Everyday Ice Cubes

Alhamdulillah, akhirnya tersiar

2012-01-26T22:40:00.003+08:00

Alhamdulillah, cerpen saya tersiar dalam majalah Anis keluaran Januari 2012 terbitan Galeri Ilmu Sdn Bhd. Ini cerpen kedua yang diterbitkan dalam majalah, tapi sebenarnya mungkin saya tak patut kira cerpen pertama sebab itu cerita hampir 20 tahun yang lalu.

Nota: Kebetulan sewaktu saya sedang menulis cerita ini, saya teringat Zufa (M-I-O) bergurau meminta saya menggunakan namanya sebagai watak utama, jadilah watak utama dalam cerita ini bernama Zufa.

CK: Apa Yang Saya Mahu

2012-01-10T08:09:00.001+08:00

Di akhir ceramah saya di sekolah itu, seorang budak lelaki datang merapati saya. Ujarnya perlahan, "Ustazah, doakan saya semoga dapat 5A dalam UPSR nanti."

"Baiklah, ustazah doakan," saya menjawab ringkas, dan mula mengalih perhatian kepada budak lain pula.

Dia masih di situ. Dia mendesak, "Ustazah, saya serius ni. Doakan saya."

"Yalah, ustazah pun serius juga."

"Tapi ustazah tak tanya pun nama saya," budak itu menempelak.

Saya jadi tertarik untuk mengetahui cerita budak ini dengan lebih lanjut. "Kenapa penting sangat dapat 5A UPSR ni?"

Jawabnya, "Mak saya janji dia akan berikan apa-apa yang saya mahu jika saya berjaya dapat 5A."

"Dan awak nak minta apa?"

"Saya nak minta mak saya tutup aurat."

Saya terkesima. Hati ini tersentuh. Dan sejurus itu juga saya menadahkan tangan dan memohon doa supaya diperkenankan hajat tulus budak ini. Ya Allah, sekiranya beginilah asbabnya hidayah diturunkan kepada ibu budak ini, kurniakanlah kejayaan mendapat 5A kepadanya.

*Diceritakan semula. Kisah asal (kisah benar) diceritakan oleh Ustazah Norhafizah Musa dalam segmen Usrati, Radio IKIM, 6 Januari 2012.

Part-time help

2012-01-05T14:47:00.004+08:00

Alhamdulillah, last weekend was the second time I've engaged part-time help to do some cleaning chores around the house. It has been my intention since ... erm a long time ago that I would opt for part-time help rather than full-time, but this wasn't realised even after 5 months we have moved to our new home. I have tried calling a local company offering the service, but I guess the package is not very attractive to me, and I dislike the lack of flexibility. It's only when my sister Kaklong got herself a live-in full-time maid recently that I was able to make an arrangement with Kaklong and the maid for her to come to my house every other weekend (on her day off). Thank you, Kaklong and Makcik Ning! Makcik Ning is only too happy to make additional income doing 'overtime'. She's very hardworking, too (and I'm a lazybone).

As someone who doesn't enjoy cleaning chores, her help means a lot to me. If I were ever to achieve my dream of becoming a WAHM, I hope I will still earn enough (or get enough pocket money, hint hint) to be able to afford part-time help. Four hours each session is sufficient to sweep and mop the ground floor, clean the kitchen and two bathrooms, and still enough time left to do some ironing. She asked if she should do the first floor too, but I said no need because the level is not used as much as the ground floor, so I am able to tackle it myself.

When I first met Makcik Ning, she asked how many kids I have and who's taking care of them and she said, "Kenapa tidak ambil pembantu saja?"
And when she first came to my house, she asked again, "Kok lebar rumahnya, kenapa tidak ambil pembantu saja?"
And the first time when she was doing some chores in the kitchen, overlooking the patch of unutilised land, filled with wild plants (weeds) instead of useful herb, she said, "Kenapa tidak ambil pembantu saja? Kan boleh dia tanam dan siram pokok?"

The truth is, I think I have some sort of mental block, a mindset, a mind set. When we designed our house, I didn't even include a maid's room. If a time ever come in the future when I would need to hire a full-time maid, she may need to sleep upstairs in one of the rooms meant for the kids, or (worst case scenario) I may even have to renovate the house a bit.

I enjoy our privacy, and even the mere four hours Makcik Ning was at our house, I was keen to see her leave soon. As we were leaving, she saw that the porch needs some sweeping, but I said, "Tak payah, tak payah, nanti saya sapu. Jom." But of course, people get used to new conditions. I think if I were to decide to get a full-time helper, we, as a family would get used to it. The thing is, I don't want to get used to it and I don't want US to get used to it. As it is, even with Makcik Ning coming every other weekend, I can feel myself starting to be dependent on her coming, which I think is not good. But at least I am aware, then I can check myself.

But I'm pretty happy with the current arrangement, Alhamdulillah. Yes, that's what I wanted to say in this post.

Belajar jaga pokok

2011-12-20T15:08:00.002+08:00

The other day, I was having a conversation with Munief about learning.

Munief: Ummi, orang besar (dewasa) pun kena belajar ke?
Ummi: Ya. Dari kita lahir, sampai mati, kita tak berhenti-henti belajar. Belajar bukan dalam kelas/sekolah je. Belajar boleh dengan orang lain, baca buku, dalam internet.
Munief: (thinks for awhile) Ummi kena belajar jaga pokok.
Ummi: Hahaha!

He is, of course, right. My pathetic attempts at planting plants (I dare not even call it 'gardening') since we moved to our own house had been, well, pathetic. The mango tree (all the way from Kedah), chilli and tomato (from my kids' pengasuh), a potted plant (Ikea) have all 'ceased to live' (okay - they died). When we just moved, I was undecided whether we should attempt to plant the grass ourselves or outsource this. Now, the choice is quite obvious. Or rather, there's no choice. I know I can still try and learn and persevere and work hard and so on and so forth ... but somehow I don't think I have what they call 'green fingers' (or keen interest actually). I still want a green grassy lawn and a simple garden though, so - no to cementing everything. Now, when will I go and shop around for the grass/plants/services?

Quiz: How much is INNOVATION worth?

2011-12-01T13:11:00.000+08:00

How much is Innovation worth?

If HUMAN INGENUITY = 1002, SOLUTIONS = 51, GROUND BREAKING = 501, and NOVEL = 55, what is INNOVATION worth?

Rindu pada yang telah pergi

2011-11-21T11:15:00.003+08:00

"Ummi, Mok dah meninggal kan?" tanya Fifa pagi tadi.

"Ya, Kakak."

Walaupun Fifa baru berusia dua tahun setengah sewaktu neneknya meninggal dunia Jun tahun lepas, tapi dia dapat mengingati bonda saya dengan baik.

"Kakak rindu Mok."

"Ummi laaagiii rindu Mok." Saya mengiyakan. Dan air mata pun mengalir deras.

"Ummi, janganlah sedih." Fifa cuba memujuk saya.

Saya angguk dan berkata padanya, "Fifa jangan lupa Mok, ya?"

Say mahu Munief dan Fifa terus mengingati dan mendoakan nenda mereka. Sebab itu saya sering bercerita tentang Mok kepada mereka, mengingatkan kembali pengalaman mereka bersama nenda mereka dan menunjukkan foto-foto yang ada. Sewaktu Mok masih ada dulu, dialah yang paling rapat dengan anak-anak saya selepas saya dan suami.

Beberapa orang pernah menyatakan bahawa Fifa mirip Mok. Terutama kerana kedua mereka berambut kerinting. Kakak saya pernah bergurau dahulu, kalau Mok mendukung Fifa, tentu orang akan katakan itu anak bongsunya (dan bukan cucu). Disebabkan wajah mereka yang seiras, dan juga sebab Mok kelihatan lebih muda berbanding usianya.

Allah.

Allah.

Allah.

Thank you Allah for my mother.

Ampunkanlah dosanya dan masukkanlah dia ke dalam syurga-Mu.

Mok, Kakngah rindu pada Mok.

Allah.

"Anak saya warganegara Malaysia."

2011-11-16T07:52:00.000+08:00

Saya terjumpa dengan kakak itu di bilik air, dia salah seorang pekerja syarikat mencuci yang diberi kontrak mencuci bangunan pejabat. Saya tidak tahu namanya, tapi sudah biasa bertegur sapa sejak dahulu.

“Eh, kakak sudah bersalin? Anak sihat? Sudah berapa bulan?”

Dia tersenyum dan menjawab, “Anak sihat, sudah dua bulan.” Telor bahasa Indonesianya masih pekat.

“Tapi anak lelaki juga. Doktor bilang hari itu, anak perempuan. Kakak sudah beli baju perempuan, terpaksa diberi pada orang lain. Marah suami saya,” sambungnya lagi.

Dia semakin galak bercerita. “Saya hantar rumah orang. 350 ringgit upahnya. Mahal, kan?”

Saya menjawab, “Begitulah upah di sini agaknya. KL, mahal. Jika di tempat saya, kurang lagi.”

“Tapi dia cuma jaga dua orang budak. Kalau ramai, risau juga, takut tak terjaga anak kita.”

“Gaji kakak berapa?” Saya tahu soalan ini agak sensitif, tapi saya tanyakan juga kerana timbul rasa ingin tahu.

“Gaji pokok tujuh ratus. Tambah overtime, dapatlah lapan ratus lebih ... “ Dia tahu mengapa saya bertanyakan soalan itu.

“Jadi, separuh gaji untuk upahkan orang jaga bayi sahaja?”

“Ya. Kalau tak kerja, susah juga. Saya mahu tolong suami saya. Sekarang belanja semua mahal. Itu pun nasib baik kerja suami saya masih ok. Dia bukan makan gaji. Dia ada buat kerja dengan lima orang tauke. Dulu saya tak faham. Sekarang saya faham. Tauke Cina beritahu suami saya, ‘Saya dapat kontrak sepuluh ribu, awak buat kerja, nanti untungnya kita bahagi dua.’ “

Dia bercerita lagi, “Sewa rumah pun mahal. 350 satu bilik saja. Kalau yang dua bilik sudah 700. Anak saya yang sulung bekerja cuci kereta, bukannya ada bantu beri duit belanja, minta daripada saya lagi ada kalau dia tak cukup. Saya kata padanya, ‘Sudahlah, susu adik kau mahal. 50 ringgit satu tin.’ “

“Oh, tak menyusu badan?”

“Macam mana nak susu badan, kakak pergi kerja. Suami tak bagi. Nanti susu rosak. Susah. Kalau balik malam, takut kena sampuk.” Saya tidak faham berkenaan ‘kena sampuk’ itu tetapi tidak bertanya lebih lanjut.

“Saya ada perah susu di pejabat. Alhamdulillah ok.” Saya kongsi pula kisah saya.

“Baby ok? Dia minum?” tanyanya.

“Ok saja, tiada masalah. Lepas perah, simpan dalam peti sejuk. Bila nak minum, panaskan.”

“Oh, begitu. Jadi baby minum susu badan saja?”

Riak wajah saya bertukar sedikit sedih. “Tak. Sudah campur.”

“Beli susu apa?” Dia pula teruja.

“Anmum.”

“Kakak beli Nestle N9 ke apa nama dia. Bijaklah nanti anak adik.”

Saya keliru. “Sebab minum susu badan?”

“Sebab susu yang beli tu kan macam-macam khasiat ada dalam dia.”

“Eh, bukan!” Saya cuba membetulkan persepsinya. “Susu badan paling bagus. Anak bijak bila minum susu badan, bukan susu tin.”

Kakak itu terdiam sebentar, barangkali memikirkan kata-kata saya. Kemudian dia mengubah topik. Dia bercerita tentang anaknya yang lain pula. “Anak saya yang di tingkatan satu itu minta saya sediakan bekal. Katanya, lebih murah berbanding kalau beli di kantin.”

“Dia sekolah di mana?” saya bertanya.

“Di Bandar Utama Satu. Katanya ada kawan-kawannya mengejeknya, ‘Eh, budak Indonesia. Tak malukah, bawa bekal?’ “

Sambungnya lagi, “Saya kata padanya, ‘Beritahu kawan-kawan, saya ada IC Malaysia lah.’ “

Saya meminta kepastian, “Anak-anak kakak ada IC biru?”

“Ya! Kesemua empat anak saya warganegara Malaysia. Mereka semua lahir di sini.”

“Kakak sendiri?”

“Tidak. Saya IC merah.” Dan dia menunjukkan pada saya kad pengenalannya yang tertulis ‘MyPR’. Oh, Rusminah nama kakak ini.

Saya senyum, mengucapkan terima kasih, dan minta diri untuk berlalu.

Effortless parenting

2011-11-14T07:45:00.000+08:00

Parents have different styles of parenting. There is no one style which is right, or wrong. It all depends on our individual principles, values, philosophy, personalities, etc.

Here's one style of parenting, 'The Rules or Effortless Parenting' by Leo Babauta of Zen Habits, father of 6 kids.

Rules of Effortless Parenting

There is really only one rule: Love Them. But you already knew that one, so let’s get into details:

1. Teach kids to be self-sufficient. Our kids started by learning how to pick up after themselves (as 1 and 2 year olds), and later learned how to feed themselves breakfast, brush their teeth and shower and dress themselves, wash dishes and clean up in the kitchen, clean their rooms, do laundry, etc. Our jobs as parents became tons easier, but it does take a little patient teaching in the beginning of each skill.

2. Teach older kids to help with the younger kids. If you have multiple kids, this rule is golden. Our teens can help the little kids with anything. That makes our jobs a lot easier, and the older kids learn responsibility.

3. Teach them to solve problems. This is really the main job of unschooling, which is the philosophy we follow as homeschoolers. Our kids don’t learn facts or even skills. They learn to solve problems on their own. If they know how to do this, they can learn any facts or skills they need to solve their problems. Want to learn how to write a computer program? That’s just another problem that you need to learn how to solve. Want to cook Thai food, or write a blog, or start a business, or build something? Problems that you can solve.

4. Show them how to be passionate. The other main thing you teach unschoolers, besides solving their own problems, is how to be passionate about something. If they know this, they will do work they’re passionate about as adults. How do you teach them this? By modeling it yourself. By doing projects with them where you’re passionate about something. Kids learn an amazing amount by watching and mimicking.

5. Play with them outside, and be active. Spending time with your kids is one of the best ways to show them you love them. Playing with them is one of the best ways to spend time with them. Playing outside shows them how to be active and have fun being active. I also stay active on my own, but I make sure they know what I’m doing, why, and how much fun it is. They have a role model who is healthy and fit, and that will help them for the rest of their lives.

6. Don’t overschedule. Most parents schedule too many classes, sports, parties, activities. We give our kids lots of unstructured, unscheduled time. They have to figure out what to do with that time. That’s an important skill to learn. It also means their lives are less stressed out, as are ours, and they learn a slower pace of life.

7. Don’t dote. I’ve seen lots of parents that dote on everything their kids do, who are worried about every little thing their kid might touch or that might cause a fall. Back off, and give them some space. They need attention, but they also need some time alone to explore, to fall and get back up, to scrape their knees, to figure stuff out on their own. Go do something on your own, and leave your kids alone sometimes.

8. Dance. Because life without dance is dull and not worth living. Play loud music. Go crazy.

9. Read with them, and read in front of them. Kids love books, especially if you read them with them. Here are some of my favorites. If you are a reader yourself, and they see that, this will teach them to love reading too. Reading is one of the best loves you can instill in kids.

10. Be inquisitive. Ask questions about everything, and encourage them to do the same. Kids are naturally inquisitive … they can ask a million questions, because everything is new to them. Learn to see the world through their eyes — it’s amazing. Why the hell IS the sky blue? Why do leaves change color? How does a bird fly? These are brilliant questions, and you should explore them with the kids — don’t just give them answers, but show them how to find out.

Quiz: Years of production

2011-11-10T16:34:00.001+08:00

Here's one more brain teaser fo you to try! :)

Four years ago, production of oil in Brazil had been on-going for twice as many years as in Salym. Four years on from now, production of oil in Salym will have existed for ¾ of the years it has in Brazil. How many years has oil been produced in Brazil?

Ibadah qurban di Somalia

2011-10-24T17:13:00.002+08:00

Jika anda bercadang hendak melakukan ibadah qurban tahun ini, timbangkanlah untuk melaksanakannya di Somalia (menerusi perantara).

Antaranya:
Qurban For Life dengan Muslim Aid Malaysia
Program Ibadah Korban denganHaluan

Buat di Malaysia pun elok juga, tapi sudilah juga bersedekah untuk saudara-saudara kita yang betul-betul kelaparan di Somalia.

Baru-baru ini, sewaktu mencari resepi sejenis lauk berasaskan daging lembu, saya terjumpa beberapa komen dalam post sebuah blog resipi, yang saya kira kurang enak dibaca, lebih kurangnya: "Raya haji mesti dapat banyak daging sampai muak makan."

Cerita kontot (CK)

2011-10-20T11:54:00.001+08:00

Kuizlah, cerita kontotlah, dah rojak bertambah rojak blog ini. Tak mengapa, layan dulu, tengok nanti berapa lama bertahan atau berapa cerita yang keluar bawah kategori ini.

Apa itu cerita kontot? Cerita yang sangat pendek, tak layak masuk kategori cerita pendek (cerpen). Saya ada pernah baca sebuah antologi cerita kontot yang ditulis oleh Zakaria Tamer (tulisan asal dalam bahasa Arab tapi versi yang saya baca adalah terjemahan ke bahasa Inggeris). Cerita-cerita dalam buku itu ada yang sependek-pendek tiga atau empat ayat, tak sampai satu muka surat pun, hinggalah ke hampir menyamai panjang cerpen. Saya pernah nampak orang guna istilah certot (malah ada antologi certot terjual di pasaran), tapi saya rasa nama itu kurang indah, sama macam perkataan kontot itu sendiri. Jadi saya akan guna CK sahaja pada tajuk blog post bawah kategori ini.

Cerita-cerita yang saya tulis dalam kategori ini ada yang berdasarkan kisah benar atau pengalaman sendiri, ada yang terhasil daripada imaginasi semata-mata, tapi kebanyakannya adalah kombinasi kedua-duanya. Mengapa perlu ada kategori khas untuk CK? Supaya jelas bahawa cerita adalah fiksyen semata-mata dan bukan (semestinya) pengalaman peribadi saya. Dan yang penting, perlu berlatih menulis. Teringin nak tulis novel? Panjang sangat, perlu stamina yang tinggi. Cerpen? Kalau nak ikutkan patutnya dah boleh, tapi mana habuknya belum nampak? Kalau cerita kontot pun tak dapat tulis juga, alahai ... mungkin kena berhenti berangan!

Baiklah, ini cerita pertama. (Walaupun sebenarnya dah pernah ada dulu tulis satu atau dua, nanti saya nak tempek juga dengan label kategori baru).

Cinta

Aku mengetuk pintu bilik dengan perlahan. Kemudian menguak daun pintu dengan cermat.

Apa yang kulihat membuatkan aku lekas-lekas menutup kembali pintu. Pasangan suami isteri itu saling berdakapan, sedang tidur. Tangan kanan si suami terpaut pada pinggang si isteri, dan tangan kiri si isteri berlabuh santai di atas bahu si suami.

Saya bersuara pada tetamu di ruang depan, “Opah dan Tokki sedang tidur. Pak Long, Mak Long, jemputlah makan dan minum dulu, ya? Sekejap lagi saya kejutkan mereka.”

Di sebalik sedikit rasa bersalah kerana telah menceroboh hak privasi nenek dan datuk, ada satu perasaan seni yang menyelinap masuk ke dalam jiwa.

Ah, indahnya cinta!

Quiz: Who went where?

2011-10-16T23:21:00.001+08:00

Anybody wants to try? :)

During the last five years Ellen has visited Sweden, France, Nepal, Israel and Singapore. Who has visited Thailand, Greece, Belgium, Bangladesh and Austria?

Too early to talk about drugs?

2011-09-27T16:42:00.003+08:00

Ummi, kenapa Allah tak ‘buat’ (hurt) orang jahat?

Sebab Allah nak beri peluang untuk orang jahat tu jadi orang baik.

Ummi, orang jahat masuk penjara ke?

Kalau dia buat jenayah, dia kena masuk penjara.

Jenayah tu apa?

Jenayah tu perbuatan jahat yang kacau orang lain, langgar undang-undang.

Ummi, orang jahat buat apa?

Mencuri, membunuh ...

Lagi?

Merompak.

Merompak tu apa?

Katakanlah ummi ada duit dalam poket. Kalau ada orang curi duit ummi, tiba-tiba ummi tersedar duit tu dah takde ‘Eh, mana duit, mana duit?’ Tapi kalau rompak, orang jahat tu tunjuk pisau kat ummi lepas tu, dia paksa bagi duit.

Kalau ummi tak bagi, dia potong dengan pisau?

Ha’ah.

Lagi, apa lagi yang jahat?

Jual dadah.

Dadah tu apa?

Dadah tu rupa dia macam serbuk putih atau pil ubat. Tapi dia bukan ubat yang sembuhkan orang, tapi dia rosakkan orang. Bila orang makan dadah, dia jadi macam tak hidup.

Macam patung?

Dia boleh bergerak, tapi dia tak boleh fikir. Lembik je. Dia tak boleh belajar, tak boleh buat kerja, tak solat. Macam mati, tapi bukan mati.

Macam zombie?

Ha! Betul tu, macam zombie.

Ummi, betul ke kalau zombie makan orang, orang tu jadi zombie jugak?

Err tak kot. Zombie bukan ada betul-betul. Dalam cerita je.

Habis tu, dadah dalam cerita je ke?

Dadah betul. Orang makan dadah, dia jadi ‘macam’ zombie. Macam je, bukan betul-betul.

Orang makan dadah orang jahat? Kena masuk penjara?

Orang jual dadah lagi jahat. Sebab dadah ni ketagih.

Ketagih tu apa?

Ketagih tu, maknanya susah nak berhenti. Walaupun dia tahu dadah tu rosakkan badan dia, tapi dia rasa terpaksa juga makan.

Ummi, kalau orang jahat nak tukar jadi orang baik, dia tak payah masuk penjara?

Kena jugak masuk penjara, sebab itu hukuman untuk dia.

Hukuman tu apa?

Hukuman tu balasan untuk perbuatan jahat yang dia buat. Hukuman penjara di dunia saja, antara dia dengan manusia. Antara dia dengan Allah, kalau dia nak jadi orang baik, dia boleh bertaubat terus pada Allah.

Taubat tu apa?

Taubat tu maknanya minta maaf dengan Allah, tak buat jahat lagi, nak jadi orang baik.

Lagi, apa lagi yang jahat?

Ok, sudahlah tu. Nak tidur ni tak naklah fikir pasal orang jahat. Jom kita doa: Ya Allah, semoga kita jadi orang yang baik, yang soleh dan solehah. Ok? Good night. I love you. Assalamualaikum.

Back to the (wrong) school

2011-09-22T22:36:00.001+08:00

Menarik.

Back to the (wrong) school by Seth Godin

A hundred and fifty years ago, adults were incensed about child labor. Low-wage kids were taking jobs away from hard-working adults.

Sure, there was some moral outrage at seven-year olds losing fingers and being abused at work, but the economic rationale was paramount. Factory owners insisted that losing child workers would be catastrophic to their industries and fought hard to keep the kids at work--they said they couldn't afford to hire adults. It wasn't until 1918 that nationwide compulsory education was in place.

Part of the rationale to sell this major transformation to industrialists was that educated kids would actually become more compliant and productive workers. Our current system of teaching kids to sit in straight rows and obey instructions isn't a coincidence--it was an investment in our economic future. The plan: trade short-term child labor wages for longer-term productivity by giving kids a head start in doing what they're told.

Large-scale education was never about teaching kids or creating scholars. It was invented to churn out adults who worked well within the system.
Of course, it worked. Several generations of productive, fully employed workers followed. But now?

Nobel-prize winning economist Michael Spence makes this really clear: there are tradable jobs (making things that could be made somewhere else, like building cars, designing chairs and answering the phone) and non-tradable jobs (like mowing the lawn or cooking burgers). Is there any question that the first kind of job is worth keeping in our economy?

Alas, Spence reports that from 1990 to 2008, the US economy added only 600,000 tradable jobs.

If you do a job where someone tells you exactly what to do, they will find someone cheaper than you to do it. And yet our schools are churning out kids who are stuck looking for jobs where the boss tells them exactly what to do.

Do you see the disconnect here? Every year, we churn out millions of of worker who are trained to do 1925 labor.

The bargain (take kids out of work so we can teach them to become better factory workers) has set us on a race to the bottom. Some argue we ought to become the cheaper, easier country for sourcing cheap, compliant workers who do what they're told. We will lose that race whether we win it or not. The bottom is not a good place to be, even if you're capable of getting there.

As we get ready for the 93rd year of universal public education, here’s the question every parent and taxpayer needs to wrestle with: Are we going to applaud, push or even permit our schools (including most of the private ones) to continue the safe but ultimately doomed strategy of churning out predictable, testable and mediocre factory-workers?

As long as we embrace (or even accept) standardized testing, fear of science, little attempt at teaching leadership and most of all, the bureaucratic imperative to turn education into a factory itself, we’re in big trouble.

The post-industrial revolution is here. Do you care enough to teach your kids to take advantage of it?

Saya patut menang Quran Digital Giveaway oleh MIO kerana ...

2011-09-19T22:16:00.002+08:00

... saya tak punya gajet canggih-manggih yang boleh dimuatturun perisian Quran Digital. Tiada iPhone, atau Galaxy, atau Blackberry, atau HTC, atau Xperia, apatah lagi iPad. Nak diharap handphone saya yang sudah berusia 5 tahun itu, boleh mungkin boleh, beli memory card yang power sikit, dan cari fail-fail bacaan ayat al-Qur'an. Tapi ia sudah pasti tidak secanggih dan semudah Quran Digital di bawah ini.

