Murabbi Cinta

I understand from reading his blog that Ustaz Hasrizal Abdul Jamil dislikes being praised. The wise have always cautioned us to be wary of praises because praises can lead to deterioration. I shall therefore refrain from singing praises about Ustaz Hasrizal's Murabbi Cinta and give credits only where they are due.

How shall I do this? Both Aku Terima Nikahnya and Bercinta Sampai ke Syurga greatly changed my understanding and perceptions about marriage and family life. I am now more realistic and pragmatic and also optimistic about being a man, a husband, a father, and a child. I understand that even in the best of families, the exemplary households of Rasulullah SAW and the Sahabah RAHum, happiness cannot be measured in terms of comfort or the absence of day to day turbulence. The real measure of happiness in families is in how they overcome the challenges in their lives. I think this is one of Ustaz Hasrizal's biggest point.

This time around, Ustaz's children are entering the schooling age and this period is with its own set of challenges. In one incident, Ustaz's eldest son, Saiful Islam (the name behind his website, I believe) got into a small quarrel at school because someone had taunted him with a rather unflattering name. An ordinary tiff kids get themselves into, I myself included (once we were planning to open a burger stall and I was in charge of buying the veggies, which was how I ended up being called "Apek Jual Sayur"). Like many instances that he wrote about, Ustaz Hasrizal approached this as a chance to talk about self-control.

As with his previous books, Murabbi Cinta is a compilation of his writings over at Saifulislam.com. Frequently visitors may recognise most of the content. I haven't checked how much of the book are new. More original content would add value to the book because at least readers will get more than just a hard copy compilation. The blending of Bahasa Melayu and English in Ustaz's writing is both refreshing and limiting, in my opinion. While the style may appeal to the urban and educated audiences, the effect may not be the same for those whose English are not quite good. I also think there are some parts in English that can sound just as eloquent if they are written in or translated into Bahasa Melayu.

That said, Murabbi Cinta and the rest of the series should be required reading for every Muslim Malaysian bakal pengantin, pengantin baru and pengantin lama. (Sorry, I just couldn't an word in English that captures the essence of the word pengantin.)

Life of Riley: cerita di sebalik kisah 'Spider-man yang seorang lagi’

Pernah baca blook, atau buku dalam bentuk blog? Mungkin antara blook yang paling terkenal adalah Diary of a Wimpy Kid yang sudah pun menghasilkan empat buah buku. Kelebihan blook adalah harganya yang percuma. Ada sasaran jumlah buku tahunan yang perlu dicapai? Saya sangat-sangat mengesyorkan blook.

Kali ini saya ingin menulis tentang sebuah blook bertajuk Life of Riley (LoR).

Sedikit mukadimah. LoR adalah koleksi artikel sepanjang 35 bahagian oleh Andrew Goletz bersama Glenn Greenberg, bekas penulis dan editor pembantu yang pernah bekerja di Marvel Comics dan pernah terlibat dalam penerbitan komik-komik (ya, komik-komik) Spider-man. Seorang superhero popular boleh ada beberapa komik tentangnya setiap bulan. Biasalah, bisnes.

Subjek blook ini ialah seorang watak bernama Ben Riley, yang juga dikenali sebagai Scarlet Spider, yakni 'Spider-man yang seorang lagi.'

Berbanding superhero lain seperti Batman (jutawan), Superman (makhluk asing) dan Iron Man (juga jutawan), Spider-man adalah superhero yang paling hampir kepada normal. Walaupun dia ada super power akibat digigit oleh seekor labah-labah radioaktif, Peter Parker adalah seorang manusia lelaki biasa yang makan gaji, mempunyai isteri dan perlu melunaskan ansuran pinjaman rumah kepada bank setiap bulan.

Sebenarnya ini satu masalah dari segi penulisan komik. Apabila jalan cerita komik mula mendekati realiti, banyak kerumitan akan timbul. Misalnya jika seorang watak superhero itu melahirkan anak, anak itu akan perlu membesar. Ini akan "mengusiakan" (istilah rekaan saya) kerana pembaca mula meneka-neka usia super hero itu. Selain itu masalah seperti anak dan ahli keluarga diculik oleh orang jahat akan perlu difikirkan. Ada sebabnya kenapa banyak superhero yang bujang trang-tang-tang.

Peter Parker juga inginkan hidup yang normal. Malam-malam melepak di rumah dengan isteri, bukan melompat dari satu bumbung bangunan ke bumbung bangunan yang lain mengejar penjahat.

Di kalangan penulis dan editor mula berlaku perbincangan. Suatu yang drastik perlu dilakukan. Jualan komik juga sedang menurun. Setelah idea demi idea diutarakan serta dibedah hingga lumat, mereka di divisyen komik Spider-man bercadang untuk mengembalikan beberapa watak lama, yang bakal menjadikan hidup Peter Parker sebuah neraka duniawi.

Ideanya ialah untuk memperkenalkan seorang lagi watak yang serupa dengan Peter Parker. Serupa dari segi fizikal, superpower dan memori. Sebuah klon yang sempurna.

Klon yang dimaksudkan ialah Ben Riley. Ben Riley sering dianggap sebagai Spider-man yang lebih mirip dengan Spider-man apabila dia baru diperkenalkan. Tidak seperti superhero lain (yang agak poyo), Spider-man lebih santai, happy-go-lucky serta boleh menumbangkan penjahat sambil buat lawak.

Lama-kelamaan segala isu ini semakin menekan Peter dan sifat ceria Peter berganti serius. Apa tidak, dia sudah pun beberapa hampir-hampir dibunuh oleh supervilian seperti Kraven the Hunter dalam jalan cerita Kraven's Last Hunt, di antara pengalaman paling traumatik buat Peter– dikalahkan dan kemudian dikebumikan hidup-hidup.

Selepas memperkenalkan Ben Riley, para penulis dan editor mula bermain-main dengan satu lagi idea untuk pengumpan lebih banyak peminat: di antara Peter Parker dan Ben Riley, siapakah yang klon (salinan genetik) dan siapakah yang sebenar?

Saya pernah mengikuti komik Spider-man tetapi berhenti sebelum kemunculan Ben Riley. Apa yang membuatkan saya membaca LoR hingga akhir ialah cerita di sebalik tabir penulisan komik Spider-man khususnya berkenaan era Ben Riley/Scarlet Spider. Segala keputusan sama ada yang bijak atau bodoh mempunyai ceritanya yang tersendiri. Glenn sendiri berpendapat idea untuk memperkenalkan Ben Riley merupakan satu idea yang lemah dan berisiko tinggi. Asalnya Ben Riley akan muncul hanya sekejap, tetapi di dalam dunia komik kata putus orang atasan dan kehendak pasaran memain peranan yang amat besar.

Dari watak sampingan, Ben Riley diangkat menjadi watak utama sebagai Scarlet Spider, pengganti kepada Peter Parker. Namun perjalanan itu tidak semudah yang disangka. Setiap cerita walaupun yang fantasi perlu mempunyai logik. Ada watak yang perlu di'mati'kan dan ada yang perlu 'dihidupkan semula.' Ini sahaja sudah cukup memeningkan bagi para penulis untuk melakar plot untuk cerita seterusnya.

Perselisihan faham antara penulis dan editor, watak mati hidup semula serta jalan cerita yang berselirat adalah sebahagian daripada asam garam dunia penerbitan komik. Usaha untuk membukukan LoR masih berlansung, namun dengan begitu banyak pendedahan yang saya rasa agak kontroversial (bagi seorang peminat Spider-man), saya tidak hairan jika LoR akan kekal hanya di Internet.

Er... Jangan Tinggal Daku?

Buku ke-dua daripada Senarai lima buku yang ter... 2009 saya telah pun didaptasi menjadi filem. Dengarnya ia mendapat respon positif dari pengkritik. Ceritanya, jadi benar-benar setia dengan novel asal, boleh dikatakan berat. Berat di hati atau di fikiran, kerana untuk menerima takdir adakalanya amat berat, apatah lagi takdir berkenaan hakikat diri sendiri.

(Tiba-tiba teringat kepada cerita P. Ramlee seperti pada tajuk pos, tajuk yang akan-akan maknanya tetapi berlainan cerita.)

Cinta di Langit Gaza

I have one requirement when it comes to memoirs: they must be riveting. Memoirs are about things that happen, described as best as the author can recall. The best are the ones that make us want to read on.

Cinta di Langit Gaza by Riduan Mohamad Nor fortunately fulfils that requirement. An Islamic NGO activist, Riduan has set foot in many countries, in particular places where Muslims are in need.

Although we Malaysians pride ourselves as a caring and concerned society, activism and volunteer work have never been our strongest traits. We tend to expect the Government to take responsibility for helping people, whether it's the hardcore poor or the people in unfortunate circumstances. Well, I'm pointing the fingers at myself as well, because God knows how much (how little, actually) I've contribute to the well-being of my fellow citizens. In developed countries, the public often rally their resources together to help persons in need without waiting for government handouts. In this respect we Muslims have a lot to learn from Westerners about helping others because they are doing a better job of following the examples of Rasulullah S.A.W. and the Sahabah R.A.

