The Quiet American

Sumber: Wikipedia

The Quiet American membawa saya mengenali sebuah Vietnam yang kewujudannya tidak saya sedari selama ini.

Vietnam pra-Perang Vietnam.

Sebelum Amerika Syarikat tiba dan menghuru-harakan negara ini, Vietnam sudah pun berada di kancah peperangan. Perancis selaku penjajah diasak dari pelbagai arah oleh beberapa gerakan yang memperjuangkan kemerdekaan. Era yang tercatat dalam sejarah sebagai Perang Indochina.

Menurut entri Wikipedia novel ini (jaga-jaga, spoilers), Graham Greene pernah bertugas sebagai wartawan koresponden di Vietnam. Ada kemungkinan novel ini juga semi-autobiografikal kerana watak utamanya, Thomas Fowler, juga seorang wartawan dari England.

Ketika bertugas, Fowler, seperti Greene, bertemu dengan seorang warga Amerika yang membawa sebuah ideologi yang dikatakan boleh mengubah Vietnam. Alden Pyle, seorang pemuda yang idealistik dan pegawai khas kerajaan Amerika Syarikat, mencuri perhatian Fowler ketika mereka bertemu di awal cerita.

Pertemuan itu berubah menjadi satu perkenalan dan kemudian pertarungan, apabila Pyle mengenali Phoung, seorang wanita muda Vietnam yang merupakan teman hidup tidak sah Fowler. Pertarungan mereka berlaku secara ideologi, falsafah, pandangan hidup, pegangan keagamaan, dan nilai-nilai.

Hasrat Pyle untuk memperisterikan Phoung secara sah membuatkan Fowler mual. Perasaan itu bercambah kerana pelbagai sebab. Pyle seorang yang muda, cergas, taat beragama, berlatar belakang keluarga kelas pertengahan. Berbanding Fowler yang berusia separa abad, penganut agama mazhab Kristian yang mengharamkan penceraian, dan hidup makan gaji dengan melaporkan berita dari medan maut.

Tatkala saya hampir angkat tangan dan merumuskan yang novel ini satu lagi cerita lelaki berebut perempuan, ceritanya membelok ke satu simpang yang tidak diduga.

Sebelum Perang Vietnam meledak, sumbunya sudah pun dipasang oleh tangan-tangan tersembunyi. Atas nama perubahan dan keamanan.

Sumber: Haha! Funny! LOL!

Novel ini terbit pertama kali pada tahun 1955. Hari ini, lebih 50 tahun kemudian, cerita yang sama sedang berulang. Tetapi di sudut dunia yang lain, hanya disedari oleh mereka yang memerhati dengan teliti.

10 buku dari 2012

10 buku pilihan saya daripada rezeki pembacaan tahun lalu. Alhamdulillah.

Sumber: Marie Claire

Love in a Headscarf. Shelina Janmohamed (Beacon Press, 2010)
Petikan daripada entri asal: "If I have daughters who can read and old enough to begin thinking about relationships, I'd tell them to read this book."

Sumber: Open Library

Zeitoun. Dave Eggers (Vintage, 2010)
Petikan daripada entri asal: "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."

Sumber: Karya Bestari

Penawar Duka Pengubat Sengsara. Ustaz Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abibin (Karya Bestari, 2012)
Petikan daripada entri asal: "Penawar Duka Pengubat Sengsara mengfokuskan aspek rohani dan akidah, berbeza daripada buku-buku beliau yang lain yang ada menyentuh tentang aspek seperti kemasyarakatan, siasah dan sejarah. Puisi-puisi kerohanian Ustaz Dr Asri yang menutup dan membuka bab-bab buku ini meniupkan rasa syahdu ke dalam hati pembaca termasuklah pembaca yang berhati kematu seperti saya."

