introspector

Travelog Minda Tajdid

2012-02-09T22:11:00.000+08:00

Buah tangan dari Ustaz Dr. Mohd Asri sentiasa saya nanti-nantikan. Buku-buku beliau sentiasa mengetuk pintu minda saya agar lebih terbuka, agar melihat isu-isu Islam dari persepsi yang baru dan segar. Hujah beliau diiringkan nas-nas dari Al-Quran dan Sunnah serta sari khazanah ilmuwan Islam terdahulu seperti Ibnu Taimiyyah, Hamka, dan lain-lain. Tiada pilih bulu dalam penulis Ustaz Dr. Asri; baik orang awam, para agamawan, mahu pun pemimpin peringkat tertinggi negara, semuanya menerima teguran beliau. Kerana ini beliau disenangi (serta dimarahi) ramai, hingga beliau dijemput ke majlis utama parti-parti politik negara kita sebagai tetamu dan pemerhati. Barangkali ramai lagi Ustaz yang menerima jemputan yang sama dan berdiam mengenainya. Sama ada ini menunjuk-nunjuk tentunya bukan untuk kita persoalkan. Saya lebih suka melihat ini sebagai keterbukaan orang politik dalam menerima kehadiran para agawaman, dan moga-moga pandangan mereka juga.

Buku ini mengandungi koleksi artikel Ustaz Dr. Mohd Asri yang ditulis selepas tamat tempoh perkhidmatan beliau sebagai Mufti Negeri Perlis Indera Kayangan. Beliau berjaya menerima peluang untuk menjalani sabbatikal akademik di UK, maka sebab inilah kulit depan buku ini berbunyi, "Catatan Perjalanan Dari Tanah Barat." Artikel-artikel di dalam buku ini juga tersimpan di laman web rasmi beliau, Minda Tajdid.

Tahniah buat PTS kerana berjaya berkerjasama dengan Ustaz Dr. Mohd Asri untuk menerbitkan artikel-artikel beliau dalam bentuk buku hard copy.

Baru-baru saya ada terbaca tentang pertikaian penggunaan istilah "merekodkan" hadis oleh PTS di dalam buku-buku terbitan mereka, menggantikan istilah "meriwayatkan" hadis seperti biasa difahami umum oleh orang Islam. Saya kurang pasti mengapa PTS menggunakan istilah ini, tetapi saya percaya ini ada kaitan dengan strategi PTS untuk menarik golongan pembaca Muslim yang masih kurang dalam penghayatan agama Islam, serta golongan pembaca bukan Muslim. Secara rasional, istilah "merekod" lebih mudah difahami oleh mereka berbanding istilah "meriwayat."

Namun, saya fikir pertukaran ini perlu dibincangkan kerana istilah yang berkaitan seperti perawi hadis, sanad, dan sebagainya bukan hanya melibatkan tugas merekod hadis. Para perawi hadis adalah individu yang mempunyai sifat-sifat tertentu, terutamanya akhlak dan peribadi yang terpuji, beramal soleh, dan mempunyai kekuatan memori yang tidak mengundang kesangsian. Sedangkan merekod boleh dilakukan oleh sesiapa pun, menggunakan media yang sedia ada. Dari segi ilmu hadis, meriwayat mempunyai makna yang lebih mendalam berbanding merekod. Untuk ini saya cadangkan agar pihak PTS menyediakan glosari untuk edisi ulang cetak buku ini bagi menerangkan tujuan serta makna istilah-istilah yang digunakan, yang secara lansung akan membantu golongan yang disebut untuk memahami kandungan buku dengan lebih baik. Matahari Books pun ada menyiapkan glosari bagi buku Islam in Malaysia.

Ini satu perkara teknikal yang tidak menjejaskan integriti kandungan buku. Sebahagian besar buku ini membicarakan isu-isu politik dan pentadbiran. Isu-isu yang pernah timbul tidak lama dahulu seperti polemik pelaksaan sistem hudud dan peralihan tampuk pemerintahan negara turut diberi perhatian. Malah satu salah artikel yang dimuatkan di dalam buku bertajuk, "Salam Untuk Perdana Menteri Baru." Ucapan tahniah dan takziah beliau hulurkan; tahniah atas perlantikan, dan takziah atas bebanan yang digalas. Satu nasihat relevan buat semua pemimpin, termasuklah para pemimpin keluarga. Kita ingatkan dengan kisah Khalifah Umar Abdul Al-aziz yang menangis selepas dilantik khalifah hingga basah janggutnya mengenangkan soalan yang bakal diajukan oleh Allah di akhirat kelak tentang rakyat di bawah pemerintahannya. Berapa ramai pengantin lelaki yang menangis kerana takutkan Allah selepas melafazkan, "Aku terima nikahnya..."

Zeitoun

2012-02-01T01:08:00.002+08:00

Source: Open Library

This was my birthday present to myself two years ago, but I only started and finished reading it recently. Alhamdulillah, it's just the kind of book I was looking for to start off another reading year. Something for both the heart and the mind.

I was drawn to this book because I've always been curious about the Muslim Americans. I consider myself very blessed to befriend Puan May. She is one of the most dedicated Muslimah I've ever met. She moved from the US from to Malaysia many years ago after marrying a Malaysian entrepreneur. So far she has helped setup an Islamic kindergarten, began learning Arabic, enrolled her son into a tahfiz, and currently pursuing an online Master degree in Islamic Studies for University of Madinah.

The US is now home to about 2 million Muslims. When your own country and its people aren't fully supportive of Islam, often challenging and questioning your faith, you start hold on tight to Islam. This is one of the many reasons why converted Muslims are sometimes more determined in their practice of Islam compared to born Muslims. Allah reminds us in chapter Al Ankaboot verse 2,

Do the people think that they will be left to say, "We believe" and they will not be tried?

In Zeitoun, writer Dave Eggers chronicles the true events that spiralled out of control during and after Hurricane Katrina, one of the largest natural disaster to have struck the US in recent history. Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a Syrian-born American and his wife Kathy thought the hurricane would be the biggest test heading their way that fateful September in 2005. They were very wrong.

I don't much about what happened during Hurricane Katrina. What I heard was there were many allegations about mishandling in the rescue and recovery efforts carried out by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This book details just a small portion of what went wrong.

As Hurricane Katrina ripped its way through Florida and Louisiana, Abdulrahman did what he thought was the right thing. He was a business and property owner, but importantly a husband and a father to three small daughters and a teenage stepson. He sent them to the nearest relatives while he looked over their house.

Elsewhere, chaos was spreading. The numbers crimes including looting, murder, and rape escalated to an unprecedented level as the state drowns in water and disorder. The mayor of New Orleans declared a mandatory evacuation order to the citizens of the city for the first time in history of the state. Thankfully, Kathy and the children made it safely to her family's house in Baton Rouge after a gruelling and tiring trip.

Abdulrahman knew that floods was a possibility so he took the second-hand canoe had bought years earlier out of the garage and put it inside the house. As he retreated to the second storey of his house, Abdulrahman thought about the destruction around him. He just had to go investigate. The canoe turned out to be the perfect transportation for him to move around in the flood.

His decision proved to be a blessing to a few people. Abdulrahman found a few elderly persons who were unable to get out of the area quick enough and had gotten trapped. A few dogs were left in the houses by their owners, starving. With the help from a few friends and neighbours who stayed behind, Abdulrahman did what could. Until they ran into FEMA.

One of the concerns of the US government during Hurrincane Katrina was stopping so-called terrorists hiding within in the US from taking advantage of the chaotic situation. The US Army along with FEMA, paramilitary forces including security firm Blackwater, and other government agencies were sent into crisis areas to look for suspicious persons and activities. They ran into Abdulrahman and his friends at one of Abdulrahman's rental houses and immediately thought they in possession of some stolen goods. This was when Abdulrahman's real nightmare began.

For two weeks, Abdulrahman was held in a mini Guantánamo Bay, a makeshift prison right in the middle of the city's bus terminal, before being shipped and imprisoned at a correctional centre. Kathy fought to free Abdulrahman, but due to nature of his detainment, he was nearly listed as a classified detainee, which meant his name couldn't be found easily in the records.

Abdulrahman's story reveals a new side to America's war on terror, that even Americans aren't safe from being hunted down and detained. He was detained on suspicion but he was treated as though he was a convicted terrorist. And was not the only one. Many others, Muslims and non-Muslims, were falsely charged and detained without any evidence. And angering them even further was how their released was poorly managed by the authorities.

Despite the horrifying ordeals he had to endure, Abdulrahman remained a steadfast Muslim. The adverse conditions and a cramped dentention cell never stopped him from performing his daily solat. He paddled his canoes to houses where there were starving dogs and fed them food he from his home. I'm reminded me of the hadith about the person who earned the right to enter heaven after he or she gave drink of water to a thristy dog. Dogs may be considered as impure animals in Islam but that doesn't mean Muslim should deny them of kindness.

Abdulrahman's wife, Kathy, is equally iron-willed. She has her share of struggles in her attempts to remain a good practising Muslimah, especially when she is new to the religion. Her family repeatedly told her to take off her hijab whenever Abdulrahman was not around because they thought she was wearing it for her husband's sake. But this and the other incidents did not deter her from holding on to Islam.

I think it's quite a shame that many people haven't heard of this book. I'm also glad that with book, the voice of the American Muslims is slowly gaining attention. People like Abdulrahman and Kathy Zeitoun, and Puan May, and Imam Suhaib Webb remind me that despite everything that is going on in the global political stage, the US is also home to many of our brothers and sisters in Islam.

Source: Creative Muslims

Growing Up in Trengganu

2012-01-18T23:30:00.001+08:00

Source: Tamarind Books

Reading Growing Up in Trengganu is like riding a time machine back in time, to a same place but a different period, because like Awang Goneng I too grew up in the coastal state.

I spent my first year on earth in Perak and the next few in Pahang, thanks to some people in the government who thought my parents would serve our country better if they were moved around a bit. That's what I thought anyway, since I've never worked in the public sector. We soon landed in Terengganu, just in time for me to start my formal education.

The Terengganu of my childhood and Awang Goneng's childhood Trengganu are a few decades apart. As a native child of Kuala Terengganu town, Awang Goneng vividly (and unastoundingly) recalls its corners and streets, the shops and the villages, and other places of interests, and shares them on his blog, Kecek-Kecek (a common east coast word meaning friendly conversation).

I'm surprised to discover how much the town of Kuala Terengganu is unchanged from Awang Goneng's time to mine. I could recall some of places mentioned, like Istana Maziah, a palace right in the middle of town. It is a sight to be behold indeed. My in younger self's mind, it looked something out of a dongeng rakyat. Nearby is the Masjid Abidin, still beautiful now as we both remembered. I could imagine shopping trips with my father to Kampung Cina, or Pekan Cina, I can't remember exactly. And Bukit Puteri, overlooking the town, a high place that's also high on legends and mystery. Among a few that still preserved in my memories.

Drawing from memories is what Awang Goneng succeed with this book. Besides the places, there are smells of budu fermenting in large ceramic jars underneath tall, wooden houses. The sounds of waves crashing on the open shores, unlike the cemented embankment beaches shorelines in the 80s Kuala Terengganu that I remember. Kuala Terengganu is very much a town surrounded by villages, but increasing development and modernity is chipping away much of old Trengganu.

Kuala Terengganu may not be as steeped in tradition as, say, Kota Bharu. But I believe there are only a few towns in Malaysia that has two stadiums (one indoor and one outdoor, in fact), a public swimming pool, a multi-storey public library, a palace, a modern-looking court building, a few museums, beaches (Batu Burok in particular is beautiful for strollers but dangerous for swimmers), and several seaside attractions there were mostly build after my family and I left the state. Despite allegations of misused state funds, Terengganu folks are quite a lucky bunch of people.

I better stop myself before I veer dangerously into political insinuations. Growing Up in Trengganu is the kind of book I could never write, primarily because I never grew up long enough in a place to become acquainted with it, to have the kind of connection that Awang Goneng has with Trengganu, place he says no longer exist. I can't argue with him there. A short strip to the town five years ago confirmed my hidden worries, that my childhood Terengganu has grown up so much in my absense.

Enjoy Your Life

2012-01-11T23:45:00.001+08:00

Source: Dar-us-Salam Publication

While I was compiling the list in my last entry, I seemed to left out this book. I realised on hindsight that this was unintentional, but the reason for it wasn't clear until I really questioned myself about it.

Enjoy Your Life belongs to the same group of books as La Tahzan (Don't Be Sad or Jangan Bersedih). They're really self-help books written based on Islamic sources and the author's experience as a Muslim preacher, teacher, father, and student. I haven't read La Tahzan so I can't make any fair comparisons between these two books.

I didn't include this book my list because although I had finished reading it, I felt that I didn't read it properly. I definitely need to read it again one day soon. There are so much to learn, to think about, and to absorb. To simply say I finished it wouldn't do justice to this book.

English-language Islamic book serves at least two functions. First, it conveys the contents in English. For instance, reading a book about fasting that is written in English can help me better explain or discuss this act of worship with other English-speaking people. I'd learn how to express what I know using the English language. Usually the main terms would often be left in Arabic. A Muslim born in UK is likely to confused if I ask him if he's doing "puasa sunat" today, but could reply to my question if I had said "nafil sawm" instead.

The other function is as a source of English-translated Quranic verses and Hadiths, especially Hadiths because they're harder to find on the Internet than translations of the Quran.

This book fulfils both function wonderfully. You can read from my summary of the story of Jabir R.A's marriage, which is based on a chapter from this book. There are hundreds of other exemplary stories such as this in the 53 chapters of this book, all of them lessons on how enjoy our brief stay at this temporary world.

10 buku dari 2011. (Mungkin 11)

2012-01-02T18:28:00.000+08:00

Pada hujung tahun selama dua tahun berturut-turut, saya bawakan senarai 5 Buku Ter..., yakni lima buah buku yang meninggalkan kesan mendalam pada diri saya pada tahun tersebut. Namun saya tidak mampu meneruskan 'tradisi' ini kerana masa saya sudah tidak sesenggang dahulu.

Oleh itu saya rangkumkan buku-buku yang seumpama dari tahun 2011 dalam senarai ini. Sebagai kompromi, saya pendekkan nama senarai tetapi saya panjangkan isinya daripada 5 kepada 10. Dan senarai ini dibawakan sekali harung, bukan dalam lima bahagian seperti sebelum ini. (Tiada lagi suspen!)

Inilah pilihan 10 buku dari 2011 saya.

Islam in Malaysia: Perceptions and Facts
Penulis: Ustaz Dr. Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin (diterjemahkan oleh U-En Ng)
Penerbit: Matahari Books (2010)
343 halaman

Seseorang itu boleh dilabelkan sebagai kontroversial kerana sebab yang munasabah atau tidak munasabah. Atau kedua-duanya, seperti dalam kes Ustaz Dr. Mohd Asri dan tokoh-tokoh yang lantang menegur masyarakat. Harga yang perlu dibayar demi membawa masyarakat Islam ke arah pembaikan dan relevancy. (Entri asal.)

Liku-Liku Pencarian Nur Islam: Pengalaman Memeluk Islam di Barat
Penulis: Sulaiman Dufford (diterjemahkan oleh Noresah Baharom)
Penerbit: Institut Terjemahan Negara Malaysia (2010)
248 halaman

Hadiah Hari Ulang Tahun Kelahiran daripada isteri tercinta. Buku ini akan membuatkan berfikir kita secara mendalam tentang apa yang perlu dilakukan untuk memajukan dakwah Islam dan membantu saudara baru. Berita pemelukan Islam oleh saudara baru selalu disambut dengan dengan gembira oleh penganut Islam sejak lahir, namun realiti yang didepani oleh saudara baru mungkin tidak seindah yang kita bayangkan.

The Creative Habit
Penulis: Twyla Twarp dan Mark Reiter
Penerbit: Simon and Schuster (2005)
256 halaman

Buku tentang kreativiti adakalanya dipenuhi teori-teori, atau saranan yang tidak jelas kaedahnya. Tidak dengan The Creative Habit. Ditulis oleh seorang koreografer ternama dari Broadway, buku ini menekankan kepada perbuatan yang menjana kreativiti, di samping menerangkan tulang dan daging yang membentuk sebuah karya kreatif. Banyak mengandungi rujukan kepada budaya dan seni Amerika, bersedialah untuk berulang kali mengGoogle dan mengWikipedia.

Bicara Buat Pemimpin dan Rakyat
Penulis: Ustaz Dr. Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin
Penerbit: Utusan Publication Sdn Bhd (2010)
292 halaman

Koleksi kedua tulisan Ustaz Dr. Asri di ruangan Bicara Mufti selepas Mengemudi Bahtera Perubahan Minda (yang diterjemah menjadi Islam in Malaysia). Buku ini disudahi dengan catatan beliau semasa melepaskan jawatan mutfi.

Every Living Thing
Penulis: James Herriot
Penerbit: St. Martin's Griffin (2005)
352 halaman

Bukan mudah untuk mengucapkan selamat tinggal kepada sesuatu yang begitu menyentuh sanubari kita. Setiap perkara pasti berakhir. Begitulah juga siri semi-autobiografi doktor haiwan desa James Herriot, atau nama sebenar beliau Alf Wight, yang turut merakamkan cerita tentang pahit getir, suka duka para petani, penternak, dan pemilik haiwan di Yorkshire dan jalinan indah di antara makhluk-makhluk Allah yakni manusia, haiwan, dan alam. (Entri asal.)

Insanely Great: The Life and Times of Macintosh, the Computer that Changed Everything
Penulis: Steven Levy
Penerbit: Penguin (2000)
336 halaman

Apple bukanlah Steve Jobs dan Steve Jobs bukanlah Apple. Apple terdiri di atas usaha Jobs, Steve Wozniak, dan ramai lagi individu, membentuk DNA syarikat yang sedang paling dicemburui saat ini. Cerita di sebalik kelahiran Apple Macintosh, komputer yang mengubah dunia. Fun fact #1: Apple Macintosh adalah komputer pertama yang direka untuk dioperasikan mengguna tetikus. Fun fact #2: Pada tahun 1984, tahun Macintosh dilancarkan, penulis dan teknologis John C. Dvorak melihat melihat tetikus Macintosh lalu berujar, "tiada bukti ada orang yang akan mahu menggunakannya." Saya percaya Encik Dvorak kini telah menilai semula pendapat beliau tersebut. (Entri asal.)

This Earth of Mankind
Penulis: Pramoedya Ananta Toer (diterjemahkan oleh Max Lane)
Penerbit: Penguin (1996)
368 halaman

Buku pertama di dalam tetralogi Buru. Raden Mas Minke, anak watan berpendidkan Belanda, bangkit mencabar penjajahan melalui pena dan pemikiran. Perkenalannya yang secara tidak diduga dengan Nyai Ontosoroh, wanita simpanan seorang hartawan Belanda, dan anak perempuannya Anneliesse, membuka pintu-pintu baru buat Minke, termasuklah pintu kepada tragedi. Pak Pramoedya sememangnya seorang master storyteller. (Entri asal.)

Bermula dan Berakhir
Penulis: Naguib Mahfouz (diterjemahkan oleh Shamsuddin Jaafar)
Penerbit:Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (1993)
622 halaman

Saya mula-mula tertarik dengan novel ini kerana Naguib Mahfouz. Tetapi usai membaca novel saya lebih berminat untuk mengetahui siapakah Shamsuddin Jaafar. Terjemahan beliau terasa begitu jati. Bagi saya plot novel ini biasa-biasa sahaja. Tentang orang miskin yang sudah jatuh kemudian ditimpa tangga dan tangga itu patah lalu menikam badannya, mengakibatkan kesakitan yang amat sangat dek luka yang dalam serta busuk bernanah, menyebabkan seluruh keluarganya menangis tidak berhenti-henti... Ya, ya, kasihan mereka ini. Pak Pramoedya dan Naguib Mahfouz kedua-duanya sama kepala, suka menyeksa watak-watak mereka hingga luluh jasad dan jiwa. Apapun, Shamsuddin Jaafar dan Max Lane, syabas buat Tuan berdua. (Entri asal.)

The Story of The Qur'an: Its History and Place in Muslim Life
Penulis: Ingrid Mattson
Penerbit: Wiley-Blackwell (2007)
272 halaman

Tidak banyak buku akademik yang mudah dibaca dan difahami. The Story of The Qur'an adalah satu kelainan. Kali pertama saya melihat sejarah dan signifikasi Al-Quran dalam kehidupan orang Islam dari kaca mata seorang ahli akademik Barat, yang juga seorang Muslimah. (Entri asal.)

Lessons of the Crusades and the Mongol Hordes: Salahuddin al-Ayyubi and his Successors
Penulis: Sheikh Syed Abul Hasan Nadwi (diterjemahkan oleh Mohiuddin Ahmad)
Penerbit: Islamic Book Trust (2007)
118 halaman

Abaikan muka J.W. yang ada pada kulit hadapan buku ini. Beliau tidak ada kena-mengena (secara lansung) dengan isi kandungan buku ini, iaitu mengenai dua turning point yang penting dalam sejarah umat Islam. Naskhah yang nipis tetapi sarat dengan pengajaran. (Entri asal.)

Mula-mula saya katakan 10 buku, tetapi tidak mungkin senarai ini akan lengkap tanpa buku ini.

Perangai Bergantung Kepada Diri Sendiri
Penulis: Pendita Za'ba
Penerbit: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (2005)
103 halaman

Satu fenomena menyedihkan di kalangan sesetengah agamawan ialah menuduh orang lain yang berbeza pendapat atau aliran dengan bermacam-macam tuduhan, daripada bermasalah kepada sesat hingga ke kafir. Apa yang menimpa Pendita Za'ba, yang mana beliau disekat oleh Sultan Perak atas desakan golongan agamawan juga, wajib dijadikan pengajaran oleh kita semua. Janganlah kita menyebelahi satu pihak tanpa berfikir panjang. "Dan janganlah kamu mengikut apa yang kamu tidak ketahui; sesungguhnya pendengaran, penglihatan dan hati, semuanya akan ditanya apa yang dilakukan.” Perintah Allah kepada kita dari Surah Al Israa ayat ke-36. (Entri asal.)

Apakah buku-buku terbaik yang saudara saudari baca pada 2011? Bolehlah kita cadang-mencadang apa pula untuk kita baca 2012 ini.

“The book that killed colonialism.”

2011-12-21T21:26:00.004+08:00

I remember one particular observation made by an alim from India about colonialism. He said this back in the 1930s or so, in a book that I found in my friend's dorm room many years ago, and it sounds something as follows.

