Drained

I’m like that piece of fabric, initially tightly knit, strong, soft, stiff, almost unwearable. With time, the more it’s worn, the more it’s used, rubbed against, washed, spilled on, cleaned with, the weaker it gets. It’s strength wears out. The threads slowly start to unwind. There are holes. There are stains. There is everything right up on the surface showing the battles of the cloth. The faded colours, the rough edges. 

It’s not what it used to be. It’s not able to do what it could before.

Yet it’s use is still the same. You can’t build this kind of strength back, you can’t make it new without replacing it. It’s gone. Its just a matter of time till it diminishes altogether. 

What is the best?

It is a well known saying, 'nobody's perfect'. The flaws are always there. It will always be. Even if we put our best effort on everything we do and hope that the best will come out of it, there will always be one tiny flaw - sometimes unseen - that imperfect the end result. Don't worry. It's okay. It only means that we're human enough to make mistake. And knowing that we're not as perfect, we will always try our best in whatever we do. And hey, that's the best!

Rasanya belum terlambat untuk memohon ampun maaf atas segala salah dan silap, tersembunyi mahupun terang dari sesiapa yang mengenali diri ini. Salam Aidilfitri buat semua. Semoga tarbiah sebulan puasa di bulan Ramadhan berjaya mengembalikan kita kepada fitrah kehambaan, dan semoga akan kekal berpanjangan menjadi sang hamba yang taat kepada-Nya sehinggalah kita bertemu lagi di bulan Ramadhan yang akan datang. InshaAllah.

An alarm clock, aren't we?

Abu’d-Darda’ reported that the Messenger of Allah said,

“Shall I inform you of the best of your actions and the purest of your property and the highest of your degrees and what is better for you than spending gold and silver and better for you than encountering the enemy and striking their necks and their striking your necks?”

They said, “Yes, indeed!”

He said, “Remembrance of Allah Almighty.”

Muadh ibn Jabal said, “There is nothing which saves from the punishment of Allah more than remembrance of Allah.”

(Ahmad, Ibn Abi’d-Dunya, at-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah)

Light Of the Dawn - Eiduladha Mubarak.

I wake with the light of the dawn whispering

With joy in my heart and with praise on my lips

In stillness and twilight I stand before You

Bowing, prostrating I call Allahu

My eyes see Your beauty in the dawn’s golden hues

My ears hear the thunder as it glorifies You

The rhythm of my heart beats the sound of Your name

My breaths rise and fall with the tide of Your praise

My soul knew and loved You before I was born

And without Your mercy is lost and forlorn

Wherever I may wander down the pathways of life

My cry to You, oh my Lord, is ‘guide me to light’

Through all fear and helplessness, to You do I turn

For Your breath of healing and peace do I yearn

For all that I have, my Lord, all that I am

Is from You, is for You and to You will return

Ya Allah, Ya Rahman, Ya Rahim, Ya Hayyu, Ya Qayyum

TALIB AL-HABIB, “LIGHT OF THE DAWN”

This is a really nice nasheed!

Selamat Hari Raya Aidiladha buat semua. Ampun maaf zahir dan batin jua. Tahniah buat semua lembu, kambing, unta, kibas yang terpilih dan layak disembelih tahun ini. You’ve served your purpose. Manusia sepertiku ini sahaja yang belum sempurna dalam memenuhi tujuan kewujudannya di muka bumi. Insaf, insaf. Allahuakbar, Allahuakbar, Allahuakbar ya Rabbi.

Allahuakbar,

A Thousand Splendid Suns

Salams and greetings dear friends,

Never before have I been so taken with a book. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. And yeah, it's splendid. This book. It was like - I was there with Mariam, Laila and everything that happened to them - real. Till the last page. Overtaken. Inspiring. One that worth be recommended.

Read this book reviews here.

Until the next book,

InsyaAllah by Maher Zain

Whoever have the lyrics, please let me know, okay. *big grin*

It has been a long time and yeah, I know this is very improper of me, a shameful act you can say, after months of nothing, no updating, no entries, blog left untended, uncared and suddenly, poof! out of thin air, I - still have the guts to - post up a video that you might've or might not heard of - asking for the lyrics. Yeah, the lyrics.

He is Maher Zain, and he'd just had his first debut on 30th October this year. Well, if you've known him, he's famous for his song, "Palestine Will Be Free". Ringing a bell somewhere? No? Oh, okay. Some of his nasheeds are beautiful and inspiring.

Save the babbling, lets get this straight out.

Ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, friends and foes, if it is not too much to ask, that if you happen to have or know (meaning you understand arabic and have the nerve to write it down) the lyrics to this song, InsyaAllah (Arabic) - oh, you can spare the French one - please pass it on to me as I failed to find it anywhere in the world wide web. You may just copy and paste them down in the comment box below. Jazakumullah.

Updated: So, here's the site with the InshaAllah Arabic lyrics, thanks to Kak Nur for having found it for me. ^^

http://rqyali.blogspot.com/2010/01/blog-post_11.html



Until then friends,

...received a baju raya from...