Reading about the situation in Palestine, Indonesia, Pakistan and a few other countries really made me think about how much work needs to be done in order to help Muslims live a reasonably comfortable life. People in Gaza for instance are living in a condition that seem hopeless to some, while being ignored by the neighbouring Muslim countries. The Israeli regime is systematically making life difficult for them by controlling the borders and restricting the access to necessities such as food, medicine and fuel. Riduan paints a vivid picture of what he saw over there, including his visit to the As Shifa Hospital where patients occupy their free time by reading the Quran and zikr.

As a memoir, Cinta di Langit Gaza, opens up a window into the lives of the activists who risk their lives to help others. It's not glamourous life for sure, just ask Dr Bubbles, another activist that I ran into at a gathering (he didn't introduce himself to me as Dr Bubbles, another person told me he was him). May Allah reward them for their sacrifice and selflessness.

In terms of presentation, the book is very nicely put together, despite being published independently. The cover is certainly eye-catching.

The only issue I wish to raise is the editing. And I raise this issue because I believe this book can inspire many people, especially the younger generation. The content could've been better organised, in my opinion, putting together experiences in a particular location under one specific section. And of course, an index would be big help to readers.

I wonder if it's proper to say that I enjoyed this book, a book about Muslims living in adverse conditions, conditions that are too different from that one I'm living in. While I'm sitting at my desk typing this post, somebody in Bangladesh, Pakistan or Cambodia could be lying down on a dusty ground, fighting off hunger and thirst, with no idea whether he or she will live long enough to see tomorrow.

Goodreads Malaysia's 50 Buku Setahun

In case you haven't heard, the good people over at Goodreads Malaysia group is having the 50 Buku Setahun program/challenge all throughout this year. If you think you can read 50 books or more or less even, then join Goodreads, sign up as a member of the Goodreads Malaysia group and start sharing your list of books. The goal is to get everyone into reading more and more books and have fun doing it. And if you read the FAQ, the number of books is not important. It's the spirit that counts! :-)

And no cheating!

Aisyah Ummul Mukminin: Keanggunan Sejati

Rasulullah S.A.W. mengahwini Aisyah R.A. ketika umur beliau enam tahun, iaitu tiga tahun sebelum Hijrah. Ada pendapat yang mengatakan perkahwinan tersebut berlaku ketika beliau berusia tujuh tahun. Fakta ini sering dijaja oleh pihak yang ingin memburuk-burukkan Islam dengan tujuan untuk menyerang peribadi serta kredibiliti Baginda S.A.W.

Hujah ini sebenarnya lemah jika dilihat dari skop yang lebih meluas. Mereka yang ingin menggambarkan Ummul Mukmin Aisyah R.A. sebagai seorang child bride yang dipaksa untuk berkahwin. Hakikatnya, Aisyah R.A. bukan setakat isteri Baginda S.A.W. Beliau adalah seorang yang banyak berjasa kepada umat Islam termasuklah pada zaman selepas kewafatan Rasululllah S.A.W. Di dalam ilmu fikah, Aisyah R.A. tergolong di antara empat orang yang paling dirujuk oleh penduduk Madinah selepas ramai sahabat meninggalkan kota tersebut untuk menyebarkan Islam ke kawasan-kawasan luar. Tiga nama lagi adalah Abdullah bin Umar, Abdullah bin Abbas dan Abu Hurairah R.A. Aisyah R.A. juga adalah periwayat ke-empat paling banyak meriwayatkan hadis selepas Abu Hurairah, Abdullah bin Umar dan Anas bin Malik R.A.

Sekiranya hujah tadi diajukan kepada saya, mungkin saya tidak mampu untuk menjawab dengan baik kerana saya sendiri kurang mengenali Ummul Mukminin Aisyah R.A. Menerusi buku setebal 415 halaman ini saya mula mendapat gambaran tentang beliau, dari segi keperibadian, sejarah hidup dan sumbangan terhadap perkembangan ilmu-ilmu Islam.

Aisyah R.A. mempunyai kecerdasan yang dianggap luar biasa. Hal ini diakui oleh ramai Sahabat serta ulamak termasuklah Abu Musa Asy'ari dan Tirmizi. Malah dalam banyak keadaan beliaulah yang bertanggungjawab untuk memperbetulkan salah faham orang lain tentang tafsiran Al-Quran atau maksud hadis Baginda S.A.W., seperti sangkaan sesetengah orang bahawa Rasulullah S.A.W. pernah melihat Allah S.W.T. Beliau membacakan ayat 103 dari Surah al-An'aam dan ayat 15 dari Asy-Syura untuk memperbetulkan sangkaan tersebut.

Buku ini banyak menceritakan tentang perbezaan di antara Aisyah R.A. dengan para Sahabat R.A. dalam permasalahan berkenaan talak, solat witir, ibadah haji dan sebagainya. Menurut penulis, pendapat Aisyah R.A. sering diutamakan berbanding pendapat-pendapat lain kerana pendekatan yang beliau guna pakai. Beliau menggabungkan kaedah tekstual dan rasional untuk mencapai hukum tentang sesuatu permasalahan. Kaedah tekstual yang digunakan oleh Abdullah bin Umar dan Abu Hurairah R.A. mengutamakan Al-Quran dan hadis sebagai rujukan, manakala keadah rasional yang diambil oleh Abdullah bin Abbad turut memasukkan qiyas selain merujuk kepada Al-Quran dan hadis.

Menjadi isteri Rasulullah S.A.W. memberikan kelebihan kepada Aisyah R.A. untuk mendampingi Baginda secara intim serta mendapat pendidikan dan penjelasan secara terus dari Baginda. Hubungan istimewa ini membolehkan kita mempelajari bagaimana Baginda S.A.W. mengendalikan hal rumah tangga sehari-hari. Antaranya melalui kisah Aisyah R.A. yang cemburu dengan Ummul Mukminin Shafiyah R.A. yang pandai memasak. Di dalam hadis yang diriwayatkan oleh Nasa'i dan Ahmad, beliau pernah memecahkan pecah bekas yang berisi hidangan yang telah Shafiyah R.A. masak. Baginda S.A.W. selaku suami menunjukkan teladan yang baik dengan tidak memarahi atau menyebelahi mana-mana isteri serta membalas hidangan tadi dengan hidangan lain dari rumah Aisyah R.A. Tindakan ini berjaya meneutralkan sebarang konflik yang mungkin tercetus di antara Aisyah dan Shafiyah R.A. Hadis ini juga merakamkan pengakuan Aisyah mengenai perasaan cemburu yang melandanya serta pujiannya terhadap kelebihan Shafiyah dalam memasak. Perasaan cemburu di antara isteri-isteri yang bermadu adalah lumrah, namun kesanggupan Aisyah R.A. untuk mengiktiraf kelebihan Shafiyah R.A. merupakan tanda ketinggian akhlak yang luar biasa.

Terlalu banyak keistimewaan Aisyah R.A. yang dinukil penulis, termasuklah yang mula saya sedari ketika saya menulis tentang buku ini. Harapnya cinta saya dan kita semua kepada Ummul Mukminin Aisyah dan Ummuhatul Mukminin R.A. sekalian semakin bertambah semakin kita mengenali mereka.


(Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, mohon maaf atas apa-apa yang tersilap zahir mahu pun batin.)

Catatan 1431 Hijriah

Orang yang benar-benar faham hakikat Ramadhan akan menganggap setiap Ramadhan yang tiba sebagai Ramadhannya yang terakhir. Nampaknya, setelah dibelek-belek amalan sendiri, saya belum termasuk dalam golongan ini...

***

Kesibukan tidak mengizinkan saya untuk membaca (selain daripada yang untuk kerja) dan perkara-perkara lain seperti mencuba perisian baru. Ada masanya saya rasa seperti ketinggalan. Bukan ketinggalan berbanding orang lain, tetapi ketinggalan di dalam pekara-perkara yang selalu lakukan saya dulu. Ada website yang lama saya tidak kunjungi walaupun selama ini saya salah seorang pengunjung tetapnya. Mungkin ini tandanya hidup saya sudah semakin berubah.

***

Kalau berniaga di pasar Ramadhan katanya sangat lumayan, ‘berniaga’ di ‘pasar amal Ramadhan’ (‘pasar hiper amal Ramadhan’, barangkali?) pastinya akan menghasil keuntungan yang di luar jangkaan. Satu malam beramal umpama beramal selama seribu bulan! Cuma yang akan meraih keuntungan yang terbaik ini adalah mereka yang bersungguh-sungguh dalam mengimarahkan Ramadhan mereka dengan amal soleh dan ketaatan. Mereka mungkin bukan orang bisnes, namun merekalah yang betul-betul faham erti keuntungan. Semoga Allah mengurniakan kefahaman yang sama kepada saya dan kita semua, sebelum tempoh berurus niaga tamat.

I heard myself today

My newest purchase acquisition investment: a digital audio recorder.

I need it for some research projects. So far in terms of discovering things, I just discovered how I sound like.

(Note to self: need to sign up for vocal coaching class.)

Ramadhan karim, everyone. May Allah help to make the best out of this blessed month, amin.

Diskusi Ganding Baca Julai 2010: Kimono Ungu Bersulam Bunga

Rupa-rupanya entri saya tentang Kimono Ungu Bersulam Bunga (KUBB) telah dikesan radar penulisnya sendiri serta Puan Najibah A. Bakar, tunggak grup Good Reads Malaysia (GR-MY). Puan Najibah menjemput saya untuk menyertai Diskusi Ganding Baca untuk Julai 2010 yang membincangkan buku ini.

