AidanZ

Alhamdulillah...

2010-10-09T13:52:00.000+08:00

These past couple of weeks has been a real blessing to me...

Alhamdulillah,

~ My book, Legenda Elfarren is in second printing now.
~ The feedback i've received so far has been between 'Good' and 'Excellent'
~ Got 5 stars from a review by Berita Harian (ruangan Sastera, Jumaat, 8 Okt) - For a new writer, i'm not sure i deserved it, but still...
~ Got green light from Alaf 21 to write the sequel for Legenda Elfarren, as originally planned.

Here's the link to the BH review of my book http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bharian.com.my%2Fbharian%2Farticles%2FDuniaBuku_LegendaElfarren%2FArticle&h=58ff1

Alhamdulillah...

(This entry is written in a hurry. Hopefully i'll be able to make a full entry of the story behind the writing of LE, which took almost 6 years to complete)

Resurrection of AidanZ with the birth of a legend...

2010-08-26T00:05:00.001+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

It's been 3 months since i really write in this blog. Part of it, because i was busy. Other, because the internet connection 'sucked' at my hometown in Melaka. But the biggest contribution factor for me is the introduction of Facebook world to me by my good friend, Shah. Okay... yeah... i know, i'm a bit late for that, but hey, i am NOT technology or computer savvy alright.

But truth be told, all the above are just excuses. Like i always tell myself, if you wanna write, you write... It is that simple!

I guess what i wanna say is, I may not be updated this blog for a long time if not for what had happened yesterday, when Puan Saadiah, Editor-in-Chief Alaf 21 called me and told me about my second book, Legenda Elfarren which has just came out a week before.

It was then that she asked me whether i have a blog or not. Hesitantly i said yes. Good she said. How about FB? Yes, i said, this time not hesitate at all. Then i quickly said, "err, but my blog is not active!" to which she told me matter-of-factly, "then, just reactivate it!"

After i hung up the phone, i went straight away to my laptop and opened my blog. It looked... seasoned and unattended. And that was the moment i thought, yeah i will do that! I'll reactivate this blog and i'll resurrect it... in line with the birth of my second book...

InsyaAllah...

Ramadhan Al-Mubarak

2010-08-11T17:25:00.013+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

Selamat Menyambut Ramadhan Al-Mubarak

Moga menjadi Ramadhan terbaik bagi kita dan moga ketemu dengan Lailatul-Qadar...

InsyaAllah

The Greatest News in the Whole Wide World...!!!

2010-05-18T16:44:00.001+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

Alhamdulillah... all praise to Allah The Almighty... Finally i've got the news that i've been waiting for 5 months now!

My beautiful wife; the woman that is my soul mate and the love of my life, is PREGNANT!

No words can be said to describe this feeling inside me right now... as if this is the moment that i've been anticipating my entire life!

The tears that flowing freely right after the news is the epitome of my entire being at the time as joy, relieved, gratitude and so many other unidentified feelings washed over my inner side, as this words echoed loudly and melodiously inside my head,

"I'M GOING TO BE A DAD!!!"
"WE ARE GOING TO BE PARENTS!!"

Oh, i'll remember what happened last Saturday until the end of my time. For that is the day, that will change our life forever. Until now, i still have teary eyes everytime i talked or even think about this very tiny little being, growing rapidly inside my wife and will be born to this world as our child...

Alhamdulillah...

In this opportunity, i wanna thank everyone that prays for us... May Allah bless us all!

And of course to my beloved wife, Zue:

Thank you sooooo much Honey! You just make me the happiest man in this world! Just when i thought i couldn't love you any more than a normal person could; this love inside me, just growing even more and more by the passing days. And i know now, that there won't be any limits for this love for you and our coming baby!

Praise Allah with all our heart, all the time, Darling; for He just granted us our dearest wish to have a baby. We need Him more than ever now, so much more than we need air to breath and water to drink. This first trimester will be extremely hard for you because you have to be careful with your movement and everything, but don't worry, Allah will be with us, caring us, loving us and blessing us the way only He can do...

And me... i promise that i will always be there for you, My Love. To look after you and our baby, to be the best husband and father for both you and our child respectively. Count on me, Sweetheart. This growing love inside me has no stop sign to it, and together, let it be the strongest fundamental of our young family...!

Alhamdulillah... Alhamdulillah... Alhamdulillah...

AidanZ (18th May 2010)

Pengembaraan Afiq

2010-05-13T12:32:00.012+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

As i promised, this is a post solely for my first book, "Pengembaraan Afiq" that's being published this May. The book is published in Malay, and for that reason alone, allow me to continue this entry in that beautiful language of ours...

Saya mula menulis buku ini pada pertengahan tahun 2008 sebelum terhenti selama beberapa bulan lantaran sibuk dengan beberapa perkara lain, di samping harus menumpukan perhatian terhadap 'editing' novel Lagenda Elfarren yang terlebih dahulu siap sebelumnya.

Kemudian, pada awal 2009, sementara menunggu respon terhadap novel LE tadi, saya mengambil keputusan menyambung kembali penulisan buku ini. Awal April, saya berjaya menyiapkan buku ini dan terus menghantar manuskripnya ke Alaf 21. Sebulan kemudian, saya mendapat respon positif bagi buku ini serta mendapat perjanjian mulut dari Editor di sana bahawa ia akan diterbitkan, cuma agak lewat, memandangkan jadual penerbitan mereka sudah penuh untuk tahun itu. Saya masih ingat pada masa itu, saya tidak menaruh harapan yang terlalu tinggi (lantaran pengalaman pahit manis bersama beberapa syarikat penerbitan lain berkenaan novel Lagenda Elfarren), dan saya hanya mengiakan sahaja.

Kemudian, lewat Februari tahun ini, saya mendapat panggilan telefon daripada editor di sana mengatakan bahawa buku Pengembaraan Afiq sudah bersedia untuk diterbitkan. Sungguhpun begitu, masih banyak lagi proses yang perlu dijalankan; seperti proof-reading, lagi proof-reading, pemilihan grafik, final proof, sebelum akhir sekali, percetakan...!

Alhamdulillah, kini, bulan May 2010, akhirnya buku ini sudah pun siap dan bakal diedarkan di kedai-kedai buku dalam masa terdekat ini.

Baiklah, itu tentang proses yang dilalui untuk menerbitkan buku ini. Sekarang, mengenai buku ini pula...

"Watak utama dalam cerita ini adalah Afiq, seorang remaja berumur 14 tahun; dan adik perempuannya, Hana yang berumur 7 tahun. Apabila berlaku satu insiden yang mengakibatkan kedua ibu bapa mereka 'diambil' daripada mereka, kedua beradik ini harus bersama-sama dalam satu pengembaraan yang sukar, bagi 'mendapatkan' semula ibu bapa mereka. Atas sebab tertentu, mereka hanya mempunyai masa selama 6 hari atau ibu bapa mereka akan hilang buat selama-lamanya.

Dalam perjalanan itu, kedua beradik ini terpaksa menghadapi cabaran-cabaran yang tidak diduga. Mereka menemui sahabat baru yang datang tidak disangka-sangka, namun dalam masa yang sama, berdepan dengan musuh yang cuba menamatkan nyawa mereka. Mereka diuji sehingga had kemampuan mereka, ketika hanya tawakkal kepada Allah, beserta kasih sayang dan persahabatan yang mereka miliki sahaja yang boleh menyelamatkan mereka...

Dengan izin Allah, mereka boleh berjaya. Namun, persoalan yang lebih penting adalah, adakah mereka berjaya dalam pengembaraan lain yang sama penting; yakni kembara hati dan fikiran mereka?!

Justeru, novel ini menjemput para pembaca untuk mengembara bersama-sama Afiq dan yang lain, bagi mencari dan menilai semula apakah yang penting dan yang sebaliknya dalam hidup ini. Elemen kasih sayang, persahabatan dan cinta yang sesuai dengan tahap umur remaja kini turut diterapkan selain elemen misteri dan suspen yang mewarnai liku-liku plot di dalamnya."

Diterbitkan di bawah banner Alaf 15, sebuah unit di bawah Alaf 21 Sdn Bhd, novel ini sangat sesuai bagi para remaja, tidak kira di sekolah rendah atau sekolah menengah. Namun sebagaimana lumrah satu-satu buku yang tidak pernah dan tidak wajar dieksklusifkan kepada sesuatu golongan semata-mata, ia juga sesuai untuk golongan dewasa, terutama ibu bapa...

Mengambil idea daripada kata-kata seorang penulis Amerika, Mark Twain, yang sangat terkenal dengan karya-karyanya, 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer' dan 'Adventures of Huckleberry Finn', lebih 100 tahun dahulu,

"Buku ini sesuai untuk mereka yang masih remaja... dan yang pernah menjadi remaja..."

Terima Kasih,

AidanZ ( 13th Mei 2010 )

PS: Setiap komen dan pandangan sangat dialu-alukan untuk rujukan penulis pada masa hadapan...

A little update... (20th April 2010)

2010-04-20T11:30:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

No need to say, it has been very very long...

During this 3 months hiatus, so many things have happened. Some of them sweet, some bittersweet, and of course, some bitter. But, life has to move on, and so here we are, one third of 2010 is almost behind us, facing the ups and downs of our future life, while trying and praying to Allah for the best...

Okay, the paragraph above may sounds gloomy; but rest assured. I just have a little headache right now and furthermore, it's raining lightly outside while i'm writing this, thus giving the cold and gloomy effect here. Other than that, everything is shining brightly as usual... if not brighter.

First of all, to all my friends that keep asking about 'baby', i wish i can tell you it's 'on the way' now. But sadly, no, it isn't... yet! But please... pray for me and my wife, will ya? Allah knows how much we want one now, and not a day passed by without me praying with all my heart for my wife to get pregnant.
Meanwhile, don't worry. We'll keep trying and do our best to make sure it becomes reality...

Secondly, after a little more than a year of waiting, my first book will come out this April. Published by Alaf 15, a division under Alaf 21, this is actually my second book, but the first one to be published.
The title is 'Pengembaraan Afiq' and it's a teen story, centered on a boy named Afiq and his little sister, Hana in their quest to find their parent that were taken from them. Together, they embark on a journey of a their life, while uncovering the real meaning of love, friendship and sacrifice. A light reading, i would say, but very fulfilling. This is the first book under Alaf 15 banner, and I'm really proud and grateful for this opportunity. Alhamdulillah.

This is the cover of the book. You can also find it at http://alaf15.blogspot.com/

As soon as the book is out, InsyaAllah, i will post an entry regarding the book and maybe the process behind the writing of this book...
Oh, and as you would have known by the look of it, the book will be in Malay. An English book? Hopefully soon...
So, until then, may Allah bless us all and everything we do.
Thank you,

AidanZ

Inside her mind (18th January 2010)

2010-01-18T17:08:00.001+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

Last night, my wife and I had a dinner at one restaurant in Malacca. We sat in the foyer, where there was Astro Supersport showing past matches of 2009 Australian Open Grand Slam (The 2010 Open starts today).

As has been my habit since i started playing tennis couples of years ago, everytime there's tennis matches on tv, i will be like... transfixed to the screen!
And certainly not helping my case last night, the matches featured two very attractive (and of course, sexy) female players!

So, i was between chewing my food and admiring the play (not the players!) when i realized my wife was staring at me with narrowed eyes.

"Honey..." I called. "Wh..what's wrong?"
She didn't answer. But couple of seconds later, she smiled a smile that i've come to know that there was something bothering her and she didn't want to tell me.

But i quickly put two and two together and realized immediately what was exactly inside her mind at the time. She was bothered that i was watching other women (no matter who or what they do) and that was when i was right beside her!

Well, being a charming husband that i am, hehe, i quickly apologize to her and for the rest of the meal, tried very hard to avert my eyes from the screen.

Later, when we were holding hands, heading to our car, i asked her playfully,
"Err honey, about what just happened, you still trust me... right?" To what she replied,
"Hmm, after what happened? Not really..." while pouting her lips.
"What?!" I exclaimed, faking a hurtful voice and look, which made her laugh, but still shaking her head.

For those who are observant enough -in human behavior (women's in particular)- would know that although my wife was laughing while she said that, she was actually kinda meant it! Of course she will deny it if you asked her about it point blank. But make no mistake, deep down in her heart, she actually had this very tiny doubt lingering about 'what if questions' and whether she can trust me completely!

And so, what did i do?
I put my arm around her shoulder warmly, but tighter than usual as to emphasize what i wanted to say to her and said,
"You know i will never do anything to hurt you, right? Believe me, honey. I will never cheat on you, not even in my mind! InsyaAllah!!!"
Later, i thought that was a very BIG promise, but still it's something that i think i can hold up to it.

Oh, and her respond to what i said?
For a while she looked stunned. Then, slowly, she nodded her head and said softly,
"I trust you, abang..."
After that we continued walking, as if nothing ever happened. Of course i can't really know what's inside my wife's mind. But as far as i can tell, i've covered everything that i should be covering and she fully accepted it.

I always tell my friends, that the key to a healthy relationship is understanding. And to understand other person, just picture yourself in his/her position, or as people said put yourself in his/her shoes, and BAM... InsyaAllah, you will get a glimpse of what's inside their mind!
And believe me, one glimpse is waaaaay better than nothing at all...

Endless Love

2010-01-12T14:08:00.000+08:00

Endless Love

My love,
There's only you in my life
The only thing that's right

My first love,
You're every breath that I take
You're every step I make

And I
I want to share
All my love with you
No one else will do...

And your eyes
Your eyes, your eyes
They tell me how much you care
Oh yes, you will always be
My endless love

Two hearts,
Two hearts that beat as one
Our lives have just begun

Forever
I'll hold you close in my arms
I can't resist your charms

And love
I'll be a fool
For you,
I'm sure
You know I don't mind

'Cause you,
You mean the world to me
Oh
I know
I've found in you
My endless love

Oh, love
I'll be that fool
For you,
I'm sure
That You know I don't mind

And, YES
You'll be the only one
'Cause no one no one can deny
This love I have inside
And I'll give it all to you
My love
My love, my love
My endless love

Best of both worlds ( 29th December 2009 )

2009-12-29T22:50:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

By AidanZ

We talk about changes all the time but very few of us are ready when it came descending upon us. The question is, how well would you embrace and adapt to the changes or you simply resisted it with all your might and power?

Still talking about the recent married life of course, I still remember how not so long ago, I, proudly and a little bit arrogantly, announced to my close friends that I won't change any of my lifestyle after i got married. I remember saying to them, I'm a city boy at heart... to the core, and nothing can change that. Nothing whatsoever!!

And I truly believe that! After all, i have no reason not to. I've spend my almost entire adult life in KL, and I can't just picture myself living in my hometown in Masjid Tanah.

But now, guess who's longing to go back and get settle there? Yeah, it's ME... the city boy at heart... to the core!!!

Funny when I think back of how nervous I was about getting married because i was scared i can't continue with my 'city thingy whatever', yet now so readily to embrace the changes which may alter the course of my life as i see it before.

Is it honeymoon effect? Or is it simply Love?
OR... maybe it is the destiny that lies waiting all this time, and just recently awaken by the sacred vows of marriage?
Hoho, whatever it is, i will keep my eyes wide open and pray to Allah for His Guidance. He knows better of what material i really made of, and will InsyaAllah, show me what's best for me and my family.

As for now, I will have to try balancing life of the two worlds.
And try to get the very best of both worlds...

P/S: Looks like i changed my mind about putting my wedding photo here huh. Hmm, talk about changes..

Me and My Wife ( 28th Dec 2008 )

2009-12-28T23:00:00.001+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

It's been three weeks since my last post and three weeks also as a married man.
Do i like it? I Love It. As simple as that. No need to elaborate more.

I've been asked to put my wedding pictures here, but i found myself grimacing each time i look at them. In my mind, i said, it's not me. It was somebody else, wearing baju melayu, samping, tengkolok/songkok, while posing and smiling awkwardly, as if wishing he was somewhere else! The only time i really enjoyed posing for pictures was with my friends, and even then, i still look uncomfortable in those attire!

Hehe, my dear wife will 'tarik muka' if she read this. Sorry honey...!

So i decided to put one picture here. Not a wedding picture. But a photo of us, honeymooning at Cameron Highlands two weeks ago. I don't know about you guys but I think it's a good photo, and most important, bring a smile to my face each and every time i look at it...

One picture speaks a thousand words, and for me this is it...

Alhamdulillah... (5th Dec 2005)

2009-12-05T11:05:00.000+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

By AidanZ

After a very loooong day yesterday, Alhamdulillah... i'm finally a married man.

It was a chaotic, full of emotions... and as i said, a very loooong day.
I would never have guessed, i would feel sad, stressed, yet an hour later, excited, happy, elated, proud and so many other emotions i don't have the vocabulary to write here!

But, as people always say, All's well when End's well.

Here, i want to thank personally to my brother, Aizzuddin and his wife, Wan Zorah for being there exactly on time. As i about to enter my then wife-to-be's house, the sight of them arrived with my beloved nephew, Hasif, and little Husna, made all my nervousness gone and brought a smile back on my face.

Also to my housemates: Alias, Iidil, Pidut and Shah; who arrived during a very long 'khutbah nikah', they gave a jolt of excitement to a rather 'dull' groom, before the aqad nikah, which thank God, only took once to complete.

Not to forget, all the wish-wishers that gave me something to distract my mind off the exhaustions and all sorts of emotions all day long, yesterday.

What can i say. Indeed, it was a very exhilarating moment. The second all the witnesses around nodded their heads in unison and said "sah...!", all while the clicking sounds and flashes of camera focused on every move and facial expressions, i forgot, how nervous or how uncomfortable i was at the time, as relief started to flood inside my heart while at the exact same second, it shouted, i'm a husband now!
Hmm, as i said, exhilarating!

But, as much as i want to spend this morning writing about all the touchy-feely stuff, i still have to prepare for today's kenduri. While I always know i'm not a big-functions-or-being-the-centre-of-attention-kinda-guy, i don't know how much i hate that until yesterday - all the photographers, giggling girls, forced smile, huh, really tiring. But i guess, this is part of the deal and i just have to bear with that a little while longer.
Oh, how much i look forward to being alone... hmm.. you know, with.. hmm.. ok, i better stop now, huhu.

Your tired yet happy friend,

AidanZ

Type rest of the post here

Getting more nervous! ( 1st December)

2009-12-01T18:06:00.000+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

By AidanZ

3 more days to go till the wedding... and what do you do?

Some of my friends suggest to practice the aqad recitation. Don't embarrass yourself, they said.
While some... well... most of them actually, just happy to tease me about the magical ----- (you know what i mean)

One of my friend recently sat with me and tell me at length about how to treat a wife. Mostly you just have to be firm, Z, he told me. Give appreciation whenever it's due but don't ever hesitate to give reprimand, also whenever it's due.

Another of my friend tipped me to clarify things (all the do's and dont's) from the very beginning. Clarify all the expectations! Don't wait after a few months or by then it might be too late to change things back to where they were supposed to be. Excellent tip, i thought

While another advice came in the form of 'wait and see' kind of approach. Everybody's different, said my friend. Make sure first what kind approach suits best for your wife and then act upon it. You're good at reading people. Should have no problem with that!

Because i was considered a little bit late to be married, maybe i kinda 'lucky' because i have so many friends that just ready to share their marriage wisdoms with me, and i'm really thankful for that. If only it can make me less nervous...

Huuuu, the waiting... agonizing yet exciting...

AidanZ

It's Not The End Yet (28 Nov 2009)

2009-11-28T16:56:00.001+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

By AidanZ

Okay, i don't know what has gotten into me, but out of nowhere, i feel like i have to write something in here. Anything...
To be honest, my real last post (by real AidanZ) was way back in Feb, when i did review about "Geng: Pengembaraan Bermula", which you can count yourself, almost 9 1/2 month ago! Somebody can get pregnant and deliver her baby during that period! Phew! During which i also lost about... let say... all my blogging friends... that was quiet many at the time. Hmm, pity...

Although this blog wasn't entirely go dormant, thanks to Mullah and lately, Mas from Australia (who contribute the last 3,4 posts before this one), i for one can say, this blog has never been the same since...

I've been thinking a lot about this blog lately, and of course the most logical thing to do is to resurrect it...
The fact that i can write about almost anything again makes me feel excited. But if truth be told, I was excited before... and I still 'neglect' it for more than 3/4 year! And as if it's not enough, i'm getting married in 1 week period (on 4th December 2009), and obviously, i'll be more unavailable than ever!!

So my friends, for those who still sometimes come and visit this blog; If you didnt see any new entry from me (from now on, i'll put By AidanZ each time i write), please leave a message and remind me about my vow just now, will ya? Maybe i just need a reminder that i can still do this, no matter what. Hmm, I don't know what will happen in the future, but i sense... i will be very... very... very... glad and grateful if i can nail this! Hehe, call me 'cold feet', panic or whatever, i really mean it!

And lastly, wish me luck as i enter a new phase of my life as a married man on the said date...
Please pray for my happiness and most imporantly, to have a blessing and rahmat from ALLAH...!!

Thank You,

Your nervous... yet excited friend,
AidanZ

28th November 2009

Shark of Life

2009-10-29T05:43:00.002+08:00

My friend, Ms USA send me this story to think about...

The Japanese have always loved fresh fish. But the waters close to Japan have not held many fish for decades.

So to feed the Japanese population, fishing boats got bigger and went farther than ever. The farther the fishermen went, the longer it took to bring in the fish. If the return trip took more than a few days, the fish were not fresh. The Japanese did not like the taste.

To solve this problem, fishing companies installed freezers on their boats. They would catch the fish and freeze them at sea. Freezers allowed the boats to go farther and stay longer. However, the Japanese could taste the difference between fresh and frozen and they did not like frozen fish. The frozen fish brought a lower price.