Bukan melatah, sekadar berkongsi sudut pengalaman sebagai salah seorang pengguna facebook tegar (er, suatu waktu dahulu). Terlalu banyak konspirasi berkitar tentang jaringan sosial yang satu ini; facebook, berbanding jaringan-jaringan sosial yang lain. Semua pun produk Yahudi dan Amerika. Blogspot ini pun rupanya. Aneh, ya? Wajarlah tercetusnya segala konspirasi-konspirasi itu. Adapun tiadalah kita mahu berpanjang-panjang bicara akan perkara-perkara supersensasi ini, boleh sahaja tuan-tuan hamba berangkat terus ke pautan-pautan di bawah ini:

How well do you know me?
You are most likely to die on...
The Dark Side of Facebook
Facebook - The CIA Conspiracy
Teori Konspirasi antara Facebook dengan CIA
Facebook sebagai alat-alat mata AS?
Facebook bantu Israel - Apa fatwa JAKIM?
Facebook, Jaringan Internet, Israel dan Rancangan Zionis
SIO: Facebook: Antara Pro dan Kontra

Those are just theories and conspiracies. Whether you want to believe it or not, is up to you. Pray that you choose good over bad and InsyaAllah He will guide your every way.

Not a good one: A profile once full of you-know-what. Nowadays - regression period.

(Overdoing: Meriahnya profile. Edisi khas Hari Raya. Kehkeh. Bajet lawalah tu. Sekali-sekala. Er, jangan mare!)

A friend of mine once said, don't you think the quizzes on facebook resemble those horoscope thingy? Telling you when you will die, how many children will you have in the future, what is your fate tomorrow, when will you get married, how many wives will you marry, etc. Similar to those fortune teller machines; the only difference is that you have to answer several stupid questions instead of inserting RM 2 inside the coin box and giving your right palm for reading. (Er, do we still have that nowadays?)

By answering all those quizzes meaning that - YOU DO WANT to believe them.

Sheesh, that just sound like zassss!!! Sigh. "Ala, main-main jelah. Bukan percaya pun. Suka-suka. Saja isi masa lapang." Hurm... sadly, I was once the victim. You could simply put it this way - a newbie with a culture shock. One hour, two hours, three hours... oopss!! Jeez, time passes by so fast in a daily busy life, huh?! Imagine in that three hours, a lot of works could have been done and finish sooner. Besides, sitting too long before a computer could also increases tension, headache etc. Noted please, that every second spent on this rubbish is every valuable time Allah had generously granted in your honored life. And yes dear friends, life is very short. Sheesh, how embarassing!

With that being said,

Nabi Muhammad SAW bersabda, " Kebaikan generasi pertama umat ini kerana adanya sifat syahid dan keimanan yang kuat dan binasanya generasi akhir umat ini kerana adanya sifat bakhil dan banyak berangan-angan."
(Bukhari dan Muslim)

I rest my case.
(In the light of those who'd been victims in the past - and still now)


p/s: Terima kasih untuk segala baju, duit, kuih dan kad raya virtual itu. Oh, tidak terbalas!

Maaf untuk entri yang lebih rojak dari rojak buah,

Serbuk Darah

Pemikiran manusiawi memang hebat. Akal pemberian Tuhan diguna sehabis baik. Tidak cukup dengan penciptaan yang telah sempurna ada, direka lagi sesuatu yang lebih baik, hebat dan semakin mudah penggunaanya. Kagum. Saya kagum walau belum benar teruji.

Israel develops freeze-dried blood powder

JERUSALEM, June 20 (UPI) -- The Israeli army is working with a local company to turn soldiers' blood into a freeze dried powder.

Blood samples are taken from new recruits and processed. In the battlefield, the powder can be mixed with water to treat wounded soldiers, The Jerusalem Post reported Friday.

Subhanallah. Memandang dari satu sisi, betapa hebatnya makhluk ciptaan Tuhan bernama manusia ini.

...the powder can be mixed with water to treat wounded soldiers

Mudah. Seperti hendak memakai bedak sejuk.

Brig.Gen. Dr. Nachman Ash head of the medical corps told reporters if the idea proves itself it could also be adapted to civilian life. He said the company leading the research is Core Dynamics, a biotechnological company active in research and development of thawing and freeze-drying technologies in blood transfusions

Usaha tangga kejayaan. Di mana ada kemahuan di situ ada jalan.

Ash revealed a few other lifesaving devices currently being developed for the army, including a portable device with ceramic pipes that can produce oxygen in the field for wounded soldiers and a battery-operated device that could be used to ventilate wounded soldiers on the battlefield. Ash told reporters the army plans to convert the working models into commercial devices.

Mengapalah mereka bersusah payah mereka cipta segala keperluan-keperluan itu sedangkan siapalah yang sering benar menyerang dan menceroboh rumah dan kediaman orang?

Mereka bersedia tidak kira waktu, bertindak tidak kira situasi, dalam senyap melemahkan minda dan ruh Islam kita, terang-terang pula sedang melengkapkan artileri terhebat menangkis sebarang serangan atau hendak menyerang(?) Ah, tidak mahu berkisah panjang. Barangkali kita harus berhenti menongkat dagu bermain catur sambil gelak ketawa berpenglipur lara entah apa-apa dan segera-segera mencarinya yang seperti Salman Al-Farisi atau Muhammad Al-Fatih. Segera!