Berikut adalah soalan-soalan yang diaju (senarai penuh di sini). Saya akan menjawab semua soalan kecuali soalan saya sendiri.

Daripada Isma:

Cerpen pertama, Langit Lazuardi secara kasarnya dibangun lebih dari 70% lebih kurang 40-50% dengan ayat kontot atau pendek. Selalu dalam diskusi sastera yang saya dengari, ayat pendek-pendek adalah ayat pemberontak!? Boleh jadi penulis sedang memberontak ketika itu. Ada sesiapa yang rasa begitu? Atau itu mungkin pengaruh ayat SMS? Ayat orang muda?

Sebagai cerpen awal, saya melihatnya sebagai satu eksperimen oleh penulis. Ayat-ayatnya pendek mengingatkan saya kepada puisi dan sajak. Ada suatu ritma padanya.

Apakah kita orang Melayu optimis terhadap keamanan di Asia Barat? Lebih besar lagi akan kewujudan Palestin merdeka bersama Israel berdaulat? Secara peribadi saya agak terganggu dengan watak Dhaliza, ia tidak menggambar sikapnya sebagai majoriti orang Melayu di Nusantara? Sedangkan,orang Melayu sejak kecil disemai sikap bermusuh dengan yahudi lebih dari orang Arab. Eh, saya lupa, Dhaliza kan seorang kolumnis di majalah antarabangsa(dalam hal ini saya terbayang Fareed Zakaria yang saya geram bila baca tulisan di Time dan saya difaham semua media besar dikuasai orang Yahudi). [DHALIZA, PEREMPUAN MELAYU PRO HAMAS dan DIBERI KOLUM DALAM MAJALAH ANTARABANGSA. Saya rasa ia tidak kena. Kalaulah ia benar (MEMANGLAH FIKSI) saya terganggu dengan watak Dhaliza.]

Saya tidak mampu untuk menjawab bagi pihak majoriti orang Melayu Nusantara. Melalui pergaulan saya dengan rakan-rakan dari Timur Tengah, kita di sini kurang mendalami faktor-faktor yang membantutkan usaha memerdekakan Palestin daripada Israel. Antaranya masalah di kalangan negara-negara Arab yang saban tahun menerima 'bantuan' (baca: budi) daripada Amerika dan sekutunya serta masalah dalam negara masing-masing. Pernah seorang kawan saya dari Iran berhujah, perkara yang ditakuti Israel ialah apabila negara-negara Arab maju bukan setakat ekonomi tetapi juga stabil daripada segi politik dan sosial. Apabila mereka stabil, mereka akan lebih dihormati dan disegani. Selagi mana mereka tenggelam dalam penindasan dan konflik, selagi itu dunia tidak akan mengambil negara Arab secara serius.

Adakah mungkin negara Palestin dan negara Israel tertegak secara berasingan dan aman? Saya lebih setuju dengan pendapat yang perkara ini berbalik kepada umat Islam keseluruhannya. Hanya Allah sahaja yang boleh memberikan kita kemenangan, itu pun selepas kita menepati syarat-syarat Allah.

Tentang Dhaliza, dia seorang yang hampir-hampir tidak akan wujud. Namun melalui sastera, kita mampu membayangkan dunia yang di mana Dhaliza dan ramai lagi seperti dia mengisi saluran media massa.


Daripada Al Ghazali:

Boleh dikatakan hampir keseluruhan cerpen yang terkandung di dalam antologi KUBB ini mempunyai ciri-ciri yang sama – iaitu bersifat anti plot. Ada pro dan kontra menggunakan teknik penulisan seperti ini. Pada awal pembacaan, saya merasa teruja dengan kelainan yang ditawarkan. Apabila sudah hampir ke penghujung; memasuki Jus Soli Jus Sanguinis, keterujaan itu berkurangan kerana saya seakan-akan sudah dapat mengagak kesudahan cerpen. Cerpennya bagus, tapi malangnya tiada variasi. Pendapat anda semua bagaimana? Perlukah Becky meneruskan gaya penulisan seperti ini atau kita menantikan sesuatu yang berlainan? Maksudnya di sini mungkin sedikit twist pada pengakhiran cerita atau apa sahaja.

Jawapan bagi soalan ini akan saya simpan hingga ke hujung entri kerana agak sama dengan soalan kedua yang diajukan oleh Rebecca.

Dan saya juga sependapat dengan Al Ghazali, twist serta kejutan tidak banyak di dalam cerpen-cerpen KUBB. Saya percaya Rebecca akan terus bereksperimen dengan kedua-dua pendekatan plot dan anti-plot.

Isu seputar feminisme, alam sekitar dan Palestin mewarnai tema dalam cerpen. Dan ianya agak berulang-ulang. Bagaimana pula agaknya sekiranya Becky mengambil pendekatan wacana mengenai budaya tempatan pula? Lari daripada isu yang biasa diangkat Becky. Mampukah anda menerimanya?

Maaf, Al Ghazali, kerana sekali lagi saya akan ke depankan jawapannya, kali ini bersama jawapan bagi soalan kedua daripada Puan Najibah.

Tentang feminisme, alam sekitar dan Palestin, saya lihat Rebecca seperti mana-mana penulis lain menulis tentang apa dengan hati mereka. Banyak perkara dan pengetahuan yang peroleh daripada membaca cerpen-cerpen Rebecca, dan banyak di antaranya membangkit semangat saya untuk mendalaminya, seperti zaman Cambria yang disebut dalam Mencari Tuhan di Celahan Cambrian dan juga pelbagai aspek politik dan sejarah berkaitan Palestin dan Israel.

Daripada Haryati:

Kebanyakan watak utama dalam cerpen Rebecca adalah kaum hawa yang cerdik. Kenapa ya?

Kenapa ya, Haryati?, Rebecca? Kata Isma ini satu pembalasan dendam. Jawapan Puan Najibah pula lebih menyeluruh.

Susah untuk saya menjawab soalan ini. Saya percaya yang seorang hawa yang cerdik adalah seorang hawa yang menarik. Dan buku ini penuh dengan hawa-hawa yang cerdik... (Argh.) OK, seterusnya...

Sejauh manakah elemen-elemen cinta berlawanan jenis perlu ada dalam sesuatu karya. Apakah sekiranya elemen ini ditiadakan, sesuatu karya itu akan kehilangan serinya?

Elemen cinta terlalu kerap diulang di dalam KUBB. Mungkin Rebecca boleh meneroka sesuatu yang lain pula pada masa akan datang, seperti hubungan persahabatan, rumah tangga, jiran tetangga atau orang asing yang saling tidak kenal mengenali.

Elemen cinta terutamanya yang melibatkan watak Muslim dan Muslimah adalah sesuatu yang tricky, perlu dilakukan dengan hikmah dan berpandukan Islam sepenuhnya, supaya pembaca tidak keliru tentang cinta daripada perspektif Islam.

Daripada Fisha:

KUBB menghimpun banyak rasa pengarangnya terhadap banyak perkara. Namun, rasa sedih, kecewa, kesal paling banyak mewarnai keseluruhan penceritaan. Kenapa tiada langsung catatan bernada lucu dan satira? Adakah pandangan mengenai disiplin politik dan sejarah harus sentiasa bernuansa begitu?

Barangkali KUBB cerminan adalah worldview Rebecca terhadap politik dan sejarah. Pada masa yang sama, memang banyak juga karya politik dan sejarah yang sarat dengan sentimen sedih, kecewa dan kesal. Peranan karya sebegini adalah sebagai wadah sanubari rakyat. Mampukah masyarakat yang sentiasa aman damai menghasilkan karya politik dan sejarah yang sentiasa menggugah perasaan merentasi zaman?

Tentang ketiadaan catatan bernada lucu atau satira, saya percaya ada kemungkinan ia bakal timbul dalam karya-karya Rebecca yang akan datang. Atau tidak sama sekali. Gaya penulisan lucu atau satira tidak sesuai dibawa oleh semua penulis, dan sebaik-baiknya penulis menulis dengan gaya yang dekat dengan hati dan jiwa masing-masing, di samping terus bereksperimen untuk mengembangkan bakat dan mencari pengalaman.

Kenapa sekian banyak peristiwa yang terakam dalam kebanyakan antologi KUBB, kimono (mungkin merujuk Jepun) menjadi tajuknya? Mengapa bukan kaffiyeh yang menjadi tanda, sedang pengarang banyak mengangkat citra Palestina?

Pemerhatian yang tajam oleh Fisha. Daripada pemerhatian saya pula perkara ini lebih kepada produksi buku. Mungkin kimono dipilih kerana lebih dikenali umum berbanding kaffiyeh.


Daripada Puan Najibah:

Seni kulit buku ini saya rasa lain dari yang lain. Anak saya bertanya, “Kenapa muka dia marah, Umi?” Suami saya kata, “Macam orang jate muko dio.” (merujuk kepada aura air mukanya). Sesuaikah ilustrasi kulit dengan citra dan nilai dalam koleksi cerpen ini?