The British who came to India, look at how they live their life over there. They wore the same clothes, ate the same food as they did in England. They would never touch local food, let alone learn to like it. When they went home they are practically same person culturally. Compare them to the Indians who went to England. Within a short period of time they would to dress like the Englishmen, talk like them, and love their food, their way of life.

This was certainly no coincidence. The colonial officers went to great lengths to ensure that they wouldn't assimilate with the culture of the locals in any aspect. Their attitudes were shaped by colonial policies, some of which were documented in some books that my undergraduate lecturer, Dr. Fathi, mentioned in his class but I never got them because back then I was a big idiot who couldn't be bothered with anything about history.

But among them there were a handful who defied this way thinking and decided to look around to explore this new surrounding and mingle with the local folk. Malaysia once inspired Anthony Burgess to write The Malayan Trilogy, which painted an unflattering (and somewhat comical) picture of the Malayan colonial society.

Source: Cinta Buku

And in Indonesia there was Max Havelaar: Or the Coffee Auctions of the Dutch Trading Company. Published in 1860, it sparked a worldwide debate on colonial policies and their exploitative ventures in foreign lands. Pramoedya Ananta Toer boldly claimed this book as, “The book that killed colonialism.”

The author of Max Havelaar, Multatuli (real name Eduard Douwes Dekker) penned the book after a series of disagreement with how the colonial administration of Dutch West Indies were subjugating the locals by instigating ethnic feuds, use of torture, and economic oppression. Dekker objected to these policies and tactics through his writings, which led him to be transferred several times across Indonesia. He retired from his post as a colonial officer at 29 and moved to Belgium, where the book was first published.

I first came across Max Havelaar while reading my first Pramoedya book, House of Glass. I thought it was something fictional, a book that was made up for the story. It turns out that the book do exist and a trip to Kinokuniya confirms it. The book in printed form is priced rather heftily but a gratis digital counterpart is available through Google Books.

[ The Book that Killed Colonism ]

Every Living Thing

2011-12-18T08:53:00.000+08:00

Alf Wight was an ordinary veterinarian working in the country sides of Yorkshire Dales, until in 1969 he published a book, If Only They Could Talk. The book is a collection of stories about another veterinarian named James Herriot, loosely based on his experience treating the animals in a fictional but realistically portrayed town called Darrowby in the 1950s. Wight was already 50 then.

This book might never come into existence if it were not for one woman, Joan Danbury. Joan is inspiration for Helen, the wife of James Herriot, and Alf's real life wife. Anyone who have read any of Herriot books, especially the later titles, would have easily guessed this.

After a series of unsuccessful attempts at breaking into the writing scene, Alf Wight was convinced that he was hack. He tried writing about one of his passions, football, but attracted very little interest from publishers. Joan stepped in and challenged him write about something else which is closer to his heart.

For Wight it was, "Challenged accepted." Well, he probably did not utter those exact words, but the result of that was a dozen of titles of what Wight calls "little cats-and-dogs stories." And Wight's "little cats-and-dogs stories" went on to become one of most beloved book series of the 20^th century.

Wight passed away in 1995. His name, or rather James Herriot's, came into my knowledge only about four year ago when my former boss enthusiastically recommended the first book If Only They Could Talk. My former boss and I are both bibliophiles, but we do not exactly have the same taste in our reading selection. I took the book with a slight feeling of trepidation. My former boss is a big time Herriot fan. If I find this book uninteresting, our friendship could be jeopardised. Not to mentioned our professional relationship. I could get fired for not liking this book.

It turns out that despite the differences in our literary predilection, this was the one book we both falling in love with. Falling in love with a book is a level above liking a book. If you like a book, I would tell other people to read it. If love a book, it could be either you would tell other people to read it or you would never ever tell anyone about it, because love, as you know, can be weird and selfish. It was the Herriot's charm at work and we could do very little to resist it.

Treating the animals in Darrowby is actually part veterinary and part public relations. There are farmers sceptical of modern treatments, pet owners who are clueless about their four legged family members, and the worst of all, the heartless folks who treat animals like discarded trash. Herriot's patient list is clearly a mixed bunch. A lot of them had me smiling till my face hurts. Others me made feel glad I am not veterinarian, although that used to be a childhood dream of mine.

I devoured each books expecting new experiences, and by extension, more things to be excited about the country side veterinary practice. Instead by doing so I found myself being satisfied instead with the simple tales about people and their animals. No earth-shattering plot twists here. Just as Herriot had said, little cats-and-dogs stories.

Every Living Thing brings the series to a close, although I doubt that was the plan. As a writer who had a late start, he keep writing till the end of his life churning out books about animals for adult and children readers. His sincerity, warmth, and love for animals were visibly retained throughout his book series, and I imagine if he were still alive we would be hearing more about the people of Darrowby, and their cow, horse, sheep, dog, and cat problems. I imagine problems with iguanas or tarantulas were still very much out of the picture back then.

I close the book after finishing the last chapter, in which Herriot had made a friend, a wild cat that keep showing up in his garden but refused any physical contact. A bitter sweet tale about a friendship earned, and a wonderful way to cap off the series and to sum up my feelings for the books.

The biggest lesson learned from Herriot is to open myself the lessons that animals can teach us. Living in the city for the large part of my life has made me to see animals mostly as either pets, pests, or pictures in a book or magazine. This lack of positive relationship between human, nature, and animals is beginning to sound to me as a huge disadvantage of being a city dweller.

If you are willing to look past the Yorkshire accent sprinkled throughout, you will find yourself a treasure. I know I can be a selfish person, but out of love I say this, never pass up a chance to read James Herriot. You could become a better person because of it.

Source: alikewise

Keluarga Si Mamat

2011-12-14T15:22:00.001+08:00

Berbelas-belas tahun yang lepas, ketika saya membaca Keluarga Si Mamat buat pertama kali di rumah pak cik saya di Sungai Buloh, saya ingatkan Si Mamat adalah Lat sendiri. Lat atau Datuk Lat atau Datuk Mohammad Nor Khalid nampak serupa di dalam kebanyakan kartun-kartunnya, dengan rambut seakan-akan afro dan muka dengan bulat (dan Lat itu asalnya singkatan daripada "bulat", nama gelaran beliau semasa kecil).

Keitka itu juga saya tidak tahu yang beliau juga mempunyai seorang adik bernama Mamat, yang sekarang seorang pengarah filem yang berbakat di sebalik Estet, Man Laksa, Rock, Di Kala Malam Bulan Mengambang, dan Hantu Mak Limak Balik Rumah.

Dalam merungkaikan kisah di sebalik kisah sesebuah novel, komik, filem, dan sebagainya, kita selalunya cepat untuk menganggapnya sebagai autobiografik atau sekurang-kurang biografi. Mamat itu Lat atau Mamat yang sebenarnya, kita sangka.

Sebagai nasihat kepada penulis fiksyen yang baru bermula, Pat Schneider berpesan menerusi Writing Alone and With Others, setiap karya harus diterima sebagai bukan autobiografi yakni tidak berkenaan sesiapa atau apa-apa peristiwa benar. Melainkan penulis yang mengaku. Pokoknya, sama ada penulisan itu fiksyen atau tidak adalah tidak relevan. Setiap karya adalah adunan antara realiti, fantasi, dan pseudo-realiti, yakni realiti tafsiran peribadi.

Seperti yang ditulis oleh Lat di awal Keluarga Si Mamat sama ada watak-watak di dalamnya benar-benar wujud, itu beliau tidak boleh beritahu. Barangkali Mamat adalah Lat, atau Mamat, atau watak komposit daripada kedua-dua mereka.

Saya faham kenapa orang bertanya sedemikian. Sesiapa yang digeletek oleh cerita-cerita Mamat dan gengnya akan ingin tahu bagaimana mereka ini mempunyai kehidupan yang diselangi begitu banyak saat-saat melucukan.

Sayangnya, pada pendapat saya, koleksi ini hanya mengumpulkan kartun-kartun Keluarga Si Mamat yang terkemudian kerana kartun yang seperti di bawah tidak disertakan.

Namun kekurangan ini tidak mencacatkan. Daripada tiga orang yang telah membaca naskah milik saya, tiga orang telah ketawa hingga menggigil badan.

Preview: Chihayafuru

2011-11-28T17:21:00.000+08:00

Josei is a Japanese word meaning lady or feminine or female.

As the meaning suggests, josei is also a specific genre in anime and manga is caters towards a largely mature female audience, ranging from late teens to senior citizens. The stories in this genre tend to have a more realistic plot that are reflective of the female experience, and they feature characters that are often seen by the audience as believable and relatable.

Confession time: I'm josei fan. I like any story that have interesting characters that I end up caring about, like Daikichi the single father from Usagi Drop. Since josei isn't the most popular genre out around, there's little wonder why few people have heard of josei shows.

This year's fall season welcomes the première of Chihayafuru, a josei show based on the manga by Suetsugu Yuki. The original manga had won the prestigious Kodansha Award and the Manga Taishō Award, which is a good sign indeed. Understandably I was looking forward to it, until I learned it was going to revolve around a competitive card game called Hyakunin Issu Karuta. I wondered if things could get complicated.

The concept behind karuta is actually rather simple. Cards from a deck are laid in rows in front of two or more competing players as they sit facing each other. The cards have a name or phrase on them. An announcer will read aloud the name or phrase on one of the cards and players will try to identify the card mentioned from the rows of cards. The first player to grab that card wins the round.

There are several variations of karuta based on the type of deck, and one of the most competitively played in Japan is the Hyakunin Issu or a hundred poems by a hundred poets. Each card in a Hyakunin Issu deck contains single line waka poem. Highly skilled players build their advantage by memorising all 100 poems, which is the names of every card in the deck.

While Hyakunin Issu Karuta is somewhat a national sport in Japan, simpler variations of karuta are also played at the elementary school level that may use picture cards instead.

Suetsugu Yuki was a member of the karuta club during high school, so I guess rather than let all those experiences go to waste she channelled all that into writing a story about competing and winning, for a championship title or for love.

Ayase Chihaya is a younger sister of an up and coming famous model. To her, this was probably the biggest thing that could ever happen in her life. However deep inside, she longed for a dream of her own.

The quest for that dream began incidentally with Wataya Arata, a newly transferred boy in her class, who was constantly ignored or made fun of because of his Fukui accent. Chihaya began to sympathise with Arata and defended him against the rest of the class, including her close friend Taichi.

Chihaya soon discovered that Arata is actually a junior level karuta champion and a grandchild of a karuta grandmaster. Arata invited Chihaya to give the card game a try and as she experienced for the first time the complexity and beauty of karuta, she realises that becoming a karuta champion could the one dream she had been searching for.

Joined by an fumingly jealous Taichi, the three of them embarked the same dream together, only to see it foiled by reality. Arata was going to return to Fukui when the year is over and Taichi had been accepted to a better school. With the team mates gone, can Chihaya singled-handed keep that dream alive?

Chihayafuru may not be the best example of josei, mainly because (so far) the characters are still in school and the issues they struggle are not much beyond the usual lost friendship, love triangles (I think), and becoming competitive in something. What gives me some hope that Chihayafuru will become another memorable story is the characters.

Chihaya may share her sister's beauty, but the isn't type of girl who worry about breaking a nail or ruining the mascara. She believes strongly in karuta and goes all out to become champion by her own right. Her beauty coincidentally becomes an unrealised advantage, something she herself is unaware of and something her male opponent find very difficult to ignore.

The two leading young men are flawed in their own ways. Taichi is the overachiever of the bunch. He excels at nearly everything mostly because his family expects that from him, but in return he gets very little praise or recognition, almost the same amount of support Chihaya gets from her family in her karuta endeavours.

Arata is the brooding, misunderstood social outcast. He cherishes Chihaya's friendship more than anything (well, maybe except karuta), and is almost single-mindedly driven to become as good as his grandfather.

At first the common tie between Taichi and Arata is Chihaya's sudden interest in karuta. Taichi couldn't be bothered at first but he can't stand seeing Arata hogging all of Chihaya's attention.

After a few episodes, the story skipped a few years to high school. Time, as we know, changes everything in different degrees. Chihaya's dream remained unwavered but someone among the other two has unexpectedly given up karuta altogether, sending her on a new quest, to rekindle her old team mates' love for the game.

Hyakunin Issu Karuta is an interesting game to watch. It's not as complicated I first suspected, yet there's aspects of it karuta that makes it challenging. Players arrange the cards differently for every game. They must remember and forget the card positions quickly since karuta matches are often played consecutively, sometimes up to seven matches in one single day. Concentration, excellent hearing skill, and mental strength are determinants that set the excellent players apart.

Chihayafuru would be dull show if it revolves around only Chihaya, Taichi, and Arata. Episode six and above will introduce new characters and players as Chihaya rounds up members for her school's newly formed karuta club.

I really hope the pace would pick up as the story progresses, but I don't feel should worry too much. The show is in good hands with Asaka Morio in the director's chair. Asaka has handled many shows that feature strong female characters, including my personal favourite, Gunslinger Girl. Gunslinger Girl started out with a group of little orphan girls who were secretly trained to become deadly assassins and slowly progressed into an examination the various types of mentor-protégé relationships.

True blue josei fans including myself will definitely stay tuned for 25 episodes lined up for the whole season. The jury is still out on whether or not it will rank among the most memorable josei shows, but Chihayafuru is easily one of the best shows the 2011 fall season has to offer.

'Orang Gila'

2011-11-24T16:25:00.001+08:00

Sumber: Steve Jobs Alive!

The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.

-Iklan syarikat Apple pada tahun 1997

Akhirnya saya mengalah dengan trend. Saya tidak bercadang untuk membeli buku ini hingga mungkin tahun depan. Tetapi memandangkan harganya yang 10 sen kurang daripada RM100 dan adanya rebat (diberikan bersama pembelian sebarang judul lain) sedang ditawarkan di kedai-kedai buku besar, saya kira harga yang selepas rebat agak boleh diterima.

Kata kawan saya Feek, seorang penyokong tegar Apple, harga buku ini terlalu mahal tanpa rebat. Bagi saya, ini tidak menghairankan. Harga buku import di Malaysia memang 'gila.'

Oleh sebab ini mungkin ada orang yang mengatakan membaca adalah hobi orang-orang kaya. Bagi saya, membaca bukanlah hobi orang-orang kaya. Membaca sebenarnya adalah hobi 'orang-orang gila.'

Insanely Great

2011-10-29T17:31:00.003+08:00

Ramai pengguna Apple membeli produk Apple bukan kerana mereka memerlukannya. Mereka membelinya kerana mereka mendambakannya. Dan kemudian mereka akan bersyarah dengan panjang lebar tentang kelebihan produk Apple kepada orang lain.

Syarikat mana yang tidak mendambakan pengguna sebegini? Ada yang mencuba dan berjaya menrekrut pengguna mereka menjadi jurujual dan jurucakap sukarela, tetapi hanya sedikit yang dapat menyamai sokongan dan kesetiaan tahap mania yang ditunjukkan oleh pengguna Apple. Sejak penubuhannya lagi Apple telah merancang untuk memposisikan serta membezakannya dirinya daripada para pesaing dengan membentuk satu sistem falsafah, cara berfikir, dan cara bekerja yang membawa kepada terciptanya produk-produk game-changing seperti iPad, iPhone, iPod, iTunes, iCloud, serta perkakasan, perisian, dan perkhidmatan lain.

Game-changing bukanlah satu istilah yang boleh digunakan untuk produk yang calang-calang. iTunes berjaya mengubah fikiran syarikat-syarikat rakaman yang pernah curiga dengan kemampuan untuk menjual lagu-lagu secara digital melalui muat turun. Kemunculan iPhone telah membuat gergasi telekomunikasi Nokia terduduk dan teraba-raba mencari arah.

Formula kejayaan Apple sangat mudah. Tunjukkan kepada dunia cara yang lebih mudah, menarik serta berkesan untuk melakukan sesuatu yang mereka mahu. Boleh dikatakan semua syarikat lain juga mempunyai matlamat yang lebih kurang sama.

Bagaimana Apple boleh berjaya sedangkan yang lain masih bertatih-tatih? Untuk memahaminya, kita perlu kembali ke zaman ketika Apple sedang berputik. Dekad 80-an dan awal 90-an merupakan di antara detik-detik paling kritikal bagi Apple, dan melonjaknya atau tersungkurnya syarikat ini bergantung kepada sebuah kotak berwarna kelabu yang kini dikenali sebagai Apple Macintosh.

Sumber: Wikipedia

Bagi ramai orang ketika itu, komputer sering sesuatu yang dikaitkan dengan kerja-kerja saintifik. Jarang sekali komputer dijumpa di luar makmal-makmal. Malah dunia perniagaan masih belum melihat komputer sebagai satu keperluan. Tidak kurang juga yang berpendapat komputer adalah satu alat yang sangat sukar untuk digunakan.

Contoh rupa command line (sumber: sean dreilinger)

Antara muka menggunakan command line yang memerlukan pengguna untuk menaip setiap arahan kepada komputer. Tidak hairanlah jika ada yang menganggap komputer zaman itu sebagai sebuah mesin taip yang lebih canggih.

Apple Macintosh boleh dianggap sebuah game-changer kerana ia memperkenalkan beberapa inovasi yang belum dilihat sebelum itu. Sistem ikon dan tetikus Macintosh jauh lebih senang digunakan berbanding sistem command line, dan juga jauh lebih mesra pengguna. Pendekatan Macintosh lebih kepada grafikal dan bukan tekstual seperti ada pada komputer dan sistem lain.

Sumber: Wikipedia

Apple sedar cabarannya yang sedang dihadapinya ialah perasaan gerun terhadap komputer masih menebal di kalangan masyarakat umum, dan mereka mahu mengubahnya. Itulah misi mereka. Misi yang mereka jiwai hingga ke tahap mengangkatnya sebagai satu misi dari Tuhan. Kumpulan yang bertanggungjawab membangunkan Macintosh bekerja dengan sepenuh hati kerana ini. Mereka tidak dibayar dengan gaji yang lumayan. Lagi pun Apple ketika itu masih setahun jagung. Apa yang mahukan ialah "sebuah komputer yang kami sendiri mahu gunakan." Matlamat yang tepat, ringkas tetapi sarat.

Pengguna komputer hari ini banyak terhutang budi dengan Macintosh dan Apple serta Xerox (banyak teknologi dalam Macintosh telah dipelopori oleh mereka) kerana membawakan inovasi-inovasi yang telah memudahkan masyarakat umum untuk menggunakan komputer.

Hanya sebuah syarikat yang dipenuhi orang yang percaya mereka akan mengubah dunia akan menghasilkan sesuatu yang game-changing. Falsafah dan kepercayaan yang mereka pegang turut tersebar di kalangan pengguna produk mereka. Dengan menggunakan dan mempromosikan produk Apple kepada ahli keluarga dan rakan kenalan, pengguna Apple merasakan diri mereka adalah sebahagian daripada yang sesuatu yang luar biasa.

Setakat ini pesaing Apple hanya mampu melihat dari jauh dan berharap, alangkah hebatnya jika pengguna kita juga menggilai produk kita sebagaimana pengguna Apple menggilai produk Apple.

Sumber: GUIdebook

Ubuntu 11.10 video: now see for it yourself

2011-10-24T23:26:00.000+08:00

Read the last entry and thought what on earth was I talking about?

Well, fret no more, good people.

The delightful folks at omgubuntu have created this lovely video about Ubuntu 11.10, which sums up the best parts about the free operating system.

Hopefully you'll be able to make sense of what I've written earlier and when you do get the chance to try out or use or install Ubuntu, you'll know how to get started.

11.10 Oneiric Ocelot: a very much welcomed Ubuntu update

2011-10-22T11:56:00.001+08:00

I haven't written anything in a long time about Ubuntu Linux, the other operating system I have running in my machine. The latest version, 11.10 (codenamed Oneiric Ocelot), was released a several days ago, and which I am right now testing and so far liking a lot.

Why another operating system?, you may ask.

I'm running Windows 7 as my main operating system. My experience of using it for nearly a year has been good. I think it's the most polished version of Windows released so far.

As for Ubuntu 11.10, for a lack an original thought at the moment, is also the most polished version of Ubuntu yet.

The main reason why I started using Ubuntu was its cost, which is zero ringgit. After I reformatted my old machine, I installed Windows XP and Ubuntu side by side (can't remember which version exactly, but I'm guessing it was 8.04 Hardy Heron). That turned out to be huge help when my Windows XP refused to work because I changed the motherboard. I tried to be a good customer by using original software, but when my hardware went kaput and had to replace it, my original software won't let me. Thanks a lot, Microsoft.

And thanks a million to God Almighty, Ubuntu allowed me to still open my documents and play my media files. So for about a year or so back then (was it really that long?), I was most on Ubuntu Linux, upgrading it whenever a new release was available. One upgrade usually takes me nearly a whole day through Streamyx but only a few hours using 3G.

Source: Wikipedia

Since release 11.04 earlier this year, Ubuntu uses a new user interface system called Unity. Visually, Unity is eye catching. It's one way to impress your friends and family, especially if they are long time Windows users.

I still haven't gotten used to how whenever I minimise any window, it disappear into the left side of the screen, and not at the bottom of the screen in Microsoft Windows. This isn't a bad thing actually since the same happens in Windows if set our taskbar to autohide, and the taskbar can positioned to the left if we want. However I kept finding myself losing track of which window did I open and where is that window that I wanted to close earlier? Turns out the solution for this was the good old Alt and Tab keys combo.

Unity takes a little getting used to. And actually the same goes for all operating systems being developed right now. We're witnessing the dawn of touch-based interfaces, which effectively makes some features we're so used to all this while obsolete. The developers are trying to balance the needs both of current desktop users and the growing touch-based device users. Even Microsoft is working hard on this with their Metro project.

There are many reason to get on board the Ubuntu train. Every Ubuntu users gets a free 5GB of free storage on the Ubuntu One. Ubuntu and most of the software on it are downloadable free of charge available the Ubuntu Software Centre, a centralised approach to managing software in Ubuntu, which I think something Windows should have. And social-addicts will love Ubuntu's built in social app.

In my opinion, Ubuntu is on its way to mainstream acceptable, though not quite there yet. To reel in the casual user crowd, Ubuntu needs to fully embrace the 'don't make the users think' paradigm. I would love to be able to add new software to my Software Centre without fiddling with the PPAs. And if there are many people reading this thinking, what on earth is a PPA?, then this is another reason why we the casual, non-technical users need a simpler Ubuntu.