Bestnya kalau ada Quran Digital ni, bolehlah dengar dan baca Quran di mana saja, contohnya dalam kereta waktu jalan sesak!

Oh, pendeknya hujahku - 82 patah perkataan sahaja. Tak tolak markah kan, MIO? Jom sertai giveaway MIO. Klik sini untuk maklumat lanjut. Deadline dah tak lama - 22 September, lusa je.

To MIO, happy birthday! Semoga Allah beri kelapangan, kerahmatan dan keampunan ...

Food for hope

2011-09-14T13:05:00.000+08:00

Sharing an FB note by my friend Sakina. Please contribute if you can, every ringgit helps.

Izam is 10 years old. A few months ago, he was caught along with his 12-year-old brother and a friend, selling a table they stole. The table edges are reinforced with metal. They sold the metal part to a scrap metal dealer for a measly RM3.

Why? To buy a small bag of rice.

“We were really hungry,” they said.

“I did not have the heart to punish them when I found out,” said Ustazah Norazainah. She has been teaching at KAFA Integrasi Al-Insaniah since 2004. In fact, she is one of the key people involved in the setting up of the school.

“We’ve had a lot of break-ins, vandalism and theft at the school. It’s really frustrating because we have to raise the funds for the school ourselves. It saddens me to find my own students stealing from the school, but when I found out why, it’s even worse.”

She ended up giving them aid and asking Izam and his brother to show her where they lived.

What she saw broke her heart. Izam has five siblings. They live in a dank flat unit with their father, who wasn’t home at the time. He was out by the roadside along Jalan Masjid India, selling toys.

Their mother left them some time ago. Ustazah Zainah was told it was because she couldn’t put up with the dire conditions.

The siblings were sitting on the floor, eating plain rice off a tray. The youngest was a four-year-old boy. Ustazah Zainah said he looked weak and was passive. Perhaps out of hunger and malnutrition, or an illness we know not of.

The school principal, Ustazah Hawa, told me that they had asked for the father’s permission to care for the four-year-old and the older sister, but he refused. The teachers didn’t know what else to do.

Izam and an older sibling do not have birth certificates. So, they couldn’t go to primary school. His 13-year-old sister was able to go to secondary school, but she also had to care for the youngest sibling when her father wasn’t home. Most of the days, Izam had to take care of his younger siblings while his father goes to work and the older siblings goes to school.

When I first met Izam, he looked quiet and withdrawn. The uniform he was wearing was stained in many places. He told me he wore the same uniform every day, washing it on the weekends.

We chatted about random things. He told me his favourite subject was Jawi. I then asked him to write his name on a piece of paper. He could write (in Roman letters), which was actually an achievement, considering he never went to school.

I asked him what he had for breakfast.

Nothing, he said.

What did he eat before coming to KAFA?

Nothing.

I looked at the plate of goreng pisang in front of us.

“Is this your first meal today?”

He nodded.

Izam told me he sometimes didn’t feel hungry, because he was used to it.

Ya Allah. I cannot imagine what this child endured everyday.

I asked him if he’d like to go to school. He instantly brightened up. He flashed a quick, hopeful smile.

Ustazah Zainah asked if I would like to visit Izam’s home, and I agreed. When we arrived, we found that the father wasn’t home but at the surau performing his Asar prayers. He had instructed his daughter not to let anyone else but family in. Not that it would be much of a problem for unwanted guests, as the doorknob was missing. In its place was piece of rag that was also used to bolt the door. At night, they would hang a curtain across the tell-tale doorknob for security.

We waited for his father outside. When he arrived, he quickly apologised for not being able to allow us to enter.

“I don’t mean to be rude, but it is too shabby inside, I am too embarrassed to let you in,” he said.

He was apprehensive of my presence. He told me that although they were living in extreme poverty, he was not a beggar. He did not want the media to come in with their cameras, highlighting the sorry condition he and his children were living in. He found it abhorrent that people would showcase their poverty with tears streaming down their faces.

I gave him my word that I would not take any photos of him or his home. I will highlight their plight though, but not in the manner he didn’t want me to. I was there in my capacity as a mother, not as a journalist.

Ustazah Zainah and I tried to convince him to allow the school to care for his youngest child and elder daughter during the day, so that he could concentrate on his job or finding one that paid better wages. He was reluctant. His excuse was that if he went to work, who would cook and prepare his children for school in the morning? The teachers had actually come up with a feasible schedule that allowed his youngest to be taken care of by the school and Ustazah Zainah presented it to him, but he still seemed unsure.

He seemed resigned to his fate, saying things like this poverty will make him closer to the Prophet s.a.w. I told him that many of the Sahabah alaihis salam were rich, but they were also very much close to the Prophet. Before any of us judge him for hiding behind the religion, let us remind ourselves that he is also a man. It is very much the male ego that is saying “everything is fine the way it is, I meant for things to be this way.”

I applaud him for trying his best to manage the children with the little they had to go on, but let’s face it, the children are still very hungry and stealing for food. They need education to break out of the cycle of poverty. He told me that Izam often begged him to go to school, saying that he felt left out and had low self-esteem because his peers went to school and he didn’t.

When we told him it was possible to work on getting birth certs for his children, he said,"But what good would it do? He's already in Standard 3..isn't he alreadyleft behind?"

Both Ustazah Zainah and I negated him. I told him his son was motivated to study, and he was a bright student. In fact, many of the poor and hungry children at the school are bright students, said the ustazah. They just did not have the opportunity for a better life.

I snuck a quick peek at Izam, who listened to our conversation with hopeful eyes.

Izam’s father told us he was embarrassed that his children were going to the KAFA school without paying the school fees, as he couldn’t afford it. But Ustazah Zainah said that it was okay, just as long as they came.

“How can I charge these kids for ilmu akhirat? This is my responsibility, to educate them,” she said.

May I state up front here that the children’s mother is a Malaysian, but their father is perhaps, Indonesian. His accent gave him away. Earlier, when disbursing aid, someone told me they did not feel happy helping out because he wasn’t Malaysian. I believe this kind of remark is uncalled for. He is still a human being and the children still children. They are entitled to basic rights like food, shelter and education. And, we are all Muslims. That is the only thing we need to remember.

As our beloved Prophet Muhammad s.a.w said in his last sermon: “O People, just as you regard this month, this day, this city as sacred, so regard the life and property of every Muslim as a sacred trust.”

The teachers at KAFA Al-Insaniah have gone above and beyond the call of duty in helping the children. JAIS can only afford to pay for one teaching session, but some teachers, like Ustazah Zainah, teaches two sessions, one in the morning, and one in the afternoon. Some teachers are not even getting paid.

JAIS expects the rest of the money to manage the school to be raised through the school fees. In theory, this would work as many of the KAFA schools in the Klang Valley are located in the medium to upscale neighbourhoods. Many parents can afford the fees of RM20 a month.

However, KAFA Al-Insaniah was built in the middle of a PPRT (Housing Project for the Hardcore Poor). Many of the families there are on the zakat list. Half of the children go to the school are also recipients of the zakat fund, indicating the kind of extreme poverty they are in.

“How can we have the heart to ask these kids for school fees?” asked Ustazah Hawa. “In the first few months when we did, many dropped out. We thought it would be better for these children not to pay rather than miss out on their education.”

The teachers have already taken a pay cut to keep the school running. They make about RM1,200 a month.To make matters worse, thieves have broken in, stolen the school fees, computers with student data inside and the money they raised from various charity sales for the school's upkeep. Thieves have also broken in the school canteen pantry to steal the food. Manhole covers, drain covers and other metal items from the school have also been stolen, causing hazard to the school children. The wire fence have been cut and slashed by vandals and thieves for easy access to the school. The teachers are at their wits’ end on how to keep the school running against these odds.

Every ringgit you donate to the school feeds a child, encourages them to go to school, and helps them change their lives. Every ringgit spells hope, ends hunger and motivates someone else to do good in this world.

Please visit the page Help KAFA Integrasi Al-Insaniah often to see how you can help. No donation is too small. Every donation is a gift to someone else, and is a gift that keeps on giving.

Aisha r.a said that Rasulullah saw said: "The deeds most loved by Allah (are those) done regularly, even if they are small." (Bukhari, Muslim)

Donations can be channeled through the following bank accounts:

Maybank

MBB account - 164388710655 (SAKINA BINTI HAJI MOHAMED).
Please write 'For KAFA' in the comment box and email sakina_amx@yahoo.com.

RHB
Account number 1-12479-00092090 (TENGKU ELISA BUSTAMAN BT TENGKU MOHD ALI)
Please write 'For KAFA' in the comment box and email elisa_taufik@yahoo.com.

To donate directly to the school, bank in to:

Bank Islam SAR AL-INSANIAH
Acc no: 12047010031372

or contact
Guru Besar Ustazah Siti Hawa 0139180191
Ustazah Norazainah 0173217971

Aku rindu

2011-09-12T17:14:00.003+08:00

Tempat jatuh lagi kan dikenang.

Inikan pula tempat bermain.

Tempat mengenal diri.

Tempat bertemu jodoh.

Tapi, rindu aku bukan hanya pada tempat itu. Jika ada pun peluang untuk kembali ke sana, ia tidak kan sama.

Aku rindu pada zaman itu.

Melayan nostalgia seketika. Pantas sungguh waktu berlalu. Sudah lebih lapan tahun kami pulang ...

(Kredit gambar untuk www.conferencecambridge.com. Ini gambar kolej saya, iaitu Newnham College, sebuah kolej untuk pelajar perempuan sahaja, salah satu daripada 31 kolej di Cambridge University)

Ejen cari dana untuk rumah anak yatim

2011-08-26T10:36:00.002+08:00

Rabu baru-baru ini, kami (AJK surau di bangunan saya bekerja) meraikan anak-anak yatim dari Teratak Nur Barakah dan Pusat Kebajikan Al-Nasuha di majlis berbuka puasa dan menyampaikan sumbangan.

Semalam salah seorang sahabat saya menceritakan satu peristiwa yang berlaku sewaktu acara solat tarawih, di mana sebahagian daripada kaum hawa yang uzur duduk-duduk di luar dewan. Kak R melihat wajah Puan F, pengerusi salah satu rumah kebajikan yang kami jemput, muram sahaja. Dia pun bertanya mengapa. Puan F menjawab jujur, "Separuh sumbangan yang kami dapat, kami harus beri pada Puan X." Terkejut Kak R mendengar. "Kenapa pula?" Puan F menerangkan, Puan X (yang juga ada turut serta dalam majlis itu) merupakan ejen mencari dana untuk beberapa buah rumah kebajikan. Dia khusus bekerja pada bulan Ramadan sahaja dan akan menulis kepada atau menelefon badan-badan korporat untuk meminta sumbangan. Dan kemudian, dia akan mengambil bahagiannya separuh daripada sumbangan itu!

Tercengang saya mendengar. Biasanya pihak sukarelawan membantu mencari sumbangan secara ikhlas, dan kalau meminta sedikit saguhati sebagai imbalan masa dan tenaga yang digunakan pun, tidaklah banyak mana. Tetapi ini ... memang satu penyelewengan! Dia seperti mempergunakan nama rumah-rumah kebajikan ini untuk mencari pendapatan untuk dirinya sendiri. Melampau!

Merah padam muka Kak R mendengar penjelasan Puan F. Katanya, "Biar saya sendiri jumpa Puan X untuk ingatkan dia supaya jangan ambil duit hak anak yatim." Puan F menegah, "Jangan. Nanti dia tahu saya yang beritahu." Kak R meyakinkan Puan F bahawa dia akan cuba beri peringatan tanpa terlalu berterus-terang.

Kak R pun pergi berjumpa Puan X dan berkata, "Duit sumbangan yang kami kutip ini semuanya hak untuk anak yatim. Kami hanya memegang amanah penyumbang-penyumbang lain. Puan jangan ambil walau satu sen pun, ya? Puan tahu kan, betapa besarnya dosa memakan harta anak yatim. Astaghfirullahal'azim." Puan X terpinga-pinga apabila 'diserang' begitu. Kak R menambah, "Saya bukan ingatkan puan saja, rumah lagi satu pun saya cakap juga." Harap-harap Puan X ini sedar.

Saya pun diperingatkan juga. Rupa-rupanya kita perlu berhati-hati juga dengan individu-individu yang membantu mencari dana (fund-raising) untuk rumah-rumah kebajikan ini. Rupa-rupanya ada yang tidak ikhlas dan mengambil kesempatan. Naudzubillah. Semoga Allah campakkan juga keikhlasan dalam hati-hati kita semua.

Dan kerana ini mungkin post terakhir saya sebelum bercuti panjang minggu depan, saya ingin mengambil kesempatan ini untuk mengucapkan selamat menyambut hari raya dan maaf zahir batin kepada semua rakan-rakan dan pembaca yang singgah di sini. Terima kasih juga kerana sudi membaca dan berbual dengan saya di sini. Tidak dilupakan juga selamat menyambut hari kemerdekaan negara. Dengan patriotiknya, saya mengibarkan Jalur Gemilang di rumah maya saya ini. Madrasah Ramadan tahun demi tahun kita lalui, moga Allah kurniakan ketakwaan kepada ini dan kemerdekaan daripada belenggu hawa nafsu.

It looks like something I might like

2011-08-19T13:20:00.000+08:00

An ideal job to me would have the following criterias:
i) it's something that I really enjoy doing, something I'm passionate about (I think people who are doing something they are passionate about is sooo lucky!)
ii) it's something where I can contribute, something beneficial to society and my deen
iii) it's flexible - I can choose when and where to work, and for how long (yes, this part is a bit of wishful thinking, or rather, this part implies that I need to be self-employed)
iv) I can earn a reasonable income (last and least)

I'm still hoping to get there, but in the meantime, I think I'm a bit 'stuck' (mentally, perhaps?) in the company where I'm currently working. The current job I have at the moment is okay. There's part of it I enjoy, and other parts I don't (biasalah tu). I don't get stressed often, I don't get excited often. It's all getting a bit of a drab. It feels like a 'job' and I feel like I'm working for money and that's not nice. If I use the P (physical), I (intellectual), E (emotional), S (spiritual) aspects as written in Ustaz Hasrizal's article, I'd rank this job as high in P and I but very low on E and S.

Three weeks ago my boss asked me, "So, what is your plan for your next assignment?"

I said, "Hmm... I'm not sure."

"You're not interested in sales and marketing, right?"

"Not really."

"Then what's left is support functions." (Yes, that's how it is here. Those who 'bring in the money' is considered core, and the rest are just supporting functions.)

He asked, "Engineering? Finance?"

I was silent.

He said, "At your age, you should know what you want to go for. Have a career plan."

I know he's just looking out for me. Thank you, Kxx Txxxx. I'm so lucky - all 3 supervisors I've had in the 8 years I've been working in this company has been kind to me.

But he's right. At 31, I feel that I'm past my youth. My mother's passing at such young age last year had affected me deeply. I feel like the clock is ticking. Time is running out. It's quite frustrating not to know for sure what my calling is. What do I want to do? Who do I want to be?

Last Monday, I saw a position being broadcasted in the internal open resourcing system. It looks like something I might like. I clicked the link to read more. Yes, it definitely looks like something I might like. It might not be 'a calling', but it looks like something I can be passionate about, something I can gain emotional satisfaction from. It doesn't make sense career-wise, and I might need to travel more than I do now, and there might be part of the jobscope that I would enjoy less than the rest, but ... IT LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING I MIGHT LIKE.

My heart was beating faster. I was not able to focus on my work that Monday morning because I was quite excited about the prospect. Referring back to the PIES, I think this position might score lower on P and I, but will score quite high on E and there will be slight improvement for S.

At the moment, I have not decided. I told my boss of my intention just now, and as expected, he said it might not be a good career move, but he's supportive of whatever my decision is. The closing date is this Monday and so far 4 people have applied. So, even if I apply I might not get it. (Yeah, but if I don't apply, I won't get it FOR SURE, duh.)

It looks like something I might like. But, what if it's NOT? What if I do this, and then regret the decision for whatever reason?

WHAT IFs are paralysing me. Arghh! Should I? Should I not? Should I? Should I not?

Ya Allah, please guide me. If this is better for me, please make the path easy for me...

Giveaway blog Mesra Idea

2011-08-11T12:21:00.002+08:00

Mesra Idea? Blog mana pula tu? Sebenarnya saya baru tukar nama blog terbaru saya daripada Mesra Niaga jadi Mesra Idea. Lepas tulis sepuluh post, terasa macam nak luaskan lagi skop.

Ini giveaway pertama untuk blog Mesra Idea.

Bila? Mulai hari ini hingga tarikh akhirnya 30 Ogos 2011.

Hadiahnya? RM50 'duit raya' menerusi cabutan bertuah.

Caranya?
1. Tulis satu post mengenai giveaway ini.
2. Dalam post itu, tulis wishlist anda, iaitu sekurang-kurangnya satu produk yang tiada di pasaran tapi anda mahu atau harap akan ada. Lebih pun boleh, tapi maksimum tiga. Contoh saya berikan di bawah.
3. Dalam post tu mesti ada banner dan link ke post ini. Boleh copy paste code ini:

4. Letak banner giveaway ini (dengan link ke blog Mesra Idea) di sidebar blog anda.
5. Tinggalkan komen dan link bukan di post ini, tapi di blog Mesra Idea lah.
6. Selepas tarikh akhir, saya akan guna random.org untuk buat cabutan bertuah. Pemenang yang diumumkan diminta e-mel nombor akaun untuk saya transfer hadian duit raya.

OK, pertama sekali saya nak tudung turki macam yang ada di pasaran Malaysia tahun 90-an dulu supaya ada balik. Kain jenis yang agak tebal tapi taklah panas pun, senang dibentuk, dan mudah dijaga - tak perlu gosok sangat, kalau kesan lipatan jelas sangat baru kena gosok. Siapa masih simpan tudung jenis ini? Zaman sekarang bila disebut tudung turki, lain fabriknya. Lebih nipis dan lembut. Entahlah, saya masih lebih suka yang dulu tu. Tie Rack pernah keluarkan skaf empat segi yang kainnya lebih kurang tudung turki yang saya maksudkan, tapi lepas tu dah dihentikan. Saya cuma sempat beli dua.

Yang kedua pula, saya mahu ada sejenis alat elektronik kecil yang boleh ditempek pada mana-mana barang yang selalu hilang, dan bila dia hilang kta boleh tekan alat lain yang sekaan 'remote' dia atau transmitter, supaya alat tu berbunyi dan supaya kita senang nak cari. Seolah-olah macam kita nak cari handphone, kita ring je, kan senang. Atau pun macam alarm kereta kita yang kita tekan boleh bunyi dari jauh. Saya rasa alat ni boleh sangat dibuat, cuma dari segi harga tak taulah macam mana. Kalau mahal sangat, mungkin jadi tak praktikal pula. Saiz pun mesti betul-betul kecil. Sekarang ni saya dah misplace jam tangan, entah ke mana perginya...

Dua contoh ni memang betul-betul saya punya wishlist, bukan suka-suka nak buat contoh. Anda pula bagaimana? Satu cara untuk generate idea ni ialah dengan menghabiskan ayat ini: Kan best kalau ada .... Jangan pula letak benda yang tak logik, macam nak mesin rentas masa (time travel) ke, atau pintu suka hati Doraemon.

OK, tulis sekarang! Beritahu saya wishlist yang menarik!

Fund-raising iftar

2011-07-29T22:35:00.002+08:00

Ramadhan Mubarak! Selamat menyambut bulan Ramadhan :)

If you're still free next weekend, do consider joining this event. Pusat Jagaan Siti Noraini is trying to raise RM33k as the 10% deposit to buy the premise they are currently renting. Even if you can't join the event, sudi-sudikanlah bersedekah by transferring your donation to their account number given below. Full info of the program below:

FUND RAISING IFTAR: SITI NORAINI NURSING HOME

Assalamualaikum warah matullaahi wabarakaatuh

Come and support the founders of this home who are NEW MUSLIM REVERTS.

The occupants of this home are old folks with chronic illnesses, paralyzed, have seizures, and abandoned by their own children. They desperately need the money to buy the house they're living in. The target for the outcome of this dinner is RM 33,000 (only 10% of the house cost).

If you can't attend, you can pay the ticket for someone else to attend.
If you can't pay for the whole ticket, you can still donate an amount.
If you can't donate an amount, you can still spread the message.
And if you do any of the above, may Allah be pleased with you!

=======================================================

WHEN: Saturday, 6th August 2011
[NOTE: LECTURE BY SHAYKH WALEED ABDUL HAKEEM – ALMAGHRIB INSTITUTE - STARTS AT 6PM]

VENUE: Dewan Masjid UNITEN

Tickets are priced at RM60 and RM100.

RESERVATIONS

For reservations and more information, please contact any of the following:

- Ahmad Fakhri Hamzah (012 281 6364)
- Jamilah Samian (012 201 5352)
- Zuhri Yuhyi (012 289 5653)
- Amar Razali (013 399 8837)
- PM Dr Hanim Salleh (019 238 8032)
- PM Dr Norita Mohd Norwawi (019 575 7727)
- Alia Nadhirah (019 369 5265)
- Mohd Azim (012 641 9466)

IF YOU WISH TO BUY THE TICKET(S) BUT CAN’T COLLECT IT BEFORE THE DAY OF THE PROGRAM :

1. Contact Jamilah Samian (012 201 5352) to reserve your ticket(s).
2. Let her know if you are coming OR if someone else is replacing you OR if you would like her to find someone to replace you (we don’t want the food to go to waste).
3. Please bank in the amount into the following account and your ticket(s) will be waiting for you on the day of the program:

MAYBANK
AHMAD FAKHRI HAMZAH & JAMILAH SAMIAN
ACCOUNT NUMBER 562 1060 50175

=============================================================

If you wish to donate directly to the centre:

PUSAT JAGAAN SITI NOR AINI
CIMB ISLAMIC BANK BERHAD
ACCOUNT NUMBER : 1267-0000233-10-1

Founder : Abdullah Noel / Siti Nor Aini: 010 253 6750

=============================================================

SUPPORTED BY:

- AlMaghrib Institute
- ILuvIslam.com
- Mercy Mission
- UNITEN
- Young Muslims Project (YMP)
- PPIM (Muslim Medical Association Malaysia) CUCMS Chapter
- IKRAM Kajang

Featuring: Shaykh Waleed Abdul Hakeem

=============================================================

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Sheikh Waleed Abdulhakeem is the founder and director of Islamic Studies at Ilm Path Academy Online (www.ilmpath.com) and an instructor at Almaghrib institute. He was the Imam and director of religious affairs at the first Islamic centre in Toronto, known as Jami Mosque. In addition, he was an instructor at Alkauthar Institute, a member of the Canadian Council of Imams, was previously an Imam in several Masjids in the USA, and was the President of MSA for three years. Sheikh Waleed has been invited to speak and teach in several cities across all five continents of the world, including the Peace TV Conference and Journey of Faith conference. His message focuses on spreading authentic Islamic education combined with practical life skills and personal development training in order to excel in both worlds.

The Family

Sheikh Waleed has lived and studied in Muslim countries overseas for over 20 years. His father is a Hafidh and was an Imam and Khateeb in several countries, and his mother has taught Islamic studies to high school students for over 30 years. His grandfather was a Qari with Ijaza in the ten modes of recitation of the Quran and has given Ijaza to hundreds of students. His wife has a B.A in Islamic Studies and an Ijaza in Quran Recitation.

Islamic Education

Sheikh Waleed is currently studying a Masters & PhD in Islamic Studies from Al-Madinah International University, with specialization in the Fiqh of Hadeeth. In the past, he has covered a breadth of Islamic studies in various institutes, including King Saud University, Al-Forqaan academy, and Almajd Islamic Academy. He has also studied most branches of Islamic Sciences in-depth with a wealth of well-known scholars (listed at the bottom).

Other Education

In addition, Sheikh Waleed has a Masters degree in Life Skills Training, and has trained several companies in North America in computer applications and life skills. He also earned two BA's in Applied Mathematics, Applied Statistical Research, with a minor in Architectural Sciences, and is a Microsoft Certified Trainer. He is a member of the American Society of Training and Development (ASTD), and the American Statistical Association (AMSTAT). He is a Certified Life Coach, an NLP Master Practicioner, and a Certified Emotional Intelligence Coach.

Work History

In addition to working as an Imam, Sheikh Waleed has worked as a national training designer and facilitator at Home Depot Headquarters, as well as a technical trainer at Babcock and Wilcox, a company that produces energy supplies in more than 90 countries. He has also taught at the University of Akron applied statistical research, communication methods, and lifeskills training courses. He also worked as a research specialist at the Greater Akron Chamber, and has designed Architectural models for homes and office complexes.

Special Interests

In his spare time Sheikh Waleed loves to play sports. He has represented his University basketball team, his school Soccer team, and he also enjoys bowling and golf. He keeps himself sharp by practicing on his calculator and can swiftly perform large calculations from his head. However, his biggest hobby by far is reading at least one book in every field of science, life skills and most importantly Islam.

===========================================

Thank you and wassalaam

"Why do you love me?"