So fishing companies installed fish tanks. They would catch the fish and stuff them in the tanks. After a little thrashing around, the fish stopped moving. They were tired and dull, but alive. Unfortunately, the Japanese could still taste the difference. Because the fish did not move for days, they lost their fresh-fish taste.

The Japanese preferred the lively taste of fresh fish, not sluggish fish. So how did Japanese fishing companies solve this problem? How do they get fresh-tasting fish to Japan ? If you were consulting the fish industry, what would you recommend?

How Japanese Fish Stay Fresh: To keep the fish tasting fresh, the Japanese fishing companies still put the fish in the tanks. But now they add a small shark to each tank. The shark eats a few fish, but most of the fish arrive in a very lively state. The fish are challenged.

Have you realized that some of us are also living in a pond but most of the time tired & dull, so we need a Shark in our life to keep us awake and moving?

Basically in our lives Sharks are new challenges to keep us active and taste better...The more intelligent, persistent and competent you are, the more you enjoy a challenge.

If your challenges are the correct size, and if you are steadily conquering those challenges, you are Conqueror...

You think of your challenges and get energized. You are excited to try new solutions. You have fun. You are alive!

Lessons of the story:

1. Instead of avoiding challenges, jump into them. Beat the heck out of them. Enjoy the game. If your challenges are too large or too numerous, do not give up. Failing makes you tired. Instead, reorganize. Find more determination, more knowledge, more help.

2. God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but he did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears and light for the way.

3. Disappointments are like road bumps, they slow you down a bit but you enjoy the smooth road afterwards...Don't stay on the bumps too long. Move on!

4. When you feel down because you didn't get what you want, just sit tight and be happy, because God has thought of something better to give you. When something happens to you, good or bad, consider what it means. There's a purpose to life's events, to teach you how to laugh more or not to cry too hard.

5. No one can go back and make a brand new start. But anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending. So, Show me the SHARK!

Nursery Survey

2009-10-15T11:53:00.000+08:00

I received a call from Pendekar Kucing (a friend of mine) today. He told me a about an insident that happened to one of our friend, his baby (2 1/2 month) now is in the ICU because of bleeding in the brain. This happens just after 2 weeks he sent his baby to a nursery. When i heard this stuff i feel so sad, and i believe all mothers will be feeling the same. So, i would like to do a survey, if you have heard or experience any accident involving nursery in our country, please share with me. Maybe with these stories we can do something to improve our Childcare services.

Thank you.

Alhamdullilah...

2009-10-15T11:47:00.000+08:00

15 Oct 2009

Hi it's me again. Last time i did mention about my friend who is in labour (delivering baby). Alhamdullilah, she got a baby boy at 13th October, 8.23pm. She is a very strong woman. She's in labour for 31 hours. This make me so grateful (Alhamdullilah), because i was in labour for only about 4-6 hours. All the man should be thankful for this, they do not have to feel the pain at all.

Just a summary of what Mothers will be feeling, from start of the pregnancy until the delivering part.

1- For the first 3 months, mother will be extra careful, for the baby safety and extra manja with the husband ;)
2- For the second trimester (3-6 monts of pregnancy), parents will be discussing about the baby's gender, most of the mothers want a girl, and father want a boy, but at last, parents will say, it's ok, as long as the baby is healthy.
3- For the third trimester (7-9 months) esspecially on the 9th month, mother, will be feeling, the pregnancy is already too long and very eager to deliver the baby.
4- During the labour, em, i can't explain that, but the husband need to be very2 patient and be extra supportive to the wife, because she's realy having a tough time.
5-After, the delivery, parents will be so happy with the newbord. But, the mother will say, no more baby. This is the only time i am going to get pregnant, and this feeling will last for about 6 months and maybe can last for years. (This is what they called labour trauma).
6- Finally, your life will not be the same again with the little one. So, for those couples who are still single, or will be getting marry soon, just enjoy your married life before planning to have a baby. Try to know your partner better, as it is very important in buiding a family.

Today..

2009-10-12T09:05:00.000+08:00

Today..

Salam and hi, i am Mizan's mother, Mr. moderator gave me the permission to write in this blog (thank you). So, today is my first entry and also my birthday. I just want to make today more memorable ;).

I just send my son to the baby sitter, and go to the antenatal clinic with my friend. Her due date (to deliver her baby) is today. (So, 3 things are happening today he..he..). Today make me relize how independent i am, i need to handle a baby and a pregnant lady and do my research study all in one time.

Yeah, when you are getting older, you can't depend to anyone else, you have to learn to do by yourself. Actually, in the past, i am a spoil doughter (since i am the only girl in my family), i always need to ask my mum whenever i want to do anything. But now, i am a mother, i can't do that anymore..he..he..

Change to other topic now, I just want to wish congratulations to Bagan Pinang voters who had make their choice..and, do not forget to ask the Winner to fullfill their promises. If they did not, use your right and don't afraid to complaint.

Ok, i'll continue other time, as i need to time my friend's contraction...;) bye.

Why I did'n join the Demo.....

2009-08-04T11:00:00.003+08:00

By Mullah

Last Saturday, 1 August 2009, I have a 'kenduri arwah' at my house, Subang Jaya. Coincidentally, the date is same with 'Himpunan Mansuh ISA' at Kuala Lumpur. And because of this, I will write my opinion on that matter

Personally, I think that 'Himpunan Mansuh ISA' should not be allowed or permitted in Kuala Lumpur. First, the 'victims' are the petty traders especially the local traders that hope to see their sales rise on Saturday and Sunday. I know that some of you will disagree with me because of this matter but if you were the traders that 'cari makan' there from 7 am - 9 pm, you will understand what business all about. 'Himpunan Mansuh ISA' is not like BERSIH demonstration, that unite all the people in order to seek a clean election and electoral list. Besides that, the BERSIH demonstration is planned ahead of time, if I'm not mistaken, months before the target date. If I were the organizer of 'Himpunan Mansuh ISA', I will organize the demonstration inside the stadium, as the Selangor's Pakatan Rakyat did in Stadium Melawati. Not that I did not support the movement's aspiration, but I think the Government should talk with all interested parties including GMI and Pakatan Rakyat on how to improvise the ISA, that still relevant to our national security. Besides of having 60 0r 90 days detention without trial, the related parties could discuss on how to contain the terrorist or 'threats to national security' in relevant and humane ways.
I know that there are many people support or did not support the ISA. For instance, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim supported the Operasi Lalang during his years with the Government but withdraw his support when he's with Pakatan Rakyat. If we compare to other countries, United States, United Kingdom, Singapore and Israel have security laws that almost similar to us and receive many criticism on their security laws.Hhmmm............ there are many views on this matter... So, how you readers think about this????.......

29052009:Friday Prayer-1245 pm!!

2009-06-18T18:43:00.005+08:00

By Mullah

Alhamdulillah, I could write again after a busy day today. To my dear readers, there is an interesting story to relate and to think about for this week

On Friday, 29052009, I went to OGA exhibition at Kuala Lumpur Convention Center (KLCC) at Kuala Lumpur. So, after a 30 minute going around the exhibition booths inside the KLCC, I went to have lunch at KFC KLCC with my staffs. And after the brief lunch, I went to Masjid Syakirin, KLCC to perform the Friday Prayer.

As I performed the Tahiyatul Masjid Prayer, I heard some body said 'Assalamualaykum' over the microphone. So, the jamaah answered the greetings back. Suddenly, the Arab speaker gave azan. 'Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar'...... And the jamaah got startled from their iktikaf and some jamaah got confused. But the Arab speaker just went on with the azan......

Until, the wordings 'Hayya 'Alal Falah', the Arab speaker was stopped and one Abang comforted the Arab person from his doings. The Arab speaker speak back. 'In my country, we perform Friday Prayer at this time'. The Abang said back ' Well, that is in your country. In Malaysia, we perform the Friday Prayer when the Zuhur time comes'. So, my dear readers, who is right and who is wrong???....This interesting story could be related to what Ustaz Zaharuddin wrote in his blog at http://www.zaharuddin.net/content/view/836/72/

To make the story short, majority of ulamaks opined that the Friday Prayer should be performed after the Zuhur time comes and based on 'hadith-hadith shahih'. But, some ulamaks belief that Friday Prayer could be performed after 'matahari gelincir', also based on 'hadith-hadith shahih'. So, there is no need to debate who is right and who is wrong in this matter. Besides that, We, as Muslims, should open our minds and brains while holding Islamic principle to the core. There are many things to do in little time.... See you...........

Just Another....

2009-06-11T14:07:00.004+08:00

By Mullah
Last night, I went to nearby masjid to perform Isyak prayer. When I arrived inside the masjid, there was a ceramah agama, given by a local Ustaz

So, while waiting for the Isyak prayer, I listened carefully to the ceramah and the topic was about nafsu. This Ustaz, was reading the 'kitab kuning' in front of 30-40 jamaahs and as you and I know, some of the jamaah members were really 'khusyuk' until fallen asleep. I didn't knew why they were falling asleep. Was it because of the monotone of the ceramah or the ineffectiveness of the Ustaz to dakwah the jamaah or the physical limitations of the jamaah themselves?? But dear readers, this is not the main point of why I'm writing this article

The main point is when the Ustaz says from the 'kitab kuning' about the Ulamak that didn't remember names of his wife, children and his students ALL THE TIME. Why?? Good question.. The Ustaz explained that the Ulamak was so zuhud and his Heart is tied (ingat) only to ALLAH. Not like us that remembers friends' names, parets' names and so on And that triggers me to think during the ceramah.

As we all know that the ONLY person who is 'paling zuhud', 'paling beriman', 'tok guru segala tok guru', 'paling alim' among us (makhluk) and 'Kekasih ALLAH' is Nabi Muhammad SAW. And as we all read, discuss and think, Nabi Muhammad SAW remembers his wive's names (Siti Khadijah, Aisyah), his daughters' names (Fatimah) and his Companions (Abu Bakar, Umar, Ali) and as we all know that we are umat Nabi Muhammad SAW. So, I ask you, dear readers, whom to follow??? And the answer is Nabi Muhammad SAW. So, how this Ustaz can says that this Ulamak is special and his Heart is so pure that he only remembers ALLAH ALL THE TIME and did not remembers other names, while Nabi Muhammad SAW, 'Kekasih ALLAH', remembers his wives' names, his daughters' names and Companions' names???

Hhmm.... It is very hard to find a good, qualified and modernized Ustaz in Manjung, Perak. A Good Ustaz can give dakwah EFFECTIVELY, cater to YOUNG MINDS while not neglecting the VETERANS' ATTENTION. A Good Ustaz that can PROFESSIONALIZE the ULAMAKs and 'ULAMAK'size the PROFESSIONALS. Until we can produce and educate these so Good Ustaz, then there Just Another visit to Masjid........... See you...........

The Day That Federer Cried

2009-06-08T18:56:00.003+08:00

By Mullah
Alhamdulillah...Alhamdulillah...Alhamdulillah...

Yesterday, Sunday, 07062009, the World witnessed 2 Histories in the making. One was when Federer became the 6th person to achieve Career Grand Slam at French Open 2009, after Andre Agassi did it in 1999 at the same venue; French Open 1999. Secondly, Federer tied with Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam, earlier than Pete did it and we, the supporters, think about it. But then, History is History

Yesterday was the day Federer cried after defeated Robin Soderling, a new, arising Giants-killer in Tennis World, in 3 consecutive sets: 6-1, 7-6(1) and 6-4. He landed both his knees to the clayground, the same ground that saw Federer became Runner-up from 2006-2008 and now, the same ground that saw Federer completed his quest to become 'the best tennis player in history'. Soderling said it and we, the viewers, already knew it.

Hhhmm..... so what is after French Open 2009???. My plan is to finish reading 'The Undercover Economist','The Night Train to Lisbon'n and to assist my Company to get the Integrated Management System (IMS) this year.. Hhhm.... after that.. let's see when the Wimbledon 2009 starts....

Nasi Ganja dan Silaturrahim

2009-05-17T09:47:00.005+08:00

By Mullah

Assalamualaikum and Good Morning. So long that I haven't update this blog until I discussed with my bro, Aidan, to make a 'comeback' here. After almost 3 months hiatus, I prefer to write about 'Nasi Ganja' and 'Silaturrahim'. 'Nasi Ganja' is not a 'drug rice'. Hahahahahaha. But, it refers to 'Nasi Kandar' and in this entry, I would like to suggest YOU to try Nasi Kandar at Restoran Venggey Sdn Bhd.

Last Wednesday, my boss and I went to Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH), Ipoh to submit some documents to the DOSH officials related to our yard. After a brief discussion, we went to Restoran Venggey to try the 'Nasi Ganja' there for lunch. At first, I thought 'What is Nasi Ganja??'. After I went inside the restaurant, then I realised that this is the most popular Nasi Kandar Restaurant in Ipoh. Hhmm..... So I tried Nasi Kandar plus Ayam Kurma, vegetables and telur masin, and not to forget, a glass of Milo Ais to quench my thirst.Hhhmmm.... The taste is so delicious after a few 'suap' and I noticed that Nasi Kandar here is different compared to others because they add puddina paste to the rice. Hhmm...... So good and delicious

So how about 'Silaturrahim'. 'Silaturrahim' is the short name for Restoran Silaturrahim at Teluk Murroh, Larut. This restaurant, my friends, is famous for its a lot of 'lauk-pauk', plus 'ulam' and drinks such as Sunquick Mango and Pegaga Ais. Hahaahahaha..... I know that you, readers, are HUNGRY for details about this restaurant. Restoran Silaturrahim opens everyday except Friday and I just went to this restaurant yesterday, 16052009, with my housemate. I tried Nasi Puteh + Kari Ikan + 2 vegetables + telur masin + tembikai and Sunquick Mango. After the first 'suap', I told to my housemate, that THIS is SEDAP (DELICIOUS) and the price is REASONABLE LOW. For my plate, they charged me just RM 7.00 and I didn't mind about the price UNLESS it comes with GOOD QUALITY..... Hhmm..... So gang, what are you waiting for?? Let's go to try some Nasi Ganja............................. Hehehehehehe

Next: Hawkerant and Iced Milo

Geng: Pengembaraan Bermula

2009-02-22T18:26:00.004+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

It's official!!

Our local film industry is reviving with the release of Geng: Pengembaraan Bermula!
For the first time in my life, i watched a Malay film in theater and came out really proud, and with a big wide smile on my face too! And not only once, but twice!

Of course, it helps greatly when you entered the cinema with no high hope or expectation - oh come on, Malay film?!! Sorry! - but Geng really delivered... and i tell you, it delivered BIG time!!!

Great story line, graphic, sounds, characters, 'acting', did i mention story line?, and best of all, great dialogue - which almost unheard of from a Malay movies, except P.Ramlee's, of course - all mixed up and help Geng become the most enjoyable film you can ever asked, especially for families.

It's hard to find anything you will dislike about the movies. And i tell you, i'm one of the greatest cynic for Malay film industry! I mean, who can resist such cute characters, in the form of Upin & Ipin, and even Rajoo and Sapy! With nearly perfect 3D-animation in a very low budget of merely RM 4 million, i really salute the Les' Copaque team for bringing Geng to theaters. One word: GREAT!!

Oh, wait! i do have one thing i dislike about the movie! The song in the middle of the movie. The scene was playing greatly, as the 'kampung' scenery was shown perfectly and the music, especially from the harmonica fuelled the mood nicely, and suddenly this song came and.. bamm, not good enough...!
But, mind you, that's the closest thing i would able to recall on any negative thought throughout the 1 and 1/2 hour movie!

The best scene? and i'm sure everyone would agree is the part of 'roller-coaster' involving Upin, Ipin, and Rajoo. The suspense, the graphic, and especially the humor?! huu, top-notched! Perfect!!! You know, I chuckle everytime i recall that part!

Ok, i better stop now! This is what happened when i got too excited. Heck, i can write about it non-stop!

Lastly, for what is worth, i would say, we no longer need Saiful Apek... and.. and... who else eh? ha, and the crappy Prof Madya, for our film industry. In fact, with their brand of ill-humored-with-very-bad-storyline-it-makes-me-want-to-puke (sorry for the language) for a movie, they in fact, killed the industry. What we need is these fresh guys (like the Les' Copaque team), willing to try something new and have the sense of what a great movie should be...!

P/S; don't get out too early once the movie finished. Wait for a while...

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Teka-Teki

2009-02-16T20:28:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

My close friends would know one obvious fact about me. I hate riddles, teka-teki, whatever. For me, it's too unpredictable! Some riddles just need simple logic to solve, others will require wild imagination. And i somehow, found that very hard to follow. Too far-fetched, i would say.

But, i for one, never short of appreciation for good stuff, especially hillarious ones. So, although, i will never get to answer any riddles that has been thrown to my face, i will always laugh as soon as i was given the answer.

And, i can't remember ever laughed harder than i did recently for these two riddles:
Some of you may have heard of these, so just bear with me and let me have my fun, ok? Hehe.
(To sustain the originality of the riddles, i'll write in Malay)

Kenapa patung Tuhan dalam kuil Hindu, bermata bulat?
Kenapa patung Tuhan dalam tokong Cina, matanya sepet?
Dan, kenapa pula tidak ada piano dalam masjid?

Ok, the last part is weird, but who cares, right? After all, it's just a riddle.
So, here come the other one...

Banyak-banyak binatang, binatang apa ada telur di tengkuk?

So, take a deep breath....
:
:
:
:
And here ae the answers...

For the first question,

Kenapa patung Tuhan dalam kuil Hindu, bermata bulat?
Kenapa patung Tuhan dalam tokong Cina, matanya sepet?
Dan, kenapa pula tidak ada piano dalam masjid?

The answer is,

Patung Tuhand dalam kuil Hindu bermata bulat, sebab perempuannya semua pakai sari... seksi
Patung Tuhan dalam tokong Cina matanya sepet, sebab, asap dari colok pedihkan mata depa, so, mata jadi sepet, hmmm.
Last sekali, kenapa takde piano dalam masjid? Jawapannya... letak selipar kat masjid pun hilang, ini kan pula letak piano???!!!!!

I remember laughed really hard - even when i write this. Maybe because of the piano, kot.
I asked why piano, and when my friend said he didn't know, i laughed even harder!

So, for the second question,

Banyak-banyak binatang, binatang apa ada telur di tengkuk?

The answer is,

KUDA KEPANG!!!

????!!!!

And, i laughed soooo hard, i almost got stomach ache!

Thanks to my good friend Alias for the riddles. Maybe part of why i found the two riddles were very funny because of the way he phrased them, i don't know. But i still remember, i even asked him for more of those!!!

If any one of you have good/fun riddles, do come and share ok. Just don't forget to provide the answer so i could have a good laugh over it, heheh...

Type rest of the post here

Here We Come..

2009-02-10T20:04:00.002+08:00

By Mullah

Here we come again..... Election is around the corner. One is in Perak for Bukit Gantang Parlimentary Seat and another is in Kedah for Bukit Selambau State Seat. PAS MP for Bukit Gantang died because of heart attack and the PKR Assemblyman reportedly has resigned from his post. Hhhmm....... After the fiasco in Perak last week, we will encounter another 'election fever' months. Not one but TWO elections at one time.

For me, after reading comments in Malaysian Insider online news portal, one reader's comment still stuck in my mind. One reader said that 'God has spoken' and InsyaALLAH, we will see the hikmah behind these elections. BN and Pakatan Rakyat will go all out to win these prize seats and at the same time, we will see that Datuk Seri Najib Razak will become our 6th Prime Minister of Malaysia in April 2009. Pakatan Rakyat also, under the leadership of de facto leader, Anwar Ibrahim, will strategise new things and methods to win these elections after the political fiasco in Perak last week.

Hhmmmm.... But I afraid that we forgot the one of the IMPORTANT things to do in this tense time that is HOW to overcome this ECONOMIC DOWNTURN that affects every one of us, including the PR and BN hard core supporters. I heard that many factories closed and will be closed in future (including Flextronic) and this will affect us BADLY if no necessary measures take place. Hhhmm... that's all for now... See You......

Hmmm...

2009-02-07T08:20:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

If people ask me, i would answer,

let them do what they want... for now!
let them savour this 'victory'... for now!
let them celebrate this brief accomplishment... for now!
let them parade their stupidity and foolness... for now!

But if you ask me, what's actually the question?
I might ask you back,

Is it matter? The answers above served about everything that happened in our world right this very minute!

Israel invaded Palestine
BN invaded Perak

The only difference is the religion! And pardon me, even that sometimes, counts so little nowadays...!

Type rest of the post here

Manjung - My Workplace

2009-02-06T08:49:00.006+08:00

By Mullah

On this time of writing, Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir, 47, ADUN for Pangkor, will become the 11th Perak Menteri Besar after a two day political turmoil in Perak. As I said to my workmate yesterday, that Malaysian politics can put US politics in shame. And he agreed. Hahahahaha. Today writing is about my 1 month living and working in Manjung, Perak, started from 5th January 2009 - 5th February 2009

I started my journey to Manjung on Sunday, 4th January 2009. Driving alone through Meru, Kapar, Jeram and had an hour rest at Kuala Selangor. After 2 hours driving, I reached Sitiawan and then proceed to Lumut, to meet my friend there. Just to share with you that Manjung is a district comprising Seri Manjung, Lekir, Segari, Lumut, Pangkor and Sitiawan. In fact, Manjung is a second fastest growing district after Ipoh in Perak. Apart from that, Manjung has many prominent and 'hot' places like Pasir Panjang: area of Datuk Seri Ir Nizar; Pangkor: area of Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir and Lumut: area of Deputy Finance Minister.

