Athens Olympics
I wasn’t really following the Olympics in Athens, as I would dearly like to for some unforeseen circumstances. The doping scandals surely took the shine away Olympics with the withdrawal of some big names in the world of athletics. In fact, doping issues were the center of controversy and attention in Athens that really beats the purpose of Olympics altogether.
Nonetheless, I managed to catch a glimpse of Olympics by watching the highlights of the day shown late night and I was indeed shocked and surprised with the failure of USA to maintain domination of the Games. No doubt that they retained the overall medal tally winner but the fact that they barely managed to do that indicating that the next Olympics in China will be a different scenario altogether. The so called “ Dream Team” for basketball was ousted in the semi and they were no longer the force in swimming and the fear they brought against their opponents was clearly missing. Perhaps, the USA have been systematically using drugs enhancement all this while without being detected and since Athens giving unprecedented control on drugs usage clearly affected the USA domination of the Game.
However, what caught my attention was the gold medal game for female handball between South Korea and Denmark that was shown live on TV on Sunday. I have always been fascinated with sports and used to spend hours to watch any type of sports on TV. Though handball wasn’t the traditional game of Olympics, I was hooked to the final game due to its sheer spirited performance by both sets of players and drama that concluded the game.
Denmark being the retaining gold medallist from the previous Olympics in Sydney was the clear favorite and the Korean was never recognized as a powerhouse in this game was the underdogs.
The game changes lead many times after a fast and furious 1st half it was obvious that the 2nd half will be thriller. Denmark appeared to be in control of the game and at one point in the game it appeared that Denmark having full control of the match with their star player, Christensen Anderson getting crucial goals to gain 3 goals advantage as the game approached the end. However, the well known never say die Korean spirit was obvious and they made a spirited comeback to go level with 50 second to go with the last possession of the ball; the score tied at 25-25 and with 4 second remaining the Korean were awarded a free throw that could get the final goal and thus the goal medal. A clearly well workout free throw however failed to produce the winning and the game moved to overtime.
The 1st overtime belong to the Denmark and taking a 3-goal advantage with time running out, another comeback from the Korean looked very unlikely until the famous Korean spirit suddenly re-emerged and they drew level with less than 30 second to go. However, unlike the regulation time, the ball was in the Danes possession but the Korean defended brilliantly to deny Denmark the winning goal the 1st overtime ended 29 -29. At this stage, you don’t have to be a handball fan to appreciate the game because the high standard of play, beautiful goal and great comeback was the feature of the game.
Moving to the 2nd overtime period of 5 minutes each half, the Korean took immediate control of the game and moved to 2-goal advantage but gallant comeback saw the Danes drawing level with less than a minute to go. Somehow, the Korean scored with 21 seconds to go what seemed to be the winning goal and as the crowd resigned to the fact that Korean will be the eventual winner, the Danes struck at the death and scored the equalizer with barely 4 seconds remaining and final score tied at 34-34.
What a game and what a finish but we have no winner yet. Now, enter the penalty shoot-out of 5 each for every team and the Danes looking like the likely winner having a better goalkeeper at man the post. The shoot-out was really a nerve-cracking one and the Danes being 3 times Olympics gold medallist appeared to be more relax and as it turned out the experience Danish triumph in the shoot-out that started a wild celebration amongst the Danish players, coaches and supported. It was all gloom and doom at the Korean end and I can’t help feeling sorry for the Korean for their fantastic effort was not rewarded with a gold.
That could be one of the epic game in Olympics ever witnesses and I was proud to be able to witness a great watch the game and in the sprit of Olympics sportsmanship, both set of players ended the game sportingly amidst the tears of victory and defeat.
Though doping was the center of attraction, sports enthusiast all over the world will remember this game for a long time. Well done Denmark and Korea for that scintillating performance.
Viva Olympic
Tuesday, August 31, 2004
Another Nite , Another Rehearsal!!!
I was getting ready for the weekend football bonanza when I received a call from my childhood telling me another rehearsal going on at KLCC...and to convince me further he added that Farah was spotted!!!....I wasted no time to get ready and half-an-hour later we were back at the spot we were a night before...dah demam !!!!!.... bye bye EPL!!!
...Hattan was belting his number when we reached the Dataran Exxon and a slightly bigger crowd awaits us at the front of the stage....the prospect of getting to see Farah in person really excite me to the fullest......Then came Nia , Cindy Chia, Kak Nita , Ruffedge and Misha took the stage and the highlight of the night, Misha and Zahid singing 'Pulangkan'.....Great song, great singing and great couple!!...Zahid was his usual self on stage and his connection with Misha was indeed natural and at times , funny.....oh yer...Vince came singing and none really border to listen?!!!...Taste of your own medicine , perhaps!!!...Lesson to be learnt...Never underestimate the power of the crowd/fan...........
Then... came the moment of truth....Hani Mohsin announcing the 'Graduan AF2' performance and the yelling and screaming from the young and not so young began....I could now clearly see Kaer, Zahid, Adam, Anding, Zarina....and and and ....nobody?!!!!.....there were only 5 of them and again Farah was not there to be seen.....ewek ewek ewek.....Ya Allah , apalah dosa ku pada Mu hingga aku diseksa sebegini.....they sang their 'joget' numbers and clearly Zahid was everyone favorite...he was so cheeky and his interaction with the crowd was magnificent....
.....seating quietly cursing my luck and harping mad to my friend...I could witness the phenomena brought by Af to the music industry....children and parents alike, jumping in joy at the sight of their AF idols.....the more bigger and establish stars willingly accept the fact that the stage belongs to the AF2 superstars....so, came next, M.Nasir singing his song and although I wasn't very much his fan, his stage presence was indeed commendable.....
...then came the merdeka day countdown and all the stars were invited back to stage and the yelling and screaming getting louder and one could see the Anitas and M.Nasirs bemused by the attention given to AF2 stars especially Zahid....by now, the safety fence area was no longer filled with chidren but grown-ups and it was a sight to behold and sound of screaming to appreciate....wonder what it likes on actual performance day...the unthinkable happened...M.Nasir shaking hands with Kaer or shall I put it in Bahasa...M.Nasir menghulurkan tangan untuk berjabat tangan dengan kaer!!!!!
.....the post merdeka countdown show was also entertaining with kak nita singing first, followed by Nia and then the AF2 graduan.....those who were seen leaving the area because it was getting late, were seen returning back to the stage area and again the screaming and yelling filling the nite...what a sight and what a sound!!!...as the clock turned 12.00midnight, some kaeratic, were heard singing birthday song impromptu...yeah...Kaer's 20th ( I guess) birthday!!....
...After the AF2 left the stage...we could see the fan running towards the left side of the stage where a big canvas tent was erected....from a near distance, we could hear the happy birthday singing and we then ran towards the crowd and peeping through the tent , we could see kaer cutting the birthday cake....we then decided to pull the canvas up and it was then clear what was happening inside the tent...some overexcited Astro crews tried to pull down the canvas until we told them not too...hehehe...in a nice way though.....
...and the AF2 stars obliged to their fans and the children and parents took opportunity to take pictures, autograph and starting conversation with their idols and I saw Bob that renewed my hope that probably Farah could be around until I heard Bob replying " Farah tak ada, dia pergi Brunei, ada show"...huhuhu....Tangisan Dalam Kerinduan lagi lar aku nampak yer.....
...I managed to shake hand with Bob, Zarina and Adam ( rasa kena ku lanyak ajer si Adam nei...hehehe...handsome betul!!!)......oh yer...while all these going-on, Vince was on stage singing!!!!
......RMS was eating and trying very hard 'control macho' and none really interested to get his pictures or whatnot!!!!....
....I wonder what was so difficult for me to see my Farah in person and I guess one lesson learnt for me that one can plan but at the end of the day, Allah yang menentukan jodoh, ajal dan rezeki makhluk Nya....
Another nite, another rehearsal and another dissapointment...well who cares.....I have promised myself not to go for the real show tonite and tomorrow nite but judging but by what had happened to me last nite, I won't be so sure that I will settle for a nice quite pub to celebrate the merdeka day eve!!!!....... Oiiii Farah...caya sama lu beb!!!!
...Hattan was belting his number when we reached the Dataran Exxon and a slightly bigger crowd awaits us at the front of the stage....the prospect of getting to see Farah in person really excite me to the fullest......Then came Nia , Cindy Chia, Kak Nita , Ruffedge and Misha took the stage and the highlight of the night, Misha and Zahid singing 'Pulangkan'.....Great song, great singing and great couple!!...Zahid was his usual self on stage and his connection with Misha was indeed natural and at times , funny.....oh yer...Vince came singing and none really border to listen?!!!...Taste of your own medicine , perhaps!!!...Lesson to be learnt...Never underestimate the power of the crowd/fan...........
Then... came the moment of truth....Hani Mohsin announcing the 'Graduan AF2' performance and the yelling and screaming from the young and not so young began....I could now clearly see Kaer, Zahid, Adam, Anding, Zarina....and and and ....nobody?!!!!.....there were only 5 of them and again Farah was not there to be seen.....ewek ewek ewek.....Ya Allah , apalah dosa ku pada Mu hingga aku diseksa sebegini.....they sang their 'joget' numbers and clearly Zahid was everyone favorite...he was so cheeky and his interaction with the crowd was magnificent....
.....seating quietly cursing my luck and harping mad to my friend...I could witness the phenomena brought by Af to the music industry....children and parents alike, jumping in joy at the sight of their AF idols.....the more bigger and establish stars willingly accept the fact that the stage belongs to the AF2 superstars....so, came next, M.Nasir singing his song and although I wasn't very much his fan, his stage presence was indeed commendable.....
...then came the merdeka day countdown and all the stars were invited back to stage and the yelling and screaming getting louder and one could see the Anitas and M.Nasirs bemused by the attention given to AF2 stars especially Zahid....by now, the safety fence area was no longer filled with chidren but grown-ups and it was a sight to behold and sound of screaming to appreciate....wonder what it likes on actual performance day...the unthinkable happened...M.Nasir shaking hands with Kaer or shall I put it in Bahasa...M.Nasir menghulurkan tangan untuk berjabat tangan dengan kaer!!!!!
.....the post merdeka countdown show was also entertaining with kak nita singing first, followed by Nia and then the AF2 graduan.....those who were seen leaving the area because it was getting late, were seen returning back to the stage area and again the screaming and yelling filling the nite...what a sight and what a sound!!!...as the clock turned 12.00midnight, some kaeratic, were heard singing birthday song impromptu...yeah...Kaer's 20th ( I guess) birthday!!....
...After the AF2 left the stage...we could see the fan running towards the left side of the stage where a big canvas tent was erected....from a near distance, we could hear the happy birthday singing and we then ran towards the crowd and peeping through the tent , we could see kaer cutting the birthday cake....we then decided to pull the canvas up and it was then clear what was happening inside the tent...some overexcited Astro crews tried to pull down the canvas until we told them not too...hehehe...in a nice way though.....
...and the AF2 stars obliged to their fans and the children and parents took opportunity to take pictures, autograph and starting conversation with their idols and I saw Bob that renewed my hope that probably Farah could be around until I heard Bob replying " Farah tak ada, dia pergi Brunei, ada show"...huhuhu....Tangisan Dalam Kerinduan lagi lar aku nampak yer.....
...I managed to shake hand with Bob, Zarina and Adam ( rasa kena ku lanyak ajer si Adam nei...hehehe...handsome betul!!!)......oh yer...while all these going-on, Vince was on stage singing!!!!
......RMS was eating and trying very hard 'control macho' and none really interested to get his pictures or whatnot!!!!....
....I wonder what was so difficult for me to see my Farah in person and I guess one lesson learnt for me that one can plan but at the end of the day, Allah yang menentukan jodoh, ajal dan rezeki makhluk Nya....
Another nite, another rehearsal and another dissapointment...well who cares.....I have promised myself not to go for the real show tonite and tomorrow nite but judging but by what had happened to me last nite, I won't be so sure that I will settle for a nice quite pub to celebrate the merdeka day eve!!!!....... Oiiii Farah...caya sama lu beb!!!!
Sunday, August 29, 2004
I WAS THERE!!!!
Saturday nifgt fever and Merdeka Day forthcoming, so there was no better way to spend the nite than roaming the city, painting the town red!!!!...huhuhu....
....driving along the Jalan Kuching, myself and my childhood friend decided to check to KLCC area for any interesting activities and in fact during my teenage days , this will be time to check on the Selangor Club for some 'Bapoks' ....ain't them wonderful, the Madonnas, the Farah fawcetts and many more and during Malaysia cup season, saturday nite will be the nite to get the excited with my beloved Selangor team....