By the way, oneiric means dreamy or dream related, and this is how awesomely cute an ocelot is.

Source: (again) Wikipedia

Bermula dan Berakhir

2011-10-17T11:00:00.000+08:00

Sumber: Blog Izyan Hazwani

Sudah lama saya ingin meneroka sastera Timur Tengah. Namun memandangkan penguasaan Bahasa Arab saya yang lebih lemah daripada seorang murid PASTI atau Genius Aulad, saya tidak banyak pilihan selain beralih kepada terjemahan Bahasa Melayu atau Bahasa Inggeris.

Kata seorang kenalan yang juga seorang penterjemah, salah satu tanda tanda terjemahan yang baik ialah apabila naskhah tersebut dibaca, ia seolah-olah ditulis dalam bahasa terjemahan. Saya sendiri menjadi terlupa yang saya sedang membaca sebuah novel Arab, bukan novel oleh penulis tempatan. Saya amat kagum dengan terjemahan novel Naguib Mahfouz Bermula dan Berakhir oleh Shamsuddin Jaafar. Di tangan beliau, novel setebal 622 halaman ini berjaya dibawakan secara intact.

Novel ini mengambil tempat di Kaherah sekitar Perang Dunia Kedua. Kematian seorang kakitangan kerajaan bernama Kamel Affendi 'Ali secara tidak disangka telah mengheret ahli keluarganya yang masih hidup ke lembah kemiskinan. Dahulu mereka dihormati, kini mereka dipinggir.

Masalah yang membelenggu keluarga ini sebenarnya bukan disebabkan oleh pemergian almarhum. Sebaliknya pemergian beliau telah menggugurkan hijab yang selama ini menutup mata isterinya Samirah dan keempat-empat anak mereka terhadap siapa diri mereka sebenarnya.

Hassan selaku anak sulung lebih selesa berfoya-foya di kedai kopi dan bergelumang dengan dunia jalanan. Tanggungjawabnya cuba ditebus dengan wang yang diperolehi secara haram dan kata-kata manis yang diharap akan meredakan hati ibunya. Anak kedua, Nafisah, terpaksa menebalkan muka mencari rezeki dengan menjahit baju, satu vokasi yang sering dianggap tidak padan bagi anak seorang pegawai kerajaan. Nafisah memekakkan telinganya demi ibu dan dua orang adiknya, Hussein dan Hassanein, yang masih bersekolah.

Mulanya saya membayangkan novel ini sebagai sebuah drama bersiri Arab Mesir, dengan plot yang tragis dan watak-watak yang bertimpa-timpa malangnya. Plot novel ini amat ringkas tetapi gaya penceritaan Naguib Mahfouz yang berjaya mengangkatnya daripada tahap sebuah novel biasa ke tahap sebuah novel sastera. Setiap ahli keluarga ini menghadapi pemergian Kamel dengan cara yang berlainan. Pilihan yang setiap mereka ambil untuk menghadapi tanpa hidup tunggak keluarga untuk menaungi mereka telah menjadi pemangkin metamorphosis peribadi yang telah membawa mereka ke jalan-jalan kebaikan dan juga kejahatan.

Semakin dekat saya dengan penghujung novel ini semakin jelas saya melihat bagaimana novel ini membantu melayakkan Naguib Mahfouz untuk menerima Hadiah Nobel bagi Kesusasteraan pada tahun 1988. Sebahagian daripada harapan saya terhadap novel ini tidak tercapai tetapi saya tidak terkilan, memandangkan zaman ketika ia ditulis. Selebihnya berjaya dipenuhi sekadarnya. Dua bulan lebih dan 622 halaman yang sukar dilupakan.

Dinged the universe, he did

2011-10-11T22:22:00.001+08:00

Mr. Steve Jobs, the former CEO of Apple, passed away last week. He was 56.

To call Jobs fascinating is probably an understatement. Many things about him, from his usual sweater-jeans-sneakers ensemble to the way he runs his company, defy common wisdom. One of the last innovation he help developed, the iPad, was ridiculed by many observers when it was first introduced. Many year before other companies have tried to make the tablet PC market work. And failed.

By March 2011, 11 million units of iPad have been sold and now the industry is running to catch up with Apple in a market that was once considered unlucrative.

I'm not a fan of his management style and his perfectionist approach. His style clearly works but I don't see it as a management or leadership model that other people can easily emulate. Or should emulate.

I can't elaborate much on this because most of these are from unverifiable sources. Furthermore, the man has passed on. It's only proper to be respectful.

What I can say is Jobs isn't too big headed to even kill off his own ideas when they turn out to be a bad one. Case in point: the Power Mac C4 Cube.

I'm sure I'm not the only person who thinks we'll never find another CEO like him. But then, maybe we don't need to.

Here is his former business partner, hacker, and Apple co-founder, Steve Wozniak, (the other Steve) paying tribute to Jobs. I can only hope that my friends would say nice things about me after I'm gone, as did Wozniak. And to leave the universe dinged, for the better, as did Jobs.

Lelaki bandar, wanita kampung

2011-10-04T22:05:00.001+08:00

Rumah tangga adalah sekolah baru bagi diri saya. Melalui isteri saya dan keluarga beliau, saya mengenali sudut-sudut baru masyarakat yang sebelum ini saya hanya dengari atau lihat dari jauh. Melalui perkahwinan, saya kini mempunyai pertalian dengan mereka.

Mereka yang saya maksudkan adalah orang kampung.

Saya adalah anak bandar. Inilah takdir Tuhan ke atas saya. Sejak lahir, saya dan keluarga mengikut ke mana sahaja Abah diarahkan bertugas. Hampir kesemua pejabat tempat Abah bertugas terletak di pekan atau di bandar. Pengalaman kehidupan kampung saya terbatas kepada waktu saya bersekolah rendah dahulu, mengikut kawan sekelas untuk turun ke sungai untuk menangkap ikan, mengorek pasir pantai untuk mencari remis, dan bersiar-siar di jalan-jalan kampung dengan berbasikal. Semuanya tercatit dengan indah di dalam kenangan saya.

Kini saya suami kepada seorang wanita yang menganggap dirinya wanita kampung. Jiwanya sebati dengan suasana masyarakat yang saling bertegur sapa dan bertukar-tukar hidangan, udara yang segar dan nyaman, kokokan ayam di waktu pagi, dan ladang dan kebun tanaman kontan. Sejauh mana dia mengikuti saya, hatta ke penghujung dunia, kampung itu tetap di dalam jiwanya. Takdir Tuhan ke atas dirinya berbeza daripada diri saya.

Mat Som

2011-09-27T15:55:00.011+08:00

Source: kcbmanyala

I was in primary school when Mat Som came out. During that year end school holidays when my parents went for umrah, I was at my grandmother's in the kampung. In between the trips to river and the paddy field, I would reread Mat Som countless times, even when I didn't understand parts of it.

When I reread it recently, those parts finally made sense.

The 80s I remember from the movies and TV dramas is filled with young people from the kampung trying to make it in the big city. Kuala Lumpur, in particular. Mat Som is no different. He left his idyllic kampung in Perak for shot at becoming a reporter at a big name newspaper company.

There comes a stage in life when a man must make something out of himself. Basically, to stop leeching off the parents and to stand on one's own feet. And be a good Muslim, of course. Mat Som finds that stage to be his present. And so do I.

Often times "making it" means "get ready for a rough start." Without a permanent job, Mat Som makes his way by sending in pieces and waiting for the cheque to clear at the end of month. If that doesn't happen soon enough then it's a trip to the pawnshop. Out of kindness, his childhood friend So'ud's lets him crash at his rented setinggan house. In short, nothing to write home about.

Until home writes to him.

Like thunder on a clear afternoon, his father tells him to consider marrying Wan Faridah, the daughter of his close friend. They grew up together but Mat Som's memories of her isn't exactly fond. Meanwhile, his attention seems to be diverted towards Yam, a girl in his neighbourhood, for reasons he himself couldn't quite fathom. He keeps running into Yam but his conversations with her remains one sided and in his head only.

Mat Som was adapted into a movie by Hatta Azad Khan, with Imuda as the lead and Tiara Jacquelina, in probably her first major role, as Yam. I can't think of anyone else who could do justice to the character other than Imuda, although I did picture Mat Som more as a short dude and reasonably well-dressed as depicted in drawing by Lat. Imuda is not just an actor; he's done plays, drew cartoons for Gila-Gila and Dewan Pelajar, and is also a painter.

Mat Som is more than a comic; it's a testament of Lat's love for the arts. If you know your sasterawan and seniman, you'll be thrilled to see people such as Pyan Habib, Usman Awang (Tongkat Warrant), T Alias Taib and Ramli Sarip making their camoes appearances, either drawn or mentioned or both. There's even a funny scene between Mat Som and Lat's former boss, legendary editor and novelist A. Samad Ismail, which tempted me to conclude that Mat Som is semi-autobiographical, a recollection of his earlier days as a reporter at the New Strait Times.

Mat Som shaped my thoughts about how life as an adult would look like and I believe am now a better adult because of it. It's a real shame that Mat Som is not widely known or not widely read as Kampung Boy. Another shame is the sloppy design work done on the English translation. I would love to see Lat and the publisher redesign the English version (the one with the blue background on the cover) and for Lat to draw more stuff like this.

Preview: Usagi Drop

2011-09-06T22:01:00.000+08:00

Although it's been quite some time since I last wrote anything about anime, it's not because I've given up watching anime. Not yet, anyway. It's because I haven't found anything worth writing about. There's a couple of reasons for that, and the main one is I'm no longer a teenager. Most anime cater for the younger crowd, and I want more than the usual giant robots and high school love triangles.

Which is why I find Usagi Drop a breath of fresh air.

I was initially reluctant to watch it because of the rumours about its ending. It's a controversial one to say the least, feel free to Google it if you wish. The manga it's based on ended earlier this year, and myriad of reactions ensued. I snooped around a few anime discussion boards before deciding to the first episode a try.

And I'm glad I did. I found a lot of things that resonates with current stage in life. The lead character, Daikichi, is also about the same age as me. I think this is the first time I found myself actually relating to an anime character.

Much of Usagi Drop is grounded in reality. Daikichi is a regular middle class, working guy whose grandfather passed away recently. He gets ready to attend the funeral, and is greeted with a surprise at the doorstep in the form of a six-year-old girl.

The girl is introduced as Rin, the illegitimate daughter of Daikichi's late grandfather. As preparations for the funeral goes underway, Daikichi notices that everyone seems to avoid talking to or about Rin. The whole thing is understandable since the idea of an octogenarian fathering a small child is a tad squeamish for some people to accept. And compounding the confusion further is the fact that Rin's biological mother is nowhere to be seen.

Daikichi makes several efforts to reach out to Rin, and in doing so gains her trust. He begins to sympathise with Rin who's too young to understand the situation she's in.

When the family finally sits down to discuss about Rin, things get a little heated. Nobody seems ready to welcome Rin into their home, and somehow perhaps due to confusion and embarrassment, the big picture is lost on everyone, except for Daikichi. He stands up, calls out to Rin and asks if she wants to go home with him, leaving everyone with their jaws on the floor.

Daikichi is single and living alone, and as the story has reveals even he realises that taking in Rin would severely affect his chances of finding a girlfriend.

I must say that I really admire Daikichi's guts. A character like him is rare in anime (heck, even in real life!), and this is reason enough for me to sit and watch till the end, no matter how it's going to end.

The next few episodes finds Daikichi making several important, life-changing decisions, including taking a demotion, as he hopes to spend more time with Rin at home. Having a child changes our life in huge ways. I suspect when one day I have one of my own, I'd be pondering over similar issues. I wonder too about whether there are young men like Daikichi out there, who'd selflessly give up the pleasures of the single life in order to care for somebody else's child. (And in Daikichi' case, the child is his own aunt!) I really hope do they exist.

Yeah, I know I'm starting to get all sentimental. Because, hey, I'm a 30-something-year-old anime fan. I'm supposed to.

Salam Aidilfitri 1432H Maaf Zahir Batin, walaupun hari ini sudah 5 Syawal

2011-09-03T18:36:00.000+08:00

Balik kampung baru-baru ini membuatkan saya offline untuk beberapa hari, tanpa Internet sama ada berwayar atau tanpa wayar. Kampung saya agak dalam. Capaian Internet di sana masih rendah walaupun jiran kami dengarnya mempunyai WiFi. Saya mengambil peluang ini untuk melupakan seketika aktiviti menulis blog, berinteraksi di FB dan menyemak inbox emel.

Nyaman sekali rasanya.

Nyamannya udara desa.

Nyamannya mata memandang saujana luas.

Nyamannya beroffline.

Sekali-kala berdetik di hati, bagus juga kalau saya ada sebuah Blackberry atau iPhone. Cepat-cepat saya pejamkan mata. Saya menyedut udara nyaman desa dalam-dalam. Bau kuih dan lemang menyerbu rongga hidung. Bunyi mercun bola meletup, hilai ketawa sanak saudara, dan suara kanak-kanak bermain berlegar di kelopak telinga.

Lagi pun Internet tidak akan merudum tanpa saya.

Salam Aidilfitri 1432H Maaf Zahir Batin, walaupun Syawal sudah masuk hari yang ke-5. Sama-samalah kita puasa enam Syawal, dan bak pesan Ustaz Zaharuddin, lebih baik jangan hebah-hebahkannya.

Lessons of the Crusades and the Mongol Hordes

2011-08-24T00:52:00.006+08:00

Lessons of the Crusades and the Mongol Hordes: Salahuddin al-Ayyubi and his Successors is a slim volume, just several pages short of a hundred pages. It's actually two chapters from another book, Saviours of Islamic Spirit (Volume I), by respected scholar Syeikh Syed Abul Hassan Ali Nadwi, who think also wrote Riwayat Hidup Rasulullah SAW, one of the noteworthy books I read back in 2008, and in my life so far.

This books brings to our attention two pivotal events in the history of Muslim ummah; Salahuddin Al-Ayubbi's recapture of Palestine during the Third Crusade from the hands of the Christians, and the invasion of the Mongols which ignited the fall of the Abbasiniyyah dynasty. In short, one about Muslim being victorious and another about Muslim defeat.

I admit I don't know much about Salahuddin Al-Ayubbi, other than him being considered one of the greatest Muslim heroes. Reading this book made me understood why he deserve the respect and reputation. Salahuddin (better known in the West as Saladin) was in a do-or-die mission to defend Islam against the combined forces of the Christian Crusaders. When the Christian army conquered the Jerusalem, the population were slaughtered in the streets and in their homes. It was an opposite scenario when Salahuddin took control. He pardoned the enemy soldiers and allowed them to leave unharmed. This one reason why Salahuddin is revered even by Western historians.

That doesn't mean Salahuddin's soft-heartedness is misplaced. He executed the Reginald (Rayland) of Châtillon because of Reginald's plans to attack the Holy Cities of Makkah and Madinah and wanting to take the body of Rasulullah SAW from out of his blessed grave.

He also was once moved to tears by the plea of a Christian Frank mother whose baby was kidnapped and sold in the slave market. Salahuddin helped the mother until her child was finally found.

In the battlefield, Salahuddin was described as,

... a bereaved mother... who had been deprived of her only child by the cruel hands of Death. He could be seen trotting on his horse from one side of the battlefield to another, exhorting the people to fight for the sake of Allah. He would himself go round all the detachments, with tears in his eyes, asking people to come forth for the aid of Islam.

If Salahuddin's story is something we could be proud of, the story of the Mongol invasion is certainly a cautionary one.

The Mongol invasion didn't occur without any blame on the part of the Muslims. It was a time when Muslims had failed to uphold the commandments of Islam and Muslim societies had decayed socially, spiritually, and morally. The Khalifah of the day were paid obeisance by having the subjects put their forehead on the ground, an act forbidden even for Rasulullah and reserved only for the worship of Allah.

And the event that triggered the first Mongol attack was the murder of a envoy of Mongol merchants by Muslim ruler Khwarism Shah. He suspected that there were spies among them, and the surviving members of the envoy immediately went to Genghiz Khan, seeking justice. And justice came swiftly and severely for the Muslims.

What followed was so horrific that even the historical scholars couldn't bring themselves to describe, although they did so in the end, omitting the gory and possibly unnecessary details. (Unnecessary because, in my opinion, it would describing the tarnishing of the honour of many Muslims. In the Shariah point of view, protection of the honour of individuals is a must and an aim.)

But Islam didn't disappear by the swords of the Mongol, or the Tartar people, to be exact. In fact, generations later (in just approximately 40 years) the Tartar discovered Islam and several prominent Tartar Mongol leaders embraced Islam, which included Tuqluq Timur Khan and Tarmashirin Khan.

One important lesson embedded in both stories is the significance of jihad. Many people, Muslims and non-Muslims, understand jihad as waging a holy war against other religions. But this entirely false. Jihad is act of striving in the path of Allah in order to keep Islam alive, particularly in the hearts and minds of Muslims. The Tartar Mongol invasion left many Muslim governments in disarray, but the faith of Islam survived due to the efforts of pious and steadfast Muslims.

Tuqluq Timur Khan embraced Islam after a conversation with Syeikh Jamaludin, a teacher from Bukhara who accidentally trespassed on a land that belonged to him. Syeikh Jamaludin was caught and brought before Tuqluq. Tuqluq pointed to his dog and asked whether the Syeikh thinks the dog or the Syeikh himself is more noble. When Tuqluq learned that Syeikh and his travelling party were Persian people, he insulted them by saying that a dog is worthier than a Persian. To Tuqluq's surprise Syeikh Jamaludin answered, "Yes, if we had not the true faith, we would indeed be worse than dogs." Another source quoted Syeikh Jamaludin saying something similar, "If I pass away from this world with my faith intact, I would be better than the dog. If not, the dog would be better than me." The word faith shook Tuqluq so much that he had to know more about it and in doing so he found iman and Islam.

Salahuddin's role as a Muslim general and defender is an example of jihad in a time when brutal enemies are threatening the sanctity of Islam. It wasn't a time for round table negotiations. Like I said earlier, it was a do-or-die mission.

At the time when Muslims are weaken militarily, as shown in the days beyond the Tartar Mongol invasion, jihad is still a necessity. If the spirit of jihad had died in the hearts of Muslims at the time including Syeikh Jamaludin, even we wouldn't be Muslims today, let alone Tuqluq Timur Khan. Syeikh Jamaludin also defended Islam and his act is definitely an act of jihad. No swords unsheathed and not a drop of blood spilled.

As the current Muslim generation, we need to seriously ponder about our situation, as we are still in the cross hairs of people who wish to see Islam obliterated. The challenges that come our ways appear in many guises. The desire for jihad or the struggle for betterment should be in our heart and the heart of all Muslims.

On a separate note, I wonder if someone at the book's publishing company thought Photoshopping the face of George W. Bush on a picture of a crusader (I think) on the book's cover would be a good marketing idea. I don't know. Maybe. I only noticed it a few days after I bought it. (Is that really G. W.? I don't know.)

Al-Fatihah, Azizi Haji Abdullah

2011-08-21T18:14:00.001+08:00

Saya menerima berita daripada kawan di FB, penulis veteran kelahiran Kedah Darul Aman, Azizi Haji Abdullah, telah kembali ke rahmatulah pagi tadi.

Beliau lebih terkenal sebagai penulis novel Seorang Tua Di Kaki Bukit. Karya-karya beliau banyak mengedepankan masyarakat luar bandar serta kehidupan mereka dan banyak menggunakan humor (orang Kedah, kan?) di samping menerapkan nilai Islami dan dakwah. Semoga Allah menerima segala amal soleh beliau, mengampuni beliau dan merahmati beliau. Amin rabbalalamin.

[ Terdahulu: Memoir Seorang Guru ]

Hadith about Jabir RA's marriage: the bigger picture

2011-08-06T14:53:00.002+08:00

Alhamdulillah, we are now in the blessed month of Ramadhan. In the days leading to it, I kept thinking about what afida wrote on being given the opportunity to be alive long enough to be in it. Many people we know and perhaps we don't know are no longer with us now. Could we be joining them during next Ramadhan, or even before the end of this one?

I know it's a scary thought but then again we have very little control over the matter of life and death. What we do have some control over is how we spend the opportunity afforded to us. Ramadhan is here and we are, thanks to Allah, are still here as well. Let's make the best of it, shall we?

Source: Dar-us-Salam Publication

This year I try to follow my friends who decide to take a break from their regular reading materials to focus more on the Quran and Islamic books. In previous Ramadhans I didn't focus as much as I do this year and really I should've been doing this years ago. Better late than never, I guess.

I started with Dr. Muhammad 'Abd Al-Rahaman Al-'Ariff's Enjoy Your Life, a book I bought years ago but never really read seriously. I flipped through it a couple of times because of the way the content is organised, similar to other Islamic motivational books such as La Tahzan (Don't Be Sad) and Langit Ilahi, where the chapters stand on their own. We can easily pick a chapter and read it without worrying about losing sight of the book's message.

The book is introduced to us as "the art of the interacting with people... as deduced from a study of the Prophet's life." So maybe I was wrong about it being an Islamic motivational book, although they are many motivational stuff in it that backed with sources from the Sunnah and the Quran. At least it motivated me reassess my people skills. (In other words, I come to realise that I'm really not that great with people. Well... new rooms for growth.)

In one chapter I came across the story of Jabir RA, a companion of Rasullullah SAW who was mentioned in the hadith about marrying a virgin. Rasulullah SAW learned that Jabir RA was getting married to a women who had been married before (there wasn't any mention of whether she was a widow or a divorcée), and asked, "Why didn't you marry a virgin so that you could fondle one another?"

I have seen how frequent this hadith is used to argue for the advantage of marrying a women who has never been married over marrying a women who has been married before. I won't argue against this usage because I'm not qualified. I don't know about the related Quranic verses or Hadiths.

I prefer to is to relate the story in the context of what actually happened between Rasullullah SAW and Jabir bin Abdullah RA. I hope that being understanding the story behind the Hadith, the bigger picture, we would better appreciate the Hadith and its message.

Jabir bin Abdullah RA was a young Sabahah, and when the conversation recorded in this particular Hadith took place Jabir was a newly-wed. He was travelling with Rasulullah SAW back to Madinah at the time. The conversation was a friendly one and Rasulullah SAW was engaging with Jabir RA in a way that would interest a young man like Jabir RA. And since Jabir RA was recently married, it's only natural that sooner if not later they would veer into the topic of marriage.

(And as far I know young people, working with them at work, if you ever want to get their attention, start talking about marriage and married life and stuff related to it.)