My first rented house was with Assistant District Officer (ADO) of Manjung and of courselah, I lived in Government Quaters for 2 weeks before moving to Seri Manjung with my friends. Life rhythm here is medium moving - not too slow like life in kampungs and not too fast like life in Kuala Lumpur. People here enjoy life at the fullest, if I can say that, and enjoy the outdoors more than the indoors. If you're kaki pancing, I can recommend to you several places to go and if you want to go to air terjun, many places are nearby like Ulu Kernas. Hhhmmmm....... Basically, InsyaALLAH, I plan to settle down here with my family and enhance my career life here with the company... Ooh..... I forgot to tell you my company's namelah........The tagline for my company is 'Beyond Boundaries'....... See you................

Political Turmoil in Perak

2009-02-05T08:43:00.003+08:00

By Mullah

This week is a political turmoil week in Perak. We can see that this problem rooted back last week, when ADUN Bota, Datuk Nasarudin Hashim, 'jumped ship' to join PKR and then, jumped back to join UMNO yesterday

Yesterday, DPM, Datuk Seri Najib, announced that BN Perak had a simple majority to form new Perak Government with the help from 3 so-called Independents - ADUNs Changkat Jering, Behrang and Jelapang. Pakatan Rakyat Government, led by Datuk Seri Ir Nizar, responded back that BN has cheated and abducted their ADUNs to form new government.... Hhhmm..... So how to solve this problem??? According to Professor Shad Saleem Faruqi, the Palace will play important role to solve this uncertainty once and for all and if you ask me, the best way is to dissolve the Perak State Assembly and call for a fresh election in Perak. So, less than a year, we will have another State Election in Perak and this 'election fever' is not cooling down. End this year, we can expect the Sarawak State Election and many surprises will be out for our 'entertainment'.... Hehehehehehe

When Champion Meets Legend

2009-02-02T11:37:00.004+08:00

By Mullah...

Last night was a night to remember for all worldwide tennis fans. Before that, Assalamualaikum to all readers from me and this is my first posting in English. As we predict it, the final match of Australian Open 2009 is a great match in the modern era; between Federer, a legend in the making, and Nadal, the great Champion of the moment

I, as Federer fan, will always respect the challenge from Nadal and his time will come to become a legend in his time. But, for me, Federer is 'the great player of all time' as Vijay, the commentator, said last night in the Starsport. Just a short of 14 Grand Slam titles that equal Pete Sampras' record, Federer has time to make it equal or even break the record. Pete Sampras even declared it in the New Straits Times that Federer will make it 15 Grand Slam titles. Hhmm.......... Enough praise already for Federer. So how about Nadal??? I, as a tennis fan, respect the attitude, on the court and off the court, of Nadal. As the current No 1 tennis player in the world, Nadal, is the undisputed Champion of Roland Galos for 4 consecutive years in a row, from 2005 to 2008. As the title said, he is the Champion and no words can describe it. He has many years in front of him and let see when this 'Matador of Melbourne' becomes a Legend.... Adios.............

Asshole, Australian Open, and President Obama

2009-01-20T11:13:00.006+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

First of all, pardon me for 'the bizarrest' title for an entry so far yet for this blog. As you can probably see, all three are actually not related and i just want to touch every subject as briefly as i can...
I've to admit, after a very exhaustive 2-3 weeks of watching - and writing - about the bad news of Israel-Palestine issue lately, i feel kinda relieved to write about something else in this blog. Not that the Middle-east issues are far gone by now - because they never will - it just feels so good to write about normal stuff again.

Ok, first, the asshole thing...

Last night, i got an SMS from my good friend, Din a.k.a iceman telling me, "You better pick up or call back... or this is the last time you hear from me again!". And when i looked up, i realized i have about 3 missed calls from him...

So i called him back straight away, and after the normal greetings were over, one of the earliest word i heard from him was "Asshole!". Whoa! Never in my life had anybody called me that, and of course naturally it made me mad!
But about 15 seconds after that, i realized... ouch, maybe i deserved that! Turned out, Din just read this blog and he found out that i was getting engaged almost three weeks ago and it really hurt him that i didn't tell him about it.

I tried to downplay the issue, telling him i actually didn't tell anybody about it, except my bro, Aizzuddin and my housemates. It's no big deal, i said. But he countered back, saying he's not anybody! He's one of my oldest and my best friend! We've known each other for 9 years, for God sake!

And at that, my friends, i felt silent and i completely lost any argument left in me. I realized my mistake and for about 10 minutes after that, i can only listened to him berrating about how unfair and 'cruel' i was. I know he wanted me to feel guilty and i tell you, he's very good at it...!

So, last night i apologized to him couple of times through the phone. But somehow i knew it's not enough. So here, once again, to Din, I am really.. really sorry for being an 'asshole'! You're right. As a friend, i should do better than that. And as a friend, you deserved better than that...

On the bright side, i'm actually lucky he didnt call me 'asshole' in Malay! That will be nightmare, don't you think?

Now on Australian Open...

It has been so long since i last mention about my favourite sport in the whole wide world here, and it's the high time i started mention about it again...
As you may already know, the first Grand Slam in Tennis calendar this year begins with Australian Open which is already under play from yesterday, 19th January until 1st February, next Sunday.

As usual my favourite player is Nadal and as the World No 1 player, the pressure is on him to lift his first Australian Open. The challenge will come from the likes of Federer, Djokovic and Murray and it will be an interesting two weeks to see 'The Big Four' of tennis compete with each other to take the honour of winning the first Grand Slam of 2009.

Lastly on President Obama...

Today is the D-Day for United States of America and may i suggest here, for the world in general...!
Because, this is the day that the President-elect Obama will become President Obama, the 44th US President, replacing the disgraceful and - pardon me for my word here - the shitty, war-lover George H.W. Bush.

While i acknowledge that USA is not in the high list of our favourite country in the world, mostly due to their unexplainable support towards - again, pardon my word here - the shittest country of all, the Israel; we have to admit, what goes on in the US is very vital to the world.

As the most powerful nation in the world - so they called themselves - the president of USA is unarguably the most powerful man in the world. And this man, Barack Hussein Obama is about to become one today...!

I've followed almost every step of this man, rising towards the position he is now, and i can tell you - at least up until now - if there's even a glimmer of hope to see some improvement to Middle East issues, this man may be able to do it. He's fresh, honest, and so far still rational with his policy on America's foreign affairs, which is very important to the rest of the world...

Well, i know, it's too early to tell whether this man is really the Agent of Change and Hope he promised to be. So, together with the rest of the world, i'll wait rather hopefully for this man to make history and to do some good for the rest of the world. I tell you, even if he's only half as good as what he promised to be, we will witness some good changes on the way USA handled the Middle East crisis...

Type rest of the post here

Cease-fire?!!

2009-01-18T14:07:00.004+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

After 22 days and more than 1150 Palestinians lives later, finally Israel agreed to a unilateral cease-fire against Gazans and Hamas.

Sadly however, the Zionist will stay in the Palestinian territories, amidst warning from Hamas to keep fighting until they leave.

I would love to stay optimist and think that at least no more Palestinians will die from the Zionist offensive actions.

But... this is Israel we're talking about!! They are the most despicable human being that lived on earth. They are bloodsucker and children-killer! Which is only a few from a long list of crime they already committed!

This is the time the Arabs and Muslims all around the world to unite and do something before this very fragile truce between Israel and Hamas will be under threat, and the Zionist starts killing again...!!! NOW is the time!

World leaders, Arab leaders, Malaysian leaders, and each one of us, individually; we have to keep the awareness of this issue at full height at all time!

It is the high time we do not repeat our past mistake and our 'hangat-hangat tahi ayam' attitude!

Right now, the sentiment of support-Palestine and hate-Israel, is so high. If we really want to achieve something, there's no better time for it!!
Don't wait until a week or two weeks later... (Just look at the landslide issues last month, hmmm...) Melayu mudah lupa!

That's why, in this opportunity, i want to urge and beg everyone to keep talking about our Palestinian brothers and sisters...

To all bloggers, please dedicate an entry or two to comment and have a say about this issue! Please, my friends!! Any words and discussions will do. InsyaALLAH, The Almighty will accept that small effort as ibadah...

And please.. please.. make a strong statement against the violence of Israel. Please remind people of what had happened, what is happening, and what will undoubtly happen again!

Keep this issue fresh in the mind of our people. In some way, do what the Israeli did with their children! - that the Palestinians/Muslims are no more than animal, and it is halal to kill them!!!

Also, please.. please proceed with Israel/US-boycott campaign! We do not want to contribute in however slightest in their campaign against Muslims and Palestinians, don't we?!! If that means sacrificing our favourite food or product, so be it! Seriously, it's nothing compared to the agony of the Muslims over there...!

And lastly, please continue to pray for the long-waited of Palestine glory and the annihilation of Israel. This last two weeks, we can listen to Qunut Nazilah everywhere. In the mosques. At home. But just like other things, soon it will fade out... until the next war begins...........

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O Palestine...

2009-01-11T14:13:00.007+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

As i write this entry, the latest count of dead body in Palestine has increased to more than 850... and still counting...
And still, there's no sign - nothing at all - that the demonic Zionist will recede or withdraw from Gaza. Instead, they bulk up their army with significant - and very worrying - numbers by day as they increased their air and ground assault towards Hamas and the civilians of Palestine!

Israel Laknatullah will have their large chunk of punishment from ALLAH The Almighty for what they did - and still do - to the Palestinians and to Islam generally. They are the symbols of Satan in this modern world and no word in any language can describe the magnitude of their evildoing.

Curse Israel!!!!!

Curse Zionist!!!!!

Curse their Allies!!!!!

Curse them for what they did to the children, women, and civilians of Palestine!!!!!

AND Curse the Egyptian Government a.k.a the inexplicably rotten Hosni Mubarak for not allowing all the helps from all over the world to enter Gaza to help those people!!!!!

ALLAH The Merciful will make them pay for what they did!!!

O My Muslim Friends!!! In the wake of this sad and grieving situation that befallen our brothers and sisters in the Middle East; let us strengthen the resolve of our hatred to Israel and her allies!

Let's:

Harden our heart towards them as they harden their actions towards the Palestinians!

Sharpen our tongues and criticism towards them as they sharpen their weapon for the Palestinians!

Toughen our standing and resolutions towards them as they toughen their doings on the Palestinians!

And Tighten our wallets towards their products and economic prowess as they tighten their grips on the land of Palestine and their claws on the throat of the Palestinians!

Please my friends! Whether we realize it or not, we're in this together. No one is excused! The one who excused him/herself is the one Rasulullah said:

"None of you will have faith till he wishes for his (Muslim) brother what he likes for himself." - Sahih Bukhari.

(Taken from amirmukhtar blog. thanks Mir!)

Let's pray for them...

They need our prayer...

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Let's Boycott!!!

2009-01-06T20:25:00.007+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

As i write this entry, the death toll of our Palestinian brothers and sisters has increased to more than 650 and counting...
As all the world leaders trying to show that they care (as if they really care!!) about the humanity crisis that is gripping Palestine, nothing seems to be able to halt the movement of Israel regime, which in its tenth days today... and still has no sign whatsoever to stop anytime soon!
Oh, have they no heart?!! Killing all those women and children like mad animals?!! Destroying hospitals and civilian houses like uncivilized heartless being?!! No, i bet they don't! Not after what they have done since thousands years ago until now!
And what the Muslim world do? Stare... maybe feel sorry a little bit and then.. nothing!

Hmm, wrong! We can still do something. However little and insignificant it seems. Let's boycott Israeli and Israeli-related US Companies! Come on my friends! This is the least we can do to help, not to mention the sad truth that it's the only thing we are able to do actually.

Below, i listed down some of the companies. i got the list from PPIM website. Go and have a look if you have time.

McDonald
Coke Cola
Danone
Starbucks
Maggie
Nestle
L'Oreal
Rexona
Kit Kat
Sprite
Sunkist
Intel
IBM
Gap
Johnson & Johnson
Kleenex
Kotex
Maybelline
NOKIA

Let's pray to Allah to give strength to the Palestinian to face this battle with Israel Laknatullah...

Please my friends, let's do this! We owe this to our Muslim brothers and sisters out there...

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'Happy' New Year 2009?

2009-01-01T10:44:00.006+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

Last night is the new year's eve and i was one of the thousands of people 'gathered' at The Curve, Mutiara Damansara to 'celebrate' the New Year. Oh, how i wish i wasn't there...!

A meeting with an old friend of mine - Zid from Sabah - turned to half-nigh
tmare... Yeah that was what's in my mind at the time.
After dinner at Dome about 11 pm, the three of us - with Nasri - were then stuck in a sea of people on the street of The Curve. And to be honest, i was sort of claustrophobic last night as we wriggled, squirmed and fidgeted our way out from the thousands of screaming fans as one Chinese singer - i don't know who the hell is the guy! - sang on the stage.

Lucky, no bad incident happened although several push-pull situations occurred, and after about 45 minutes, we safely escaped from the crowd. 45 minutes... for just about 50 meters walking distance! Even in the dark, our faces were flushed and sweaty as we stared at each other while shaking our heads several times. Huu, that was really.. really something, we said to ourselves.

Although we ended up watching the sky for the amazing 'fireworks show' - which can actually be seen from my house not far from there - i know for sure, i don't want to be there next year or the years after...

The next time i wish to experience such things, may it be at the appropriate place and time
As i said to Nasri soon after our 'great escape', "macam buat umrah, sesaknya!"

Here i attach some pics i snapped in the rush of everything that was happened. They are a bit blurry, as did my mind and my conscience last night...

Hmm...

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Getting engaged!

2008-12-27T07:08:00.005+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

Today, 27th December 2008 is my Engagement Day. Hmm, suddenly it sounds like 'Judgement Day!" But never mind that; yeah, i'm getting engaged today!

The story of my 'love story' - if you can call it that - is sooo ordinary... which in turn makes it kinda extraordinary.
Well, if you're arching your brows right now reading that, hehe, i'll defend myself by saying, that's not my 'saying' actually. That came from one and two of my friends!
Simply said; they told me, for a guy, who is not so 'melayu' (they said, not me!), i chose a very conservative and old-fashioned way of finding a spouse!
And you know what? i happened to agree with them. But, that's the story for another time. Because for now, i'm too edgy to tell anything in here...

Right now, i'm going to grab something to eat, and maybe later, go to gym...
Oh and one more thing, i won't even be there today. i just leave everything to my family. Ironically, i have 'kursus nikah', this afternoon, here in KL.

Hmm, kursus nikah in the midst of engagement day. Not bad huh...

Bye,
AidanZ

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Parroting...

2008-11-23T17:14:00.006+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

Ok, it's officially has been sooo long since i last write in here.
Since Obama's win... i just realized now.

The last couple of weeks has been quite eventful and hectic for me, although i do not blame that as the reason i can't write anything in here. Not in the slightest.
For me if you want to write, you can absolutely write. It's that simple.
Either you do... or you don't.

So, since i just un-block my 'no-writing' mode - at least for today - i want to share about something very light here with you.

I got this yesterday, during a writing workshop near Wangsa Maju. Just so you know, it's not the main lesson. This thing i wanna share is actually from an article that we have to read and then were asked to do it all over again in our own word.

The title of the article: How To Never Need To Wonder, "What Do I Say Next?"

Nice title, isn't it?

In summary, The article discussed about what to do when you're at lost of anything to say in the middle of conversation. Especially, when the person is someone you just met, or a long-lost friend that you still need time to get familiar again. Hmm, on the other hand, maybe you can include anybody that you distaste or even despise, but you know you need to make good impressions on him/her! (Hmm, your boss, maybe? hehe)

So, the author introduced a rather nice word - PARROTING - inspired by parrots that will repeat other people's word.

In the article, he gave a quite hillarious example of him using the paroting tecnique to coverse with his friend. But i'm not gonna copy that down here.
Instead, i realized i also happened to be in the same position this morning with my housemate, in which i used the technique without i realized it.

One advice beforehand, especially if you're known as a 'good listener' among your friends and peers, this technique will help you greatly.

So this morning, as usual, i was sitting in front of my laptop in the living room, and tried very hard to do my writings.
And then one of my housemate came and sat beside me. For the sake of this entry, i will call him B and just so you know, lately he just developed an interest in Music and has actually been searching for Piano class...

The conversation was something like this:

B: Abg Zahar, yesterday i went to One Utama and there are two Music Shops there, selling musical instrumens.
Me: Music Shops?
B: Yup. But i only went to one of the shop because the salesgirl is really cute.
Me: Huh? Cute salesgirl? Hehe.
B: Yes, really! Anyway i asked if there's piano lesson offered there.
Me: Piano lesson... there, in the shop?
B: Aah. She said yes. And she told me the fee is blah...blah...blah... Really expensive.
Me: Expensive? (Then somehow i remembered about his other survey)
Me: Compared to before?
B: Expensive. (He confirmed)

Then things got quite for several seconds. In case you're wondering, i still struggle with my writings at the time, which made me quite annoyed when he continued talking.

B: But if i take the piano lesson, i need to buy a piano, maybe a classic piano. To practice...
Me: Classic piano?
B: Yeah, classic piano. It differed from 'Keyboard' and 'Organ'
Me: Keyboard? Organ?
(Patiently, he explained to me the difference between those three. I've to admit i can't remember a thing of what he told me. In fact, what i remember was me and my friend, Amir, made a joke out of it until my stomach hurt) Then,
Me: Go buylah. (I suggest, rather uninterestedly)
B: Expensive!

(And at that time, somehow the topic shifted away and although i was still required to be in the conversation, i can't recall any of it.)

Later, i was thinking about something, when suddenly i remember about the 'Parroting' technique i read yesterday and the conversation i had this morning.

At the time, i realized... Wow! I've been using this technique for so long without i realized it. I've survived long and boring conversations with this technique, and i am known as 'the best listener' among the lot!!

Hu, then everybody can be a good listener, right?
Just repeat what your friend is saying, stress the last word to indicate that you want explanation or you're asking question, and believe me he/she will gladly comply and do all the talking.

And while you 'listen', you can do other things also, such as, thinking about what you want to eat after that, perhaps?

(Hehe, But please, never, never do this technique to play-play with people's heart ok...!)

TQ

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Barack Obama - The 44th President of USA

2008-11-05T13:33:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

It's confirm now!

Barack Obama, 47 is the new President of United States of America!

A son of a black man from Kenya and a white mother from Kansas, Obama is the first black president in the US history.
As now (1345) , he leads John McCain, 72 of Republican with insurmountable lead of 338 Electoral Collage compared to McCain's 141, far surpassed the 270 needed to be the president.
Other than traditional Democrat-leaning State such as California (55 AP), New York (31 AP), Obama managed to snatch almost all the swing states that are tightly contested between the two candidate.
Ohio (20), Pennsylvania(21), Virginia(13), Florida(27) and Colorado(9), all tilted towards the Democrat, giving him the decisive victory over McCain.
The landslide victory is as predicted as the Americans facing their worst economy crisis since 1980, which many pundits put the blame on the failed policies - foreign and domestic - of President Bush's government.

The peril journey of this remarkable man from Chicago is nearing it's end as the next challenge as the president of the most powerful nation in the world, looming ahead of him.

Said Obama, "Yes, We Can!"

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Autism dan Anda

2008-11-04T14:08:00.004+08:00

Telah lama penulis tidak menulis dalam blog Aidan ini. Dalam entry pada kali ini, penulis akan membicarakan tentang sebuah buku yang ditulis oleh Jenny McCarthy yang bertajuk 'Louder Than Words'. Buku setebal 200 muka surat ini adalah berkenaan tentang anak Jenny McCarthy iaitu Evan yang menghidapi penyakit autism dan pengalaman Jenny apabila berhadapan dengan masalah ini

Apakah itu autism? Autism, mengikut pandangan peribadi penulis, ialah sejenis penyakit mental atau dengan lebih tepat lagi penyakit 'neuroimmune' dan adalah hasil daripada gabungan genetik dan persekitaran. Mengikut buku tersebut, pada tahun 1970-an, 1 daripada 10,000 orang menghidapi penyakit autism dan meningkat kepada 1 dalam 150 orang pada kurun ke 20. Walau pun penyakit ini merebak dengan cepatnya di Amerika Syarikat, penyakit autism ini semakin dikenali di Malaysia walau pun jumlahnya kecil. Buku ini merupakan buku bukan fiksyen kedua yang penulis baca yang ditulis oleh seorang wanita. Buku pertama bukan fiksyen yang pertama dibaca oleh penulis yang ditulis oleh seorang perempuan ialah buku 'I am Muslim' oleh Dina Zaman.
Jenny McCarthy menceritakan bagaimana dalam menghadapi krisis ini, beliau telah dilanda masalah emosi dan kekeluargaan yang dahsyat. Bayangkan, dalam usaha mendiagnos penyakit yang dihidapi oleh Evan ini, Evan telah mengalami 'seizure' sebanyak 8 kali. Doktor demi doktor dan hospital demi hospital gagal memberi keputusan yang tepat berkenaan tentang penyakit Evan ini. Sehinggalah apabila Jenny membawa anaknya bertemu dengan seorang doktor di Texas, Amerika Syarikat. Baharulah diketahui bahawa anaknya mempunyai penyakit autism.
Untuk maklumat yang lebih lanjut tentang bagaimana Jenny McCarthy menghadapi masalah autism ini dengan jayanya, capailah buku ini di kedai buku yang berhampiran......Jumpa lagi.....

US Presidential Election 2008

2008-11-02T20:03:00.004+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

The US presidential election is held on the Tuesday after the first Monday of November, once in every 4 years, .

Which means, this Tuesday, on 4th of November. And no matter what the outcome this Tuesday, it will create history of either the first black man ever to hold the presidency in the form of Barack Obama, 47, or the oldest US President ever in the form of John McCain, 72.

I've followed this election since February this year, when Obama first made a huge surprise by upsetting the clear favorite at the time, Hillary Clinton, 60, in the first presidential primary in Iowa - to determine who's going to be the candidate for their party.
Then, in early August, i cheered heartily when Obama finally clinched the nomination for Democrat Party to face McCain of Republican, in November election.