...but tonite, the mood change, we wanted something different..hehehe..and end-up behind Tan&Tan Building and as we approached Exxon building, the loud familiar sound caught our attention....yeah yeah yeah....AF2 Reunion Concert Rehearsal!!!!...check it out...checkt it out...babeh!!....There was only one thing in my mind, Farah!!!huhuhu....as we parked the car, the familiar voice of Zarina was belting one malay number which I could not recall the title...wait no more....we ran to the stage and they were probably less than 200 enthusiast and went straight to the stage feeling excited and perhaps lucky......
...tsk tsk tsk...to my sorrow and horrow, they were only 6 of them and Farah was nowhere to be seen ....Bob was singing one Jamal Abdillah Ghazal number and I was still hoping that Farah will suddenly appear with the rest of the missing 6.....Edlin and Mas then sang the Kris's Menghitung hari and I have to confess that Mas sounded so much better and indeed prettier in person...this number was meant for Farah and thus confirming that Farah will not be appearing....Anding and Adam then appeared to sing their numbers and by the time Bob dueting with Zarina that was meant for Farah thus confirming the 100 times again that my beautiful Farah will not be appearing after all.....
..at around 11.00pm the rehearsal concluded, me and my friend were quite dissapointed with Farah's absence but truely enjoying the moment and not to be left out, we joined a group of yelling and screaming teenagers and the not so teen anymore to the dressing 'room' just to the side of the stage...wow!!yes, the stage was quite impressive.....after a while Adam appeared and all the jostling for photographs , autographs and handshake began....ermmmm, this chap actually was so good looking and humble and he tried his best to entertain every each one of his fan...well, Ojah was there trying to impress everybody that he's is close to Mas....take a hike Ojah !!!huhuhu....Adam left everybody with big impression and perhaps Anding soon later but the same can't be said of Edlin, Mas ,Bob and Zarina....tring very hard to escape the 50 odd fans, they were ushered away by their respective PAs to the dissapointment of their die hard fan...Bob didn't appear at all and probably using other escape route!!!...what's the big deal guys....those people just wanted to get your autograph or take some pictures with you and perhaps a courtesy stop will be very much appreciated and after all, without these fans, you are nobody...remember Who Will Win and Audition !!!!....I guess stupidity is the right but not the best word to describe their snobbish actions. This was the exact repeat of what the AF1 stars did last year during the after final frenzy and look where they are right now?!!!..still looking for the right footing!!!
...c'mon guys, c'mon Meastro and Astro, get real....these fans made you big and look good, you created the Daily Dairy for the fans and students to get personal and what I saw last night was not right, no inter-personal touch at all.....
...after the aftermath, I was glad that Farah didn't appear and if she did and acted that way, i would have 'talak' her on the spot!!!!...kehkehkeh...no lah Farah, I will take you to one side and give a nice tongue lashing and you made sure that you acknowledge those who waited for you all night....yes , I glad I didn't see Farah that night and probably would not want to see her in person for fear that she might not be the same person that I had known for 10 long/bloody weeks.......
....neh...regardless, it was a nite to saviour and well did we paint the town red after that!!!..heheheh....love u KL.....Reunion Concert worth waiting!!!...
....driving along the Jalan Kuching, myself and my childhood friend decided to check to KLCC area for any interesting activities and in fact during my teenage days , this will be time to check on the Selangor Club for some 'Bapoks' ....ain't them wonderful, the Madonnas, the Farah fawcetts and many more and during Malaysia cup season, saturday nite will be the nite to get the excited with my beloved Selangor team....
...but tonite, the mood change, we wanted something different..hehehe..and end-up behind Tan&Tan Building and as we approached Exxon building, the loud familiar sound caught our attention....yeah yeah yeah....AF2 Reunion Concert Rehearsal!!!!...check it out...checkt it out...babeh!!....There was only one thing in my mind, Farah!!!huhuhu....as we parked the car, the familiar voice of Zarina was belting one malay number which I could not recall the title...wait no more....we ran to the stage and they were probably less than 200 enthusiast and went straight to the stage feeling excited and perhaps lucky......
...tsk tsk tsk...to my sorrow and horrow, they were only 6 of them and Farah was nowhere to be seen ....Bob was singing one Jamal Abdillah Ghazal number and I was still hoping that Farah will suddenly appear with the rest of the missing 6.....Edlin and Mas then sang the Kris's Menghitung hari and I have to confess that Mas sounded so much better and indeed prettier in person...this number was meant for Farah and thus confirming that Farah will not be appearing....Anding and Adam then appeared to sing their numbers and by the time Bob dueting with Zarina that was meant for Farah thus confirming the 100 times again that my beautiful Farah will not be appearing after all.....
..at around 11.00pm the rehearsal concluded, me and my friend were quite dissapointed with Farah's absence but truely enjoying the moment and not to be left out, we joined a group of yelling and screaming teenagers and the not so teen anymore to the dressing 'room' just to the side of the stage...wow!!yes, the stage was quite impressive.....after a while Adam appeared and all the jostling for photographs , autographs and handshake began....ermmmm, this chap actually was so good looking and humble and he tried his best to entertain every each one of his fan...well, Ojah was there trying to impress everybody that he's is close to Mas....take a hike Ojah !!!huhuhu....Adam left everybody with big impression and perhaps Anding soon later but the same can't be said of Edlin, Mas ,Bob and Zarina....tring very hard to escape the 50 odd fans, they were ushered away by their respective PAs to the dissapointment of their die hard fan...Bob didn't appear at all and probably using other escape route!!!...what's the big deal guys....those people just wanted to get your autograph or take some pictures with you and perhaps a courtesy stop will be very much appreciated and after all, without these fans, you are nobody...remember Who Will Win and Audition !!!!....I guess stupidity is the right but not the best word to describe their snobbish actions. This was the exact repeat of what the AF1 stars did last year during the after final frenzy and look where they are right now?!!!..still looking for the right footing!!!
...c'mon guys, c'mon Meastro and Astro, get real....these fans made you big and look good, you created the Daily Dairy for the fans and students to get personal and what I saw last night was not right, no inter-personal touch at all.....
...after the aftermath, I was glad that Farah didn't appear and if she did and acted that way, i would have 'talak' her on the spot!!!!...kehkehkeh...no lah Farah, I will take you to one side and give a nice tongue lashing and you made sure that you acknowledge those who waited for you all night....yes , I glad I didn't see Farah that night and probably would not want to see her in person for fear that she might not be the same person that I had known for 10 long/bloody weeks.......
....neh...regardless, it was a nite to saviour and well did we paint the town red after that!!!..heheheh....love u KL.....Reunion Concert worth waiting!!!...
Friday, August 27, 2004
Trip down the memory lane
Every now and then we will bump into some long lost friends or return to some memory full places that we have left for quite some time. Actually both things happened to me recently, meeting an old acquaintance and visiting some familiar places along the way.
Well, after some period of intense pressure and living a kind of roller coaster life, I was able to free myself from the predictability of my daily life and escaped to the east coast for a well deserve business cum pleasure trip.
Early morning driving helps reducing the pressure of long journey and the new Karak-Kuantan Highway was indeed a welcome addition the our road system, and I was in Kuantan less than 2 hours after leaving my house. It wasn’t really a breath taking scenery along the new highway but the fact it saves nearly 2 hours of the normal traveling time was really appreciated.
I decided to drive straight to Kemaman for my breakfast and as I approached Kemaman , so many pleasant memories flashing through my mind. How could I forget those beautiful beaches, the many fantastic local foods, and the warmth of the people and the dialect.
Well, first stop, ‘nasi minyak’ for breakfast…eemmmm mere mentioned of the ‘nasi minyak’ really made me stomach singing the ‘keroncong’ tune to the fullest. Breakfast in Terengganu is a feast by itself; nasi minyak, satay, kapok lekor, roti tempayan, nasi dagang, nasi lemak , nasi berlauk, roti canai dan so forth but nasi minyak and satay are my pick of the bunch. In Terengganu, one need not have to wait for ‘kenduri kahwin’ for nasi minyak and it taste quite amazing too.
At 10.00am I was already enjoying my 1st nasi minyak breakfast for quite awhile and well, the waiting was worthwhile. To my pleasant surprise, I could still construct a sentence or two in Terengganu dialect without much problem or persuasion.
Talking about food ( not advisable to those currently on strict dieting regime) , Terengganu offers variety of foods that other states my only offer during Ramadan. The Terengganu lunch probably similar to the rest but the soup perut, daging and ayam can really work your appetite and high tea/minum petang is taken seriously by the Terengganus with the udang or sotong goreng tepung, satar, otok otok, roti tempayan, kepok lekor or lesong and dinner with the mouth watering ikan bakar ( sambal) and those fresh seafood really made this place heaven for food lovers.
I love the white sandy beaches in Terengganu and the beauty of it ,you don’t have to pay a fortune to walk down the beautiful beaches. My favorite place is definitely the Telok Kalong, some 5 km from Kemaman town , hidden behind some typical Malay kampong where one could laze all days and enjoy the beauty of nature created by Allah swt. Though some quarry work could be seen now but still it didn’t really affect the natural beauty of the beach. Only the locals and some outsiders will frequent the place and this place is just like your own private beach. The Kijal beach is not too bad and for those with money to burn, the Kijal Strawberry or Awana Kijal could just be a perfect holiday paradise/lace.
After breakfast, I went to the Kemaman town to withdraw some cash and suddenly one guy approached me and that suddenly relive some beautiful memories of business friendship. Ah Siang could recall my name and started to refer some things that he had done for me and I was taken aback. He did some work for me and was quite helpful in many areas and I wasn’t really a nice person to deal with in terms of work/business dealing and for him to recall all those moment as if it was so dear to him really caught me by surprise. He was so eager expressing his gratitude for the opportunity I gave him and I was so glad to hear that people do appreciate my style even though it must be tough for him at that point of time. I consider professionalism in work as the number one priority and nothing will change my style though it may not well received by many. There’s no such thing as friendship or favoritism in getting things done because friendship can take place after work and favoritism kills your objectivity. Those that understood my principles in dealing with mission and vision will appreciate my way of doing things but to those that have other/ hidden agenda will find me a tough nut to crack and more than often, I will be seen as obstacles . Lucky, throughout my career , I have been working with expatriates that appreciate professionalism in work and can share those four letter words without getting personally emotional about it. Ah Siang probably went through those bashing moment from yours truly but remain grateful by the fact that he dealt with people that have no hidden agenda or self-vested interest in completing a business deal. People like Ah Siang gave me renewed interest for me to scale the next hurdle and to jump higher in my quest for happiness in work and life.
I have many friends in Terengganu but decided not to contact them because I wanted to rest and recollect the happening in life of late or kind of soul searching period .
I began my journey away from Kemaman to find a piece of mind that I really hope for and perhaps this journey will give me some indications of my strength and weaknesses and map the next route of my life, insyaallah.
Well, after some period of intense pressure and living a kind of roller coaster life, I was able to free myself from the predictability of my daily life and escaped to the east coast for a well deserve business cum pleasure trip.
Early morning driving helps reducing the pressure of long journey and the new Karak-Kuantan Highway was indeed a welcome addition the our road system, and I was in Kuantan less than 2 hours after leaving my house. It wasn’t really a breath taking scenery along the new highway but the fact it saves nearly 2 hours of the normal traveling time was really appreciated.
I decided to drive straight to Kemaman for my breakfast and as I approached Kemaman , so many pleasant memories flashing through my mind. How could I forget those beautiful beaches, the many fantastic local foods, and the warmth of the people and the dialect.
Well, first stop, ‘nasi minyak’ for breakfast…eemmmm mere mentioned of the ‘nasi minyak’ really made me stomach singing the ‘keroncong’ tune to the fullest. Breakfast in Terengganu is a feast by itself; nasi minyak, satay, kapok lekor, roti tempayan, nasi dagang, nasi lemak , nasi berlauk, roti canai dan so forth but nasi minyak and satay are my pick of the bunch. In Terengganu, one need not have to wait for ‘kenduri kahwin’ for nasi minyak and it taste quite amazing too.
At 10.00am I was already enjoying my 1st nasi minyak breakfast for quite awhile and well, the waiting was worthwhile. To my pleasant surprise, I could still construct a sentence or two in Terengganu dialect without much problem or persuasion.