Jabir RA was not only a newly-wed, he was had a father who was martyred in the battle of Uhud. And Jabir had nine sisters to take care of. Nine. Let that number sink in for a while.

Nine sisters plus debt collectors knocking on their doors, being financially destitute and a new wife. I can only to imagine the burden on Jabir RA's shoulders.

Coming back to the Hadith about Jabir RA's choice to marry a women who had been married before, Jabir RA replied,

O Messenger of Allah! My father died a martyr at Uhud, leaving behind daughters, so I did not wish to marry a young girl like them, but rather an older one who could take care of them and look after them.

In other words, he needed someone who would fulfil the role that is similar to a mother's, rather than a another 'sister.'

As explained by the author, Jabir RA was actually sacrificing his pleasure for the sake of his sisters. Being to someone who was married before is quite a challenge. Widowers, widows or a divorcées are sometimes influenced by their experiences in previous marriages. They normally enter their new marriages with their own emotional baggages. It takes incredible amounts of patient and love to make this type of marriage to work.

One part of this Hadith that people often neglect to mention is the reply from Rasulullah SAW,

You have made the correct choice.

This Hadith was reported in both sahihs Al-Bukhari and Muslim.

There are a few lessons can we learn from looking at the Hadith in its context.

When it comes to choose to a suitable candidate for wife, the fact that the woman was previously married (or not) shouldn't be made into the ultimate deciding factor. A virgin is not necessarily the better choice. Everything boils down to, again, the bigger picture.

Usually, the best match for someone who has never been married before is someone likewise. However, in Jabir RA's situation, Rasulullah SAW approved of his decision because his situation is an extraordinary one. Nine sisters, don't forget.

In fact, Rasulullah SAW was married to a Saiditina Khadijah RA, who was married a few times before she becoming his wife. This too is an extraordinary situation, for both Rasulullah SAW and Ummul Mukminin Khadijah RA were persons of exemplary characters, and no one in their society could imagine a better match than the two of them.

Wallahua'lam and Ramadhan Kareem.

Amalan soleh atau ritual?

2011-07-26T15:55:00.001+08:00

Sebagai seorang ayah Michael Chabon menghadapi satu dilema. Dia seorang yang berpandangan progresif dan seorang ateis. Pada masa yang sama, masa telah tiba untuk anak lelakinya yang baru lahir dikhatan, selari dengan kehendak budaya Yahudi.

Kalau abangnya dikhatan, adik pun patut juga, bukan? Kalau tidak, mereka tidak akan sepadan. Itu kesimpulan Chabon.

Dilema tersebut diserabutkan oleh satu lagi faktor. Chabon pernah terbaca yang berkhatan dikatakan boleh mengurangkan nikmat hubungan kelamin. Kebenarannya tidak mungkin dipastikan oleh Chabon kerana dia sendiri telah dikhatan semasa kecil. Sedikit sebanyak dia berasa bersalah kerana menimpakan kemungkinan ini ke atas anak-anaknya.

Sumber: A.V. Club

Saya pula tergaru-garu kulit kepala saya yang tidak gatal ketika membaca tentang dilema ini di dalam Manhood for Amateurs: The Pleasures and Regrets of a Husband, Father, and Son, koleksi esei Chabon tentang lelaki, kelakian dan kehidupan sebagai seorang lelaki.

Saya lansung tidak terfikir yang berkhatan boleh menimbulkan begitu banyak persoalan dan pertimbangan. Isu sebegini sebenarnya adalah tema berulang di dalam pelbagai novel, siri televisyen dan filem Barat, pertembungan di antara kepercayaan dan kebudayaan. Pada pengamatan saya, orang Yahudi yang paling sering mengalaminnya kerana pertautan mereka yang sangat kuat dengan asal usul mereka, walaupun mereka secara terang-terangan menolak aspek berkaitan kerohanian dan ketuhanan.

Alim ulama kita menerangkan perkara ini dengan baik sekali. Apabila amalan soleh dibuat tanpa menyedari kepentingannya (fikir) dan perkaitannya dengan Allah SWT (zikir), ia bertukar menjadi adat. Atau istilah modennya, ritual.

Islam berbeza daripada sistem kepercayaan lain dari segi matlamatnya. Segala amalan soleh yang kita kerjakan adalah kerana mencari keredhaan Allah. Segala niat yang selain itu akan ditolak. Bukan sahaja ia menjadi sia-sia, bahkan jika niat itu kerana selain Allah, ia menjadi syirik, dosa yang tidak sama sekali akan terampun. (Semoga Allah melindungi kita semua daripadanya.)

Satu lagi prasyarat bagi setiap amalan soleh adalah bertetapan dengan sunnah Baginda Rasulullah SAW dan kehendak syariah. Sekali pun niat telah diikhlaskan kepada Allah SWT, kaedah perlaksaannya perlu betul. Allah tidak akan menerima solat Maghrib lima rakaat yang ditunaikan hatta kerana cinta padaNya.

Perintah Allah tidak datang secara arahan semata-mata. Di samping peringatan dan amaran, amalan soleh juga mengandungi fadilat-fadilat yang tersendiri. Ada fadilat yang berbentuk janji di alam akhirat kelak seperti ganjaran pahala bagi solat fardhu berjemaah dan solat-solat sunat, dan ada fadilat yang dapat dirasai di dunia ini lagi seperti mendapat kasih sayang kerana mengasihi ibu bapa, anak-anak dan saudara seagama.

Ritual pula mungkin mengandungi signifikasi, falsafah atau sejarah yang tertentu. Oleh sebab lemahnya atau tiadanya perkaitan di antara ritual dan asas-asas daripada Al-Quran dan Sunnah, maka ramai Muslim terutamanya generasi ke-dua Muslim di negara Barat lebih banyak mempersoalkan amalan-amalan ritualistik yang sering diamalkan secara turun-temurun, berbanding Muslim yang lahir Muslim seperti orang Melayu.

Jika kita tidak berwaspada, tidak mustahil kita akan mencampur-adukkan di antara amalan soleh dan ritual. Lebih teruk lagi kita mungkin akan terkinja-kinja marah apabila orang lain meninggalkan sesuatu yang ritual tetapi sedikit pun tidak bersuara apabila amalan soleh dipinggirkan.

Dari pandangan Islam, kepentingan tentang berkhatan ada diterangkan. Rasullullah SAW bersabda di dalam sebuah hadis riwayat Bukhari dan Muslim,

Lima perkara fitrah: berkhatan, mencukur bulu kemaluan, memotong kuku, mencabut bulu ketiak, memendekkan misai.

Fitrah, menurut As-Shawkani, adalah perkara-perkara yang membawa kepada kehormatan dan kesopanan apabila diamalkan.

Namun bezanya orang Yahudi dan orang Muslim, termasuklah orang Melayu, ialah kuatnya pegangan orang Yahudi terhadap budaya mereka. Setuju atau tidak itulah identiti mereka selaku bangsa terpilih. Adakah perasaan yang sama wujud di dalam hati kita orang Muslim, yang sudah pun disebut sebagai ummah yang terbaik oleh Allah SWT di dalam Al-Quran? Walhal perintah dan amalan kita ada asas rujukannya, cara menunaikannya, kepentingannya serta kelebihannya; bukan berdasarkan sentimen ethnocentric?

Cerita blog ini

2011-07-13T01:25:00.000+08:00

Sejak awal bulan Jun lagi saya sibuk dengan pelbagai benda, termasuk menziarahi beberapa tempat yang sudah lama saya tidak ziarahi, seperti Tanjung Tokong, kampung nenek dan moyang saudara saya. Dan projek-projek yang sudah lama tertangguh, menyebabkan tumpuan saya kepada blog ini menurun.

Saya akui saya bukan blogger tegar. Saya masih mampu hidup tanpa mengupdate blog saya setiap ~~jam~~ hari. Apa yang penting bagi saya ialah satu tempat untuk menulis.

Ketika saya memulakan blog ini pada tahun 2003 atau 2004 (saya kurang pasti kerana ada entri awalan yang sudah didelete), saya lebih berminat untuk menyertai dan menyelami fenomena blogging yang baru masih berkembang pada waktu itu. Dengan bantuan seorang rakan sekolah dan blogger, ieka, saya membuka blog ini dengan nama "Awkward Living with Rollie." Tajuk itu ada maksud yang tersirat. Ketika itu saya masih tercari-cari arah tuju hidup dan baru sahaja tamat belajar. Walaupun saya lulusan dalam bidang komputer, saya agak lemah dalam kemahiran teknikal seperti pengaturcaraan dan pengiraan. Kerjaya di bidang teknikal tidak begitu menggamit minat saya.

Blog ini merupakan projek sampingan saya, tempat saya melarikan diri seketika. Dengan sokongan blogger lain seperti iena, mudin dan rakan-rakan blogger dan pembaca, saya terus menulis. Sedar-sedar, blog ini sudah melepasi usia lima tahun, enam tahun dan seterusnya hingga sekarang.

Alhamdulillah, sedikit demi sedikit penulisan saya bertambah baik, jika dibandingkan dengan masa saya mula-mula blogging. Saya percaya menulis blog adalah satu cara yang untuk meningkatkan kemahiran menulis. Saya sentiasa memberi galakan kepada kawan-kawan saya yang ingin membuka blog mereka sendiri.

Dari awal lagi saya sengaja meninggalkan ejaan kontot dan cuba untuk menepati tatabahasa sebaik mungkin. Keputusan ini secara tidak lansung menajamkan lagi kemahiran editing saya. Saya sekarang lebih teliti terhadap hasil kerja saya yang melibatkan penulisan.

Saya turut berpegang kepada nasihat Anne Lamott, penulis Bird by Bird, iaitu berkenaan "shitty first drafts." Selalunya entri saya akan diedit berkali-kali sebelum dipublish. Mungkin ada melihat ini sebagai satu bentuk self-censorship atau blogging yang tidak authentic. Bukankah blogging sepatutnya datang dari hati? Jujur sejujur-jujurnya?

Memang. Dan memang, ada banyak cara untuk blogging. Ada orang blogging untuk berkongsi pengalaman dan perasaan dengan orang lain. Dan orang menggunakannya sebagai satu wadah untuk ekspresi diri, siap dengan galeri foto dan portfolio karya.

Tentunya saya tidak boleh sama sekali mengatakan yang cara saya blogging adalah cara yang sepatutnya. Terpulang kepada empunya blogger masing-masing.

Satu perkara lagi, ketika mula-mula dahulu, saya menjadikan blog sebagai projek eksperimen HTML dan CSS. Saya mengedit template Blogger.com dan menjadikannya unik, dan sejak dulu lagi saya sukakan gaya minimalis yang kini dipopularkan oleh Apple melalui desain iPhone dan iPad. Satu soalan yang sering saya dapat ialah, "Kenapa blog ini tidak berwarna-warni?"

Sudah beberapa kali saya menukar template blogger ini, dan yang terbaru adalah beberapa hari lepas. Namun akhirnya saya membuat keputusan untuk terus menggunakan template yang sekarang, The Morning After. Desainnnya ringkas dan kemas serta tidak terlalu padat. Dan paling penting, rupanya yang minimalis.

Terima kasih yang tidak terhingga, pembaca dan blogger sekalian, kerana sudi berkunjung, khasnya buat afida yang menjenguk dan bertanya khabar setelah lama saya tidak blogging dan menjadi follower pertama blog ini. Mohon maaf kepada semua jika ada terlanjur atau tersilap. Saya orang tua baru belajar.

Izinkan saya untuk berkongsi semula sebuah entri berbentuk puisi dari 2005 bertajuk "No updates? Why?"

Are you
Too busy, to sit down and write something?
Too lazy, to think of something to write?
Too hungry, to even think clearly?
Too occupied, to even remember that you own a blog?
Too sad, from hearing the depressing news about the world around us?
Too stressed out, from the tremendous pressures of modern living?
Too tired, from running away from all your responsibilities?
Too guilt-ridden, from the thought of taking some time of your busy day to update your blog?

Or are you
Too scared, to face the readers who never really exist?

The Story of the Qur'an

2011-07-11T09:57:00.008+08:00

Sumber: Wiley

Saya keberatan untuk memulangkan buku ini ke perpustakaan usai membacanya. Saya bimbang kalau saya membacanya secara terburu-buru lalu terlepas isi-isinya yang penting.

Niat asal saya membaca buku ini adalah untuk mencari maklumat tentang sejarah Al-Quran. Walaupun lahir Muslim, pengetahuan saya mengenai sejarah Al-Quran masih kelam. Misalnya, bagaimana ayat-ayat Al-Quran yang dahulunya tersimpan di dalam ingatan para Sahabat RAHum berjaya dihimpunkan dan dibukukan?

Keseluruhan proses mengumpulkan isi Al-Quran mengambil masa beberapa tahun, merentasi zaman beberapa Khulafah Ar-Rasyidin. Umat Islam sangat terhutang budi kepada Zaid ibnu Tsabit RA, sahabah yang menjadi jurucatat Rasulullah SAW, yang juga telah diperintahkan oleh Baginda untuk menguasai beberapa bahasa termasuklah bahasa orang Yahudi ketika itu, memandangkan betapa penting dan strategik peranan bahasa dalam usaha dakwah. Zaid dan sahabah lain RAHum telah menulis semula hafalan Al-Quran dan mencantumkan lembaran-lembaran ayat suci Al-Quran dari pelbagai sumber, menghasilkan naskhah Al-Quran yang kita semua baca hari ini.

Ini sebahagian kecil isi The Story of the Qur'an, sebuah kajian akademik oleh Ingrid Mattson. Beliau merupakan seorang Professor di Macdonald Center for Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations, Hartford Seminary. Walaupun buku ini sebuah bersifat akademik, gaya penulisannya begitu mengasyikkan. Jarang sekali saya berjumpa dengan kajian yang bersifat tinggi (senarai rujukan yang panjang serta analisis yang luas dan mendalam) yang membuatkan saya rasa ingin terus menerus membaca dan berasa sayang untuk berhenti, malah berasa berat untuk memulangkannya. Prof. Dr. Mattson mengupas Al-Quran dari pelbagai aspek meliputi ertinya kepada umat Islam, sejarahnya, penafsirannya, dan peranannya di dalam lingkung hidup Muslimin.

Ada terdetik di hati saya, adakah Prof. Dr. Mattson seorang muslimah? Atau adakah beliau seorang lagi ahli akademik yang mengagumi Islam tetapi belum memeluk Islam?

Jawapannya, ya. Beliau saudara saya dan kita semua orang Islam. Semoga Allah mengganjari beliau atas penulisan yang amat bernilai ini, amin.

This Earth of Mankind

2011-06-12T08:34:00.002+08:00

Source: Nobelang Atisan

Some authors are known for their tendency to put their characters through hell. Pramoedya Ananta Toer, I suspect, is one of them.

The Buru Quartet is considered to be one of Pramoedya's most well-known work. The four book series consists of This Earth of Mankind (Bumi Manusia), A Child of All Nations (Anak Semua Bangsa), Footsteps (Jejak Langkah), and House of Glass (Rumah Kaca). Initially banned by the Indonesian government for propagating communism thoughts— an allegation that turned out to be entirely false— the books have been translated into many languages and have been critically praised for its boldness in exploring the intricate web of native-colonial relations.

Pramoedya himself had went through a hell of sorts. Buru Island was the place of Pramoedya's incarceration, and the books were originally told to his fellow inmates before later recollected in writing after Pramoedya was released. The prison prohibited any text whatever. According to Max Lane, the translator of the Buru Quartet, an inmate was taken away by the prison's authority because he was to found to possess a small piece of newspaper that was used to wrap some nails. His body was found floating in a nearby river a few days later.

My Buru Quartet journey began with its ending. House of Glass was a cat-and-mouse tale between a native-born colonial police officer and the figures of Indonesia's native liberation movement. One of them of the Dutch-educated Raden Mas Minke, the novels' most central charater. Minke's final fate was an ill one, a fate that could befallen upon the many who fought and died in the struggle for liberation. For every few names remembered in the history tomes, thousands are still buried in obscurity, doomed to be forgotten.

But Minke had a life, a beginning, and This Earth of Mankind is that beginning. We meet young Minke as young man, a promising native-born student at a Dutch school, the son of a Bupati (native officials in the Dutch administration). Minke was on the path to become somebody.

And that path would lead him to Nyai Ontosoroh. During an expected visit to home of businessman Robert Mellema, Minke becomes acquainted with the most cultured and intellegent native woman he ever met, someone so rare she is almost mythical; the self-educated native businesswoman. She would have been the jewel of her society if were not for one reason. Nyai Ontosoroh is not the legal wife of Mr. Mellama despite being the mother to their two children, Robert Jr. and Annelies.

Minke falls for Annelies as instantly as Robert Jr. despises Minke for winning the heart of his mother and sister. Annelies is fragile strand that holds the story together. Her naivete and exuberance are direct opposite of her mother's character, the indomitable manager whose fate were sealed when as a young girl she was sold by her parents to Robert Mellema. Annelies embraces her mixed heritage which similarly makes her what her brother is not; the self-loathing native-born Dutch. The family's patriach, Mr. Mellema, was first introduced as a man who is reduced to a shell of his former self.

The Mellema family continues to shape Minke's view of the future. In Nyai Ontosoroh, he sees the hope that education can bring. Before Mr. Mellema succumbed to frequenting a nearby brothel, he taught Nyai Ontosoroh all he could. He even admits that Nyai Ontosoroh was more educated than the average Dutch woman in the Netherlands. Nyai Ontosoroh tries to do the same for her daughter by getting her to be actively involved in the family business. Meanwhile, Robert's retaliatory behaviours constantly widens the gulf between him and both his mother and sister.

Towards the end, Minke becomes embroiled in a series of shocking events involving the Mellema family, including him getting married to Annelies. The young couple's happiness was cut short by the intervention of Dutch administration on the grounds that Annelies is underage. At this point it seems that Minke is destined for a difficult life, and thinking about his twilight days on earth in House of Glass really got to me.

To say that I thoroughly enjoyed the two books in this tetralogy so far would sound as if I enjoy seeing Minke and the other characters suffer, being oppressed and subjugated. The truth however is I am both appreciative of and shaken by the realism that Pramoedya conveys.

Mengenali Pendita Za’ba

2011-05-23T14:08:00.002+08:00

Di sekolah menengah dahulu saya tinggal di asrama untuk beberapa tahun. Asrama kami bukan asrama penuh, sekadar sekolah separa harian. Sebahagian besar pelajarnya tinggal di asrama sementara yang lain berulang alik dari rumah. Ada yang memilih untuk tinggal di asrama kerana rumah mereka agak jauh dari sekolah. Ada pula yang memilih untuk terus tinggal di rumah, sanggup mengharungi kesibukan Kuala Lumpur saban hari tanpa sekelumit keluh.

Bangunan asrama yang saya diami dahulu agak kecil dan mempunyai enam bilik asrama, dua bilik air serta bilik membasuh awam dan dua buah bilik hujung yang juga merupakan rumah kediaman warden asrama sekeluarga. Menariknya bilik-bilik di bangunan ini semuanya dinamakan sempena nama sasterawan. Bilik saya A. Samad Said, setingkat dengan A. Samad Ismail dan Abdullah Hussein di sebelahnya. Di tingkat atas adalah Za’ba, Keris Mas dan Tongkat Warrant. Bangunan itu sudah dirobohkan dan kini sebuah bangunan baru yang lebih besar berdiri di tapaknya.

Salah seorang kawan sekelas ahli bilik Za’ba. Saya selalu ke situ kerana ahli-ahlinya sangat mesra terhadap tetamu. Jika ada makanan lebih mereka tidak pernah lupa menjemput kami menjamahnya. Sesiapa yang pernah tinggal di asrama akan faham kenapa makanan selalu dianggap satu kemewahan, apatah lagi jika sajian di dewan makan kurang membangkitkan selera. Malah seorang kawan lain pernah berpendapat yang penyakit orang yang tinggal di asrama ialah suka makan free. Mungkin penyakit ini tidak menimpa kebanyakan penghuni asrama tetapi ada kemungkinan saya salah seorang penghidapnya.

Layanan penuh budi ahli bilik Za’ba terhadap saya menyebabkan saya teringat-ingat dan terfikir-fikir tentang tokoh empunya nama Saya cuma tahu yang beliau adalah pengarang buku Pelita Bahasa Melayu dari sebuah rencana yang termuat di dalam buku latihan Bahasa Melayu UPSR saya. Selain daripada itu saya kurang maklum.

Kebelakangan ini saya tersua semula dengan nama Za’ba. Mula-mula di celah-celah halaman buku Ustaz Dr. MAZA. Kemudiannya di muka depan Berita Minggu bertarikh 15 Mei 2011 (“Za'ba Dipersenda”). Perasaan ingin tahu saya tentang tokoh Melayu yang jarang disebut-sebut ini mula menebal.

Beberapa kali Ustaz Dr. MAZA menyebut tentang buku Za’ba yang berjudul Perangai Bergantung kepada Diri Sendiri. Penterjemah buku Ustaz Dr. MAZA menterjemahkannya sebagai “Our Attitudes Depends on Us Alone”, tetapi merujuk kepada buku yang dimaksudnya, terjemahan yang lebih tepat mungkin berbunyi “The Attitude of Self-Reliance.” Atau “The Habit of Self-Reliance”, mengikut edisi rasmi Bahasa Inggeris terbitan Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.

Sumber: Fauzi Sabri

Menurut pengenalan buku ini yang ditulis oleh Hamdan Hassan, penulisan Za'ba tentang perangai yang khusus ini menerima kritikan dan kecaman ketika mula-mula diterbitkan. Kontroversi yang ditimbulkannya menyebabkan Sultan Perak terpaksa campur tangan lalu mengharamkan Risalah ke-I yang juga diberi judul Falsafah Takdir. Buku Perangai mengumpulkan Risalah ke-II dan ke-III.

Pandangan Za'ba tentang pemikiran orang Melayu amat menyengat. Saya tidak hairan jika nama Za'ba kurang disebut-sebut sehingga kini. Jika kumpulan ulamak pun boleh memohon Tuanku Sultan untuk masuk campur, bayangkanlah reaksi pada peringkat orang awam. Barangkali Za'ba menjadi mangsa perkara yang beliau tentangi iaitu sikap bertaklid dan tidak berusul periksa.