Kulit hadapan buku ini mengingatkan saya kepada komik X-Men (yang pernah saya kumpul suatu ketika muda dahulu). Pilihan pereka kulit ini berani tetapi tidak selari dengan falsafah mengenai apa itu kimono dan pemakaiannya. Seperti yang sebut dalam entri saya tentang buku ini, kulit hadapan ada mengandungi unsur berani (boldness), sesuatu yang dipunyai oleh kebanyakan watak-watak cerpen Rebecca. Ideanya boleh dipuji, tetapi falsafah dan konsepnya yang perlu diperhalusi.

Kebanyakan cerpen Rebecca mengangkat latar luar negara. Malah ini boleh dikatakan menjadi kecenderungan para pengarang muda sekarang, termasuk sesetengah pengarang lebih berusia. Fenomena ini juga meluas dalam latar cerpen2 yang dicalonkan untuk HSKU 2009 baru-baru ini, ada latar Pakistan, Mesir, Jepun dan lain-lain. Apa pendapat anda mengenai perkara ini? Kita masih banyak isu tempatan untuk diangkat berdasarkan latar tempatan, kerana negara kita sedang bergelumang dengan 1001 masalah sosial, ekonomi dan politik, tetapi kenapa kecenderungan ini terjadi?

(Al Ghazali, ini jawapan saya bagi soalan Tuan yang pertama.)

Satu lagi soalan yang baik. Kenapa agaknya? Adakah generasi baru penulis Malaysia adalah daripada golongan yang berpendidikan tinggi dan/atau yang belajar di luar negara? Ini amat ketara. Saya juga tertanya-tanya, ke manakah penulis-penulis yang bukan daripada golongan yang berpendidikan tinggi dan/atau yang belajar di luar negara?

Saya sependapat dengan Isma. Pemikiran orang kita kini tidak memberi penulis peluang untuk menulis dengan bebas. Cepat betul kita melabel seorang penulis sebagai pro atau anti sesuatu. Dengan membawa cerita ke Pakistan, Mesir, Jepun dan lain-lain, penulis sedikit sebanyak terlepas daripada dilabel. Adakah ini gambaran tahap kematangan masyarakat kita dalam berhujah dan berfikir?


Daripada pengarang sendiri, Rebecca Ilham:

Apakah kekurangan dalam karya-karya pengarang yang membuatkan pembaca tidak berpuas hati (terutamanya tentang latar watak yang pengarang sendiri rasa vague, dan tidak beremosi)?

Kebanyakan perkara yang saya sendiri tidak berpuas hati sudah pun saya terangkan di atas dan di dalam entri saya berkenaan KUBB. Syabas buat Rebacca kerana berani untuk mengemukakan soalan ini dan bersedia untuk mendengar jawapannya. Tidak ramai orang yang sanggup dengar kritikan, apatah lagi memintanya.

Keberkesanan penggunaan teknik anti-plot dalam karya dalam menyampaikan tema-tema yang diketengahkan?

Anti-plot atau tidak, saya merayu kepada penulis Malaysia agar tidak terlalu mengangkat tema, isu serta fakta melebihi cerita. Show, but please don't tell.

Syabas buat penulis yang ada idea dan intelek seperti Rebecca dan ramai lagi. Mereka mendidik melalui karya. Apa yang mereka perlu mantapkan ialah teknik bercerita. Idea dan isu yang dipakej menggunakan cerita yang menarik. Di samping membangkitkan isu, cuba selami impaknya terhadap emosi dan fikiran watak.


Terima kasih buat Puan Najibah, Isma, Al Ghazali, Haryati, Fisha dan Rebecca Ilham.

Kuliah Closer Than a Garment di Youtube

Buku Closer Than a Garment adalah rujukan yang baik bagi mereka yang sedang dalam proses membina rumah tangga. Saya belum berkesempatan untuk membeleknya atau pun membacanya, cuma mampu mengikuti kuliah mengenainya di Youtube.



Saya mendapat beberapa pengajaran daripada kuliah ini. Persepsi remaja yang sedang mencari jodoh perlu diperbetulkan agar mereka lebih realistik dalam usaha mereka. Di sini saya ingin memetik tiga poin penting yang saya dapat daripada kuliah Closer Than a Garment. Tentunya banyak lagi poin-poin penting yang terkandung di dalamnya, cuma saya pilih yang tiga ini untuk kali ini, buat renungan dan ingatan kita semua, khasnya diri saya yang masih belajar-belajar.

#1 Tiada salahnya untuk menyatakan keinginan untuk berkahwin kepada ahli keluarga, sahabat serta saudara seIslam

Ada orang mengeluh, "Kenapa tiada orang yang ada hati dengan saya?" Keluhan ini lahir daripada tanggapan yang sempit tentang jodoh. Walhal jodoh datang dalam banyak cara.

Saya teringat kepada satu kenyataan yang saya baca beberapa tahun yang lalu tentang jodoh yang diatur orang tengah, dan saya anggap kenyataan tersebut adalah sangat bernas, yang berbunyi, "An arranged marriage is not a forced marriage." Orang tengah yang merupakan ahli keluarga atau sahabat atau saudara seIslam boleh mencadangkan calon yang sesuai, tetapi mereka tidak boleh memaksa. Paksaan hanya akan memburukkan rumah tangga yang bakal dibina, dan dibimbangi kesan yang lebih negatif akan menular kepada anak yang bakal lahir.

Saya ada seorang kawan, seorang ustaz muda, yang dengan macho sekali mengiyhtiharkan dalam salah satu kuliah beliau, "Ana sedang mencari calon isteri." Tidak lama kemudian meja beliau ditindani berpucuk-pucuk biodata calon yang menawarkan diri. Sekarang beliau seorang suami dan seorang bapa yang aktif membantu orang lain mencari jodoh.

Jadi kepada sesiapa yang sedang mencari jodoh, janganlah berdiam diri. Maklumkan niat murni saudara kepada orang terdekat atau yang dipercayai tanpa perlu rasa malu. Lagipun, bukankah berumah tangga itu ibadah?

#2 Berumah tangga atau menahan diri, hanya dua ini sahaja pilihannya

Naluri untuk berpasangan adalah fitrah dan ia semakin kuat ketika zaman remaja. Pendirian Islam dalam perkara adalah jelas: berkahwinlah jika mampu dan kawallah diri melalui berpuasa bagi yang tidak.

Bercouple? Boleh, tetapi kena kahwin dahulu.

Pernah sekali semasa saya kecil dan tinggal di Pantai Timur, berlaku kekecohan di hadapan rumah saya. Ada beberapa berkumpul kerana tidak puas hati dengan apa yang baru mereka lihat. Rupanya tidak lama sebelum itu ada sepasang pelancong yang berciuman di tepi jalan (cium, yakni mulut sama mulut). Saya hairan lalu bertanya kepada ibu saya, "Adakah berciuman itu salah?" Ibu saya dengan bijak menjelaskan, "Boleh, tetapi antara suami isteri sahaja."

(Tambahan: dan tak perlu tayang kepada orang lain.)

#3 Jangan lupa tentang bab tentang menyara isteri dan keluarga

Ini khas buat bakal-bakal suami. Benar, rezeki adalah jaminan Allah. Namun, perancangan jangan dilupa. Menjadi suami bererti kitalah yang perlu menunaikan nafkah isteri. Sila rujuk huraian Ustaz Hasrizal mengenai bab ini dalam Nikah, Nafkah, Mukjizat dan Karamah!

Juga jangan pandang ringan perasaan isteri apabila terpaksa tinggal dengan ibu bapa mertua. Jika isteri tidak bersedia, elok usahakan untuk mendapat kediaman sendiri.


Pokoknya usaha. Usaha mencari jodoh yang soleh/solehah, menyiapkan diri untuk menjadi calon yang soleh/solehah dan menyediakan tapak asas untuk pembinaan sebuah keluarga. Usaha dan terus usaha.

Wallahua'lam. Saya bukan ustaz, hanya murid yang masih belajar-belajar.

[ Closer Than A Garment By Ustadh Abu Talha Part 1–9 ]

Kimono Ungu Bersulam Bunga

Lately I'm finding myself coming back to short stories. I can't remember the last time I read a short stories collection anthology but I'm certain it was years ago.

This book is my first short stories collection in a long time. I also just realised that the most of the author I've been reading are men. Time to balance that with some female perspective.

Rebecca Ilham's Kimono Ungu Bersulam Bunga: 15 Cerita Gadis Perantau definitely delivers the needed dose of female perspective. The 15 short stories in this collection explores many themes: feminism, interfaith relations, gender issues and international affairs. Rebecca's female characters are mostly steel willed, savvy and can hold their own against the odds. You won't find them lounging by the pool in some tropical island resort or in a retail therapy session at Harrod's.

In the titular story, we meet Salwa who is exasperated by the patriarchal mindset of the Japanese male. If you watch enough Japanese films, dramas or anime, you'll likely to notice this too. I once read that there's a group of Japanese husbands who are educating other husbands that it's OK to hold their wives' hand in public. No wonder Japanese women went absolutely mad when Bae Yong Joon and the rest of Korean Wave hit their shore.

Rebecca devoted three stories to highlight the issue of Palestine: Jalan Jauh ke Ramallah, Menjadi Naurah and Jus Soli Jus Sanguinis. Each of the stories differ in the way they approach issues like Zionism, the illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories and the lives affected by the conflict.

Yang Aneh Itu Lelaki was the first story I read (I jumped ahead, of course). I always wanted to know what women think of male homosexuality but Rebecca didn't reveal much about the female perspective of it and instead tackled it from the Islamic and scientific point of view.