Many pundits say, this election is for Obama to lose, meaning he's supposed to win -and with a big margin at that. Why? It's simply because the Americans are sick of George Bush, the Republican who has steered US into almost-complete chaos, mainly because of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and also because of the Economic recession.

Some even said, IF - and it really is a big if - Obama lose, there will be blood in the cities. America will be divided, Democrat and Republican will clash as never seen before, and worst of all, racial crisis will once again arised.

Foreign Polls conducted by International newspaper all around the world showed overwhelming support for Obama. They said Bush presidency has managed to alienate the world with wars and harsh foreign affairs, especially in the middle east. Obama, they said will exercise more diplomatic foreign affairs, which is what the world needs. More than ever now.

Personally, i believe- i hope, Obama will win. He is the epitome of younger generation, educated, and most importantly, fresh from the old politics of Washington that has been there for so long now. His motto of 'Change' echoed across the America. He managed to rally 100,000, 75,000 people wherever he goes to campaign. He amass hundreds of millon dollars from his supporters and run the most expensive election campaign the world ever see.

And with just i day to go, the world is holding it's breath to see if the young, black, first term Senator from Illinois, who came from nowhere suddenly on the verge of becoming the most powerful man in the world.

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Baca Novel...

2008-10-27T18:24:00.005+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

Alhamdulillah, saya baru balik dari kampung di Melaka, dan terus terasa hendak menulis sesuatu di sini. Lagipun dah lama sangat rasanya tidak mencoretkan apa-apa, dan lebih lama lagi tidak menulis dalam bahasa Melayu. So, minta maaf awal-awal kalau tulisan ni sedikit tunggang-langgang ek...

Balik baru-baru ni, dua kakak saya dan anak-anak saudara saya semuanya sedang dalam 'mood' membaca novel. 'Ayat-ayat Cinta' dan 'Hijab Sang Pencinta'. Untuk pengetahuan anda, mood membaca bukanlah sesuatu yang aneh dalam keluarga saya kerana kami boleh dikategorikan sebagai ulat buku. Malah, ia adalah situasi biasa jika kedengaran mak saya memanggil, namun tidak mendapat sebarang jawapan lantaran semuanya sedang sibuk membaca!
Namun, jangan risau. Panggilan kali kedua biasanya akan terus mendapat reaksi positif daripada kitorang semua kerana suara mak saya... huu... nyaring betul! Hehe, Sori Mom...!

Berbalik kepada kisah membaca tadi- bagaimanapun. ada sesuatu yang sangat berbeza sebenarnya di sebalik 'kebiasaan' itu. Iaitu material bahan bacaan kami; novel berbahasa Melayu.
Sebelum weekend baru-baru ni, sudah lama benar rasanya tidak ada novel Melayu di rumah kami. Sebulan sekali kami balik kampung, masing-masing pasti akan membawa buku masing-masing. Namun, semuanya buku omputih. Sesekali kami kongsi 'review' buku yang kami baca dalam bulan tu, juga tiada satu pun buku dalam bahasa ibunda.

Dan seperti yang saya katakan tadi, hinggalah hujung minggu ini.

Saya telah membaca novel 'Ayat-ayat Cinta' lama dulu. Memang best! Mungkin novel bahasa Melayu paling bagus yang pernah saya baca. Kakak saya baru nak membaca novel itu sejak menonton filemnya baru-baru ni. Dan anak-anak saudara saya pun baru nak menurut langkah. Since saya sorang saja yang dah baca buku tu, saya pun bagi review pada mereka. Saya katakan pada mereka, novel itu memang bagus, dan mereka memang patut membacanya!

Namun, bukan itu yang hendak saya ceritakan...

Buku yang kedua bertajuk 'Hijab Sang Pencinta', tulisan Ramlee Awang Mursyid, terbitan Alaf21.
Buku ini adalah buku ketiga dan menurut penulisnya, buku terakhir, dalam siri kisah Laksamana Sunan, watak utama dalam buku itu. Buku pertamanya, Bagaikan Puteri, diikuti, Cinta Sang Ratu, dikatakan telah menjadi 'best-seller' dan dijangka buku ketiga itu juga tidak ada masalah untuk mencapai status yang sama.
Saya harus akui, ketiga-tiga buku ini adalah buku-buku yang saya betul-betul suka. Begitu juga dengan ahli keluarga saya yang lain. Jika tidak, masakan saya harus 'beratur' di belakang anak-sanak saudara saya untuk membaca buku itu!

Jadi, di sini saya ingin ambil kesempatan untuk memberitahu, barangsiapa yang seperti dalam mood untuk membaca novel Melayu yang sedap dibaca, saya sarankan ketiga-tiga buku Ramlee Awang Mursyid tadi. Banyak unsur-unsur supernatural diselang-selikan dengan unsur islamik. Unsur sejarah yang menjadi latar belakang buku ini berjaya dikupas dengan menarik, di samping unsur 'romance' yang agak ringan... InsyaAllah, anda akan menyukainya.
Hmm, dalam kealpaan saya, perkembangan buku Melayu sejak kebelakangan ini sudah semakin rancak, dan saya lebih daripada gembira untuk mengikutinya. Jadi, jika anda pernah terbaca buku/novel Melayu yang baik/best, bolehlah beritahu saya ye. Sharing is improving...

Terima Kasih...

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Hamba Ramadhan @ Hamba Allah?

2008-10-13T20:15:00.004+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

This is the first post-Ramadhan, post-Aidilfitri entry i write in here. For most part, life has gone back to normal, yet i still cannot make myself to write anything in here. In fact, everytime i opened the 'create post' page for this blog, i can only stare blankly at the screen while frowning deeply, until i closed the page and went to do something else.

But tonight, i vowed that i will write something. Anything. Just to get back 'the mood', i told myself. And so i choose to write about something i read in the newspaper recently. Perhaps because it struck me squarely on the face. Perhaps because i hope it will serve as a reminder to us, myself especially, for this post-Ramadhan period.

The topic is, are we the servant of Allah or the servant of Ramadhan? Sounds controversial. But, that's the fact most of us didn't realize.

The issue is, why during Ramadhan, we can do all sorts of ibadah, such as reading Al-Quran, Sedekah, Solat sunat, Control our nafsu and anger, and so many things? Then, once Ramadhan's over, all that seem like a distant memory, if not history?! It was as if, we're two different people; strong and obedient Muslim during Ramadhan, while weak and 'culas' during post-Ramadhan period?

I must admit, i happened to be one with the 'split-personality' as well. Like i said, that revelation struck me squarely on my face. Without realizing, I have been the servant of Ramadhan, while not really served Allah, the Only, and Truly God of mine! Somehow, I'd forgot that Ramadhan is only the medium for me to get closer to Allah, not the end target of my ibadah!

God, it was hard. To maintain the level of Ramadhan for the next 11 months, huh, it was like.. impossible. Just look at 'Puasa Enam'! I don't know about you, but it sure was impossibly hard for me! (and i still didn't finish it yet!)

So, what are we waiting for? Let's check whether we're truly the servant of Allah... or not?!

May Allah bless us...

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Selamat Hari Raya

2008-09-28T07:36:00.004+08:00

SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDILFITRI
MAAF ZAHIR BATIN

Salam Eid ul Fitr

2008-09-27T09:10:00.006+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

Today is Saturday, 27 Ramadhan/27 Sept 2008. 4 more days to complete the fasting month of Ramadhan and 4 more days to celebrate 'Idulfitri. Yet, the feeling all around is already in a celebration mood, don't you think? My house, for example, has already gotten empty. 3 of my housemates already off to their hometown on Thursday. I will go back tomorrow (Sunday) and so will the other two.

So far, i've restrained myself from saying anything -any word- about Raya. That's the rule i strictly put upon myself. I said to myself, it's Ramadhan that matters the most. Not Raya. Finding LailatulQadar is the target, not Raya! After all, there must be reasons Allah made Ramadhan, 30 days of 'wajib puasa', followed by only 1 day of 'haram puasa' to celebrate (30 : 1 in value and importance?) Well, that's what i reasoned with myself.

However, i also realized one thing. If we have tried our best -real effort- in this holy month, then we have every reason to celebrate Raya with all the happiness we can muster. Because, we truly deserved it.

So, to all the readers, in the spirit of upcoming 1 Syawal, i wish you Happy 'Idulfitri. May you find joy alongside your families and your loved ones. Take care of yourselves and don't forget to pray so we can still meet the next Ramadhan.

May Allah bless us and accepts all of our ibadah...

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An Eventful Day.

2008-09-24T09:18:00.005+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

Have you ever had a day, you really want to rip your own hand off of you, being chased by a police patrol car, and being told 'Sir, it's time to break fast' by a Chinese guy?
Well, i had all that yesterday.

In what could arguably be one of the most eventful day for me in this Ramadhan, i experienced all the above situation with lots.. lots of emotions - from anger, frustration, horror, shock, regret to awe, humbleness and grateful.

Let's go to 'bad' emotions first.

1) I twisted my right wrist - the starting of everything!
I would say, this was the worst thing that happened to me yesterday. My tennis hand was twisted! What could be worse? That was the first thing that flashed through my mind - and with horror too - as i suddenly felt the sharp pain when i lifted my rather heavy bag yesterday.

Despite my vow to not get angry in this fasting month, i felt very very angry with myself! Why did i always have to rush to do things - in this case, lifting my bag. If only i was a little bit more careful, and patient, it won't happen, I chastised myself.

And as the anger - and panic - enveloped me, i made things even worse by twisting my wrist really hard in every direction possible, hoping the pain will subside, but to no avail. And as i learned soon after that, that reckless action of mine just made my wrist hurt even more by the hour!

2) Soon after that, i was in my car, in a hurry to go to One Utama. I was asked to book a table at Shogun, a Japanese Buffet Restaurant, where i planned to break fast with my friends, Aiman and Amir.

No need to say, i still didn't do the booking. While i could't find where i put the phone number of the restaurant, and my watch showed it was already near 6 o'clock, i sped my car heading toward OU.

Come this one intersection at Damansara Perdana, i made an illegal U-Turn, only to see there was a police car there. I felt a bit panic then, but i said, what the heck, almost everyone did that!

I realized the patrol car was following behind, and i saw the light started to flash together with the siren sound. But still, i didn't slow down. I still think that patrol car was after someone else!

At last, when i realized the police started to edge my car to the side of the road, only then i knew, it was me who they were after!

No wonder the policeman was really angry after that! With a glare and a really harsh tone, he asked for my I.C and license and went away for almost 30 minutes! He didn't even tell me what was my mistake and why he needed to give me tickets!

The 30 minutes was supposed to be the time where i felt humiliated - all the other cars were slowing down to see who was the bad guy! - and upset, and frustrated. But I didn't!

As i sat silently in my car, waiting for the ticket, i felt oddly in peace with myself. I stared at my painfully-throbbing hand, as my mind adjusted to what had just happened to me.

Hmm, i said, these - my twisted wrist and the police incident - are obviously a test for me! A Ramadhan tests! To see how i would react and cope with it. I would say i failed for the first one, but i learned to get over it for the second one.

When the policemen came back to me, he almost threw the ticket together with my IC and driving license, but i offered him a smile and a thanks. He didn't return any of them, but it was understandable. I made the mistake, i paid the price.

3) Lucky, during my brief 'arrest', Aiman arrived at OU, and i asked him to do the booking instead. He came from Shah Alam but he was earlier than me, the 'local guy'! hehe. If Amir also managed to be earlier than me, i was dead. He's from Perak!

It was the first time i've been to Shogun and the food; wow! I glanced around and i can see we were not the only Malay there. Quite many, actually.

As we settled down with food almost covered the table, Aiman and I talked. (Amir didn't arrive yet) We talked about old friends, and many others. Then, suddenly one Chinese waiter came to our table and said something like, "Sir, it's already time to break fast!"

Instinctively i looked at my watch. "Haah lah! It's time!". Then Aiman and I laughed! It was so bizarre! And as Aiman said, "It wasn't everyday a Chinese guy come and tell you to break fast! You should write this in your blog."

Later, Amir arrived and we shared the story with him. Oh, and along with so many other stories. As a result, we were among the last group to leave the restaurant.

Although I felt a twinge of guilt for the missing tarawih in the mosque, i was lying if i said i didn't enjoy myself. I'll make it up later, i said, to my conscience.

As for my day, I would say, "All's well when end's well"
I certainly learned my lesson.
and
I certainly need to find a good masseur to do something about my wrist before the holiday finished! Or i have to tell my tennis-buddy Sham, about the 'grieving' news.

Pray for me, will ya? (desperate...)

P/S: My friend told me i need to buy a camera so that i can put pictures in here. A picture worth a thousand words. He's right. But until then, please bear just with my messy writings, ok?

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Malaysian teenager's Quran recitation wins hearts

2008-09-21T09:58:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

Dubai: The young Malaysian participant who was eventually declared the winner of the recitation event at the Dubai International Holy Quran Award (DIHQA) event had the jam-packed audience in a thrall.

The contest began at midnight on Thursday after the conclusion of programmes associated with the event. The prizes will be announced on Saturday at 9.30pm in the presence of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, at the Cultural and Scientific Association.

There were seven participants in all who vied for the top three prizes. A Turkish contestant and a Kuwaiti participant were adjudged second and third respectively in the recitation event.

Showcasing talent

Thirteen-year-old Mohammad Bin Ahmad Zahid's performance moved some members of the audience to tears.

His recitation of verses from Surat Ar-Rahman (The Beneficent, The Mercy Giving) of the Quran during the stage of the competition when each participant was given seven minutes to showcase his talent went down especially well with those assembled.

The other contestants in the fray were from Yemen, Mauritania, Libya, and Somalia.

Speaking to Gulf News, other participants at the event recalled how they had pursued their Quran studies. Senoussi Daoud from Chad said he had memorised the Quran along with his three siblings in a Khalwa, a traditional mosque school in Africa.

The 20-year-old is a high school student at a public school that imparts the Saudi curriculum.

"Memorising the Quran is part of one's cultural upbringing in Chad. Most people in my hometown memorise the Quran," said Daoud.

Solidarity

He told Gulf News the Khalwa also served as key centres of education for those wanting to learn the Arabic language.

"Everyone in the Khalwa shares equally what is available. The values and the experiences of the Khalwa help to forge a solidarity among its members which lasts for a lifetime," said Senoussi.

Ahmedou Salem Taleb, a 21-year-old participant from Mauritania, said students used a lawlah, a small wooden tablet, to take notes while memorising the Quran back in his home country and generally across North Africa.

Students would then repeat what they memorised around 300 times-using the Misbah (counting beads), he said.

**I got this article from Gulfnews and i felt compelled to put it here.

I know adik Muhammad (above picture) because he's a constant figure at Masjid Taqwa, TTDI. Although i didn't know him personally, i can tell he is the pride of TTDI residents. I had a conversation with his father once and he told me adik Muhammad is a Hafiz since he was 8 years old! And his other siblings also wanted to follow suit.

Amazing huh! When i asked how he did what he did, he said he planned everything about the education of the children wih his wife since they were really little. They sacrificed a lot in the early stages, instilled interest of Islam and Al-Quran in their children's heart while at the same time worked hard to balance their childhood life.

It really sounds like a lot of work, but for all i can see now, it was all worth it!
In my heart, I hope i can do the same with my children when the time come...

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Krisis Kewangan??

2008-09-21T09:14:00.004+08:00

By Mullah

Assalamualaikum dan Alhamdulillah, penulis dapat menulis lagi dalam blog ini setelah sekian

lama menyepi dan memencilkan diri daripada dunia penulisan. Alhamdulillah jua kerana penulis

dapat menulis tentang krisis kewangan yang melanda ketika ini

Menurut laporan akhbar, 10 bank di Amerika Syarikat telah 'gulung tikar' kerana krisis sub -

prima sektor perumahan dan baru-baru ini, AIG (American International Group) telah kerugian

USD 18.5 billion (RM 68 billion) dan mungkin akan diselamatkan oleh Federal Reserve. Hhmmm

Di Malaysia, saham kita telah mengalamai kejatuhan yang teruk sejak 2 tahun lepas dan

menurut laman web The Star, saham kita telah melonjak naik ke paras 1025.7 apabila ditutup

pada 19 September 2008 yang lepas. Jadi, apakah penyelesaiannya???

Di sini, penulis ingin berkongsi ilmu daripada sebuah buku yang sedang dibaca oleh penulis iaitu

'Make Money, Not Excuses' yang dikarang oleh Jean Chatzky, seorang penasihat kewangan

terkenal Amerika Syarikat dan pernah muncul dalam rancangan Oprah. Pesanannya ialah :-

1. Maksimakan Pendapatan kita

2. Minimumkan lagi Perbelanjaan

3. Laburkan Simpanan kita (minimum 10% setiap bulan) dan

4. Lindungi Simpanan kita

Okaylah, sampai di sini sahaja penulis berkongsi idea dan ilmu. Jumpa lagi

What i really missed during Ramadhan?

2008-09-18T23:09:00.005+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

I don't remember where i got the question.

What i really missed during Ramadhan?

I said that was easy. I can think of one immediately. In fact, i didn't really have to think at all. I really missed this one thing, it's always there in my mind.

But the questioner didn't satisfied. That, i remember, because i was asked to list 10:
Okay, i said. Here is the list:

1) Tennis
2) Tennis
3) Tennis
4) Tennis
5) Tennis
6) Tennis
7) Tennis
8) Tennis
9) Tennis
10) McFlurry

There. That's my list of what i really missed during this fasting month.

In fact, whenever my friends told me about 'Raya Sales', here and there, i surprised them by asking: hei, do you happen to know if there's Sales for Nike' or Adidas' Tennis Shoe?
Well, I just couldn't help it, really.

And there's also this one 'secret' i never told anybody.
Everytime, i got back from Tarawih or Subuh Prayer from the mosque, i'll almost certain to wander away from the main road and follow this one route back to my house.
Along the way, exactly at one particular quite spot, i'll slow down my ride a little bit and stare longingly to one simple structure by the side of the road.

A tennis court. Where i played almost daily before the start of Ramadhan.

Huhu, How i really missed playing Tennis!

Only long after that, did i realize, somehow, i also missed McFlurry...

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Anouncement

2008-09-17T08:59:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

One quick announcement:

Tonight (17 Sept/17 Ramadhan), an imam from Masjidil Haram, Syeikh Abdur Rahman will come to Masjid Wilayah, Jalan Duta to lead the Solat Tarawih.
So, for those who are free tonight and lives nearby, let's go to Masjid Wilayah.

It may be awhile for us to go visit the Masjidil Haram itself, so this opportunity may served as an intro to the visit later huh...

InsyaAllah, i'll see you there...

Aidan Z

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Another Half left...

2008-09-16T10:02:00.001+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

I remember when i was little, i always dreaded Ramadhan. For some reason, i just couldn't stand not eating and drinking for more than 12 hours everyday, moreover for a month. I still remember pleaded to my mom to break the fast, giving her all sorts of excuses that crossed my mind, hoping she would bend to my childish whining.
Well, it was useless anyway because Mom only needed to raise her voice once and i will scramble to save my butt from her effective 'rotan'.
Hmm, thanks Mom!

Alhamdulillah, that wasn't the case for me anymore, (otherwise there's something very very wrong with me, right?)
In fact, i love Ramadhan now.
Not just because of the good(s) and barakah(s) in it, also because of the way this holy month makes me feel of myself and life in general:

1) This is the month i can maintain my weight.. and health too.
Well, that's the most natural thing to do, don't you think? We're fasting.. we cannot eat...
3 Ramadhan ago, i started my 'diet' program. and from there on, i successfully reduce my weight from 76kg, (one time it went as high as 78kg) to 62 kg within 5 month... and Alhamdulillah, i've maintained the ideal weight until now.
To my good friend, M; and H too: come on, you can do it!!!
Oh, to A, and another M, you too can do it, mate...

2) I can control my temper.
Well, a lot of people, even my close friends didn't know that i have some temperamental problem! I may appeared mild-mannered and happy go lucky to most eyes, and Allah knows I am. But very few knew that i also have this problem i am still learning to control. 'Short-fused'... that's what my brother said of my temper. He knew better, as he was sometimes been at the receiving-end of it. (Sorry, abang!)
Maybe you can ask my tennis racquet, especially the broken one, which i smashed to the floor after i missed several easy shots not long ago.
But no need to panic my friends, Ramadhan is here. The special month is here. And if there's something i really want so badly after the fasting month was over, is that my temper still very much in check, if not reduced. I pray hard to Allah so that He, who Himself is the Most Merciful and Graceful towards His servants, will grant me the patience that has eluded me so far.. Amin.

3) I feel so peaceful with myself and with the world.
Just like everybody else, i have high expectations on myself and world itself. Sometimes it worked the way i wanted and more often than not, it wasn't. It was either i put so much pressure on myself or i didn't put enough pressure. Maybe both.
But come Ramadhan, all the worries seemed to evaporate into oblivion. It didn't matter. As if somebody just soothed all my worries, saying things like, 'it's okay, you know can always start anew', and more importantly, 'no fuss Z, Allah is with you. Everything happened, happens for a reason. There's always 'hikmah' behind each of it...'
And i will smile, to no one in particular. A knowing smile, comes from within, feeling peaceful and happy the way i can't describe, even to myself. Alhamdulillah.

4) Be a Grateful servants.
All the above and other things, made me think, i've spent so much time worrying and complaining about things i didn't get. But what about things i do have? Did i spend a lot of time thinking about how lucky i am to have what i have? Did i ever complain when i got what i wanted? And, have i gone too far into becoming an ungrateful 'jerk' to Allah The Almighty?!
So i closed my eyes, breathing hard while asking for forgiveness from the Most Merciful for all my ignorances. Forgive me, Ya Allah. I'm nothing without You, and Your Blessing. Open my eyes to what clouded my eyes from seeing your Gift to me and let me become one of your grateful servants...