Misalnya tentang mencari rezeki dan menyara hidup tanpa meminta-minta (dalam konteks hari ini saya fikir ini termasuklah meminta-minta kepada kerajaan). Beliau menegur,

... (pada perkara dunia) jika hendak memasukkan anak ke sekolah, rendah atau tinggi, maka sentiasalah mereka hendak mendapat ‘free’ (percuma tiada bayaran), atau mereka terharap-harap mendapat pertolongan kerajaan akan memberikan ‘scholarship’ (biasiswa) kepada anak itu. Jika mereka tidak ‘biasiswa’ tiadalah upaya mereka membelanjainya, kerana mereka miskin dan sentiasa mengaku miskin dan mengaku tidak tahu dan tidak pandai berikhtiar mencari wang sendiri atau berjimat-jimat mengumpulkannya untuk membelanjai sendiri anak-anak itu ke sekolah...

Nah, bayangkan reaksi umum orang Melayu terhadap pendapat ini.

Selanjutnya beliau menerangkan,

Padahal orang-orang bangsa lain walaupun mereka sendiri tiada berpelajaran tetapi dengan sehabis dayanya berkebun sayur, berjual kayu api, berjual air batu, mengkayuh basikal kereta (trishaw), berjimat belanja, berceking makan minum, dapat mereka menghantar anak-anak mereka ke sekolah dengan belanja mereka sendiri dan dengan membayar tiap-tiap perkaranya. Kerana walau di sekolah bangsa mereka sendiri pun, mereka tidak mendapat “peri” semuanya seperti kita dengan anak-anak kita di sekolah Melayu. Maka yang demikian ialah terutamanya oleh sebab mereka kuat bergantung kepada usaha dan ikhtiar mereka sendiri dan percaya kepada kebolehan dan keledar diri mereka sendiri, serta malu meminta tolong.

Saya melihat ini sebagai satu peringatan yang wajar. Kita lihat saudara-saudara seislam kita seperti rakyat Palestin dan Iraq. Mereka banyak mengambil inisiatif sendiri kerana mereka tidak bergantung kepada kerajaan mereka seperti yang kita selalu lakukan. Ada sekali-sekala gerakan memohon derma untuk membantu rakyat Palestin oleh orang Palestin sendiri tetapi sangat jarang kita jumpa mereka yang ke hulu dan ke hilir meminta derma berterus-terusan. Begitu juga dengan rakyat Iraq yang sekarang ibarat ketiadaan negara.

Za'ba mengajak kita supaya mempergunakan kudrat dan nikmat pemberianNya untuk berusaha, di samping bertawakal. Beliau mengambil ibarat orang Kristian yang mengharapkan dosa mereka ditebus oleh syafaat Nabi Isa, di mana orang Islam pula mengharapkan syafaat Nabi Muhammad SAW.

Akan tetapi jika “semuanya” orang Islam hendak jadi begitu — hendak masuk syurga dengan jalan syafaat dan permohonan Rasulullah sahaja menolongnya, bukan dengan jalan amal sendiri atau dengan jalan kelayakan sendiri dari sebab amalnya itu — nescaya tentulah akan memberi malu yang besar kepada Rasulullah hendak memohon ke hadirat Tuhan. Kerana jika demikian maka bermaknalah bahawa orang-orang umatnya bangsat belaka, tiada mempunyai amal dan kelayakan sendiri!

Amal soleh kita adalah usaha kita untuk sejahtera di akhirat. Teguran beliau adalah khusus kepada orang-orang yang hidup tanpa beramal dan hanya mengharapkan pahala tahlil dan sedekah bacaan Qul Hua'llah daripada orang yang masih hidup sebagai bekalan. Hakikatnya setinggi mana pun amalan kita, tiada jaminan yang amalan itu akan diterima tanpa ditapis-tapis.

Ketinggian intelek tokoh Melayu ini gagal diiktiraf dengan sewajarnya. Ramai orang termasuk saya lebih mengenali Za'ba sebagai nama sempena bagi bangunan, jalan atau bilik asrama.

Orang Kota Bharu

2011-05-13T00:13:00.068+08:00

I can't remember exactly the last time I set foot in Kota Bharu. I believe it was not too long ago on a trip to Terengganu. I was merely a passenger who slept mostly through the trip. I vaguely recall stopping by a roadside stall for lunch and performing solat at a nearby surau. I went back to sleep and woke up somewhere between Besut and Setiu. Or was it all a dream?

Anyway, despite having a number of good friends and neighbours who hail from Kelantan, I know very about the Cik Siti Wan Kembang state. I turned to Orang Kota Bharu for a tour of the historic city, and by the end of it I got more than just a history lesson.

Way more.

Orang Kota Bharu reads more like an anthology than a novel. The stories revolves around the capital city, told from several point of views.

The novel has narrator who appears at the beginning to enlighten us on how Kota Bharu came to be. The brief history lesson sets the stage for several stories to come, including some that involves the underworld. More on that later.

I had some expectations about this novel. As a city famous for its Pasar Besar Siti Khadijah, a market where the majority of its are female, I wanted to see to the city from the female perspective. I read on and realised that it wasn't going to happen. The majority of characters are males. This isn't to say that the novel is biased, it just happens to have more testosterone flowing through it.

And speaking of testosterone, if you love gang stories, you could be in for a treat. Mind you, this isn't The Sopranos or The Wire or anything of that sort. It's the sort of gang stories that has more heart and humanity than blood and bullets. Anyone can write gang stories by glorifying violence and spicing it up with explicit scenes, but it takes pathos and a moral core to humanise the characters and not let the audience forget that criminals are not heroes to be idolised or admired.

The story on the flood took me back to childhood. I was in primary school when our house in Terengganu were inches deep in flood water. It was a cleaning nightmare for my parents but an adventure for me. All day long I pretended I was on ship. But I could still recall how my parents stayed up all night to move the furnitures, something some people in Kota Bharu had to endure year after year.

And what book about Kota Bharu is complete without any politics talk. The novel ends with a rather gripping account on the battle between UMNO and PAS for the state government, focusing on the tenure of Menteri Besar Datuk Muhamed bin Nasir, 1973–1978. We will learn that the political manoeuvrings we are seeing today is really nothing new and proving once again that history has a habit of repeating itself.

Even though the stories don't really ~~interlock~~ connect, at the core it's all about the people of Kota Bharu. What is Paris without the Parisians? What is Tokyo with the Tokyokkos? Every city, town, village or neighbourhood is what it is because of the people who reside there.

Laptopku desktopku

2011-05-04T03:05:00.003+08:00

Photo by Ja-nelle

Saya pernah memiliki PC desktop dan laptop. Kedua-dua ada kelebihan dan kekurangan sendiri. Sebab inilah sekiranya saya ditanya mana satukah lebih baik, desktop atau laptop, saya percaya saya dapat menjawabnya. Dan jawapannya akan bergantung kepada keperluan orang yang bertanya.

Dalam keadaan saya sekarang, saya terpaksa memilih laptop. Faktor yang terpenting untuk ditimbang adalah ruang. Sebuah desktop akan memakan lebih banyak ruang dan permukaan. Tentunya faktor lain seperti harga juga penting (kerana saya belum sekaya Donald Trump), tetapi kekurangan ruang amat mendesak.

Kali terakhir laptop lama saya berkhidmat sepenuh masa adalah hampir lima dahulu. Ia laptop pertama saya. Waktu itu saya masih muda dan mentah dalam perkara-perkara berkaitan laptop. Saya ingat pesan kawan baik saya, "Laptop adalah umpama bayi, berlemah-lembutlah ketika mengendalikannya." (Saya ketawa kerana saya ingat dia buat lawak.) Kini kata-kata tersebut salah satu prinsip utama saya sebagai seorang pemilik laptop. (Itu pun selepas beberapa insiden yang tidak ingin saya kenang yang juga sebahagian besarnya akibat salah sendiri.)

Dari banyak segi, laptop dan desktop tidak banyak beza. Perbezaan yang paling ketara ialah mobiliti. Laptop direka untuk bersifat mudah alih. Laptop yang jenis berat pun masih lebih mobil daripada kebanyakan deskop kerana papan kekunci, pad tetikus dan paparan yang termuat bersama. Ramai pemilik laptop, termasuk saya, yang menjadikannya sebagai pengganti desktop mereka. Faktor mobiliti bukanlah faktor terpenting bagi saya kerana memikirkan tentang kes-kes kecurian laptop yang sentiasa berlaku. Saya lebih suka laptop saya dibiarkan diam di satu tempat khas dan hanya dialih ketika perlu.

Walaupun laptop dan desktop tidak banyak beza, kedua-duanya tidak boleh kita samakan. Laptop berfungsi melalui kuasa bateri yang dicaj menggunakan adapter berwayar. Benar, laptop masih boleh berfungsi jika baterinya dicabut. Malah ada pemilik laptop yang melakukannya untuk memanjangkan jangka hayat bateri. Ada pula yang terpaksa berbuat sebegini (saya salah seorang daripada mereka) kerana bateri laptop mereka sudah terlalu lemah dan mampu dicaj lagi.

Saya ada pandangan sendiri tentang sama ada mencabut bateri laptop akan memanjangkan jangka hayatnya atau tidak, tetapi ini lebih kepada penaakulan dan bukan berdasarkan bukti saintifik. Untuk maklumat yang lebih sahih saya syorkan membaca panduan oleh BatteryCare, khususnya mengenai cara untuk melakukan discaj bateri secara penuh. Serta pastikan apakah jenis bateri yang digunakan serta beri perhatian pada perubahan suhu dalaman laptop dan bateri.

Kesimpulannya, jika laptop sudah menjadi desktop, jagalah ia seperti mana menjaga seorang bayi, terutamanya kalau duit belum sebanyak duit Donald Trump.

Islam in Malaysia: Facts and Perceptions

2011-04-26T23:34:00.003+08:00

Source: Matahari Books

Discussing issues involving Islam is often not easy, even among Muslims.

Take the issue of zakah money as an example. Every year we hear about how much zakah money has been collected in this or that state, usually in millions of Ringgit. The Selangor Zakat Board collect RM336.8 million last year, according to their website. While this is undeniable a good thing, the bigger question that every Muslim should be asking is how are we spending the money and are money going to the deserving recipients. RM336.8 million is a lot of money. Shouldn't the zakah board release annual statements on how the money is distributed, since it is money of the Muslims? Where is the assurance that this money would not be mismanaged or wasted?

I still have faith in the honest people works in the zakah boards. At the same time, I believe it is time we become more professional in handling the affairs of the Muslims, and that includes becoming more accountable. We cannot simply operate on the basis of trust alone. After all, syaitan never discriminates.

And this is among the many arguments brought forth by Ustaz Dr. Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin (Dr. MAZA) in his book, Islam in Malaysia: Perceptions and Facts.The book is a compilation of Dr. MAZA's writting in his Mingguan Malaysia column, Bicara Mufti, published between 2006 and 2008. I admit it has been years since I last read Mingguan Malaysia, and I had no idea who he was other than how he was often portrayed by the media as the firebrand young mufti from Perlis with a supposedly Wahabbi leaning. At least that's how I perceived him.

That perception caused some reservations on my part when I first picked up this book. There are a lot differing opinions in interpreting the practices of Islam. At best, these 'disagreements' provide flexibility and room for discourse. At worst, we would be seeing rifts and bloodsheds, sometimes over trivial matters.

According to Dr. MAZA, at the root of many of these issues is the Muslims' blind adherence (taklid) to religious teachers and authorities. Many Muslims simply accept everything that they hear from Ustazs even if the thing sound far-fetched or even ludicrous. One example he gave was about how some Ustaz like to repeat the story about some pious walis who prayed 1,000 rakaah of tahajjud a night. Dr. MAZA deconstructed the story by pointing that assuming a rakaah takes about a minute (which is a very short rakaah) and there is only about 600 minutes in a night from 8 PM to 6 AM; going for 1,000 rakaat in night is neither mathematically nor logically (nor even humanly) possible. On the other hand, a hadith narrated by Ummul Mukminin A'isyah RA reported that Rasulullah SAW use to pray not more than 11 rakaah in one night.

Islam actually encourages the use of individual intellect and common sense. Muslims should be encouraged to ask questions by looking at evidences and reasoning, and a religious figure, even someone at the level of a mufti, should not be exempted from scrutiny. This is sadly absent from the Muslim ummah of today. Making things worse are narrow-mindedness and rigidity, qualities that are opposite to the lines of thinking exemplified by our noble scholars in Islam. Imam Al Muzani, a student of Imam Syafie, told that his teacher warned against accepting any of his teachings that contradicts evidence, reasoning or thought.

There so many of hard-hitting points raised by Dr. MAZA that I am just astounded at how his column managed stay in a mainstream (read: pro-government) newspaper for two years or so. His writing was originally collected in Mengemudi Bahtera Perubahan Minda and this book is the English translation of it. The translator, U-En Ng, does a good job in preserving Dr. MAZA's voice along with his wit. I found some words were translated rather literally than technically like zakah (which is not exactly the same as 'alms', as viewed by a few non-Muslim English speakers including my SPM tuition teacher), dakwah (also, not quite the same meaning as 'preaching') and muhasabah. But for most parts I see that Ng made the effort to get Islamic terms defined as accurate as possible. Kudos to both Ng and Matahari Books. I hope is the first of many Islamic books coming from the publisher.

Whether you are a Muslim or not, this book will give you a lot to think about. And especially for Muslims, a lot of work to be done.

Fatimah's Kampung

2011-04-16T00:59:00.009+08:00

(Source: The Asian Journal of Humanities)

If you ever need to teach your children that even bad things happen to good, honest people, then this is a book you should get.

I don't mean to sound so negative. I actually would do the same for my children, especially if see them overdosed on simple tales of good versus evil, black versus white, and so on, because you and I both know the world is grey and grey comes in so many shades... Wait, wait... Before you think I'm suggesting that should we raise our children to become a bunch of cynical, disillusioned zombies without a speck of hope in their heart, I think I better start again.

If you ever need to teach your children about the realities of development, urbanisation and their impact on the lives of ordinary people, then this is a book you should get. In fact, this is what the author and former geography lecturer, Iain Buchanan, had in mind when he wrote Fatimah's Kampung.

Fatimah lives in Kampung Hidayah, a village that is sitting on a very prime land. But we won't see that until later. First we will be taken for a tour around the peaceful kampung, populated by very friendly people who, like many other kampung people, take good care of each other. Close by is a small forest where a tiger, Pak Belang, lives, and therein other beautiful flora and fauna as well, plus a beautiful mausoleum where a very respected man named Bismillah Wali is buried.

The first half of book reads like a good guide to life in a kampung. Friendly neighbours, wooden houses, grandma telling stories; all of which reminds me of my parents' kampung, and even though my maternal grandparents lived in a semi-urban housing project, they lived next to a kampung and I used to ride my grandfather's black Raleigh bicycle through it. I've never lived in a kampung but I have lived near them enough to know a thing or two about the kampung life. I say this because I'm totally blown away the details that Buchanan had capture in his paintings throughout this book. They will make you (if you are like me, a hardened city dweller) want to pack your bags and go for a holiday in a kampung.

The next half is when reality sets in. Developers are salivating over Kampung Hidayah and the last person to stand in their way is a member of the Royalty, the Sultan. Buchanan is bold in having this character in this story because Tuanku and particularly his grandson, are instrumental in bringing about the impending ~~doom~~ change that awaited Kampung Hidayah. I really hope that this book will not end up in the hands of some narrow-minded reader who would bellow that this book has committed lèse majesté by suggesting that the Royalties are in cahoots with greedy developers. And actually I should be more worried about when my children ask, "Abah, why the new Sultan and the developers want to tear down the houses of these poor kampung people? Why are they forced to live in flats? Where are their children going to play? Where, Abah, where?"

I could, and I should, try my best to answer these questions because after all that is the purpose of this book. But if my brain is overstressed by work or other worries, I would tell them in very gentle way to, "Go ask your mother."

Straight to the point(s)

2011-04-13T23:34:00.000+08:00

Saya rasa saya nak tiru-tiru gaya blogger lain yang menulis menggunakan poin.
Saya sangat sibuk sekarang ini. Saya ingin membaca buku yang saya ingin baca tetapi terpaksa membaca buku yang saya terpaksa baca.
Apa pun, masih membaca.
Oh, dan saya kena menulis. Panjang. Saya jarang menulis panjang-panjang sebegini.
Kemungkinan besar tahun ini, seperti tahun lepas, saya tak akan dapat ke Pesta Buku (huhuhu...).
Di antara sebabnya ialah saya telah borong sakan awal bulan lepas, kononnya hadiah kerana berjaya mengurangkan pembelian buku.
Hakikatnya, ia cuma pembelian yang dikemudiankan. Banyak sama juga.
(Sebenarnya masa masih ada cuma tidak sesenggang dulu. Sepatutnya saya banyak-banyak bersyukur.)

Cooler ways to handle your .zip files (for free!)

2011-04-02T07:47:00.003+08:00

Zip files are super useful. We usually use zip files as a container to put many files in one place, and being compression tool, we can even reduce the size of the total files.

It's good to know that nowadays zip files are readily supported by Windows and Linux. And we no longer need shareware like WinZip or WinRAR to unzip a .zip file. Shareware is a type of software that lets us try them for limited trial period. Once the trial period is over, some features of the shareware will be disabled and we are asked to pay for the shareware's price before all the disabled features are enabled again. WinZip allows us to use it for free for 45 days before it starts telling us to buy it.

I'm sure WinZip and WinRAR are fine if you chose to use them. Me, I like to tread the freeware path. Zip file programmes have matured over the years, including the freeware ones. Some of them are not only super useful but also super cool-looking.

First up is PeaZip.

PeaZip may not be able to make your zip files smell fresh, but it will undoubtedly make them look fresh. Everything from its icon to its user interface is designed to us want to use it and recommend it to all our family, friends and even that guy we work with but whose name we don't know. PeaZip can tackle normal .zip files as well as other less familiar formats such as ACE, BZ2 and ARJ (just heard of this one, actually). On its own, PeaZip is a worthy alternative to Winzip.

Can hamsters handle zip files? It can, if its name is HamsterZip.

Looks may not be everything, but HamsterZip's sleek look is difficult to overlook. HamsterZip focuses on simplicity of use. Creating zip files with HamsterZip is as simple as drag-and-drop. HamsterZip may lack some of the fancy features of PeaZip, but as a basic (and cool-looking) zip programme, it's everything an average zip file user needs. If you have space for only one zip programme, HamsterZip deserves your consideration.

Don't care much for looks? Then go with 7-Zip, my good friend.

7-Zip might lose points for coolness factor, but serious zip users tip their hats to fella. I use this myself more than the other two because of one important feature: the ability to check zip files for errors called Test Archive. PeaZip has this feature as well since it is based on 7-Zip, but error checking is easier with 7-Zip. When I'm downloading or I received zip files from someone, I would run 7-Zip error checking to see if the file has any problems. Errors mean the zip file might not have downloaded or copied properly. This feature also saved me a lot of time and trouble because there are programmes that can open zip files without unzipping them.

Average zip file users can go with any of the three (or all three, if you like). For power users, 7-Zip is highly recommended.

Do you know any other and perhap better zip file freeware? Share with us via comments.

&%#@* viruses!!!

2011-03-16T23:30:00.014+08:00

"I don't trust thumbdrives any more," declared my friend, shortly before starting his presentation, as he downloaded his Powerpoint slides from his email using the laptop that was connected to the projector. "They are always giving me viruses."

To my friend I say, I feel you, man. I recently had a nasty encounter with a stubborn virus. Well, it was my fault for the most part of it. I was rushing to get home when somebody asked me to print a document. The problem was at the time the Internet was at crawl-speed.

The printer was hooked to a PC that was not only slow but also virus-ridden. The people there told me upload my document into my email and download it again at that PC. "Don't plug in your thumbdrive there, the virus is bad," I was warned. So I sat at another PC across the room, waiting for ages to get Yahoo! Mail to load fully.

I got impatient. I wanted to avoid the heavy traffic, so whattaheck, I ignored the warning, stuck my thumbdrive into the USB slot, remembering that I just updated my anti-virus the night before. No worries.

Document printed, I went home, and readied my poor infected thumbdrive for a good scrubbing. I have two anti-viruses installed in two different machines and I was feeling confident.

And Great God Almighty, how my chest tighten when I clicked on my files, freshly cleaned and shampooed, only to find that they cannot be opened.

After screaming at myself, mentally, for a good 5 minutes or so, I plopped myself on the chair, thinking of ways to recover my lost files.

Theoretically speaking (and I mean this very loosely because I'm no computer expert), computer viruses are designed to harm our machines. We may be able to get remove them but they may have already done some damage. In my case, the virus turned my files into useless icons.

I decided to try something that I thought (again, 'theoretically speaking') should make my files recoverable. As most viruses are designed to attack Windows, they should be rendered harmless in other operating systems. And thank God I have Ubuntu Linux installed.

My so-called theory proved to be correct. When I browsed through the content of my thumbdrive in Ubuntu Linux, everything looked OK. It was as if the virus did nothing to thumbdrive at all.

It seems that different operating systems are like different eco-systems. I was told by a few Macbook owners that they weren't worried in the slightest about viruses because MacOS can't get infected by viruses. (Unless it's MacOS virus, but that's a rare species.) I observed the same for Linux. Perhaps the virus or the damage it left behind is still there, but it is as threatening as a fully sedated tiger.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

By the way, I just learned that this year the computer virus turns 40. That's 40 years of spreading misery to countless number of people all over the world.

[ 40th anniversary of the computer virus ]

^*I don't condone cursing or swearing and this is as far as I go

5 buku ter... 2010 (bahagian 5 daripada 5)

2011-03-09T01:12:00.014+08:00

Saya membelek semula buku-buku yang saya telah baca sepanjang 2010 dan mencari lima buah yang paling banyak membuatkan membuatkan saya, "Hmmm..." Ter... di sini mempunyai banyak maksud, kerana saya sengaja mengelak dari memberi gelaran "terbaik." Ter... apa sekali pun, inilah buku-buku yang dimaksudkan, tidak khusus kepada yang diterbitkan pada 2010.

Tanpa sebarang turutan, buku terakhir dalam senarai ini ialah...

(Sumber: Jualan Buku Lama Dan Baru)

Tan Sri A. Samad Ismail Menulis

Penulis: A. Samad Ismail

Penerbit: Creative Enterprise Sdn. Bhd.
265 halaman

Siapakah Arwah Pak A. Samad Ismail, pada saya?

Saya mengenali beliau sebagai salah seorang tokoh wartawan tanahair. Kartunis Dato' Lat pernah bekerja di bawah beliau. Malah Pak Samadlah di antara orang yang mengetengahkan Dato' Lat sebagai kartunis (sebelum itu beliau juga wartawan).

