballston Lake” by Syazana B. Mohamed Sani. September 2021 (New York, U.S.A.). This work is an original contribution by the founder for ASK Trio About Wellness podcast.
5. “Holidays 1” by Hardi Kamsani. December 2021 (New York, U.S.A.) This work is an original contribution by the artist for the ASK Trio About Wellness podcast.
6. “Holidays 2” by Hardi Kamsani. December 2021 (New York, U.S.A.) This work is an original contribution by the artist for the ASK Trio About Wellness podcast.
7. “Indonesian Holiday Groove 1” by Hardi Kamsani. December 2021 (New York, U.S.A.) This work is an original contribution by the artist for the ASK Trio About Wellness podcast.

Co-Sponsors

Hardi Kamsani and Azman Repin (M. S.)

Hosts

Azimah Azman, Azfar Azman and Syazana B. Mohamed Sani (M. S.)

Guest Speaker

Hidayah Amin of Helang Books (Singapore)

Volunteer Contributor

Hardi Kamsani (Audio Editing and Sound Design) 

Scriptwriter | Producer | Director 

Syazana B. Mohamed Sani (M. S.)

ASK Trio About Wellness podcast is a production of ASKtrioWello LLC (New York).

Disclaimer

The information provided in the ASK Trio About Wellness podcast is for educational purposes only. You should consult your doctor, specialist or physical trainer for advice on your physical wellness goals before you plan to follow any of the suggestions or recommendations in this podcast. 

All Rights Reserved ©ASKtrioWello LLC 2021.

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TRANSCRIPT

[Intro]

Hello! Holã! Marhaba! 

WELCOME to the ASK Trio About Wellness podcast! Join me, Syazana Sani and the Astro Duo, Azfar Azman and Azimah Azman, your hosts from New York. Let’s strive to educate, regenerate and elevate family institutions through optimal productivity and wellness education, one episode at a time. 

[Intro to Segment I] 

ARE YOU READY to listen to inspirational stories of trust, respect, acceptance, integrity, love and social responsibility from multicultural families and special needs communities? Sit back, relax and be inspired by the awesome people that we highlight in the first segment of the podcast…

Segment I | T.R.A.I.L.S To a New Neighborhood

[Azfar] Welcome back to the ASK Trio About Wellness podcast! This episode is co-sponsored by Hardi Kamsani and my dad, Azman Repin. Thank you and may God bless you.  

[Azimah] Hello! May peace be upon you! 

[Syazana] You are listening to the 28th episode of the podcast with me, Syazana, and the Astro Duo, Azfar and Azimah. 

[Audio recording] *T.R.A.I.L.S. to a new neighborhood

*{[Azimah] It’s a beautiful day in Ballston Lake, NY. It’s kind of like the olden days…we get to see the trees, there’s no cars back then.

[Syazana] Hey! Look! There are so many birds up here in the tree.

[Azimah] Hi! Birdie!

[Syazana] It’s a great Sunday to go for a walk. 

[Azimah] Yeah! Wellness walks…

[Azimah] It’s just very pretty, right Ummi?

[Syazana] Yeah, it is. It’s always pretty to be close to nature.

[Azimah] Yeah! Well, let’s…

[Syazana] Let’s continue with our wellness walk…

[Azimah] Not that way…that way is mud!

[Syazana] Alright, this way then. Come! Let’s go!}

[BGM] Footsteps and tweets.

[Syazana] Breathe in…breathe out…Phew! We’ve finally…completely moved to our new house in Ballston Lake, New York. It’s surrounded by trees and nature trails as well as parks nearby for wellness walks. 

We’re so grateful because our kind-hearted neighbors made us feel so welcome! Two families came knocking on our door welcoming us into the neighborhood with cookies and chocolate fudge. 

[Azimah] Oh! Wow! 

[Syazana] This neighborhood is blessed with mutual trust, respect, acceptance and we hope there’s integrity, love and social responsibility too. Alhamdulillah. Praise and thanks to Almighty God, Allah SWT.

[BGM] Jet plane

[Syazana] Hey! We can also hear the sounds of jet planes flying in the air. Oh! We can also hear the choo choo train passing by as we’re not too far away from the railroad or railway tracks.

[BGM] Train

[Azimah] Do you know the latest news about Azfar in Singapore?

[Syazana] I sure do! Our co-host Azfar is no longer a recruit or private at the Lifesaving Force, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF). He was selected to be in the Section Commander Course known as SCC. He is now on track to become a junior Sergeant! Ai! Ai! Sergeant! 