Sumber: Sensei's Library

The Master of Go. Kawabata Yasunari, translated by Edward G. Seidensticker (Vintage, 1996)
Petikan daripada entri asal: "Reading this book with just a rudimentary understanding of Go was certainly a handicap. What made me stay to the end was Kawabata's detailed account of what happened throughout the match, the people involved, and how they revealed clues about the two masters of the game. Go was merely the stage on which a human drama unfolded."

Sumber: CraveWorthy

Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind: How to Be Seen and Heard in the Overcrowded Marketplace. Al Ries & Jack Trout (McGraw-Hill, 2000)
Petikan daripada entri asal: "Positioning is not about being the first, it is more about not be overlooked by customers who are overwhelmed by the choices available in the market. Good positioning means getting through to the customers’ mind."

Sumber: Kedai Buku Anda

Travelog Wartawan Islam. Roslan Hamid (Kemilau Publika, 2011)
Petikan daripada entri asal: "Pengalaman peribadi tuan Roslan Hamid seperti menziarahi makam Imam Bukhari dan masyarakat Islam di Uzbekistan, keengganan seorang imam masjid untuk ditemuramah kerana rasa tidak yakinnya terhahap ketelusan akhbar, serta kesibukan yang menelan setiap peluang untuk beribadat atau masa untuk bersama-sama keluarga; mendorong beliau untuk mengucapkan selamat tinggal kepada dunia kewartawanan pada tahun 1998, ketika berada di meja Pengarang Luar Negara."

Sumber: Tamarind Books

Growing Up in Tregganu. Awang Goneng (Monsoon Books, 2007)
Petikan daripada entri asal: "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."

Sumber: Az-Zahra

Secangkir Teh Pengubat Letih. Ustaz Hasrizal Abdul Jamil (Galeri Ilmu, 2010)
Petikan daripada entri asal: "Turki juga saksi terkuburnya khilafah Uthamaniyyah, institusi pemerintahan Islam yang pernah menjadi tunggak umat Islam sedunia. Ustaz Hasrizal mendedikasikan satu bab khas mengenai tragedi ini. Jika ditinjau lebih mendalam, kita sebagai umat Islam umpama pelanduk yang adakalanya terlupa jerat, sedangkan jerat tidak pernah melupakan pelanduk."

Sumber: PTS

40 Hadis Palsu Popular. Abdul Razak Muthalib (PTS Islamika, 2011)
Petikan daripada entri asal: "Jangan kerana niat ingin bertazkirah, kita terheret ke neraka. Semoga kita dilindungi Allah daripada kesilapan ini."

Sumber: Hasani Books

Mudahnya Menjemput Rezeki. Fathuri Salehuddin (Galeri Ilmu, 2012)
Saya belum sempat menulis apa-apa tentang buku ini. Saya membelinya di Pesta Buku Antarabangsa KL tahun lepas dan sempat bersua dengan pengarangnya. Beliau seorang yang mempunyai aura yang begitu positif. Kami sempat berbual sebentar sebelum beliau meurunkan autograf pada naskhah saya. Secara mudahnya :-) buku ini bukan mengenai mencari rezeki, tetapi tentang menjemput rezeki. Apa bezanya? Menjemput rezeki ialah tentang membuat amalan-amalan yang menarik rezeki kepada kita. Gaya penulisan buku ini sangat santai dan nyaman hinggakan saya tidak sedar yang saya menghabiskan dalam masa yang agak singkat. Fahami apakah sebenarnya rezeki dan apa yang patut kita lakukan untuk memandunya masuk ke dalam hidup kita. Turut termuat adalah beberapa kisah benar tentang penjemput rezeki. Pesan pengarang, cubalah pesanan yang dititip dan lihatlah sendiri perubahan.


Begitulah, 10 buah buku pilihan. Jemput baca.

The Case Against Standardized Testing

Source: The Book Depository

Standardise examinations is a big part of the Malaysian education system. After 11 years studying in the mainstream public school, it's hard for me to imagine a different kind of  education system, one that doesn't make you sit for examinations every now and again.