Saya tidak tahu beliau juga penulis novel-novel seperti Tembok Tidak Tinggi. Bahkan beliau salah seorang pengasas ASAS 50.

Saya cuba mengenali beliau melalui buku ini. Bila difikirkan semula, ini mungkin bukan idea yang baik.

Tan Sri A. Samad Said Menulis mengumpulkan tulisan Pak Samad yang termuat di dalam majalah Gila-Gila, sekitar tahun 80-an and 90-an. Saya cuma agak, sebab salah satu bab di dalam buku ini terasa seperti pernah dibaca. Zaman saya muda dahulu saya selalu mencuri-curi baca Gila-Gila di rumah saudara mara, terutamanya apabila pulang berhari raya. Entah mengapa saya selalu tertarik membaca ruangan Pak Samad. Di ruangan ini Pak Samad berkomentar secara satira tentang isu-isu semasa dan sejagat.

Misalnya, Surat Kepada Bekas Presiden adalah 'kiriman' Pak Samad kepada Mikhail Gorbachev (siap dengan alamat), yang waktu itu baru sahaja digantikan oleh Boris Yeltsin. Kalau dibaca dengan serius, boleh digorengnya kita hidup-hidup yang Gorbachev itu kawan baiknya. Presiden Amerika Bush Senior juga seorang lagi 'kawan' Pak Samad, mesra sekali mereka berbual di dalam Merawat Masygul Bush.Yang saya kata seperti pernah dibaca adalah Bila Lelaki Cuti "Bersalin", cerita orang lelaki mengendali rumah tangga tatkala isteri berehat selepas bersalin.

Ternyata saya tidak berjaya mengenali Pak Samad di sini. Berapa ramaikah orang di dalam dunia ini yang boleh mengaku dirinya kawan kepada Gorbachev, Bush, dan Saddam sekali?

(Sumber: Blog Syahril A. Kadir)

5 buku ter... 2010 (bahagian 4 daripada 5)

2011-02-21T22:38:00.005+08:00

(Sumber: FantasticFiction)

After Dark

Penulis: Haruki Murakami

Penerbit: Vintage

244 halaman

Membaca buku... OK, membeli buku... adalah satu... pelaburan. Dengan sejumlah masa dan wang yang kita beri, berapa banyak untung atau kelebihan yang kita akan dapat? Pernah baca buku yang mahal tetapi membosankan? Jika setakat baca kita boleh letakkan balik ke rak, tetapi kalau sudah beli?

Mungkin bukan buku itu yang membosankan. Mungkin saya sendiri tidak mampu menikmatinya, barangkali dek tumpuan yang semain menipis atau seumpamanya. Siapa tahu? Sebaiknya saya terus mencari buku yang berjaya membuatkan saya terpaku membacanya.

Pencarian saya, yang kadang kala kurang berhasil, membawa kepada buku Haruki Murakami saya yang pertama, After Dark. Beliau salah seorang penulis Jepun yang mempunyai berprofil tinggi di Barat, dan ini tidak menghairankan. Watak-watak After Dark pun makan di Denny's, mendengar lagu oleh Burt Bacharach dan menonton filem Jean-Luc Godard.

Seluruh plotnya berlaku di tempoh satu malam, dari hampir ke tengah hingga ke subuh, bermula dengan dua orang remaja yang bertemu secara tidak sengaja di Denny's. Mari, seorang gadis yang ingin menyendiri telah disapa oleh seorang pemuda, Takahashi, yang mengenalinya melalui kakak Mari, Eri. Pertemuan yang seketika tersebut bertukar menjadi satu peristiwa apabila Mari, yang tahu sedikit Bahasa Cina, diminta oleh seorang penguasaha sebuah hotel murah (love hotel) berhampiran untuk membantu mereka berkenaan satu masalah membabitkan seorang pekerja seks berketurunan Cina yang telah dibelasah oleh seorang pelanggan.

Itu bahagian yang straight forward. Bahagian yang agak berpusing-pusing sedikit ialah tentang Eri, kakak Mari yang sedang koma. Peristiwa di hotel tadi ada berkait dengan Eri secara tidak lansung, dan saya tak mampu untuk menerangkannya di sini.

Bukan kerana ia berserabut. Saya akui tarikan utama buku ini ialah gaya penceritaannya. Murakami menulisnya seperti seorang pengarah. Lihat sana, di situ ada itu ini. Sungguh tepat tetapi pada masa yang sama sungguh berkesan. Kalau penulis mungkin mereka akan bermain dengan kiasan dan sebagainya. Narasi cerita ini bagaikan lensa kamera yang fokus, kita tidak dibiarkan meneka tentang perkara yang sedang berlaku, kerana saya percaya kita lebih dipersila untuk mengupas apa yang sedang berlaku. Jika kita sabar.

Kalau ditanya tentang apakah moral cerita ini, jawapan saya janganlah suka melepak hingga lewat malam kerana peristiwa pelik mungkin menimpa kita. Peristiwa pelik yang apabila diceritakan semula akan membayangkan seolah-olah kita ini kurang dari segi kesiuman atau dari segi moral. Lebih baik kalau kita mengisi masa ini dengan bermunajat kepadaNya.

5 buku ter... 2010 (bahagian 3 daripada 5)

2011-02-18T22:13:00.004+08:00

(Sumber: The Russian Wodehouse Society)

The Inimitable Jeeves

Penulis: P. G. Wodehouse

Penerbit: Arrow Books

251 halaman

Tidak banyak buku yang berjaya membuat saya tersenyum panjang seperti The Unimitable Jeeves. Saya mula mengenali buku-buku Jeeves karya Wodehouse apabila ia diulas oleh Allahyarham Yasmin Ahmad di Sunday Star beberapa tahun dahulu. P. G. Wodehouse terkenal dengan penulisan jenaka jenis wit, yakni jenaka yang memerlukan pembaca menggunakan akal untuk memahaminya.

Sebenarnya wit bukanlah sesuatu yang asing di dalam budaya kita, khususnya budaya Melayu. Gaya melawak orang Utara misalnya, berlapis-lapis sifatnya, menggeletek sambil menyindir tanpa berlebih-lebih. Sifat wit adalah secukup rasa, dan begitulah kisah-kisah Jeeves.

Reginald Jeeves adalah seorang valet kepada seorang pemuda hartawan yang agak lurus bendul, Bertie Wooster. Jika seorang butler berkhidmat untuk sebuah keluarga, valet pula berkhidmat untuk seorang tuan sahaja. Cerita-cerita di dalam buku ini kebanyakannya tentang Bertie mendapati dirinya tersedut kepada permasalahan rakannya Bingo Little, yang sangat mudah jatuh hati.

Well, to my certain knowledge you've been in love with at least half a dozen girls since the spring, and it's only July now.

Kalau hendak dirumuskan umumnya apa yang berlaku adalah Bertie akan mendapati dirinya di dalam masalah, dari masa ke semasa kerana Bingo yang mabuk cinta, keadaan menjadi celaru, dan tanpa disedari masalah itu akan terselesai. Ya, tangan ghaib Jeeveslah selalu mengeluarkan Tuannya daripada setiap masalah, dan selalunya hanya akan diterangkan atau diketahui di hujung cerita.

Hugh Laurie sebagai Wooster dan

Stephen Fry sebagai Jeeves di dalam Jevees

and Wooster. (Dari Wikipedia)

Sila juga baca ulasan Allahyarham Yasmin Ahmad tentang The Jeeves Omnibus di The Star.

[ Danger: Giggles Might Erupt) ]

5 buku ter... 2010 (bahagian 2 daripada 5)

2011-01-30T12:41:00.006+08:00

Meneruskan tradisi blog ini (jika sesuatu yang baru sahaja dimulakan tahun lepas sudah boleh dianggap satu tradisi), saya membelek semula buku-buku yang saya telah baca sepanjang 2010 dan mencari lima buah yang paling banyak membuatkan membuatkan saya, "Hmmm..." Ter... di sini mempunyai banyak maksud, kerana saya sengaja mengelak dari memberi gelaran "terbaik." Ter... apa sekali pun, inilah buku-buku yang dimaksudkan, tidak khusus kepada yang diterbitkan pada 2010.

Tanpa sebarang turutan, buku kedua dalam senarai ini ialah...

Kimono Ungu Bersulam Bunga

Penulis: Rebecca Ilham

Penerbit: Ameen Kreatif

176 halaman

Saya fikir mana mungkin senarai saya akan lengkap tanpa Kimono Ungu Bersulam Bunga. Tulisan saya tentang buku ini telah membawa kepada beberapa interaksi dengan blogger lain. Penulis sendiri telah menyebutnya di blog beliau. Orang kuat Goodreads MY, Puan Najibah, telah mengundang saya untuk turut serta dalam Diskusi Ganding Baca Julai 2010, sesuatu yang saya tidak pernah cuba atau terfikir untuk cuba. Menerokai buku ini bersama blogger lain melalui Diskusi Ganding Baca Julai 2010 adalah satu pengalaman amat bernilai.

Pengalaman itu juga banyak membuatkan saya terfikir tentang pemikiran kritis serta adab dalam memberi pandangan bersifat kritis. Pemikiran yang kritis memerlukan seseorang itu untuk berani mengemukan pandangan walaupun ia mengundang kritikan orang lain. Ini salah satu penanda aras setinggi mana kita telah maju dalam cara kita berfikir. Seseorang yang tinggi pencapaian akademiknya belum tentu tinggi pemikirannya.

Islam tidak pernah melarang kita daripada mengutarakan pendapat atau untuk tidak bersetuju dengan pendapat orang lain. Baginda Rasulullah S.A.W telah menunjukkan satu jalur tauladan yang halus serta tinggi. Bukan setakat seorang dua kafir musyrik yang telah mengkritik bahkan menghina Baginda. Tidak walau sekali Baginda membalas, kecuali apabila kata-kata mereka menghina Allah atau Islam. Akhlak ini dihidupkan oleh para Sahabat dan generasi Muslim seterusnya. Bukannya mereka tidak pernah berbalah. Mereka berbalah seperti kita juga tetapi secara saling hormat menghormati. Hormat turut bermaksud berlaku adil terhadap pendapat yang tidak disetujui. Menolaknya dengan hujah yang logik lagi tersusun. Huraian diberi dijuruskan ke arah mencari kebenaran. Kepentingan peribadi pula dikesampingkan.

Untuk berlaku adil tentang pandangan atau hasil kerja seseorang, kita sekurang-kurangnya perlu cuba memahami faham proses dan falsafah di sebaliknya. Tanpa memahami perkara ini, kita berkecendurangan untuk melampaui batas di dalam penilaian kita. Penilaian perlukan piawaian yang tertentu. Tanpa piawaian, sukar untuk mempertahankan penilaian kita.

Kita ambil contoh apabila seorang penulis memaparkan di blog beliau sebarang komen atau reviu positif tentang karya beliau. Sebelum menuduh mereka masuk bakul angkat sendiri, kita patut faham bagaimana publisiti dan pemasaran mempengaruhi jualan sebuah buku. Penulis tidak dapat bergantung kepada penerbit untuk usaha promosi kerana penerbit ada berpuluh-puluh penulis lain yang turut perlu dipromosikan. Penulis sendirilah yang perlu kreatif dalam mendekati pembaca dan menyelami pasaran. Islam juga tidak melarang kita daripada menampilkan kelebihan diri selagi ia tidak membawa kepada perasaan takbur, bangga dan sebagainya. Setiap orang dianugerahkan kelebihan oleh Allah S.W.T. Mungkin kelebihan kita dapat memberi manfaat kepada orang lain.

Segala ini saya tujukan kepada diri saya yang masih belajar untuk berfikir secara kritis.

Saya berharap penulis seperti Rebecca Ilham akan terus menggunakan kelebihan mereka untuk mendidik pembaca dan masyarakat walaupun dikritik, secara adil atau sebaliknya.

5 buku ter... 2010 (bahagian 1 daripada 5)

2011-01-04T10:26:00.005+08:00

Murabbi Cinta
Penulis: Hasrizal Abdul Jamil
Penerbit: Galeri Ilmu Sdn Bhd
278 halaman

Buku ini hadiah daripada seorang kawan baik. Dia ingin saya jadi seorang suami yang baik suatu hari nanti. Bacalah betul-betul, pesan kawanku, kerana banyak yang ditulis oleh Ustaz Hasrizal adalah apa yang sering terpendam di dalam hati para isteri. Semoga kamu akan lebih memahami isi hati isteri kamu. Mudah-mudahan.

Terima kasih, kawanku. Saya akan cuba baca betul-betul. Sebetul-betul mana saya membaca, sesungguhnya saya khuatir sejauh saya mampu mengamalkannya. Semua orang akan pasti ditanya di Mahsyar nanti, ilmu kamu, sejauh mana kamu amalkan?

Bernikahlah dahulu, kata kawanku. Bacalah semua buku di perpustakaan tentang berenang, selagi kamu belum masuk ke dalam air, selagi itu kamu tidak akan tahu bagaimana hendak berenang, dia bertamsil.

Baiklah, kawanku, saya amat menghargai pesananmu. Bagaimana pula jika kamu menolong bukan setakat menghadiahkan buku, malah menjadi penaja utama walimah saya nanti?

Kawanku memandangku dengan tajam lalu membalas, apakah kamu sudah lupa dengan apa yang kamu sendiri telah tulis tentang perkahwinan?

Saya segera memohon maaf. Kawanku, benar sekali kata-katamu. Ternyata banyak lagi yang perlu saya usahakan sebelum saya menyambut tangan Tok Kadi dan melafazkan, "Aku terima nikahnya..." Dan lebih-lebih lagi selepas melafazkannya.

Kawanku kembali tenang. Nada suaranya turun sedikit. Sudahkah kamu baca yang lain itu?

Yang mana? Aku Terima Nikahnya? Sudah. Bercinta Sampai ke Syurga? Pun sudah.

Bukan, kawanku berbisik. Buku itu, Permata yang–

Terbatuk saya mendengarnya. Tercekik air liur.

Bolehlah kamu jadikannya salah sebuah daripada 5 buku ter... 2011 nanti!, cadang kawanku, berdekah-dekah, hinggakan saya percaya bayi yang nyenyak lena di Melbourne ketika itu pun boleh terkejut dan terjaga.

(Kawanku, jika kamu membaca, jangan marah ya?)

Murabbi Cinta

2010-12-05T19:43:00.007+08:00

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’

2010-11-11T00:03:00.011+08:00

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?

2010-09-30T22:40:00.007+08:00

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

2010-09-22T10:57:00.003+08:00

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

2010-09-22T08:05:00.004+08:00

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

2010-09-03T01:34:00.017+08:00

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

2010-08-29T00:51:00.014+08:00

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

2010-08-13T00:49:00.006+08:00

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

2010-08-02T15:30:00.020+08:00

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

2010-07-24T21:40:00.015+08:00

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

2010-07-17T13:01:00.035+08:00

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

2010-07-07T19:51:00.006+08:00

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

2010-06-28T23:45:00.011+08:00

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

2010-06-23T00:10:00.003+08:00

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

2010-06-14T22:44:00.022+08:00

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

2010-06-05T00:37:00.005+08:00

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?)

2010-05-21T22:55:00.006+08:00

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

2010-05-15T15:39:00.027+08:00

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

2010-05-01T20:22:00.024+08:00

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

2010-04-28T15:55:00.005+08:00

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

2010-04-21T11:37:00.008+08:00

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

2010-04-11T22:25:00.008+08:00

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

2010-04-10T18:18:00.000+08:00

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

2010-04-06T18:08:00.003+08:00

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

2010-04-03T12:35:00.001+08:00

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

2010-03-24T23:36:00.001+08:00

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?

2010-03-18T14:21:00.002+08:00

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

2010-03-08T01:48:00.018+08:00

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

2010-02-25T08:29:00.003+08:00

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

2010-02-15T23:33:00.006+08:00

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.)

Senarai lima buku yang ter... 2009 (5 daripada 5)

2010-01-30T18:36:00.003+08:00

Ketika Cinta Bertasbih, 1 dan 2
Penulis: Habiburrahman El Shirazy
Penerbit: Al-Risalah Product Sdn Bhd
484 dan 664 halaman

Kemunculan novel Ayat-ayat Cinta karya Habiburrahman El-Shirazy bagaikan pemangkin persada novel Islami. Novel sebegini menyeimbangkan antara nilai-nilai hiburan yang digemari golongan muda dengan nilai-nilai yang diajar oleh Islam. Pembaca bukan sekadar dihiburkan malah mereka dapat menimba ilmu Islam dan mengamati Islam dari sudut pandangan yang baru. Sekurang-kurangnya mereka akan nampak, rupanya bercinta ada di dalam Islam.

Isu ini yang jarang diperjelaskan terutamanya kepada golongan muda. Saya pernah tersua dengan sebuah majalah Islami yang bertanya dalam salah satu isu keluarannya, "Adakah Wujud Cinta Selepas Kahwin?"

Pelik sungguh soalan ini. Adakah cinta hanya orang yang berdating? Adakah hari pernikahan merupakan hari pengkebumian bagi cinta? Orang berdating mungkin paling kuat 10–15 tahun, tetapi berkahwin kadang-kadang hingga ke 60–70 tahun. Jikalau cinta tiada dalam perkahwinan, buat apa kahwin? Bukankah berdating lebih membahagiakan?

Pada umur saya sekarang, saya bersyukur sedikit sebanyak persoalan-persoalanan ini terjawab. Namun saya agak terkilan dengan pendekatan yang digunakan. Contohnya, jika dating tidak dibenarkan, apakah sebab-sebabnya? Adakah alternatif lain dalam Islam?

Dari aspek ini, kehadiran dan kemeledakan novel-novel Islami sangat membantu. Perasaan cinta itu wujud dalam hati setiap insan, sekeras mana hatinya pun, fitrah yang tidak mungkin dipisahkan daripada hati manusia. Novel Islami mengambil soal cinta dan membalutinya dengan syariat. Syariat dan cinta bukannya saling bertentangan. Dengan syariat sebagai panduan, cinta yang sering dikaitkan dengan nafsu dapat dimurnikan hingga menjadi sesuatu yang suci dan agung.

Biar saya buat satu pengakuan jujur di sini. Sebenarnya sebelum membaca duologi (dwilogi, pun boleh, nampaknya) ini, saya amat skeptikal dengan apa yang dipanggil novel Islami. Pertamanya sebab saya bukannya peminat apa-apa yang bertemakan chen-ta. Namun dengan bertambah usia bertambahlah sentimentaliti saya. Chen-ta pun chentalah. Keduanya, saya agak takut novel sebegini akan menggunakan Islam sebagai Ajinomoto sedangkan ceritanya tidak jauh berbeza dengan novel cinta konvensional.

Seperti kakaknya, Ketika Cinta Bertasbih juga telah difilemkan. Sejauh mana filemya berjaya mengangkat tema asalnya saya kurang pasti kerana saya belum menontonnya. Ini satu masalah saya, saya agak alah dengan adaptasi. Sekiranya adaptasinya terlalu curang terhadap sumbernya, saya akan mengaum di dalam kepala saya (hanya orang yang dekat akan mendengarnya). Mungkin saya tidak akan menonton filem Ketika Cinta Bertasbih kerana apa yang saya bayangkan tentang Khairul Azzam dan Anna Althafunnisa agak berbeza dengan versi yang di layar perak (berdasarkan treler yang dicuri-curi tonton). Imaginasi saya sudah memadai.

Senarai lima buku yang ter... 2009 (4 daripada 5)

2010-01-30T01:25:00.003+08:00

Senarai 5 buku ter... Ter-apa? Terbaik? Terseronok? Tersedih? Terpedaya? Saya tak pasti. Apa yang boleh saya katakan, lima buku yang saya senaraikan ini merupakan bacaan yang telah paling banyak membuatkan saya, "Hmmm..."

Buku seterusnya ialah...

Never Let Me Go
Penulis: Kazuo Ishiguro
Penerbit: Faber and Faber
276 halaman

Fiksyen sains, satu genre yang telah lama saya tinggalkan.

Masa di sekolah dahulu, ada satu fasa yang saya lalui sebagai pembaca, fasa fiksyen sains. Cerita tentang robot, perjalanan menerusi masa, dunia angkasa dan makhluk asing menjadi santapan.

Saya rasa mungkin lebih mudah membaca fiksyen sains ketika belum belajar matapelajaran Sains di sekolah berbanding selepas. Barangkali perasaan yang sama dengan apa saya rasaii tentang novel sejarah. Oleh kerana saya kurang faham tentangnya di sekolah, saya merumuskan yang mungkin saya tidak cukup bijak untuk membaca cerita bertemakannya.

Bagaimana saya kembali ke fiksyen sains? Secara tidak disangka-sangka kerana buku ini.

Mana-mana peminat fiksyen sains sejati akan mendakwa genre ini sangat fluid.

Fiksyen sains sebagai kisah cinta? Bagaimana dengan The Time Traveler's Wife?

Fiksyen sains sebagai cerita seram? Masih ingat X-Files?

Fiksyen sains sebagai sastera? Buku ini contohnya. Hingga ke pada bab-bab terakhir saya masih menyoal, ini fiksyen sains atau fiksyen sastera? Jika diteliti, sains lebih seperti sistem saraf cerita.

Novel ini memerlukan kesetiaan dan kesediaan pembaca untuk menerimanya. Tiada robot nuklear gergasi berterbangan atau makhluk berkulit biru berkeliaran, yang ada hanya cerita tentang persahabatan, soal hati dan kerapuhan hidup manusia.

Dalam hidup setakat ini saya yang telah menempuh pelbagai bentuk persahabatan, sama ada yang baik dan yang tidak. Dari mula lagi saya kurang menumpukan kepada aspek sains ceritanya, sebaliknya saya menanti dengan penuh ketidak sabaran bagaimana kesudahan hubungan antara watak-wataknya. Mungkin secara tidak sedar saya membandingkan persahabatan yang pernah saya jalin dengan persahabatan di antara Ruth, Kathy dan Tommy.

Senarai lima buku yang ter... 2009 (3 daripada 5)

2010-01-26T19:03:00.007+08:00

Disgrace
Penulis: J. M. Coetzee
Penerbit: Penguin
224 halaman

Semua ingin bahagia, termasuk David Lurie, pensyarah. Soalnya, adakah kita akan bahagia jika dapat semua yang kita ingini? Bagi Lurie, selepas dua kali gagal dalam berumah tangga, hanya dua benda yang menjadi keinginannya: puisi dan nafsu syahwat. Keinginan pertama diisi dengan mengajar di Cape Technical University. Tetapi keinginan keduanya yang menjadi masalah, dan juga membawa masalah, kepada dirinya.