Daripada An-Nu’man bin Basyir, beliau berkata, suatu hari kami duduk-duduk di masjid Rasulullah S.A.W. Basyir (bin Saad) adalah seorang yang tidak banyak bercakap. Lalu datang Abu Tsa’labah dan beliau berkata, wahai Basyir bin Saad, apakah kamu menghafal Hadith Rasulullah S.A.W tentang kepimpinan (al-Umara’)? Lalu Hudzaifah berkata, aku menghafal khutbah Baginda S.A.W.
Lantas Abu Tsa’labah Al-Khashniyy duduk dan Huzaifah berkata, Rasulullah S.A.W bersabda:

“Kenabian akan berada bersamamu selama mana ia dikehendaki oleh Allah, kemudian Dia mengangkatnya ketika mana Dia mahu mengangkatnya.
Kemudian akan tiba pula zaman Khilafah di atas Manhaj Kenabian selama mana ia dikehendaki oleh Allah, kemudian Dia mengangkatnya ketika mana Dia mahu mengangkatnya.
Kemudian datang pula zaman raja yang menggigit (Malikun ‘Aadhun) selama mana ia dikehendaki oleh Allah, kemudian Dia mengangkatnya ketika mana Dia mahu mengangkatnya.
Selepas itu muncul pula zaman raja yang diktator (Malikun Jabriyyah) selama mana ia dikehendaki oleh Allah, kemudian Dia mengangkatnya ketika mana Dia mahu mengangkatnya.

Kemudian akan hadir pula zaman Khilafah di atas manhaj Kenabian…”

Finally, do the math yourself...

Best Things In Life

Stumbled upon this. Nothing, just stumble. Oh, yeah I stumble often these days. Inspiration, you know. I'll share with you what else I've stumbled upon. So long!

Oh, and Happy Labor's Day!



Do doctors get a day off on Labor's Day?

When Head In Hands

 (Warning: I don't know, I think this entry is psychotic, you'll have your head in your hands in the end - but don't worry, it should be a win-win one and there's no harm done during the production of this entry *wink^wink*)

When things are getting somewhat upside down from what you’ve been planning, when problems bustling so sudden you don’t know where it came from, when you don’t know what cause what or how this came to be this, that it’s already bad without that interfering with that, you’re all messed up and you don’t even know where to begin to stop what had caused it. When head in hands, you’re all but thinking, is this what life is all about? And that sudden thought of removing yourself from the surface of earth forever kept jostling up until you realize that you’re going much much too far…

Then you start blaming people, others who you think had made it all worse on all accounts...

Thank you very much to the people around you who act like they understand you more than you do yourself, and those who seems to think that they’re taking care of your life like you don’t care about it anymore than they do. They kept jutting fingers in your life and think that they’re doing a very good job all the while without knowing they’re damaging your dream life that you’ve built so hard you felt like you'd kill that someone who ruined it. This people who think that, whatever you do, are all wrong in their perfect eyes and decided that you should understand their demand while they mend your life. What do you call this kind of people, huh?

Later after that, hatred starts building inside you. You hate these people; you loath them to the core of your existence. In your defiance, they are the one who created all these madness. You didn't do anything wrong. You know you need guidance but not from these kind of people, not when you alone understand what you’re going through that you’d cried so much you can’t cry anymore. You want to run, to go away from this depression but you’d got nowhere to run because the bad news is you can’t even run. Check mate! Ha Ha. How much worse can it be, huh?

The worst of it is you keep all these misery to nobody but yourself. You can’t confide with anyone because for you, they can’t understand whatever it is you’re going through. 'Everybody got problems', that's what they're going to say. It’s hard enough having to explain to them, let alone making them understand you. You’re having these delusions like forever until you’re immune to it and you don’t care anymore what anyone else said. You create another world; the world where you hide your face under masks of pretense, where you can forget all the despair, the wretchedness that’s been burdening you and you’re happy with this make up life although you wish so much that you can stop all this for once.

Oh, you’ve heard all the remedies for the suffering soul, but nothing so much near that can cure your wounded heart.

Finally, it leaves you nothing. No solution and you’re tired of wearing the false facade while the inside of you is crushing to bits. What else could you do? All the sadness, the unhappiness, the hatred; its eating you up slowly and you’re becoming weaker and weaker - unnoticed by you; you’re actually becoming someone else. Poor soul.

You’ve got to go somewhere else. Somewhere where you can be you, where you can start a fresh new life - of which you know seems like impossible for you...

Ironically - beyond all the revulsion - deep down inside your heart, you know, there's still one hope left that hold up your dignity; the true one who knows all the answers to all your absurd questions. It’s Him. Who has been listening to all your prayers, your broken heart miseries, and your stupid, childish, selfish grumbling. He knows it all even the tiniest bit of your heart whispering. But sometimes, He just don’t want to unleash it right in front of your eyes, (yeah, sometimes even I think that’s kind of unfair - I mean it's unfair to give something the moment someone ask for it - we'll be spoil) He wants you to learn it by yourself, to find the real meaning of life and to understand the value of being only a human. Hit the mat, He’d said and be patience, help will surely come in ways you never imagine. 