Every story in this collect has been accepted and published in Dewan Bahasa publications, mainstream newspapers and on eSastera. They are chronologically ordered by the publication date ranging from 2007 to 2009. Two years and 15 published short stories is certainly an impressive accomplishment.

At the rate she's going, perhaps we could expect another collection in a few or so? Before that happens, there are a few things I would like to suggest. The titular story includes a glossary for the foreign terms mentioned, but there are no glossary for the other stories. I'm sure it would be helpful for readers like me who are very much clueless about many foreign countries and cultures, especially terms that help readers get into the story.

My favourite part of the book is Bagaimana Mulanya..., a foreword of sorts by Rebecca herself on how each of the story came about. I'm a big fan of anything behind-the-scenes. I love going into a writer's head and seeing how they work at their writing.

I wish I could say the same thing about the cover. It's certainly attention-grabbing. My main contention is how the make-up is more exotic rather than demure, the quality often associated with the kimono and the Japanese culture. A softer look might better compliment the book's themes and feel. I also think adding "Kumpulan Cerpen" on the front cover can help buyers especially when the books are plastic-warped. That said, the cover design team deserves praise for taking a bold approach.

And if the cover design team was going for boldness, then the cover truly embraces the boldness of Rebecca's writings. This collection is about big issues and strong women. I would love to see Rebecca branch out and tackle the more thought-provoking issues and perhaps even write more redeemable male characters who are still human and flawed, from the female perspective.

Meanwhile, this book has made me curious about the possibility of a hijab and kimono ensemble. I found this is one by an Indonesian Muslimah and her friends. A rather smashing look, isn't it?

(Source: aishliz)

The Notebook

Buku ini pelik. Atau kemungkinan besar, naskhah buku ini yang ada dengan saya sekarang yang pelik.

Pertamanya, saya memperoleh buku ini dari Pay Less Books. Mereka menjual buku-buku terpakai. Buku-buku terpakai tak secantik (atau 'seharum') buku yang baru (yakni baru dibeli), tetapi lebih murah. Selalunya beberapa buah buku di Pay Less sama harganya dengan sebuah buku yang baru di kedai biasa.

Saya ingin mencuba Nicholas Sparks. Ketika ini satu demi satu bukunya sedang difilemkan. Filem The Notebook telah pun keluar wayang pada 2004.

Berbalik kepada kepelikan buku ini, atau naskah ini. Saya rasa naskhah saya ini bukan naskah yang lengkap. Mungkin edisi pra-pelancaran. Saya tidak dapat memastikannya. Antara petanda yang sebuah buku itu mungkin edisi pra-pelancaran ialah mukataipnya yang besar, kadang kala kertasnya dari jenis kualiti rendah, kesilapan dalam bentuk susun atur serta editorial dan sebagainya.

Saya ragu kerana apa yang fahami ketika membaca buku ini berbeza dengan apa yang orang lain faham. The Notebook adalah kisah cinta dua kekasih yang berlainan darjat. Seorang kaya dan seorang lagi kurang berada. Tiada kejutan di situ. Kisah ini mengambil tempat pada tahun 1940an, di mana masih status dan kekayaan menjadi ukuran. Cinta Allie dan Noah bagaikan berakhir sebelum ia bermula.

Agak-agaknya, adakah Allie dan Noah akan bertemu dalam cinta? Cubalah agak.

Ketika lewat usia perhubungan mereka (sudah dapat agak?), mereka ditimpa tragedi yang menguji khususnya kesetiaan Noah terhadap Allie. Di sini saya menemui kepelikan yang saya sebut tadi. Saya rasa kesudahan cerita ini tergantung, seolah-olah naskhah ini sebuah manuskrip yang belum siap. Saya cuba mencari apa yang pembaca lain temui pada hujung cerita ini tetapi apabila saya meneliti babak akhir yang dimaksudkan, saya rasakan ia terhenti begitu sahaja. Ibarat babak orang sedang makan yang tamat apabila sudu sedang dekat dengan mulut. Saya pula tertanya-tanya, itu sahaja? Adakah saya telah tersalah baca buku ini?

Saya pernah terbeli sebuah buku yang berupa edisi pra-pelancaran, edisi untuk previu dan bukan untuk jualan. Ada penafian padanya yang menjelaskan bahawa sebarang ralat di dalamnya adalah kerana proses pengeditan buku ini masih dijalankan.

Pengajarannya? Berhati-hati apabila membeli buku murah. Jangan cepat menilai sebuah buku melalui harganya.

The Pearl

The Pearl is tale of fortune and misfortune, or rather, mistaking one for the other.

Kino, a pearl-diver, could not believe his eyes when he pried open an oyster to find the most magnificent pearl he has ever seen, the fabled Pearl of the World. After spending all his life in poverty, Kino believed that this would change his life. His eyes envision a brighter future for his infant son, Coyotito. His heart full of hope.

In its 89-pages or so, the story of The Pearl is an allegory of every man's fate, fortunate and dreams. We all dream of that chance of a lifetime. We imagine it to occur in such way or in such form. What we don't realise is how we're setting ourself up for disappointment by narrowing our view of what is good or bad. Kino's life did change after getting the pearl, although it wasn't the change he imagined.

Nobody can really tell if something is going to bring benefit or harm. Yet we continue to make judgements about things to happen in our life. To this Allah SWT says in Surah Al-An'am verse 17,

If Allah touch thee with affliction, there is none that can relieve therefrom save Him, and if He touch thee with good fortune (there is none that can impair it); for He is Able to do all things.

Was Kino wrong for being happy? Was he punished for it? In all honesty, we might reacted in the same way if we were in his shoes. Perhaps our assurance lies in believing that every benefit and harm is from Allah, and nothing is inherently beneficial or harmful. He can change benefit to harm as easy as he can change harm to benefit.

The bad things in life can turned around so long as we keep extending our prayers and continue to believe. But it's hard to do so if keep prejudging every thing that God sends our way.

Bad marriage, bad health

Can marital rows make us unhealthy? According to scientists, definitely.

Being married is only good for you if it's a good marriage. In one study in Ohio, immunologist Ronald Glaser and his wife, clinical psychologist Jan Kiecolt-Glaser, recruited 76 women, half of whom were married and half divorced or separated. Using blood tests to measure the women's production of antibodies, they found the immune systems were decidedly weaker in women who were either unhappily married or emotionally hung up on their ex-husbands.

They followed this through with a study of 90 newlyweds who were made to sit face to face discussing "volatile" subjects such as housework, sex or in-laws. Many of the seemingly happy couples quickly descended into hostile behaviour, and in these couples the scientists found the largest declines in immune-system function over the 24-hour period. Fascinated by the implications, Kiecolt-Glaser went even further. She had read about a strange tool – a small plastic suction device – used by her dermatology colleagues which left eight small blisters when used on the arm. Forty-two couples had their arms "blistered", then talked to each other for half an hour, the first time on easy subjects, then the following day, after more blistering, on topics that might create a row. Kiecolt-Glaser found that after the episodes in which the couples bickered, the blisters took a day longer to heal and in the couples in which the bickering was particularly nasty, the wounds took a full two days longer than that.

The message was clear: if you fight with a loved one, it isn't only bad for your relationship, but bad for your body. Kiecolt-Glaser was unequivocal: "Learn to fight without hostility and derision, but if staying married means constantly fighting, from the point of view of your health, you're better off out of it."

Something to think about the next time you and the hubby/wifey find yourselves in a fight.

[ More marital life revelations: The myth of wedded bliss ]

Imam Syafie: Pejuang Kebenaran

Imam Syafie: Pejuang Kebenaran is history novel by Abdul Latip Talib, also known as Pak Latip. In case you haven't heard of him, Pak Latip is perhaps Malaysia's most prolific history novelist, with a dozen or so titles to date. In fact, history novels are not his only forte. Pak Latip have also written teen novels and poetry.

Imam Syafie is one of the four major scholars of Sunnah wal Jamaah. His ideas and teaching, the Syafie mahzab (denomination), is followed practised by large percentage of Muslims including the Muslims here in Malaysia and South East Asia (myself included). Since I'm not knowledgeably qualified to discuss the merits of each of the four mahzabs, I will avoid from commenting on it.

It's also noteworthy that Pak Latip has also wrote novels on all the other three scholars, namely Imam Malik, Imam Hambali and Imam Hanafi. I think it's best that I start with my own Imam.

As a novel, I think this book is an excellent introduction to life and times of Imam Syafie. Pak Latip's style of writing brings to life much of the events in Imam Syafie's life. The idea of history novels is to make readers feel that they witnessing the events as if they are there as it happens. I could picture myself in the room as Imam Syafie's mother discusses with his younger self about sending him to study in Madinah, although I do feel a bit like I'm spying in on a very private family moment.

Born into a very financially adverse condition, Imam Syafie's path as a scholar was envisioned by his parents even before he was born. His father passed away shortly before his birth. Imam Syafie and his mother Ummu Habibah al-Uzdiyyah had to return to Makkah, his parent's place of origin. Nobody would anticipate that the move would make it possible for a young boy from a poor, single-parent family to pursue an education. Living close to Masjidil Haram allowed young Imam Syafie to follow the lectures given by the Syeikhs there. Just think that there could many other poor young boys at that time, perhaps even as intelligent as Imam Syafie, who are obstructed from being educated because of their family could not afford it.