[BGM] Yes, Sir!

[Azimah] Woohoo! Bravo! 

[Syazana] So proud of you, my teen superhero! May you continue to stay humble and achieve success, my boy! Here’s a recording of Azfar and his food adventure dedicated to his one and only sister, you, Azimah…

[Azimah] Ameen! Love, hugs and kisses! Muahhh!

[Syazana, Azimah] Winter break, Christmas and New Year celebrations are coming soon! Here’s wishing everyone a wonderful break and happy holidays! 

[Syazana] While enjoying the holidays, we invite you to support the ASK Trio About Wellness podcast by shopping at our NEW online shop! 

Check out ASKtrioWello Shop: Apparel for Women and Kids in America at https://asktriowello.shop.social. We hope you’ll be able to find something pretty and beautiful as a gift for yourself or your loved ones. FREE shipping for delivery in the U.S.A. for any orders above $59. Products are currently selling at special pre-launch prices, so don’t miss this chance.

[Azimah, Azfar, Syazana] Stay tuned to the next episode...and listen to stories of trust, respect, acceptance, integrity, love and social responsibility.

~ End of Segment I ~

Coming up next…

In the second segment of the podcast, we’ll learn about productivity and the nine dimensions of wellness—physical, emotional, environmental, spiritual, social, intellectual, mental, occupational and financial wellness—so we can survive and thrive in this unpredictable world.

Segment II | Occupational Wellness with Author-Publisher Hidayah Amin IV

[Azimah] Now it’s time to welcome our special guest...Author and Publisher...Hidayah Amin.

[Syazana] Welcome to the show again, Hidayah!

[Azfar] Welcome to the ASK Trio About Wellness podcast!

[Hidayah] Thank you!

[Syazana] In the last episode, Hidayah had talked about the importance of social responsibility and why she published the book, The Cure, written by nine-year old author, Nuha.

In this episode, we want to know more about other books published by Helang Books. Now, let’s rock and roll with the question for Hidayah, Azimah…

[Azimah] Can you tell us more about the non-fiction books that you have published, Hidayah?

[BGM] Sounds of Nature/Tweets 

[Hidayah] Oh! I became an author entrepreneur all partly because of (the) situation and also a lot of causes like The Mango Tree–it was in a way to heal myself. A lot of it came out because of causes. In fact, the next book after The Mango Tree, came out from a racist remark on Facebook.

The title is Malay Weddings Don’t Cost $50 and Other Facts About Malay Culture. So then later on I realized a lot of my books came out because of situations and causes. And it is more meaningful that way because we don’t just do books for the sake of doing books; we do books to educate, to correct perceptions, to give the voice to the voiceless and all that. Yeah! That’s the journey of Helang Books and of myself as an author entrepreneur.

[Azimah] That’s awesome!

[Syazana] Amazing!

[Hidayah] I write and publish non-fiction books. At the same time, I also write and publish children’s books. So, these two are very different in treatment, in seriousness, in a lot of things. It’s like really at polar ends.

Why do I write non-fiction? I started out with Gedung Kuning.

[Syazana] Oh yeah! I remembered that you mentioned about your first non-fiction book, Gedung Kuning, in episode #25 of the ASK Trio About Wellness podcast.

 [Hidayah] It’s actually creative non-fiction. It is a REAL story, but I wrote it in a children’s book style. Maybe if I had gone to do the Ph.D. right, I would have been an academician. My background is one who likes to do research, who likes to correct narratives, to give an alternative perspective. So, if you look at some of the books that I’ve written, let’s say non-fiction. 

As of this year, I’ve published eight titles: Gedung Kuning, Malay Weddings Don’t Cost $50, Kampong Tempe: Voices From A Malay Village. I’m all for social justice, to have a voice included. And you know where Kampung Tempe is now, it’s the most expensive area in Singapore. And if you read the book, you’ll understand how some of the villagers were actually cheated out of selling their lands. 

And I also wrote a Malay Language book, Bahasa: A Guide to Malay Languages, where I compile all the Malay languages including Tagalog, that’s the Filipino language (and) because Filipinos belong to the Astronesian family which is part of the Malay, the proto Malay. And also Selita, Selita is the language of the Orang Laut or the sea nomads. 