When head in hands, what'll you do?

Bingung

Road Not Taken by Robert Frost

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

... dan boleh jadi kamu membenci sesuatu, padahal ia amat baik bagimu, dan boleh jadi (pula) kamu menyukai sesuatu, padahal ia amat buruk bagimu; Allah mengetahui, sedang kamu tidak mengetahui. (Al-Baqarah: 216)


Ya Tuhan, aku amat butuh petunjuk dariMu!

Hurt, Broken, Unmended, Lost

Perhaps the more familiar
someone is
to you,
the harder it is
to separate her from
the person she is
to you,
and the harder it is
to see her
as a person in her own right.

Excerpt from the verse-novel, Seeing Emily by Joyce Lee Wong
(Another book I bought, for sanity is ripping away from me)

The world is cruel,

Barukisu in Top 34 Blogs under Medical

Breaking news...

I wasn't expecting this but, alhamdulillah it did brighten up my day a little...

Barukisu was listed along in Top 34 Blogs under Medical by NetworkedBlogs.com

No. 13
10 followers
With just 5 entries on Health and Medical (though only the last three was self-made and real)
And I was listed?

Not bad -
but still,
not much

Don't ask me how it came to be there, or how was the selection done. I have zero knowledge about this. If it was by voting - then I guess, no other words could describe how much I appreciate those who'd checked this humble blog  - so, thank you very much!! I owe you a thousands more than just an appreciation.

 Click for a larger view

I guess, being in the list - together with others who are much, much more serious about writing and sharing medical stuff with their readers - mean that I too held the same responsibility. But I don't want this blog to be so medical. Some of the entries on health were meant to be light and understandable so that they can reach those who are without the medical basis easier. (Well, I do hope so)

So, that means I have to write more medical stuffs right? Or what?  =D



Confuse but happy,

Of books and choices

(No pictures, you'll be bored. Just some reviews about some books I read. Go on then if you really want to find out)

When my computer went crazy last month, I'd resorted to the famous old style (during which the word internet meant nothing at that time), but nearly-extinct free time activity; reading books. Since they had shown much loyalty - no doubt as I had to them - to me, I'd do them justice by listing them here starting from the early days of March (the long month of hope - that I'll get my computer working back - and patience) until early April.

Here goes the list:

1. From Beirut to Jerusalem by Dr. Ang Swee Chai - on hold
2. Laskar Pelangi by Andrea Hirata - PDF; on hold
3. Twilight Saga by Stephanie Mayer (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn) - PDF; checked
4. Ketika Cinta Bertasbih ep. 1 by Habiburrahman El-Shirazy - checked
5. Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella - checked

Sorry to say but I just can't stop there (so, here's the continuation):

Anybody There by Marian Keyes - currently reading

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini - to read

Midnight Sun by Stephanie Mayer (Twilight Saga 5th book) - PDF; to read

Ketika Cinta Bertasbih ep. 2 by Habiburrahman El-Shirazy - PDF; to read

Sang Pemimpi by Andrea Hirata (dari tetralogi Laskar Pelangi) - PDF; to read

Edensor by Andrea Hirata (dari tetralogi Laskar Pelangi) - PDF; to read

Peperangan Rasulullah SAW - waiting list (since I'm the last person to have to read it during usrah, I'd make it in no hurry to return it back to Kak Nabihah, but of course with permission *wink*)

Maryamah Karpov by Andrea Hirata - PDF; not in hand, currently searching, any idea?

Nama Beta Sultan Alauddin by Faisal Tehrani - on air by now, I guess.

Conclusion and... some reviews:

Not that I'll read them all. I doubt that I could even finish them by the end of the year. This is just a presumptive list I make so that I'm not missing each one of them and as a reminder for me to return some of the books that I borrowed (hint: anybody who borrowed mine, please do the same)

Alhamdullilah that my eyes are still in good condition and crystal clear since you must've been thinking of how I've been reading PDFs on the screen for hours without getting any eye sore. I must be really determined to do so because reading from laptop is not very comfortable and you'll get joint ache and back pain from sitting too long. And also because - I look hideous wearing spectacle, so to say. Thus, please don't try this at home.

I read fictions more than non-fictions. I guess, it's because non-fictions are way more exciting and faster to finish than non-fictions. More over, reading non-fictions will require more time for thinking and digesting the particular knowledges and facts they want to convey. Plus, I may need quite a serene and tranquil atmosphere for reading. You couldn't just pick anytime, anyday to read them, because you are learning from them. Am I not right? You need to concentrate to be able to understand - yeah, I'm a slow reader when it come to non-fcitions. That's why I like it if the author can blend knowledges, facts, fantasies, advices, histories etc. in one whole book. Faisal Tehrani is a good example. I learned a lot from his book, Tuhan Manusia, Advencer Si Peniup Ney, 1515 and Kombat 1511.