Selepas dipecat kerana menjalinkan hubungan intim dengan salah seorang pelajarnya, David terpaksa tinggal dengan anak perempuannya Lucy yang kini menetap di sebuah ladang. Dia mahu memulakan hidup baru dengan tenang, membenamkan kesilapan yang merobek kewibawaannya. Namun, sebelum tenang datangnya ribut. Ladang milik anaknya dikejutkan oleh serangan angkara tiga lelaki kulit hitam. David yang sudah separa abad tidak mampu selain daripada melihat para penjahat menyerangnya dan darah dagingnya.

Bukan senang membaca buku ini. Jika tidak kerana gaya penulisan Coetzee yang memukau, mungkin saya tidak akan menghabiskannya. Isu-isu yang dibawa dalam Disgrace adalah sukar untuk dihadam, apatah lagi untuk dijawab.

Cerita ini mengambil tempat di Afrika Selatan, negara yang pernah menjalankan dasar apartheid. Walaupun sudah tidak lagi dijalankan, kesannya terhadap rakyat negara ini nampaknya masih terasa. David dan Lucy adalah warga kulit putih. Di kawasan ladang, mereka adalah minoriti, dengan itu kurang berpengaruh. Mungkinkah serangan tadi sesuatu yang dirancang?

Tragedi menjadikan David seorang lelaki dan bapa yang lebih berperanan. Satu cerminan buat kita kalau mana kita tersilap. Beranikah kita menghulur maaf? Menerima hukuman yang ditentukan oleh sistem dunia ini atau yang datang dari Tuhan, walau bagaimana pahit dan pedih?

Saya belum tentu mampu.

Senarai lima buku yang ter... 2009 (2 daripada 5)

2010-01-22T00:50:00.002+08:00

Senarai 5 buku ter... Ter-apa? Terbaik? Terseronok? Tersedih? Terpedaya? Saya tak pasti. Apa yang boleh saya katakan, lima buku yang saya senaraikan ini merupakan bacaan yang telah paling banyak membuatkan saya, "Hmmm..."

Tanpa mengikut sebarang turutan, buku kedua dalam senarai ini ialah...

House of Glass
Penulis: Pramoedya Ananta Toer, diterjemahkan ke Bahasa Inggeris oleh Max Lane
Penerbit: Penguin
384 halaman

Seperti seseorang yang meneguk minuman yang amat sedap buat pertama kalinya lalu terfikir, kenapa selama ini saya tidak mencuba minuman yang sedap ini? Begitulah saya selepas menghabiskan House of Glass (Rumah Kaca), kenapa selama ini saya tidak mendekati novel-novel sejarah? Sungguh ruginya saya.

Perasaan takut, barangkali. Semasa di sekolah, Sejarah adalah di antara matapelajaran yang paling saya geruni. C adalah gred lazim saya. Gerun, tapi tidak pernah benci.

Membaca kadangkala memaksa kita untuk menjangkaui zon selesa kita, meneroka wilayah baru lagi asing. Dahulu saya amat gerun dengan sastera, falsafah dan sejarah. Melalui membaca, sedikit demi sedikit saya memberanikan diri untuk mendekati benda-benda yang selalu dianggap sebagai berat.

Terang sekali Pak Pramoedya seorang tukang cerita yang mengasyikkan. Fakta dan fiksyen disulam menjadi satu cerita yang bertaraf epik (pada pendapat peribadi saya), kemuncak kepada siri empat buah buku yang digelar Tetralogi Buru. Dan tidak seperi tiga yang pertama, House of Glass memusingkan perspektif cerita tetralogi ini kepada seorang protagonis yang baru, di mana protagonis asalnya diturunkan pangkat kepada watak antagonis pembantu. Memang menyayat hati.

Saya bukan sekadar bergurau. Sesiapa yang telah membaca tiga buku pertama tetralogi akan akan faham maksud saya. Dan, tidak, saya belum membaca ketiga-tiga buku yang dimaksudnya.

Jadi, balik ke pangkal jalan. Mungkin jika bersempatan tahun ini, saya mulakan buku pertama, This Earth of Mankind, atau tajuk asalnya, Bumi Manusia. Terima kasih kepada blogawan bibliofilik mudin dan jiwarasa kerana memperkenalkan adikarya Pak Pramoedya ini kepada saya melalui blog mereka.

Insya-Allah, bahagian ketiga akan menyusul tidak lama lagi.

Senarai lima buku yang ter... 2009 (1 daripada 5)

2010-01-19T01:39:00.114+08:00

Senarai 5 buku ter... Ter-apa? Terbaik? Terseronok? Tersedih? Terpedaya? Saya tak pasti. Apa yang boleh saya katakan, lima buku yang saya senaraikan ini merupakan bacaan yang telah paling banyak membuatkan saya, "Hmmm..."

Tanpa mengikut sebarang turutan, buku pertama dalam senarai ini ialah...

Untukmu Umat
Penulis: Ustaz Zaharudin Abd. Rahman
Penerbit: Karya Bestari Sdn Bhd
304 halaman

Alhamdulillah, satu perkembangan positif mutakhir ini ialah para Ustaz yang memanfaatkan laman web dan blog untuk berdakwah. Ustaz Zaharuddin misalnya telah memulakan laman web beliau pada 2006 (berdasarkan tarikh yang tercatat pada artikel pertama beliau di situ). Sebahagian artikel-artikel ditulis dikumpul dan diterbitkan sebagai buku ini. Pendekatan yang sama juga diambil oleh ustaz lain seperti Ustaz Hasrizal dengan buku-buku beliau.

Saya jumpa buku ini di celah-celah rak novel terbitan Alaf 21. Tajuknya seakan memanggil-manggil saya. Umat adalah satu perkataan yang kuat kesannya. Kita semua umat, saya umat, orang Islam di mana-mana temapt di atas dunia ini adalah umat. Tentu buku ini ada mesej yang besar.

Buku in dibahagikan kepada dua bahagian iaitu Nasihat Buat Diri Sendiri dan Umat dan Nasihat Buat Wanita dan Lelaki. Sebahagian daripada bahagian kedua buku ini diulang di dalam sebuah lagi buku Ustaz Zaharuddin bertajuk Untukmu Wanita.

Sepanjang masa meghadam buku ini, saya bertambah kagum dengan ketinggian ilmu yang dihasilkan oleh cendiakawan Islam. Ustaz Zaharuddin menyebut pada banyak tempat tentang pandangan Islam mengenai isu-isu yang menjadi persoalan di kalangan ahli masyarakat seperti perbezaan pendapat di kalangan ulamak, displin dalam mencari, mengajar serta memajukan ilmu, membangun keyakinan diri, adab pergaulan lelaki dan wanita dan tanggungjawab menjaga peranan dan batasan jantina.

Isu-isu yang diketengahkan oleh Ustaz Zaharuddin adalah cabaran yang sedang mengepungi kita sebagai umat zaman ini. Tidak mungkin kita dapat menyelesaikan kesemuanya dalam masa terdekat, namun langkah yang boleh kita ambil adalah dengan meningkatkan keprihatinan kita sebagai anggota umat, kerana antara masalah terbesar kita sekarang adalah ketidakpedulisme.

Islam sebuah agama yang jumud dan lesu? Buku ini membuktikan sebaliknya.

Akan bersambung, insya-Allah.

Terima kasih, saudaraku

2010-01-09T22:51:00.005+08:00

Satu perkara yang saya sedari melalui pergaulan saya dengan Muslim negara luar adalah kita sangat kurang mengucapkan kata-kata penghargaan apabila kita dibantu. Berbanding kita, mereka akan lekas mengucapkan sesuatu yang lebih daripada ucapan terima kasih, seperti, "Semoga Allah membalas jasa baikmu, saudara," atau "Semoga Allah memudahkan segala urusanmu."

Di samping berterima kasih, mereka mendoakan kebaikan kepada mereka yang telah membantu.

Akhlak ini mirip dengan apa yang ditunjukkan oleh dua orang sahabat Rasulullah SAW, iaitu Abdul Rahman bin Auf dan Saad bin Rabi' RAhuma. Kedua-dua orang sahabat mulia ini telah dipersaudarakan oleh Baginda SAW ketika peristiwa Hijrah. Abdul Rahman bin Auf RA adalah seorang sahabat yang hampir dengan Rasulullah SAW. Beliau banyak mengorbankan harta yang beliau perolehi melalui perniagaan beliau pada fisabilillah. Malah beliau sanggup meninggalkan kesenangan hidup beliau kecapi untuk bersama-sama Rasulullah SAW di Madinah.

Pada awal persaudaraan mereka, Saad RA telah berkata kepada abdul Rahman RA, "Wahai saudaraku, saya mempunyai dua orang isteri. Jika saudara suka, saudara pilihlah yang mana yang saudara rasa paling cantik di antara kedua-duanya. Saya akan menceraikannya, dan selesai iddahnya nanti bolehlah saudara mengahwininya."

Saad RA menyambung,"Wahai saudaraku, saya mempunyai dua buah rumah. Jika saudara suka, saudara pilihlah yang mana yang saudara rasa rumah yang paling cantik. Saya akan memindah miliknya kepada saudara, dan selesai pindah milik nanti bolehlah saudara mendiaminya."

Daripada kata-kata Saad bin Rabi' RA, kita dapat mengagak yang beliau juga seorang berharta, kalau pun tidak mencapai tahap kekayaan Abdul Rahman bin Auf RA. Namun Abdul Rahman bin Auf seorang sahabat yang dididik oleh Rasulullah SAW. Abdul Rahman RA menjawab pelawaan Saad dengan berkata, "Semoga Allah memberkati keluargamu serta hartamu. Usahlah saudara khuatir tentang keadaan saya, tetapi tunjukkan saya di mana letaknya pasar kerana di situlah rezeki saya."

Menurut ulamak, jawapan Abdul Rahman bin Auf RA menunjukkan akhlak seorang yang dibantu. Dalam keadaan beliau yang sangat memerlukan, beliau tidak sekali-sekali mengambil kesempatan atas pertolongan yang diberi. Sebaliknya beliau memutuskan untuk berusaha mencari rezeki dengan usaha sendiri. Beliau juga tidak lupa untuk mendoakan keberkatan ke atas niat baik Saad RA untuk membantunya.

Ucapan terima kasih adalah tanda kesyukuran kita atas pertolongan seseorang, manakala doa kita adalah sebagai satu cara kita untuk kita membalas budi seseorang.

Adakalanya kita memang tidak mampu untuk membalas jasa seseorang, seperti apabila seorang hartawan memberikan kita wang sebagai bantuan dan sebagainya semasa kita kesempitan. Apa pula yang mampu kita beri sebagai balasan, sedangkan orang yang membantu kita adalah seorang jauh lebih berharta daripada kita?

Dengan cuba membalas jasanya pada suatu masa kelak. Atau paling kurang kita patut mendoakannya, memohon agar Allah membalas jasanya. Sesungguhnya Dialah penyempurna segala balasan dan yang terbaik dalam menunjukkan penghargaan atas amalan baik hamba-hambaNya.

[ Mungkin berkaitan: Tips Perniagaan Abdul Rahman Bin Auf ]

Another Inkscape project: book cover

2010-01-07T22:03:00.001+08:00

Nothing conceptual, just experimenting with kerning.

Click to 'biggerise'.

Problem Solving 101

2009-12-30T21:50:00.014+08:00

Problem Solving 101 may not look like a book that we would find in the business and management shelf in a book store. In fact, I wouldn't know this is a management book if I didn't read about it in The Star's business section.

This book started as a simple guide to help schoolchildren in Japan develop critical thinking skills. The author uses his experience working with McKinsey, one of the world's most renowned management consultants, to introduce decision-making tools that have successfully applied in the business world, using a very simple and enjoyable approach.

Now before you think that that Ken Watanabe wrote this book, let me clarify that this Ken Watanabe is Kensuke Watanabe, not Ken Watanabe the actor from movies like The Last Samurai and Batman Begins.

Watanabe tells three stories in which he slowly guides readers in using the decision-making tools (I personally prefer the word method, because I think tools are things, not something abtract). The tools he introduces doesn't require anything more than some paper, a pencil and our wonderful brain.

The first story is about a rock band called The Mushroom Lovers who are worried about increasing the number of people attending their concerts. Watanabe starts off with main aspects of problem-solving like finding the root cause of a problem. In this case The Mushroom Lover must figure out the reasons why people come again or not come again to their concerts.

In the following story, an octopus named John decides to become a Hollywood CGI (computer graphics imagery) movie director after being blown away by a movie he watched with his friend, Sarah, a squid. But before that, he needs to get himself a computer so he can learn the basics of CGI.

And in the final story, we follow Kiwi, an aspiring football player who dreams of becoming professional. To make that dream come true, she must decides on which football school in Brazil she wants to attend.

Did I tell you that I wouldn't know this is a management book if I didn't read about it in The Star's business section?

The pages are delightfully illustrated by Allan Sanders, making this book appealing to virtually all ages (not something we can say about most management books). Being a management book, it is a bit pricey, but still worth the price in my opinion considering that it's in hard cover. I hope the publisher would release a cheaper soft cover edition soon. This is definitely one of the most cheerful management book I've ever read.

Check these out:
[ Problem Solving 101: the website ]
[ The website of illustrator Allan Sanders ]

Back to the study desk

2009-12-26T22:40:00.003+08:00

Early this month I received a rather important letter. It was the acceptance letter to do a doctorate in Education that I applied for a few months back. When I got it the orientation week had already started. I missed several orientation programmes but I was fortunate to not have missed the most programme of all: the pledge ceremony. The pledge ceremony was the one that made us official students of the U.

And classes began the next week, which made me felt like I have just landed on an alien planet. A lot of things caught me by surprise, including the workload. In one of the subject, we are supposed to read 8 books, one of it over 500 pages long. The thinnest was about 40 pages long. Not that I'm complaining. I see this as a challenge, but I do worry about whether I can do well in the course or not.

I also needed to get used to being a student again. I realised that being a student was a different mindset altogether. A student is someone who is always asking, rarely assumes and realises that it is OK to be stupid.

I am now re-learning all this. Clearly, I have forgotten a lot of things. Please help pray for me. Many, many thanks.

HTML 5, CSS 3 dan kenangan membina laman web

2009-12-23T00:10:00.000+08:00

Baru-baru HTML 5 dan CSS 3 telah diperkenalkan. Saya tidak pandai membuat analogi, tetapi percubaan terbaik saya untuk menggambarkan apakah Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) dan Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) dalam maksud yang kurang teknikal adalah: HTML ibarat isi dan tulang sesebuah laman web manakala CSS ibarat kulitnya. HTML digunakan untuk tujuan pengstrukturan laman web dan CSS digunakan untuk memberikannya rupa yang dikehendaki. Saya harap analogi ini tidak mengelirukan.

Semasa saya meneliti artikel-artikel yang membincangkan potensi serta kekurangan (buat masa ini) HTML 5 dan CSS 3, saya teringat pada zaman saya mula-mula belajar untuk membuat laman web. Percubaan pertama saya merupakan tugasan yang diberikan oleh tutor saya dalam subjek Multimedia. Ketika itu saya merujuk kepada dengan rakan saya, Ar. Bayangkan, saya seorang pelajar bidang komputer duduk berguru daripada seorang pelajar dari fakulti Bahasa Arab. Sebenarnya sesiapa pun yang boleh belajar untuk memanfaatkan Internet jika mempunyai minat dan kesanggupan untuk belajar.

Selepas 'ditauliah' oleh Ar, saya ke perpustakaan untuk mencari buku-buku berkaitan rekaan laman web. Saya telah meminjam dan menelaah beberapa buah buku dan mula berazam untuk membuat laman saya sendiri. Sasaran saya hanya sebuah laman web hanya sebuah laman web yang ringkas, memadai untuk saya bereksperimen menggunakan HTML dan CSS. Ketika HTML masih dalam versi 4.5 dan CSS pula versi 2.

Lama web pertama saya telah dimuat naik ke Geocities, sebuah perkhidmatan web hosting yang serba ringkas yang juga telah berhenti beroperasi pada tahun ini. Dengan kata lain, laman web saya yang ini sudah lenyap dari alam siber. (Salinannya yang asal pula telah lenyap akibat hard disk saya yang juga telah berhenti beroperasi.)

Pengalaman inijuga telah meyedarkan saya tentang pentingnya kandungan atau content. Apa gunanya sebuah laman web yang cantik pada luarannya tetapi lansung tidak mengandungi sebarang sebarang maklumat yang berguna? Tujuan utama orang mengunakan Internet adalah untuk mencari maklumat, bukan untuk mencuci mata dengan melihat laman web yang cantik-cantik. (Ya, saya sedar bahagian akhir ayat tadi boleh ditafsir dengan maksud lain.)

Ketika itu saya baru sahaja tamat pengajian pada peringkatan sarjana muda dan mula berfikir untuk bekerja. Namun perancangan Allah telah meletakkan saya di rumah di mana saya dan keluarga sibuk menguruskan arwah datuk saya yang sedang agak kritikal di hospital. Saya ke hospital pagi dan tengah hari, mengirimkan makanan kepada saudara yang menemani datuk dan menjemput mereka yang usai giliran meneman untuk pulang. Rutin ini memampukan saya mencuri-curi masa untuk eksperimen HTML dan CSS saya.

Pada masa yang sama, saya cuba untuk menulis kandungan untuk laman web saya yang kedua. Memandangkan kegilaan saya terhadap anime dan manga pada masa itu sedang melangit, saya memilih untuk menulis ulasan tentang beberapa siri yang saya telah atau sedang baca dan tonton. Namun tulisan saya yang paling panjang merupakan sebuah artikel mengenai kartunis Dato' Lat. Artikel yang termuat dalam dua muka surat laman web itu telah diilham oleh sebuah dokumentari tentang beliau yang disiarkan melalui Disovery Channel dan buku autobiografi beliau, Lat on Lat. Semasa saya kecil, ayah saya selalu membelikan saya buku-buku koleksi kartun beliau, antaranya Kampung Boy, Better Lat than Never, Mat Som dan Entahlah Emak. (Hingga kini saya masih mencari kedai yang menjual Town Boy). Sayang sekali ada di antara buku-buku ini yang hilang, kemungkinan besar tercicir semasa kami berpindah rumah.

Saya cuba untuk mencari laman web kedua saya, tetapi nampaknya laman web ini sudah tidak lagi wujud. Yang masih kekal bersama saya adalah ingatan pada saat-saat saya berkerut dahi kerana cuba memahami bagaimana HTML dan CSS berfungsi.

HTML 5 datang membawa perubahan-perubahan yang saya lihat sebagai amat memudahkan. Begitu juga CSS 3. Banyak perkara yang dulu terbatas oleh CSS 2 yang kini menjadi senang dengan adanya CSS 3. Ini termasuk kaedah yang lebih mudah untuk memuatkan video dan audio ke laman web menggunakan HTML 5.

Saya tidak bercadang untuk mengulas secara teknikal perubahan-perubahan ini. Cukuplah jika saya katakan bahawa untuk mempelajari rekaan laman web pada masa sekarang adalah lebih mudah berbanding dengan beberapa tahun yang lalu. Inilah realiti tentang pengetahuan teknologi; apa yang kita kuasai hari ini akan kelak digantikan dengan sesuatu yang baru dan lebih canggih. Kita hanya akan maju jika kita terus-menerus belajar untuk meningkatkan pengetahuan yang sudah ada.

Haid Menghalangi Ibadah? No Way!

2009-12-08T22:58:00.002+08:00

Tentu sekali tidak. Wanita yang didatangi haid masih boleh (dan perlu) beribadah.

Ini mesej buku kecil comel ini, yang ditulis oleh M.Radzi Rachman.

Sebahagian daripada tanggungjawab seorang lelaki ialah mempelajari hal-ehwal fiqh wanita. Ilmu ini bukan sahaja penting bagi para suami dan bapa, malah bagi mereka yang berperanan sebagai wali serta penjaga. Kita diwajibkan untuk memimpin dan memperelok para wanita di dalam aspek ibadah mereka.

Keitka solat, puasa, haji dan beberapa lagi ibadah khusus tidak boleh dikerjakan, masih banyak lagi ibadah-ibadah khusus dan umum lain yang boleh dikerja, tanpa mengira sama ada seseorang wanita itu dalam keadaan suci atau tidak. Antara ibadah yang dimaksudkan ialah berzikir, di mana mereka boleh mengisi setiap waktu solat dan dengan tasbih, takbir, selawat, istighfar dan sebagainya. Perbincangan ini dilanjutkan kepada perkara-perkara umum lain seperti menuntut ilmu, menguruskan rumah tangga dan bekerja.

Ada banyak perkara menarik yang dibawa oleh penulis, antaranya dalam bab menuntut ilmu ada disebut tentang salah seorang guru kepada Imam Syafie yang merupakan seorang wanita iaitu Syeikah Syuhrah. Beliau sangat dihormati atas ketinggian ilmu beliau hingga beliau dikenali sebagai "fakhr an-nisa' (kebanggaan kaum wanita.)" Saya amat kagum dengan fakta ini kerana jarang sekali alim ulama yang wanita disebut atau dibincangkan. Seorang lagi alimah yang diperkenalkan ialah Mu'nisat al-Ayyubiyyah, saudara perempuan Salahuddin Al-Ayyubi. Berputar fikiran saya memikirkan bagaimanakah bapa kedua-dua adik beradik hebat ini berjaya mendidik mereka hingga menjadi manusia yang berbakti kepada agama dan umat.

Haid Menghalangi Ibadah? No Way! ditulis dan diterbitkan di dalam Bahasa Indonesia.

The Lord God Made Them All

2009-11-28T03:25:00.040+08:00

As the gap between this book and the previous book Vets Might Fly (in the series it's actually Vet in a Spin, but I never wrote about it) was a very wide one, I wondered if I would still be captivated by these books. I reached for this one nervously only to prove to myself that the Herriot charm still has its hold on me.

No longer a stranger to farmers and folks of Darrowby (a fictional name of an actual town called Thirsk) of Yorkshire, Herriot reunites us back with familiars faces, and I'm not just talking about the two-legged ones. The animals, amazingly, are excellent at unmasking who we humans really are through the ways we deal with them.

Take for instance the Walt Barnett, the town's richest man. Known for being a tough no-nonsense businessperson, Barnett revealed his softer side when called Herriot to look at his cat, Fred. Fred's predicament moved Barnett to tears, something he sees as an embarassment. In Herriot's view however, Barnett's display was very admirable.