So why I started this book is because I started to rediscover and to embrace my Banjar side of the family. Before this, I used to suppress my Banjar bloodline. You know, I’m a very proud Javanese. And I think the younger generation has forgotten because I grew up in a household that spoke Malay only. 

And then of course I wrote about Kampong Gelam: kampong is village and gelam is the name of the gelam tree. In fact, the so-called (this) urban village that I grew up in, it’s a historic district. To think that it’s a historic district in Singapore and there is no book written about it. So, I decided to write. In fact, from the first book Gedung Kuning. Gedung Kuning IS in Kampong Gelam. It is…the building is still there right. Kampong Gelam is a historic district, it’s preserved, designated and yet there is no book…NOTHING…about Kampong Gelam. So, I embarked on this researching on Kampung Gelam; 883-page book about Kampong Gelam called Leluhur: Singapore’s Kampong Gelam. Lelulur is a Javanese word for ancestors: your roots, where you come from.

And then of course last year, I came out with a book about Kuih (kueh) or Malay desserts, Malay cakes. 

[Syazana] Ooh! Our family members love eating traditional Malay kuih (kueh). I’ve also tried making Epok-epok also known as curry puffs, Apam Balik or crepes with peanuts or sweetcorn, Nagasari or steamed bananas. I hope I’ll remember to purchase your book when I visit Singapore again. It’s exciting to know that there are 120 recipes of traditional Malay kuih (kueh) in your book!

[Hidayah] This is part of the Malay Heritage series. And again, why kuih (kueh)? Why this book about kuih? Basically, about the stories: the name of the kuih (kueh), the history of the kuih (kueh). I have 120 kuih (kuih) that I wrote. There are still more kuih (kueh), but I couldn’t take it anymore! 120 is a lot! So, I said “That’s it lah! Just stop at 120, okay! 

[Syazana] Okay! So, what actually motivated you to write this book which is dedicated to traditional Malay kuih (kueh)?

If you know about Singapore, there are people who kind of claim our Malay food to be theirs. So, I’m just sick and tired of people saying “Oh! This is our food. Even the naming is wrong, the pronunciation, to make it appear non-Malay. So, I’ve decided that…you know what? I’m just going to write a book about it! So again…you can see, right? 

[Azimah] Yeah! 

[Syazana] Yup! Certainly!

The titles of my books are quite provocative. But hey! The best way to educate is to spread knowledge, right?

So, the next book is about the Singapore last Malay Schools (Sang Nila Utama and Tun Seri Lanang.) I was in secondary school…these schools no longer existed. One of the former principals of the schools actually came and asked me. I have done a book about a charity in Singapore. I traced this Lembaga Biasiswa Kenangan Maulud (LBKM), Prophet Muhammad Memorial Scholarship Fund which I wrote a book about it. I guessed they were impressed, and they asked whether I wanted to write this book. 

This is pre-COVID; I had to go to even Malaysia, Brunei to interview the students who used to be in the schools. So, this book is very much anticipated. In fact, I think it’s very valuable. Despite the hardship that I went through, I am very, very glad that it will come to fruition. These are the non-fiction books. I have a vested interest; I feel the importance and the need for these books to be written. 

[Syazana] Thank you, Hidayah, for sharing the stories behind your published books. We love your passion to educate, regenerate and elevate the community through book publishing, one book at a time, also one episode at a time on our podcast, ASK Trio About Wellness.

[Azimah] Yeah! Thank you, Hidayah! 

How about your children’s books? I have read your book; My Name is Mikail. I have Cerebral Palsy. I want to know more about all your children’s books in the next episode!

[Syazana] Yeah! In the next episode, Hidayah will talk more about her children’s book including books on and for special needs people. This is absolutely exciting because we love talking about what people are doing to build an inclusive world.

[Azimah, Syazana] So stay tuned to the next episode with Hidayah Amin…woohoo! 

~ End of Segment II ~ 

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We’ve now come to the end of the show today. If you have enjoyed our show, like us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @asktriowello a-s-k-t-r-i-o-w-e-l-l-o. Send us your feedback to syazana@asktriowello.com or hello@asktriowello.com. 

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~ End of episode ~

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Notes

Helang Books is an imprint of Archipelago Consultancy, 

a Singapore-based consultancy providing high-quality services in the areas of Research, Heritage, Education and Creativity. Helang Books has carved its niche in publishing important history and heritage books, as well as award-winning children’s literature.

Find us on FB, IG, Twitter, YouTube.

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