Standardised examinations or testing is aimed at measuring the performance of every student using a set of standardised criteria. Students are given the same test papers with the same set of questions and same level of difficulty. Preferably the test should be given at the same time and place. Standardised testing is often perceived as a fair way of measuring students' performance.

This perception has gone largely unchallenged by society and even experts. We sat through The SPM (Form 5), PMR (Form 3), and UPSR (Year 6) examinations and have come to accept them as part of life.

Educationalist Alfie Kohn argues in his book, The Case Against Standardized Testing, that standardised assessment is not the best way of measuring students' performance. As he lengthily explains, standardised examination does little to prepare students for life real. For example, we're not allowed to ask other people for answers during examinations. In real life, especially in the workplace, we need to, in fact have to, consult our superiors, peers, subordinates, and experts whenever we're finding answers to our problems. With too much emphasis on examinations, we may overlook the importance of teaching students problem solving skills.

Standardised examination also suffers from a 'paradox of fairness.' We'd like to believe that every student have an equal chance of doing well in the examination. This is couldn't further from the truth. Kohn cites a number of studies done on the effect of the students' socio-economic status on their achievement. Students from minority group, rural, and lower class income families often do not have the same access to opportunities and assistance as the rest of the school. They often end up doing poorly in standardised examinations. The same thing is happening here in Malaysia.

There is a list of other concerns that Kohn addresses here, some of them are issues related to the US education system. It's a book that will make parents and educators re-think relevance of examinations and value of their examinations result.

With some experience in the teaching profession, I know how students can learn to beat the tests. Once they become familiar with the tests' pattern, the validity of the tests become suspect. Basically, the tests have become a complete waste of time because they are no longer measure students' understanding. Just like how a expert liar can bluff his way through a lie detector test.

The good news is there are other forms of assessment that can help our students develop a balanced and holistic skill set. Portfolios and projects show a clearer picture of what the students have learned and their progress, compared to looking at test scores alone. In fact, teachers and parents can actively participate in the students' learning process. They can ask the students critical questions about their work and listen to their responses and level of enthusiasm.

According to the recently announced Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025, development of the students' creativity and leadership skills has been made part of its Shift 1. This will done by revamping examinations and putting more focus thinking skills. Although this is certainly a commendable move, does this means standardised examinations is here to stay?

We'll just have to wait and see.

Kaedah Mendidik Isteri dan Anak

Sumber: bukuonline2u.com

Kaedah mendidik dengan memukul memang dibenarkan oleh Islam.

Pada masa yang sama, istilah memukul itu mengingatkan saya kepada perkataan seperti hayun, belasah, hentam, lanyak, balun, bedal, sebat, dan sebagainya. Di kalangan masyarakat Melayu kita pun kaedah menangani anak-anak dengan tali pinggang, tapak tangan, dan sebagainya bukanlah aneh mana.

Ibubapa saya sendiri tidak membiasakan saya dengan hukuman fizikal. Sekali sekala dirotan memang pernah. Dan sekarang tiba giliran saya pula menempuh fasa membina keluarga. Persoalan kaedah memukul anak ini mula berlegar-legar di dalam kepala.

Saya cuba mencari jawapan persoalan melalui buku Kaedah Mendidik Isteri & Anak: Antara Galakan dan Larangan Memukul dalam Islam. Penulisnya, Abdul Rahman Mohamed, berpengamalan dalam menguruskan masalah keluarga Muslim, khususnya di Singapura. Peningkatan kadar masalah keluarga Muslim telah menggesa beliau untuk membincangkan isu ini.

Ada beberapa keadaan tertentu di mana memukul dibenarkan dalam Islam. Misalnya isteri yang nusyuz. Pukulan hanyalah langkah terakhir dan tidak boleh mencedarakan, sekadar untuk menunjukkan ketegasan dan bukan untuk menunjukkan kekerasan.