Talking about food ( not advisable to those currently on strict dieting regime) , Terengganu offers variety of foods that other states my only offer during Ramadan. The Terengganu lunch probably similar to the rest but the soup perut, daging and ayam can really work your appetite and high tea/minum petang is taken seriously by the Terengganus with the udang or sotong goreng tepung, satar, otok otok, roti tempayan, kepok lekor or lesong and dinner with the mouth watering ikan bakar ( sambal) and those fresh seafood really made this place heaven for food lovers.
I love the white sandy beaches in Terengganu and the beauty of it ,you don’t have to pay a fortune to walk down the beautiful beaches. My favorite place is definitely the Telok Kalong, some 5 km from Kemaman town , hidden behind some typical Malay kampong where one could laze all days and enjoy the beauty of nature created by Allah swt. Though some quarry work could be seen now but still it didn’t really affect the natural beauty of the beach. Only the locals and some outsiders will frequent the place and this place is just like your own private beach. The Kijal beach is not too bad and for those with money to burn, the Kijal Strawberry or Awana Kijal could just be a perfect holiday paradise/lace.
After breakfast, I went to the Kemaman town to withdraw some cash and suddenly one guy approached me and that suddenly relive some beautiful memories of business friendship. Ah Siang could recall my name and started to refer some things that he had done for me and I was taken aback. He did some work for me and was quite helpful in many areas and I wasn’t really a nice person to deal with in terms of work/business dealing and for him to recall all those moment as if it was so dear to him really caught me by surprise. He was so eager expressing his gratitude for the opportunity I gave him and I was so glad to hear that people do appreciate my style even though it must be tough for him at that point of time. I consider professionalism in work as the number one priority and nothing will change my style though it may not well received by many. There’s no such thing as friendship or favoritism in getting things done because friendship can take place after work and favoritism kills your objectivity. Those that understood my principles in dealing with mission and vision will appreciate my way of doing things but to those that have other/ hidden agenda will find me a tough nut to crack and more than often, I will be seen as obstacles . Lucky, throughout my career , I have been working with expatriates that appreciate professionalism in work and can share those four letter words without getting personally emotional about it. Ah Siang probably went through those bashing moment from yours truly but remain grateful by the fact that he dealt with people that have no hidden agenda or self-vested interest in completing a business deal. People like Ah Siang gave me renewed interest for me to scale the next hurdle and to jump higher in my quest for happiness in work and life.
I have many friends in Terengganu but decided not to contact them because I wanted to rest and recollect the happening in life of late or kind of soul searching period .
I began my journey away from Kemaman to find a piece of mind that I really hope for and perhaps this journey will give me some indications of my strength and weaknesses and map the next route of my life, insyaallah.
SUNSHINE ??NOT
After checking with some holiday operators , I decided not to go to Redang or Perhentian and settle for a resort hotel somewhere of the outskirt of Kuala Terengganu. I was told that I came at the wrong period for some quality relaxation since it was the school holiday. I guess one can’t win everything in life.
The resort being slightly isolated and the beachfront accommodation was enough to make me feel being in one of the islands. The sound of the wave and the sight of the Bidong Island was enough to ease my mind away from my normal life. There was also a nice swimming pool, the restaurant served great Malay food and the services rendered was quite amazing.
Lets now forget about work and start to play hard.
The snorkeling trip was indeed the biggest attraction and the early morning trip to the marine park was quite smooth . The speedboat effortlessly cut through the wave and the sun shining brightly indicating a nice warm day ahead. I can’t swim and I hate the thought of the terror of water could inflict on you and the near fatal drowning accident that I had when I was a child at the one of the many used mining pools around KL suddenly came haunting . Surprisingly I was quite relax and enjoying the quality break that I dreamt for quite some time and perhaps nothing could stop me from conquering my fear of water and the fact that I was already in the middle of the south chine sea made me realized that there was no way out for me.
First stop, the marine park but by the time we reached there, nearly thousand snorkeling enthusiast were already there occupying every inch of the marine park and I wasted no time to get my gear ready and jumped into the clear water. It was just breathtaking, the coral below the jetty was a sight to behold , the colorful coral was definitely amazing and sunken ship nearby created a new ecological system for the coral formation. I guess with the aid of the life jacket and the snorkeling gear, one can feel a bit secure to move around although one can’t really swim. Words can’t describe the joy of witnessing Allah’s creation underwater and I could remember thanking Allah swt for the opportunity given to me to be able to be healthy enough to see the wonder of the underwater world. Though the crowd getting bigger and bigger but the sheer attraction of the beautiful underwater scenery kept me in the water. It was just wonderful and I could understand why people get addicted to scuba diving and so forth.
Next stop, Kalong, a nearby snorkeling area in between the Redang island and some rock island, the boat anchored in the middle of the sea and I was determined to explore the wonder of the underwater world but the moment I put my face underneath the water, the sheer depth of the water really put me off. It was beautiful but I could not get that extra courage to move away from the boat and I was literally holding to the boat to get my balance right. I could see the coral and some really big fish but the others were excited to see many other underwater things and some even offered to ‘escort’ me away from the boat but I guess the ‘phobia’ of water suddenly came haunting . I declined the offer though I tried hard to push that extra mile to tell myself to fight my fear but still I could not moved away from the boat. It was like an underwater aquarium minus the glass shielding you from the water world but I just could move.
Then, it was back to shore, the weather was good and the sun shining and everything seemed to be in perfect condition but the sea began to react aggressively, choppy and rough. The boat was being tossed around and it didn’t get much better as we moved away from Redang. Surprisingly, I wasn’t nervous and seated besides the boar driver I could see the big raging coming towards us and perhaps the skill of the boat driver able to minimize the impact of the strong wave. As we came nearer to shore , the cloud turned dark and rain that started from ashore came towards us and the sea began to react aggressively again. We were all soaking wet and the main land can’t be seen through naked eyes and the boat kept jumping ups and downs. It was an experience not to forget and I remember telling myself that this was the kind of life the fishermen have to go through to make a living and I considered myself fortunate to feel what they felt. After some testing moment , we managed to get to the jetty and I believed many were relieved to be alive and the snorkeling trip was indeed not the real experience but facing the raging wave was indeed the real thing.
I pray to Allah for the safe landing and I believe I became stronger with the turn of event and made me realized that there’s only a thin line between life and death. One moment I was sun bathing and the next thing I was fearing for my life and soaking wet. This is what life is all about, the cycle of life , the good and bad, the ups and downs, the happiness and bitterness , and definitely the life and death.
I thank Allah for reminding me of what life is all about and how things changed as He wanted and how the past carries nothing for the future. I am glad for the test provided by Allah and I am quite happy to look ahead for the future.
Sunshine is good but a lit bit of rain or storm makes one a better person. I will return Redang, I will conquer my fear the next time and I will respect the fishermen much more than before and I will treasure the experience of hardship even more.
The resort being slightly isolated and the beachfront accommodation was enough to make me feel being in one of the islands. The sound of the wave and the sight of the Bidong Island was enough to ease my mind away from my normal life. There was also a nice swimming pool, the restaurant served great Malay food and the services rendered was quite amazing.
Lets now forget about work and start to play hard.
The snorkeling trip was indeed the biggest attraction and the early morning trip to the marine park was quite smooth . The speedboat effortlessly cut through the wave and the sun shining brightly indicating a nice warm day ahead. I can’t swim and I hate the thought of the terror of water could inflict on you and the near fatal drowning accident that I had when I was a child at the one of the many used mining pools around KL suddenly came haunting . Surprisingly I was quite relax and enjoying the quality break that I dreamt for quite some time and perhaps nothing could stop me from conquering my fear of water and the fact that I was already in the middle of the south chine sea made me realized that there was no way out for me.
First stop, the marine park but by the time we reached there, nearly thousand snorkeling enthusiast were already there occupying every inch of the marine park and I wasted no time to get my gear ready and jumped into the clear water. It was just breathtaking, the coral below the jetty was a sight to behold , the colorful coral was definitely amazing and sunken ship nearby created a new ecological system for the coral formation. I guess with the aid of the life jacket and the snorkeling gear, one can feel a bit secure to move around although one can’t really swim. Words can’t describe the joy of witnessing Allah’s creation underwater and I could remember thanking Allah swt for the opportunity given to me to be able to be healthy enough to see the wonder of the underwater world. Though the crowd getting bigger and bigger but the sheer attraction of the beautiful underwater scenery kept me in the water. It was just wonderful and I could understand why people get addicted to scuba diving and so forth.
Next stop, Kalong, a nearby snorkeling area in between the Redang island and some rock island, the boat anchored in the middle of the sea and I was determined to explore the wonder of the underwater world but the moment I put my face underneath the water, the sheer depth of the water really put me off. It was beautiful but I could not get that extra courage to move away from the boat and I was literally holding to the boat to get my balance right. I could see the coral and some really big fish but the others were excited to see many other underwater things and some even offered to ‘escort’ me away from the boat but I guess the ‘phobia’ of water suddenly came haunting . I declined the offer though I tried hard to push that extra mile to tell myself to fight my fear but still I could not moved away from the boat. It was like an underwater aquarium minus the glass shielding you from the water world but I just could move.
Then, it was back to shore, the weather was good and the sun shining and everything seemed to be in perfect condition but the sea began to react aggressively, choppy and rough. The boat was being tossed around and it didn’t get much better as we moved away from Redang. Surprisingly, I wasn’t nervous and seated besides the boar driver I could see the big raging coming towards us and perhaps the skill of the boat driver able to minimize the impact of the strong wave. As we came nearer to shore , the cloud turned dark and rain that started from ashore came towards us and the sea began to react aggressively again. We were all soaking wet and the main land can’t be seen through naked eyes and the boat kept jumping ups and downs. It was an experience not to forget and I remember telling myself that this was the kind of life the fishermen have to go through to make a living and I considered myself fortunate to feel what they felt. After some testing moment , we managed to get to the jetty and I believed many were relieved to be alive and the snorkeling trip was indeed not the real experience but facing the raging wave was indeed the real thing.
I pray to Allah for the safe landing and I believe I became stronger with the turn of event and made me realized that there’s only a thin line between life and death. One moment I was sun bathing and the next thing I was fearing for my life and soaking wet. This is what life is all about, the cycle of life , the good and bad, the ups and downs, the happiness and bitterness , and definitely the life and death.
I thank Allah for reminding me of what life is all about and how things changed as He wanted and how the past carries nothing for the future. I am glad for the test provided by Allah and I am quite happy to look ahead for the future.
Sunshine is good but a lit bit of rain or storm makes one a better person. I will return Redang, I will conquer my fear the next time and I will respect the fishermen much more than before and I will treasure the experience of hardship even more.
Thursday, August 26, 2004
Demam AF - dah kebah?
I received this forwarded e-mail that I think deserved recognition for creativity, originality and ingenuity....well done to whoever that came up with this joke...
Di sebuah majlis akad nikah, pengantin lelaki bernama Hassan (budak jaga
lembu - bukan nama sebenar).
Kadi : Hassan...
Pengantin Lelaki : Saya ustaz...
Kadi : Dengar baik2 ya Hassan... "Aku nikahkan akan dikau dengan si
Polan binti Polan dengan mas kahwinnya RM 80 tunaiii"
Pengantin Lelaki : "Aku terima nikahnyaa si Polan binti si Polan dengan
mas kahwinnya RM 80 tunaiiii"
Kadi : Sah? (ditanya kpd saksi pertama)
Saksi Pertama : Sah
Kadi : Sah? (ditanya kpd saksi kedua)
Saksi Kedua : errrrr....lontaran suara awak tidak jelas...saya tak
dengar apa yg awak cakap.... pitching berterabur ke laut...keluar acuan
terus, jiwa awak kosong...takde feel.... low note tak sampai, high note
awak pulak...takde kawalan..sepatutnyaa ditahan...kasi sustain...falseto
lemah...improvisation R&B awak tak menjadi...bughok bebenorr
bunyinyee....teknik ramify pun tak mantap...bunyi macam orang nak berak
jerr....satu jer yg saya suka...awak ade ciri2x seorang pesona bintang!
awak boleh lebih berjaya sekiranya melakukan yg lebih terbaik!!!
Di sebuah majlis akad nikah, pengantin lelaki bernama Hassan (budak jaga
lembu - bukan nama sebenar).
Kadi : Hassan...
Pengantin Lelaki : Saya ustaz...