2011-07-25T13:17:00.007+08:00

Bagaimana ya, agaknya, jika seorang lelaki berkahwin dengan seorang perempuan kerana inginkan isterinya itu memasak untuknya, menyiapkan pakaian dan membersihkan rumahnya? (Bukan saya - saya tidak pandai memasak dan housekeeping skills juga tak berapa nak ada) Bagaimana agaknya perasaan isteri itu? Barangkali dia tidak kisah. Mungkin kerana dia memang sangat-sangat mahu berkahwin dengan lelaki itu (terdesak? cinta itu buta?). Mungkin juga dia seorang yang seronok buat kerja-kerja memasak, membersih dan sebagainya. Barangkali juga, berkahwin dengan seorang wanita supaya terhidang segala keperluan makan pakainya, adalah sebab yang valid. Berkahwin untuk 'menerima' (to be served). Siapa kata kahwin perlu atas dasar cinta? Tidak semestinya berkahwin untuk hidup bersama seorang life partner, dalam perjalanan mencari redha Allah. Teringat pula hadis Rasulullah (not word for word) petikan/excerpt sahaja: "Sesiapa berhijrah kerana wanita, akan mendapat wanita, sesiapa berhijrah kerana harta, akan dapat harta." Jika itu yang diniatkan dan dihajatkan, barangkali memang itulah yang diperolehinya.

Perkahwinan itu berbeza-beza dinamiknya, hubungan antara si suami dengan isteri. Kita ini, terbatas pengalaman. Sebab itu kadang-kadang ada perkara yang kita tidak faham. Bila sesuatu itu lain daripada apa yang kita faham, tidak semestinya ia salah. Sebab itu kadang-kadang ada wanita yang tidak kisah dimadukan (eh, macam mana boleh masuk topik poligami pulak?), sebab dinamik hubungan suami-isteri itu mungkin lain daripada yang kita faham.

Saya membayangkan dialog ini.

Suami: I love you.
Isteri: Why?
Suami: Sebab awak pandai masak. Hari-hari awak masak untuk abang sedap-sedap.
Isteri: ...

Kalau saya jadi si isteri, adakah saya akan rasa gembira? Atau rasa sedih?
(Tapi janganlah pula tak puji/hargai bila isteri masak. Bezanya? Expectation, I think)

Sama juga kalau begini.

Suami: I love you.
Isteri: Why?
Suami: Because you're so beautiful.
Isteri: ...

Saya dulu pernah berasa rendah diri kerana sangka wajah saya tidak cantik, ini cerita zaman remaja berbelas tahun dululah. Tapi beberapa tahun kemudian, saya tersedar (Alhamdulillah), bahawa sebenarnya, itu adalah satu kelebihan, kerana dengan itu mudah untuk saya tahu, orang yang menyukai saya bukan kerana rupa paras saya, sebaliknya kerana diri saya sendiri. Dan beberapa tahun selepas itu pula, saya tersedar lagi (Alhamdulillah), majoriti daripada manusia memang cantik sebenarnya, kerana diberi Allah rupa paras yang sempurna, termasuk saya. Syukur Alhamdulillah. Tidak perlu berada di takah sepuluh persen teratas wanita jelita untuk berasa cantik. Memang kita melihat dunia berbeza-beza melalui kaca mata kita (yakni, melalui pandangan dan mindset), dan kita sendiri berubah dari tahun ke tahun, pengalaman ke pengalaman.

Eh, dah jadi sesi membebel tak tentu hala (mindless babbling) pula.

Soalan cepu emas: Apakah jawapan yang betul kepada soalan 'Why do love me/marry me?' ('Because you are who you are' adalah sangat cliche. Tolong jangan jawab begini.)

(And yes, women can be this complicated.)

"In my dream, I saw a man doing sujud."

2011-07-15T10:22:00.001+08:00

The other day, I listened to an interview with Imam Muhammad Abdul Latif Finch (of Canada) in Radio IKIM. One of the questions asked was how he came to embrace Islam. I love listening to stories of hidayah. He said that when he was young, he wanted to be devoted to something and looked everywhere, from skateboarding, music and partying to religions. He studied and bought religious items from all religions he could find until one day he threw all the items away because they cluttered his room too much. At that moment, he had an epiphany. He thought, “I’ve been looking for god but haven’t found him. Why not ask god? I’m sure he can listen to me.” So he asked (prayed?), “Oh god, I know you exist. But I don’t know who you are. Can you please show me who you are?” That night, (or maybe a few nights after, I couldn’t remember), he had a dream. He dreamt that he saw a man doing the sujud, and he recognized that this was an act in Islam. He himself then sujud, and felt an overwhelming tranquillity. The dream him moved him so much, that he embraced Islam the following week, at age 20 in 1995.

When asked about family acceptance, he spoke about his mother. She was open about it and told him, “Stay Muslim because you have been at your best since you became a Muslim.” She then read the Quran, and was really amazed at the verses which decribes the formation of embryo in the womb. There is no way a man in the Arabian desert 1400 years ago could know this. She embraced Islam one year after his son, followed by her husband. And Abdul Latif’s comment on what convinced her mother really made an impression on me. He said, “Allah shows what the person needs to see.”

When asked about his impressions on Muslims prior to his becoming a Muslim, he said he saw Islam as a religion full of rules and rituals, and he never saw the spiritual side of it, which was what he was really looking for to fill the emptiness in his heart.

Iklan: Tanah lot untuk dijual

2011-07-04T13:04:00.003+08:00

Tanah lot ini seluas 5352 kaki persegi dan terletak di Kg Abu Bakar Baginda (berhampiran Putrajaya, Sg Merab dan Bangi). Harga: RM35/kaki.

Jika berminat, e-mel saya di mynie.mat@ gmail.com dan saya akan berikan nombor telefon untuk dihubungi. Bukan tanah saya ya (I wish lah), tapi milik seorang family friend yang minta tolong uar-uarkan.

Introducing my new blog – Mesra Niaga

2011-06-30T07:55:00.001+08:00

I’ve been wanting to write this other blog since about the same time as I started my book blog Mesra Buku, which was more than a year ago (that's why I gave the title to the link section on the right ‘My Other BlogS’ rather than ‘My Other Blog’). I haven’t, because I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to commit writing something in it regularly. But lately, I thought that I should just go ahead, never mind if I won’t be able to update often. Afterall, just like my existing blogs, it’s going to be a ‘syok sendiri’ blogs hahaha ;p

My reason to just start/write: The things that pop up in my head disappear soon enough, and perhaps jotting them down is a way to retain some of them. Similar to my book blog, I write in this other blog as 'Siti' :) And similarly too, there's no link from there to Everyday Ice Cubes, my personal blog.

So, do visit Mesra Niaga! The sub-title ‘Business. Entrepreneurship. Products. Design. Ideas.’ will give you some ideas of the theme of the blog.

Antara Facebook dengan blog

2011-06-27T13:45:00.001+08:00

Walaupun telah lama membuka akaun Facebook, saya cuma ‘aktif’ (yang tak berapa aktif mana pun) dalam setahun dua kebelakangan ini. Namun, blog tidak dipinggirkan, kerana bagi saya kedua-duanya ada fungsi berbeza. Facebook bagi saya, tempat berkomunikasi dengan rakan-rakan (dari sekolah rendah hinggalah ke kawan yang baru kenal) – untuk keep in touch. Blog pula tempat saya ‘menulis’ (menulislah sangat) – expressing myself, dan juga berkongsi apa-apa yang ‘segan’ saya nak kongsi dengan rakan-rakan di FB, seolah-olah saya berblog secara anonymous (walaupun sebenarnya taklah anonymous sangat). FB dan blog memberi gambaran dua fragmen diri saya yang berbeza.

Sebenarnya, saya rasa waktu yang dihabiskan membuka akaun Facebook agak membazir, tapi saya hargai sebahagian berita-berita rakan-rakan yang saya baca di situ. Berita/cerita seumpama ini, barangkali 20%, yang selebihnya tak baca pun tak mengapa ... Saya dah cuba berazam untuk tidak membuka akaun Facebook terlalu kerap, mungkin dikurangkan daripada sehari sekali (lebih kurang 15-30 minit) ke sekali setiap dua hingga tiga hari. Tapi ... setakat ini belum berjaya. Dah jadi habit agaknya. Tak mengapa, terus mencuba.

Twitter memang saya tidak terjebak lagi kerana setakat ini saya masih belum nampak manfaatnya.

Kekal sekufu

2011-06-20T13:19:00.003+08:00

Betul juga kata Ustaz Muhammad Abdullah yang menjadi tamu slot Wanita Hari Ini pagi tadi (di Radio IKIM, peneman saya apabila memandu seorang diri). Kita selalu sebutkan pasal 'sekufu' apabila memilih atau mencari pasangan hidup, tetapi sama pentingnya juga, ialah usaha untuk mengekalkan 'sekufu' itu sepanjang tempoh perkahwinan. Manusia berubah dan berkembang (apa terjemahan yang tepat untuk 'grow', ya?) mengikut apa yang dilaluinya sepanjang kehidupannya. Suami yang sering mendengar kuliah Zohor misalnya, dan mendapat kelebihan diperingatkan selalu dan bertambah ilmunya, boleh jadi 'tiba-tiba' mendapati aspirasinya berbeza dengan isterinya setelah lima tahun. Yang sewajarnya, si suami harus berkongsi kefahamannya dengan isteri supaya masing-masing boleh menyelaraskan pemikiran (mindset), aspirasi, dan jangkaan (expectation) supaya kekal 'sekufu'.

Yang lucu (tapi sebenarnya tak lucu) adalah kisah yang Ustaz Muhammad kongsikan, tentang seorang suami yang beritahu padanya dia mahu kahwin lagi satu kerana isterinya tidak boleh berbahasa Inggeris! (apa punya alasan daaaa) Alkisahnya, setelah sepuluh tahun berkahwin, penguasaan bahasa Inggeris si suami semakin meningkat melalui sebab pekerjaannya. Barangkali si suami ini sampai ke tahap berfikir dalam bahasa Inggeris dan perlu ekspresi dirinya dalam bahasa Inggeris. Tapi yang sepatutnya, dia perlu mengajar isterinya (seeloknya dari awal) jika itu yang dia mahu (dan jika itu betul-betul penting bagi dirinya!). Jangan ambil mudah, dan jangan pilih jalan mudah saja!

Peringatan buat saya, perlu sensitif terhadap perubahan dan perkembangan diri dan suami dan perlu berkomunikasi untuk mengekalkan 'keselarasan' (atau 'kesekufuan'?). dengan suami.

Back to the office

2011-06-14T23:11:00.002+08:00

Tomorrow I will report back at the office after a three-month maternity leave.

I will certainly miss being at home, it suits me I think. But I am grateful to Allah for my job through which He is giving me my rezeki. A few 'blunders' happened while I was away, which caused the team a significant loss of margin. Though I am not directly responsible (since I was on leave and off duty), I feel accountable for them since I was supposed to train the person who covered some of my roles during my absence. I am not looking forward to mitigating the 'mess' but I accept that it's something that I have to do.

*sigh* The blues is creeping in, but I must ward it off. Think positive, Mynie!

What Works by Hamish McRae

2011-06-08T07:51:00.000+08:00

In this book, Hamish McRae wrote about lessons from 20 success stories around the globe, including the Edinburgh Arts Festival, Zurich drug rehabilitation, New York philanthrophism, Harvard – the world’s top university, property development in Dubai, the high-tech industries of Bangalore, public safety in Tokyo, Australia – the great sporting nation, the International Baccalaurate and others.

In the final chapter, he concluded by listing down 10 main lessons. And I quote “Here are powerful ideas that can be applied to many situations. If they are applied sensitively and thoughtfully, there will be better outcomes. We can all learn from things that work.”

1. Optimism – balanced by realism
- Pessimism paralyses
- Progress never follows a straight line

2. Excellence – tempered by decency
- If in the drive to be the best you neglect your wider responsibilities, you are liable to end up in greater trouble when you meet headwinds
- Pursue excellence but be aware of the needs and aspirations of those below the elite level

3. Community works – if it is allowed to
- Mobilize locally, but go outside for help when needed
– Look at things from ground up
– Celebrate community

4. Government works too
- Compare like with like

5. Become a true magnet for talent
- Create an environment that gets talent to attract talent
– Put out the welcome mat

6. Be honest about failure
- Face failure, and turn it to your advantage
– Keep learning, keep making mistakes

7. The need for humility
- Be as sensitive to success as you are to failure
– Acknowledge good fortune

8. Be nimble
- Be quick to adapt

9. Listen to the market
- Work with the market to effect change
– Remember, it is about more than money
– Manage your resources carefully

10. Have a sense of mission
- Keep it real
– Do right by those who share your objectives
– Keep the long game in view

In the example of New York philantrophism, the author pictured that Americans feel that they want to see something happen, they take actions, rather than just wait for the authority to act on it. In a way, it’s related to the ‘American Dream’ – anyone can get what they want or be who they want to be if they work hard enough for it.

Coincidentally, a few days after I finished this book, a friend shared this link about a philantrophist who built a special theme park for disabled children and named it Morgan’s Wonderland after Morgan, his 17-year-old daughter, who can't perform simple maths and struggles to form sentences because of cognitive disabilities.

Kitchen gadget baru

2011-06-05T22:03:00.005+08:00

Terima kasih KNV kerana sudi tolong belikan breadmaker ini, memang khidmat masyarakat sungguh. Jimat duit sekurang-kurangnya RM100.

Cubaan pertama roti putih biasa yang paling asas. Rasanya pun sangat plain, tak boleh 'dimakan begitu sahaja' - kurang-kurang pun harus cicah air panas. Saya pula belum ada pisau yang sesuai (ok, masuk dalam shopping list), jadi nak memotongnya pun tak cantik sangat. Ada sesiapa yang pernah bakar roti sebuku begini, pernah berjaya potong nipis saiz untuk masuk dalam toaster?

Disebabkan roti plain terlalu plain, jadi kali kedua cuba letak kismis pula.

Kemudian cuba resipi brioche, memang enak - sebab memang tinggi kandungan mentega dan gula. Yang ini boleh dimakan begitu sahaja. Tiada gambar, sebab rupanya sama sahaja dengan buku roti plain di atas, cuma warnanya lebih keperang-perangan.

Cubaan menggunakan breadmaker untuk buat doh pula menghasilkan sausage bun yang tidak cantik. Susah juga nak bentukkan dohnya, melekat-melekat pada tangan (nampak sangat amatur! ;p)

Kesimpulannya, I like!! Saya (dan suami dan anak-anak) memang suka roti, jadi harap-harapnya saya akan kerap guna breadmaker ini (supaya ia tidak jadi gadget 'gajah putih' di dapur saya). Saya sangat suka bau roti baru masak yang harum. Cuma, saya lebih suka kalau ada fungsi timer, supaya roti boleh siap untu sarapan awal pagi tanpa perlu bangun pukul 4 pagi (ia ambil masa 3 jam untuk siap). Atau sebenarnya ada, tapi saya yang belum habis baca manual (Kenwood BM250)?

Dan yang ini bukan roti, tapi puding pic yang saya buat untuk jamuan bulanan di tadika Munief. Rasanya ini amalan biasa di tadika, minta ibu bapa sumbangkan makanan untuk jamuan (voluntary basis).

The time is almost up!

2011-05-30T07:40:00.001+08:00

Oh, how time flies! It’s a cliché, I know, but I’m feeling it now stronger than usual. In about two more weeks, my 3-month maternity leave will end, and I will be back at the office (insya-Allah). I have really really really enjoyed being at home all these weeks, and I will definitely miss all the privileges. Three months maternity leave makes sense, because babies start smiling and responding at about 8 weeks, which makes great rewards for mummies and enhances bonding time as well.

The only thing I regret, and it is my common regret, is that I feel that I haven’t done enough with the time I have had. I complained about not having any ‘projects’ to work on (a few proposals got rejected, and I didn’t get any editing assignment until last week) when in fact there are so many other things that I could have done on my own. Being under pressures of commitment and deadline are strong motivators to be productive. I definitely need to improve on my internal motivation and self-discipline - especially if I aspire to be self-employed!

Insya-Allah I will move to my own place soon, which means a busier time to set up a new home (almost from scratch) and no more sharing of chores with my siblings, so that’s another change to adapt to, in addition to one extra amanah - my baby Hasief. May Allah help and guide me in fulfilling my responsibilities and striving for my dreams!

Hang Nadim saya

2011-05-23T07:19:00.001+08:00

Munief suka dibacakan cerita sebelum tidur, tapi tempoh hari kami tidak membawa buku sewaktu pulang ke kampung, jadi saya pilih saja satu cerita daripada kotak memori.

Ummi: Pada zaman dahulu, di negeri Singapura, ada satu kawasan pantai kena serang dengan ikan todak. Munief tahu tak ikan todak macam mana?

Munief: Tak tahu.

Ummi: Ikan todak ada mulut panjang yang tajam. Dia boleh melompat daripada permukaan air. Sebab orang cedera bila terkena mulut ikan todak yang melompat ke pantai, jadi orang pun kena fikir macam mana nak lawan ikan todak ni.

Munief: Tapi, bila ikan todak lompat ke pantai, takde air, dia mati lah kan?

Ummi: Ermm.. ya, betul. Tapi masa dia lompat tu, sebelum jatuh ke pasir, terkena orang.

Munief: Orang kat pantai janganlah duduk dekat dengan air, jauhlah sikit.

Ummi: Ermm.. Ramai orang yang dah duduk-duduk jauh. Tapi ikan todak tu boleh lompat jauh jugak, ada juga orang yang terkena. Lepas tu, ada seorang budak bernama Hang Nadim ada satu idea. Dia cadangkan letak batang pisang di tepi pantai supaya ikan todak terlekat di batang pisang masa dia lompat. Bagus tak idea dia?

Munief: *angguk*

(Dalam cerita saya, Hang Nadim tidak dihukum kerana kepintarannya. Saya tidak suka penyudahan asal, jadi suka hati tukar sendiri :) )

Join us in Akal Budi

2011-05-17T23:07:00.003+08:00

It began in late 2009, when I wrote the post Free e-book – What Matters Now. As a response to an anonymous critic that ‘accused me of looking up to non-Malay thoughts’, I said I’d love to have a similar compilation by Malay minds - but who’s taking the initiative?

From then on, the seed of the idea grew because in my mind I see it as a fun and beneficial (to society) project. In this digital and internet age, contents are cheap (virtually free) to reproduce and distribute. And what better use of these tools other than to educate? I personally found initiatives such as Starfall Education, Khan Academy and MIT Open Courseware inspiring. One of my favourite daydream (angan-angan, daydream is not the exact translation) is to be able to convince/initiate KPM to do a tutorial portal containing the national (KBSR/KBSM) syllabus accessible online for free to all. Yes, yang macam Score-A tu. More recently, I was also influenced by a book I read, Wikinomics – How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything, the principles of wikinomics being openness, peering, sharing, and acting global.

But I digress.

In early 2010, I got a few friends to share the excitement with and they’ve had some great ideas to build up on this. Asma & Lina suggested that, rather than distribute the content(s) gratis, let’s give people the option to donate. A (small?) part of the donation may be used to fund the next project and to maintain website, but the bulk of it will go to chosen charity bodies.

To solicit donation, it’s more transparent to use a group/society account, so we plan to register ourselves as a group under ROS (Registrar of Societies). It’s not very straightforward because minutes of meetings, committee list, logo etc need to be submitted together with the application. Also, we had started discussing about building our website. We’ve agreed on the group name (Persatuan) Akal Budi, the separate words respectively symbolizes the first (education) and second (charity) objectives, while the coined term ‘akal budi’ together meant ‘budaya - fikiran dan kelakuan yang baik’.

However, after my mother passed away in June 2010, I somehow lacked the will and energy to continue, and 2010 flew past without any further development (sorry, dears!). I’ve always known that I wanted to do this, but I just procrastinated. But now, energized by my 3-month maternity leave, I rekindled my desire to see this happen.

What a long story.

What I actually want to say is: if you are interested to join us in Akal Budi, please leave your email in the comment section, or email me directly at mynie.mat@ gmail.com. We really hope we can add more members to our team (there’s currently about 5-6 of us).

After taking care of the logistics side (as mentioned above) such as registering the group, opening a group bank account, and setting up the group website, the first project would be to compile and distribute a collection of pearls of wisdom from respected people in our communities, which would involve tasks such as: identifying and contacting them to seek their contributions/participation, following up, producing a compiled copy, and distributing. If all goes well insya-Allah, we’d like to put forth proposals to interested publishers for the compilation to be published as hardcopies.

Team members should feel free to pursue any projects of their own (for example, some of us are quite keen on early learning contents as parents’ teaching materials) that fits the group common objectives. Akal Budi would just be a platform – as an umbrella organisation, to bounce ideas, to seek support and participation from other members. As a virtual team, we’d discuss things mostly via emails or chat tools or FB or phone. Of course, I hope that we’ll meet face to face at some point in the future. Since we are juggling this besides other commitments and priorities, we don’t expect things to move quickly. But hopefully, we’ll be able to create values for our communities and have some fun along the way, insya-Allah.

So, join us?

Goodbye, my friend

2011-05-15T23:19:00.002+08:00

You have just left
yet
you were long gone.

I will miss you
but
I have been missing you.

I love you
and
I will always love you.

Pulut oh pulut

2011-05-10T10:13:00.004+08:00

Saya pun tak pasti apa nama komersil hidangan sarapan dari pantai timur ini, tapi kami panggil 'pulut gaul nyor (nyiur)'.

Ini resepinya:
1. Masak beras pulut 4 pot (cawan?).
2. Rebus 3 ekor ikan selayang/kembung, perisi (debone).
3. Tumbuk isi ikan dengan bawang merah 4-5 biji (saya blend je).
4. Goreng isi ikan + bawang merah dengan kelapa parut (sebiji kelapa), tambah garam secukup rasa (saya guna kurang 1 sudu teh). Goreng hingga kelapa jadi perang-perang sikit.
5. Golekkan pulut yang telah masak jadi bulat dan golek dalam sambal kelapa yang telah digoreng tadi.

Bila tengok pulut berlebih, dan nampak mangga yang ayah beli di pasar, terfikir pula nak buat pencuci mulut pulut dengan mangga. Bukan masak pun, lebih kepada 'assemble' saja. Pulut dengan mangga, santan, dan gula melaka yang telah dicairkan (kebetulan dah ada yang siap dalam peti lebih kuih lopes dulu). Rasanya macam pengat pun ada sikit-sikit, maklumlah kombinasi santan dengan gula melaka. Mmm... saya memang cukup suka kombinasi lemak manis santan gula melaka ni, sebab itulah cendol jadi salah satu dessert kegemaran saya. Tapi memanglah kurang menyihatkan ... Ah well, sekali-sekala ( <--- cubaan untuk 'justify' ;p).

A post for Wajihah

2011-05-05T03:15:00.000+08:00

When I was (much) younger, I used to imagine that I’m a bit artsy and creative. Now, I realize that being interested in something does not mean I would have the talent or that I’m good at it (haha). My siblings and I (so far, I still have 2 brothers in school yet to decide their paths) have taken very much ‘conventional’ courses like engineering and economics.

So I was very impressed when my husband’s sister, Wajihah took the different path – she did Arts & Design (I can’t remember the exact course title). This post is dedicated to her, perhaps she can get some ideas to fill up her time (and earn some pocket money along the way) while waiting for the next semester to begin (which is in September, a long time away).

In the internet age, tools are plentiful for anyone to look for opportunities and to advertise one’s products and services, which can be provided from the comfort of one’s own home.

The following are some examples of activities that can be done (from home) if one has the inclination, passion and talent. Photos (except for An-Najjah batik)are ‘borrowed’ from the respective blogs being mentioned as examples, I hope the owners don’t mind. The blogs featured are mere ‘starting points’, because most link to many other similar blogs – a wonder to explore.

Artwork can be produced and sold online (rather than go through art galleries, maybe), for example like this established artist, Mustafa Yahya.

It could also be commissioned, like this stay-at-home mother-of-two who ‘went artsy’ whenever she has the time.

These artworks would be great to decorate walls. I myself have bought a batik painting done by one of the kids in Rumah Kebajikan An-Najjah (for only RM90, without frame).

Those are physical artwork, and the following are some options for digital graphics. There’s so much services that can be offered, for example:
-For physical materials such as banner, brochure, card, even things like t-shirt and mugs
-For virtual use for example logo, blog/website design/banner, dolly (I’ve just discovered this term)

Emila Yusof is an established artist who has written and illustrated quite a few children books.

I just discovered ET’s blog. Very nice drawings, paintings and caricature.

And Mimi here was in the same primary school as me. Her ‘stoodles’ (doodles) has adorned magazine and music album cover before, and she recently made a series of 10cm by 10cm acrylic on canvas and sold them individually.

AcuRose's dollies are so cute.

In the publications industry, illustrations can be provided on freelance/project basis. Some companies even offer royalty terms for illustrators. Other services: designing book covers and drawing comics.

One can go into crafts if inclined – there’s so many types: felt, quilling, gubahan hantaran, cross-stitch, jewellery making, crocheting and so much more. This blog Craft Zone Malaysia has quite a good compilation of links to local craft blogs. Surf for ideas and inspirations.

Creativity also comes in handy for tasks such as decorating cakes/cupcakes, beading, and photo editing.

Petikan daripada buku

2011-04-21T08:37:00.000+08:00

Tiga petikan pilihan daripada dua buku yang baru saya selesai uliti baru-baru ini:

Dua daripada buku 'Moga Bonda Disayang Allah' tulisan Tere-Liye (versi terjemahan terbitan PTS Litera):

Mukasurat 191:

Benarlah. Jika kalian sedang bersedih, jika kalian sedang terpagut pada masa lalu yang menyakitkan, penuh penyesalan seumur hidup, salah satu ubatnya ialah dengan menyedari masih banyak orang lain yang lebih sedih dan mengalami kejadian yang lebih menyakitkan dibandingkan kalian. Masih banyak orang lain yang tidak lebih beruntung dibanding kita. Itu akan memberikan pengertian yang hidup ini belum berakhir. Itu akan membuat kita selalu meyakini, setiap makhluk berhak atas suatu harapan.