Reading Twilight Saga, made me wonder of how gifted a person could be to have created such a story. Fantasy blend in reality and surprisingly they still make sense although I tried very hard not to believe in them as I'd tried - unsuccesfully - with Harry Potter before. I envy her.

Laskar Pelangi was somewhat brilliant! I've never ever before read a real life story that hold my breath every second or so by each word. It's amazing how these 10 children - so called Laskar Pelangi - turn the destitute, penniless, impoverished world of them into mesmerizing adventurous child fantasies - and some of them really turned into reality. They're daring, bold and audicious in their own way. I'd say it's worth a reading. And you have to watch the movie too. It's slow but oh, they're cute, funny and lively! They did take all the strong emotions ever exist on earth. (Okay, this maybe too exaggerating, but believe me, the book is great!)



Ketika Cinta Bertasbih by Habiburrahaman El Shirazy. Well, I could say that this book somehow kind of a little bit twist from his celebrated Ayat-ayat Cinta except that there are more to it than just Islamic love story - not that I have any objection. It's a complex love story - that I can understand so far, but far more enthralling to include the life hardship as an oversea student without any scholarship. Well, that was quite unacceptable though, to make live with selling tempe and bakso and also to study, what with being the sole bread winner of the family too (the money from the selling then goes to his family in Indonesia). This - the willing to survive and finish study although it's been 9 years already - what kept me reading until the end. Now I'm waiting for the film which is due soon, InsyaAllah.



I guess, that's enough for now.

I'll be glad if you can share your list of books too. And feel free to leave some remarks here.

Reading all these wonderful stuffs makes me wonder if I'd better put down my sthetoscope and white coat, rather, pick up the pen and begin writing my own book. It's a hard choice then, anyway. I can never make them. What do you say?

Then again.

A doctor is a doctor.

A reader is a reader.

And a writer is a writer.

Can they fit in nicely for me?

I never know.


Always without wax,

So what?

(This is just some crap. You probably don't want to read it. Skip it alive while you can)

"Huh?!!" Gasping, my jaw dropping, eyes bulging wide with excitement. The things I just saw tempting me towards them even more closely. Books on the shelf. Here? In this small town? English? Something that's legible to me. That's rare. And there's just soooo much of them like I've never seen here before in Ukraine, let alone in Simferopol (well, if you count two full racks, three lines of books each and situated at only one corner of the big room,  that's already more than enough in the country where I study). Too bad my birthday had passed. I'd forced my friends to buy all these for me. Each and everyone of them. Nevermind, there's still next year. Last next year. Ha ha.

While helping myself browsing through each, I can't help but thinking,

So what, if we don't have Borders or MPH or Kinokuniya or W.H. Smith here?

Or maybe Minerva, Pustaka Salam or Pustaka so on?

So what?

So, they don't have a lot of international bestsellers though. Yeah, Jodi Picoult's are there. Old stuffs. Some kid's books and teenager's. Hurm, so I bought this two (which cost me only UAH 13):

1. Anybody Out There by Marian Keyes
2. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khalid Hosseini (the author of The Kite Runner)

There are fictions and non-fictions. But then, the non-fictions aren't practical for me. Hah! Since when I've ever been a practical person, huh?

Oh yeah, they're second-hands (I guess, some Londoners or Americans dumped/donated them. Not that I have any problem with that. Thanks anyway). Who cares? As long as they're in good condition and readable to me, I'm on it.

I'll start with the blue one during my free time (as if I have enough). But since I've finished the Twilight Saga, this will do for the time being (I mean, I just can't help it you know). The yellow one? That's special. Some inspiration I need. Setting in Kabul, Afghanistan. With Taliban and stuff. Oh, yeah. That's something.

Don't blame me. A month and a half without internet had turned me into that-girl-with-books again. Sorry to say, but I just can't stop once I've started. They're just like, my personal brand of heroine, you know. Books.

Can't wait for 'Nama Beta Sultan Alauddin' by FT's. Ordered a week ago. I'll tell you what. Not worth it buying online when you're living in Simferopol. Tax charge, shipping charge. Doubled the price of the book itself. Guess, I'll just wait till I'm back in Malaysia. I wished they have FT's here (well, that's like wishing they start selling garcinia mangostana or carica papaya in the market here). Sigh.

Outside the story: It seems like Simferopol has turned into some place you-can-eat-anywhere-you-please with branches of Halal food restaurants blooming up everywhere. Turkish, Tartarian and of course Arabic cuisines just around the corner I'd never encountered before during my fresh year. If to say it out loud - it's because we're here that they open the restaurants. The Muslims. The prices are reasonable enough but still a bit overbudget to put it between my pocket money. Still, as much as I can say - Malaysian foods won't survive here. Sigh again.

Foot notes:

Garcinia mangostana = Manggislah. Gotcha!
Carica papaya = Go back to kindergarden if you don't know this!

So what, right?