The issue of economy and education was one of the assignments my lecturer gave me recently. It was clearly a broad topic. I had no idea where to begin. I did some reading and wrote a short paper on it. I did not get the marks that I hoped for, but I did learn a lot. I also missed a very important point that my lecturer was trying to make, which is education is always dependent on the economic situation.

I tried to argue that it's supposed to be the other way around, but the more I ponder the more I realise that his point has more truth to it. Imam Syafie almost missed out on education because his family was poor.

Can we solve the problem by opening up education for all? Developed countries like the U.K. have tried with the hope of empowering its society and workforce. They succeeded, but they also ran into an unexpected problem.

The increasing enrolment in learning institutions and reliance on academic qualifications did not match with growth of the the job market. There are more Bachelor degree holders than jobs that require Bachelor degree. As a result, the qualification requirement was raised. A job that originally asks for a Bachelor degree now requires a postgraduate Master degree. The Bachelor degree has now become less valueable. This phenomena known as “academic inflation” is not only afflicting the U.K. but also developing countries and many industries all over the world.

Academic inflation is subject from another book, so let me return to this one. I believe this is a very commendable effort by Pak Latif, educating readers about one of the most important and respected scholars of Islam. The history novel approach makes the subject very accessible for many readers including teens. I suppose it's comparable to watching a biopic film, as opposed to watching a documentary. Like any form of storytelling, dramatisation is added to make the story engaging and relatable to the reader.

The strength of history novels is also its weakness. Dramatisation can alter facts and sequences of events that occurred in favour of making the story interesting. Certain details such as the weather, time of day, personal actions and speech (especially self-reflection) can be disputed. After all, who can really say what goes on in other people's head, alive or dead?

But, no matter. History novel and history books are two different horses of the same stable. Both capable of transporting their readers to new places of discovery. I recommend readers of historical novels including myself to continue our journey with history books, to unravel history as it is as best as possible documented; to ponder, compare, critique and most importantly to learn the lessons therein. As matter of fact Pak Latip's history novels are based on history books, not simply other history novels.

As a history novelist, Pak Latif has opened the door for us. As a history student, he is inviting us to come in.

The Lost Continent

Apa orang lain suka, belum tentu kita akan suka. Atau boleh suka.

Ada seorang pembaca yang saya sangat hormat pendapatnya. Beliau seorang peminat tegar Bill Bryson, dan saya faham kenapa. Bill Bryson adalah salah seorang penulis travel humour yang paling terkenal serta terbijak. Beliau juga dilantik menjadi chancellor Durham University, satu pengiktirafan yang bukan calang-calang.

Jadi saya mencuba Bryson. Selepas The Lost Continent: Travels in Small Town America dan buku ini, saya rasa, terima kasih sahajalah.

Berbalik kepada The Lost Continent, catatan kembara Bryson merentasi Amerika Syarikat. Kata bekas rakan sekelas saya yang juga seorang Mejar, Amerika itu empat zon masa besarnya. Empat! (Jumlah rasminya ialah enam, jika Hawaii dan Alaska diambil kira.) Cuba bayangkan!

Matlamat Bryson ialah untuk menjejaki semula laluan yang pernah dilalui oleh bapa beliau dahulu semasa membawa mereka sekeluarga makan angin pada musim cuti. Bermula dari pekan asal beliau Des Moines, Iowa, Bryson merentasi berpuluh-puluh pekan kecil, bandaraya serta pusat tarikan pelancong untuk membawakan Amerika yang kita jarang-jarang ketahui, dari kaca mata beliau. Dan dari sini segalanya mula hilang tarikan sedikit demi sedikit.

Bryson adalah seorang penulis yang sangat lucu. Saya amat percaya inilah tarikan utama buku-buku beliau. Cubalah jengah ke bahagian buku travel, saya percaya judul-judul oleh Bryson akan ada paling kurang sebuah dua. Kebanyakkannya adalah best seller.

Saya sendiri ada masanya tergelak besar, digetelek narasi yang sinis. Tetapi lawak beliau juga sering kali asidik dan agak juvenile, hampir apa-apa beliau boleh jadikan modal lawak, termasuk ahli keluarga sendiri. Agaknya orang di Amerika sangat tahan kutuk.

Sekurang-kurangnya pengetahuan saya tentang Amerika dan sosio-budayanya ada bertambah walaupun sedikit. Maaf, Encik Bryson, pengetahuan Tuan sangat luas dan penulisan Tuan sangat menghiburkan, cuma lawak Tuan yang membuatkan saya rasa nyilu.

Logik(ah?)

Logik Syarikat Pengeluar:
"Produk kita perlu tidak terlalu baik mutunya. Biar rosak selepas digunakan seketika. Kemudian pembeli terpaksa membeli yang baru. Apabila mereka membeli berulang kali dari kita, kita akan dapat untung yang banyak."

Logik Pembeli:
"Saya perlu membeli produk yang bermutu tinggi kerana duit saya adalah terhad. Saya tidak mahu terpaksa berulang kali menggantikan produk yang rosak walaupun baru sahaja dibeli."

*****

Logik Orang Perempuan:
"Kenapa orang lelaki tidak suka bertanya apabila sesat jalan? Jika mereka berhenti untuk bertanya arah tentu kami sudah tiba ke tempat yang dituju. Itulah lelaki. Ego."

Logik Orang Lelaki:
"Kenapa aku masih tidak berjumpa jalan yang dicari? Mungkin skil navigasi saya sudah tumpul kerana selalu bergantung kepada alat GPS. Baik, saya akan terus mencari di mana saya tersilap dan akhirnya jalan yang betul."

*****

Logik Bekas Penagih:
"Saya rasa saya sudah tidak ketagihan lagi. Saya akan uji diri saya dengan mengambil (bahan ketagihan) ini. Jika saya sudah sembuh, tentu (bahan ketagihan) ini tidak akan memberi kesan kepada saya, bukan?"

*****

Logik dari Syaitan:
"Siang dan malam saya melanggar perintah Tuhan saya. Dia tentu murka dengan saya. Tetapi bukankah Dia juga Maha Pengampun?"

The most important lesson I learned from business and management books

One of the first actual business book I've ever read, a bit idealistic in my opinion but abundantly informative

Reading is a relatively cheap hobby— unless you buy every books you read.

As student in management school, I had to do a lot of reading about business, management, finance, economics and the sort. Most of my reading materials are articles and blogs, which are mostly free (unless we consider electricity and Internet connection as costs). But those aren't enough. I sometimes need to read deeper into certain topics, in which case I need books.

And cheap they are not.

Have you ever browsed the business section of a book store? Just look at the price stickers. If you don't have more than RM50, I recommend you learn speed reading and how to read standing up or in small tight spaces.

I do however see the reason why. Books are merchandise and there have their own markets. For business and management books, the target group are mainly managers and executives and businesspersons, who are often seen as having money to spare. Or, if we look at it from a different perspective, these people don't just buy books. They invest. The books they get are carefully considered for their perceived benefits.

Publishers know this of course. If these people are going to buy in limited quantity, let's bump up the price and go for the highest profit margin as possible.

Interestingly business and management also do follow trends. Back in the 80s total quality management was huge and everybody wanted to follow the Japanese. At one time not very long ago knowledge management was all the rage, and that lasted a while until they realised that even the experts could not agree of the definition of knowledge management. The trends reflect the changes in the business world, which is why we're now seeing tons of books singing praises about the marvels of Internet commerce.

I'm no manager nor executive nor businessperson nor anyone of that bracket. I'm a student. Unlike these people, money I ain't got a lot.

Here's the tricky thing about business and management books. With novels or cookbooks or even coffee table books, we can still try our luck at warehouse sales or stock clearance sales or used books sales, when their prices are way, way cheaper. Business and management books however are often rare at these venues.

I have a hypothesis for this. With business and managements, the quantity ordered by the book store is only as much as they can expect to sell. Hence, most of these books end up being sold with only few excess copies in the warehouse, if any.

If my hypothesis holds, it would explain why I almost never find business and management books, especially the good ones, at these sales. (I could of course try to find them at a library.)

Given the limited money and time (and shelf space) we are able set aside for books, it makes lots of sense to carefully plan our reading and buying. After all, our goal is to read a lot and benefit as much as possible from it. And that sounds a lot like making an investment.

In one interview, our current PM says this is one of his favourite book. I finally got my copy after two years waiting for a discount

The Remains of the Day

Dari mana saya mengenali The Remains of the Day? Dari adaptasi filemnya.



Berlatar belakangkan England pra dan pasca Perang Dunia ke-2, buku ini mengisahkan tentang Stevens, seorang butler di rumah agam bernama Darlington Hall. Pemiliknya, Lord Darlington, merupakan seorang pegawai yang terlibat dalam urusan diplomatik. Tetamu yang keluar masuk Darlington terdiri daripada rakyat pelbagai negara, termasuklah Jerman yang pada awal cerita sedang bersiap sedia untuk menyerang negara-negara Eropah lain.

Sebagai butler, Stevens secara tidak lansung menjadi saksi kepada pelbagai peristiwa yang penting di dalam sejarah Britain. Sebagai orang tengah antara wakil pelbagai negara, Lord Darlington dibebani dengan tekanan yang amat berat. Sikapnya yang agak berlembut terhadap Jerman menyebabkan dia yang dituduh sebagai pengkhianat.