Sebenarnya saya berharap untuk mengetahui secara lebih mendalam tentang memukul dari perspektif Islam. Buku ini mengejutkan saya sedikit kerana kupasannya lebih banyak kepada soal kepimpinan dan pengurusan di dalam rumah tangga.

Maksud penulis sebenarnya bukannya untuk menggalakkan para pemimpin keluarga untuk mencapai batang rotan setiap kali timbulnya masalah. Yang lebih penting ialah persiapan para pemimpin keluarga dalam menggalas tanggungjawab mendidik. Semua ini bermula dari dalam diri para pemimpin keluarga. Contohnya, kalau ibu bapa yang ingin menjadikan anak mereka  penghafaz Al-Quran, mereka sendiri perlu terlebih dahulu menyemai rasa cintakan Al-Quran dalam diri mereka.

Pendidikan isteri dan anak secara hakikatnya bermula dengan pedidikan diri sendiri. Renungilah ke dalam diri sebelum membiarkan tangan menghayun rotan.

The “Don't Be Sad” Diaries #2

Source: Ammar Books & Audio

Initially I wanted to start a series of entries based on this book. But lately work has gotten the most of me, and I'm unable to concentrate on what the book offers. I am... sad... to have to put this book aside and pick up other books. Because not reading can lead to sadness.

The “Don't Be Sad” Diaries #1

You're reading La Tahzan, brother? My Ghanaian colleague inquired. I was on my out of our office, clutching the book in my right hand and the rest of my belonging in the other.

Yes, I answered, slightly surprised. I didn't realised that people were paying attention to what I was reading.

Aaidh Al-Qarni. It's a good book, masya-Allah.

Yes, I've only just started.

A good book it is. Don't Be Sad, or it's Bahasa Melayu translation, Jangan Bersedih, is quite the best-seller, from what I gather. It's a self-help book for Muslims that tackle issues both in life right now and life later in akhirah.

This is actually my second attempt to read this book. The first time I read it a years ago, I felt disconnected from Syeikh Al-Qarni's words. At the time, I suppose, I was in a very bad situation. My inner self was in turmoil. I would like to think that my inner self is in a better place right now. I hope. Because now I'm past page 80.

Source: Ammar Books & Audio

Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind

Source: CraveWorthy

Quickly, what’s the No.1 fast food restaurant chain in Malaysia?

No, don’t tell me the answer. Instead, I want you think about how quickly you came up with the answer? Did it took you more than a minute? Was it based on any statistics?

I’m guessing no and no, right? Because that, my friend, is the power of positioning. Positioning is powerful concept that make or break a company or a product, as this book claims.

I remember attending a writing workshop a few years back. The speaker was constantly asking attendees, who were hoping to get published, to think carefully about positioning. The book market(s) can get crowded very quickly. Publishers aren’t keen to sign up an author unless he or she has something unique to offer.

This is the reason why Pak Latip (Abdul Latip Talib) pretty much rules the local historical novel market. He certainly wasn’t the first local author to write in this genre. But he was the first to successfully market historical novels, a genre that may have been deemed by some published as unprofitable.

He also continues to write historical novels, instead of trying his hand at any other genres. By doing so, Pak Latip is cementing his place in the market, and more importantly in the minds of the readers.

Being the first means he’s going to the one who set the bar. If a new historical novelist gets published, it’s likely that people will ask, is he as good as Pak Latip? If that is the case, then the new historical novelist has no choice but to be better. Or different.

Positioning is not about being the first, it is more about not be overlooked by customers who are overwhelmed by the choices available in the market. Good positioning means getting through to the customers’ mind.

Companies with already good positioning can make mistakes that leads to an unfavourable perceptions about themselves. The authors of this book warns leading companies from going about and telling people they’re the No.1. This type of statement makes the company sound insecure.