Kadi : Dengar baik2 ya Hassan... "Aku nikahkan akan dikau dengan si
Polan binti Polan dengan mas kahwinnya RM 80 tunaiii"
Pengantin Lelaki : "Aku terima nikahnyaa si Polan binti si Polan dengan
mas kahwinnya RM 80 tunaiiii"
Kadi : Sah? (ditanya kpd saksi pertama)
Saksi Pertama : Sah
Kadi : Sah? (ditanya kpd saksi kedua)
Saksi Kedua : errrrr....lontaran suara awak tidak jelas...saya tak
dengar apa yg awak cakap.... pitching berterabur ke laut...keluar acuan
terus, jiwa awak kosong...takde feel.... low note tak sampai, high note
awak pulak...takde kawalan..sepatutnyaa ditahan...kasi sustain...falseto
lemah...improvisation R&B awak tak menjadi...bughok bebenorr
bunyinyee....teknik ramify pun tak mantap...bunyi macam orang nak berak
jerr....satu jer yg saya suka...awak ade ciri2x seorang pesona bintang!
awak boleh lebih berjaya sekiranya melakukan yg lebih terbaik!!!
Monday, August 23, 2004
AF3 - My suggestion
Changes I will like to see for AF3
1) Student Selection
A more thorough selection process should be done in order to ensure quality students to be selected for AF. No doubt that ‘quality’ is subjective but definitely a more comprehensive selection process would be able to filter the so called ‘halo effect’ or shall we say the ‘first impression’as what probably transpired in the selection of some former students notably Fitri and Atie. Probably the top 30 short-listed should attend a 1-week orientation to evaluate they singing/dancing/acting talent and perhaps through this process a better final 12 students could be selected. No doubt that the elements of drama or surprises i.e. single mother, ex-girlfriend last year’s student will make the show more lively but the basic singing ability must be there among the student.
2) The Principal and Trainers
- I am of my considered view that Adnan should be promoted as Pengetua and perhaps Siti Hajar as Penolong Pengetua.( been mentioned by some chatters too )
- The dancing trainers should be retained
- The Motivator guru should be changed or probably eliminated
- The drama trainers should be retained but to include a male drama trainer such as Dato’ Rahim Razali
- Would like to see Syam Kamikaze to be included as trainer
- The grooming class should start earlier but the trainer should be changed.
3) Student Resident
- I would like to see Aziz Satar as Residence for AF3
- Cik Shina ( spelling ??) to be retained
4) Bungalow
- a class room arrangement for music theory class and a better sound system for the student to practice singing. ( this was mentioned too by some chatters)
- A more cozy leaving room for the student to mingle, kind of AF1 set-up
5) Choice of Song
- Song selected can be difficult song but must be songs that are more recognizable to students and perhaps audience too
- All student should be tested of their abilities to sing different kind of tune or music genre
- The student’s preference of genre of song should be considered when selecting testing songs for them.
6) Concert
- Elimination begins on 3rd week should be retained
- Prize(s) should be given to student topping the chart after each concert in order to stop viewers voting to save the last student on the chart. Cash money for every student when they survive the week to be introduced.
- AFMASUK concert should be introduced in order to give equal chance for eliminated student to impress the voters. Student entering the Final on merit should be given time-off during the AFMASUK concert week to experience the Trekselebriti, Muzik@Ria and so forth
- Semester break must be introduced for week 7 that no elimination for the week except for bonus concert featuring student singing duo or group . This will allow a period of releasing tension/cooling off for students and viewers alike.
- Do not change venue for final cause it will effect the production arrangement and also affect the sound engineering. Furthermore, the change of venue kind of putting extra pressure to the Finalist, or else concert venue should move from one state to another during the 12 weeks.
- The final song must be attractive enough for all student to enjoy because by now the voters already make-up their minds who are their favorites.
- Kezutan during concert should be retained but must be fair to all student
- Perhaps a new emcee will give the show a new lease of life. Aznil antics have become monotonous that a new face might add a new dimension to the show. Nevertheless, Aznil has been tremendous thus far. I would like to see Salleh Yaacub or Afdlin Shauki to take turns for the 12 weeks ( 1 bonus and 1 AFMASUK concert added).
7) Professional Jury ( PJ)
- PJ should be seriously considered in order to give fairness to student lacking in the appearance department but highly talented.
- PJ 30% and AFUNDI 70%
- Best Performance for Final should be PJ’s choice .
- Pengkritik Professional should not form part of PJ
- PJ should consist of names like Johari Salleh , Ooi Yeow Jin ( spelling ??), RMS, Roslan Imam and so forth. They should not be interacting with the crowd or student.
8) Prizes
- Prizes for Finalist on Merit should reflect the level of difficulties that the student had to endure for the last 11 weeks. A car for each student seems appropriate.
- Weekly prizes as mentioned earlier for weekly chart topping student
- Graduation should include all students because based on the fact that they were selected among 4000 odd candidate means they have indirectly graduated. Perhaps the color of the rope should be differentiate from the 5 original finalists.
- All teachers should appear in rope during Graduation Ceremony.
9) Fan Clubs
- Fan Clubs should be recognized and partly organized by Astro to ensure balance of support for all students during concert day.
- Best fan Club award should be introduced
- A better control of messages sent to C@15 not to hurt the feelings of student’s family members
- Message should be displayed on both sides with the small screen in the middle!!
10) Daily Diary
- Time allocation for Diary should be longer in order for all staff to be fairly exposed of their talent and characters
- More special time to be allocated for special guest star. It will be good foe viewers to listen and share the experience of the Guest Star.
I will add further as and when I could come out with more suggestions.
1) Student Selection
A more thorough selection process should be done in order to ensure quality students to be selected for AF. No doubt that ‘quality’ is subjective but definitely a more comprehensive selection process would be able to filter the so called ‘halo effect’ or shall we say the ‘first impression’as what probably transpired in the selection of some former students notably Fitri and Atie. Probably the top 30 short-listed should attend a 1-week orientation to evaluate they singing/dancing/acting talent and perhaps through this process a better final 12 students could be selected. No doubt that the elements of drama or surprises i.e. single mother, ex-girlfriend last year’s student will make the show more lively but the basic singing ability must be there among the student.
2) The Principal and Trainers
- I am of my considered view that Adnan should be promoted as Pengetua and perhaps Siti Hajar as Penolong Pengetua.( been mentioned by some chatters too )
- The dancing trainers should be retained
- The Motivator guru should be changed or probably eliminated
- The drama trainers should be retained but to include a male drama trainer such as Dato’ Rahim Razali
- Would like to see Syam Kamikaze to be included as trainer
- The grooming class should start earlier but the trainer should be changed.
3) Student Resident
- I would like to see Aziz Satar as Residence for AF3
- Cik Shina ( spelling ??) to be retained
4) Bungalow
- a class room arrangement for music theory class and a better sound system for the student to practice singing. ( this was mentioned too by some chatters)
- A more cozy leaving room for the student to mingle, kind of AF1 set-up
5) Choice of Song
- Song selected can be difficult song but must be songs that are more recognizable to students and perhaps audience too
- All student should be tested of their abilities to sing different kind of tune or music genre
- The student’s preference of genre of song should be considered when selecting testing songs for them.
6) Concert
- Elimination begins on 3rd week should be retained
- Prize(s) should be given to student topping the chart after each concert in order to stop viewers voting to save the last student on the chart. Cash money for every student when they survive the week to be introduced.
- AFMASUK concert should be introduced in order to give equal chance for eliminated student to impress the voters. Student entering the Final on merit should be given time-off during the AFMASUK concert week to experience the Trekselebriti, Muzik@Ria and so forth
- Semester break must be introduced for week 7 that no elimination for the week except for bonus concert featuring student singing duo or group . This will allow a period of releasing tension/cooling off for students and viewers alike.
- Do not change venue for final cause it will effect the production arrangement and also affect the sound engineering. Furthermore, the change of venue kind of putting extra pressure to the Finalist, or else concert venue should move from one state to another during the 12 weeks.
- The final song must be attractive enough for all student to enjoy because by now the voters already make-up their minds who are their favorites.
- Kezutan during concert should be retained but must be fair to all student
- Perhaps a new emcee will give the show a new lease of life. Aznil antics have become monotonous that a new face might add a new dimension to the show. Nevertheless, Aznil has been tremendous thus far. I would like to see Salleh Yaacub or Afdlin Shauki to take turns for the 12 weeks ( 1 bonus and 1 AFMASUK concert added).
7) Professional Jury ( PJ)
- PJ should be seriously considered in order to give fairness to student lacking in the appearance department but highly talented.
- PJ 30% and AFUNDI 70%
- Best Performance for Final should be PJ’s choice .
- Pengkritik Professional should not form part of PJ
- PJ should consist of names like Johari Salleh , Ooi Yeow Jin ( spelling ??), RMS, Roslan Imam and so forth. They should not be interacting with the crowd or student.
8) Prizes
- Prizes for Finalist on Merit should reflect the level of difficulties that the student had to endure for the last 11 weeks. A car for each student seems appropriate.
- Weekly prizes as mentioned earlier for weekly chart topping student
- Graduation should include all students because based on the fact that they were selected among 4000 odd candidate means they have indirectly graduated. Perhaps the color of the rope should be differentiate from the 5 original finalists.
- All teachers should appear in rope during Graduation Ceremony.
9) Fan Clubs
- Fan Clubs should be recognized and partly organized by Astro to ensure balance of support for all students during concert day.
- Best fan Club award should be introduced
- A better control of messages sent to C@15 not to hurt the feelings of student’s family members
- Message should be displayed on both sides with the small screen in the middle!!
10) Daily Diary
- Time allocation for Diary should be longer in order for all staff to be fairly exposed of their talent and characters
- More special time to be allocated for special guest star. It will be good foe viewers to listen and share the experience of the Guest Star.
I will add further as and when I could come out with more suggestions.
Friday, August 20, 2004
TITIAN KAABAH
I have written this article for quite some time but yet to have the courage to send it to any reformasi website.
‘Titian Kaabah ‘
Ambon, Maluku, Pattani penindasan keatas kaum Rohanyhas di Myanmar, Gujerat di India, Afghanistan , Palestin dan Iraq, maka orang Islam ditindas , di bunuh dan maruah orang Islam dihina . Hari hari penulis mengharapkan berita kebangkitan Islam dan terkadang menanti turunnya Imam Mahadi atau Nabi Isa di saat ini untuk mengambalikan maruah orang Islam.
Tidak mustahil satu hari yang terdekat nanti , pihak pembenci Islam yang diketuai oleh Amerika akan menggenakan sekatan ekonomi lantas mengawal atau menutup laluan udara dan laut di rantau ini sebagai cara menyekat perkembangan politik berasaskan Islam di rantau nusantara ini. Adakah perlu umat Islam di nusantara menunggu turunnya Imam Mahadi dan Nabi Isa atau perlu melakukan sesuatu yang menarik untuk mengeratkan hubungan sesaudara Islam di nusantara ini.
Atas kesedaran bahawa berkemungkinan perkara ini berlaku, saya terpanggil untk membentangkan isu ini bagi renungan bersama. Sekiranya ianya berlaku, bagaimankah cara umat Islam di nusantara dan khasnya di Malaysia dapat menunaikan fardhu Haji ? Asas perbincangan ialah tiada jalan laut atau udara yang dapat digunakan untuk menunaikan haji bagi umat Islam di nusantara dan kasnya di Malaysia.
Oleh itu, patutkah umat Islam rantau ini mula memikirkan jalan alternatif darat dengan menggunakan kenderaan seperti Bas/Van/Kereta dicari bagi menghubungkan rantau ini dengan Arab Saudi. Di perhatikan atas peta tiada nampak yang mustahil walaupun pada realitinya dari sudut bentuk muka buminya, cuaca, suasana politik dan sosio ekonomi negara yang terlibat tidak akan memudahkan laluan darat ke Arab Saudi ini direalisasikan.Apa yang lebih penting ialah memulakan usaha mencari jalan darat yang ‘friendly’ untuk umat Islam mendapat jalan alternatif untuk menunaikan fardhu haji.
Penggunaan jalan darat akan juga memberi peluang orang Islam nusantara untuk “melihat dunia” iaitu dengan melalui beberapa buah negara dalam perjalanan ke Mekah akan membuka mata dan minda orang Islam nusantara akan budaya dan cara hidup orang di negara lain. Laluan darat ini yang saya gelarkan Titian Kaabah ini juga akan mencana pertumbuhan ekonomi di sepanjang Titian Kaabah ini dalam bentuk perniagaan barang barang tempatan, bandar persinggahan dan lantas industri perlancungan negara yang termasuk dalam Titian Kaabah ini akan berkembang. Industri pengangkutan akan berkembang dengan melonjak di samping industri industri sokongan dalam automobile , perhotelan dan sebagainya.