Semua ini adalah imbauan Stevens. Selepas perang Darlington Hall berpindah milik kepada Encik Farraday, seorang rakyat Amerika, yang mencadangkan kepada Stevens agar bercuti dan mengambil masa untuk berehat sambil menikmati keindahan kawasan luar bandar. Dengan buku The Wonder of England di tangan, Stevens mengatur perjalanan menelusuri destinasi seperti Salisbury, Devon dan Weymouth.

Di Weymouth Stevens ingin menziarahi Miss Kenton, yang kini Puan Benn, salah seorang bekas tenaga kerja Darlington Hall. Mereka sama-sama bekerja ketika ayah Stevens masih berkhidmat dengan Lord Darlington. Perkenalan membibitkan perasaan, namun kedua-dua Steven dan Miss Kenton memendamkan perasaan demi profesionalisme.

Seorang butler bukan hanya seorang pembantu. Bidang tugas seorang butler meliputi menguruskan urusan rutin dan peribadi tuannya, memastikan makanan terhidang pada waktunya di samping menunggu di ruang makan sehingga selesai waktu makan dan menjadi teman berbincang serta penyimpan rahsia. Untuk menjadi seorang butler yang secekap Stevens memerlukan latihan yang bertahun-tahun lamanya. Sering kali di dalam perjalanan, fikiran Stevens akan membawanya kembali ke Darlington Hall zaman Lord Darlington, tentang taraf perkhidmatan yang telah dia curahkan. Stevens mengukur dirinya terhadap butler lain yang ternama termasuk ayahnya sendiri.

Cita-cita Stevens ialah untuk menjadi butler yang paling profesional. Profesion butler sedikit sebanyak adalah legasi sistem kelas masyarakat Inggeris. Hanya golongan atasan sahaja yang mampu untuk menggaji para butler dan pembantu lain. Agak sukar untuk membayangkan prospek kerjaya untuk seorang butler kerana butler adalah ketua bagi semua pembantu rumah.

Dari trailer di atas saya diingat kepada satu subplot mengenai pemberhentian dua orang pembantu wanita berbangsa Yahudi daripada Darlington Hall kerana kegusaran Lord Darlington mengenai bangsa itu. Peristiwa ini menimbulkan ketegangan di antara Stevens dan Miss Kenton kerana Miss Kenton berpendapat kedua-dua wanita ini adalah di antara pembantu yang paling cekap di bawah tadbirannya. Isu anti-Semitisme dan diskriminasi ditimbulkan. Sebagai pembaca Muslim, saya tidak mampu mengelak daripada mempunyai reaksi kerana ketika ini mengikut sejarah negara haram Israel sedang dibentuk dan paling penting sekali usaha ini telah berlaku dengan sokongan dan bantuan kuat daripada Britain.

Pertemuan semula Stevens dan Puan Benn agak berlainan daripada jangkaan saya. Saya mengharapkannya menjadi klimaks cerita ini tetapi saya dapati pengalaman Stevens dan imbauan-imbauannya ketika dalam perjalanan jauh lebih sarat dengan makna. Ini adalah buku Kazuo Ishiguro saya yang kedua selepas Never Let Me Go, dan saya menanti peluang untuk membaca yang lain.

Dan filem tadi? Saya belum pernah menontonnya.

The Resident Tourist Part 1-3

Perhaps in the minds of many (Singaporeans or not), Troy Chin may have done something that is rather, well, daft. After a few years as a successful music manager in New York, he decided to quit and returned home to Singapore to pursue his interest: comics.

According to Troy himself, the Singaporean comics industry is almost non-existent, which makes his decision to become a comic artist even more baffling. Ignoring all critics and naysayers, Troy went to work immediately. The result is a couple of self-published series and the three-part (so far) The Resident Tourist.

I'm not sure if The Resident Tourist is entirely autobigraphic. Some time in 2007, the story's Troy is back in Singapore, trying to explain to everyone including himself why he's home when many other Singaporean are trying to make a break abroad. The reason for the return was never fully explained. This puts Troy on a journey to rediscovery Singapore where he encounters sceptical acquaintances, development, childhood memories and odd dreams starring Alf and Thom Yorke.

As a Malaysian I find The Resident Tourist very insightful. I get to know Singapore a bit more other what I see in Phua Chu Kang (that's how much I know Singapore). I do wish Malaysian comic artists especially the younger ones would strive to do the same.

The Resident Tourist Part 1-3 along with the rest of Troy's are readable online at his website. Part 4 and 5 are rumoured to be in the works. Over here only Part 3 is available in stores in hardcopy.

Brazil-maru

I didn't know until recently that South America is home to many Japanese communities. The communities flourished as early as the beginning of the 20^th century as a result of the South American countries' effort to work closely with the Japanese in advancing their agricultural sector. This is noteworthy because the Japanese are not known to venture out in large number to foreign countries, compared to the Chinese or Indians.

Today South American Japanese are comfortably at home, assimilated while still holding on to the identities that defines them as Japanese. Brazil is now home to the biggest Japanese outside Japan. In Brazil-maru, novelist Karen Tei Yamashita takes us back to 1925, when a ship of hopeful immigrants makes it way to a new world entirely alien to them.

This situation brings up a very important question, "When a community is first starting out, what should it concerns itself first?" With limited resources and very few people, some agenda have higher priority than others. How would money, for example, be allocated? If we recall the Sirah, when Rasulullah SAW arrived in Madinah (or Yathrib at the time), he immediately build the masjid. The masjid functions not only as place of worship but also as the centre of governance and administration, learning and a venue to address social needs. One well-planned institution can solve many of the community's issues at once.

In the novel, the community leaders discussed at length how should the community be developed. I find it interesting that they believed some area should be cleared to allow the children to play baseball. I wonder if the penghulus of our kampungs was concerned about the children's needs when they first settled.

As novel, the community is only a stage where the real story is played out by several important people in it. The first to tell the story is Terada Ichiro, who was child when the he and his family boarded the Brazil-maru and practically grew along the community itself. They chose a area called Esperança, a place reasonably near to other other Japanese immigrant farming communities, although they were largely invisible. Ichiro was the character I sympathised with the most.

Throughout the story one name stands out the most. Uno Kantaro. Charismatic even since he was a young man and just a few year older than Ichiro, Kantaro seemed destined to become a pivotal figure in the community's history. It's not surprising to see someone like him to rise in his society, especially when he's showing a lot of leadership potential. What's interesting was seeing how loyal the community was to their leadership, even when the leaders are making bad decisions.

Brazil-maru made me think about how a community, and eventually society and civilisation, develops. We are here in this society because of the actions and decision of the previous generations. They had very little idea about how their lives would impact us, as are we totally ignorant about how our lives might impact the lives of our children and grandchildren. Time and place may differ, but we are still sailing on the same ship.

Dakwah Corner Bookstore: Sumur ilmu yang menanti untuk dikunjungi

Guru saya Puan J mencadangkan saya membaca buku ini. Saya tanya, Di mana buku ini dijual, Cikgu? Tak pasti, Puan J cuba mengingat, tapi saya selalunya ke Dakwah Corner Bookstore, cuba cari di sana.

Selama ini saya tidak tahu tentangnya, walhal saya sudah melewati kawasan tersebut beberapa kali untuk ke jualan gudang Times, MPH dan sebagainya. Nampaknya kali yang akan datang saya ada sebab baru untuk berada di situ lama-lama.

Dakwah Corner Bookstore (M) Sdn Bhd
34-1 Jalan 14/22, Section 14,
46100 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor Darul Ehsan,
MALAYSIA
(Near Masjid Bulat / Right Angle)

Tel/Fax : +603 7956 4664
Mobile : +6018 272 1225
Email : sales@dakwahbookstore.com.my


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CPU in ICU 3

The title may be a bit misleading. The truth is I've no idea which component is really in ICU. It could be the CPU, the motherboard or maybe just the cooling fan. My computer mentor, Tuan Ali, and I were too scared to troubleshoot, lest we short out the entire PC. Let the mystery remain and our pockets undisturbed. For the moment.

Tuan Ali was generous enough to lend me his spare motherboard (or if you prefer, the mobo) and most of the component on it. Now I've nearly I gig of RAM and faster processor. I feel like Schumacher right now.

Also, I would like to extend a round of deserving thanks to my long time chum Zha for helping me by loaning his Netbook when I really needed a Windows machine to do some analysis work. MnM, another long time chum, a really tall dude with really big heart, for offering his monitor when mine finally decided to 'retire' after 7 years of faithful service. And of course Tuan Ali, for making me feel like I'm on the Ferrari F1 team. May Allah repay your kindness.

CPU in ICU 2

Every time my PC goes kaput, I learn new things.

The first time it happened, I learned the importance of having backups.

The second time taught me that backups shouldn't be on the same hard disk even if there are on separate partitions because if the whole hard disk goes, then the backup goes too.

This time I'm being enlighten on the virtues of having a dual-boot PC, which means I have both Windows and Linux installed. If one fails, the other can take over. Right now, my Windows XP has been unresponsive but thank God Ubuntu can read files in XP partitions. I can't use some of the Windows program but I'm still can do my work with Openoffice and surf the Net with Firefox. I can also play most of my media files, except one recording that's in Real Media video format.