Therefore, i urge and implore all of you, my fellow friends, brothers and sisters. Let's find our inner self during this holy-month. Ask ourselves, are we really living the Ramadhan the way Rasulullah taught us to? Are we really embracing Ramadhan the way Allah wants us to?!!

Ramadhan was already half-way. Take this opportunity!
Who knows maybe this is the last Ramadhan... for any of us...

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Confessions of an Old Boy by Kam Raslan

2008-09-15T07:57:00.006+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

I started reading this book soon after i finished Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I didn't practice that very often, i mean, about reading one book right after another. Because i'm the type of guy to savour the feelings/essence of every book i read (sometimes for days - the longest was Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. Huhu, really..) and i have to tell you 'Eat Pray Love' also had almost the same effect to me.

But still, i decided to read this book right after Ms Gilbert's book anyway.

The reason? I made a 'mistake' of reading the first chapter of this book, 'A letter to a newspaper' -the most hillarious first chapter i've ever read- and i was instantly hooked. After several minutes, i already finished one fifth of the book and i knew i've to finish reading the book straight away!

Maybe i have to explain here the reason i didn't practice reading one book exactly after another, other the 'savoring' part i mentioned above.
The reasons are many but very simple. Different genre, style of writings, depth of the story telling, memorable characters, just to name a few.
Simply said, i won't read Harry Potter books soon after i read Jack Welch's book. Or even after a John Grisham's book. And neither do the other way around. It just feels... wrong. Each author has their own strength and style and obviously different genre. And i felt -personally- as if i will do them unjustice if i didn't take time to -again- savour their work.

And in this case, i definitely worried because i never heard of Kam Raslan before. And after reading such an impressive book in Eat Pray Love, i was really sure that 'Confessions of an Old Boy' won't stand a chance.

I was wrong!

The story of Dato' Hamid' life and his adventures in this book was told in such a way, you want to believe and not to believe it at the same time. At times, it felt so real, so convincing, we believe Dato' Hamid was real. He was somewhere out there, just finished sharing the story with us. At times, it felt outlandish and bizarre, hard to believe, but still want to believe it anyway!

If there's one word to describe the book, I would say: Intriguing

For me, Kam Raslan is an excellent author. I love the way he told his story (which can be very complex in an inexperienced hand, like me, heheh) in such a relax and simple manner. As a reader, sometimes i love to feel the pressure of the story plot, and sometimes i don't. This book falls onto latter category -it could be really overwhelming to younger readers, in my opinion- and Kam Raslan delivered it perfectly. His writings was sly and cunningly appealing, cynical and brilliantly hillarious. I laughed so hard sometimes, and i thought i smiled all the way to the end of the book.

Dato' Hamid's character, hands down, is one of the most exciting character i've ever read. And i think, Kam's words at the back of the book, summed it best.

"You'll never meet anyone quite like Dato' Hamid, but you'll know him."

Okay, now to the 'not-so-nice' part. And surprisingly it all came down to one particular subject only. As you can see below..

Firstly, the name of the character, Hamid. I dont have problem with the name Hamid. In fact it's a very good name. No, not just that. It is a very very very good name, it also happened to be one of Allah's name, in Asmaul Husna. Kam is right when he named the character Dato' Abdul Hamid. But as you learned when you read the book, the name Hamid wasnt really suitable to the 'bad boy' character of Dato' Hamid in the book, which will make my point no 2 below.
I believe, this minor flaw -not quite minor for some people i afraid- is accidental, but still it would be nice to be extra sensitive about things like this.

Secondly, the 'bad boy' character of Dato' Abdul Hamid. In the book, Dato' Hamid is an 'Old Boy', meaning he lived in an era of not-so-islamic way of life. Women and liquor, are part of the lifestyle, especially from an elite family like Dato' Hamid. And Kam did very well to describe all that in the book. In fact, too well, too casually told, it didn't even feel wrong to any of it! Which made it all the more wrong then, if you got what i mean..

I understand, this is an English-languaged novel -which for some mysterious reason, Malay/Muslim guy/gal didn't even know/interested to read- but for me, again, Kam needs to be sensitive to such issues. I can understand the needs to put all that in the book, but maybe it won't have to be apparent/detailed, you know..

That being said, i strongly recommend the book to everyone. It is a Malaysian book, everyone can read it and will enjoy it immersely. Except for that particular subject above, 'Confession of an Old Boy' is an excellent read, one of few local book i really love, and enjoy immersely.
And i wil eagerly await for the next book from Kam Raslan.

To all my government servant friends, this book is for you.
To all my non-government servant friends, this book is also for you, hehe.

Why I made such 'toast', you have to figure out by reading the book...

If there needs to give star, i'll give 7 out of 10.

P/S Thanks to Mullah for lending me this book. Maybe i should get one for myself, huh.

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ISA, 16 September, agriculture study tour

2008-09-13T08:23:00.006+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

As i write this entry, 3 have been detained under ISA -which allows indefinite detention without trial- so far: Blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin, Sin Chew Daily reporter Tan Hoon Cheng, and Setapak MP, Teresa Kok.
The arrest followed the warning by Pak Lah earlier this week that ISA might be used against those who may caused racial crisis in this country.
One question: then why didn't Dato Ahmad Ismail of UMNO Bukit Bendera be arrested as well for his racially sensitive remarks during Permatang Pauh election?

Last night, Pakatan Rakyat which compises of PKR, DAP and PAS issued a statement that the transformation of new government -in other word, the toppling of BN government- might be delayed from the 16th September.
"The process of transformation to a new government... is proceeding smoothly and we believe that Barisan Nasional will be replaced in a very short period," the statement said.

Although i'm sure many have a mixed feelings about this - some said this is Anwar's personal agenda or revenge, others questioned about Malay MP's majority in the new government will decline greatly as those who will defect from BN to Pakatan Rakyat are most likely non-Malay (non-Muslim), while others more worried about whether this is better for Islamic constitution or will be exactly the same as in UMNO-led BN government - I would say, still, the new government would be better. Hmm of course, it's still open for debate.

Also, in the news is about the agriculture study tour by 51 BN MP's to Taiwan (Some reported 41, or 49 - who cares!). The tour ended prematurely... yesterday (Friday). Huh? I wonder if it has something to do with the plan of 4 PKR MP's to tail them there! The earlier statement said the tour will finish on 17 Sept (hmm, another suspicion), and now suddenly it finished 4,5 days earlier. And about the MP's, the news said, it's up to them if they wanna go back to Malaysia immediately or not, as they will pay for their own expense...

Oh, did i mention, Pak Lah vs Najib drama is heating up...?

Take a deep breath, sit back, enjoy...

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Maghfirah... Let's go get it!

2008-09-11T23:02:00.004+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

Tanpa disedari, kita sudah masuk ke fasa kedua bulan Ramadhan Al-Mubarak, yakni fasa 'Maghfirah'.
Saya teringat kata-kata seorang rakan yang merupakan seorang ustaz, fasa ini adalah fasa berlari-lari anak, sebelum fasa memecut dalam sepuluh malam yang terakhir, mengejar Lailatul Qadar.
Lalu saya menge'check' diri saya, dan ingin mengajak sahabat-sahabat menge'check' diri masing-masing juga. Bagaimana dengan tarawih, tadarus, solat sunat, sedekah dan amalan-amalan lain. Adakah bertambah, atau kekal di takuk lama, atau -na'uzubillah- berkurangan?
Dan lebih penting, adakah Ramadhan kali ini -setakat ini- lebih baik daripada tahun-tahun lepas...

Berbalik kepada fasa Maghfirah-

Janganlah kita lupa bahawa Allah dengan sifat Ghaffar-Nya, sangat suka untuk mengampunkan serta menutup kesalahan hamba-hambaNya.

Di dalam Al-Quran, Allah mengulangi perkataan al-hukmu (hukuman/punishment) sebanyak 117 kali, namun rupa-rupanya Allah mengulangi perkataan-perkataan yang berasal dari ghafara (pengampunan/penutupan dosa) sebanyak 234 kali. Lebih dua kali ganda!

Adakah ia kebetulan? Maha Suci Allah yang Maha Bijaksana. Adakah Allah mahu menunjukkan bahawa setiap satu kesalahan/dosa yang kita lakukan, terdapat dua peluang untuk mendapatkan pengampunan? MasyaAllah.

Sesungguhnya antara makna Asma' Allah, Al-Ghaffar, adalah Yang menutupi dosa-dosa hamba-hambaNya. Menutupi bukanlah bermaksud menghapuskan. lalu saya tertanya, bukankah lebih baik kita memohon Allah menghapuskan terus dosa-dosa kita. Bukan sekadar tutup-tutup sahaja.

Namun ternyata Allah itu Maha Sempurna. Penutupan dosa itu rupa-rupanya adalah antara Nikmat terbesar Allah untuk hambaNya di syurga kelak. Bagaimana?!

Kita sedia maklum, tidaklah kita mampu untuk masuk ke dalam syurga Allah semata-mata dengan amalan kebaikan kita. Bahkan tanpa rahmat dan keizinan Allah, bau syurga pun tidak akan singgah kepada kita. Lalu, di syurga nanti, Allah akan tunjukkan kepada kita dosa-dosa kita yang telah lalu dan telah ditutupi oleh Allah dengan sifat GhaffarNya, sekaligus menunjukkan kepada kita betapa besarnya nikmat yang sedang kita kecapi di syurga ketika itu! SubhanAllah.

Lalu, sahabat-sahabat sekalian, marilah kita mengambil kesempatan ini untuk memohon keampunan dari Allah SWT. Serulah Allah dengan nama-namaNya yang mulia dan mohonlah keampunan di atas dosa-dosa kita dan ahli keluarga kita.

Sesungguhnya, Allah lebih suka memasukkan hamba-hambaNya ke dalam SyurgaNya dengan taubat mereka, daripada memasukkan mereka ke dalam nerakaNya dengan sebab dosa-dosa mereka...

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US Open 2008

2008-09-09T11:59:00.004+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

The final grand slam of the year finished earlier this morning (Malaysia time) with Roger Federer -2nd seed- retained his crown for 5 consecutive years! The win means Federer now has 13 grand slams, just one short of all time record, 14, by Pete Sampras

He defeated Andy Murray of Britain -the 6th seeded player who upset Nadal in the semifinal- 6-2, 7-5, 6-2. The paycheck for the champion is USD 1.5 million

In the women's side, Serena Williams defeated Serbian Jelena Jankovic to lift her 9th grand slam in her career.

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Masjid Wilayah

2008-09-07T10:42:00.001+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

Yesterday, me and my good friends Mullah and Iidil went to Masjid Wilayah, Jalan Duta. The idea was to catch this very famous imam from Mesir, Syeikh Jibril, leading the Tarawih Prayer last night, only to find out it was actually on the day before.

However our disappointments didn't last as we found out that Tarawih Prayer in this beautiful mosque will be led by this one imam from Syria, for the whole Ramadhan. Syeikh Mu'tasim, if i'm not mistaken the name of the imam.
For my part, this is the first time i become a ma'mum to an Arab syeikh. So, i have no expectation, or rather i don't know what I’m supposed to expect.

Enter Isya' Prayer, we prayed as usual. The imam was local imam with a nice voice and a very soothing recitation. i thought to myself, the imam was really good and i felt comfortable already.

Then, i's time to Tarawih and the syeikh from Syria stepped in as the congregation followed suit. "AllahuAkbar", the takbir. We followed; try to focus hard on the task at hand.

Then he started reading...
"BismillahirRahmanirRahim..."

The moment he opened his mouth, i just felt so overwhelmed... with awe and respect. The voice... that was the best voice -"live" in prayer- I’ve ever heard in my life; and the flow, the accent, the 'burdah'... they was just as perfect.
When he launched into Surah after Al-Fatihah, the distinctions was even more pronounced. He recited with full forced and eloquent without slightest hesitance -unlike us and even our imams, obviously, he has the advantage of Arabic as his mother tongue language, which was more apparent by the minutes! Sometimes, his voice soared, reaching the high notes without slightest hitch. Sometimes, so low, just like baritone, vibrating and engaging.

I have to admit, the first two raka'at of the tarawih, i cannot focus at all. It was like, i was in shock and it took me some time to recover.
But then, put aside the awe and the excitement, i started to creep my way, deep into the prayer, feeling very very focus and comfortable. No need to say, the task made easier as the Syeikh was reciting in a very clear voice and from familiar verses of Surah.

There was one downside though. He read only 2-3 ayat per raka'at, too short to my liking. Even though, maybe it was also an advantage since you will feel as if that is not enough and will stay longer to finish until 20 raka'ats.

So, for those who likes to search for a new place to break Fast and Tarawih, i strongly suggest you to come to Masjid Wilayah, Jalan Duta. The food was quite ok, but more importantly you will get new experience in this precious Ramadhan Al-Mubarak. You can even bring your families along too..
I, personally will definitely come again and maybe i'll see you there..

Meanwhile, 'the hunting for Jibril' (Syeikh Jibril from Mesir), as my friends called our mission this weekend, will continue...

*Few of my friends asked the other day about imam with good voice and melodic style of recitations. Isn't content more important than style of readings? What if people go to Tarawih simply because 'bacaan imam tu best'?
I said obviously, as human, we're attracted to beautiful and nice things. Even in ibadah! Some would say superficial, which i agreed, but i also believe, on the other hand if that can help and encourage people to perform their ibadah, why not?
Sometimes we need some kind of 'boost' to do good in our life, especially ibadah. And that exterior/luaran thingy might be just what we need.
Just be careful with the 'niat' after we take that first step, so that it will be valued as ibadah to Allah the Almighty.

May this Ramadhan will bring 'Berkat' and 'Rahmat' to us and to our families. Amin.

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Pokok Melor and me...

2008-09-04T18:43:00.004+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

Couples of month ago, my housemate brought back two tiny 'pokok melor', in a tiny black bags-or sacks... whatever - and put them at the front porch of my house. I knew they were pokok melor because i asked him, although now i realize, i didn't asked him why he brought back the plants to our house at the time..

A month later, the plants died. Emm.. almost died.

Truth is, i totally forgot about the plants' existence! Until today, i still don't know what took me so long to realize about the poor dying plants. They were there, just waiting for someone with heart(?), to pour them some water to survive. But nobody seems to even spare them a glance, moreover to attend to their needs. Not even their owner!

And that was the time when i decided to be a hero, to play life-saver for the plants, hehe. First of course, i gave them water. Well, that was the most logical thing to do, and i did that. For a few days, i waited, rather impatiently, for something, any changes to happen. Nothing.
The once-gloriously-green leaves still as brown as ever, and the dry stems still as charred as ever.

Then I remember something. I used to help my mom attend to her flowers back at home and -inhaled deeply- i have to make sure it wasn't all for nothing! That's when the idea struck me squarely in my head.

In order for a new life to grow, the old life has to give way..

So, i cut all the dead twigs with scissors - i saw my mom did that before - leaving the plants bare naked with nothing except for their stump gray stem. Then i cleared the space surrounded the plants so they got clear shot at the sunlight. All while pouring water every single day, of course.

Syukur, within a week after that, my 'patience' was rewarded. Small and greenish buds started to appear, and soon, i watched delightfully when young leaves began to replace the buds and grew bigger and healthier everyday.

A little more than a month after the near-death-experience for the plants, they stood proudly, limb towards the sunlight and ready to reveal their first blossom! And blossom they did!
I still remember, every time i poured water over the plants, i will crouch beside them and smell their beautiful scent, with -i'm sure- a wide smile on my face.
In my heart, i savour the scent as my little triumph against the odds and i didn't lie when i said i was really proud of myself!

But all that changed exactly a month ago...

I went back to my hometown for 3 days and i totally forgot to ask any of my housemates to look after the plants- my bad. As if that was not enough, when i got back, i was so busy, plus distracted about something, it was over a week -almost two actually- for me to realize that my favorite 'surrogate' plants were dying, AGAIN!

I took the 'failed deeds' really hard and i fully blamed myself for it.

With regrets, i started everything all over again: poured water, cut dry twigs, cleared space etc...
I was really angry with myself. How could i be so reckless and thoughtless, i asked myself repeatedly, feeling somehow guilty to the plants... and to the Creator!

As i typed this entry, young leaves just sprouted out from the stems, again, and this time i am determine NOT to make the same mistake again. The excitement than once energized me has gone, only redemption left for me now. Somehow, i felt like i have to redeem myself. To the plants, to myself and to Allah, the Creator.

For Aidilfitri, it sure looks like the plants will accompany me back to my hometown...!

***Oh, about the real owner of the plants, i asked him once -sarcastically- about the plants he brought back but did nothing to tend them. You know what his answer?

"Laa, i didn't know you took care of the plants. i saw them ok je, i thought they grow bigger by themselves...!"

I thought i was going to punch his face that day...

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Ramadhan 1429H

2008-08-30T08:23:00.005+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

Di sini, saya ingin mengambil kesempatan untuk mengucapkan:

SELAMAT MENYAMBUT RAMADHAN AL-MUBARAK

kepada semua pengunjung blog AidanZ dan Lagenda Elfarren

Semoga kita dapat mengambil kesempatan ini untuk mendekatkan diri kepada Allah SWT.

Semoga Ramadhan 1429H lebih baik daripada Ramadhan sebelum ini dan semoga kita tergolong dalam golongan orang-orang yang bertaqwa dan berada dalam perlindungan Rahmat dan Kasih Allah....

AidanZ

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Best Friend (3)

2008-08-29T23:36:00.001+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

Continue from Best Friend (2)...

Mouth wide open, he walked slowly towards his best friend and sat beside him in silent. His face felt hot all of a sudden. Mixtures of indescribable feelings overwhelmed him, made him struggled for words, any words, to come out.

"Why-" At last, after several agonizing minutes, the words came to him. "Why did you write those words, buddy?" His voice cracked a little bit, but that was all he could do to withhold rushes of emotions inside him now.

First the writing on the sand; 'Today my best friend slapped me in the face'; Now, etched on the stone; 'Today my best friend saved my life'.

Why?!

For a long time, his best friend didn't answer him. He just tilted his face and studied the canopies of trees above him, as if the answer was there. His face had nothing on it but peace. From afar, he looked so content and fully at ease, as if he just discovered a secret of happiness and secretly enjoy the knowledge...

Then, he answered.

Looking straight into his friend's waiting eyes, he smiled as these words flowed out of his lips.

"When i first wrote the writing on the sand, i was really hurt buddy. It wasn't as much about the pain you inflicted when you slapped me. Instead, it was more to do with the manner things happened at the moment. Aren't we best friend? I keep asking myself. Didn't that count for something when things got out of control?
"Yeah, things do get messy sometimes, but that was the time when we can rely on our so called friendship to help overcome the situations. Which in our case, didn't happened.
"One great test from God, and our friendship almost crumbled into pieces. And that was what really saddened me at the time..."

He paused. Once again he tilted his head up, this time with his eyes closed. The now sad smile on his face somehow made him looked like an old man with a lot of things going on in his mind.

Watching his best friend through now-blurry eyes, he felt his egos falling one by one. He can never be as good friend as his best friend there to him. Even just now, when he had the chances to blast him for his bad antic yesterday, he didn't do it. Instead he talked about it with smile, as if he just talked about the good weather or the good food they just ate at one fine restaurant in town.

"But i still didn't answer your question just now, did i buddy?" His best friend was back. Again with the smile. Again with the piercing eyes on his face.
He nodded.

"I have to admit buddy, i did that, partly to hurt you. I won't punch you back. Never in million years. You know that, don't you?" He didn't wait for answer as he continued, "So, i did the only thing i knew will affect you. I wrote the writings on the sand..."

His best friend paused, then he continued

"This morning, you saved my life. Even though you are not really a good swimmer, you still dove into the raging river and tried to save me. At first i was angry with you. What if something happened to you? But soon, i have nothing but gratitude in my heart. I was grateful to God for giving me chances to still be alive and even more grateful to Him because He sent you to save me!"

Once again his best friend paused. From the corner of his eyes, he can see his best friend tried his best to fight off his tears. So he looked away. He understand what his best friend went through at the moment. He waited, and after a while, his best friend continued,

"I cannot say how thankful I am for what you did for me. You saved my life! That was the highest sacrifice a friend can do. And you did it buddy. For me!"

The voice cracked. But his best friend didn't finish yet,

"After you asked me to get some rest, i did a lot of thinking. About what had happened yesterday and then today. Only after that did i decide to engrave the stone with another writing. This writing!" he pointed towards the writings on the stone (Today, my best friend saved my life)

"I am very thankful to God the irony of what i've done didn't escape me. In fact it gave me reason to believe that what happened today and yesterday held a very powerful 'hikmah' behind it. It served both as reminder and lesson to me about life in general and our friendship in particular."

He nodded slowly. He didn't really understand what his best friend just said. But at this point, he decided he will agree on everything that came out from his best friend's mouth.

If only he knew it was all too transparent on his face, that despite his best friend's soberness at the time, he smiled a little bit while he explained what he meant just then.

"When i wrote the writing on the sand, never once the significance of it crossed my mind. However, God opened my eyes, and i see it clearly now, as i see the flower in the morning and the brilliance of the moonlight during the darkest of night...

"Can't you see, buddy. My hurtful words on the sand, brought up by my anger will soon be erased by the wind of forgiveness. But my engraving on the stone, which came from gratitude for what you have done for me, will always be there. Nothing can ever erase it! The etching on the stone will stay, as will the memory of your sacrifice, in my heart..."

-The End-

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Book Review: Eat, Pray, Love

2008-08-28T08:34:00.004+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

For about 5 months, this book was sitting in my book rack. Occasionally, i moved it around. On the table, on my bed, in my bag, on the floor and even in my car... before once again, in my book rack. Each time, i told myself, i have to start reading the book, i have to finish it!