If people already know that you’re already No.1, there’s no need repeating it constantly. After a while, customers —people like you and me— will start going, “Yeah, so?” Customers are not dumb.

Also, being No.1 means nothing to the customers if they are treated like #!$@.

The Master of Go

Source: Sensei's Library

First played in China over 2,000 years ago, Go long has been part of the Japanese culture. Played on a board with 19 x 19 squares, Go pieces are played black versus white, similar to chess. But unlike chess or checkers, the pieces are placed on intersections of the square in a grid-like manner instead of inside a square. Once a piece is placed, it cannot be moved. A piece that is completely surrounded is captured. The rules of Go is relatively simple but allow for a wide array of strategies. Winning involves surrounding the opponent's pieces as much as possible. The winner of a match is determined using a points system.

A Go match in progess. (Source: Wikipedia)

I know almost nothing about Go. Most of what I wrote in the last paragraph was picked up as I read this book. The Master of Go is based on an actual match —an important one— between two masters. Honinbo Shūsai, a retired Go 9-rank master, agreed to play a out-of-retirement game against Kitani Minoru of 7-rank. Ranks in Go is akin to ranks in martial arts, reflecting its holder's level of skill, accomplishment, and experience. This was Honinbo Shūsai's final official match as he passed away several months later.

Kawabata Yasunari was a reporter from Mainichi Shimbun assigned to cover the match. The match entirely spanned several months, with breaks lasting from days to weeks. The venues were changed, and moves were made after many hours of deliberations. The match became one of the most discussed Go matches in history.

Fortunately this book is not a blow-by-blow account of what happened. Kawabata wrote, or rather rewrote, the match as a "chronicle novel" or a nonfiction novel. He gave himself and Kitani pseudonyms, but clearly there was no question about the persons involved. Kitani, named Otaké in the novel, was younger than Honinbo but a formidable player no less. In 1928, Kitani beat eight opponents consecutively in a series of matches. Honinbo, whose health was deteriorating at the time, had a reputation for being pragmatic. There were instances during the match when he used the provisions of the match to his advantage. Postponements occurred, dragging the game to a point where forfeiting came into consideration. But with their reputation at stake, both masters proceeded with the intention of winning.

Reading this book with just a rudimentary understanding of Go was certainly a handicap. What made me stay to the end was Kawabata's detailed account of what happened throughout the match, the people involved, and how they revealed clues about the two masters of the game. Go was merely the stage on which a human drama unfolded.

The actual match between Honinbo Shūsai and Kitani
Minoru (Otaké) in 1938. (Source: Sensei's Library)

Penawar Duka Pengubat Sengsara

Sumber: Karya Bestari

Allah Maha Hebat. Maha Mendengar, Maha Mengetahui. Pengabul segala hasrat.

Sebelum ini saya sedikit mengomel tentang kepupusan peluang saya untuk membaca buku yang bukan untuk tujuan kerja. Hati saya meronta-ronta mencari ruang senggang. Bukannya topik bacaan untuk kerja saya ini membosankan, malah saya sedar signifikasinya. Cuma saya sudah menyusun rancangan membaca saya sendiri, dan kerana kerja rancangan ini sudah tergendala.

Ramadhan ini saya dihadiahkan olehNya dengan pengajaran-pengajaran yang penuh makna. Satu insiden ini juga saya anggap sebagai satu pengajaran. Dua hari yang lepas saya ke kedai cuci kereta untuk membersihkan kereta yang berselimut debu. Bukan setakat debu malah terpalit kotoran lain dari pelbagai sumber. Hatta, cadang sang pakar pencuci kereta, kereta saya ini juga perlukan polish. Proses polish mengambil masa lebih daripada sejam. Ketika itu buku ini ada di dalam beg. Maha Suci Allah, peluang yang saya cari muncul tanpa diduga. Saya duduk diam di tempat menunggu. Hujung mata lembab dan tekak saya mengeras. Keajaiban Allah telah menyinggahi hidup saya.