Ubuntu has been a live saver. From I've been through, I strongly recommend that everyone should consider having Linux installed as a second operating system if there's space available. Some claim that Mint Linux more friendly for immigrants from Windowsland, but I can't really comment because I haven't tried it.

Please be careful, though. Installation of additional operating systems should only be done after Windows has been freshly installed or reinstalled, and all important files have been safely backed up. Remember, safely backed up. Learn from my mistakes, people.

CPU in ICU

Will be taking a break from online activities for a while since my PC is in coma. No clear idea of the cause. Wrote this using my friend Zha's HP netbook. Thanks, bro, for the help and for letting me try out a Netbook for the first time.

Previu: Bokurano

Plot Summary: During a summer camp, 15 children, 8 males and 7 females, find a grotto by the sea. Deep within they discover working computers and some electronic equipment, and later the owner, a man called Kokopelli. Kokopelli claimed to be a programmer working on a brand new game, in which a large robot has to defend the Earth against fifteen alien invasions. He persuades the children to test the game and sign a contract. All but one of them signs, barely a moment later they mysteriously awaken on the shore believing what happened was just a dream. (ANN)

Ketika Bokurano mula-mula disiarkan pada 2007, saya tidak begitu memperdulikannya kerana  menyangka yang ia satu lagi "cerita robot besar" (yang juga dipanggil genre mecha). Saya kurang berminat dengan cerita-cerita seperti ini.

Selepas membaca beberapa tentang resensi serta pandangan peminat anime, dan mendapat tahu yang Bokurano bukan hanya sebuah lagi cerita robot besar (walaupun ada robot besar di dalamnya, sila lihat gambar di atas), saya mula menilai semula pendapat saya. Ada yang sehingga berpendapat bahawa Bokurano adalah di antara siri anime yang terbaik dekad ini. Ini bukan pujian sebarangan.  

Dari beberapa episod awalan, saya mula dapat maksud mereka. Sudah agak tidak muncul siri anime yang sebegini mendalam dari segi emosi, pengolahan cerita, isu dan falsafah.

Siapa nak pergi ke Pesta Buku tahun ini?

Saya.

Tapi tak boleh.

Tiada kelapangan. Bak kata P. Ramlee dalam Masam-masam Manis, lain tahun kita pergi. Kalau ada rezeki.

[ Cerita tempias: catatan Pesta Buku yang dulu-dulu ]

Famous people who are kind enough to write back

One big lesson I got from reading Don't You Have Time to Think? is about the power of letters– in writing and receiving them. There is something about the relationships that are formed out of this kind of correspondence. I can testify to this because I used to write my friends back in secondary school, sometimes five or six letters a month. And I enjoyed the trouble of reading and writing them very much.

Since I finished the book I would try to reply to every letter, email, SMS, comment or Facebook message coming my way. Well, like I said, I try anyway. There are times when I just let one or two slide because I just don't have the energy or the time or the patience to say or write nice things. Sorry about that.

Now is age of speedy communication, and nobody really write letter any more other than for formal reasons. But every now then I'm reminded to the power of letters by news like these.

Hollywood director John Hughes passed way last year. His departure was unexpected because he had spent many of his last living years away from the Hollywood spotlight. It has also been many years since Hughes directed his last movie. Hughes wrote, directed and produced several of the most memorable movies of the 80s and the 90s like Curly Sue (I remember this one), Uncle Buck (which starred the late John Candy) and Ferris Bueller's Day Off (don't think I've seen this one).

 

John Hughes, via Wikipedia

On the same day Hughes passed away, blogger Alison Byrne Fields wrote a post about how she and Hughes had been pen pals for many years. Fields has the letters and pictures to prove it. When she asked Hughes if they can be pen pals, Hughes wrote,

I'd be honored to be your pen pal. You must understand at times I won't be able to get back to you as quickly as I might want to. If you'll agree to be patient, I'll be your pen pal.

I'd be lying if I say I didn't feel even an atom of enviousness when I read this.

Fields was a high school teenager then and Hughes was a Tinseltown big shot. No one would've predicted this friendship. And Hughes was indeed a friend. In his letters, Hughes encouraged Fields to keep on writing when she complained that her teacher disliked how she wrote. In exchange Hughes confided in Fields about his life, and also the reasons why he left Hollywood. Hughes mentioned how Hollywood worked his good friend John Candy to death as one of them.

Fields definitely tells the story better than I do, so read the rest of it at Sincerely, John Hughes.

Another famous-people-writing-and-befriending-ordinary-kids story is one of Will Leitch and the venerable film critic Roger Ebert. Ebert was recently in the spotlight after being in Esquire magazine where he talked candidly about being recovering from thyroid cancer and losing his ability to talk, eat and speak.

 

Roger Ebert and his wife, Chaz

In Leitch's case, everything began with a question emailed to Ebert. Ebert answered back, and Leitch, still in college, was ecstatic. The fact that they both graduated from the same university (University of Illinois) and worked at the same paper (Daily Illini, but not at the same time) only made the feeling much more sweeter.

The friendship continued for years, until Leitch blundered through an article he wrote for web magazine titled "I Am Sick Of Roger Ebert's Fat F—-ing Face", in 2000. No prize for guessing what happen to that friendship. Ebert however, responded in a very dignified way by saying,

Will —

I have always tried to help you, and you know that. I am not sure what you were trying to do with your piece — if you object to me being on television, there is a dial to the right that will take care of that problem for you — what issues you might be dealing with, but I am certain you will grow to regret writing it someday. If you were trying to make a point, I fear you are not in control of your instrument. I wonder if you feel shitty this morning, now that piece is out there. I know that I do.

RE

Leitch wrote his piece, My Roger Ebert Story (please read it for the entire story), as a way of making up for his mistake. He followed Ebert's developments, professionally and personally, sending him emails, trying to get Ebert to write back.

Not very long later, the two made up and the relationship, though not what it used to be, is resumed. Ebert even Twittered positively about Leitch's piece.

A sweet article by a long time friend who did indeed once bring a wince to my fat face. All is forgiven.

These two examples may be about somebody with a big name in Hollywood. I believe the lesson here is not everyone in Hollywood is money-greedy hedonist slime ball. Both Hughes and Ebert showed kindness that were never associated with someone of their stratosphere, taking the effort to reply and be nice to some unknown kid who didn't even expect a reply to their letter in the first place, let alone one that lead to a long time friendship.

I guess it really isn't about the channel used. Although I believe letters feel warmer than email or Twitter or SMS message, the important thing is how the connection affects both the sender and receiver. Hughes changed Fields' life, as Ebert did with Leicht's. If we try to follow in their kind footsteps, God knows whose life may be changed.

Why we need a to raise a lot of money to do good

Let's take a moment to think.

I recently came across this scholarship advertisement. It is looking for 50 students from low-incomes homes to study finance and accounting at UTAR.

Each student will get RM20,000 to cover their expenses for the first year of study until they get a PTPTN loan.

And there's the deal: the students do not have to pay back the money, but they must promise to help other poor students once they are doing well financially.

How much money are we talking here? 50 X RM20,000. That's RM1mil.

That's how much money is needed for this very important cause.

I don't know about you, but I can think of many ways how to spend this much money, if I ever get this much money anyway. But that's another story. What's important here is that we need to realise how much it takes to help others, as opposed to helping ourselves. Remeber, Islam is not against helping ourself to a nice home, a (few) good car(s) and vacations to exotic locales, if we earned it the right way.

RM1mil is still a lot of money, high inflation or not. If we believe in akhirah and are looking for reward that never run out, then we Muslims need to seriously reconsider where we put our money.

We need to think differently. We need a lot of money to sent our students to local and international learning institutions. It's time we look at ourselves, instead of others, to bring forward this positive change. We have to work hard to earn halal money to help causes like this. Even a little help given with sincere intention can do wonders insya Allah. Let's not wait until we actually become millionaires, shall we?

The parable of those who spend of their substance in the way of Allah is that of a grain of corn: It grows seven ears, and each ear has a hundred grains. Allah gives manifold increase to whom He pleases; And Allah cares for all and He knows all things.

Qur'an (2:261)

Lat 30 Years Later

While going through some old stuff, I found this! I had no idea it was there, I thought Abah had 'donated' this away years ago.

Lat 30 Years Later is an autobiography slash essays slash portfolio. Unlike other Lat books, this is one is about the man himself told by the man himself, beginning with his joy-filled childhood and later becoming an young cartoonist, landing a job as a crime reporter, being discovered and drawing full time, and ending up where he is now as a very recognised, internationally acclaimed ambassador of all things Malaysiana. Included are keynote speech delivered by Lat in Osaka back in 1988, a tribute by artist and art critic Redza Piyadasa and foreword by Adibah Amin.

And the best of all is a 95-page section featuring some of his most recognised works: Keluarga Si Mamat, the graphic novel Mat Som, the artwork that appeared in Dewan Sastera and some wonderful Malaysian pieces (his best, in my opinion) like A Visit to Sabah, In Deepavali Mood, A Hakka Wedding and At a Sikh Wedding.

I got to know Lat when I was in primary school, and when Abah subscribed to the NST, waiting for Mondays (and Wednesdays and Saturdays too, if I remember correctly) for his "Scenes from the Malaysian Life." Now that we're reading another newspaper, I wonder if Lat is still with the NST.

(Source: Frog and Princess.)