But for some reason unknown to me, i found it very hard to read (i mean, to start reading) the book - which was so not me! Maybe, because of its unique title (what kind of book with that title!), or maybe because the genre is unclear to me (at the time), i wasn't really sure.

The only sure thing at the time was constant reminders from Mullah (whom i have to thank here for lending this book to me), urging me to read the book.
"You have to read the book, abang Zahar!" said Mullah to me repeatedly. Sometimes he added, "The author made appearance in Oprah!"

So, three weeks ago, i opened the book (for the umpteenth time) and started to read it. And a week later, i finished it. Since then, i knew i have to do reviews for this book. i just have to!

In general, i would say Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert is an excellent, informative, refreshing, hilarious book, and i must add, very thorough and meticulously done.

It is a true story, a travelogue, told by the author herself. Following her painful and long due divorce involving large sum of settlement, the author, Ms Gilbert, spent a year traveling... and thus, came this story. It is built on the notion of a woman trying to heal herself from a severe emotional and spiritual crisis.

The journey took place in 3 countries, which represents each of the verbs.

Eat - Italy,
Pray - India,
Love - Indonesia.

To quote her in the book, Ms Gilbert writes "I wanted to explore the art of pleasure in Italy, The art of devotion in India, and in Indonesia, the art of balancing the two."

In her sly and witty style of writings, she shared about her story in each country and the effects the journey had on her.
We learned about the Italians and their love for foods, about an ashram in India, where people from all over the world came to meditate, and lastly in Bali, where the beauty of natures healed the wound to start anew.

Each story, told smartly and meticulously, we felt like we are on board with her, together making the journey, and from her eyes, seeing the world in a different perspective.
The task made easy as she used "I" in her narration, coerced us to feel what she feels, and to experience what she experienced.

I particularly loved the first (eat) and third (love) part of the book. Partly because she shared a lot of new things about Italy and Bali that i never knew before. Oh, and i want to give you example here:

In one chapter, she was in Italy, and that night she went out with her friend, an Italian guy named Luca Spaghetti (delicious name isn't it?) and a bunch of Luca's friend. The destination? To a stadium, where a football match between Lazio and Parma were held. Luca and his friends are Lazio fans (Luca said they can't help being Lazio fans. They were born into families where loyalty was already established; meaning they will follow their ancestors into becoming a Lazio fan! They can changed their wives and even nationalities, but they will still become Lazio fan until they died!).
So, that night, Lazio lost to Roma. Thinking that those guys are just like the Americans or Englishmen to go and sit in the bar and maybe gotten into some fight to channel their frustration, she was shocked when Luca said they were going somewhere else.
Guess where?
To a bakery! Huh!
That night, they were talking about the game, while eating cream puffs!!!

Now, about the second part (pray), i didn't really like the part because somehow it made me pity her. She was in India for about 4 months, in an ashram, meditating her way to finding 'God' but with little success.
While she elaborated lengthly about yoga and meditation (which i have no problem with..) the part where she thought she found 'God' was a ridiculous notion to me. I didn't know how to explain it here, you have to read it yourself.
But, one thing i can assure you, it made me feel really grateful that i'm a Muslim. i already have my God, Allah; with Whom i can reached in my prayer, with Whom i can asked for forgiveness every time i have sinned, with Whom i can depend and asked for help when difficulties befallen me...
Just one word... Alhamdulillah...!

So, except for the second part, i really enjoy the book, especially when it ends beautifully (Oh, i always up for anything with a happy ending!).
In my heart, i knew, in more than one way, Eat, pray, love taught me about living the life that i want! Perhaps more importantly, i realized that i also want to do the same thing.
That is to go travel around the world some day, learning about a whole lot of new things out there, and share all about it in my writings...

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US Open

2008-08-26T18:10:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

I almost forgot...
Lucky one of my acquaintance reminded me...

The fourth and the last Grand Slam of tennis started yesterday, until next next Monday (Malaysian time).
And it's the first time Rafael Nadal, the new world no. 1 is seeded first here, while Roger Federer, seeded second.
Hmm, it will be an interesting 2 weeks for me and tennis lover all over the world.

If you're interested, don't forget to watch all the action on channel Astro Supersport, 811...

Vamos...!!!

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Or... Maybe...

2008-08-24T11:27:00.005+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

Bon week-end.
Right now (as in my right now), i'm sitting in front of my laptop, staring blankly to the screen, thinking hard of what i want to write in this entry.
I just finished playing tennis with my pal, Syam, and as i nursing my ached body, the bruise on my palm and on the sole of my feet (I need to buy a new shoes), i still didn't know what to say here.

Well, to tell you the truth, it's not like i don't have anything to share here. I just finished reading this one excellent book i borrowed from my good friend, Mullah.... two books actually, and i can do reviews for the books. Yeah, one of my friend keep telling me to write book reviews in here, so, maybe i will.

Or maybe, in the spirit of the upcoming Ramadhan, i can share about this one kuliah i heard this morning about 'Doa'. Just to reflect back our 'manner' when we asked something from Allah the Almighty, while hopefully can help preparing ourselves for the fasting month... Yeah, maybe i should do that.

Or maybe i can share about one bizarre and torturous conversation i had a couple of weeks ago with two siblings about: Allah (why can't we see Him?); Nabi Muhammad SAW (this guy was dead long time ago..!); and Al-Quran (do you actually believe everything written in there?)..!
Oh, and just so you know, the siblings are Form 1 and Standard 5 kids, and both are Muslims!
That explained why I almost choked when i heard most of the things that came out of their mouth...!

Or, maybe i can just continue about my HK experience. One of my friend ask me why i didn't continue about my HK stories. Especially, about the dolphins and pandas as he also some kind of animal lover like me. He said he didn't care about the Disneyland, but he especially wanted to know about the culture and the people there. That's kinda heavy, don't you think? But still, maybe i can try to do that... After all, this is my experience i'm talking about, right?

Or, maybe i don't have to write anything! Yeah, there's always this choice, no matter what we do in this life; to not do it!

Hmm, I'll think of something later. The least i can do is to continue my story from the previous Best Friend (1) & (2). I got the idea from this proverb i read not long ago, and i tried to write a story around it.

Well, now i just realized something! Who said there isn't anything to write or share. The only issue is whether you want to do it or not! And i also realized there are too many or and maybe in my dictionary.
Hmm, maybe (not again!) i should just ignore all the or's and maybe's there. Just do it! Like Nike said. After all, too much analysis can lead to paralysis, right?

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Do not...!

2008-08-21T20:02:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

Do not say all you know
For he who says all he knows
Often says more than he knows

Do not tell all you hear
For he who tells all he hears
Often tells more than he hears

Do not spend all you have
For he who spends all he has
Often spends more than he has

Do not covet all you see
For he who covets all he sees
Often wants more than he sees

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Phelps and Nadal Won, Chong Wei... lost!

2008-08-18T09:32:00.004+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

Although Olympic still has another week to go, for me, it ended yesterday.

As expected, Michael Phelps won yesterday, taking his great haul of China to the unprecedented 8 Gold Medals, making him the most successful Olympian ever!

Next, Rafael Nadal cemented his new status as World's No 1 by winning tennis gold medal after he beat Fernando Gonzalez of Chile by straight sets, 6-3, 7-6(7-2), 6-3.

The gold medal is the eighth title the Spaniard won this year, together with French Open and Wimbledon.

He put a stop to Federer's 237 successive weeks as World No 1 effectively today.

As usual, Vamos Rafa!

Lastly, Lee Chong Wei, the sole gold medal hope for Malaysia, crashed down easily to Lin Dan of China, losing straight sets, 21-12, 21-8.

Hmm, mixed result huh. I don't want to comment anything about Chong Wei (still hurt by the manner of his lost last night); but if anything, i would say, Beijing 2008 created new history, new height and new standard for the sports and the athletes; but apparently not for Malaysia...!

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Olympic 2008

2008-08-16T08:37:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

Everywhere now, the hottest topic around - other than Anwar alleged sodomy case and Permatang Pauh election - is Summer Olympic 2008 in Beijing.

As a sport fan - although not really an excellent sportsman myself - i really follow this Olympic with great interest. Of all 28 sports in current Olympic, these are the sports that captured my attention the most:

1. Tennis (of course)
As one of the most elite sport in the world, tennis always seen as not really belong to the Olympic. Why? Because unlike swimming, gymnastics, athletics and badminton, just to name a few, Olympic is not the grandest or the ultimate championship for tennis. In fact, just like Golf, Tennis has its own Grand Slam - 4 - that far more prestigious than Olympics. In terms of prize money, point accumulated, seedings, and even global acceptance, these 4 Grand Slams and even its 10 Master Series tournaments around the world, are more superior than Olympic..

That being said, Beijing 2008 actually marked the first time all the world's top players showed interest to represent their country for gold medal. Kudos to ATP and WTA (two governing bodies for men and women's tennis), Olympics now is regarded as Master Series-level Tournament, therefore attracted all these top players.

As i typed this entry, my favourite player, soon-to-be-World-No-1-replacing-Roger-Federer, Rafael Nadal of Spain just defeated World No 3, Novak Djokovic of Serbia for a place in final tobe held Sunday. And that my friend, is enough reason for watching tennis Olympic.
Vamos, Rafa!

2. Swimming.
Other than the fact that i don't know how to swim - don't laugh ok. i planned to learn swimming soon! - I really want to see Michael Phelps of US, broke the record of 7 gold medal in one Olympic, by getting the 8 he targeted. So far he already got 6, and only 2 to go.
Go, Phelps!

3. Volleyball.
I simply love to see the players spike the ball as hard as they can. And then see if the other side can retrieve the ball. Seriously.. really amazing!

4. Badminton
I have to admit, i didn't pay much attention to this sport because as it represent Malaysia's only hope for gold medal, it was hard to see them faltered under the pressure and sheer power of Chinese players.
So, when Lee Chong Wei managed to go to the Final, my interest was back. And now, i really hope he can deliver the first gold for Malaysia!
Tomorrow (Sunday), the D-Day!

5. Archery.
Last week, i went to Sunway Pyramid with my good friends, Aiman and Amir. The original idea was to go ice-skating. But we changed our mind. Partly because none of us can really ice-skating, (except Aiman i guess). And as we - me in particular - were not in the mood to look like a cow skated on ice, we changed the program. To Bowling, as usual I won, heheh, and... Archery!
Oh, we were having so much fun that night! And guess what, we were actually, quite talented in Archery! Hmm. and i was thinking, maybe the three of us should make the Archery national squad for London 2012 huh!

So, that's the top 5 sports for me in this Olympic. The list will change by time, but for now, i will just enjoy the world's top athlete competing against each other to be the best among the best.

*i will update some of the results later.

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Last weekend...

2008-08-14T18:46:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

Last weekend, i went back to my hometown in Melaka.
Normally, it was one of the highlight of my life - monthly basis i mean - because i can see my Mom, my siblings, and all my nieces and nephews.
Normally...

But not last week...

The reason? My cousin's wedding. The last of my cousins. Well, except me. Obviously, because i am not my cousin.
Ok ok ok. What i mean is, of all my cousins, including me - which i think would be almost 40 of us - everyone is married. Except two of us (We are the youngest of the lot). Well... that is... until last Friday.

And now, i'm the only one left.

Hehe, as all my aunties and uncles kept reminding me when they saw me last weekend, 'ekau tu bukan makin mudo, Zahar. Jangan lambat2 bonar.'

Well, they got that right, right? (sighing...)

Hmm, next year... maybe?!

(sorry, this entry is a little bit haywire. one can only guess why huh...?)

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Best Friend (2)

2008-08-07T06:27:00.001+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

*Continued from Best Friend (1)

"Today my best friend slapped me in the face..."

Silence...

'What have i done?!' The still standing friend asked himself. He felt like shouting his head off, but no voice came out from his throat. He shivered slightly as the full effect of what he just did sank in... slowly, but surely.

He looked at his friend. His best friend!, fiercely he corrected himself, feeling the word echoed in his empty heart. Once again, he glanced at the clear writing on the sand. Once again he closed his eyes, feeling the vein inside his chest pumped wildly. His heart ached. What kind of person slapped his very best friend?
My God... what have i done, he asked again and again in agony.

"Friend!" His eyes sprang open. He couldn't believe his ears. His best friend just called him! Just minutes after he slapped him!
"Let's go buddy. We don't want to be late for our journey. I thought i heard the great river we talked about not far from here." The voice was really calm, and so was the face. In fact, if he wasn't so shocked, he might noticed a little smile on his best friend's still red face.
How could he be so insanely calm?

What happened after that were just a blur to him. No sooner after he collected himself back to the real world, they had arrived at the great river that his best friend talked about just now... or was it couple hours ago? He still felt numbed and out of sort. He just nodded when his best friend told him they will camp there for tonight. Also when he was told to eat something after dinner was ready.

Huh! He was the one who slapped his best friend; and suddenly, he was practically being fed by the very same guy he slapped! What on earth happened to this guy? Consumed by guilt and regret until cannot moved by his own?! Well... maybe that was not totally unexpected. He let his anger got the better of him and he was paying the price straightaway after that.

Little did he know that God had other plan for him to help ease his guilt-ridden suffering.

The following day, he woke up knowing he would ask for forgiveness from his best friend. He realized their friendship meant so much to him, and he would do anything, anything, to turn things back to normal.

"Friend!" He called. "Buddy!" He called next. Louder this time. Eyes shone with determination. Both hands clasped tightly into a fist beside him. Yes, he will even beg for forgiveness from his best friend if he needed to!, he told himself repeatedly.

Then, almost immediately he saw something that made his heart almost jumped out of his chest. His legs felt weak as he saw his best friend was struggling to stay afloat in the wild current of the great river!! His best friend fought very hard, kicking wildly in the water while gasping for air, but it was soon apparent that he was fighting a losing battle.
Any second now, he will lose and became the latest victim of the wild great river.

At the riverbank, the friend quickly recollected himself, and without any second thought, took off his shoes and jumped straight into the wild river. Never once he stopped to think that he wasn't as good swimmer as his now-struggling-for-his-life best friend, or to think about a plan to make sure they both could survive the critical situation.
All he could think of were, the scenes from yesterday. The slapping, the writing on the sand, the calmness on his best friend's face afterward... and the regret he will bear for the rest of his life if things ended with the dea-

NO!!!! I WON'T ALLOW IT! PLEASE GOD! HELP ME!!!

Then, something happened! Later in his life he would say that was God-intervention in the form of one great miracle bestowed upon him to help him save his best friend's life.
A surge of energy suddenly entered his body, giving his strength he knew he never would have conjured by himself. With one powerful stroke, he found himself besides his weakened friend, and seconds later, he swam his way to the riverbank, his best friend safely in the clutch of his other hand.

THANK YOU GOD!! THANK YOU FOR SAVING MY BEST FRIEND'S LIFE, he said with tears.

That evening, as he prepared dinner for both of them, he caught his best friend did something to a big rock near his resting place.
"What are you doing buddy? You're supposed to get some rest.." He frowned at his best friend. But the frown lasted only for 2 seconds..

Because in front of him, etched on the stone by his best friend, was a writing,

'Today, my best friend saved my life'

*Hmm, i think the story isn't quite finished yet. So, wait for the conclusion of the story in Best Friend (3)

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Best Friend (1)

2008-08-05T18:48:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

Not so long ago, not far from here, there were two best friends. How they became best friends wasn't really important, as this story takes place years and years after that - at one time when they were walking side by side on their journey home from one of their great adventure.

Just like any other great adventures in this world, the journey was very hard as they had to cross a scorching desert, climbed a steep cliff to a mountaintop, walked through wild forest and dangerous swamp, and many, many, other obstacles we can only think of.

After several weeks, all the hardships of the journey began to take their toll on the two friends. They started to quarrel a little more often than usual, sometimes over something very trivial. Like why you always make that sound with your tongue when it's cold huh?, or, why you always drink more, when i'm the one who fill the water supply throughout this journey?!!
And many others.
It was as if, they wanted to release their frustration over the long journey by irritating the other, or maybe they simply derived pleasure by doing that, nobody knows.

Until one day, as it happened, their quarrel became really intense, and they started to shout to each other. This time, on top of their lungs. Bad remarks, dirty words - name it - flew from one to another, giving clear picture of how deteriorated their friendship had become at that point!
Such intensity (some would say fierceness), it wasn't really came as a surprise when suddenly one of them came lurching towards the other, and in one split second, slapped the friend really hard across the face!

The moment, even though somehow, was expected, never seriously crossed their mind! As the friend who was being slapped fell onto his back to the sand, the harsh reality of what just happened, came crushing on both of them. The still standing one, looked hard on his hand, cannot believe what he just done, while the other, both hands covered his now-red-face, blinking rapidly while trying very hard to contain tears that i would say, have nothing to do with the pain on his face... if you get what i mean.

The silence afterward was really unbearable for both friends. Almost to the point of deafening, if i might add. Nobody really wanted to move. As if by moving, they will finally admit the inevitable; that their friendship was failing! And that, they just realized, was something they were not ready to face... yet.

The first one to move was the one with the red face and broken heart. He pushed himself up into sitting position and stayed there longer than any of us would. Well, who could blame him? The guy was just hit by his best friend!

What he did next, was really unexpected. Even to himself.

Silently and slowly, he wrote something on the sand beneath him.

'Today, my best friend slapped me in the face...'

*Wait for the second part of this story in Best Friends 2

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WALK!

2008-07-27T22:11:00.004+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

Last Sunday, as i told in the last entry, the 'Walk for Life' program was held, organized by Tesco for MAKNA.Conclusion first: It was a good program with a lot of fun, and definitely worth all the hype.

So full of spirit, me and my good friend, Mullah; we were there, at Taman Tasik Titiwangsa since 6.40 am. The air was cool and steady, and the sky canvas was still dark in colour, but there we were, breathing hard while finding our way to the starting place - hmm, i didn't know the lake was really big until that very morning!

Later, we were joined by another of my good friend, Alias; and together we went to settl our registration and get our t-shirt. The program started at 8 a.m sharp, and for 4.5 km after that, the three of us joined another thousands of other participants, walking slowly at first before picking up our paces towards the end, a little sweaty but still full of energy.

It was a piece of cake - the walk i mean - because what we really did was... walking! But, that was where the fun came from. All around us, life was at its brightest and to its fullest. People were talking and laughing like there was nothing to worry about in this world.

We can see parents with their youngs, some with strollers, and some with their small kids on their shoulders, all having a good quality time as families.

We also can see friends, all in groups, talking and laughing while taking pictures, clearly enjoying themselves in each other's company. That, still not to mention couples, school's representative, community groups, and so many others that make the numbers of the participants - in my estimation - nearly 5000.

Overall, the whole program was like a huge social event, which would be even better if you brought along all your families and friends with you.

I have this one thing in mind; that for the next event like this, i will urge all my friends to come with me and just enjoy ourselves, just as you should do so too...!

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Walk For Life (MAKNA)

2008-07-25T19:04:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

This Sunday, TESCO will organize 'Walk For Life' to raise awareness and money for MAKNA (Majlis Kanser Malaysia).

This program is not only for raising money fro cancer causes, but also to encourage the public to stay fit and healthy by encouraging exercise as a vital part of cancer prevention.

You can register at any TESCO Hypermarket by only RM10.

The details are as follows:

Date: 27th July 2008 (Sunday)

Start time: 8.00 a.m.

T-Shirt Distribution: 6 a.m onwards

Venue: Taman Tasik Titiwangsa, Tapak A

Make a difference in fighting cancer, one step at a time!

There's this one proverb...

2008-07-23T15:34:00.005+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

There's this old Persian proverbs that i wanna share with all you guys. As much as i impressed with the message, i also equally impressed with the poetic and melodic language. Enjoy...

He who knows not,
And knows not that he knows not,
Is a Fool, shun him.

He who knows not,
And knows that he knows not,
Is a Child, teach him.

He who knows,
And knows not that he knows,
Is Asleep, wake him.

He who knows,
And knows that he knows,
Is Wise, follow him

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101st: my first ever entry - revisit

2008-07-18T10:24:00.006+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

Today i feel like going down the memory lane to my first ever entry for AidanZ.
Call me sentimental.. cause i kinda am, you know.
So, bear with me okay, cause this entry is like a memorabilia for me..

Assalamualaikum

This is my first attempt for my own blog...
Wow, isn't that wonderful?
(I can't help it, but at this time, i close my eyes, take a deep breath, and after that, slowly exhale... very slowly - just to savour the moment!)

Okay, (i opened my eyes) now i've got my own blog.
What do i do with it?

Hmmm, well, i'll figure it out later.
But one thing for sure,

It will be personal,
And it will contain almost everything that happened in my life.

I'll put my heart and soul into it.
From deep inside of me...
To the width of the world around me...
Joy and sorrow,
Happiness and misery,
Hopes and frustration,
The journey of my life...
And others around me...
Can be seen, clearly... and transparently...
Through my eyes.

'Till next time,
Z

Huh, it's really comforting to know that i still stay true to the course of this blog. i just hope it did at least a little good to other people if not as much as it did me.

Thank you,
AidanZ

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100th: Be healthy and stress-free..

2008-07-18T07:34:00.008+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

(This is the 100th entry for this blog. Always the positive, i take it somewhat as my personal achievement. Wow. 100th! I certainly wouldn't believe it the first time i set up this blog April last year - although with almost 6 month sabbatical, hehe. I want to take this opportunity to thank Mullah and Kulan for helping me with this blog not long before. And of course to all the regulars that keep coming and visit. Thank you guys. Hmm, macam celebrity lah pulak. Already looking forward to the next hundred...!)

Not so long ago, i talked about wanting to expand my circle of friends. 2 circles actually, which i personally called: tennis-buddies, and gym-buddies.
Alhamdulillah, i could say the circle keeps growing now, especially the gym-buddies circle. In fact, from the so-called circle, come these facts that i want to share with you here...