The Disdainful Hearts Of Ours

What is misinterpretation? It means to understand wrongly. (Please be aware, I’m not talking about innocence misinterpretation here but rather a misinterpretation based on our own sideways judgmental views or on how we percepts other people actions, behaviors or attitudes which brought us to the wrong side of thinking - the bad one. Yes, this could get a little bit complicated in some way). And this understanding could develop on either a rational basis or an emotional one. I am not making up any new theory or teaching to be digesting right by your mind but simply just a modest questioning thought which I hope free from any more mindless, non-intelligent misinterpretation. Allah’s willing.

This thought goes basically like this:

1. Why do people always judge others merely from what they heard or look?
2. Why is it so hard to accept others wrongdoings when we ourselves aren’t that perfect?
3. Why is it so easy to tell bad things about others when we forgot ours?
4. Why do we have to make up wrong facts about others when we don’t really know the actual things?

It feels good isn’t it? To talk or to think about others the way we want to believe? My dear friends, where are we wrong here? First impression isn’t everything while first mistake doesn’t eat up all the good ones! Please don’t judge the book by its cover, is what we usually say. Is this just a proverb to make the world a better place to stay? Oh, crap!

Let’s get back to all the unanswered questions from which I think everyone have made up their own interpretation by now (oh, mind you. I’m not at all in any emotionally danger state). This thought has been long and long ignored until now that I have the courage to write it here. The answer is as simple as the questions were, you see…

The Prophet of Mercy, Sayyiduna Muhammad al-Mustafa salla’llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said : “Surely there is in the body a small piece of flesh; if it is good, the whole body is good, and if it is corrupted, the whole body is corrupted, and that is surely the heart”.
Related by Imam Bukhārī in his sahih.

Yes, my dear friends, it’s the so-called purely innocent HEART. Our heart, that we have painted it a little black dot here and a little black dot there. I may not elaborate on this as I assumed we’re all aware of this well-known hadith. Am I not right? (Surely nobody will misinterpret a hadith? Unless you follow the SIS or the anti-hadith) Pray not be.

It’s clear isn’t it, why is it so easy to think bad about others? It’s our heart that determines our action whether it be good, or bad. Who are we to judge others? What makes us better than others? Our genius thoughts? Our brainy actions? Our boxful knowledge? Our grandeur power? No. None of those scrupulous materials mentioned above. We are no better than others that others are no better than us. Indeed, we come from the same dust that Allah made us from. Be humble and treat others the same way we want to be treated. (You know this, don’t you?)

However, I agree that we are, in some manners made others misinterpret us and thus have bad thinking towards our actions and behavior. This is unavoidable. But being a good brother and sister in Islam, we should always reflect on our thinking too, hence how we percept and see others. If our friends are doing wrong things, walk to them and tell them what you think rather than keeping inside the awful feelings and then, unreasonably shift away from them. Man, this is no good. Please, never look down on anybody, for to Allah, they may be better than us.

Yes, and yes, THIS IS a very lame issue! That has always been reminded on and on but undoubtedly the most easily forgotten. (And also which, we usually ignore with just a whisk of hand). Oh, dear… We are indeed Al-Insan, aren’t we? And that we always need reminders aren’t we? And so, this is neither a lecture that I intent to give nor a vengeance I longed to explode. This is indeed, a humble reminder - for me and for you - for all of us who called ourselves, the believer.

(I’m sorry to have to write this in English, for when it comes to this; all the words just come out, together with all the expressions they brought. These all come from my disdainful heart whose Keeper is no other than Him; The Almighty Allah. Although I admit that my English is veeeery terrible, please pardon me).

[10] Sebenarnya orang-orang yang beriman itu adalah bersaudara, maka damaikanlah di antara dua saudara kamu (yang bertelingkah) itu dan bertakwalah kepada Allah supaya kamu beroleh rahmat.

[11] Wahai orang-orang yang beriman! Janganlah sesuatu puak (dari kaum lelaki) mencemuh dan merendah-rendahkan puak lelaki yang lain, (kerana) harus puak yang dicemuhkan itu lebih baik daripada mereka dan janganlah pula sesuatu puak dari kaum perempuan mencemuh dan merendah-rendahkan puak perempuan yang lain, (kerana) harus puak yang dicemuhkan itu lebih baik daripada mereka dan janganlah setengah kamu menyatakan keaiban setengahnya yang lain dan janganlah pula kamu panggil-memanggil antara satu dengan yang lain dengan gelaran yang buruk. (Larangan-larangan yang tersebut menyebabkan orang yang melakukannya menjadi fasik, maka) amatlah buruknya sebutan nama fasik (kepada seseorang) sesudah dia beriman dan (ingatlah), sesiapa yang tidak bertaubat (daripada perbuatan fasiknya) maka merekalah orang-orang yang zalim.