Mukasurat 220:

Dalam proses kepergian, lazimnya yang pergi selalu lebih ringan dibandingkan yang ditinggalkan. Lebih ringan untuk melupakan ... Yang pergi akan menemui tempat-tempat baru, kenalan-kenalan baru, kehidupan-kehidupan baru, yang perlahan tapi pasti semua itu akan mengisi dan menggantikan kenangan lama. Sementara yang ditinggalkan lazimnya tetap dengan segala kenangan itu ...

Yang ini daripada buku 'Life of Pi' tulisan Yann Martel, Bab 25:

There are always those who take it upon themselves to defend God, as if Ultimate Reality, as if the sustaining frame of existence, were something weak and helpless. These people walk by a widow deformed by leprosy begging for a few paise, walk by children dressed in rags living in the street, and they think, "Business is as usual." But if they perceive a slight against God, it is a different story. Their faces go red, their chests heave mightily, they sputter angry words. The degree of their indignation is astonishing. Their resolve is frightening.

These people fail to realize that it is on the inside that God must be defended, not on the outside. They should direct their anger at themselves. For evil in the open is but evil from within that has been let out. The main battlefield for good is not the open ground of the publis arena but the small clearing of each heart. Meanwhile, the lot of widows and homeless children is very hard, and it is to their defence, not God's, that the self-righteous should rush.

Belajar perkataan baru gaya Afiefah

2011-04-18T15:13:00.002+08:00

Satu

Ummi: Hmm.. keluar pintu dapur pijak simen.
Afiefah: Janganlah pijak simen, nanti dia mati!
Ummi: (ketawa) Simen bukan binatang, dia tak mati. Ni ha simen! (sambil menunjuk dan memijak ruang simen)

Dua

Munief: Itu hotel ke, Abi?
Abi: Bukan, itu rumah agam.
Afiefah: Nak pergi jumpa Agam!
Abi: (ketawa) Agam bukan nama orang. Rumah agam maknanya rumah besar.

*
Kami memang guna bahasa Melayu dengan anak-anak sebagai bahasa pertama. Ada jugalah guna bahasa Inggeris, tapi agak sedikit, jadi Munief dan Afiefah kurang vocabulary bahasa Inggeris. Saya harapkan mereka belajar bahasa Inggeris (sikit-sikit) melalui Playhouse Disney Channel, tapi Munief pandai pula tukar sendiri pilih alihbahasa ke bahasa Melayu. Katanya, "Munief nak bahasa yang Munief cakap." Agak-agaknya kalau dia ditanya nak belajar Sains dan Matematik dalam bahasa apa, mungkin dia akan sebut jawapan yang sama.

Mesra Buku book swap

2011-04-15T15:20:00.003+08:00

I've listed some of my books available for swap/loan at my book blog here. Feel free to browse and email me if you're interested to read any of the books listed there.

Happy reading!

Memos from your child

2011-04-07T08:25:00.000+08:00

Borrowed from a friend's FB link/notes, with thanks.

1. Don’t spoil me.
I know quite well that I ought not to have all I ask for.

2. Don’t be afraid to be firm with me.
I prefer it, it makes me feel secure.

3. Don’t let me form bad habits.
I have to rely on you to detect them at the early stages.

4. Don’t make me feel smaller than I am.
It only makes me feel stupidly “big”.

5. Don’t correct me in front of people, if you can help it.
It will take much more notice, if you talk more quietly with me in private.

6. Don’t make me feel that my mistakes are sins.
It upsets my sense of values.

7. Don’t protect me from my consequences.
I need to learn the painful way sometimes.

8. Don’t be too upset if I say “I hate you”.
It isn’t you I hate but your power to thwart me.

9. Don’t take too much notice of my small ailments.
Sometimes they get me the attention I need.

10. Don’t nag.
If you do, I shall protect myself by appearing deaf.

11. Don’t forget that I cannot explain myself as well as I should like.
This is why I’m not always very accurate.

12. Don’t tax my honesty too much.
I am easily frightened into telling lies.

13. Don’t make rash promises.
Remember that I feel badly let down when promises are broken.

14. Don’t be inconsistent.
That completely confuses me and makes me lose faith in you.

15. Don’t take my fear as silly.
They are terribly real and you can do much to reassure me if you try to understand.

16. Don’t put me off when I ask questions.
If you do, you will find that I stop asking and seek information elsewhere.

17. Don’t ever suggest that you are perfect or infallible.
It gives me too great a shock when I discover you are neither.

18. Don’t ever think it’s beneath your dignity to apologize to me.
An honest apology makes me feel surprisingly warm towards you.

19. Don’t forget how quickly I am growing up.
It must be very difficult to keep pace with me, but please do try.

20. Don’t forget I am experimenting.
I couldn’t get on without it so please put up with me.

21. Don’t forget that I can’t thrive without lots of understanding love, but I don’t need to tell you, do I?

Impianku buat tanahair tercinta 2

2011-04-04T14:10:00.003+08:00

Minggu pertama adik saya di sekolah barunya, sebuah sekolah berasrama penuh untuk pelajar tingkatan 4 dan 5, dia menempuh sedikit kesulitan sosial. Di sebuah perhimpunan, pelajar-pelajar baru ditanya, "Siapa rasa dia boleh jadi Ketua Pengawas tahun depan?" Beberapa pelajar mengangkat tangan, termasuk adik saya. Beberapa pelajar ini menjadi kelompok yang tidak disenangi oleh sebahagian pelajar lain. Jika saya ditanya sedemikian, saya tahu saya tidak akan mengangkat tangan. Tetapi saya akan melihat kepada mereka yang mengangkat tangan dengan rasa hormat; mereka yang punya keyakinan diri sebegitu barangkali juga punya ciri-ciri kepemimpinan yang lain. Alhamdulilah, isu ini tidak berpanjangan dan telah selesai, adik saya juga dapat menyesuaikan diri dengan persekitaran dan rakan-rakan baru. Tetapi saya terfikir, betapa sebuah sekolah berasrama penuh (yang biasanya dipenuhkan dengan kelompok pelajar-pelajar cemerlang), juga tidak terlepas daripada sindrom 'persepsi negatif terhadap kecemerlangan'.

Kebanyakan kita barangkali biasa dengan sindrom ini. Segan mendapat tempat teratas dalam kelas kerana budak pandai dikatakan 'tidak cool'. Segan dilihat membaca buku kerana risau digelar 'nerd'. Segan mengangkat tangan dalam kelas untuk jawab atau tanya soalan kerana takut orang lain akan kata kita mahu menunjuk atau mahu jadi anak emas cikgu. Budaya seumpama ini sebenarnya 'self-sabotaging'; ia memberi impak negatif kepada kita umumnya. Budaya ini cuma akan menekan (suppress) potensi individu.

Lebih teruk lagi, jika budaya ini terbawa-bawa hingga ke alam dewasa/pekerjaan. Jangan kita keberatan untuk siapkan kerja kita dengan cepat dan cemerlang kerana risau akibatnya kita diberi lebih banyak kerja. Jangan kita sangka rakan sekerja kita menawarkan diri untuk bereskan sesuatu tugas kerana hendak mengampu, atau lincah memberi idea sewaktu mesyuarat kerana mahu tunjuk pandai dan cepat naik pangkat. Jangan kita sangka kawan kita riak dan suka menunjuk apabila dia bercerita kemahiran baru yang sudah diperloehi anaknya.

Impian saya buat masyarakat saya, tanahair saya, agar kemahuan untuk melakukan yang terbaik, budaya mencapai kecemerlangan terserap dengan sihat dan positif, dan tidak pula terlajak sehingga ke tahap ekstrim pula. Tolong-menolonglah dalam perkara kebaikan dan usahlah bersaing secara negatif. Bersangka baiklah dan mari saling menghormati sesama kita. Insya-Allah, kita akan melangkah lagi setapak, terus mara ke hadapan.

Ahlan, little Ridhwan

2011-03-14T22:41:00.004+08:00

Updated: Nama anak ketiga kami telah didaftarkan sebagai Hasief Ridhwan :)

Alhamdulillah, kami menyambut kelahiran ahli keluarga terbaru pagi Jumaat yang lepas, 11 Mac 2011 dengan penuh rasa gembira dan syukur. Semoga Ridhwan (nama penuh belum diputuskan) membesar menjadi anak yang soleh dan mukmin yang bertakwa.

Abang dan kakak turut gembira menerima ketibaan adik baharu. Jika dahulu mereka kerap bertanya, "Ummi, bila adik nak keluar?" kini soalan mereka, "Ummi, bila adik nak bangun? Nak main dengan adik."

'Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.'

2011-03-09T22:19:00.001+08:00

These 7 words encapsulates Michael Pollan’s book ‘In Defence of Food’ that I’ve read recently. He didn’t start elaborating on what he meant by that immediately. The first part of the book is titled The Age of Nutritionism. I’m glad to learn that eating healthy does not mean that I have to master the science of nutrition. In fact, he went as far as suggesting that nutritionism could just be ‘bad science’. In the second part, The Western Diet and the Diseases of Civilization, the author elaborates on the changes that has happened to food and eating (specifically in the Western world).

The list of subtopics in the last chapter of this part may give some idea of what these changes are:
-From whole foods to refined
-From complexity to simplicity
-From quality to quantity
-From leaves to seed
-From food culture to food science

Although reading the first two parts had been interesting and enlightening, it is the third and last part of the book which I had appreciated the most, because this is where he had shared tangible advices and rules when it comes healthy eating. I’ll capture the points here so that I can refer to them in the future.

Eat Food: Food Defined (food, as opposed to foodlike or food products)

Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food
Don’t eat anything incapable of rotting
Avoid food products containing ingredients that are a) unfamiliar b) unpronounceable c) more than five in number and that include d) high-fructose corn syrup
Avoid food products that make health claims
Shop the peripheries of the supermarket and stay out of the middle (fresh food is usually placed at the peripheries and processed food in the middle)
Get out of the supermarket whenever possible (eg shop at farmers’ market, or in Malaysian context, pasar tani I guess)

Mostly Plants: What to Eat

Eat mostly plants especially leaves
You are what what you eat eats too
If you have the space buy a freezer (freezing unlike canning does not significantly diminish the nutritional value of produce)
Eat like an omnivore (diversify your food)
Eat well-grown food from healthy soils
Eat wild foods when you can
Be the kind of person who takes supplement (without actually taking any, unless you’re over 50) ie typically more health conscious, better educated, and more affluent
Eat more like the French or the Italians or the Japanese or the Indians or the Greeks (eat traditional food)
Regard non-traditional foods with skepticism
Don’t look for the magic bullet in the traditional diet (it’s a ‘package’)

Not Too Much: How to Eat

Pay more eat less (costs, both in terms of price and time/convenience to prepare) Eat meals (and avoid snacking in between)
Do all your eating at a table (and a desk is not a table)
Don’t get your fuel from the same place your car does (ie petrol station shops)
Try not to eat alone
Consult your gut (train our internal system to tell us when we are full)
Eat slowly
Cook, and if you can, plant a garden

One of my favourite paragraph: “If a food is more than the sum of its nutrients and a diet is more than the sum of its food, it follows that a food culture is more than the sum of its menus – it embraces as well the set of manners, eating habits, and unspoken rules that together governs a people’s relationship to food and eating. How a culture eats may have just as much bearing on health as what a culture eats.”

This is Michael Pollan’s website where he shares his archives or articles (I’ve just read 3 interesting ones and will probably go back for more). The article ‘Unhappy Meals’ which he wrote in January 2007 is the trigger which led him (encouraged by his editors) to write this whole book, so it actually contains a significant amount of the points he touched in this book, so head over there for a preview of this book.

Overall, a very satisfying read – interesting and informative. I feel so motivated now to improve my eating and cooking habits towards achieving a healthier life, I hope I’ll remain to be so consistently!

Note: This post is also published in my book blog.

Assorted links

2011-02-25T08:35:00.000+08:00

1) Engineering Malaysia’s Future (written by Sir James Dyson, industrial designer and founder of Dyson Ltd)

Excerpts:

What boosts a country's economy aren't stockbrokers and financial speculators -- making things does.

Firstly, we need to get young people excited about science and engineering for the satisfaction of solving a problem. Secondly, we need to be exploiting knowledge through collaboration, not competition, between universities, companies and not-for-profit organisations. Lastly, we need to create a culture where science, technology and engineering are held in high esteem.

Research and development takes time and it takes money, with many dead ends before breakthroughs occur. But it is how new technology is created; it's a long slog -- ideas are instant but invention is long-term. When a breakthrough does occur it must be celebrated and in turn this will help open the eyes of the public and young people to engineering's opportunities.

So, yes, while Malaysia has ambitious plans to become a developed nation by 2020, achieving them will be possible if everyone steps up. Governments, academics, schools, researchers and businesses all have their part to play in engineering Malaysia's future.

2) Malaysia’s Middle-Income Trap (written by Nina Merchant-Vega and Herizal Hazri of Asia Foundation)

Malaysia has done tremendous job progressing from low-income nation to middle-income nation. But why it is so difficult to move up further to high-income and developed nation? One of the points in the article stated that we need to progress from being manufacturers (and depending too much on foreign investors) to becoming inventors (and innovators), which repeats what James Dyson said in his article above.

3) Watch This Face - Dr Afifi al-Akiti (written in Emel, a Muslim Lifestyle Magazine)

Not long after Mamaboyz (aka DrWati) wrote about Ustaz Zaharuddin’s article ‘Inginkan ulama Malaysia seperti al-Qaradawi’, I came across this tokoh Shaykh Afifi, who is the first Malaysian/Malay Oxford Don. Wow. How come I’ve never heard of him before?

Excerpt:

Dr Afifi al-Akiti - also known as Shaykh Afifi - is a man with many hats. When he dons his mortarboard he is the ever erudite Oxford scholar. Walking through the historic stone-walled city, he bears the positions of Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, Lecturer in Islamic Studies at the Faculty of Theology - Oxford University’s oldest faculty - as well as holding a Lectureship in World Religions at Worcester College, University of Oxford, where he teaches both Islam and Christianity.

Yet when he takes his position at the front of the mosque, sits on the floor and ties his ulema imama, he is the classically trained Muslim theologian and skilled faqih. Steeped in both Islamic and Western academic cultures, Dr Afifi is blessed with a rare insight.

The mortarboard, he notes, is inspired by a madrassa graduation ceremony where students would reverently tie the Qur’an upon their heads. Similarly, the Oxford one-on-one tutorial system mirrors the traditional relationship between shaykh and student. As the first ever Malaysian Oxford Don, Dr Afifi continues breaking boundaries, reaching out far beyond the dreaming spires; in addition to his critically acclaimed written works, he has worked on several BBC documentaries, including the recent Science and Islam.

4) Can’t Find a Dream Job? Create Your Own (written by Leo Babauta of Zen Habits blog)

Excerpt:

Don’t wait for someone to hand it to you. Don’t hope that you’ll win the lottery. Don’t give up and consign yourself to a fate of misery and (worse) dullness.
Create your job! It might sound far-fetched for some of you (while others have already done it) but it’s very possible. Not easy, mind you: it takes hard work and smarts and passion and a crap-ton of learning and a willingness to take risks and make mistakes.

5) Responsibilities of Ownership (written by Erin Doland of unclutterer.com)

This article really resonates with me. I'm sometimes conscious about being perceived as 'kedekut or berkira nak beli benda-benda' among my siblings, but it's not really about the money (though sometimes it is), it's about being a smart consumer.

Excerpt:

One of the downsides of owning a lot of things is you have to care for a lot of things. Caring for copious possessions is simple if you have a team of people to do it for you — cleaning, maintenance, security — but not so simple when you’re the one with all the responsibilities.

I’m not an ascetic. I have stuff. My son has toys, and our family has a car. I’m not an advocate for a possession-free lifestyle. Rather, I adhere to smart consumer practices (spending less than you earn, researching products before your buy them, buying the best quality you can afford, only buying products you need or help you pursue the remarkable life you desire, and trying your best to refrain from acquiring clutter).

Another thing smart consumers acknowledge is that stuff is more than physical objects. Stuff is storage space in your home. Stuff is protecting your things from theft, pests, mold, mildew, and the elements. Stuff is taking time for dusting, cleaning, and returning things after you use them. Stuff is shipping costs, taxes, upgrades, accessories, and energy to power. Stuff is the tradeoff of time, energy, money, and space that you could have used for something else — something you might want more in your life.

Before making a purchase or acquiring a new object, pause and ask yourself if you are willing to accept all the responsibilities that accompany the object. When sorting through the things in your home, ask yourself the same questions. Recognize how the things in your life will impact your future. Don’t get caught off guard by the responsibilities of ownership.

Permainan zaman kanak-kanak

2011-02-22T08:51:00.003+08:00

Eh, selepas tiga post yang agak ‘berat’, tiba-tiba saya hendak bercerita pasal permainan zaman kanak-kanak pula? Jangan main-main, secara peribadi saya rasa bermain itu penting untuk perkembangan fizikal dan minda, di samping dapat juga mengutip kemahiran dan mengisi masa lapang dengan berfaedah. Dan yang paling penting, untuk berseronok!

Permainan yang dimaksudkan bukan permainan terancang atau ‘proper’ seperti bola jaring atau badminton atau ‘board games’, tetapi lebih kepada permainan yang biasanya tidak menggunakan sebarang peralatan (atau jika ada pun, yang boleh disediakan sendiri tanpa belanja yang besar) dan peraturannya dicipta sendiri. Saya pernah terdengar dalam sebuah bual bicara dalam radio, kemahiran ‘mencipta’ permainan sendiri menggunakan benda sedia ada di sekeliling (tanpa alat atau barang permainan khusus) adalah satu kemahiran penting bagi kanak-kanak dan dapat mengasah kreativiti.

Ini antara permainan yang saya main dengan kawan-kawan sewaktu sekolah rendah, dalam dua puluh tahun dulu (oh, menyebut istilah ‘dua puluh tahun dulu’ buatkan saya rasa sungguh tua!). Rupa-rupanya banyak juga masa yang dihabiskan bermain meskipun cuma menggunakan waktu sebelum waktu sekolah (atau aktiviti ko-kurikulum) bermula, waktu rehat, dan selepas kelas terakhir sementara menanti dijemput ayah atau ibu.

- Galah panjang. Ini semua orang tahu rasanya. Biasanya guna gelanggang badminton dsb.
- Main getah. Oh, cukup popular dulu. Kalau malas kumpul getah, boleh beli sahaja. Disebabkan mahu main getah, pergi sekolah mesti pakai seluar panjang dalam kain.
- Main longkang. Bunyinya cukup pelik, bukan? Dan saya tidak rasa permainan ini popular. Longkang cetek yang kering (dan bersih), dan kaki diselang-seli masuk dan keluar longkang mengikut ritma.
- Main tiang. Ala-ala ‘musical chair’ sedikit. Pilih bilangan tiang kurang satu berbanding jumlah pemain. Siapa paling lambat dan tidak dapat peluk tiang terkeluar daripada permainan.
- Main bertepuk tangan (sep sep sep, tum tum tum). Banyak versi, contohnya ‘See, see, my granny.’
- Batu seremban. Batunya boleh jadi batu betul (batu kerikil bersaiz ibu jari), atau siapa yang rajin bolehlah jahit kain dan isi dengan pasir. Saya kurang mahir permainan ini.
- Jentik tutup botol. Permainan ini lebih popular di kalangan budak lelaki.
- Pepsi-Cola. Setelah melompat setapak ke belakang, pemain bergilir cuba ‘memijak’ kaki pemain berikutnya, yang cuba mengelak. Jika terkena, yang dipijak kakinya itu terkeluar daripada permainan.
- Origami dan buat ‘friendship band’ daripada benang cross-stitch atau benang kait. Lebih berbentuk kraftangan dan ‘indoor activity’.

Di kampung pula, selain daripada galah panjang, ada beberapa lagi permainan lain yang kami main bersama sepupu-sepapat.

- Teng-teng. Nama Inggerisnya ‘hopscotch’. Lakar petak-petak atas tanah dan guna serpihan tembikar sebagai ‘buah’.
- Konda-kondi. Kuis batang kayu dan lari. Versi lain, jatuhkan piramid selipar dan lari. Satu kumpulan mengejar dan ‘jaga’ selipar. Satu lagi kumpulan (yang jatuhkan) cuba untuk bina semula. Atau, sekadar main kejar-mengejar.
- Congkak. Lubang digali dalam tanah, dan buahnya guna biji getah.
- Kami juga sering keluar rumah dan ‘explore’ persekitaran, pergi ke sawah padi dan sungai, mengutip entah apa-apa buah atau daun atau bunga yang menarik, tengok pelbagai jenis binatang. Sekarang, saya sendiri pun tidak pasti sama ada saya ‘berani’ biarkan anak-anak saya berkeliaran sendiri (tanpa pengawasan orang dewasa).

Saya tertanya-tanya, adakah kanak-kanak zaman sekarang juga ada versi permainan-permainan (tanpa alat permainan) seperti ini?

Power to the people!

2011-02-13T10:05:00.001+08:00

Wah, saya cukup teruja melihat perkembangan terbaru di Mesir! Memang satu peristiwa bersejarah. Saya harap rakyat Mesir akan mendapat pemimpin baru yang baik dan akan dapat mengecapi perubahan positif yang memberangsangkan.

Saya amat suka bahagian ini dalam sebuah artikel bertajuk ‘Lessons of Manliness from the Egyptian Revolution’:

I will be forever proud of my nationality as an Egyptian. I promise to be good to Egypt, to use my knowledge to grow her, repaint her picture in the eyes of others. I’m sorry I insulted her when I was younger, for thinking she wasn’t pretty like the others. I’m sorry I gave up on her, for wanting to leave her, and being ignorant of her history. I promise to be a better citizen to Her, a better Egyptian, a better Man.

Dan buat pemimpin-pemimpin negara lain yang mengingatkan rakyat masing-masing supaya jangan cuba-cuba meniru apa yang dilakukan oleh rakyat Mesir, hanya ini yang saya mahu katakan:

Jika anda sudah jujur menjalankan tanggungjawab,
jika anda sudah amanah menguruskan harta rakyat dan negara,
jika anda sudah cuba yang terbaik untuk mewujudkan suasana aman dan makmur bagi rakyat pimpinan anda,
maka apa lagi yang perlu ditakutkan?
Rakyat bukannya mahu keluar berdemo saja suka-suka, tahu?
Siapa makan cili, dialah yang terasa pedasnya.

Which car can I afford to buy?

2011-02-12T15:15:00.002+08:00

Those of you who have read my blog for awhile would notice that this is one of my pet peeves. Every once in a while I have to rant about our beloved nation’s extortive price of cars. Just a quick comparison, A Honda Jazz in the UK cost about 13k pounds, while in Malaysia, you would have to fork out about RM110k. A simple absolute comparison (using RM5 per pound as the exchange rate) would give RM110k vs RM65k, almost double! And that has not taken into consideration our lower salary rate and lower buying power. A fresh grad in UK earning 2k pounds per month vs a fresh grad in Malaysia earning RM2k per month or a McD staff in UK earning 3 pounds an hour vs a McD staff here earning RM3 an hour. Can you imagine how nice it would be if we earn 2k per month and a car cost 13k? We could save up and buy a good car with cash! But of course, reality checks, our currency and economy does not command such luxury. That does not irk me as much as the fact that we are further burdened by all the taxes and levies and whatnots (guess by who) that had doubled the car price that we have to pay! It irks me that we have to take loans up to 9 or 10 years to be able to afford a car. We are burdened by these high cost of living, such that we have less choice of how we want to spend our time, less time to do or think about other matters, because we have to work hard and long hours about earning money. Sure, these taxes are a great source of income for the government, and it’s because we don’t have much choice. It’s not like we can call up a friend staying in another country and ask their help to buy us the cheaper car like we’d ask them to buy a book or a handbag. It has not always been like this. My father told me that in the late 70’s and early 80’s, a new Toyota car cost less than RM10k and car loans are unheard of then. Of course, fresh grad salary then is probably about RM1k, but still RM1k to RM10k is still a lot better than RM2k to RM80k today.

Ok, actually what I really mean to write in this post is to share my personal rule of thumb when it comes to buying car, how much can one afford. But the above just had to come out, don’t they? Hahaha.. Straight to the point, and I know most people probably wouldn’t agree with me, but personally, I think that one can afford to buy a car that cost as much as he or she earns in one year. How do I arrive at this figure? I personally feel that 5 year is the maximum period of loan that is reasonable for a car loan also. Naturally, the shorter, the better. Bear in mind that interest rate or hire-purchase rate for a car loan, since it’s a depreciating asset, is similar to that of a personal loan (interest rate multiplied by the number of year), rather than the reducing balance type like a housing loan. So, the longer the loan period, the more interest we’d have to pay. Say the interest rate is 4%. A 5 year tenure would then yield total interest of 4% x 5 years = 20%, hence the total cost of the car would be 100% + 20% = 120%. There’s 60 months in 5 years, so 120% divided by 60 months is 2%, which is a quarter of a month salary (0.25*100%/12 months), which I feel is the reasonable percentage to spend from one’s monthly income. Even this feels a lot, especially if one intends to take up a home loan soon. Imagine, if I’m already servicing a monthly car instalment that takes up 25% of my monthly salary, I’m only left with 8% for a home mortgage instalment (33%-25%, banks usually approve a loan if the total monthly instalment for all commitments is less than a third)!