The followings are the fitness tips of how to boost your energy.
When you mixed with a really hardcore gym guy, that's what all you will listen to: Take more protein and less carbohydrate! Take carbohydrate only when you're about to go to gym! Take supplement to strengthen your muscles! Or take protein supplement 30 minutes before work-out and 15 minutes after that! And so many other 'take this' and 'take that' of the things you never even knew exist before!

Well, that's the gym-hardcore, which i still am not.. yet.

But i don't want to talk about the gym here. i'm here to share something that i hope will make you and your day better. Hopefully, it will help increase the quality of your life too.

10 energy-boosting tips:

1. Go to bed by 10.30 pm every night. The body rejuvenates itself better before midnight than after midnight.

2. Get up at the same time everyday. Your body works best when you follow a routine. It is actually better to get up at the same time every morning even if you go to bed late.

3. Get plenty of sunlight. Try to go outdoors for some time everyday. Even looking at the sun throughout a window helps!

4. Get 20 to 30 minutes of aerobic activity five times a week.

5. Eliminate or greatly reduce sugar from your diet. Sugar wreaks havoc on your blood sugar levels and causes energy highs and slumps.

6. Eat breakfast. It takes three to five hours to convert what you eat into fuel for the body. If you do not eat breakfast, you will be running on empty for the rest of the day.

7. Take a five-minute energy break every hour or 1 1/2 hours. Get up. Walk aroud. Do eck rolls. Take five deep breaths. Refocus.

8. Avoid caffeine. It is a drug. It will give you an energy boost but it will also drop your energy levels like a hot potato when its effects wear off. Caffeine will also affect your sleep.

9. Drink plenty of water. Have 8 to 10 glasses a day. Dehydration is one of the main causes of fatigue. 10. Think positive. Negativity affects your mood, job performance, physical appearance, health and even the others around you. Optimistic people are likely to be healthy, energetic and successful.

Lastly of course, always pray to Allah for the strength and guidance in every way and in everything we do.

May we become a better person, in and out, mentally and physically, in this world and after...

Lagenda Elfarren

2008-07-15T08:32:00.001+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

Alhamdulillah, yesterday i have the first meeting with an editor from Arus Intelek Sdn Bhd about a possibility to publish my long-kept-with-not-really-excellent-review fantasy book, Lagenda Elfarren...

It's been a new experience for me, just by meeting with somebody that has actually shows interest in my writings. And what's more, it was also very comforting - and still very much is - to hear from somebody else's mouth that my book can be considered as okay and even has potential to begin with!

And what's more important, the slight chance of maybe being published, lifts my spirit to get back to my writings and to improve myself more on it.

Even if things didn't work out the way i want, i will still remember this feel-good-feeling to keep me going in this thing i've come to love so much and try much harder in the future, InsyaAllah...

Meanwhile, i will savour this little triumph with joy and full gratitude to Allah The Almighty...

AidanZ

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What is our legacy?

2008-07-09T18:43:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

What is our legacy?

The above question came to me more than a month ago.
At the time, i was in Borders Bookstore, The Curve, immersing myself in a couple of new-released books, fully enjoyed my quality time alone there...
I have this habit of taking 2-3 books at once and bring them with me to the sofa, even though i'm pretty sure i will read only one.
So, at the time i happened to take this one book titled "Three Cups of Tea" with me. What makes me took the book at the first place is because of its striking cover: Three young girls at the age of about 9 years old, sit together while each reading a book. All three girls are wearing tudung, and they have the air of innocence on them that makes us wanting to hug and protect them at the same time.

The writer of this book is the one who i want to talk about; Greg Mortenson.

In 1993 Mortenson was descending from his failed attempt to reach the peak of K2. Exhausted and disoriented, he wandered away from his group into the most desolate reaches of northern Pakistan. Alone, without food, water, or shelter he eventually stumbled into an impoverished Muslims Pakistani village where he was nursed back to health.

While recovering he observed the village’s 84 children sitting outdoors, scratching their lessons in the dirt with sticks. The village was so poor that it could not afford the $1-a-day salary to hire a teacher. When he left the village, he promised that he would return to build them a school.

And return there, he did!

Fast-forwarded years later, and after several life threatening events such as threats from fellow Americans for helping Muslim children, a fatwa from an angry Islamic cleric for educating girls, and 2003 Afghan firefight between opium warlords, he succeeded in his mission - to build the Muslim children a school!

And he didn't stop there. Today, Mortenson had set up over 60 schools and as a result over 25000 children had been educated.

And once again i want to emphasize here that those children are Muslim, and that Mortenson guy is not!

I don't have to ask this, but still i couldn't help myself not to: How in earth this one non-Muslim guy, can sacrificed everything in his life and endangered himself, just to help those Muslim kids? Where are we? Where are the other Muslim?!

This Mortenson guy leave a strong legacy behind him. A legacy i doubt i can top in this life, but nonetheless give me a challenge and inspiration to do something good and worthy for the world.

Let's together make our presence felt, even in the smallest sense. Don't be like what 'pepatah melayu' said, "Datang tak menambah, pergi tak mengurang"

Allah creates each one of us unique in our own way. Let's explore it and use it to do some good in this world! Let's face Allah in the Judgement Day knowing we had use our ability and gift to help others and help the world to be a better place...!

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And The Champions Are...

2008-07-07T09:39:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

Wimbledon finished early this morning (local time) with a new men's champion emerged replacing 5 time defending champion, Roger Federer.

Rafael Nadal, a claycourt specialist won his first Wimbledon (grass) title when he defeated Federer in 5 set thriller: 6-4, 6-4, 7-6(7-5), 7-6(10-8), 9-7, in a 4 hour and 48 minutes match, the longest match in Wimbledon history.

Huh, such was the intensity of the match, i still got the headache when i went to sleep at about 3 am this morning...

On the women's side, defending champion, Venus Williams defeated her younger sister Serena Williams, 7-5, 6-4, on Saturday to win her fifth Wimbledon title.

Both the winners got 750,000 pound sterling (about USD1.5 million) each, and also become the member of the exclusive All-England Club there in London...

The champions are as i predicted, and i particularly very pleased with my favorite player, Nadal for ending the reign of Federer, although i was a little bit disappointed with my other favorite, Sharapova for crashing out on the second round...

Good luck to them, and borrowing Nadal's line when he wanted to lift his spirit during the match,

VAMOS...!!!

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The Gift - The Present.

2008-07-01T15:08:00.005+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

"Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery. But Today is a Gift. That's why it's called the Present."

That is from a movie i saw recently. And i couldn't agree more.
As i always told myself; learn from the past, plan for the future, but live your life fully in the present.
If people asked me, i would say, the first two are the recipes for SUCCESS, but the last one is the recipe for HAPPINESS!
Ask yourselves: Did you give yourself chances to enjoy this life, NOW, rather than LATER? Or you're so BUSY sacrificing your present for the unknown FUTURE?

Or maybe the real question is, DO YOU LET YOURSELF TO BE HAPPY?!

The Key:
Do things that would make you happy! Things that would make you appreciate this life better. And that would make you feel grateful to ALLAH THE ALMIGHTY, because you are still breathing in this beautiful world, still living your precious life, and still have the time to getting immerse in all the goodness in it.

Life is short...
You may never get a second shot for anything you missed NOW...
So, let's together.. take a breath.. and start living our life...!

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WELCOME BACK!

2008-07-01T06:48:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

A little bit late here, but still i want to say Welcome back to Malaysia to Shu, Lan and my niece Tisyia...
I hope to see you all soon as i can't wait to see Tisyia...

Bye
Uncle Z

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Wimbledon 2008

2008-06-23T16:19:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

Today(23/06) is a big day for me. Hehe, don't make face, but today is the start of the Tennis Wimbledon Championship 2008.

Until the champion emerged next Saturday (for ladies) and Sunday (for men's), i will get to see all the best players in the world compete against each other for the most prestigious tennis tournament in the world... for two weeks time!
Huh! That's a lot of tennis and i feel excited already...

For those who are interested, just tuned to 813, StarSport Channel.
Don't miss it...!!!

Until next time...

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Change your lifestyle...?

2008-06-23T15:36:00.004+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

Recently there are news all around that says demands for motorcycles and small cars are increasing big time...
While at the same time, the price for 'big' cars were declining...

Also recent article by a local newspaper reported that the roads and highways are almost empty compared to the same time last year...

And another report that sales by big hypermarkets and even small groceries shops are also in declines...

Well, everything just goes back to the oil price, and just to quote our 'beloved' PM; maybe this is the time to change our lifestyle...
I talked to my friend, R, once that "you smokers are the luckiest one!"
Why? Because just imagine, once they quit their smoking habit, they are actually saving like... RM100 to RM 200 per month! (hehe, you might as well become a fitness first member by that amount! Right 'R'!). Non-smokers like me didn't have that privilege...

Hmm, but talking about changing, i also already did one important change. i just took my motorcycle back! After two years, the riding was a bit shaky, but at least, it didn't empty my pocket! As for my car, either it's raining or traveling back to my hometown, it will sit in the parking quietly and comfortably...

Hey, nobody said changing was easy...!!!

Okay, until next time...!

Gym-hunting... and finally... Fitness First.

2008-06-15T16:54:00.006+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

Weeks after i started thinking seriously for a gym, i finally decided to join Fitness First.

It wasn't hard.. the decision i mean... as i took only half an hour between thinking and signing the paper. Together with my housemate, Iidil, we officially became a member of Fitness First last Thursday night...

In summary:

1. For this month, i only pay RM99 (registration fee) as it coincides with 1 month free membership promotion.

2. Then, every month RM 175, for one whole year (under lifetime package)

3. Members can opted to pay by credit card or debit card (deduction will be made from Maybank account on day 1 monthly)

4. You can go to any of 12 Fitness First branches in Malaysia, and any other 500 branches all over the world when you go overseas.

5. There are Yoga, combat dancing, pump-body and many others under group activities, are all included in the package.

6. There also Sauna, Steam-room... and Showers of course.

7. When you become members, you will get gifts like FF bag, towel, headphone, and a container. If you are quick to make friend with the trainer there -like me-, you can get a nice FF t-shirt too.

8. You can discuss your fitness goal with your trainer, either you want to lose weight, gain weight, build-up muscles or anything... they will help you.

Hmm. Okay, suddenly i felt like a merketing exec for Fitness First and i better stop now.

I really hope to share this with as many people as i could get. If you have time and motivation, make you health and fitness your priority. How good is your money if you don't take care of yourself from now, right?

Give it a try, and you might start to see the world.. and yourself, differently...

The Inevitable Circle of Life

2008-06-11T18:16:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

These last few days, there were string of event that made me wonder about one very important thing in this life...

First, when my good friend, Hasrul, came from Sarawak for a holiday, we joked around of who will get married first. He told me, back at Sarawak, he was being hammered with the one million dollar question of "when are you going to get married?", almost everyday! I know a little bit about that as I too, was so frequently being asked the same question. Syukur it wasn't in a daily basis..!

Second, last Sunday, i went to my ex-housemate, Apen's walimah. he was 2 years younger than me, and as would've been expected, it prompted the inevitable question to me, "when is my turn?". To Apen, I wish him all the happiness in this world, and 'thanks' because of his 'langkah bendul' made me the target once again...

Third was yesterday. One of my best friend (i decided not to mention his name here... not yet) called and after a brief chat, he said someting that really caught me off-guard, "Zahar, i'm going to be a father!" It was really a very pleasant news as he has waited for this for 2 years. Finally Allah granted him a child and I feel very very happy for him.
To Iceman, CONGRATULATIONS! And in a more personal note, thanks because you told me i'm the first to know about the news aside from your family. I'm honoured...

Fourth also happened yesterday. i had a tuition at Bandar Sri Damansara when i received the SMS. It said, "Zahar, aku dah jadi bapak. Baby boy, lahir 12.30 pm tadi..". It was from my good old friend, Hafiz from Triang, Pahang. We were always being very closed before, and i was there when his father passed away and when he was getting married last year (wow, seems like yesterday..). Later, i called him and we talk about a lot of things. lastly i said to him, jokingly, "Ha, dah ready ke nak jadi ayah orang ni?". As usual he laughed before he replied, "Entahlah Z. InsyaAllah. Walaupun rasa macam tak percaya je..."
CONGRATULATIONS to you too Hafiz. I'm very happy for you, my friend!

So, that was what happened these last few days. An almost complete circle of event, if you asked me. Everyone will face it, me included. It makes me wonder, just like my friends keep asking me, 'when is my turn?'

Roland Garros 2008

2008-06-07T21:19:00.004+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

Bonjour... Bon week-end
Comment allez-vous?
Qu'est-ce que vous avez fait le week-end? (What are you doing this weekend?)

Aujourd'hui, la finale dames de French Open (Today is the women's final of French Open)
Demain, la finale monsieurs entre Rafael Nadal et Roger Federer. (Tomorrow, men's final between Nadal and Federer)

I don't know about you, but moi, j'adore le tennis beaucoup! (Me, I love tennis very much!)
In fact, these last two weeks, has been like heaven to me. And with the spirit of French Open, i certainly play better tennis than usual..
Ooh, and listening back to commentaries for the Grand Slam Championship kinda reminded me of my little French language i learned a couple months ago. So i tried my best to recall back what little i know and write it in here.
So, forgive me if the sentences above make little sense to you k.. hehe.

And by the way, don't forget to catch the men's final between world no 1, Federer vs no 2, Nadal at Astro Supersport (811), Sunday, for the title. I hope Nadal win!

I also want to take this opportunity to ask if there are others who play tennis out there, and lived here around KL. You know, i'd love to make new friends, especially new tennis buddies...

Paris... Je T'aime.

Pak Lah vs Barack Obama

2008-06-06T07:16:00.010+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

As for now, every Malaysians knows about the increased oil price, hiking high from RM1.92 to RM2.70.
One word: RIDICULOUS!
Two words: UNREASONABLE & UNBELIEVABLE!!

And to think back about the whole thing, i still can't believe it could happened, especially after the BN-led government just lost the 2/3 majority in the parliament!

Didn't they get it?! the people were rejecting them. But they still manage to alienate and risk the wrath of the people, over and over again.

Hmm, things must be really, really bad up there, Huh, PakLah!

But today is Friday, and i don't want to ruin the beautiful day talking about our stinking leaders...

Because there's another leader, a great one, from the other side of the world, and has just captured the heart of his countrymen and women with his fresh and new look of politics. And he certainly captured everyone's attention, not just with his eloquence and powerful oratory skill, but also with his capacity and ability to strive against all odds to be the first black president of United States of America.

And unless you're from another planet, i'm sure all of you know who the guy is: Barack Obama.

Born from a black father (a Kenyan) and a white mother, Obama certainly benefited from his unique background that enable him to see the world from its core. Coupled with his attentiveness and great mind, he emerged from his childhood, already armed with sharpness few young people have at young age.
Fast-forwarded years later, he graduated from Harvard Law School, practice law and occasionally taught Law at Chicago University.
Then, his political career began and after strings of up and down moments, he was elected a senator of Illiois.

He wrote two books that became best-seller; Dreams from my father and The Audacity of Hope.

And then, he decided to run for president in what would be a historic race against Hillary Clinton to be the first black president or the first female president in the history of America.

To tell about the grueling and arduous series of primaries and caucuses to elect the candidate for Democrat Party for the presidential election in November; won't be enough here. But, enough to say, the 5 month process was full of controversies, when every aspect of the candidate being closely watched and scrutinized by media. Not to mention, the vicious attack from his opponent, the ferocious Clinton, who would do anything to get victory to represent Democrat in the upcoming election.

But clearly the message of 'Hope' and 'Change' by Obama, proved too strong for Clinton to overcome especially when she is represented what Obama called as the 'same old politics'.

Last Tuesday, Obama crossed the threshold of 2118 delegates to officially become Democrat's candidate for November election. As of now, he is everything that previous presidents didn't. He's young (still 46), well-educated, black, and more importantly, he brought new messages of change to bureaucratic problems in Washington.

As for me, his firm rejection of the war in Iraq and the promise to withdraw American troops from there, if he was elected president, is good enough to admire him. Plus his willingness to talk with all the 'enemies' of US, instead of going to war like Bush, makes me really rooted for him.

But the most important thing, i think, that makes people drawn to him is because he is willing to challenge the old system of politics in US and established a new and fresh one. When the old system proved to be a burden to the people and no longer can served the people properly, it ought to be changed or knocked far aside.

Maybe Pak Lah and his cabinet members should learn something from Barack Obama. While it was being very clear that he has no intention to hold on to The Ruling System Of Islam (Sistem Pemerintahan Islam & Hukum Hudud), or to follow the lead of Rasulullah SAW, in ruling Malaysia; the least he can do is to make the best out of this current secular system this country has been adopted for so long.
Sadly, even that, he failed miserably...

Don't you think...?

True fitness

2008-05-28T15:26:00.005+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

Wow, it has been a very long hiatus for me to write in this blog. Seems like forever. Hmm, that's what happened when you lived for two weeks without internet connection...
But now, everything went back to normal, i found myself giddy with so many things to tell in here;
HK, books, interesting lessons, my 'graduation' day for French and English Classes, and so many others.
At last, after a long debate with myself, i chose to tell one of my recent experience, a very valuable one, and of course, full of excitement too.

It all started with a phone call from my brother, Aizzuddin. He told me he just had a call from True Fitness Gym offering him a one week trial there. Since he lived afar from the gym (he, in Klang, while the gym, in Sri Hartamas), he gave the caller my name instead.
To make the long story short, i received the call 5 seconds after that, and before i hung the phone, i promised to accept the trial, starting the week after.

The day before the trial started, i got 3 calls from True Fitness, confirming my appointment with them. You can imagine, the whole thing made me nervous somehow. Lucky i invited my good friend, Din to join me. He already became a member of a gym near his house, and he was very eager to see the differences.
And a lot of differences we saw there!

Sri Hartamas branch of True Fitness probably one of the smallest from 4 branches of True Fitness in Malaysia. But it is still very huge for me. Consist of 4 floors, it is full of modern and advance machines, together with 3 or 4 studios and halls for yoga and 'senamrobik'. It looks like, for every part of our muscles, there's a machine design specifically for it!

The first visit was full of explanations and promotional talks courting us to become member. But as would have been expected, the fees are so expensive, i have to decline the offer. But nevertheless, we're being provided with a trainer each to show us how to use the machines. For one hour, i tried almost every machine with great interest... and great pain...!

At the end, I survived the day not only with pain, but also with more determination to make the most of the one week free trial. Tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, i will come every day, i said to myself confidently.

And guess what? I did it! Almost. Except for one day, when the pain was so unbearable, i went to the gym everyday. Feeling better each time and feel confidence to push myself even harder each passing day.
Of course, just like everything else, we need motivation to do unusual things like this. For me, i was very fortunate when my housemate Iidil, agreed to go with me every night. Other than that, the motivation came in the form of the best nescafe latte' i've ever taste in my entire life! Call it a sin, because obviously, the calories are very high! But the free nescafe certainly captivated and fascinated my taste buds!!
Hmm, even until now, when the free trial had just finished, i still thinking of going there just to take a cup of the delicious latte' and went home! Just like that... hehe, lucky i'm still sane enough not to do such thing...

One of the most interesting things while i was there is about one Malay lady i met there. She must be a member there, and i saw her about three times that week. What makes me so interested in her is her attire for the gym. I guess she must be about 40 years old, but i have no way of knowing whether i was correct or wrong, simply because she wears purdah! Together with her loose attire and tudung labuh, she was definitely way.. way.. different from the others in the gym! And i really really admire her for that!!!
Just picture this scenery in your head. In the crowd of almost everyone is a Chinese in there (you can imagine their attire in the gym), there stood a very confident lady, dressed in what she think is right for her and proper for a Muslimah, showing the world that there's nothing wrong to work out in the gym while at the same time, menutup aurat!
Even me, with my long track-bottom, already feel like out of place from the others, imagine the strong lady! I totally salute her, and May Allah bless her...

The whole experience was very invaluable for me. Part of it, because it gave me another chance to explore things outside my 'comfort and rigid zone'. Another reason, and the obvious one, is simply the realization of the needs to take care of my body and health. Unlike the western country, where the young people started joining gym since their teenage years, we Malaysians (especially Malayyyy) have never being concerned about it. And at this point, i think better late than never, right?!

So, what are you waiting? Let's go find a gym...!

The Black 14th Mei 1948...

2008-05-16T14:15:00.006+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

Today, during khutbah Jumaat i learned something new. While every school in Malaysia celebrates 'Teacher's Day' today, which is also coincides with my eldest sister's birthday (Happy Birthday Along!), i just learned, there was another celebration, evil and sad celebration, recently for another anniversary, but from the other side of the world.

2 days ago, (14 Mei) Israel celebrated her 60th anniversary of Independence from British Mandate of Palestine!!

For us Muslims, Israel is a very sensitive issue. it was a never-ending stories of war, crimes, struggles, destructions, and most importantly, religions.
As Muslims, we believe, there shouldn't be an Israel Country!

At first, The Holy Land - including Jerusalem (Baitul Maqdis) - had been given to them.

But they insulted Allah The Almighty by saying:
"O Moses! We will never enter (The Holy Land) while they (ferocious people) are in it. So go thou (you) and thy (your) Lord and fight! We will sit here" (Al-Maidah : 24)

That, my friend, is only the beginning of a very long and dark history of Israel. After that, as Allah told them in Al-Quran, (Surah Al-Isra' : 4-7), they would enter The Holy Land twice, only to be exterminated twice by their enemies...

Our Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam), have told us that the help of Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) is at hand and that the Holy Land will be liberated, and that Islam will re-emerge as the Ruling State in the world.

In another word, the sign of the re-emergence of Islam is so closely related by the liberation of Palestine and Baitul Maqdis. The struggles and sufferings of our brothers and sisters there, are not simply because they denounce and despise Israel with all their being! But also because they believe by toppling the Zionist, it will mark the new era of Islam as the Ruling Religion in this world...