Sebagai langkah permulaan, aspek negatif dalam hal pembinaan Titian Kaabah ini tidak dijadikan perbincangan untuk mengelakkan pemikiran negatif yang akan mematahkan semangat dalam melihatkan cadangan ini secara positif.
Perkara asas yang perlu dipersetujui ialah :
1) Apakah kemungkinan sekatan darat dan laut oleh pihak pembenci orang Islam atau kemajuan kerajaan yang berasakan hokum Allah tidak akan berlaku di rantau ini ?
2) Apakah tiada kemungkinan selatan Siam dan utara Semenanjung Tanah Melayu bersatu membentuk tamadun moden Islam millennium baru ?
3) Sekiranya pyramid dapat dibina tanpa teknologi canggih maka mengapa mesti mustahil membuat lebuhraya merentas beberapa negara untuk sampai ke Arab Saudi walau melalui gunung ganang atau padang pasir sekalipun ?
4) Tidakkah boleh kita mengkategorikan usaha, sumbangan dan titik peluh membina Titian Kaabah ini sebagai jihad ke jalan Allah ?
5) Tidakkah ianya sesuatu yang positif sekiranya Titian Kaabah ini akan mencambah peningkatan ekonomi negara yang terlibat ?
6) Tidakkah benar jika dikatakan minda dan mentality orang Islam di nusantara akan lebih luas kerana berpeluang melihat budaya, cara hidup dan suasana negara negara yang termasuk dalam laluan Titian Kaabah ini ?
7) Apakah perlu kita melutut kepada agen pembenci Islam di selatan semenanjung Tanah Melayu untuk menghantar umat Islam kita menunaikan fardhu haji ?
8) Apakah iannya nanti tidak dianggap satu kemunduran bila umat Islam di bawah kerajaan secular dapat menentukan orang Islam mengukupkan Rukun Islam sedangkan kerajaan berasaskan Isam tidak dapat menunaikan tanggungjawab tersebut?
9) Tidak benarkah jika dikatakan pembinaan Titian Kaabah ini adalah satu “ penggandaan ekonomi” bagi negara negara yang terlibat ?
Dana juga boleh di kumpul dengan menjual setiap kilometer dalam bentuk saham akhirat kepada individu, keluarga, perkumpulan, negara iaitu bagi mereka yang mempunyai kemampuan dan ingin mengumpul saham akhirat boleh sponsor kos pembinaan setiap kilometer jalan sebagai contoh seorang atau keluarga yang kaya yang ingin sedekah amal jariah bagi niat untuk ibu bapa yang sudah tiada maka akan sponsor 1 kilometer kos pembinaan jalan atas nama ibu bapa mereka dan di permulaan dan dan penghujung kilometer ini akan di tulis atas siapa berkat jalan ini di sedekahkan.
Sebagai permulaan Tabung Haji boleh melaburkan sejumlah wang untuk penyelidikan awal sebelum ianya dijadikan satu projek umat islam di rantau asia ini dan khasnya di nusantara.
‘Titian Kaabah ‘
Ambon, Maluku, Pattani penindasan keatas kaum Rohanyhas di Myanmar, Gujerat di India, Afghanistan , Palestin dan Iraq, maka orang Islam ditindas , di bunuh dan maruah orang Islam dihina . Hari hari penulis mengharapkan berita kebangkitan Islam dan terkadang menanti turunnya Imam Mahadi atau Nabi Isa di saat ini untuk mengambalikan maruah orang Islam.
Tidak mustahil satu hari yang terdekat nanti , pihak pembenci Islam yang diketuai oleh Amerika akan menggenakan sekatan ekonomi lantas mengawal atau menutup laluan udara dan laut di rantau ini sebagai cara menyekat perkembangan politik berasaskan Islam di rantau nusantara ini. Adakah perlu umat Islam di nusantara menunggu turunnya Imam Mahadi dan Nabi Isa atau perlu melakukan sesuatu yang menarik untuk mengeratkan hubungan sesaudara Islam di nusantara ini.
Atas kesedaran bahawa berkemungkinan perkara ini berlaku, saya terpanggil untk membentangkan isu ini bagi renungan bersama. Sekiranya ianya berlaku, bagaimankah cara umat Islam di nusantara dan khasnya di Malaysia dapat menunaikan fardhu Haji ? Asas perbincangan ialah tiada jalan laut atau udara yang dapat digunakan untuk menunaikan haji bagi umat Islam di nusantara dan kasnya di Malaysia.
Oleh itu, patutkah umat Islam rantau ini mula memikirkan jalan alternatif darat dengan menggunakan kenderaan seperti Bas/Van/Kereta dicari bagi menghubungkan rantau ini dengan Arab Saudi. Di perhatikan atas peta tiada nampak yang mustahil walaupun pada realitinya dari sudut bentuk muka buminya, cuaca, suasana politik dan sosio ekonomi negara yang terlibat tidak akan memudahkan laluan darat ke Arab Saudi ini direalisasikan.Apa yang lebih penting ialah memulakan usaha mencari jalan darat yang ‘friendly’ untuk umat Islam mendapat jalan alternatif untuk menunaikan fardhu haji.
Penggunaan jalan darat akan juga memberi peluang orang Islam nusantara untuk “melihat dunia” iaitu dengan melalui beberapa buah negara dalam perjalanan ke Mekah akan membuka mata dan minda orang Islam nusantara akan budaya dan cara hidup orang di negara lain. Laluan darat ini yang saya gelarkan Titian Kaabah ini juga akan mencana pertumbuhan ekonomi di sepanjang Titian Kaabah ini dalam bentuk perniagaan barang barang tempatan, bandar persinggahan dan lantas industri perlancungan negara yang termasuk dalam Titian Kaabah ini akan berkembang. Industri pengangkutan akan berkembang dengan melonjak di samping industri industri sokongan dalam automobile , perhotelan dan sebagainya.
Sebagai langkah permulaan, aspek negatif dalam hal pembinaan Titian Kaabah ini tidak dijadikan perbincangan untuk mengelakkan pemikiran negatif yang akan mematahkan semangat dalam melihatkan cadangan ini secara positif.
Perkara asas yang perlu dipersetujui ialah :
1) Apakah kemungkinan sekatan darat dan laut oleh pihak pembenci orang Islam atau kemajuan kerajaan yang berasakan hokum Allah tidak akan berlaku di rantau ini ?
2) Apakah tiada kemungkinan selatan Siam dan utara Semenanjung Tanah Melayu bersatu membentuk tamadun moden Islam millennium baru ?
3) Sekiranya pyramid dapat dibina tanpa teknologi canggih maka mengapa mesti mustahil membuat lebuhraya merentas beberapa negara untuk sampai ke Arab Saudi walau melalui gunung ganang atau padang pasir sekalipun ?
4) Tidakkah boleh kita mengkategorikan usaha, sumbangan dan titik peluh membina Titian Kaabah ini sebagai jihad ke jalan Allah ?
5) Tidakkah ianya sesuatu yang positif sekiranya Titian Kaabah ini akan mencambah peningkatan ekonomi negara yang terlibat ?
6) Tidakkah benar jika dikatakan minda dan mentality orang Islam di nusantara akan lebih luas kerana berpeluang melihat budaya, cara hidup dan suasana negara negara yang termasuk dalam laluan Titian Kaabah ini ?
7) Apakah perlu kita melutut kepada agen pembenci Islam di selatan semenanjung Tanah Melayu untuk menghantar umat Islam kita menunaikan fardhu haji ?
8) Apakah iannya nanti tidak dianggap satu kemunduran bila umat Islam di bawah kerajaan secular dapat menentukan orang Islam mengukupkan Rukun Islam sedangkan kerajaan berasaskan Isam tidak dapat menunaikan tanggungjawab tersebut?
9) Tidak benarkah jika dikatakan pembinaan Titian Kaabah ini adalah satu “ penggandaan ekonomi” bagi negara negara yang terlibat ?
Dana juga boleh di kumpul dengan menjual setiap kilometer dalam bentuk saham akhirat kepada individu, keluarga, perkumpulan, negara iaitu bagi mereka yang mempunyai kemampuan dan ingin mengumpul saham akhirat boleh sponsor kos pembinaan setiap kilometer jalan sebagai contoh seorang atau keluarga yang kaya yang ingin sedekah amal jariah bagi niat untuk ibu bapa yang sudah tiada maka akan sponsor 1 kilometer kos pembinaan jalan atas nama ibu bapa mereka dan di permulaan dan dan penghujung kilometer ini akan di tulis atas siapa berkat jalan ini di sedekahkan.
Sebagai permulaan Tabung Haji boleh melaburkan sejumlah wang untuk penyelidikan awal sebelum ianya dijadikan satu projek umat islam di rantau asia ini dan khasnya di nusantara.
Benefit of hindsight - Luahan Reformis
I wrote this too before the last election but thought it was too provocative to be sent for public reading....
10 Okt 1998, di bawah jam besar Sultan Abdul Samad,seorang reformis melaungkan azan dan meredakan ketengangan antara FRU dan reformis dan malam di bangunan yang bersejarah itu berkesudahan dengan salam menyalam secara spontan antara reformis dan FRU/Polis. Mungkin pihak Polis tertanya tanya siapa yang melaungkan azan, siapa pulak reformis yang bawa anak , emak dan bapak duduk tengah jalan dan siapa pulak yang suruh mereka duduk tengah jalan.Memang benar hari itu ada beberapa yang berkasut kulit, berambut pendek dan amat benci pada polis yang menguasai 'perarakan' pergi balik dari Jalan TAR ke masjid negara dan semula ke dataran merdeka.Tapi tak siapa menjadi ketua dan tiada siapa yang menonjolkan diri untuk ditabalkan sebagai ketua. Atas dasar perarakan tanpa ketua ini jugalah perjumpaan keramat di masjid negara di hari DSAI ditangkap berakhir dengan kepala perarakan ke masjid Kg.Baru dan badan dan ekor ke bangunan um-no dan seterusnya ada sebahagian dari badan dan ekor terus berarak nak meliwat rumah MaMaK di Seri Perdana.
Apa yang di 'flasback" ini ialah apabila perjuangan itu berlaku secara kesedaran diri dan tiada kepentingan apa apa dan jelas tanpa ketua menyukarkan pihak Polis mahupun pihak um-no untuk menghancurkannya. Ibarat sebuah syarikat yang tanpa 'union' dan amat sukar pihak pengurusan untuk mengenali ketua di belakang tabir dan apa apa bentuk pemasalahan di tempat kerja sukar di atasi kerana tak nampak ketua yang menjadi kepala kepada pemasalahan tersebut. Berbanding dengan syarikat yang mempunyai "union" di mana apa bentuk pemasalahan , pihak pengurusan akan mencari ketua 'union' dan dalam banyak situasi, ketua'union' adalah orang pengurusan ataupun 'friendly' pada pengurusan.
Tetapi apabila ditubuh ADIL dan kemudian Keadilan, misteri Polis/um-no untuk mengenal pasti kepala di dalam perjuangan reformasi itu berakir. Walaupun program reformasi di bawah ADIL dan Keadilan nampak lebih teratur tetapi akhirnya kecundang kerana perjuangan dikaburi oleh politik dan kepentingan diri. Maka lebih ramai yang pegang mikrofon dari nak pegang sepanduk dan lebih ramai yang nak tunjuk muka dekat kamera dari yang pakai kain serban ala Yasser Arafat. Semuanya menjadi komersil dan si pelaung azan , mamat yang bawa anak kecil dengan isteri mengandung dan mak cik yang nampak kaki sakit tapi nak berarak juga di malam 10 Oktober pun lenyap dari ingatan kerna mereka bukan lagi 'threat' pada polis/um-no kerana mereka telah ada kepala. Kita semua tahu bahawa " Snippers" adalah musuh yang paling ditakuti dalam peperangan , 'serial killers' adalah pembunuh yang susah dijejaki dan "freelance journalist" adalah pemberi maklumat paling dibenci oleh establishment kerana mereka tiada berketua.
Tetapi resam di negara ini berasakan bahawa kekuatan sesuatu pertubuhan itu pada ramainya ahli, maka tiada sempat yang pandai berpolitik tapi tak suka um-no terjun ke dalam ADIL dan Keadilan dengan semangat bahawa inilah permulaan kepada perjuangan menegakkan keadilan di negara ini.Um-no pula melihat penubuan ADIL dan kemudiannya Keadilan sebagai berakhirnya sengsara mereka menghadapi satu perjuangan yang punya 'substance' dan amat ditakuti kerna ianya merupakan kesedaran dalaman berpunca dari kesilapan um-no pimpinan MaMaK.