[12] Wahai orang-orang yang beriman! Jauhilah kebanyakan dari sangkaan (supaya kamu tidak menyangka sangkaan yang dilarang) kerana sesungguhnya sebahagian dari sangkaan itu adalah dosa dan janganlah kamu mengintip atau mencari-cari kesalahan dan keaiban orang dan janganlah setengah kamu mengumpat setengahnya yang lain. Adakah seseorang dari kamu suka memakan daging saudaranya yang telah mati? (Jika demikian keadaan mengumpat) maka sudah tentu kamu jijik kepadanya. (Oleh itu, patuhilah larangan-larangan yang tersebut) dan bertakwalah kamu kepada Allah; sesungguhnya Allah Penerima taubat, lagi Maha mengasihani.

(Surah Al-Hujarat; 10-12)

-END-

Oh, by the way, here’s something to ponder upon, (oh, Balqis! Enough is enough!)

If you are on one side of an issue and everyone else seems to be on the other side, you shouldn't feel the need to change their minds. Having everyone totally agree all of the time is just not necessary! If you disagree with them that don’t have to mean that you think less of them, and vice versa. So learn how to agree to disagree -- avoid pushing your agenda or suspecting that they are pushing theirs. Everyone just thinks differently and that's okay. =)

-REALLY ENDED-


Aaah, what a relief...

Sajak: We are - the tested one!

01.  Berjalan, Melihat dan Mentafsir (13-25 Januari 2009)
      (Bismillahi tawakkaltu a'lallah)

 

Dan apakah mereka tidak berjalan di muka bumi, lalu melihat bagaimana kesudahan orang-orang yang sebelum mereka, sedangkan orang-orang itu adalah lebih besar kekuatannya dari mereka? Dan tiada sesuatupun yang dapat melemahkan Allah baik di langit maupun di bumi. Sesungguhnya Allah Maha Mengetahui lagi Maha Kuasa. (Surah Faathir:44)

02. For You - Ghazzah (and for Islam!) 
      (the tested people)

I wish,

I could be there;

Standing beside you,

throwing rocks  and shoes,

(or whatever my hand could grasp)

right on their hated faces.

I wish,

I could be there,

running with you;

brave, dauntless,

not looking back -

chasing them American bulldozers.

(if only I could kick their ass!)

I wish,

I could be there,

screaming out loud;

'Allahuakbar!'

facing them like,

I have a thousand more -

lives to spare.

I wish,

I could be there,

saving lives,

giving hopes,

and make less,

the heaps of -

the mounted dead bodies.

No, I won't cry,

but I would stay strong,

and be with you;

stand beside you,

run alongside you,

helping you!

Still,
a wish is nothing but -

a wish!

hence;  my du'a, my heart, my mind

will always be,

with you Ghazzah;

just for you!

( Allahumman suril Islama wal mujahideena fi ghazzah!)

Barukisu,

13 Januari 2008,

Simferopol,

Ukraine.

Dr.Jemilah (MERCY) trying to cross Rafah border to Palestine. May we all take courage from her.

*Gambar 01 - Kembara 2008 (Venice, Italy)

English : The whole new world

(Saya masih mencintai Bahasa Melayu. Sekadar melepaskan rindu dendam menulis dalam Bahasa Inggeris tiada salahnyakan?)

I remember, back in primary school where I started to learn and love English Language, my English teacher who really wanted to see her student like me getting good marks in this subject created this one game called (Oh, it really doesn't have any name actually) in which everyone must write down what's in our heart head on a draft paper in English in a given time. So, she set the seconds and there we go, writing to the full content of our heart. Sounds of pencils scribbling could clearly be heard in the silence ticking of the class big round clock hanging solemnly on the front dusty wall above the blackboard (It's an old school and that we were all too short to reach the ceiling). Then, finally the 30 seconds were up and she halted us to stop.

"Okay, who's going to read hers first?'', asked my teacher excitedly.

As expected, no hands up in the air. So, she started calling names.

"Melissa Chew".

A girl with a straight black hair tied back in one tidy ponytail stood up from her chair and started to read her paper. She got a loud applause from the class and the teacher called out another name. A girl at the back stood up and read her almost-full-paper-with-words at the top of her lung. No doubt though, she's the class debater. Then the class started suggesting some names too, mostly those who are famous or that had title (prefects, librarians, vice club presidents etc.) in the school. Someone, I remember her being a prefect at that time, stood up and read hers when her name was called out several time by the class.

"Pencils, rubber, pen, pencil box, textbooks, color pencils, rough papers, chocolates, ruler and watch", then everybody started laughing. Apparently she just wrote things she saw on her table. Clever girl. So several other names were called out and everybody proudly read theirs while I was praying silently under my breath. Don't call out my name, don't call out my name, don't call out...

"What about you, Balqis? Can you share your thought with us", she was already looking at me by the time I looked at her back.

OMG, why me? Being a respected introvert in the English class, I merely shook my head. And a surprise almost bulging round eyes stared at me back plus some weird 'uhs and ahs' sounds made from all the 42 girls in the class. Oh yeah, it’s an all girls school.

"No? What do you mean no? You don't want to share?”

I stood up slowly, unwillingly. I hold the paper steadily, removing all the fears that enveloped me, and then I read, word by word,

"I - don't - know...” stammering, I could not continue. My extremities were cold. My hands were trembling. I looked at my teacher.