But let’s just say a quarter from the monthly salary is okay for now. What car can we buy? Let’s assume that a fresh grad has a job with RM2k per month (continuing from premise above, even though I know a lot of examples where they are earning less). The cheapest Perodua is Viva 660 BX which cost RM25k, hence just about affordable. The cheapest Proton is Savvy which starts from RM33.5k, which is out. The alternative for them, if they want to keep to the 5 year at 25% rule, is either to buy a second-hand car, or to fork out a bigger deposit from the savings (assuming they have some savings, else may have to borrow from family members). The former is a viable alternative he or she is someone who is relatively car-savvy and knows more about a maintaining and performance of car (which I’m not) other just driving it, which is crucial both when it comes to assessing and buying the second-hand car, and thereafter maintaining it.

To share our personal car-buying experience, we took both options. Our first car is a second-hand Proton. It was 18 months old and we bought it at about 65% of the price of a new model. We’re lucky because we had the help of my father and brothers when assessing the car. Alhamdulillah, despite a major accident and some minor ones that only involves cosmetic repair (mostly due to my driving), the car is still in good condition today (after owning it almost 8 years) and doesn’t give us much trouble. Its loan tenure was for 4 years. Our second car is smaller (in size and engine capacity) but new (Perodua), we used some savings to pay for a bigger deposit, and opted for a 3-year loan. After using it for almost 5 years, it still feels like new (to me, the not-car-savvy driver), again, despite its share of cosmetic repairs. Alhamdulillah.

Being content and happy with our cars, however, doesn’t stop me from wishing for a better car. One time during a journey for a department lunch, we were talking about cars and I mentioned that my dream car is such-and-such. A colleague challenged, “Why is it a dream car? If you want, you can buy one today,” implying that I can afford the car. He may be right, but I really don’t feel like tying myself to another 5-year loan. Not when the cars we have are serving our current needs, Alhamdulillah. I still couldn’t help sometimes feeling ‘embarrassed’ when I wasn’t able to offer rides for lunches because my car were ‘too small’ or when I see the clerk driving a more expensive car, Astaghfirullah. May Allah help me to eliminate this attachment to material things.

I guess what I really want to say is, especially to young grads who just started out, eager to start a life, be careful when it comes to making these kind of decisions, consider the long term impacts. A good car is a nikmat, but perhaps there’s a need to re-consider the desire to own an expensive, branded, and stylish car (want vs need).

Phew. For someone who is not-car-savvy and claims to profess a low ambition on the type of car she owns and drives, this turns out to be quite a long post!

Impianku buat tanahair tercinta

2011-02-06T10:41:00.003+08:00

Wah, tajuk memang menggemparkan. Jangan salah sangka. Post ini bukanlah tercetus hasil inspirasi memerhatikan fenomena bersejarah apabila rakyat dunia Arab (Mesir, spesifiknya) bersatu dan bangkit menuntut perubahan. Sebenarnya, saya sudah terfikirkan satu siri tulisan untuk berkongsikan impian peribadi saya buat negara Malaysia sejak akhir tahun lepas lagi. Tapi disebabkan tulisan ini ‘berat’ dan memerlukan lebih masa dan usaha untuk menggarapnya, jadi tertangguh pula. Oh, alasan … alasan. Tapi saya akui, apa yang sedang terjadi di Timur Tengah mendorong saya supaya tulis sahaja sekarang, dan berhenti bertangguh lagi.

Jujurnya, saya segan juga untuk menulis hal ini, sebab ia lebih berupa ‘impian’. Barangkali saya cuma akan dapat kongsikan apa yang diimpikan di hujung perjalanan (the end result), tetapi tiada pula cadangan bagaimana cara-caranya untuk sampai ke sana. Tapi, harap-harap ia masih ada makna. Sekurang-kurangnya, menjadi bukti, saya masih sayangkan negara ini, dan masih optimis dengan masa depannya. Ya, masih ada harapan!

Saya mengimpikan sebuah negara, di mana pihak berkuasa atau pihak pemerintah dan masyarakat secara umumnya mempraktikkan, mengutamakan dan mempromosikan kebaikan atau budi pekerti secara total, secara ikhlas, dari akar umbi, dari bangku sekolah. Apabila berbicara tentang modal insan, kita bukan sahaja memaksudkan skil-skil dan kemahiran ‘teknikal’, tetapi juga ketinggian akhlak dan peribadi. Nilai-nilai murni bukan menjadi subjek untuk dipelajari di sekolah, tetapi diterapkan melalui contoh dan amalan. Saya juga mungkin agak naïf berkata begini, tetapi saya percaya manusia ini pada dasarnya baik, dan fitrah manusia cenderung ke arah kebaikan.

Saya mengimpikan sebuah negara, di mana agama dilihat sebagai sebahagian daripada hidup yang lengkap, bukannya terpisah. Agama harus jadi satu misi bersama, dalam hidup bermasyarakat, bukan terasing sebagai hak individu semata. Ini bukanlah bermakna hak kebebasan beragama itu disekat, malah sebaliknya. Perbezaan pendapat seharusnya diraikan, bukan menjadi punca perbalahan yang tidak berkesudahan. Usah gentar meningkatkan kefahaman dan penghayatan masyarakat dalam beragama kerana risaukan sokongan rakyat akan ‘beralih ke pihak lagi satu’. Saya teringat cerita adik saya sewaktu dia di universiti dan ketika itu pilihanraya kampus sedang giat dilangsungkan. Seorang calon pemimpin pelajar menyuarakan kebimbangannya kepada rakannya, “Macam mana ni? Makin ramai orang pergi suraulah!” Ah, mengapa begitu?

Pemimpin tertinggi menunjukkan contoh teladan yang baik. Tiada kekeliruan dalam membuat perancangan dan keputusan. Contohnya, pelajar sekolah harus diberikan ruang, kesempatan dan galakan untuk bersolat dalam waktu sekolah, dan tidak harus berasa terhalang atau tidak sempat untuk bersolat Jumaat (sesi petang). Agenda dalam majlis atau acara rasmi harus meluangkan waktu untuk peserta bersolat, bukan sahaja dituliskan sebagai ‘waktu rehat’ tetapi jelas sebagai ‘waktu solat Zohor’. Paling baik jika acara solat berjemaah diaturkan dan dijadikan agenda. Tuntutan solat juga harus diperingatkan di papan iklan (billboard) dan siaran media, bukan tuntutan zakat sahaja. Ini bukanlah bermakna, kita harus menjadi seperti ‘diktator’ dalam urusan agama. Tetapi semua ini lebih kepada mengajak yang terbuka. Jangan pula menghukum. Indahnya apabila agama dibudayakan (bukannya sekadar budaya, tetapi bermakna diterap dalam kehidupan seharian), apabila manusia takutkan Tuhan. Kita sebagai satu masyarakat (god-conscious society) akan lebih amanah dalam urusan seharian, kerana kita tahu kita sentiasa accountable dengan segala apa yang kita lakukan. Tuhan sentiasa melihat. Kita tidak berani langsung untuk mengambil rasuah, atau berlaku zalim (tidak adil), atau melakukan jenayah.

Utopia, bukan? Sebab itulah, visi ini saya katakan sebagai ‘impian’.

(Akan disambung, insya-Allah ... )

Perkataan baru

2011-01-28T08:49:00.000+08:00

Seronok (dan kadang-kadang lucu) juga 'perkenalkan' perkataan-perkataan baru pada anak-anak.

1
Ummi: Munief, ada dua ekor ikan dalam pinggan tu.
Munief: Ikan tu ada dua ke ekor dia?
Ummi: (laughs) Bukan. Setiap ikan ada satu je ekor. Tapi ikan ada dua. 'Ekor' tu penjodoh bilangan saja.
Munief: Penjodoh bilangan tu apa, Ummi?
Ummi: Penjodoh bilangan tu, perkataan pelengkap bila kita nak sebut bilangan benda-benda. Contohnya sebuah rumah, sebatang pokok ...

2
Ummi: Adik ok tak kat rumah Mama (pengasuh) masa Abang takde pergi sekolah?
Fifa: Adik ok, Adik tak nangis pun.
Ummi: Bagusnya Adik. Adik tak nangis sebab Adik dah pandai berdikari, kan?
Fifa: (pause) Adik pandai berdiri. Bila penat, Adik duduk.
Ummi: (laughs)

3
Ummi: Adik, tak bolehlah macam ni. Tadi Abang dah setuju masa Adik nak tukar buku. Tak bolehlah minta tukar balik.
Munief: Ummi, setuju tu apa?
Ummi: Setuju tu, maknanya 'rasa ok'. Contohnya, macam tadi, Adik minta tukar buku, Abang ok, setuju dan beri Adik tukar buku.
Munief: Oh. Hmm ... Ummi setuju ke lipat baju? (Munief cuba guna perkataan baru. Saya sedang lipat baju waktu itu.)
Ummi: Err ... setuju lah kot. (Dalam hati: 'terpaksa' setuju hehehe)

Hiduplah bagai warga asing di perantauan

2011-01-19T17:23:00.003+08:00

Post ini diringkaskan daripada artikel (dengan tajuk yang sama) tulisan Roslan Kassim dalam majalah Anis keluaran November 2010. Saya ingin kongsikan di sini sebab saya rasa perspektif yang dijelaskan menarik dan mengesankan.

Setiap kita datang ke dunia ini dengan tangan kosong, dibenarkan hidup untuk tempoh tertentu sehinggal ajal bertandang (yang tidak diketahui bila). Sepanjang tempoh itu, kita dibenarkan mundar-mandir mencari bekalan dan penghidupan di dunia ini. Orang yang bijak akan membuat simpanan dan pelaburan untuk kehidupan pada masa akan datang yang kekal abadi. Sebaliknya, mereka yang bodoh akan sibuk mengumpul harta dunia atau leka dengan permainan dan perhiasannya.

Rasulullah ada mengingatkan kita bahawa dunia ini adalah satu kembara. Sabda baginda: "Hiduplah kamu di dunia seolah-olah kamu ini warga asing atau pengembara di sebuah perjalanan." (Riwayat Imam Bukhari)

Maka, apakah ciri-ciri perantau/pengembara/orang dagang yang perlu kita fahami dan adaptasi? Antaranya:

1) Orang dagang itu tahu bahawa dia berada di tempat asing yang bukan kediaman kekal. Dia tahu dia berada di situ buat sementara waktu sahaja.

2) Orang dagang itu atau merantau itu tahu dengan jelas tujuan dia berada di tempat itu. Contohnya untuk mencari ilmu, mengumpul wang, dan sebagainya.

3) Orang dagang atau warga asing itu tidak terikat emosi dan rohaninya dengan tempat dia merantau. Hati dan ingatannya sentiasa terikat dengan tempat asalnya. Justeru dia hidup ala kadar sahaja tanpa perancangan jauh untuk tinggal tetap di tempat dia merantau.

4) Orang dagang itu berkeinginan satu hari nanti untuk kembali ke tempat asal. Kembalinya pula bukan dengan tangan kosong, tetapi membawa kejayaan, kemuliaan dan kemenangan.

5) Orang dagang berhati-hati dan patuh kepada undang-undang di tempat dia berada, kerana tidak mahu timbul sebarang masalah atau terpenjara di tempat dia merantau.

6) Orang dagang itu hatinya rindu dan ingin bertemu kembali dengan sanak saudara dan sahabat handai di tempat asal. Di tempat merantau tiada saudara atau sahabat sejati, hanya kawan dan kenalan.

7) Orang dagang di perantauan hanya hidup ala kadar, tidak memupuk harta kerana nanti apabila hendak balik ke tempat asal akan susah dan terbeban. Ini kerana payah atau tidak mungkin untuk membawa pulang banyak barang ke kampung halaman.

8) Orang berdagang di perantauan itu sangat kuat bergantung hati dengan Allah untuk medapat bantuan dan pertolongan. Sebab apa-apa pun boleh terjadi di luar jangkaan dan perancangannya.

Alahai, kak

2011-01-13T13:07:00.001+08:00

Salah satu pertandingan berkumpulan suka-suka sewaktu hari keluarga jabatan tempat saya bekerja bulan lepas, adalah aktiviti membuat kraftangan berdasarkan contoh menggunakan bahan-bahan yang diberi. Saya sedikit terkesima mendengar reaksi dua orang kakak dalam kumpulan saya.

“Kecilnya gunting yang group kita dapat. Tengok group sebelah punya. Gunting besar tu si polan dah pegang awal-awal.” (Dalam hati: Alahai kak, tak perlulah tengok apa yang orang lain dapat. Kita fokus sahaja dengan apa yang kita ada, dan cuba yang terbaik.)

“Eh, macam mana nak potong kertas warna ni jadi bulatan kecil, ya? Dah lupalah. Lama tak buat benda-benda macam ni. Korang jelah buat, ye.” (Dalam hati: Alahai kak, bukannya nak kena sempurna sangat. Buat sahajalah sebaik mungkin.)

Kesudahannya, kedua-dua kakak di atas menjadi penyumbang paling sedikit dalam kumpulan kami. Saya tertanya-tanya juga pada diri sendiri: Adakah saya juga berkata-kata seumpama itu tanpa disedari?

What are you working on?

2011-01-06T12:54:00.003+08:00

One of the blogs I subscribe to is Seth Godin's and I would like to share here 3 of the posts that I really like (means that I keep the emails and didn't delete them after reading them):

One

Reasons to work

1 For the money
2 To be challenged
3 For the pleasure/calling of doing the work
4 For the impact it makes on the world
5 For the reputation you build in the community
6 To solve interesting problems
7 To be part of a group and to experience the mission
8 To be appreciated

Why do we always focus on the first? Why do we advertise jobs or promotions as being generic on items 2 through 8 and differentiated only by #1?

In fact, unless you're a drug kingpin or a Wall Street trader, my guess is that the other factors are at work every time you think about your work.

Two

Where do ideas come from?

1 Ideas don't come from watching television
2 Ideas sometimes come from listening to a lecture
3 Ideas often come while reading a book
4 Good ideas come from bad ideas, but only if there are enough of them
5 Ideas hate conference rooms, particularly conference rooms where there is a history of criticism, personal attacks or boredom
6 Ideas occur when dissimilar universes collide
7 Ideas often strive to meet expectations. If people expect them to appear, they do
8 Ideas fear experts, but they adore beginner's mind. A little awareness is a good thing
9 Ideas come in spurts, until you get frightened. Willie Nelson wrote three of his biggest hits in one week
10 Ideas come from trouble
11 Ideas come from our ego, and they do their best when they're generous and selfless
12 Ideas come from nature
13 Sometimes ideas come from fear (usually in movies) but often they come from confidence
14 Useful ideas come from being awake, alert enough to actually notice
15 Though sometimes ideas sneak in when we're asleep and too numb to be afraid
16 Ideas come out of the corner of the eye, or in the shower, when we're not trying
17 Mediocre ideas enjoy copying what happens to be working right this minute
18 Bigger ideas leapfrog the mediocre ones
19 Ideas don't need a passport, and often cross borders (of all kinds) with impunity
20 An idea must come from somewhere, because if it merely stays where it is and doesn't join us here, it's hidden. And hidden ideas don't ship, have no influence, no intersection with the market. They die, alone.

Three

What are you working on?

If someone asks you that, are you excited to tell them the answer?

I hope so. If not, you're wasting away.

No matter what your job is, no matter where you work, there's a way to create a project (on your own, on weekends if necessary), where the excitement is palpable, where something that might make a difference is right around the corner.

Hurry, go do that.

What am I working on? I'm working on some six or seven things at the moment. I only have time to physically work on three or four at the moment, but the remaining three remains lurking in my head. I think about them often, for example when I'm driving (a lot of thinking can be done in one-hour solo journeys, really). And Seth Godin is so right about the excitement being palpable. I hope some of these things I'm working on will come to fruition this year, insyaAllah.

Majlis makan malam

2011-01-03T09:35:00.001+08:00

Kebetulan majlis makan malam tahunan tempat saya bekerja dan suami jatuh pada tarikh yang sama.

Majlis makan malam tempat saya bekerja: Di hotel lima bintang yang gah. Tiada sebarang bayaran, kos seratus-peratus ditanggung syarikat. Doorgift pasti menarik, hadiah luckydraw juga hebat-hebat. Hiasan ballroom gilang-gemilang. Penghibur ternama ditempah dengan bayaran belasan jika tidak puluhan ribu. Biasanya persembahan diselang-selikan dengan tarian oleh sekumpulan penari yang berpakaian menjolok mata. Muzik bingit. Alkohol dihidangkan sebagai pilihan.

Majlis makan malam tempat suami bekerja: Di salah sebuah dewan di premis pejabat. Bayaran sekepala RM40. Majlis dimulakan dengan doa. Semuanya serba sederhana. Aman.

Oh, mudahnya untuk memilih.

3 Idiots is a must-watch movie!

2010-12-30T14:05:00.004+08:00

Image source: Wikipedia
I watched 3 Idiots last night together with my family, and I absolutely love it! The movie is about a smart guy who denounces the traditional educational system which puts too much emphasis on good grades and instead preaches to his friends to follow their passions. For more details, click here. Be careful not to read the plot section as it contains spoilers. I think the movie has a great message, good story and plot, funny, inspirational. Even the songs are quite good. There are some parts which I feel is illogical or that I disagree with - it’s not a perfect movie, but overall, I found it to be one of the best movies I’ve watched this year. To me, this is a good example of how a movie can be an effective medium to illustrate an opinion, and to begin a social transform. If you haven’t watched this movie, go and find it now. Really.

We need to be represented everywhere

2010-12-27T18:04:00.000+08:00

We need to be represented everywhere.

We need to be in the governments, all the departments, all the states. We need to be leaders, politicians, representatives, policymakers, economists, thinkers.

We need to be in education, from early childhood including infant daycare, to kindergartens, schools, universities. As teachers, lecturers, administrators, policymakers (designers).

We need to be in healthcare, as doctors, nurses, officers, administrators, pharmacists, public health officers, specialists in all the fields.

We need to be in constructions, as contractors, engineers, builders, suppliers, safety & QC officers. This is our country, we need to build it.

We need to be in the legal structure, the judiciary system, civil and syariah, as practitioners.

We need to be in banking, finance, insurance (takaful).

We need to be in agriculture, farming, fishery.

We need to be in public service, police, fire and rescue department, army.

We need to be in manufacturing, processing, wholesales/supply, retail – the whole chain. We need to make our food – all sorts of food: from staples like rice and bread to biscuits, snacks, drinks, and clothes, appliances. Everything.

We need to be in the transportation industry. Automotive, public transport, distribution - moving people, moving goods. From design and manufacture, to parts, to distribution (sales) to the servicing, repair and maintenance industry.

We need to be in the media – radio, television, papers, magazines, digital media. We need to be in publishing industry, to be producing books – writers, authors, editors, translators, publishers, distributors and retailers. We need to produce films and dramas and documentaries and music and arts and paintings. These are the things that imparts values and cultures and mould mindsets, consciously or otherwise.

We need to be in communications, technology, industries, businesses, corporate.

We need good people everywhere. Good people who don’t get ‘absorbed and diluted’ in the system, but good people who strive and believe in making changes. Good people who stand up to their principles and fear nothing but God.

Not only do we need to be everywhere - we need to be in positions to make decisions, to be change agents, to make impacts, to build a culture of honesty, integrity, and respect, to improve continuously to become better and better. Not a single one of us can create the vital difference we need to, but together, given time – we can. Don’t just complain from the outside, do something and make the changes. We can all contribute towards a better nation, a better ummah. May Allah help and guide us, insyaAllah.

Investing in properties

2010-12-04T09:21:00.003+08:00

Last Monday, I had lunch with several colleagues, one of whom is quite interested in property investment. She was telling us about an advertisement in a property magazine she subscribes to, colonial bungalow for sale in Cameron Highland, suitable for boutique hotel, which she said gave her an idea of what to do for retirement (run a boutique hotel). Another colleague shared his friend’s experience of buying a bungalow for RM1.3 million, spent a few hundred thousand ringgit on renovations, and sold the bungalow for RM3 million.

I was quiet most of the time, not having much to contribute, and then confessed, “I still haven’t DARED to invest in a property.” “Why?” she asked. “Because of property bubble, is it?” I just nodded, though that’s not really it. Together, these two claimed, “You should buy! There’s a lot of good properties on Malay reserve. We would have liked to buy, but well, we can’t.”

Coincidently, when I read the paper later that day, I saw a headline in The Star ‘Property Ownership Gap Could Cause Political Instability: PM’. Before I touch more on Amanah Hartanah Bumiputera (AHB) which was the topic of the headline, Let me explain a bit on why I haven’t dared invest in properties, despite the fact that I can afford to do so (for now, at least) and despite having read books about it (for example Azizi Ali) and people sharing tips on tip (for example Mommy Lyna) – for which I’m thankful for. Somehow, just reading about it and never seeing it done before (no one in my family has invested in properties before, not the for-rent type anyway) is not enough to ‘free’ my mindset. Hmm … this is sounding like a lame excuse. But it does make a difference somehow. It’s just like I never needed to ‘think and decide’ whether to breastfeed my children because I see the mothers in my extended family breastfeed their kids all the time.

I think I’m naturally a risk-averse person (actually I’m pretty sure I am). The thought of taking a loan to invest in properties does not appeal to me. Yes, they call it a ‘good loan’ in financial management books, but I still feel that being committed to additional loan is getting me further away from my goal of attaining financial freedom. Yes, they said ‘other people’ will help us service this loan (tenants), but what if I can’t fetch a rent that is enough to cover the monthly installment (negative flow)? What if long periods lapse in between tenants? It would still be fine if I have a fixed income that’s enough to patch those up. But what if I don’t? Between me and my husband, we are a servicing one loan (housing) currently, and even that feels more than enough. I wish I can buy properties on cash basis, haha! Or perhaps what I’m looking for are other type of assets (may not be properties) that are low enough in value such that they can be bought on cash basis, that can still give reasonable continuous income.

Ok, now onto AHB. Pakdi has summarised some points about it pretty well, two of which I’ll highlight here. AHB is syariah-compliant and expected to give 6% return. I haven’t found out whether we would need to pay zakat on the amount we stash away in AHB (should we decide to invest there), but let’s say we do, then our cash is better off in Tabung Haji, which gives about 5% return AFTER zakat (more than 6 minus 2.5=3.5). And then, there’s the other fees involved for transactions, for example when selling the AHB units etc, which are not clear yet at the moment. So, I haven’t decided whether to take up the AHB offer or not. Afterall, many seems to opine that the return could well be above 6%.

Hujan emas di negeri orang

2010-11-15T17:45:00.004+08:00

At a stall, the friendly seller made small talk.
“Where are you from? Indonesia?”
“No.”
“Singapore?”
“No. I’m from Malaysia.”
“Close enough.”
Hmm …

*
It was spring going on summer, so it was unfortunate that my kids had to see more bared flesh.
“Ummi, kenapa dia ‘tak malu’?” my son would ask while pointing towards the subjects matter.
I would ask him to stop pointing and attempt an explanation.
“Sebab dia bukan Islam.”
“Bukan Islam itu apa?”
“Maknanya dia belum kenal Allah, dia tak sayang Allah. Jadi, dia tak tutup aurat seperti yang Allah suruh.”
I guess, conversely, children from ‘the other side’ would also point and ask “Why is she wearing that on the head?” It is children’s nature to be curious about things that are different from what they are used to, and ask.

*
“Why is there so little cars on the road?” I was puzzled. MHH answered with a simple and obvious answer, “Because when the public transport is good and efficient, people don’t need to drive personal cars on the road (all the time).” We went about on buses and indeed, the service was really good. Frequent buses, many bus stops. I witnessed an instance when the bus driver herself (yes, there’s almost as many lady bus drivers there) lowered the ramp to let a man in wheelchair onto the bus. This man’s friend then pushed the chairs on the lower deck of the bus (priority area for the disabled, elderly and pregnant women) to make space for the wheelchair.

*
A show on the local television caught my attention, it’s called Junior Masterchef. It’s so amazing to see children as young as ten prepare complicated dishes worthy of 5-star chefs. I think the most I could do when I was ten was to cook rice (using rice cooker) and fry eggs. I wonder, if a similar reality show is introduced in Malaysia, what would the participation and audience interest be like? Isn’t it time ‘talent’ is recognized to be more than just singing, dancing and acting? I read somewhere once (and agree whole-heartedly) that cooking is a very important living skill (a skill which I still have a lot to learn). I really disagree that public universities in Malaysia don’t provide cooking facilities in the students’ hostel with the excuse that they want to minimize risk of kitchen fire incidents. Shouldn't a university be a place where students can learn other things and skills other than just what’s taught in the lecture halls? But I’ve digressed.

*
I was impressed with the number of beautiful public parks and playgrounds and pools scattered around the residential areas. My first thought, no wonder this country produces great athletes (especially swimmers). I remembered Ustaz Hasrizal wrote before about children needing the literal space to grow and develop. Putrajaya and Cyberjaya seems to be pretty well-planned and have decent infrastructures, but in other places, township and residential developments seems to be ‘consequential’.

*
The public notice in the television made me green with envy. Here the excerpt from the goverment website:

The Paid Parental Leave scheme:
• is government funded
• is for eligible working parents of children born or adopted on or after 1 January 2011
• can be transferred to the other parent
• is paid at the National Minimum Wage - currently $570 a week before tax*
• is for up to 18 weeks
• can be taken any time within the first year after birth.

Taking time away from work for a new baby is a common part of working life. The Paid Parental Leave scheme will help parents spend more time at home with a new baby, and help employers keep skilled and valuable staff.

I can't help but wonder when are we going to reach this level.