Apa yang berlaku selepas itu adalah sejarah tetapi apakah lebih baik yang patut dilakukan jika tidak menubuh ADIL dan kemudian Keadilan? Sekali lagi , dari "benifit of hindsight", DSAI hanya perlu menyatakan semua penyokong reformasi pergi kepada parti parti yang sepakat untuk memperjuangan keadilan seperti PAS, PRM dan DAP dan kepada yang tidak rasa sesuai dengan pilihan tersebut cukup dengan mengundi parti yang selain dari um-no atau BN. Memang berlaku kenaikkan keahlian yang mendadak ke dalam PAS sebelum ADIL ditubuhkan dan trend itu jika berterusan sudah cukup untuk menjadi um-no resah dengan reformis reformis yang tiada tahu dari mana datangnya mereka.
Apabila ini berlaku, reformis yang dalam um-no tidak perlu keluar dari um-no dan kemudiannya dicop sebagai mereka yang sudah tiada guna lagi bagi um-no tetapi mereka ini sepatutnya tunggu hingga disingkirkan dan menjadi wira dianggap wira di luar um-no.
Apakah keputusan pilihanraya akan banyak berubah sekiranya reformis reformis menjadi calon bebas dengan menumpang jentera PAS,PRM dan DAP ? Tiada siapa yang dapat menjawab persoalan ini tetapi sejarah pilihanraya telah banyak mencatat kejayaan kejayaan calon calon bebas dalam pilihanraya sebelum 1999. Calon bebas yang merupakan seorang yang berpotensi besar dalam um-no tetapi disingkirkan kerana menegakkan kebenaran tanpa lari ke parti lain atau menubuhkan parti baru akan "appeal" kepada mengundi bandar dan kawasan bandarlah yang Keadilan rasa boleh menang tapi gagal kerana calon yang merupakan serpihan parti yang perdana tidak semenarik calon bebas yang disingkirkan oleh parti yang memerintah.
Sejarah kemudian mencatat bahawa bekas Semangat 46 tidak akan membiarkan Keadilan berjaya kerna ini akan menunjukkan mereka pandai berpolitik kerana kegagalan mereka, orang NGO yang nak jadi politik terbawa-bawa dengan idealisme mereka di baham oleh apa yang dikenali sebagai 'political animals" dan yang baru baru nak berjuang terus terpinggir kerana dalam politik , siapa yang awak kenal adalah lebih penting dari apa yang awak boleh sumbang pada perjuangan.
Maka timbullah percanggahan diantara si "political animals" dengan si pemegang prinsip yang penuh dengan idealisme dan si hingus meleleh yang mahukan kelainan dari semua aspek perjuangan.Di tokok tambah dengan mainan si duri dalam daging, tekanan polis dan nafsu ingin berjaya sampai hampir mahu mengenepikan parti parti pembangkang yang dulunya dijadikan kenderaan memperjuangkan perubahan, kebenaran dan keadilan.
Saya pernah menyuarakan pendapat ini pada teman dan keluarga semasa penubuhan ADIL dan Keadilan dan sebagaimana yang disangka, pendapat ini dicemuh kerana pada zahirnya polong bertuan itu lebih bahaya dari polong ta bertuan.
Dengan hampirnya PEMILU ini saya ingin mengsyorkan pembubaran Keadilan dan kembalikan semangat 98 kerna mereka yang dalam universiti dalam tempoh reformasi sudah boleh mengundi dan atas dasar reformasi mereka akan memulakan perubahan.Lupakan bahawa Keadilan akan berupaya membebaskan DSAI kerana DSAI hanya boleh dibebaskan oleh rakyat dengan izin Allah swt.
10 Okt 1998, di bawah jam besar Sultan Abdul Samad,seorang reformis melaungkan azan dan meredakan ketengangan antara FRU dan reformis dan malam di bangunan yang bersejarah itu berkesudahan dengan salam menyalam secara spontan antara reformis dan FRU/Polis. Mungkin pihak Polis tertanya tanya siapa yang melaungkan azan, siapa pulak reformis yang bawa anak , emak dan bapak duduk tengah jalan dan siapa pulak yang suruh mereka duduk tengah jalan.Memang benar hari itu ada beberapa yang berkasut kulit, berambut pendek dan amat benci pada polis yang menguasai 'perarakan' pergi balik dari Jalan TAR ke masjid negara dan semula ke dataran merdeka.Tapi tak siapa menjadi ketua dan tiada siapa yang menonjolkan diri untuk ditabalkan sebagai ketua. Atas dasar perarakan tanpa ketua ini jugalah perjumpaan keramat di masjid negara di hari DSAI ditangkap berakhir dengan kepala perarakan ke masjid Kg.Baru dan badan dan ekor ke bangunan um-no dan seterusnya ada sebahagian dari badan dan ekor terus berarak nak meliwat rumah MaMaK di Seri Perdana.
Apa yang di 'flasback" ini ialah apabila perjuangan itu berlaku secara kesedaran diri dan tiada kepentingan apa apa dan jelas tanpa ketua menyukarkan pihak Polis mahupun pihak um-no untuk menghancurkannya. Ibarat sebuah syarikat yang tanpa 'union' dan amat sukar pihak pengurusan untuk mengenali ketua di belakang tabir dan apa apa bentuk pemasalahan di tempat kerja sukar di atasi kerana tak nampak ketua yang menjadi kepala kepada pemasalahan tersebut. Berbanding dengan syarikat yang mempunyai "union" di mana apa bentuk pemasalahan , pihak pengurusan akan mencari ketua 'union' dan dalam banyak situasi, ketua'union' adalah orang pengurusan ataupun 'friendly' pada pengurusan.
Tetapi apabila ditubuh ADIL dan kemudian Keadilan, misteri Polis/um-no untuk mengenal pasti kepala di dalam perjuangan reformasi itu berakir. Walaupun program reformasi di bawah ADIL dan Keadilan nampak lebih teratur tetapi akhirnya kecundang kerana perjuangan dikaburi oleh politik dan kepentingan diri. Maka lebih ramai yang pegang mikrofon dari nak pegang sepanduk dan lebih ramai yang nak tunjuk muka dekat kamera dari yang pakai kain serban ala Yasser Arafat. Semuanya menjadi komersil dan si pelaung azan , mamat yang bawa anak kecil dengan isteri mengandung dan mak cik yang nampak kaki sakit tapi nak berarak juga di malam 10 Oktober pun lenyap dari ingatan kerna mereka bukan lagi 'threat' pada polis/um-no kerana mereka telah ada kepala. Kita semua tahu bahawa " Snippers" adalah musuh yang paling ditakuti dalam peperangan , 'serial killers' adalah pembunuh yang susah dijejaki dan "freelance journalist" adalah pemberi maklumat paling dibenci oleh establishment kerana mereka tiada berketua.
Tetapi resam di negara ini berasakan bahawa kekuatan sesuatu pertubuhan itu pada ramainya ahli, maka tiada sempat yang pandai berpolitik tapi tak suka um-no terjun ke dalam ADIL dan Keadilan dengan semangat bahawa inilah permulaan kepada perjuangan menegakkan keadilan di negara ini.Um-no pula melihat penubuan ADIL dan kemudiannya Keadilan sebagai berakhirnya sengsara mereka menghadapi satu perjuangan yang punya 'substance' dan amat ditakuti kerna ianya merupakan kesedaran dalaman berpunca dari kesilapan um-no pimpinan MaMaK.
Apa yang berlaku selepas itu adalah sejarah tetapi apakah lebih baik yang patut dilakukan jika tidak menubuh ADIL dan kemudian Keadilan? Sekali lagi , dari "benifit of hindsight", DSAI hanya perlu menyatakan semua penyokong reformasi pergi kepada parti parti yang sepakat untuk memperjuangan keadilan seperti PAS, PRM dan DAP dan kepada yang tidak rasa sesuai dengan pilihan tersebut cukup dengan mengundi parti yang selain dari um-no atau BN. Memang berlaku kenaikkan keahlian yang mendadak ke dalam PAS sebelum ADIL ditubuhkan dan trend itu jika berterusan sudah cukup untuk menjadi um-no resah dengan reformis reformis yang tiada tahu dari mana datangnya mereka.
Apabila ini berlaku, reformis yang dalam um-no tidak perlu keluar dari um-no dan kemudiannya dicop sebagai mereka yang sudah tiada guna lagi bagi um-no tetapi mereka ini sepatutnya tunggu hingga disingkirkan dan menjadi wira dianggap wira di luar um-no.
Apakah keputusan pilihanraya akan banyak berubah sekiranya reformis reformis menjadi calon bebas dengan menumpang jentera PAS,PRM dan DAP ? Tiada siapa yang dapat menjawab persoalan ini tetapi sejarah pilihanraya telah banyak mencatat kejayaan kejayaan calon calon bebas dalam pilihanraya sebelum 1999. Calon bebas yang merupakan seorang yang berpotensi besar dalam um-no tetapi disingkirkan kerana menegakkan kebenaran tanpa lari ke parti lain atau menubuhkan parti baru akan "appeal" kepada mengundi bandar dan kawasan bandarlah yang Keadilan rasa boleh menang tapi gagal kerana calon yang merupakan serpihan parti yang perdana tidak semenarik calon bebas yang disingkirkan oleh parti yang memerintah.
Sejarah kemudian mencatat bahawa bekas Semangat 46 tidak akan membiarkan Keadilan berjaya kerna ini akan menunjukkan mereka pandai berpolitik kerana kegagalan mereka, orang NGO yang nak jadi politik terbawa-bawa dengan idealisme mereka di baham oleh apa yang dikenali sebagai 'political animals" dan yang baru baru nak berjuang terus terpinggir kerana dalam politik , siapa yang awak kenal adalah lebih penting dari apa yang awak boleh sumbang pada perjuangan.
Maka timbullah percanggahan diantara si "political animals" dengan si pemegang prinsip yang penuh dengan idealisme dan si hingus meleleh yang mahukan kelainan dari semua aspek perjuangan.Di tokok tambah dengan mainan si duri dalam daging, tekanan polis dan nafsu ingin berjaya sampai hampir mahu mengenepikan parti parti pembangkang yang dulunya dijadikan kenderaan memperjuangkan perubahan, kebenaran dan keadilan.
Saya pernah menyuarakan pendapat ini pada teman dan keluarga semasa penubuhan ADIL dan Keadilan dan sebagaimana yang disangka, pendapat ini dicemuh kerana pada zahirnya polong bertuan itu lebih bahaya dari polong ta bertuan.
Dengan hampirnya PEMILU ini saya ingin mengsyorkan pembubaran Keadilan dan kembalikan semangat 98 kerna mereka yang dalam universiti dalam tempoh reformasi sudah boleh mengundi dan atas dasar reformasi mereka akan memulakan perubahan.Lupakan bahawa Keadilan akan berupaya membebaskan DSAI kerana DSAI hanya boleh dibebaskan oleh rakyat dengan izin Allah swt.
Kesusahan adalah diantara 2 titik Kesenangan
Tak silap ungkapan di atas telah dibaca dalam buku Tasauf Moden oleh Prof.Hamka yang banyak memberi panduan kepada pembacanya untuk melalui liku liku hidup untuk menjadi insan yang berguna.
Tanpa kesenangan kita tidak tahu apa erti kesusahan dan tanpa kesusahan tiada ertinya sesuatu kesenangan itu dan sesuatu kesenangan atau kesusahan itu adalah sebenarnya 'cause and effect' untuk satu sama yang lain.
Susah dan senang saling memerlukan antara satu sama lain dan yang membezakan ialah darjah/degree kesusahan dan kesenangan tersebut. Kesenangan dan kesusahan seseorang itu manusia itu berbeza kejadiannya dan kesenangan boleh dirujukkan kepada kesihatan, kekayaan, kebahagian, kekuasaan, kepandaian dan kejayaan, dan begitu juga dengan kesusahan yang melibatkan kesakitan, penderitaan, kekalahan atau kegagalan dan kerumitan.