Let us pray with all our heart that the jihad will continue and eventually prevail in the Holy Land.

We always heard people said, we Malaysians are very fortunate because we live in peace and harmony where there are no wars, starvation and sufferings like our brothers and sisters in Palestine now who have to fight tooth and nails just to live and defend their honour.

But for one second, let's think. Put aside all the prosperities and happiness we have now; who are the more fortunate?
Our brothers and sisters in Palestine, at least will face Allah in the Akhirat and claimed that they fight with their life to defend Islam and the Muslims. They died because of their faith and they died while they are in Jihad, knowing that Allah the Supreme will reward them lavishly in Akhirat, the eternal world...

How about us...?! Any idea?!

Want a Sony Plasma TV 32"? Not so easy...

2008-05-09T22:50:00.005+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

In this entry, i wanna share something my friend told me early in the evening today. The story was both bizarre and interesting while definitely very unique. You know sometimes, there's certain story that can make us laugh heartily, shake our head regretfully, angry and amuse, all at the same time?
This story is like that. And it happened today at his office. A man, Malay, big and burly, came to his office about noon and claimed that he was from Kastam Malaysia. For some people, kastam can be both bad and good. Bad - when they are on duty, and good, when they are off-duty. Why? Because when they're off-duty, they come out with so many confiscated/impounded stuff from unsuccessful attempt of smuggling or illegal activities.

So, this man came to my friend's office, and went straight to the big boss' office. There, he made an offer no one can refuse, with the usual punch line for every salesman, "You better hurry, today is the last day for such offer. This is one in a lifetime opportunity."

As if that wasn't enough, he then added, "There are only a few left. That's why you can't tell so many people about it."

So, now i will ask you to take your breath because these were the offer from the 'kastam' man:

Sony Plasma TV 32" with Home Theathre Set = RM 1000
HP Laptop with 4 in 1 Printer = RM 500
Nokia N95 (the latest with 8GB storage) = RM 500

No need to say, the boss, together with one other big boss, a secretary and one other guy in the office felt so excited with the offer. Unfortunately(?) for my friend, he wasn't there at the moment to share the excitement.

The first boss paid RM2000 for all the above, and so did the secretary, while the guy in the office paid RM500 for the laptop. The other boss (bigger one, actually) paid an undisclosed amount of money to the man. If you made a lucky guess, i think, at least she must have paid that guy at least RM4000. But the better bet sure is more...
What happened next, exactly at 12.30pm, the guy with the big boss (a chinese lady) went to take all the stuff. The place? Kelana Jaya. Wait a minute. The guy is a Malay, but he didn't go to Solat Jumaat?! Huh. Shame on him. And it turned out, that wasn't the only SIN he committed.

The rest, i think you can already predict. After the big boss handed over all the cash, the man asked her to wait in the car while he went to 'negotiate' the release of all the impounded stuff and give them to her. But he never return, and after more than 4 hours of waiting, the lady boss went back to the office with the bad news.

So, my friend was very fortunate, he wasn't at the office at the time or he also would have been scammed. I don't care much about the boss. They are rich. RM2000, or RM4000, that wasn't a very big amount to them.
But the secretary and the other guy... i'm sure the bitter taste will linger for a long time after this. Their hardwork-savings vanished, and they left the day with a very definite question but with no definite answer,

"how can i believe the man in the first place?"

Let's ask ourselves. If we were there at these unfortunate peoples' place, could we smell the scam that was just in front of our nose? I think yes, BUT somehow we will tell ourselves, this is just too great opportunity to be missed. If we didn't take it, we will regret it for the rest of our lives...
So this is a lesson we can take. Just be careful... and maybe we better pay closer attention to what our instinct try to tell us next time, huh...

Day 2 (Saturday): Rooftop pool.

2008-05-09T14:36:00.004+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

We started Day 2 with Subuh prayer at 5 am. (In Hong Kong, Subuh begins at about 4.30 am). i still remember vividly about that morning. The second i opened my eyes, i said to myself, my first morning in HK.

At that particular time, almost automatically i glanced outside through the window and saw the view of HK Island. Beautiful, i whispered to myself. The outline of the skyscrapers, with all the colourful lights, twinkling and dancing in the darkness of the dusk... huhu, nothing can beat that panoramic view.

We planned to start moving after Zohor (12.40pm), after jama' qasar Zohor and Asar, meaning, we have a couple of hours to kill. So we decided to go to 17th floor (we're at 14th), and go to the gym.
Just like every other hotel, Sheraton has a gym (Fitness First branch), sauna and a rooftop pool & jacuzzi (pic). The night before, we've been there (i opted to skip that part), and it was really great.

9 am, we went up and after a bit of sweating in the gym, i joined Din at the pool. See the chairs in the picture? There was where we sat until we actually fell asleep! The sun shone softly, and the wind at the rooftop caressing us mildly. Together they coerced us into a sleep... and sleep we did!
A little more than 11 am, we went back to our room, and getting ready for the most tiring day of this journey. Ngong Ping 360, Jami'a Mosque and The Peak!

Day 1 (Friday): Mong Kok - shopping heaven..

2008-05-07T09:26:00.001+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

Mong Kok means 'fluorishing/busy corner'. I've heard of Mong Kok from Din since i was still undecided of going to HK. It is one of the attraction in HK especially for those who want to buy bargained goods with low prices.
In short, it's like our Petaling Street, only much bigger and with more variety.
As a district, Mong Kok, had its name in Guinness World of Record as the highest population density in the world!

To go there, we used MTR (Mass Transit Railway) or subway, which only costed us HKD 5. The place/district where we stayed is called Tsim Sha Tsui, and from there we take the subway to Mong Kok.
I should tell you a little about MTR. It is the most common public transport in HK. And very efficient. Imagine our Putra LRT (2 long carriages/unit) and plus like another 12 same carriages, you will get MTR HK. Also, just like Putra, MTR also moves mostly underground. But picture a double story railway underground in certain places, and you will get the complexity and the modernized MTR in HK.

At 6.30 pm, it was very busy as people just got back from work. We waited for our train and jostling with them to get inti the train.
About 10 minutes and 3 stations later, we emerged unscratched at Mong Kok Station and started our walk to Mong Kok Road.
To show the sheer size of Mong Kok Roads, it was divided into couple numbers of roads, mainly Ladies' Street, selling women's things, Temples' Street or commonly known as Men's Street, Flower Market, Goldfish Market and so many others. Oh, there's also a Fa Yuen Street or Sport Shoes Street, which i didn't know until later.

If any of you plan to go to Hong Kong, Mong Kok is a must-place to visit. In the short visit that evening, i got a good bargain for a Diesel bag (Din help reduced the price from HKD 160 to only HKD 100), and also some key-chains and fridge magnets. The original plan was to just take a look at Mong Kok, before coming back on the final day i'm in HK to do the shopping. But who can resist such temptations of cheap and looking great things all around you, right...?!

Book Review: The Alchemist

2008-05-06T20:27:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

Today, i finished a book titled The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

First published in Brazil in 1988 by a Brazilian author, Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist is the most famous work by the prolific author. In 1993, it was published in English, and since then, has sold 65 million copies and has been translated into 55 other languages, making it one of the best selling book in history.

For so long, i've been thinking of doing book reviews for every book i've read, old and new. But, for some unknown reason, the idea never materialized as i kept postponing it... until today... after i finished reading this book.

'Follow our dreams.. make peace with our heart'

The theme of this book is exactly what i believe and try to practice in my life. As i follow the young hero of this book; a shepherd named Santiago, travel across Mediterranean from Spain to Egypt, looking for his destiny, i feel like he represents me and everyone who read this book in trying to achieve our own dreams in this life.
True, the path won't always easy. More often than not, we're forced to rethink of our dreams and end up.. abandon it. Especially, when it is well outside our comfort world. But one thing that we can learn from Santiago, is how we choose to perceive and face the challenge.

One of my favourite scene, sorry.. part, in the book is when Santiago just realized that he was being cheated by a thief he wrongfully thought wanted to help him. All the money he had, vanished in a blink of eyes, left him with nothing else except the clothes that he wore at the time.

At the time, he heard azan (i just feel it was nice to put it in here..), and when the market where he was at, started to empty of all the people who went to prayer, he did one thing he never did for a long time.

He wept! Really wept!! And after that, he fell asleep. When we woke up, he still feel miserable. And he started to think he was making a mistake by coming to Egypt (hmm, seems familiar? how could i not like this story?!)
But then, something crossed his mind. He can choose to become a victim in this foreign country, or he can choose to lighten up and do something to revive the hope of reaching his destiny. Of course he chose the latter and soon he was laughing his heart out. Why not? He can learn so many new things in Egypt. For example, Arabic...
At the moment, he kept thinking about one thing. A word from a wise-man he met before he made the journey.
"When you really want something to happen, the whole universe conspires so that your wish comes true!" This, i could say is the philosophy and the core of Coelho's writing all through The Alchemist.

One of the sweetest part is when he met his true love, Fatima, in the oasis at the middle of the desert. Oh, i love that part. Even more so when he declared to the girl, "I love you because the whole world conspired for me to come close to you..."

All in all, i strongly suggest all of you to read this book. In fact, so many well-known verses that very close to us from Al-Quran was quoted here and there in this book, make it a-feel-good-reading to everybody.
Oh, and one more thing, if in any case you can't find this book in the fiction/novel section, that's normal. Because big bookstores (MPH, Borders) put this book under self-help section...
I wonder why huh...?

Day 1 (Friday): First 'proper meal' in HK

2008-05-06T08:42:00.004+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

Before i came to Hong Kong, so many of my friends suggested that i used my time there to the fullest.
Meaning, less rest and even less sleep. Use the time to explore HK, and don't ever waste it..
I can tell, that's what i was trying to do for as long as i was there...

Back to the hotel in the first day, after prayer (jama' Zohor and Asar), Din suggested to me to find something to eat. Straight away i said yes! Since 8 o'clock in the morning (when i last ate sandwich aboard the air asia), i didn't eat anything else, and it was almost 4 pm at the time. Plus the exhaustion and the stress for the day, made the need for food even stronger...

Not far from the hotel, about 4 minutes walking distance, is a restaurant owned by a Malay Singaporean. The restaurant is called Shadowman and it is also served as a cyber-cafe. We were greeted by a chinesewoman wearing tudung who seated us at a nice table in the middle of the restaurant. i remember Din told me, that was the exact table he and his wife were seated when they were in HK last year. I just nodded slowly at his comment. Clearly he missed is wife.

Shadowman offers variety of food, including Malay and Western. As the price of all the food there were about the same, i opted for western fused by eastern style. Spaghetti tandori chicken. As for the drink, i chose apple tea.

One think about the meal in HK, it was being served lavishly! Look at the picture, you will see what i mean. The plate was really large, and the spaghetti was really plenty..! I can barely walking after i finished the whole meal.

The price? HKD 50. And it really worth it...

After that, we went to Mong Kok, where i had my first chaotic shopping experience in HK!

Day 1 (Friday): In the Harbour View Room

2008-05-05T08:08:00.008+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

Following my first experience riding a mercedes, through jammed and rain, Din and i arrived at Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers about 3.20 pm. Sheraton is one of the hotels at Kowloon Peninsula, overlooking the beautiful Hong Kong Island to the south. It is located strategically at the intersection of the famous Nathan Road and Salisbury Road.
If you cross the Salisbury Road to the south, you will find SOGO, HK Museum of Art, HK Space Museum, Space Theatre and HK Cultural Centre. And then, 20 steps or more, you will find yourself at the Avenue of Stars, the place where the view of the amazing skyscrapers of HK Island is the clearest and the most beautiful.
As the hotel attendants came rushing to us and carried our luggages away, i waited at the hotel lobby for Din to check-in. Then, about 5 minutes later, we went to our room, at the 14th floor.
The minute we enter the room, i went straight to the window... and wow... the breathtaking scenery of HK Island was in front of my eyes..!
True to what Din has told me repeatedly before, the view from this room was so stunning! No wonder it is called "Harbour View Room". Although it was still foggy out there, i can still see all the places i mentioned above, and the outline of all the skyscrapers stood strongly overlooking us...

This is the only picture i have of the view from our room. Thanks to Din's camera phone. taken early in the morning of Day 2.

I don't know how long the amazement last, and only after that, did I pay attention to the room. Here i give you the glimpse of our room... (taken from the internet)

Look at the window. Believe me, it was a real deal!

The bathroom, as expected, is excellent. As you can see, there's no wall separating the room and the bathroom. Only glass. Meaning, you can also see the view outside while brushing our teeth! So, make sure you close the drape over the glass when you take a bath huh!

I wish you were there with me to see everything that i saw.
Alhamdulillah...

P/S. One of my good friend asked me whether i went to Disneyland HK. I said yes. Here is the picture. But, the story about it will come later, k...

Day 1 (Friday): Being in a Mercedes for the first time...

2008-05-03T20:00:00.005+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

As i recount back of what happened to me in the ferry, i can only remember feeling sick (mabuk laut) before went straight to sleep.

Exactly at 1.40 pm, i walked out of the ferry, onto HK-Macau Ferry Terminal in Sheung Wan, feeling somehow discontent and unaware that i actually just arrived in Hong Kong.
And then, the incident with the immigration happened (no need to repeat it again here), and about 2.00 pm, i was out at Shun Tak Centre, near the terminal.

I have to admit that after the incident, i felt shaky and somehow afraid of the new surrounding around me. More than once, i have to stop telling myself that the journey was a mistake, that something good will happen and I will be out of my misery. The rain and the coldness didn't help. And i stood there facing the road; alone, cold and troubled by all sorts of 'what if' questions in my head.

Occasionally, my phone rang, either for call-in, or sms. But at the time, i only waited for Din to call me. He was coming straight from HKIA, and he told me to wait at the first floor. But i didn't know where's the first floor, so i stay in my position, somehow hoping to see him with a taxi on the road in front of me.

Then about 2.50 pm, Din called. He asked me to wait in front of the starbucks in Shun Tak Mall, because he couldn't find me anywhere. I practically running to the Starbucks and as soon as i arrived, i saw Din.

He shook my hand, but it's not enough. I've been through tough time today and suddenly, he was there in front of me. i hugged him for a while and said repeatedly,
"i'm so relieved Din! So relieved..."
It was an emotional time for me, and as i followed Din to our 'taxi', i mumbled Alhamdulillah over and over again. Din, my buddy was here, and i was safe...

Then something happened, and all the 'tough time' i mentioned just now... just evaporated in the air...
I almost choked when i saw the 'taxi' that was going to take us to the hotel, was a Mercedes! A real, big, shiny one! And the driver was there, waiting to take my luggage and stuffed them into the boot of the car!

It took me a while to drink in the fact that i was in the Mercedes at the time and on my way to Sheraton Hotel! Later, i learned that my friend Din, is a privileged client of Sheraton and the Merc was something like a hotel limo served to bring the client to the hotel from the airport. Only, he chartered the limo to go a long way to Sheung Wan and fetched me there before going to the hotel. With a big... additional cost, no doubt...!

Wow... I don't know if i or anyone else can make that kind of sacrifice for a friend. But obviously Din could and i'm very lucky to have such a good friend like him. Alhamdulillah.

Oh, and should i emphasize more here, that my dream trip to HK has just begun... at that particular time?!

Day 1 (Friday): Macau

2008-05-02T17:46:00.010+08:00

(Please click 'read more...' to read the whole story)

Assalamualaikum...

As i've told before, my flight took off from LCCT exactly at 6.30 am. Except for 10 minutes of turbulence in which i clutched my seat tightly while repeatedly recited selawat and istighfar (who knows what will happen, right?), the flight went as smooth as i can ask from such a small plane like A320 that i boarded.
10.30 am: the plane landed safely in Macau.
Macau International Airport, i can say, is at best, just like LCCT. Maybe slightly bigger, but it certainly far from the grandeur of our KLIA. But that couldn't stop me from smiling broadly as i descended from the plane and walk to the immigration counter.
I'm in Macau, i said to myself. The fact that i'm the only non-chinese there didn't bother me at all, as i kept saying to myself that i was already in one foreign country for the first time, and soon will be in Hong Kong, my real destination.
i passed the immigration place without any incident, and 10 minutes later i retrieved my luggage and walked out of the airport.
Just outside the airport, i found a taxi and as the driver approached me, i started to communicate with him.
"How much is it to go to ferry terminal?" I said.
At first i thought he didn't hear me, but as i repeated the question, i realized that he didn't understand English. Lucky his friend came to us and he seemed to catch the word 'ferry terminal' that his friend totally lost before.
50 HK dollars - the driver gave me signal with his hand. Ok, i nodded. Din already gave me the cost estimations of nearly every trip i will make until i arrived safely at HK, and 50 dollars is okay for a taxi from airport to ferry terminal.
it was a 15 minutes, 80 km/h journey, and as i tried to initiate a conversation, my effort went futile because he seems to not understand a single word that i uttered.
From the taxi i can see Macau tower stand tall above the other buildings.
I also saw 'Sands', one of the best casinos in Macau from the taxi window. everything was so fascinating for me. the weather wasn't really good and it was foggy out there, but still, i tried very hard to see everything that my eyes allowed me to.
The exact fee is $47 and as soon as i said thank you to the driver, i went to find a ferry to Hong Kong. The plan is to go to Hong Kong International Airport and meet Din there. But sadly i cannot go straight to HKIA because Air Asia somehow didn't register there. (i didn't really understand, but that was as far as i was concerned)
So, i went to Sheung Wei instead, one of two HK Harbors, that located at HK Island. (where the incident with the immigration occurred, huhu!)
I bought a 12.30 pm ticket to HK so that i have about 1 hour to take a quick look around Macau and its casinos. Without a camera, i can't take any picture, but one thing for certain, Macau sure invest so much in its casinos that all of them stood proudly overlooking the sea.
Later, i got an information that Macau has 29 casinos that each one of it so grand, any one of it can easily beat Malaysia's genting highlands casino.

12 pm, as it started to drizzle, i hauled my two bags back to the ferry terminal. Oh, by the way, the ticket to HK, caused me $142, and exactly 12.30 pm, the ferry sailed away to HK, leaving behind Macau and all the grand casinos...

At the time, the only thing in my mind was, Hong Kong, here i come...!

Mishap...

2008-05-01T13:25:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

As i promised, i will share about my precious experiences in Hong Kong..
But before that, i will tell about couples of mishaps that befallen me before/within/after my journey.
They served me as a reminder throughout my journey, that not everything we planned will go our way. Instead we have to find the 'hikmah' behind them, while never once forget to be grateful to Allah. After all, all the mishaps were only a very small portion compared to all the gift He gave us along the way...
The mishaps:

I forgot to bring a camera to Hong Kong! Oh, i could hear you sigh when you read this!! Well, it wasn't only you. i was so stunned and upset that Friday morning when i realized i left the camera at my brother's house in Klang. It was really dispirited and disheartened moment for me as it marked the beginning of my journey. And the worst part was, at the moment, it crossed my mind that maybe.. it was a signed that this journey was a mistake...!
I got scolded and humiliated at the Hong Kong harbor by an immigration officer! I was just stepped upon Hong Kong Territory when that happened. i was still feel dizzy and headache from one hour journey by ferry from Macau to HK, i forgot to fill an immigration form to enter HK. That man ( i never had a chance to see his name), shouted on top of his lung to me and asked me to step aside while filling the form. All, in front of the other people! Furthermore, he also shouted at me when i asked him the name of the harbor. As if i should know everything in the first time i ever come to HK!
My phone-loss. (in my previous entry)

Other than that, there were some small things like, the weather in HK, drizzled all day, foggy,very cold, caused me running nose while waiting for my friend, Din to fetch me from that harbor. In short, that first day, is really not a good day for me in this journey.

But as it turned out after that, all those mishaps soon will lead to a very unforgettable, irreplaceable memory in my life.
And here i have to thank my buddy, Din for making the trip, the best 5 days of my life...!

Now, the all mishaps been told, in the next entries, i will try to relive my experience and share it all with you..

TQ

I'm Back...!!!

2008-05-01T10:30:00.006+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

Alhamdulillah, i've landed in Malaysia yesterday (Wednesday) exactly at 5.30 p.m.

My flight departed from Macau at 2.15 pm (delayed from the supposed 1.35 pm) and 3 hours and 15 minutes later landed at the LCCT. Generally, nothing bad happened on the way back, starting from taking a taxi from Sheraton to Kowloon Harbour, and then taking a ferry to Macau ferry deck, before taking another taxi to Macau International Airport, except for a couple of headache here and there.

But then, as i was about to board the plane, i realized my phone was lost! 5 minutes before, i was just text-messaging my sisters, telling them about my flight, and suddenly, it lost! And i have only 5 minutes left... (later i would feel very grateful because of the flight delay..)
Well, to tell the truth, i wasn't really worried about the phone because it was an old one and should be replaced, but i really worried about the line. What if the person who took my phone made an international call? My phone bill sure explode!

As i was searching frantically for the phone, i knew there was only one thing left to do. I've lodged a report, which as usual, was no use. And i still need to block my phone line.
So, i sent an email to my brother Aizzuddin, asking him for help. Lucky Macau International Airport has free internet services. And in the final minutes before the announcement for my AK 57 Air Asia flight, i managed to do so, while praying very hard that my brother opened his email. (5 hours later, i learned that my phone line was successfully blocked, thank Bro!)

That's why some of you can't reach me now, if you try.. Sorry.
I'll tell later, after i reactivate my phone line, and get a temporary phone.

But, in case if you are wondering about HK, don't ever get me wrong. Put aside the phone-loss, the trip to Hong Kong is very EXCELLENT, and i sure recommend you all to go there some day! 100% Sure! Really!!!

I'll tell about the other, nice and amazing stories soon...
Meanwhile, although it was sad to leave Hong Kong, it's good to be back though...!