*
Alhamdulillah, thank you Allah for the opportunity for us to travel on this short vacation to Gold Coast, Australia. It was truly a ‘rezeki yang tidak disangka-sangka’. Seeing a representation of what the country is like, I’m not surprised that some of my friends and colleagues’ children decided to migrate and settled down there. But to me, as rosy as it is, I still feel (pretty strongly) that, ‘hujan batu di negeri sendiri, hujan emas di negeri orang, baik lagi negeri sendiri’.

P/S: Selamat menyambut Hari Raya Aidiladha!

My motivations to spend less (Part 2)

2010-11-02T12:50:00.002+08:00

I’ll pick up immediately from where I left off in Part 1 in my previous post. The second group of motivations for me to spend less is ‘ideals’. The following may sound ‘too perfect’, that’s why I call them ‘ideals’. But they’re something that I aspire towards and TRY to embrace partially, if not totally.

The first is that Islam encourages moderation and not be wasteful (bersederhana dan tidak membazir). If one has excess wealth, it’s better to donate to the needy or spend them in the way of Islam (sedekah dan infak) rather than spend on unnecessary luxury items. Of course, there’s always a delicate balance because it’s not easy to define what is considered as ‘unnecessary’ or ‘luxury’.

Secondly, I want to avoid getting trapped by the consumer lifestyle (consumerism), where marketing and advertising constantly bombard their audience to keep buying and buying, convincing consumers that they really need this and that items. I want to go back to basics and try to have a simple lifestyle. I don’t want to have the urge to always have (buy) the latest, the best, the nicest, the biggest etc.

Thirdly, consuming less means a ‘greener’ lifestyle. The things that we buy and consume take a lot of resources to produce and leave more waste, too.

I believe in:
- Treating/Rewarding oneself and others (occasionally).
- Delayed gratification.
- Wise spending.
- Function over brand or beauty.
- Experiences, not stuffs.

My motivations to spend less

2010-10-25T16:33:00.003+08:00

I consider myself as one who’s pretty careful when it comes to spending. I’ve written previously (quite a long time ago actually) about my two hurdles before spending, which I’ll iterate here and add the rest of my internal motivations to spend less. They are more or less split by two categories which are: personal and ideals.

The first under ‘personal’ is that I value the money that I have earned. I’m sure that most, if not all, of us also share this same sentiment. But just to elaborate a bit to explain what this means personally to me. My current fulltime job at the moment is not bad, but all the same, I found myself wishing I’m doing something else almost all the time. The job gives me financial and intellectual satisfaction, but doesn’t fulfill my social, spiritual and emotional needs. So, every hour, every minute I put in this job, counts. That’s why sometimes I value stuffs that I consider buying in terms of my ‘time’. For example, I might think to myself - this handbag would cost me ‘2 working days’, is it worth it? Nah – I’d rather ‘spend’ that 2 days reading and playing with my kids rather than working. This would cost me one hour, that two hours, half day etc … It’s not an entirely rational or functional way to make spending decisions, I know, and it’s only valid on things on ‘want’ basis and never on ‘need’ basis, but it's still a part of the bigger picture, I suppose.

Secondly, I want to save up to build our dream home with as little mortgage as possible (the mortgage turns out not to be so ‘little’ afterall). Enough said.

Thirdly, I am serious about having a career change. Nothing is clear at the moment, but I’m hoping to do something (or more likely, a few things) that I like that is highly flexible (most likely as a self-employed or freelance). I am quite certain that I will not be able to match my current income, in fact I’m only aiming for less than a quarter (and I’m not even talking about the loss of benefits here). I’m not being pessimistic, I’m just being realistic, having explored and evaluated some options. This ‘ambition’ has two impacts; one is that I need to save up as much as I can now while I’m still earning a decent income, to be used for later days. The second is more important - that I cannot inculcate a spending habit or a certain lifestyle that I shall not be able to sustain once I take the big leap (insyaAllah).

Fourthly, and the last under the category ‘personal’, is that, being one who doesn’t enjoy cleaning chores and is rather disorganized, I want to minimize the amount of stuffs that I (we) own and manage in order to minimize maintenance and storage. Less stuffs, less clutter, less cleaning to do, and so on. I used to exclude books in this rule (just buy), but I’m being more picky about books I buy nowadays. If I think I only want to read it once, I’ll try borrowing it first. In fact, I’m thinking of selling some of my books, but that’s a different topics altogether. Back to less stuffs - so, if you step into my home and find it pretty bare, do excuse me. Despite that, my home will still likely to be messy, do excuse me again. Hahaha…

Oh, this turns out to be long enough as a post, so I’ll publish this first and leave the second part for the ‘ideals’ as Part Two for later. But even now, you must be thinking what a stingy person I am, wouldn't you? Hahaha... I hope I'm still able to find a good balance. Semoga Allah memelihara saya daripada bersikap kikir dan kedekut..

Saya dan bahasa ibunda

2010-10-18T22:20:00.003+08:00

Di rumah, keluarga saya berkomunikasi dalam bahasa ibunda. Saya pertama kali diperkenalkan kepada bahasa Inggeris (tidak termasuk televisyen) dan bahasa Arab sewaktu di tadika barangkali. Sewaktu bersekolah rendah, saya membaca kedua-dua buku bahasa Malaysia dan bahasa Inggeris. Saya akrab dengan buku-buku terbitan DBP waktu itu (seperti yang pernah saya ceritakan di sini), dan saya juga ada membaca siri Sweet Valley Twins (yang saya pinjam dari rakan saya). Bahasa Inggeris saya biasa-biasa sahaja, sehinggalah saya pergi ke sekolah menengah yang memberi lebih penekanan kepada bahasa Inggeris (bukan lebih berbanding bahasa Malaysia, tetapi berbanding sekolah lain). Suasana di sekolah itu begitu positif, para pelajar tidak ‘segan’ untuk mempraktikkan berbicara dalam bahasa Inggeris sesama sendiri, dan pelbagai aktiviti luar kelas berbahasa Inggeris dianjurkan, contohnya pertandingan drama bahasa Inggeris. Saya mulai jarang membaca novel berbahasa Malaysia (waktu itu pasaran sedang dilambaki novel-novel cinta remaja tulisan A** A** dan yang sewaktu dengannya yang saya cukup tidak gemar) dan lebih banyak membaca novel berbahasa Inggeris. Saya diperkenalkan kepada penulis-penulis seperti Jeffrey Archer, John Grisham, Sidney Sheldon, Michael Crichton, dan Judith McNaught. Saya berterima kasih kepada sekolah menengah saya, kerana apabila saya meneruskan pengajian di peringkat A-Levels di dalam bahasa Inggeris sepenuhnya (masih di tanahair), saya mampu mengikutinya.

Apabila saya ke luar negara pula, saya mengambil sedikit masa untuk membiasakan diri dengan dialek tempatan (local accent), tetapi secara amnya saya tidaklah mengalami kesukaran bahasa. Saya meminjam buku-buku cerita dari perpustakaan tempatan lebih banyak berbanding meminjam buku-buku kejuruteraan. Saya diperkenalkan kepada Agatha Christie (ya, agak lewat). Waktu itu, siri Harry Potter sedang meletup-letup. Pulang ke Malaysia, saya bekerja di syarikat multinasional yang menggunakan bahasa Inggeris sepenuhnya. Bangsa Melayu pula minoriti, maka sesama pekerja pun kebiasaannya kami berbual dalam bahasa Inggeris. Kefasihan saya berbahasa Malaysia jatuh merudum. Sesekali saya perlu mengarang atau bercakap (formal) dalam bahasa ibunda, saya tergagau-gagau.

Satu hari, pekerja pejabat pos mini di tempat saya bekerja menghantar satu bungkusan ke kubikel saya. Saya automatik menyebut, “Thank you.” Tetapi dia membalas kembali, “Terima kasih.” Dan dia bukan berbangsa Melayu. Insiden kecil ini yang membuatkan saya tersedar, otak dan mulut saya lebih cepat menggunakan bahasa Inggeris dan bukan bahasa ibunda sendiri. Saya mula mengorak azam untuk memperbanyakkan penggunaan dan meningkatkan kembali penguasaan bahasa ibunda saya. Pada masa yang sama, saya juga diperkenalkan dengan penerbit PTS dan pengasasnya Puan Ainon Mohd. Saya mula terpengaruh dengan perjuangan beliau memartabatkan bahasa Malaysia. Saya mula mencari-cari buku-buku dalam bahasa Malaysia untuk diuliti (namun saya akui, saya masih membaca lebih banyak buku bahasa Inggeris berbanding bahasa Malaysia). Saya mencari peluang untuk menulis dalam bahasa ibunda, termasuklah dalam blog ini (tulisan saya bunyinya terlalu formal barangkali, kerana saya memang mahu menulis dalam bahasa Malaysia tinggi secara sedar). Saya mencari peluang untuk berbicara dalam bahasa kebangsaan di pejabat, dan saya kenalpasti rakan-rakan sepejabat yang selesa berbahasa Malaysia. Saya mula memupuk kembali perasaan bangga dan mempunyai (ownership) terhadap bahasa ibunda saya. Saya ingat satu insiden waktu seorang rakan di pejabat berkata “We don’t need to know bahasa; my kids go to international school and overseas uni, and when they come back, they speak English at the office.” Saya berasa marah tetapi cuba mengawal perasaan saya dan membalas dengan nada yang saya harap tidak terlalu defensif, “If we want to stay in Malaysia and be Malaysians, we must know bahasa Malaysia!”

Ini bukanlah esei yang mendebatkan bahasa mana yang lebih penting. Saya tidak menafikan mahir berbahasa Inggeris memang banyak kelebihannya. Tetapi bahasa ibunda harus kita sayang. Siapa lagi yang hendak memartabatkan bahasa Malaysia, kalau bukan kita? Tidak mengapa jika kita perlu menyadur atau meminjam perkataan baru daripada bahasa asing; itu proses biasa memperkaya perbendaharaan kata sesuatu bahasa. Tidak mengapa jika sesuatu perkataan kedengaran janggal, lama kelamaan ia akan rasa biasa jika selalu digunakan. Kita perlu perbanyakkan sumber ilmu dalam bahasa kita. Kita perlu guna bahasa kita. Kita perlu mahir menggunakan bahasa kita. Kita perlu galakkan lebih ramai rakyat Malaysia menggunakan bahasa kebangsaan kita.

Selamat menyambut bulan bahasa kebangsaan!

Mengejar deadline

2010-10-08T14:11:00.000+08:00

Dua minggu ini, saya cukup kalut mengejar deadline satu tugasan menyunting manuskrip sebuah novel. Dan puncaknya adalah malam semalam, di mana saya terpaksa berjaga lewat malam untuk menyudahkan amanah saya dalam tempoh yang dipersetujui. Terima kasih MHH kerana memahami dan memberi sokongan. Permintaan dan keperluan anak-anak, hampir semua saya alihkan (divert) kepada Abi mereka. Sebenarnya, saya telah mendapat assignment ini sudah lama, sewaktu bulan Ramadan lagi. Waktu itu, saya amat yakin dapat menyiapkannya dalam tempoh sebulan yang diberi. Rupa-rupanya, Ramadan dan Syawal adalah bulan-bulan yang amat sibuk, dan saya tidak sempat meluangkan banyak masa membuat kerja-kerja penyuntingan. Bila hampir ke tempoh sebulan yang dipersetujui pada awalnya, saya terpaksa meminta tempoh tambahan sebanyak seminggu. Fuh, seriknya rasa! Harap-harap selepas ini, saya dapat menguruskan masa dan tangggungjawab saya dengan lebih bijak.

Kerana terdesak, saya mengambil cuti satu hari khas untuk fokus kepada aktiviti menyunting. Kakak (#1) menyindir, “Hai, sampai ambil cuti nak buat side income …”. Saya menjelaskan, “Saya bukan suka-suka nak ambil cuti, tapi sebab dah minta tempoh lanjutan sekali, takkan nak minta tangguh kali kedua. My credibility is at risk.” Adik (#4) pula bertanya, “Kenapa Kakngah buat benda ni? Untuk pendapatan tambahan ke?” Maksud tersiratnya, “Kan gaji awak dah lebih daripada cukup?” Saya menjelaskan, “Saya buat ni bukan sebab nak dapatkan pendapatan tambahan, tapi nak nilai feasibility dia sebagai pendapatan alternatif.” Adik (#3) pula bertanya, “So, feasible tak?” Penilaian saya setakat ini, “Tak boleh buat benda ni saja. Kalau nak berhenti kerja, kena buat a few things.” Tapi dari segi seronok, memang saya suka buat kerja ini. Maklumlah, saya kan pembaca buku tegar. Bila menyunting, cuma perlu membaca dengan lebih kritis, beri cadangan penambahbaikan dan membuat pembetulan-pembetulan yang perlu.

Lega. Sekarang saya boleh buat benda-benda lain yang telah saya abaikan dua tiga minggu ini, termasuklah membaca buku cerita (cuma 1 buku sempat dibaca sepanjang September, sangat corot!), membaca blog orang lain dan menulis di blog sendiri (termasuklah blog buku saya telah lama bersawang), dan lain-lain.

Dan barangkali, dalam sebulan dua lagi, saya akan menulis emel kepada saudara Editor Perolehan, “Assalamualaikum Tuan, saya agak lapang sekarang. Ada sebarang manuskrip untuk saya sunting?” :)

Balik kampung

2010-10-06T17:55:00.000+08:00

Perjalanan pulang ke kampung beberapa hari sebelum hari raya tempoh hari (cerita basi rupanya) membawa saya mengimbau nostalgia perjalanan-perjalanan ‘balik kampung’ sewaktu saya kecil lebih daripada biasa. Dahulu, sebelum Lebuh Raya Pantai Timur dan Gombak-Karak siap dibina, perjalanan pulang ke Trengganu mengambil masa lebih lama kerana menggunakan jalan satu lane. Jika berhenti hanya sekali pun mengambil masa 8 jam, apatah lagi kami yang kerap berhenti. Waktu perjalanan 10 ke 12 jam itu memang biasa.

Walaupun saya suka balik kampung, tapi bab perjalanan itu saya ‘kurang’ gemar – I loved going back to Trengganu, but I didn’t look forward to the journeys. Salah satu sebabnya ialah, saya cepat pening-pening dan mual! I have tendencies to get motion sickness easily. Kadangkala saya menyimpan kulit limau untuk dihidu sewaktu perjalanan bagi mengurangkan rasa pening. Kami kerap berhenti sewaktu perjalanan – biasanya untuk bersolat, menggunakan bilik air dan makan, biasanya di Karak (teringat Masjid Jamek Karak, bagaimana keadaannya sekarang) dan Kemaman (teringat Restoran Zarina yang bertahan berpuluh tahun sehingga hari ini, cuma berpindah lokasi), singgah di rumah saudara-mara, dan kadangkala untuk berehlah (contohnya di Hutan Lipur Lentang, and di tepi pantai apabila sudah di timur sana). Sekarang, kita cuma kenal dengan R&R dan tidak lagi masjid atau restoran tempatan. Barangkali usahawan-usahawan kecil tempatan yang dahulunya mencari rezeki dengan adanya pengembara-pengembara seperti kami yang singgah di tempat mereka mengeluh apabila laluan kami sudah beralih ke lebuhraya.

Meskipun bernostalgia dengan kenangan lalu, yang sebenarnya, saya amat bersyukur waktu perjalanan kini dipendekkan dengan adanya lebuhraya. Tak sabar rasanya menunggu sambungan kepada LPT disiapkan lagi hingga ke Trengganu. Apabila saya rasa sukar berkelana dengan anak-anak (dan rasa pening sendiri), saya sering mengingatkan diri saya bahawa zaman ibu bapa saya dulu lebih mencabar dengan waktu perjalanan yang lebih panjang, jalan yang lebih kecil, dan kami adik-beradik yang lebih ramai dan bermacam ragam. Tetapi mereka gembira sahaja dan sentiasa cuba balik kampung sekerap yang boleh.

Malaysian Inventors' Challenge

2010-09-23T12:32:00.004+08:00

Finally, a local reality show with inventions as the theme! I can't wait to watch (watch only lah, unfortunately I don't have any inventions to enter the competition with). I hope there'll be lots of interesting inventions. I worry that this competition does not get enough publicity to attract participants. I first read about this in a local paper (which purportedly have less than 200k circulation) at an aunt's house, before googling on for more info. There should be more hype and promotion online in my opinion. The first show will be aired every Saturday for 10 episodes, at 7pm on TV3, starting this Saturday 25th September. More on their official website http://www.1idea.com.my/ .

Iklan raya

2010-09-16T18:12:00.002+08:00

Tidak, saya bukanlah mahu menyentuh tentang kontroversi iklan raya TV3 tempoh hari. Saya cuma terfikir sudahkah ada iklan raya yang menggunakan tema-tema di bawah?

1) Menyambung silaturrahim yang terputus. Kemaafan, berlapang dada, kasih sayang. Barangkali sudah ada antara anak dengan ibu bapa, tetapi bagaimana dengan sesama adik-beradik atau saudara-mara? Mungkin antara jiran tetangga atau sahabat?

2) Kelangsungan mujahadah dan perubahan ke arah kebaikan (impak positif daripada madrasah Ramadan). Kesedaran, keinsafan, keazaman. Contohnya seorang yang merokok berjaya berhenti merokok. Atau seorang yang lalai dalam menjaga solat berazam untuk lebih menjaga solat dan merapatkan diri kepada Allah.

Rasanya, di media perdana, suasana raya lebih digambarkan sebagai adat dan budaya berbanding roh spiritualnya.

Nur Syaheera dan Nur El Amin

2010-09-07T08:56:00.005+08:00

Dua minggu lepas, persatuan pekerja Islam di tempat saya bekerja, dengan kerjasama jabatan Hal Ehwal Korporat (Corporate Affairs), telah menganjurkan sebuah majlis berbuka puasa dengan anak yatim. Tetamu-tetamu kami tahun ini datangnya dari rumah-rumah kebajikan di bawah:

Rumah Bakti Nur Syaheera (Cheras)
www.nursyaheera.com
Maybank 564856111166 (Pertubuhan Kebajikan Nur Syaheera Kuala Lumpur)

Rumah Amal Nur El Amin (Rawang)
www.nurelamin.com
http://nurelamin.blogspot.com
Maybank 562012005075 (Pusat Jagaan Nur El Amin)

Ustaz Johari, pengetua dan pengasas Rumah Amal Nur El Amin sempat mewar-warkan sebuah pusat latihan yang akan mula beroperasi selepas raya ini. Pusat Latihan Kemahiran Kreatif Nurelamin bertempat di Bandar Baru Nilai (tapak/bangunan ihsan daripada MAS, ujar beliau). Pusat ini akan melatih anak-anak di bawah jagaan mereka antaranya pengajian teras, bahasa, akademik, kreatif, kemahiran komputer, grafik, multimedia dan sebagainya. Ustaz Johari berkata beliau mahu anak-anak jagaan mereka terbuka untuk menceburkan diri dalam bidang keusahawanan berbanding hanya bergantung kepada mencari pekerjaan kelak. Mereka sedang mencari jika ada dermawan yang sudi menyumbangkan kelengkapan-kelengkapan seperti komputer (baru/terpakai), meja, kerusi, kipas, dan sebagainya, dan juga jika ada tenaga pengajar sukarelawan yang sudi menyumbangkan masa untuk mengajar/melatih anak-anak ini. Ustaz Johari boleh dihubungi di nombor 019-6226313.

Sekiranya berminat untuk menderma dan bersedekah di sehari dua terakhir Ramadan ini, jemputlah transfer ke akaun-akaun mereka seperti yang disebutkan di atas. InsyaAllah segala kebaikan yang kita buat di bulan yang penuh berkat ini akan Allah beri ganjaran yang berlipat kali ganda.

Selingan: Kami berbuka dengan kuih, kurma dan air kotak dahulu di dewan besar (yang telah dihampar tikar menjadi dewan solat), kemudian bersolat Maghrib, barulah makan malam. Sewaktu makan malam Munief bertanya, "Lepas ini kita buat apa, Ummi?" "Lepas ni kita solat (Isyak)." "Lepas tu?" "Solat lagi (tarawih)." "Lepas tu?" "Solat lagi (witir)." "Lepas tu?" "Lepas tu makan (moreh)." Munief bertanya, "Kenapa kita makan, solat, makan, solat, lepas tu makan?" "Err...." Dalam hati, betul jugak ye. Hehe...

P/S
Di kesempatan ini, saya ingin mengucapkan Selamat Raya Hari Aidilfitri kepada semua. Maaf zahir dan batin. Taqobbalallahu minna wa minkum, kullu antum bikhair. Antara amalan sunat hari raya 1)Membanyakkan takbir dan tahmid 2)Mandi sunat di pagi raya 3)Pakai pakaian yang indah dan bersih 4)Menjamah sedikit makan sebelum solat sunat raya 5)Solat sunat raya 6)Saling berziarah dan merapatkan silaturrahim

Dalam aku, ada kamu

2010-08-27T13:15:00.002+08:00

*Firstly I would like to apologize because I will be mixing Bahasa Malaysia with English liberally in this blog post.

Losing a parent is (almost) every child’s nightmare. Even one who has grown up to be a 30-year-old woman. It’s something that you can’t be prepared for. You have reminded yourself before that it will (might) happen one day, but the reality still hits you like 30-tonne truck moving at 100 km an hour. You know that people may go at anytime, but when it happens to someone you love, you have to learn that lesson again.

I miss Mok. So very much.

This pain, this void, this longing - it would never go away. I will learn to live with it. It will stay with me and be a part of who I am.

Menghadapi detik sukar seperti ini, saya bersyukur saya seorang Islam. Berikut perkara-perkara yang telah membantu menguatkan diri saya.

1) Konsep-konsep seperti ketentuan ajal, qadha’ dan qadar, redha dan sebagainya
Tidak terlintas di hati saya soalan-soalan seperti ‘why her?’ atau ‘why now?’. Meskipun sedih tidak terkata, tetapi insyaAllah saya redha dan menerima ketentuan ini, dan melebihkan fokus kepada meneruskan kehidupan.

2) Cinta kepada Allah dan Rasul hendaklah melebihi cinta sesama manusia
Bukanlah bermakna cinta saya kepada bonda saya kurang, tetapi saya harus sedar bahawa kehilangannya tidak harus membuatkan saya patah semangat atau berputus asa. Matlamat keberadaan kita di dunia fana ini haruslah jelas.

3) Doa anak masih sampai kepada arwah ibu bapa
Hubungan saya dengan arwah bonda saya tidak putus walaupun beliau telah berpindah ke alam berikutnya. Saya mahu istiqamah mendoakannya dan menyedekahkan amalan-amalan kebajikan kepadanya, insyaAllah.

4) Dunia ini sementara, akhirat jua yang kekal abadi
Semoga saya dan arwah bonda dimasukkan ke dalam syurga Allah, dan semoga saya akan dapat bertemu kembali dengan beliau di sana nanti, insyaAllah.

Setiap daripada kita ini, memang pinjaman semata-mata. Bila-bila masa Allah boleh ambil kita kembali. This is one of the things I had taken from this experience. It made me feel that I need to do more, much much more, in order to be prepared to leave at anytime. It made me feel like I need to focus more on the things that I want to do, rather than continue to do what I’m expected to do. To live fully. Because life is too short. Soal ajal memang tidak boleh buat main-main, tapi sebagai ilustrasi ringkas, jika umur saya sependek (atau sepanjang) arwah bonda, maknanya saya sudah berada di separuh umur yang kedua! Saya kini 30 tahun, dan arwah bonda pergi pada usia 55 tahun. 25 tahun ‘terakhir’ ini, jika saya darabkan dengan 365 hari, cuma tinggal 9,125 hari! Semoga saya dapat menterjemahkan perasaan saya ini kepada perbuatan-perbuatan konkrit dan tidak tinggal niat semata-mata. May Allah help me to improve on my many weaknesses.

Akhir sekali, saya ingin kongsikan sebuah puisi yang saya tulis bulan lepas, almost like an attempt to console myself (or perhaps just a mean to express my feelings). Some of the points are the things I have mentioned above.

ibu
melihat potretmu
rasa walang datang menghimpit dada
mengundang rindu yang tidak terungkapkan

dalam sebak aku bertanya
apakah kini
yang tinggal hanya foto
dan kenangan
yang kadangkala terasa segar
seperti baru berlaku kelmarin
tetapi kadangkala terasa rapuh
bagai menggenggam pasir

tidak

dalam tubuhku, mengalir darahmu
dalam akalku, tersemat pesananmu
dalam hatiku, terbenih cintamu
dalam amalku, terkesan didikanmu
dalam aku, ada kamu

sungguh, aku sayang padamu
sungguh, aku rindu padamu
dan kini aku hanya mampu
menitipkan doa buatmu
tidak kan putus

aku sabar menanti
saat kita kan bertemu kembali
di syurga Allah
insya-Allah.

Sungai Merab
21 Julai 2010

Ahlan ya Ramadan!

2010-08-11T12:37:00.001+08:00

Selamat menyambut Ramadan kepada semua.
Ramadan mubarak Ramadan kareem!