Jarang kita hendak menggaitkan kesenangan dan kesusahan saling memerlukan kerana sebab sebab emosi, hasad, ego , tamak dan menyerah. Bila berjaya itulah usaha dan kebagusan aku tetapi bila susah semuanya dari Allah kerana Dia yang menentukan. Tiada terfikir kita bahawa kehidupan ibarat roda yang berpusing dan pusingan itu berhenti dengan satu bentuk kematian dan hidupnya pusingan roda asalnya dari roda yang tidak bergerak/mati.
Kesenangan dan kesusahan membuat seseorang matang dan berpengalaman dan bila susah kita rindu senang tetapi bila senang kita lupakan yang susah. Tiada manusia mahukan kesusahan dan tiada manusia yang bencikan kesenangan tetapi setiap kesenangan yang mutlak mesti melalui kesusahan dan setiap kesusahan yang berasal dari kesenangan.
Maka Doa dan Usaha hendaklah seiring dalam mendekati konsep kesenangan/kesusahan itu adalah diantara 2 titik susah atau senang itu. Konsep tawakal memerlukan usaha dan doa dulu dan penyerahan mutlak kepada Allah itu wajib setelah segalanya dilakukan. Hati manusia yang gundah akan mudah tenang sekiranya memahami konsep roda kehidupan ini setiap kegagalan itu bermula dari kejayaan dan setiap yang senang akan kemewahan dan kejayaan harus mengingati bahawa roda itu berpusing maka jangan tenggelam dengan sesuatu kesenangan yang tengah dialami.
Ada kalangan manusia mengkecapi kejayaan diri sendiri tetapi menggalami kesusahan dengan anak isteri dan sebaliknya dan ada kalangan manusia yang mengalami kesusahan diri yang amat tinggi tetapi mengecap kejayaan melalui anak dan isteri. Allah swt tidak memberi sesuatu itu tanpa sebab dan sesuatu itu tidak menjadi kalau tidak bersebab.
Apabila kita berada di titik diantara dua kemungkinan, kita harus berdoa dan berusaha untuk merubahkan kedudukan kemungkinan diantara titik tersebut.
Kisah Nabi Ayub as( stand to be corrected) adalah contoh yang kesabaran seseorang mahkluk Allah yang melalui ekstrim senang dan susah dalam kehidupan dan Allah mengfirmankan kisah Nabi Ayub as ini untuk dijadikan panduan pada umat akhir zaman dan seharusnya kita mengambil pengajaran dan iktibar dari kisah nabi Ayub as ini.
Atas dasar yang sama, kehidupan juga adalah titik yang berada diantara 2 kematian dan dalam kita mengharungi hari hari yang dilalui haruslah kita bersedia untuk titik yang dihadapan.
wassalam
Tanpa kesenangan kita tidak tahu apa erti kesusahan dan tanpa kesusahan tiada ertinya sesuatu kesenangan itu dan sesuatu kesenangan atau kesusahan itu adalah sebenarnya 'cause and effect' untuk satu sama yang lain.
Susah dan senang saling memerlukan antara satu sama lain dan yang membezakan ialah darjah/degree kesusahan dan kesenangan tersebut. Kesenangan dan kesusahan seseorang itu manusia itu berbeza kejadiannya dan kesenangan boleh dirujukkan kepada kesihatan, kekayaan, kebahagian, kekuasaan, kepandaian dan kejayaan, dan begitu juga dengan kesusahan yang melibatkan kesakitan, penderitaan, kekalahan atau kegagalan dan kerumitan.
Jarang kita hendak menggaitkan kesenangan dan kesusahan saling memerlukan kerana sebab sebab emosi, hasad, ego , tamak dan menyerah. Bila berjaya itulah usaha dan kebagusan aku tetapi bila susah semuanya dari Allah kerana Dia yang menentukan. Tiada terfikir kita bahawa kehidupan ibarat roda yang berpusing dan pusingan itu berhenti dengan satu bentuk kematian dan hidupnya pusingan roda asalnya dari roda yang tidak bergerak/mati.
Kesenangan dan kesusahan membuat seseorang matang dan berpengalaman dan bila susah kita rindu senang tetapi bila senang kita lupakan yang susah. Tiada manusia mahukan kesusahan dan tiada manusia yang bencikan kesenangan tetapi setiap kesenangan yang mutlak mesti melalui kesusahan dan setiap kesusahan yang berasal dari kesenangan.
Maka Doa dan Usaha hendaklah seiring dalam mendekati konsep kesenangan/kesusahan itu adalah diantara 2 titik susah atau senang itu. Konsep tawakal memerlukan usaha dan doa dulu dan penyerahan mutlak kepada Allah itu wajib setelah segalanya dilakukan. Hati manusia yang gundah akan mudah tenang sekiranya memahami konsep roda kehidupan ini setiap kegagalan itu bermula dari kejayaan dan setiap yang senang akan kemewahan dan kejayaan harus mengingati bahawa roda itu berpusing maka jangan tenggelam dengan sesuatu kesenangan yang tengah dialami.
Ada kalangan manusia mengkecapi kejayaan diri sendiri tetapi menggalami kesusahan dengan anak isteri dan sebaliknya dan ada kalangan manusia yang mengalami kesusahan diri yang amat tinggi tetapi mengecap kejayaan melalui anak dan isteri. Allah swt tidak memberi sesuatu itu tanpa sebab dan sesuatu itu tidak menjadi kalau tidak bersebab.
Apabila kita berada di titik diantara dua kemungkinan, kita harus berdoa dan berusaha untuk merubahkan kedudukan kemungkinan diantara titik tersebut.
Kisah Nabi Ayub as( stand to be corrected) adalah contoh yang kesabaran seseorang mahkluk Allah yang melalui ekstrim senang dan susah dalam kehidupan dan Allah mengfirmankan kisah Nabi Ayub as ini untuk dijadikan panduan pada umat akhir zaman dan seharusnya kita mengambil pengajaran dan iktibar dari kisah nabi Ayub as ini.
Atas dasar yang sama, kehidupan juga adalah titik yang berada diantara 2 kematian dan dalam kita mengharungi hari hari yang dilalui haruslah kita bersedia untuk titik yang dihadapan.
wassalam
My comments commented???!!!
After thinking hard what to do with Mas in order to ensure Farah's survival , I sent my first ever comment to SM and to my pleasant surprise it was paste onto his August 5, Diary recap and not only that I received note from SM to e-mail which I duly did. So here's the comment..
Assalamualaikum,
dengan izin, SM...
Adakah benar pernyataan yang mengatakan Mas FC dan semangat 'parochial'yang mengekalkan Mas di AF2?kalau parochial, mengapa Linda terkeluar? kalau bukan 'parochial', apa penyebabnya? adakah kemantapan MAS FC? mungkin tidak kerana peratusan lepas konsert sekadar cukup makan?
Adakah benar suara suara halus yang menyatakan 'rival television station(s) yang menyelamatkan Mas untuk menjatuhkan kredibiliti AF sebagai rancangan hiburan ala Reality Show yang nombor satu dengan mengekalkan pelajar yang dipandang sebagai kurang berkemampuan dan seterusnya menurunkan kualiti keseluruhan konsert/nyanyian AF.
Ada suara suara halus yang menjerit "Yessss" bila zarina dan linda keluar dengan harapan penonton yang 'sensible' segera tukar channel TV untuk memuaskan keinginan intellectual mereka.
Adakah Mas diperalatkan untuk menjatuhkan AF ?
Sudah baca? kalau belum cuba rujuk Duel Of the divas di NST July 28, 2004 dalam halaman Life & Times !!coincident, i doubt so....
Apa tujuan Raja Azura di'hantar' or perhaps di 'jemput' datang menomton AF konsert sejurus selepas final sebuah lagi rancangan nyanyian berbentuk Reality Tv Show oleh another rival TV show?
BTW, mengapa undian sms terlalu mahal? FOMCA patut lawan perkara ini dan mestilah ada Regulators menentukan harga yang sepatutnya bagi kos untuk Reality TV Show.
ps: Please don't get me wrong, I voted for Mas for the the 1st 3 concerts to qualify myself as non-anti-mas fan.
Actually I was one of the believers that result of elimination was semi-scripted and not purely on the number of AFUNDIs. Based on this belief, I decided to write something that could trigger ASTRO to make adjustment to Mas and thus ensure Farah's survival. Alhamdullilah dengan izin Allah dan samada secara sengaja atau tidak sengaja , usaha saya nampak sebagai berjaya.
I then sent 2 more comments to SM pertaining to AFMASUK and another one on my startegy to reduce Linda's voting through systematic voting between all original finalist but to no avail.
Well Farah, i did more to help you than merely AFUNDI and perhaps one of these days I will tell more in terms of my personal crusade to help you to the final , yer Farah, insyaallah....breep breep....
Assalamualaikum,
dengan izin, SM...
Adakah benar pernyataan yang mengatakan Mas FC dan semangat 'parochial'yang mengekalkan Mas di AF2?kalau parochial, mengapa Linda terkeluar? kalau bukan 'parochial', apa penyebabnya? adakah kemantapan MAS FC? mungkin tidak kerana peratusan lepas konsert sekadar cukup makan?
Adakah benar suara suara halus yang menyatakan 'rival television station(s) yang menyelamatkan Mas untuk menjatuhkan kredibiliti AF sebagai rancangan hiburan ala Reality Show yang nombor satu dengan mengekalkan pelajar yang dipandang sebagai kurang berkemampuan dan seterusnya menurunkan kualiti keseluruhan konsert/nyanyian AF.
Ada suara suara halus yang menjerit "Yessss" bila zarina dan linda keluar dengan harapan penonton yang 'sensible' segera tukar channel TV untuk memuaskan keinginan intellectual mereka.
Adakah Mas diperalatkan untuk menjatuhkan AF ?
Sudah baca? kalau belum cuba rujuk Duel Of the divas di NST July 28, 2004 dalam halaman Life & Times !!coincident, i doubt so....
Apa tujuan Raja Azura di'hantar' or perhaps di 'jemput' datang menomton AF konsert sejurus selepas final sebuah lagi rancangan nyanyian berbentuk Reality Tv Show oleh another rival TV show?
BTW, mengapa undian sms terlalu mahal? FOMCA patut lawan perkara ini dan mestilah ada Regulators menentukan harga yang sepatutnya bagi kos untuk Reality TV Show.
ps: Please don't get me wrong, I voted for Mas for the the 1st 3 concerts to qualify myself as non-anti-mas fan.
Actually I was one of the believers that result of elimination was semi-scripted and not purely on the number of AFUNDIs. Based on this belief, I decided to write something that could trigger ASTRO to make adjustment to Mas and thus ensure Farah's survival. Alhamdullilah dengan izin Allah dan samada secara sengaja atau tidak sengaja , usaha saya nampak sebagai berjaya.
I then sent 2 more comments to SM pertaining to AFMASUK and another one on my startegy to reduce Linda's voting through systematic voting between all original finalist but to no avail.
Well Farah, i did more to help you than merely AFUNDI and perhaps one of these days I will tell more in terms of my personal crusade to help you to the final , yer Farah, insyaallah....breep breep....
English Premier league ( EPL )
After the AF euphoria, it is back to EPL new season 2004/2005 and by the look of the last weekend's result, predictable result is expected again this year.
Arsenal thumping victory Everton and a steady performance by Chelsea against Man U perhaps giving indication of what to expect this season. I would also hope a strong challenge coming from Liverpool whilst Bolton, Aston Villa, Fulham ,Middlesbrough and Spurs to be the dark horses of the season.
I was particularly impressed with the new acquisition made by Fulham with Andy Cole and Claude Jensen added into the team whilst Bolton introduction of El-Hadji Diouf could see them doing particularly well this season.
Arsenal definitely trying to go unbeaten again this season though that will be a tall order but then again you can't argue with Arsene Wenger. I like the shape of the new Spurs team and if Defoe could consistenly scores the goal than one would expect them to atleast do well in the Cup.
Chelsea played very well minus the the sexy football normally associated with them but was commanding enough to beat an injury plagued Man U who seems to look older every season. Alan Smith was quite impressive on his league debut for Man U and want would expect more when Saha, Ruud , Ferdinand and Ronaldo back into the team.
However, I sincerely hope that the dark horses will give a strong challenge agaisnt the so called elite 4 and make this season more unpredictable than the last several years. Arsenal/United to be crowned champ again will not be good for EPL and it will be quite a romance to see Bolton or Fulham really up the ladder board this season.
I am sure Okacha and Hadji will add new dimension to the Bolton team and with Chris Coleman at the helm in Fulham, a stronger challenge will come from Craven Cottage.
I am still hoping that Wayne Rooney to move to Arsenal or Man U for the sake of his career and it will interesting how he will cope with big games week in and week out.