"Is that all?” she asked me, half surprise and half believing. Then she walked to my table, which was not very far from her as I was sitting in the front row. She grabbed the paper and...

"That is all".

"Yeah", was all that came out from my mouth. And when I thought she was about to let out some angry words, all she said was,

"You should've tried harder. I know there are lots of thing in your head. You just cannot make it into words, right? It's okay if the grammars are wrong. It's your thinking, your thought. Who says that the grammar must be right?” and it soothed me down a bit but somehow, I can felt inside of me, the horrible guiltiness swelling up to no boundary.

The truth is - I hadn't written anything on the paper. When the 30 seconds finished, my paper was still blank. There were was nothing in my head. I was a complete blank when it comes to writing in English. What I want to say was all in Malay. How could I make the simple Malay phrases turn into English and scribble it down in just 30 seconds? Impossible. Totally impossible. The little bit I read was mere spontaneous ideas that I could think of in the niche of time to help covered my undone task.

Yes, cheating I was, it didn’t help me out from total embarrassment. Everybody was looking at me disbelievingly thinking - how could I make an easy task looked hard? It was just so unacceptable to them. It was a very bitter memory yet and one of many that I could never forget my whole life because in some way, it did changed my life. The impact wasn’t that big, but the real meaning of it, I braved myself stepping out from the safety zone I made and learn what I was once afraid to learn – the English language. Looking back from where I stood now, I could not believe that the girl was me. A denial is what I would make. I wish that I could do the game just once more and read it out loud so that everybody could hear my thought. Teacher, I don’t know what to write here, so I thought I would tell this story. If by any chance you pass by here, I couldn’t read it to you but this is what I thought and so I write it here - thank you.

Thank you for spending your precious time reading this stupid entry until the end. Sorry for the unexpected ‘lengthiness’ and 'emptiness' of this entry. No comment is fine for me because just the thought of you reading this had already made me happy. But  I'd be much happier if you would leave one! Arigatou na, minna-san!!

p/s : If you're an expert in English, please mind my grammar! (Ha-ha)

Berakit-rakit ke hulu,

Bersenang-senang kemudian,

Bersenang-senang dahulu,

Bersakit-sakit kemudian.

Bilalah nak mula ulangkaji, ni!

Isk~

I wanna Panda!! Skadoosh!!

*This is an unofficial (childish) post from me, u can move on without reading this post if u think this is crap*

Have u guys watch Kung Fu Panda? (I know, I'm late!!) It's seriously crazy and funny. It's full of real Kung Fu elements; the background music, the wisdoms, the technics, the Kung Fu of course, PLUS the big fat panda. OMG I just couldn't stop laughing all the way through the movie.

The script; oh, I just couldn't get enough!!

(the story started with this)
Po: Legend tells of a legendary warrior whose Kung Fu skills were the stuff of legend.

(Po father, a goose, said, hoping that Po will inherit their restaurant)
Mr. Ping: We are noodle folk. Broth runs through our veins.

(Po, making excuse not to show his Kung Fu because he really didn't know Kung Fu)
Po: I just ate, so I'm still digesting, so my Kung Fu may not be as good as later on.

(Master Shifu began to teach Po how to Kung Fu)
Shifu: When you focus on Kung Fu, when you concentrate, you stink.
[Po frowns]
Shifu: But perhaps that is my fault. I cannot train you the way I have trained the Five. I now see that the way to get through to you is with this.
[pulls out a bowl of dumplings]
Po: Oh great, 'cause I am hungry!
Shifu: [laughs] Good. When you have been trained, you may eat. Let's begin.

Wisdoms :

Oogway: My friend, the panda will never fulfill his destiny, nor you yours until you let go of the illusion of control.
Shifu: Illusion?
Oogway: Yes.
[points at peach tree]
Oogway: Look at this tree, Shifu: I cannot make it blossom when it suits me nor make it bear fruit before its time.
Shifu: But there are things we *can* control: I can control when the fruit will fall, I can control where to plant the seed: that is no illusion, Master!
Oogway: Ah, yes. But no matter what you do, that seed will grow to be a peach tree. You may wish for an apple or an orange, but you will get a peach.
Shifu: But a peach cannot defeat Tai Lung!
Oogway: Maybe it can, if you are willing to guide, to nurture it, to believe in it.
Shifu: But how? How? I need your help, master.
Oogway: No, you just need to believe. Promise me, Shifu, promise me you will believe.

Oogway: Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.

and more here



If u have some free time, some really really free time with seriously nothing else to do or u just want a go with this saying, 'laughter is the best medicine', then watch this panda becomes the Dragon Warrior!!

Have fun! (and have a nice day)



Sejak akhir-akhir ini,
Lebih suka membaca di blog orang,
Dari menulis di blog sendiri =)
Malaskah?

Highly Recommended !!

Nothing to do for the weekend?

So bored like the world has no end?

Here, watch this :

Children of The Secret State



It's only 45 minutes, though. Won't take much of your time. Spend some to understand the sufferings these children have and then,

You do the math! =)

Wassalam.




Cerita tentang angin,
Bila ada ia berhembus,
Bila tiada?
Simferopol.