Di bawah ini Seloka Ramadan tulisan Ustaz Hasrizal Abdul Jamil yang saya pinjam dari blog beliau:

Sirna senja di mega Shaaban
Menyambut tetamu bulan Ramadhan
Berbuah tangan sejuta tawaran
Belas kasih Tuhan yang Rahman

Setiap amal diganda kurniaan
Setiap huruf berlipat balasan
Syaitan terbelenggu berkurang peranan
Tinggal nafsu menanti latihan

Hajat dan keinginan dikekang ditahan
Seperti haiwan dalam kurungan
Perlu dijinak dengan al-Quran
Bersama zikir hati dan lisan

Bersahur jangan diawal-awalkan
Berbuka pula jangan lewatkan
Beragama jangan melampaui suruhan
Atau dikurang dan ringan-ringankan

Bersedekah bertilawah tadabbur al-Furqan
Hiasan Ramadhan jangan abaikan
Hasut bermusuhan dibalas jangan
“Aku berpuasa” slogan kemenangan

Berjamu selera jimat-jimatkan
Makan sekadar menurut keperluan
Gaza kelaparan jangan dilupakan
Banjir Pakistan jangan disepikan

Qiyam Ramadhan jangan ketinggalan
Solat Fardhu paling diutamakan
Jaga telinga jaga penglihatan
Bersih diri, hati dan keimanan

Andai ini Ramadhan perpisahan
Pulanglah dengan sejuta keampunan
Buat yang terbaik jadikan keazaman
Bersama-sama kita doakan…

On our education system

2010-07-22T08:51:00.002+08:00

This has been a hot ongoing discussion for a long time. I am spurred to touch a bit on this by KNV's recent post. I agree fully with her that 'anak-anak seronok nak pergi sekolah dan ada keinginan sendiri (dalaman) untuk belajar' is an important objective/achievement.

I'd like to organise my thoughts and write more on this, but at the moment, this all the time I have. I'll share here what Seth Godin wrote about two kinds of schooling in a recent blogpost. (No prize for guessing which one our education system currently is.) Seth Godin is a brilliant and smart marketer, in my opinion. He redefines 'marketing' for me - so many interesting spectrums of things and ideas and thoughts that he shares with his reader.

Two kinds of schooling

Type 1. You can take a class where you learn technique, facts and procedures.
Type 2. You can take a class where you learn to see, learn to lead and learn to solve interesting problems.

The first type of teaching isn't particularly difficult to do, and it's something most of us are trained to absorb. The first type of schooling can even be accomplished with self-discipline and a Dummies book. The first type of class is important but not scarce.

The second kind, on the other hand, is where all real success comes from. It's really tricky to find and train people to do this sort of teaching, and anytime you can find some of it, you should grab it.

The sad thing is that we often conflate the two. We think we're hiring someone to do the second type, a once in a lifetime teacher, someone who will change the outlook of stellar students. But then we give them rules and procedures and feedback that turn them into a type 1 teacher.

Even worse, we often pay as if we're getting the scarce and valuable type 2 teachers but we end up hiring and managing type 1 teachers.

I spend a lot of time in colleges and other teaching institutions. Over and over I see the same thing--organizations that have painted themselves into a corner, keeping themselves busy but refusing to do the difficult work of teaching people to see. The dean of one college was so stuck in his type-1ness that he couldn't even bring himself to participate in a session run by a gifted type 2 teacher.
Is there anything more important to you and your organization (or your kids or your town) than figuring out how to obtain and share the wisdom that real teaching can deliver?

Temubual pertama blog Mesra Buku

2010-07-13T08:16:00.000+08:00

Saya teruja minggu lepas apabila menerbitkan temubual pendek bersama novelis muda Siti Munirah Abdul Rashid, yang telah menulis Perindu Pelangi. Klik sini untuk baca temubual tersebut.

Berbetulan, En Zakaria Sungib (editor kanan Jabatan Buku di Galeri Ilmu) ada memetik komentar saya dalam emel kepada beliau dalam artikel bertajuk 'Elemen Triler Dalam Perindu Pelangi' yang telah diterbitkan di laman web Galeri Ilmu, blog Jabatan Buku, dan dalam majalah Anis keluaran Jun 2010. Rasa teruja (thrilled) macam budak sekolah pula :)

DOs & DON'Ts

2010-07-04T13:44:00.005+08:00

... in the first few days (weeks?) when a relative or friend lost a loved one.

Do pray for arwah and sedekahkan al-Fatihah and other ayat-ayat suci al-Qur'an.
Do help to babysit for the little children when the mother wants to mandikan jenazah, solat jenazah, read tahlil etc.
Do offer to help with chores or errands if any.
Do give hugs (if suitable/possible) and say uplifting words.

Don't tell them not to be sad and to stop crying. Being sad does not equal to being 'tak redha'.
Don't ask too much details - what time pergi hospital, what the doctor said etc. If they want to talk about it, let them offer the details.
Don't ask whether arwah has acted differently the week before s/he passed away.
Don't take offense if they don't tell you the sad news immediately.
Don't invoke regrets, for eg, ask why didn't this and that done, either relating to the passing or otherwise (no 'if only' or 'kalau' or 'could have').
Don't expect them to cook to feed people who are coming for tahlil.
Don't be the 'spokeperson' of arwah, saying things like 's/he would have said..' or 's/he would have preferred if you do this or that..'
Don't share your own grief or story, eg 'I know how you feel, just like last time when I...' or 'I know someone who passed away like that too..'

Less preferred consoling words:
"Semua orang pun akan mati juga."
"That's life - things like this happens."

Al-Fatihah buat Bonda

2010-06-29T09:02:00.004+08:00

Bonda kesayangan saya telah kembali ke rahmatullah tanggal 20 Jun 2010 akibat diserang strok.

Harap kawan-kawan dapat sedekahkan al-Fatihah dan doa buat almarhumah. Semoga beliau ditempatkan bersama-sama orang-orang soleh yang diredhai Allah.

Daripada Allah kita datang, dan kepada Allah kita kembali.

A stark reminder to us, that indeed - we are but a wayfarer in this world. Life is just too short to stray away from the things that really matter. Let's not lose focus on our true destination, insyaAllah. May Allah forgive us and guide us all.

I like these recycle bins

2010-06-17T08:17:00.000+08:00

Seen at Changi Airport, Singapore.

No confusion over which colour is for which materials.
And more importantly, they're fun!

Pahala, redha, dan ikhlas

2010-06-14T08:03:00.002+08:00

Kita mula diperkenalkan dengan konsep pahala dan dosa kerana konsep ini lebih mudah berbanding dengan konsep mencari redha Allah. Dalam artikelnya, Ummu Husna telah menggunakan analogi memberi 'upah' gula-gula untuk memujuk anaknya mandi kerana si anak belum begitu faham mandi itu penting untuk membersihkan diri. Konsep 'redha Allah' juga, bukan mudah untuk diselami. What does that really mean? Bagi saya, saya kaitkan dengan istilah/konsep ' approve of'. Does He approve of me? Does He approve of this act, this decision? I want His approval. Bila anak saya bertanya, "Kenapa Ummi solat?" Saya tidak menjawab, "Supaya dapat pahala" atau "Supaya tak berdosa" tetapi saya menjawab, "Supaya Allah sayang." Satu hari, anak saya akan bertanya, "Kenapa Allah sayang kalau kita solat?" Sudahkah saya bersedia untuk menjawabnya?

Bagaimana dengan ikhlas? Kalau kita bersedekah kerana mahu orang memuji kita pemurah, jelaslah kita tidak ikhlas. Tapi kalau kita bersedekah kerana mahu pahala, adakah kita ikhlas? Adakah ikhlas hanya jika kita bersedekah kerana niat kita mahu membantu si penerima? Kadang-kadang apabila saya berasa penat dan bosan dengan sesetengah kerja rumah yang saya kurang gemar, saya cuba memotivasikan diri dengan berdoa di dalam hati, "Ya Allah, semoga aku dapat ganjaran." Tapi saya rasa bila saya berdoa begitu, seolah-olah saya tidak ikhlas untuk berkhidmat untuk keluarga saya. What do you think? Tapi perkara-perkara sebegini kompleks sebenarnya, bukan sejelas hitam berbeza dengan putih.

Kebiasaannya, ibu bapa merupakan guru pertama yang mengajar anak-anak membaca al-Quran dan bersolat, sekadar menyebut ibadah khusus sebagai contoh, dan secara umumnya, mendidik anak-anak berbuat baik. Apabila anak-anak berbuat baik, membaca al-Quran, dan bersolat, ibu bapa yang mengajar ada 'saham' pahalanya. Malahan si nenek dan datuk juga terkena tempias, kerana mereka yang telah mengajar si ibu dan bapa tadi. Faedah bertingkat begini, bagai MLM pula! (Ini yang buat semangat nak tambah 'downline' ni :) ) Tidak dilupakan, vice versa, apakah tempias pada kita jika menggalakkan orang lain berbuat sesuatu yang salah?

Sekali lagi, ikhlaskah mengajar seseorang (anak or otherwise) berbuat kebaikan jika kita mahukan pahala 'jariah'? But then again, satu-satu perbuatan boleh sahaja disertai dengan beberapa sebab dan niat, tetapi yang mana yang lebih dominan? Bagi saya, jika kita buat sesuatu sebab nak pahala masih ikhlas, tetapi lebih baik jika kita buat kerana Allah, dan lebih baik lagi sebab memang kita mahu buat, kerana ini petanda naluri kita sudah terdorong untuk membuat perkara-perkara yang Allah suka kalau kita buat. Wallahu a'lam. Semoga Allah mencampakkan keikhlasan dalam hati kita.

Drilling oil & selling fuels

2010-06-10T08:27:00.000+08:00

When Ummu Auni Afif shared some photos of the exchange and network room of the telecommunications company where she works, I viewed them with the interest of someone who read engineering (but didn’t really practice much of the technical stuffs learnt). Here’s a brief sharing of the industry I’m in, as promised to her.

The oil and gas industry is broadly divided into upstream and downstream. Upstream is the ‘getting the oil from under the ground’ part, from searching for potential area, designing and building the oil rigs, and the drilling operation itself. Once the oil out of the ground, it will go to a refinery, which is already downstream – ‘getting the oil to consumers’ part. Then the refined products will be shipped to terminals (or sometimes direct to customers) and then distributed to consumers from there. We’re more familiar with fuels being sold via retail stations since we pump petrol into our cars, but I sit in the commercial sector – my department sells fuels for use in boilers and other equipments in factories, transport companies, fishing boat, agriculture trucks and machineries, logging tractors etc.

The fuels price is dependent on published market rates, and in the case of Malaysia, we refer to Mean of Platts Singapore (have to subscribe to see the published numbers). In Malaysia, the price for certain sectors is regulated by the government using the Automatic Pricing Mechanism (APM). The difference between the pump price and the market price (simplistically put, there's actually a formula to this) will be paid to the oil companies by the Ministry of Finances. Other than the retail stations, the other sector that receives government subsidies are fisheries, transport companies that meet certain criterias and express boats (ferries in Sabah & Sarawak). There are quotas tied to each companies or organizations just as there are quota for diesel at each petrol stations, as a government measure to prevent subsidized diesel being (illegally) used in the commercial sector. The ministry who monitors this is MDTCA – Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs.

Now on to a current issue, most of us would already be aware of the recent oil spill (major leak!) on April 10, almost two months ago. Taken from here:

An explosion on the BP operated Deepwater Horizon oil rig killed eleven crew members on April 20, 2010, sparking the greatest environmental disaster in United States history. Current estimates put the amount of oil being discharged from the broken well at above 1,050,000 US gallons per day! There are over 400 different species of animals living in the area affected by the spill. 248 sea turtles and 33 dolphins have been found dead within the spill area.

More on Reuters here.

Here’s a photo to illustrate an example of the impact to the environment, taken from here.
A bird covered in oil flails in the surf at East Grand Terre Island along the Louisiana coast Thursday, June 3, 2010. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

BP share prices has dropped dramatically, some staffs have left, they are spending billions to rectify as well as to pay fines, and their public image has been tarnished. But the other oil majors are feeling the impact too. They try to help BP clean up the mess as much as is reasonable. They will be watched by the authorities and the public more closely. At the ground level, we are constantly reminded to put safety first in whatever we do. I hope such disaster (or any accident for that matter, big or small) will not happen again.

May Allah protect the brave activists

2010-06-01T12:44:00.003+08:00

Melampau sangat melampau sangat sangat melampau. Civilians yang datang bawa bantuan kemanusiaan pun diserang!

Link-link dan content di bawah dipinjam dari blog adik saya.

Apa kata STAR -

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=%2F2010%2F6%2F1%2Fnation%2F6378577&sec=nation

Apa kata al Jazeera -

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/middle-east/2010/05/31/live-coverage-israels-flotilla-raid

Astro -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_Spr9LRBA4

lagi Astro Awani -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iL9uW7tZRQ

Isma web -

http://www.ismaweb.net/v4/isma-kecam-serangan-komando-israel-terhadap-konvoi-kapal-kemanusiaan-ke-gaza/

Atas Jalan Lurus -

http://brat-mikrajovic.blogspot.com/2010/05/flottila-respon-yang-mengubah.html

http://www.lifeline4gaza.org

http://www.freegaza.org

http://www.infopalestina.com/ms

http://haluanpalestin.haluan.org.my

Zainur Rashid Zainuddin

apa kita boleh buat ?

1-doa

2-sebarkan isu ini melalui pelbagai cara

3-hulurkan duit

4-hebahan media

5-tekanan politik

6-eratkan kerjasama dgn pelbagai pihak

7-didik anak2 & generasi muda anda

8-bertekad utk memperbaiki diri dan masyarakat

9-bernafas panjang dan miliki agenda hidup

10-mengambil berat urusan umat...

A random thought on passport fees

2010-05-29T10:38:00.000+08:00

I wonder, if the fee for a passport with 2-year validity is RM100, then why does the immigration department is charging RM300 for a passport with 5-year validity? If it were up to me, I'd charge RM200. This will create an incentive for people to select the 5-year option. Then, people would renew their passports every 5 years rather than every 2 years. Of course, this applies to people who travels abroad all the time. People who don't travel abroad so often would probably still choose the 2-year validity option. Still, let's say the two groups are evenly split. By applying for the 5-year validity option, half the group would apply 67% less number of times, hence half of that is 33%. This roughly means that the passport-processing division can reduce their resources by 33%. Could this cost-saving be more than the additional revenue of charging more (for the 5-year validity passport)? The equivalent reduction in revenue is only about 16% (50% of 300-200/300). Of course there's still be people who wouldn't mind paying extra to avoid going to renew their passport more often. But could there be other reasons, perhaps the immigration department prefers if people have shorter validity passport than longer? National security, or whatever? Not that I can think of any.

Dakwah corner at a kopitiam

2010-05-27T13:51:00.002+08:00

This story was shared by Kak Aliya in her blog Musings of a Muallaf.

Kopitiam Puteri Hang Li Poh, opposite SMK Bestari, Kulim (but will move to Pacific Megamall, Perai on 16 June) is owned by Haji Ibrahim Tan. Haji Ibrahim said that the kopitiam serves two purposes; one for Islamic dakwah and another to serve good Chinese Muslim food.

In the words of Kak Aliya, "On each table was a transparent photo frame which bears the number of the table, and printed stories from the hadith. You may read the stories while waiting for the food. At a corner of the kopitiam were two bookshelves with English reading materials on Islam. You may read them while having your meals or borrow them."

Do you know of any other restaurants (or public places) having some sort of dakwah corner?

Bekas dari rumah

2010-05-24T08:07:00.003+08:00

Bekal dari rumah? Bukan. Bekas sahaja dari rumah, makanan dibeli di gerai Kak Zah. Just a little effort on my part to reduce the use of polistyrene containers. Waktu mula buat begini tahun lepas, rasa segan juga. Tapi sekarang dah ramai juga yang guna bekas sendiri bila nak tapau lunch.

Interesting websites for young children

2010-05-18T08:41:00.000+08:00

Aside from the usual Cbeebies and Starfall, here are some other websites that we can explore together with our children.

http://www.letzhop.com/
Using the tagline Edutainment and E-learning Portal for Preschool Children, this website is developed locally. It’s meant to be a pay-by-month subscription model, if I’m not mistaken, but because they just launched, it’s still free to register.

http://www.epals.com/
This website is a global community where parents and teachers can find e-pals for their kids. I remember having pen-pals when I was little and it was quite exciting. And today, with advanced communications technology, it’s much more convenient to have e-pals. I first heard of this website from Coachsha. She said we don’t have to wait till our kids can read and write to be able to participate, we can read and write on their behalf first.

http://www.smories.com/
Smories are free original stories (in video format) for kids, read by kids. I haven’t tried this, but it’s an interesting idea (and the kids are cute!). I hope my kids will have the confidence to do this kind of story-telling later. One thing I think we Asians sometimes lack is the confidence to speak out and articulate ourselves. I know I’m like that, and to a certain extent, still is.

http://www.sharing-books.com/
This website house 269 ebooks of children stories. We can download for free, but we are encouraged to make a donation. One third goes to the author, one third to the organizing company (who manages the website etc), and another third goes to an NGO called Room To Read.

A bit of a sidetrack, here's a bit more on this NGO.

Taken from their website: Room to Read believes that World Change Starts with Educated Children. We envision a world in which all children can pursue a quality education that enables them to reach their full potential and contribute to their community and the world.

In the ebook What Matters Now, Room To Read's founder John Wood wrote:

Education has a ripple effect. One drop can initiate a cascade of possibility, each concentric circle gaining in size and traveling further.

If you get education right, you get many things right: escape from poverty, better family health, and improved status of women.

Educate a girl, and you educate her children and generations to follow.

Yet for hundreds of millions of kids in the developing world, the ripple never begins. Instead, there’s a seemingly inescapable whirlpool of poverty. In the words of a headmaster I once met in Nepal: “We are too poor to afford education. But until we have education, we will always be poor.”

That’s why there are 300 million children in the developing world who woke up this morning and did not go to school. And why there are over 750 million people unable to read and write, nearly 2/3 of whom are girls and women.

I dream of a world in which we’ve changed that. A world with thousands of new schools. Tens of thousands of new libraries. Each with equal access for all children.

The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago.
The second best time is now.

Do you know of other interesting websites? Do share with us :)

Asuh harian, asuh mingguan

2010-05-14T09:35:00.002+08:00

Petang itu, waktu saya mengambil anak-anak dari rumah pengasuh, Kak Zuri bertanya pada Munief, “Munief tidur sini, kan? Temankan Ummi Zuri?”

Munief menggeleng dan masuk ke dalam kereta.

“Semua orang balik kampung. Kak Zuri tinggal seorang.” Kak Zuri menerangkan kepada saya. “Marilah Munief, kan tadi Munief dah setuju?” Dipujuknya lagi. Saya biarkan sahaja dahulu.

Kemudian Kak Zuri mengambil dan mendukung Fifa. “Kalau Along tak mahu, Fifalah tinggal, temankan Ummi Zuri. Ok, babai Ummi – jumpa esok pagi.”

Eh, Kak Zuri bukan bergurau?

Munief berkata, “Ummi, janganlah tinggal Adik.”

Saya sedikit cemas dan mengambil Fifa kembali.

“Jangan risau, Fifa tak menangis,” kata Ummi Zuri.

Saya menjawab sambil tersenyum, “Saya tak mahu.”

“Sampai hati kamu,” Kak Zuri membalas, barangkali separuh bergurau dan separuh tidak.

“Maaf, Kak Zuri. Jumpa esok pagi.” Dan kami pun berlalu.

* * *

Baru-baru ini saya mendapat tahu bahawa di kalangan rakan-rakan kita yang berbangsa Cina, perkhidmatan mengasuh bayi dan kanak-kanak secara mingguan juga biasa ditawarkan di samping harian. Jika ibu bapa meninggalkan anak kepada pengasuh harian di waktu pagi dan ambil kembali setiap petang balik daripada kerja, pengasuh mingguan pula menjaga si anak dari pagi Isnin, dan si anak cuma akan berjumpa ibu bapanya petang Jumaat. Upah untuk pengasuh harian dalam lingkungan RM400 sebulan, manakala untuk pengasuh mingguan dalam lingkungan RM600 sebulan. Ini kadar luar Kuala Lumpur. Mungkin di sini, kadarnya lebih tinggi. Bagi masyarakat Melayu kita, saya biasa mendengar cerita rakan yang meninggalkan anak secara mingguan dengan ibu di kampung, tapi setakat ini masih belum dengar pengasuh (bukan keluarga) yang menjaga si anak sehingga malam hari. Kasihan pula anak-anak yang cuma berjumpa ibu bapa di hujung minggu ini, pada pandangan peribadi saya, seperti kena hantar ‘asrama’ pula. Tapi, apalah saya tahu apatah lagi faham tentang keadaan dan situasi lain-lain orang yang berbeza, tuntutan hidup yang berbeza.

Yang baik jadikan tauladan

2010-05-12T08:29:00.000+08:00

Kenapa banyak drama Melayu jalan cerita dia sungguh ‘depressing’? Sungguh tak membina, pada pendapat saya. Mungkin niat asal supaya yang buruk dijadikan sempadan, tapi bagi saya, lebih baik beri contoh yang elok.

Ini tiga contoh cerita yang saya maksudkan, dua yang pertama agak ‘recent’ ditayangkan di televisyen, mungkin kalian ada tonton dan masih ingat. Yang ketiga dah agak lama.

SATU
Seorang lelaki dikahwinkan dengan pilihan keluarga tanpa kerelaan, katakan nama dia Abu (sebab saya tak perasan nama dia apa dalam cerita tu). Abu memang treat his wife badly, katakana nama isteri ni Sara. Lepas ibu Abu meninggal, dia kahwin lain dengan pilihan sendiri, Min. Sebenarnya masa saya tengok tu dah nak habis dah. Abu memang kurang ajar dengan isteri pertama dan ibu mertua dia. Satu hari, anak-anak dia lari sebab terdengar Abu kata nak ceraikan Sara dan anak-anak dia nak ambil. Bila Abu dan Sara sedar, mereka pun pergi cari anak-anak mereka ni. Mereka jumpa yang kecil perempuan dalam keadaan semput, sebab gas inhaler dah habis. Bila balik rumah, mak si Sara senyap-senyap dah keluar dari rumah nak balik kampung sebab dia kata tak nak Abu marah-marah Sara disebabkan dia. Sara keluar cari mak dia dan jumpa tak lama lepas tu. Hujan lebat. Pokok tumbang timpa Sara dan mak dia, dua-dua meninggal. Di rumah, anak kecil yang perempuan pun mati. Tinggallah si abang, yang memang tak gembira sebab semua orang yang dia sayang dah mati, dan dia tak suka ayah dia atau ibu tiri dia. Satu hari, masa Abu hantar si abang ke sekolah, si abang ada cakap sesuatu pasal ibu tiri dia yang membuatkan si ayah marah sungguh. Abu keluar nak kejar anak dia yang berjalan ke sekolah, tapi dia kena langgar. Tak mati tapi lumpuh atau cacat.

Apakah?

DUA
Ada seorang perempuan yang kurang ajar dan sombong, anak orang kaya. Ayah dia kahwinkan dia dengan seorang ustaz dengan harapan supaya si ustaz ni dapat bantu didik anak dia. Perempuan ni, katakanlah nama dia Lia, tak nak, tapi ayah dia kata kalau tak ikut cakap dia, tak dapat harta. Lepas kahwin, Lia beri ubat guna-guna sampai suami dia ikut telunjuk dia serba-serbi. Ayah Lia mati sakit jantung bila dia tengok Lia sepak terajang suami dia sebab dia marah suami dia tu lambat kejutkan dia tidur. Satu hari, Lia lumpuh sebelah kaki, jadi semu-serbi suami dia tolong buatkan, tapi Lia masih tak sedar. Pembantu rumah keluarga tu cari penawar untuk pulihkan si ustaz, dan dia pun balik ke rumah dia sendiri. Satu malam, dia nak pergi balik ke rumah Lia, tapi dia kena bunuh masa nak selamatkan seorang gadis daripada dianiayai. Malam tu, kononnya Lia ternampak kelibat suami dia cakap selamat tinggal. Dia mengengsot sampai ke tangga, jatuh, dan makin jatuh sakit. Babak terakhir ialah mak dia dok menyuap dia makan.

Apakah?

TIGA
Ada seorang lelaki di kampung, katakan nama dia Ahmad. Dia bekerja di kebun dan baru bertunang dengan buah hati. Adik kepada Ahmad ni jenis yang buang masa, pergi merempit, dan paksa mak beri duit. Satu hari, Ahmad marah kat adik dia, suruh dia ubah perangai. Si adik merajuk, pergi merempit dan mati kemalangan. Si mak salahkan Ahmad. Dia mogok tak makan, sampai mati. Dalam pada itu, tunang Ahmad pula putuskan pertunangan dan jumpa orang lain. Ahmad jadi gila. Satu hari, waktu Ahmad (yang dah hilang akal) merayau-rayau di pekan, si bekas tunang secara tak sengaja terlanggar dia, kepala terhantuk, dan Ahmad pun mati.

Apakah?

Yang last tu memang saya paling tak faham sekali, apakah cerita yang cuba disampaikan sebenarnya? Memang it’s true saya ni jenis yang suka happy ending dan tak suka sad ending. Tapi still, memang bosan tengok cerita yang semua orang mati.

Ok, ni ending alternatif yang saya nak cadangkan, tapi mungkin alternatif yang boring jenis penonton tak nak tengok lah.

SATU
Abu ceraikan Sara tapi Sara dapat custody anak-anak dia. Dia jumpa jodoh lain yang lebih baik, dan hidup bahagia dengan mak dan anak-anak dia. Abu tak bahagia dengan Min dan menyesal dengan perilaku buruknya dahulu.

DUA
Bila kaki Lia dah lumpuh satu, dia pun sedar dan insaf. Suami dan mak dia bersyukur dan gembira dengan perubahan dia.

TIGA
Walaupun mak dan adik dia dah mati, dan dia putus tunang, tapi Ahmad tak berputus asa. Dia pindah tempat lain untuk mulakan hidup baru. Dia berjaya dalam kerjaya, jumpa jodoh lain dan hidup bahagia dengan keluarganya. Dia jadi aktivis sosial yang cuba dekati mat rempit untuk bantu mereka buat perubahan.

