Travelog Minda Tajdid

Sumber: bukuonline2u

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

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

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

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)

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.”

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

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

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

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'

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.'