This book also documents two international journeys embarked by Herriot as travelling veterinarian, one is onboard a livestock-filled ship bound for Klaipėda, in present day Lithuania, and another similar mission via airplane to Istanbul, Turkey. The first trip is written in more detail since it was longer, and it made me want to experience a long distance journey onboard a ship, although I hope I don't get caught having dinner while there's a storm raging, I prefer not to chase after my food when it rolls across the table.

As for the Herriot charm having stronger effect on me, I blame him for introducing his two lovely children in this book.Young Jimmy has grown up and very much taken by his old man's profession. He did become a veterinarian later in life. As a little boy he got a kick from going along his father to the farms, opening gates so their car can drive through and went about the place to announce to the owner that they've arrived. Little Rosie makes her appearance as well, taking over her elder brother's role when he started going to school. Herriot steered Rosie into going to medical school to heal people instead of animals. He was concerned for her about other things that comes with the business of veterinary, like having chased by an angry bull or kicked by annoyed cow. The physical aspect of the job may not suit a female practitioner in the long run.

And this ultimately leads to the final book, Every Living Thing. I won't speculate on what may be in store ahead, but I surely don't like the feeling that I have when I'm about to reach the end of something good.

[ Read this too: Todd Wisti visits The World of James Herriot museum ]

Eidul Adha Mubarak 1430H!

2009-11-26T16:31:00.002+08:00

Salam, everyone. Especially to our fellow Muslims performing their Haj and Qurban, may Allah accepts our good deeds. I'm taking a time off to mull over a few interesting opportunities. Hopefully they'll turn to something worthwhile, insya-Allah. Those travelling home, have a safe trip and joyous days ahead with family and loved ones.

Akutagawa's In a Grove available for download

2009-11-24T00:49:00.010+08:00

In a Grove is an early modernist short story consisting of seven varying accounts of the murder of a samurai, Kanazawa no Takehiro, whose corpse has been found in a bamboo forest near Kyoto. Each section simultaneously clarifies and obfuscates what the reader knows about the murder, eventually creating a complex and contradictory vision of events that brings into question humanity's ability or willingness to perceive and transmit objective truth.

Over at Feedbooks I found this short story by Akutagawa Ryunosuke, which is included in Rashomon and Seventeen Other Stories, but titled In a Bamboo Grove. Two other short stories, Rashoumon and Hana, are also available there. My recommendation is to start with this one, it's the most compelling of the three (but feel free to disagree). All the stories are set in medieval Japan.

[ Written once upon a time ago : Rashomon and Seventeen Other Stories ]

Inkscape project: newspaper article mock-up

2009-11-20T01:10:00.002+08:00

It's been ages since I last played with Inkscape. This is my mock-up of a Sunday newspaper article that I did not too long ago. In the process I picked up on a few things such as:

using align to make the sides of text bodies align properly
using rulers to divide to page into sections
finding out that Inkscape doesn't do drop caps (not yet, but hopefully in the near future it will)

Overall, a fun project where I explored how Inkscape handles text.

Micro and not micro

2009-11-17T17:55:00.001+08:00

A question floating in my mind often lately: are there any differences between blogging and microbloging?

I find the idea of a microblog very interesting.

Lightweight file exploring with Snowbird

2009-11-10T01:20:00.002+08:00

If your machine is a bit dated like mine, you'll notice the occasional time lag when opening a large folder or drive directory. We have to wait for seconds or minutes before Windows can display every file within.

I once tested a folders merge software that was supposed to combine two or more folder into one. I didn't realised at the time that I also made two mistakes. The first one was choosing huge folders with a lot of files in them for the test. And the second was I stopped the merging process before it was finished (after realising the first mistake). I ended up with a huge number duplicated files, over 1000 of them. While most of them are small in size, their total size is about 1GB.

Trying to find and delete them using Windows Explorer was taking too much time. As I mentioned just now, it took about a minute on average for my slow machine to display the files. The slowdown happens because the process of displaying the large number of files was eating up a lot of the available memory.

To speed things up, I decided to use Snowbird. Snowbird may look like a skinny cousin of Windows Explorer, but you'll be smiling ear to ear when it flies into action.

Snowbird doesn't offer a lot features other than the basic file functions of search, open, copy, paste, delete, rename and properties. No thumbnail for previewing image and video files or FTP connection or other fancy stuff. Which is great for the job of finding and displaying large number of files instantly. I only wanted to delete the duplicated files.

To my own surprise I finished the job in just minutes, instead of days as I thought if I were using Windows Explorer. Snowbird definitely soared beyond my expectation. It's very fast, minimalistic and lightweight in terms of memory usage. Snowbird a standalone .exe app that doesn't require an installation.

Untukmu Umat

2009-11-07T21:14:00.005+08:00

Agama itu nasihat. Manusia itu pelupa. Logik mudahnya, manusia perlukan agama agar tidak terlupa. Lupa yang bagaimana? Bukan lupa di mana letaknya kunci kereta atau tarikh ulang tahun perkahwinan. Lupa yang penting-penting seperti tanggungjawabnya sebagai hamba Allah SWT dan umat Rasululllah SAW. Lupa kunci kereta boleh dicari atau diganti, lupa tarikh ulang tahun perkahwinan boleh dipujuk dan disogok. Lupa tanggungjawab jawabnya beratlah soalan-soalan yang menanti di Hari Kemudian.

Sebagai anggota spesis yang amat pelupa ini, saya banyak mendapat banyak ingatan setelah membaca Untukmu Umat, oleh Ustaz Zaharudin Abd Rahman.Ustaz Zaharuddin adalah salah seorang pakar rujuk dalam bidang kewangan Islam yang aktif mengajar serta menulis buku dan melalui laman web beliau.

Buku ini banyak menyedarkan saya tentang kehalusan dan ketinggian Islam sama ada dari segi maksudnya serta pelaksanaannya. Perkara yang disentuh termasuk bersangka baik, soal aurat wanita, sikap seorang pelajar dan pekerja Mukmin, perbezaan pendapat di kalangan ulamak dan kesedaran kita terhadap hak-hak Allah dan Rasul. Isinya pelbagai, sesuai untuk bacaan umum dan pelbagai peringkat umur. Seperti yang Ustaz jelaskan, buku ini adalah kompilasi artikel beliau yang telah pun diterbitkan di laman web zaharuddin.net.

Tulisan Ustaz Zaharuddin banyak menjawab persoalan yang menghantui saya selama ini. Seperti bersangka baik, bilakah kita patut bersangka baik dan bilakah pula kita patut ada rasa syak? Apabila prasangka kita membabitkan tindakan seseorang, sangka baik terjatuh antara dua hukum. Harus apabila kita dalam keadaan di mana kita perlu berhati-hati seperti ketika memandu di belakang bas, dan kita sangka yang bas tersebut mungkin akan membrek secara mengejut. Hukumnya pula haram sekiranya prasangka kita datang dari rasa dengki, benci dan niat buruk untuk menjatuhkan seseorang.

Ubatnya? Daripada hadis riwayat Tabrani (no.3227, 3/228),

"Tiga perkara lazim yang sukar dibuang oleh umatku: menganggap sial, hasad dengki dan bersangka buruk." Lalu seorang lelaki bertanya, "Apakah yang boleh menghilangkannya wahai Rasulullah?" Jawab Nabi, "Jika kamu datang perasaan hasad dengki, beristighfarlah kamu kepada Allah. Apabila kamu bersangka buruk, janganlah kamu membenarkan sangkaan itu, dan apabila kamu menganggap sial berlaku, abaikan dan jangan endahkannya."

Carilah yang halal (di Internet) dengan I'm Halal

2009-10-28T23:50:00.004+08:00

Anda Muslim? Anda ingin mencari sesuatu di Internet, tetapi bimbang yang anda akan 'terjumpa' yang, urm, haram?

Usah khuatir kerana kini ada enjin carian Internet yang halal iaitu I'm Halal. Enjin carian yang Islamik ini bertujuan untuk membantu pengguna web Muslim menggunakan Internet secara bertanggungjawab, selamat dan berkesan. Sistem Haram Rating I'm Halal akan memberi amaran kepada pengguna tentang tahap kandungan eksplisit sesebuah laman web.

Pengguna bukan Muslim juga menyambut baik kemunculannya sebagai satu alternatif yang baik untuk anak-anak mereka. Tahniah dan ucapan semoga maju jaya buat tenaga kerja I'm Halal!

Let's learn Muamalah

2009-10-24T20:50:00.086+08:00

I am indebted to my former lecturer, Dr. Abdi Omar Shuriye, who struggled to teach us the non-syariah students the subject of Muamalah. This was back in my second year as an undergrad. At the time I wondered why the U wanted us to learn this, especially when the subject involves a lot discussions and difference of opinions between the mahzabs. I thought it was a rather complex subject. But then again I was probably scared because the subject had no particular textbook. I wondered how on earth am I going to pass.

Dr. Abdi's solution was a mass oral exam instead of the normal paper exam. I remember that I couldn't answer properly and I was surprised he gave me a passing grade. We were the last batch of student required to take the subject. It was replaced by Islamic World View or Akhlaq and Adab or something like that. No more syariah subject as requirement.

I never gave the subject much attention until a few years later, when a friend from Al-Azhar asked me to help translate a paper he wrote on the Islamic Banking system. It was a very informative paper and I could understand it because I had seen it before in Muamalah class. I realised how fortunate I was to had been 'forced' by the U to learn Muamalah.

Now as a working person, these things have become very important. They help me to think about what is halal and what is haram. Things are not as simple as we believe. For example, what does the syariah say about multi-level marketing?

Does it matter if we whether we've learned it before or not? Not really. The important thing is to continue to learn more if we have. If we haven't, why not start now? This is more than a matter of life and death. This is a matter of life and afterlife, which is a very, very, very long life.

A Man Without A Country

2009-10-18T22:12:00.004+08:00

Although I may sound like a discontented book buyer in this previous entry, I was happy with what I bought, most of it. Some required 'repair and restoration' because of their condition. But not all.

I was happy with finding this at the sale. This is the second last book released by the esteemed American novelist, Kurt Vonnegut, who wrote Cat's Cradle and Slaughterhouse Five. He passed away in 2007. I don't know much about American literature and never read any of Vonnegut's books.

A Man Without A Country is a collection of Vonnegut's writings on many issues. A few issues keep reappearing throughout the book like the US under the presidentship of George W. Bush and the state of the environment. He was over 70 when he wrote this, and many times he relates back to when he fought in Germany during WW2. Slaughterhouse Five was based on that experience.

I finished the 146-page book in a few hours. Vonnegut was difficult to put down, at least with this one. In a scant number of pages he goes from reflective to amusing to informative, visiting topics like writing, history, politics and human nature.

Some of the things from the books that made me stop to laugh and think.

I am, of course, notoriously hooked on cigarettes. I keep hoping the things will kill me. A fire at one end and a fool at the other.

Do you think the Arabs are dumb? They gave us our numbers. Try doing long division using Roman numerals.

When I got home from the Second World War, my Uncle Dan clapped me on the back, and he said, "You're a man now." So I killed him. Not really, but I certainly felt like doing it.

Syawal reunion

2009-10-12T23:36:00.005+08:00

During this month of Syawal, by His Blessing, I was reunited with a few people with whom I have not met in years.

They are my cousins in the north. The last time I saw them was about 9 years ago. The two youngest ones were just little then. Now they are in secondary school. Their elder sisters are overseas, one of them managed to fly back home from Germany for Raya. I also haven't seen her in years. This is a young woman whom I am both envy and proud of. The eldest of the siblings is dashing young man who was once a very boisterous little boy who I grew with. Many Rayas ago we were suggested to go visit the houses in our grandparents' neighbour for duit raya. But we were too shy. After two hours of walking aimlessly from one corner of the neighbourhood to another, we came back with empty pockets. Other kids might have made RM50 or so easily on such a trip.

It was very bitter sweet. In fact, as we were sitting for lunch and munching kuih raya, I was remindng myself that is all real. Here they are, all grown up in front of me.Time has really passed me by. The grandchildren are heading into adulthood and soon the great grandchildren will make their appearances.

In this world there are many different kinds of family. On the same occasion we met a family of 16 siblings that are able to gather entirely for Raya year after year. Everyone and their own family would flock back to the grandparents' home in Perak, where meals needed to cooked kenduri-style because there's just that many people to feed. I can't help but to salute these people. That's no easy job trying to keep 16 families united. Can my family pull off something like that? "Maybe" is the best answer I can think of.

But God know best. Miracles do happen, right?

Jualan gudang buku: murah, tapi...

2009-10-09T08:05:00.008+08:00

Jualan gudang Pearson dan Penguin Books sedang berlansung dan akan berakhir Ahad ini. Saya sempat ke sana minggu lepas. Kepada sesiapa yang ada kesempatan, saya rasa elok pergi. Pertama kali saya ke sana ialah dua tahun yang lalu. Jualan ini hanya sekali setiap dua tahun dan harga yang ditawarkan boleh dikatakan murah.

Boleh dikatakan murah jika dibandingkan dengan harga di kedai buku biasa. Contohnya buku ini. Harga buku kulit kerasnya dalam lingkungan RM60-RM70.

Di sana harganya, kalau saya tak silap, RM15 untuk edisi paperback. Dan buku ini baru setahun lebih dalam pasaran.

Buku ini tentang pengalaman seorang saintis dan pengkaji otak manusia yang ditimpa angin ahmar atau strok. Beliau menulis tentang bagaimana pengalaman tersebut mengubah hidupnya serta pandangannya tentang kehebatan otak manusia (yang sememangnya hebat kerana Allah yang menciptanya).

Adakah kebanyakan buku di sana seperti ini? Tak. Ini jualan gudang, yakni jualan penghabisan stok. Buku-buku baru memang ada tapi harganya mungkin murah sikit daripada harga biasa. Yang banyak adalah buku-buku yang diterbitkan lebih daripada dua tahun yang lalu.

Menurut komen yang ditinggalkan di laman everyday.com.my (pautan yang sama seperti di atas), harga buku pada jualan kali telah naik. Dulu harganya dalam RM8, tapi kini RM10 dan RM15. Mahal.

Berapa yang boleh dikatakan mahal? Nampaknya harga adalah sesuatu yang relatif. Sesuatu yang mahal bagi saya mungkin murah bagi orang lain, dan juga sebaliknya. Masing-masing ada cara yang tersendiri dalam membuat perbandingan.

Bagi saya ini masih dikira murah. Sesuai untuk orang yang seperti saya, golongan yang tak bergaji besar. Jualan seperti ini sangat dinanti-nantikan.

Tetapi jangan harapkan suasana yang nyaman kalau ke jualan gudang seperti ini. Kalau tak hawanya panas, mungkin akan terasa debu-debu melekat di tapak tangan. Jangan lupa, namanya pun jualan gudang.

Perkara-perkara sebegini lansung membuatkan saya terfikir tentang nasib pembaca buku di negara kita. Secara umumnya harga buku adalah mahal. Untuk nilai yang lebih, kita mencarinya di jualan-jualan gudang seperti ini.

Kenapa harganya lebih murah? Pada pandangan saya sebagai seorang pembeli, harganya murah atas beberapa sebab. Seperti yang saya cerita tadi, keselesaan membeli belah seolah-olah tidak perlu lagi diadakan. Cukup dengan mempamerkan buku di atas meja-meja. Biasanya buku-buku dilonggokkan dan disusun mengikut kategori umum fiksyen dan bukan fiksyen. Jualan gudang sebenarnya mirip kepada ekspidisi mencari harta karun. Kalau jumpa buku yang dicari, itu memang rezeki.

Bagi saya ini tak seteruk mana jika dibandingkan dengan keadaan buku yang dijual. Ada yang yang kemek-kemek, berconteng (mungkin dengan sengaja, agar pembeli tak menjualnya semula dengan harga yang sama dengan yang di kedai) dan yang berlengas dengan gam pelekat harga. Kadang-kadang kulitnya nampak kotor kerana debu-debu sudah melekat pada gam tadi. Sedih hati ini melihatnya. Mengapa teruk benar keadaan buku-buku ini?

Ada sekali di jualan gudang yang lain, buku-bukunya terlekat pada satu sama lain Mungkin kerana kelembaban semasa dalam simpanan di gudang. Satu lagi kerja bagi para pembeli untuk memisahkan buku yang ingin dibeli, sekaligus merosakkannya.

Ada masa pelekat harga yang digunakan sangat kuat gamnya hingga sukar untuk ditanggalkan tanpa meninggalkan kesan pada kulit buku. Tertekan rasanya jiwa apabila ini berlaku.

Tujuan saya menulis semua ini bukannya untuk merungut. Saya hanya ingin pihak penganjur jualan gudang buku lebih prihatin dalam mengendalikan buku-buku yang mereka ingin jual. Jangan kerana harga sudah dipotong buku-buku dibiarkan kemek, helainya berlipat-lipat atau seumpamanya.Ini buku, bukannya sekadar barangan jualan atau komoditi semata-mata.

Kepada yang belum pernah ke mana-mana jualan gudang buku, inilah antara realiti yang terpaksa dihadapi sebagai pengunjung dan pembeli.

Namun, saya masih bersyukur atas wujudnya jualan sebegini. Selain daripada harganya yang jauh lebih rendah, jualan gudang adalah peluang yang baik untuk mencari buku-buku yang sukar dijumpai di kedai buku. Saya akan tetap memanfaatkan jualan gudang buku, walaupun terpaksa bersabar dengan suasana yang panas serta pulang dalam keadaan bersalut debu. Demi buku, semua ini sanggup kuhadap!

[ Terdahulu dan berkaitan: How to prepare for a book sale ]

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri 1430H dalam perspektif

2009-09-18T23:02:00.004+08:00

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri 1430H buat semua pengunjung Muslim. Semoga ibadat kita semasa Ramadhan yang baru berlalu diterima dan menjadi asbab kita bertambah soleh dan solehah, insya-Allah.

Saya akan bertolak pulang ke kampung di utara tanahair untuk bersama dengan ibu bapa, Tok serta saudara mara lain. Harap-harap hari bahagia ini akan membawa kebahagian, dan bukan yang sebaliknya. Kepada yang bakal berjalan jauh untuk sampai ke kampung, berhati-hati ketika di perjalanan. Kepada yang beraya di KL atau di perantau dan jauh dari insan-insan tersayang kerana apa-apa sebab, janganlah bersedih kerana kalian masih bersama kami dalam ingatan. (Yang ini khas buat rakan saya yang sedang belajar di luar negara. Tabahkan hati, ya?)

Terimalah 'kad' yang semenangnya tak berapa indah ini sebagai pengganti diri. Bukannya tak mahu buat cantik-cantik cuma masa tak mengizinkan. Saya sepatutnya sekarang sibuk berkemas untuk perjalanan balik kampung. Tapi saya sempat bermain-main dengan Inkscape sekejap, mencuba beberapa teknik yang baru diketahui. Sebelum ini saya telah mencuba untuk membuat teks yang dalam perspektif tetapi tak berjaya. Rupanya tekniknya tak sesusah mana, dan hasilnya seperti di atas.

Dan tolong maafkan saya jika ada sebarang salah silap. Kalian juga saya maafkan.

Tarbiyah dan Ramadhan

2009-09-13T18:37:00.005+08:00

Hari ini hari yang ke–23. Masa berlalu begitu cepat.

Bulan Ramadhan sering diibaratkan sebagai universiti atau madrasah atau sekolah kerana ini adalah waktu yang paling kondusif untuk kita mengislah diri kita. Sepanjang bulan ini pintu syurga dibuka seluas-luasnya, pintu neraka ditutup, dosa-dosa diampunkan, pahala amalan dilipat gandakan, doa-doa dimakbulkan dan juga syaitan-syaitan diikat. Ramai orang menjadi ringan badan untuk beramal dan untuk bergerak ke arah kebaikkan. Alhamdulillah, masjid-masjid semakin penuh, terutamanya di hari-hari sepuluh terakhir, di mana baginda Rasullullah SAW sendiri sibuk dengan beriktikaf dan memenuhi malam dengan solat dan amalan lain. Kebaikan dan keberkatan melingkari masyarakat, dan perkara-perkara mungkar semakin menurun walaupun masih berlaku.

Semua ini kesan pentarbiyahan. Ada yang akan menjadi graduan Universiti Ramadhan yang mumtaz. Yang lain mungkin jaid jiddan dan mungkin lebih rendah pangkatnya.

Sepanjang semester ini banyak lagi kemungkaran yang saya belum dapat tinggalkan. Di waktu orang lain sedang memecut ke arah maaruf dan redha, saya masih baru sedang memanaskan enjin. Penghujung semakin dekat.

Sedikit sebanyak saya mula sedar yang keadaan saya adalah kesan pentarbiyahan yang saya lalui di luar Ramadhan. Pembimbingnya memang pakar dalam bidang masing-masing, iaitu mengajak manusia jauh dari kebaikkan dan mendekati perkara-perkara yang merosakkan. Mereka tentunya syaitan dan nafsu. Kesan tarbiyah mereka begitu meninggalkan kesan hingga saya terpaksa menggagahkan diri untuk menghadiri program-program yang dianjurkan Universiti Ramadhan. Saya jauh berbeza daripada pelajar yang lain yang, bak kata ustaz, menunggu ketibaan Ramadhan seperti mereka menunggu hari pernikahan mereka.

Semoga Allah mengasihani dan mengampuni saya, seorang pelajar corot dalam semester 1430H, Universiti Ramadhan Al-Karim. Insya-Allah baki-baki hari yang ada akan saya manfaatkan sebaik mungkin. Dan semoga kita semua berjaya lulus dengan mumtaz agar kita lebih kuat menghadapi tarbiyah luar Ramadhan dibawa oleh dua musuh kita tadi.

Perang Badar: hasil tulisan sulung Ustaz Azrul Azlan

2009-09-10T00:07:00.009+08:00

(Sedikit promosi!)

Ustaz Azrul Azlan adalah teman belajar saya dulu masa di sekolah pengurusan. Ini buku pertama beliau, mengupas tentang peperangan yang pertama dalam sejarah Islam. Jika sebelum ini kita mendengar tentang 313 sahabat yang mulia yang menjadi ahli Badar, di akhir buku ini ada senarai nama-nama mereka.

Sila dapatkan dengan segara.

Perang Badar yang Ulung
oleh Azrul Azlan Iskandar Mirza
Penerbit: Al Azhar Media
Tahun: 2009
Halaman: 176

(Penafian: ini bukan iklan berbayar.)