Oklah, penat taip ni, probably one of my longest and 'randomest' post ever. Tiba-tiba dan out of character kejap.

I've started a book blog

2010-05-05T09:14:00.003+08:00

Introducing:
Mesra Buku! :)

I've started this blog during the recent KL book fair, and so far has about 8 posts only. I'm aiming for one to two posts per week, but it seems like 'one' prevails more often ;) I'm blogging as Siti, which you would probably notice, is my chosen name for my 'extra-curricular' activities.

I hope to be able to do not just reviews or share info on book deals or sales, but also interviews with local authors (hopefully!) and contests. I hope this blog will also be a platform for readers to swap books or find new home for their books.

Do share the url http://mesra-buku.blogspot.com with your friends who shares this hobby of mine, and wish me luck :)

Random thoughts on raising funds (for charitable causes)

2010-04-28T07:55:00.000+08:00

I like this idea - a website (and system) to encourage people to consider against buying things they might not need, and donate the equivalent value to a worthy cause.
http://whatididnotbuy.org/

And here’s a project that aims to return the children in Pakistan from the labour market back to school through self-sustaining monetary incentives and vocational skills.
http://www.bagsforbliss.org

I like the idea of Mohamad Yunus’s Grameen Bank, and it has inspired similar initiatives for example www.kiva.org which has grown really big.

In Kiva, the minimum loan you can give is 25 dollars. And the reason why the amount is so low because most of the loans go to people in poorer countries, where a dollar can buy a lot of local currency or a lot of things. For a case given as example, a lady in Tanzania borrowed 175 dollars to open a café! Of course there were other example with higher amount, 1k or 2k. But even so, 2000 dollars is 80 people lending 25 dollars each, still manageable I’d say. What I’m getting at is, is it possible to form a similar organization in Malaysia to fund local entrepreneurs (targeted for hardcore poors)? To get mass collaboration, for many people to be able to contribute, the loan amount has be low and affordable. Say RM50. Many people wouldn’t mind not getting this amount of money back (in worst case scenario) I suppose. 100 people make up RM5000. I suppose this amount is more than sufficient to start a small business. 100 person helping 1 person is less than ideal, I suppose. But then again, these RM5000 can be ‘recycled’ once the loan is paid back. So, it’s ok to start ‘small’. Still, I imagine it's difficult (for an individual or organisation) having to sell the idea to 100 people and at the end helping only 1 person.

In Richard Branson’s book that I just read The Adventures of A Global Entrepreneur, I learnt that a good way to do fundraising is to leverage on ‘perceived value’. The example given by him is a fundraising event which he organized, where he let people bid for 1) a week vacation at his private island and 2) opportunity to name a new plane. In the case of the latter, the ‘real’ cost involved is a matter of painting the name. Another example is one that I saw during one of Oprah’s Big Give episode, where the contestant got Andre Agassi’s help to raise funds. He agreed to ‘donate’ his time (and skills), and people bid to get one week tennis training with him. This made me think also of the car plat number by JPJ. People bid to get the numbers they want because of the perceived value. It doesn’t cost JPJ anything to get this additional revenue. If celebrities want to take part in charity auction, they can auction, say a lunch or dinner with them, and people would actually pay far more than the ‘real’ value of the meals itself.

Two stories, one message

2010-04-23T08:17:00.000+08:00

You've probably have heard of them before.

Story One

Once upon a time, there lived a lady called Lily with his wife and mother-in-law. Lily does not get along at all with her mother-in-law. They get on each others nerves every day. Lily was so miserable, and one day she decided she cannot stand it anymore. She heard about an old man living in the next the village who may be able to help her so she went to see him.

“Do you have anything that will get rid of her?” Lily asked, after telling the old man her story.
The old man gave her a pack of white powder.
“Sprinkle a bit of this powder in her food every day. She will not die immediately, but it will take a year. I have one advice for you, though. In that one year, you must be nice to her, otherwise people will suspect you of foul play when she dies.”

Lily agreed and did exactly as what the old man instructed her to do. At first, the mother-in-law was very confused when Lily started to treat her nicely. She was still mean to Lily. But Lily persevered. Soon her mother-in-law started to reciprocate. They continued to live in harmony.

One day, Lily went to see the old man in the next village, crying.
“I no longer wish my mother-in-law dead! Do you have anything that can reverse the slow poison that you gave me last year?”
The old man just smiled.
“That was no poison, my child. That was just sugar.”

Story Two

Once upon a time, there was an old lady who sells fruits in a market in place between two cities, say Fes and Meknes. One day, a family who stopped at her stall to buy fruits asked her, “We’re from Fes, and we’re moving to Meknes. How are the people in Meknes like?”
She asked back, “How was the people in Fes?”
The family answered, “They were nice people, really friendly and helpful.”
The old lady smiled and answered, “So are the people in Meknes.”

The next day, another family stopped by her fruit stall and asked the same question, “We’re from Fes, and we’re moving to Meknes. How are the people in Meknes like?”
She asked back, “How was the people in Fes?”
The family answered, “They were not very nice, really selfish and keep to themselves.”
The old lady answered, “So are the people in Meknes.”

Quiz: Where was this photo taken?

2010-04-19T08:37:00.000+08:00

Guess, where was this photo taken?

The first person to guess correctly will win a mini cookbook - Senangnya Memasak Bersama Chef Hanieliza, you can choose either Ayam, Nasi, or Sayur. Already have all those? Well, just guess for fun then :)

Hint: This place is in the Klang Valley!

Working from home one hour a day

2010-04-15T09:39:00.000+08:00

When I took over a new role early this year, one of the tasks I have to do is to compute and publish (via email) a set of figures every morning by a certain time. I struggled to meet that daily timing. So, I tried a different strategy. I completed the tasks first at home before leaving for the office. I connect to the network via VPN or virtual private network where I am able to access all the tools required like emails, software, shared folder etc. Thankfully, the company I’m working for support flexible working arrangements. So far it works out well (in terms of me being able to complete this task early enough every mornings), Alhamdulillah.

Since I leave for the office later, I’m no longer trapped in the morning peak hour traffic! I save 30-40 minutes a day. That’s about 3 hours a week and 13 hours a month! If more companies allow (dare I use the word ‘encourage’?) their employees to work from home and flexible hours, it’ll help to reduce the congestion problems our capital city faces. This ‘extra’ time allows me to bath and feed my kids (as opposed to bundling them from the bed straight to the car), do chores, and sometimes even run errands.

However, to be fair, it’s not all beds of roses. Working from home (for an employer) does have its setbacks.
- Broadband connection may be slow, especially when sharing. There is risk of getting disconnected in the middle of a task.
- Limited resources. For example, about two weeks ago, there is a problem with my laptop and I couldn’t switch it on at all. It was too late to drive to the office to find a spare machine. Luckily, I have a backup who could help with my time-sensitive task that morning. But that’s only for emergencies (which that was), meaning I can’t expect this person to help out often. Besides, I don’t want to be perceived as unreliable.
- The kids may bug me either for my attention or my laptop when I was in a crunch time.

Because the task is quite time-sensitive, it could get quite stressful. When it takes 1 minute to click open a file, I’ll start worrying and fidget a lot. There’s this one time when my backup was not available and I had problems to access some information I need to complete my task, so I rushed to the office, but obviously I was very late. Some staffs in my departments had to stay back till 8. I felt very guilty.

I guess what I’m saying is, whilst there’s clear benefits to working from home, it also presents its own challenges. It’ll be nicer to have tasks that are not too time and operation-sensitive, but these are part of my roles, so I’m okay with it.

Ulasan filem The Blind Side oleh Faisal Tehrani

2010-04-12T08:25:00.002+08:00

Baca sepenuhnya di sini.

But in a nutshell, it’s a story of an illiterate teenager from a broken family who managed to turn his life around (for the better) and to become a successful football player after he got adopted by a kind family. Just reading FT’s review is enough to move me. What an important thing ‘love’ is. It’s not a luxury, it’s a basic human need! It makes me think of the stories on problematic teens (or adults), sometimes all they need is attention and love.

It's a simple story, but it's beautiful and inspiring! Bilalah pembikin filem di negara kita nak terbitkan cerita-cerita penuh motivasi dan inspirasi, dan membangun jiwa seperti ini? (Dan setiap kali saya bertanya soalan berbentuk menghala ke arah orang lain seperti ini, lekas saja ia terpantul balik pada saya - and what can I do about it?)

Mohon derma untuk bina surau sekolah

2010-04-08T08:17:00.001+08:00

Dengan rendah hati, saya ingin memohon derma bagi pihak PIBG Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Sungai Kapar Indah di Kapar, Selangor iaitu tempat ibu mertua saya berkhidmat bagi membina surau sekolah. Kos pembinaan dianggarkan berjumlah RM300,000 dan pembinaan diharapkan dapat dimulakan pada bulan Julai tahun ini.

Klik imej di bawah untuk melihat surat rasmi.

Sesiapa yang berminat untuk menyumbang (sebarang amaun dialu-alukan) boleh dimasukkan ke akaun saya seperti di bawah:

Maybank 162834003676 Siti Malini binti Mat, atau
CIMB 12470003499523 Siti Malini binti Mat

Kemudian harap dapat maklumkan kepada saya di emel mynie.mat@ gmail.com atau sms O12-3O39470 supaya saya dapat keep track. Resit (contoh seperti di bawah) boleh diposkan. Tarikh akhir: 30 April 2010. 1 Mei saya akan keluarkan untuk beri pada ibu mertua saya.

Sumbangan anda amat kami hargai. Semoga Allah membalas budi baik anda.

P/s: Macam surat rasmi.

Pp/s: I’ m not going to elaborate (read: rant) about how strongly I feel that a surau should have been budgeted and built together with the school buildings in the first place (this school is new, about 2-3 years old) since this is not the right forum nor is it likely to have the right audience, but I thought I’ll just mention it. There.

Tag Beautiful Blogger Award

2010-04-06T08:14:00.002+08:00

Terima kasih kepada MIO sebab tag saya dengan anugerah BBA ni. Komentar yang diberi oleh beliau bagi setiap blog yang ditag memang cukup hebat, berapa lama lah agaknya masa yang diambil. Komentar yang diberi untuk blog saya ni pula menambahkan pressure kepada saya! Tapi saya ambil sebagai positive pressure lah ye.

Okay, step 2 (macam Special Agent OSO pula), 7 things about me. Sebelum ni rasanya dah selalu ‘about me’, this time saya nak guna tema anak-anak saya pula. Sebelum tu, gambar dulu! One of my favourite photos of them (I’m currently using this photo as my FB profile photo), because they are grinning so happily. I wonder what MHH did to get this (dia yang snap).

7 fakta Munief
-Anak saya yang sulung, bernama Munief Ridhwan
-Umurnya 4 tahun 2 bulan
-Beratnya 20 kg
-Badannya agak chubby (gambar kat atas tak nampak sangat), sungguh enak dipeluk, tapi kalau minta didukung…
-Suka makan (tak hairanlah jadi chubby atau orang kita kata ‘semangat’)
-Soalan favourite “Sebab apa sekian sekian sekian,Ummi?”, dan soalan ni soalan berantai yang tak habis-habis
-Sudah pandai buat lawak sendiri kemudian ketawa sendiri, kadang-kadang Ummi faham, kadang-kadang tak faham tapi gelak jugalah sebagai tanda sokongan

7 fakta Afiefah
-Anak saya yang kedua, bernama Afiefah Mardiyyah
-Umurnya 2 tahun 4 bulan
-Beratnya 10 kg
-Rambutnya kerinting
-Petah bercakap
-Masih menyusu badan di waktu malam
-Sustain more injuries than her Aba (what she calls her brother) - yang terbaru Ahad lepas luka di bibir dan lidah sebab terlanggar gigi sendiri masa berlaga dengan sepupu

Ok, saya nak tag siapa yang saya rasa belum kena tag ni lagi. Terimalah Beautiful Blogger Ward ni, di samping bercerita 7 things about yourselves.
-Ummu Auni Afif, yang baru pindah department baru
-Limau Nipis yang sudah sampai di Manchester
-Baiti yang sekarang dah jarang blog
-Kak Najah yang sedang fikir nak isi kedai baru bakeri dia dengan apa
-Mimi yang baru-baru ni hadiahkan saya kain batik oren yang cantik sempena lucky draw
-Ipohmom yang berazam nak kurangkan baca buku cerita sebab kena baca buku akademik
-Kak Huda, yang juga sedang sambung belajar
-Adia, yang sekarang sedang rajin update blog setelah beberapa lama tak update.

* Maaf sebab bahasa bercampur-campur.

Kenangan manis di PBAKL 2010

2010-03-30T09:01:00.000+08:00

Wah, tajuk memang skema, harap maaf lah ye :)

Jika tahun 2008, saya pergi berempat dan tahun 2009 pula berdua, Khamis lepas saya pergi ke PBAKL 2010 berseorangan sahaja. Asalnya nak pergi dengan adik saya dan isterinya tapi tak jadi pula. Sebenarnya seronok juga pergi sendiri, sebab bebas nak pergi gerai mana dan berapa lama. Saya cuma berada di sana selama satu jam setengah sahaja, sebab bajet dah habis. Kalau ronda-ronda lagi pun, tak dapat beli juga. There’s nothing like sticking to a budget like bringing just enough cash and leaving the ATM and credit card behind (well, I didn’t actually leave my cards because I know not to use them).

Jadi, apa kenangan yang manis tu agaknya? Yang pertama, bila saya singgah di gerai Galeri Ilmu, saya terpandang sebuah buku dengan cover gambar seorang gadis tomboy berambut pendek dengan motosikalnya. Mungkinkah… Saya lihat nama penulisnya, ya memang betul! Mereka tidak pilih tajuk yang saya cadangkan (memang tajuk cadangan saya kurang menarik pun, tiada idea). Bukan, saya tak tulis buku tu, saya cuma sunting sahaja. Gembiranya melihat buku suntingan saya yang pertama, sudah berada di pasaran! Encik Sakaria Sungib menghadiahi saya senaskhah buku tersebut (terima kasih!).

Bilalah agaknya nama nak ‘melompat’ ke depan pula ye? Hehe…

Kenangan manis kedua pula, bila berkunjung ke gerai PTS. Lebih kurang 2 minggu lepas, saya mendapat satu panggilan telefon dari seseorang yang ingin mencetak t-shirt muslimah sebagai barang merchandising untuk Pesta Buku. Terkejut saya bila disebutkan emelnya, sehingga saya bertanya “PTS? As in the publisher?” Tempoh menyiapkan tempahan kurang daripada seminggu ketika itu, saya risau juga takut tak sempat, tapi Alhamdulillah sempat (separuh dihantar hari pertama, separuh lagi hari kedua). Walaupun margin keuntungan tidaklah sebesar mana, tapi saya gembira dan teruja dapat berurusan dengan PTS (menerusi stafnya) sebab saya seorang pembaca dan peminat setia PTS.

Sign the petition to extend maternity leave

2010-03-26T08:40:00.001+08:00

Click on the image to go to the link and sign the petition. I have.

Sekali-sekala, datang angin rajin

2010-03-24T09:10:00.001+08:00

Ya, sekali-sekali sahaja. Once in a blue moon :)

Homemade soup, cream of chicken, mushroom and potato, with pita bread (I love soups, so I love this)

Beef steak with mushroom gravy, with boiled carrot and broccoli and potato wedges with cheese (first time cuba shallow fry steak, agak keras dan kering... Siapa boleh ajar saya buat steak supaya jadi tender dan juicy?)

Ice-cream (beli dan cedok sahaja hehe)

This is the soup’s recipe, adapted from Chef Kamarul’s recipe in his book Resepi 30 Minit (page 73).

- Tumis 2 ulas bawang putih dan 2 ulas bawang merah (dihiris) dengan sedikit mentega.
- Bubuh 1 sudu besar tepung gandum dan gaulkan sebentar.
- Bubuh secawan isi ayam (dipotong kecil), setengah cawan cendawan (dihiris - saya guna ‘brown mushroom’), dan sebiji kentang (Dipotong kecil. Kentang amat membantu untuk mendapatkan tekstur yang likat berkrim!).
- Masukkan 1 liter air atau stok ayam.
- Kacau hingga masak.
- Masukkan 3 sudu besar krim masakan (lepas ni nak cuba ganti dengan susu segar sebab krim mahal).
- Masukkan garam, lada hitam (jika suka) dan herba campuran (jika ada) sesedap rasa.
- Kisar dalam blender.

Gambar sebelum dikisar.

PBAKL 2010

2010-03-19T08:37:00.001+08:00

Pesta Buku Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur 2010 begins today!

I want to go but I haven’t made any plan yet. In 2008, I went with MHH and the kids on a weekend. It was fun and good exposure for the kids, but it was also hectic, crowded, and exhausting. In 2009, I went with MHH (sans the kids) on a working day, it was more relaxed. This year? Note sure yet. But I probably won’t be buying too many books. I’ve made a resolution to control my book-buying because 1) I buy more than I have time to read 2) I’ve run out bookshelves or storage space!

By the way, if you plan to buy any PTS book, drop by their link here to print their 25% discount coupons first. (My guess is they’d prepare some at their booth, but just in case.)

A little adventure

2010-03-16T08:29:00.002+08:00

On the first day of the family trip, everyone was excited to go out. We went to this place recommended by my brother. It was a hilly place and we walked upwards. At first, all I saw were ordinary trees, and I was beginning to wonder why my brother was taking us to this place. Then I saw boulders covered with moss floating! (not unlike the one seen in the movie Avatar). I was in awe. Until I saw the men maneuvering machines that controlled the objects from a distance. With them, was a group of musicians playing an accompanying sound. Ah well, it’s still a cool show. After that, we walked downwards, and I saw many colourful birds on the ground, everywhere. They looked so tame, like they didn’t intend to fly away. I wanted to pick one up, but the rest of my family was leaving so I quickly joined them.

Back at the hotel, they all wanted to rest, but I wanted to explore the city a bit, so I left on my own. I came across a Malaysian restaurant and went in. I ordered a dish. Not far from where I sat, a lady (presumably the owner or manager of the restaurant) was scolding a staff, apparently an Indonesian. She was accused of selling the restaurants food somewhere else. I didn’t want to pry on other people’s business, I just threw a sympathetic glance to the Indonesian lady. Suddenly, the Indonesian lady spoke up, not in Indonesian language as her employer might expect, but in perfectly accented English. Her employer was shocked. “You’re not different than me,” she said. I'm not sure what she meant by that.

I finished eating and walked out at the restaurant, but once out, I wasn’t sure which direction to go to head back to the hotel. To my relief, I saw MHH approaching with Munief and Fifa. What a relief! I hugged him in joy. MHH said that he wanted to buy kebab, so I said “Jom!”

And then the alarm bell rang, and the images fade away. Time’s up!

Sorry to have wasted your time! Hehe. But it sure was fun writing that down. Reminds me of the short show in PHDC, Bert and Ernie’s Great Adventures. To those of you who are not familiar with the show, it starts with the legs of the their beds moving, and the beds starts running and flying in the sky, implying their great adventures happened while they were sleeping.

Buy Telaga Biru books online

2010-03-11T08:31:00.003+08:00

Telaga Biru has recently launched its marketing arm Stormreaders using the multi-level marketing system. I usually shy away from MLMs. But this one got me thinking twice (only) before joining, because the products involved are books! Something that gets me excited :)

So, if you plan to buy any Telaga Biru books, do use my link below:

Why buy online?
- You can get access to all the books published by Telaga Biru. If you go to shops, there might be titles that is out of stock or that the shop chose not to carry.
- Save time and less hassle (as with most online shopping)

Their shipping cost is very reasonable. Two weeks ago, I bought 7 books and got charged only RM12 for postal (they used Pos Malaysia’s Parcel service). I purchased on Monday and the books arrived on Thursday!

Why Telaga Biru?
- They have a wide array of books covering many topics including Islam, self-help/motivational, parenting, and even fiction.
- The books are very well-presented, most with full colour and useful illustrations. For example, the book Formula Solat Sempurna by Ustaz Zaharuddin Abd Rahman have photos of people illustrating the steps of the rukun solat etc

These are some of Telaga Biru books that I have bought.

Happy reading!

P/S: If you are interested to be a distributor, do email me at emel.siti@ gmail.com for details :)

Vertical banner:

Three ice-breaking questions

2010-03-05T08:48:00.000+08:00

These may come useful if you happen to be organizing or chairing some sort of team meeting or team building events. They’re short and doesn’t really extend the time allocated, but they help to make intoductions more interesting. Pick one of these to accompany the usual self-introduction (name, role, etc) at the beginning of the session.

1. Add one interesting fact about yourself that not many people know about.
2. Who is your favourite author (or what is your favourite book) and why?
3. Pick one number that means something to you. And let the others guess.
For example:
4 (number of children)
5775 (car plat number)
24 (the age I got married)

New strollers for sale!

2010-03-01T07:51:00.001+08:00

Not by me, but by a friend, Faizah.

These cool new strollers (joggers style) go for only RM400. Brand: SKEP Baby (New Zealand).
If you are interested or want to get more details/specs or find out what colours are available, do contact Faizah directly at 013-3597595 or by email fa_izzah@yahoo.co.uk. The FB link is here.

Rapid learners learn differently

2010-02-23T13:14:00.002+08:00

I found this article on rapid learning interesting, so I'm sharing it with you.

In short, it pointed out that the best way to understand the strategy of rapid learners is to look at its opposite, the approach most people take: rote memorization. Instead of memorizing by rote, rapid learners store information by linking ideas together. Instead of repetition, they find connections.

Some Techniques for Learning by Connections
1. Metaphors and Analogy
2. Visceralization
3. The 5-Year Old Method
4. Diagramming
5. Storytelling to Remember Numbers and Facts

I'm embarassed to admit that I have forgotten most of the things I've studied in my school and even uni years. When my brother who sat for his SPM last year asked me Physics and Add Maths questions (with Chemistry, I could use the excuse 'I didn't like Chemistry anyway', but I am supposed to love these two subjects! What has happened to me?), it's very humbling and embarassing not to be able to answer. Does this mean I had been a rote learner before? That I 'copy and purged'?

Learn alif ba ta

2010-02-23T09:05:00.001+08:00

The other day, my sister called to asked me the website url “Yang awak bukakkan ABC untuk Munief tu?” “Oh. Starfall dot com.” “Bintang jatuh?” “Yup, bintang jatuh.”
Anyway, that triggered a thought. Who setup this website? Why? Free materials for children to learn basic ABC. With the thousands (and possibly millions) users, the bandwidth must be big, so the server cost must be high as well.

Which brought about the next thought. Is there a similar website for learning alif ba ta? If there isn’t, wouldn’t it be great to do one? I start to imagine multimedia contents teaching alif ba ta, reading the text (like Iqra’), some basics of Arabic, even (optional) doas and instructions on how to pray. Children enjoys these kind of multimedia approach; it’s more fun. It’ll be a great resource for parents and children. Having said this however, I must stress here that children still needs ‘real’ teachers (for example their parents) for proper lessons with feedback etc, but I think there’s no harm in introducing alif ba ta the virtual way. Imagine if there’s thousands of children who can benefit from this free-for-all website and they went on to read the Qur’an after learning the basic alif ba ta from the website? Wouldn’t this be like an amal jariah? (Terasa macam kurang ikhlas pula bila buat sesuatu sebab mengharap ganjaran pahala, but that’s another topic for another time)

What work needs to be undertaken for this project?
- define scope/content
- source for content provider (survey companies that produces educational VCDs or find individuals)
- determine costing
- find project sponsors
- manage domain/server hosting
- marketing

But the big question is - when? I’m interested, but I don’t think I can manage to do this now. Not by myself, at least. With a team, maybe. Anyone interested to do this with me? :)

Stephen King’s Dark Tower series

2010-02-17T13:57:00.003+08:00

I haven't always read Stephen King. I used to think that he writes mostly horror stories and I don't particularly like horror stories (or movies, for that matter. Takut!). But I'm quite easily influenced, and since MHH reads Stephen King, I found myself giving him a chance. After a few books, I found that Stephen King is indeed a very talented creative and imaginative storyteller, especially after reading one of his recent works, Duma Key. Do you know that the movie Shawshank Redemption is written based on a story by him?

Stephen King admires Tolkien's Lord of The Rings and (as with other authors in the genre) wanted to write a quest-based long story, and Dark Tower is his answer. There are 7 books in the series written in the span of 34 years. One day, during a Times booksale, MHH came across the third book. He wasn't sure whether to buy it or not because he hasn't read the first two yet. I encouraged to just buy it. In the following birthday and anniversary I surprised him with the remaining 6 books (how convenient it was not to have to think so hard on what to buy :) )

MHH finished the 7 books within a couple of months. It must have been wonderful not to have to wait for the next book to be published as it would have been with an ongoing series (think Harry Potter some five six years ago). I've only finished the first one, and to be frank I struggled to finish it. I couldn't follow some parts of the story. I sometimes found myself asking myself "What just happened?" I think my imagination is just not up to the fantasy fiction standard :) (I gave up reading Tolkien's Lord of The Rings after about 100 pages.) MHH said the first book is quite slow because it's the introduction. And he wrote this when he was 19! (wow)

Quite a long period lapsed before I finally picked up Book Two. And as I had feared, I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have liked to. At first. In fact, I was seriously considering giving up on the series altogether (oh, but the RM200+ already spent!), when the plot picks up at about page 50ish. The gunslinger found a door which is like a portal into someone else's mind/eye. Someone from our world. This person is to be part of his 'team' for the quest for the Dark Tower. I got engaged and hooked to the story. If reading a book is like sleeping, I’ve finally reached the REM stage. Now that I've started to enjoy the book, I can't wait to continue reading!