THE now-demolished, magnificent bungalow in Lorong Utara, Petaling Jaya belonging to Biduanita Negara the late Datuk Sharifah Aini has left "a thousand memories" for her adopted brother, Rosman Jasmi.
Since he got to know the soft-spoken diva with a melodious and powerful voice almost three decades ago, Rosman said that many sweet memories were spent in the luxurious bungalow.
"I was one of the first men to witness the various modifications that happened to the splendid bungalow of Sharifah Aini.
"After moving from Kenny Hill or Bukit Tunku, Sharifah Aini bought a plot of land and built a house in Lorong Utara, Petaling Jaya.
"The construction of this house went through three phases.
"For the initial phase, the house was rather small. After that, Sharifah Aini made renovations by enlarging the kitchen.
"This is because she liked to entertain good friends, chatting with them in the kitchen. The third phase was when Sharifah Aini renovated the entire house by choosing Mediterranean and British concepts.
"I was one of her close chums who accompanied her to look for materials, household items, and ornaments. Sharifah Aini liked interior decorations with a British concept.
"I always teased her by saying that her living room was like a hotel lobby due to its plentiful luxury furniture.
"However, she reasoned that this would make it easier for her to undergo a photography session. It is not the same as taking photos on the sofa because many spaces can be used as a photography location," he told Berita Harian recently.
Rosman added that Sharifah Aini was very meticulous and fussy when it came to improving her residence.
"She monitored the work done by the contractor, very carefully and did not want the original work to be distorted. She was hard to please and two architects gave up!" he recalled.
Even then, Rosman understood why the legendary singer was so thorough in the construction of the bungalow where she lived for over 20 years.
"Laughter, tears, happiness, and sadness that she went through happened a lot in this house.
"A lot of her free time was spent at home because she did not like to go for a walk or visit other people's houses.
"A lot of income from singing was also spent on beautifying her bungalow. Until now, I can still remember her appearance in the house, she liked to tie her hair in a bun whenever she was at home.
"I also have a special room in the bungalow. Sharifah Aini painted the room in a vibrant green colour because that is my favourite colour.
"However, I have never spent the night there because I am not comfortable spending the night in other people's houses," he said.
When asked about Sharifah Aini's son, Aliff Omar Ali, who sold the bungalow that had a surau on the second floor, Rosman said that her only son's decision was for the better.
"Aliff did all this to fulfill his responsibilities as a son and according to Islamic law. He wanted her property to be distributed according to faraid.
"Now everything is finished. Some parts have been handed over to the rightful heirs, some have also been endowed in the name of Sharifah Aini and Aliff has also bought another house.
"Items such as chandeliers have been donated to mosques in the south of Thailand. Early last year there was a big flood there and many mosques were affected, so we sent them by lorry.
"It's a pity because many memories were made in the house, but Aliff had to do everything for the sake of his late mother.
"May God's rewards continue to flow to him. Aliff is a good son," said Rosman.