Bonus ini saya gunakan untuk menghadam mutiara ilmu dan kerohanian daripada Tuan Ustaz Dr Asri. Penawar Duka Pengubat Sengsara mengfokuskan aspek rohani dan akidah, berbeza daripada buku-buku beliau yang lain yang ada menyentuh tentang aspek seperti kemasyarakatan, siasah dan sejarah. Puisi-puisi kerohanian Ustaz Dr Asri yang menutup dan membuka bab-bab buku ini meniupkan rasa syahdu ke dalam hati pembaca termasuklah pembaca yang berhati kematu seperti saya.

Buku ini menjawab beberapa persoalan yang sekian lama berlegar di fikiran saya, seperti pandangan Islam tentang Bonda kita Hawa dalam peristiwa pengusiran beliau dan Ayahanda Nabi Adam A.S. dari syurga. Al-Quran merakamkan peristiwa dengan meletakkan tanggungjawab ke atas kedua-dua mereka. Tidak seperti agama lain, Islam tidak menyalahkan Bonda Hawa kerana menyebabkan manusia dihalau dari syurga atau menganggap kaum wanita sebagai bahana. Yang penting untuk kita pegang ialah taubat Ayahanada dan Bonda diterima oleh Allah. Kedudukan mereka tetap mulia dan berada di kalangan yang patut kita dikasihi.

Satu persoalan lagi yang mencuit minda saya ialah tentang perkataan قلب yang selalu diterjemahkan ke dalam Bahasa Melayu sebagai hati. Terjemahan yang lebih tepat ialah seperti di dalam Bahasa Inggeris iaitu heart atau jantung. Ini lebih dekat dengan maksud قلب yang dianalogikan di dalam Al-Quran. Hati dalam bahasa Inggeris ialah liver. Menariknya, istilah heart attack tidak pula diterjemahkan kepada serangan hati tetapi serangan jantung. Begitu juga heart disease adalah penyakit jantung, bukan penyakit hati. قلب juga tidak sesuai ditulis sebagai kalbu kerana كلب dalam Bahasa Melayu ialah anjing. Oleh sebab ini saya pernah dengar cadangan agar perkataan kalbu diganti pakai dengan perkataan atma.

Tanpa saya sedar, sudah pun berlalu sejam lebih. Kereta saya tampak berkilat dan hati jantung hati saya terasa diubat. KeajaibanNya sentiasa tidak dapat diduga. Saya berazam agar doa berikut yang saya belajar dari buku ini akan menjadi kelaziman hidup saya. Jika saudara sudah pun beramal dengannya, teruskanlah. Semoga saya dapat mengikuti saudara dalam kebaikan.

“Ya Haiyyu, Ya Qayyum, dengan rahmatMu daku memohon pertolongan. Baikilah seluruh urusanku, dan janganlah Engkau serahkan diriku ini kepadaku walaupun sekelip mata” (Riwayat al-Nasai).

Membaca kerana kerja

Suka atau tidak, sebahagian besar kerja saya sekarang melibatkan membaca. Saya sangka sebagai seorang yang suka membaca, ini sesuatu yang mengujakan.

Sangkaan saya meleset. Bukan senang untuk membaca demi kerja. Berbeza dengan membaca demi minat. Bukan senang memaksa diri untuk membaca, apabila diri ‘rasanya’ memang suka membaca. Adakala saya rasa seolah-olah saya seorang perasan suka membaca, bukan betul-betul. A faking bibliophile.

Boleh jadi juga kerana kerja, apa yang ingin saya baca terpaksa diletak ke tepi. Adakah membaca demi kerja telah melunturkan keinginan membaca di luar kerja?

Kala Ramadhan ini saya mengajukan doa-doa termasuklah agar konflik ini akan berpenghujung. Kerana semakin lama konflik ini berlansung, semakin dungu saya rasa.