The new promoted teams expected to struggle and perhaps Everton or Charlton minus Jensen and Cole will be struggling to survive. Without any major international tournament this season, all players especially major stars should be able to produce scantillating performance and perhaps produce the best ever season of the short EPL history.
My prediction
League Championship : Chelsea/Arsenal
FA Cup : Spurs/Man U
League Cup : Aston Villa/Liverpool
European Championship : Real Madrid / Chelsea
Player of the Year : Okacha/Lampard
Arsenal thumping victory Everton and a steady performance by Chelsea against Man U perhaps giving indication of what to expect this season. I would also hope a strong challenge coming from Liverpool whilst Bolton, Aston Villa, Fulham ,Middlesbrough and Spurs to be the dark horses of the season.
I was particularly impressed with the new acquisition made by Fulham with Andy Cole and Claude Jensen added into the team whilst Bolton introduction of El-Hadji Diouf could see them doing particularly well this season.
Arsenal definitely trying to go unbeaten again this season though that will be a tall order but then again you can't argue with Arsene Wenger. I like the shape of the new Spurs team and if Defoe could consistenly scores the goal than one would expect them to atleast do well in the Cup.
Chelsea played very well minus the the sexy football normally associated with them but was commanding enough to beat an injury plagued Man U who seems to look older every season. Alan Smith was quite impressive on his league debut for Man U and want would expect more when Saha, Ruud , Ferdinand and Ronaldo back into the team.
However, I sincerely hope that the dark horses will give a strong challenge agaisnt the so called elite 4 and make this season more unpredictable than the last several years. Arsenal/United to be crowned champ again will not be good for EPL and it will be quite a romance to see Bolton or Fulham really up the ladder board this season.
I am sure Okacha and Hadji will add new dimension to the Bolton team and with Chris Coleman at the helm in Fulham, a stronger challenge will come from Craven Cottage.
I am still hoping that Wayne Rooney to move to Arsenal or Man U for the sake of his career and it will interesting how he will cope with big games week in and week out.
The new promoted teams expected to struggle and perhaps Everton or Charlton minus Jensen and Cole will be struggling to survive. Without any major international tournament this season, all players especially major stars should be able to produce scantillating performance and perhaps produce the best ever season of the short EPL history.
My prediction
League Championship : Chelsea/Arsenal
FA Cup : Spurs/Man U
League Cup : Aston Villa/Liverpool
European Championship : Real Madrid / Chelsea
Player of the Year : Okacha/Lampard
Thursday, August 19, 2004
Sudah tibakah nama meLAYU ditukar ?
This is one article I submitted to Tranung Kite website, a reformasi based website and was published early this year....
Tuan Webmaster,
Apakah sudah sampai masanya nama meLAYU ini diubah memandangkan perkataan ini membawa makna yang negatif iaitu ibarat bunya yang "melayu" iaitu yang lemah atau hampir mati.
Kita semua tahu akan nasihat ustaz ustaz agar berhati hati memilih nama anak agar panggilan kepada anak itu tidak memberi kesan negatif kepada anak itu. Ramai anak milennium baru tidak diberi nama "Watie" lagi kerana ada yang menyatakan salah satu maknanya ialah pelacur maka ditakuti apabila dipanggil nama tersebut kepada sipenama maka dikhuatiri ianya merupakan doa pemanggil kepada si penerima.
Kita tahu orang bangsa India tidak suka dipanggil Keling walaupun itulah panggilan semua orang kepada mereka di belakang mereka atau dalam keadaan marah terhadap mereka.
Adalah dikhuatiri panggilan "melayu" itu seakan mendoakan bangsa kita menjadi kumpulan bangsa yang 'melayu' atau lalok kerana telah berabad-abad dipanggil begitu. Adakah mungkin PAS itu teras mekar kerana tiada perkataan 'melayu' dalam nama partinya dan mungkin juga um-no itu terus hidup walaupun dalam keadaan tertekan kerana tiada perkataan 'melayu' dalam sengkatan UM-NO itu sendiri.
Mungkin melayu di luar negara atau yang merantau ke luar negeri berjaya kerana mereka di panggil sebagai 'malay' dan bukan melLAYU!!Mungkin juga meLAYU sebelum laporan Razak dulu agak mekar kerana pendidikan berteraskan bahasa Inggeris maka bangsa 'meLAYU' dirujukkan sebagai Malay adalah syllabus perbelajaran.
Walaupun apa yang dicadangkan ini nampak remeh tanpa kajian menyeluruh tetapi saya terpanggil berbicara kerana merasakan perlu di ketengahkan agar mungkin cerdikpandai dalam bangsa 'meLAYU' ini dapat memberi pandangan yang berbeza.
Saya secara peribadi melihat ramai orang 'meLAYU' yang pandai berniaga adalah orang 'meLAYU' yang berdarah campuran samada cina, keling,siam atau lain lain. Di Sumatera, orang 'meLAYU' adalah rumpun yang dibezakan dari orang minangkabau/Jawa/Mendaling dan orang 'melayu' di sumatera juga dipandang sebagai bangsa yang meLAYU.
apakah pernyataan seperti " aku bangga dengan bangsa meLAYU" itu sebenarnya doa kita untuk kita jadi meLAYU.
Semua gelaran dan anggapan yang diberikan kepada bangsa kita seperti malas, lalok( khayal), berpesta, amuk kearah membawa bangsa ini menjadi meLAYU.
Maaf saya kerana mencari sebab yang melukakan hati bangsa sendiri demi mencari kemungkinan sebab mundurnya bangsa kita ini. Saya hanya mampu mencadangkan bangsa kita dikenali sebagai "Malay" sahaja selepas ini. Malaysia pun ada perkataan 'malay' dan Malaya pun dulu menggunakan perkataan "Malay".
Minta maaf sekali lagi.
Tuan Webmaster,
Apakah sudah sampai masanya nama meLAYU ini diubah memandangkan perkataan ini membawa makna yang negatif iaitu ibarat bunya yang "melayu" iaitu yang lemah atau hampir mati.
Kita semua tahu akan nasihat ustaz ustaz agar berhati hati memilih nama anak agar panggilan kepada anak itu tidak memberi kesan negatif kepada anak itu. Ramai anak milennium baru tidak diberi nama "Watie" lagi kerana ada yang menyatakan salah satu maknanya ialah pelacur maka ditakuti apabila dipanggil nama tersebut kepada sipenama maka dikhuatiri ianya merupakan doa pemanggil kepada si penerima.
Kita tahu orang bangsa India tidak suka dipanggil Keling walaupun itulah panggilan semua orang kepada mereka di belakang mereka atau dalam keadaan marah terhadap mereka.
Adalah dikhuatiri panggilan "melayu" itu seakan mendoakan bangsa kita menjadi kumpulan bangsa yang 'melayu' atau lalok kerana telah berabad-abad dipanggil begitu. Adakah mungkin PAS itu teras mekar kerana tiada perkataan 'melayu' dalam nama partinya dan mungkin juga um-no itu terus hidup walaupun dalam keadaan tertekan kerana tiada perkataan 'melayu' dalam sengkatan UM-NO itu sendiri.
Mungkin melayu di luar negara atau yang merantau ke luar negeri berjaya kerana mereka di panggil sebagai 'malay' dan bukan melLAYU!!Mungkin juga meLAYU sebelum laporan Razak dulu agak mekar kerana pendidikan berteraskan bahasa Inggeris maka bangsa 'meLAYU' dirujukkan sebagai Malay adalah syllabus perbelajaran.
Walaupun apa yang dicadangkan ini nampak remeh tanpa kajian menyeluruh tetapi saya terpanggil berbicara kerana merasakan perlu di ketengahkan agar mungkin cerdikpandai dalam bangsa 'meLAYU' ini dapat memberi pandangan yang berbeza.
Saya secara peribadi melihat ramai orang 'meLAYU' yang pandai berniaga adalah orang 'meLAYU' yang berdarah campuran samada cina, keling,siam atau lain lain. Di Sumatera, orang 'meLAYU' adalah rumpun yang dibezakan dari orang minangkabau/Jawa/Mendaling dan orang 'melayu' di sumatera juga dipandang sebagai bangsa yang meLAYU.
apakah pernyataan seperti " aku bangga dengan bangsa meLAYU" itu sebenarnya doa kita untuk kita jadi meLAYU.
Semua gelaran dan anggapan yang diberikan kepada bangsa kita seperti malas, lalok( khayal), berpesta, amuk kearah membawa bangsa ini menjadi meLAYU.
Maaf saya kerana mencari sebab yang melukakan hati bangsa sendiri demi mencari kemungkinan sebab mundurnya bangsa kita ini. Saya hanya mampu mencadangkan bangsa kita dikenali sebagai "Malay" sahaja selepas ini. Malaysia pun ada perkataan 'malay' dan Malaya pun dulu menggunakan perkataan "Malay".
Minta maaf sekali lagi.
A new beginning, perhaps
Creating my own blog!!...wow!!..not really savvy but just trying my luck...hoping it will work..not really knowing what will be the concept or purpose/objective of my blog...I love sports especially football and like music a lot too....inclined towards economics and politics too.......I am nervous about trying out this blog thing...it is just not me , i guess.Well, I have to go through life trying new things .... thanks to my new found cyber friends , I have found myself a new toy...
Wednesday, August 18, 2004
Tribute to Farah AF2
Against all odds , Farah Diana Anuar made it all the way to the AF2 final concert and though narrowly missed the Top 3 spot but she did herself a big favour by retaining her composure after the result was announced.Perhaps trying hard to conceal her disappointment , Farah was a picture of "kanak-kanak Ribena" kicking away the balloons and embracing those on stage and was mature enough to hold her composure when interviewed by Jimmy of Trekselebriti fame show , immediately after the award giving ceremony.
As`an ardent fan, I could not hold back my tears looking at Farah pretending as if she was taking everything into her stride and only Allah knows what went through her mind that very moment. This talented girl is the real find of the AF2 season; her vocal prowess undenieable , her ability to mix her naturally powerful voice with some new techniques that she learnt from her trainers or cikgus was there to be admired.
Farah's achievement was clearly more than just getting into the final and placing 4th overall, her achievement should be analysed from the very 1st week when her rather raw talent was put to test by singing the Dayang Nurfaezah's Seandainya Masih Ada Cinta ballard. Performing as the 1st singer for the AF2 maiden concert she showed tremendous courage in interpreting the song in her own individual way but was overshadowed by the later contestant notably Kaer with his classic rendition of Glen's 'Januari'. As the first singer, her commandable effort was perhaps easily forgotten by the introduction of some fast and catchy numbers by the other contestants. Nonetheless,it was that pure magical raw vocal talent that attracted my attention to Farah ; it was like spotting a Wayne Rooney playing at the nearby school field. The potential in her vocal talent was tremendously obvious and her effortless rendition of that difficult ballard number on that 1st concert was awesome.
Again she tremendously showed her talent by rendering the rather catchy number of Fauziah Latif's " Tua Menggejar Kita" and beginning to get the attention of professional juror. Although she rather rush the song a bit, she was able to catch hold of the song tremendously well. Any new admirers of her vocal power during the 2nd concert was cancelled out by her rather 'overzealous' excitement when receiving the special pet at the end of the show. I was rather surprised with her mannerism but more forgiving than others knowing that she was only 19 years of age and perhaps merely being herself. Somehow though, that 2 minutes of over excitement nearly signalled the end of Farah if not for her outstanding performance during the 1st elimination concert or the 3rd concert.
Farah's memorable rendition of Aishah's Janji Manismu and the 'kezutan' of Aishah's comeo appearance saved the day for her. Placing last/2nd last during the beginning for the 3rd concert, her fantastic performance was able to cover the deficiency in her so called 'gediks' or childish attitude during the daily dairy activities. However, her ability to sing Aishah's song with the key adjusted to a higher note unfortunetly cast another doubt on her ability of whether she's only capable of hitting the ballard high note kind of song. Predictability was something any student must avoid in order to survive. I was probably 'madly in love' with this young lace by this 3rd concert and perhaps rightly so judging by her tremendous performance. It was clear now by the 3rd concert that Farah was not the frontliners for the Final and I sensed that the 4th , 5th and 6th concert will be crucial for her survival. If she could pull it through, I was quite convinced that she will go all the way to the Final.
Her 4th concert performance singing the ABBA's " Dancing Queen" may not be that spectacular but that performance managed to convince many that she was not about all about high notes and malay songs only. Her dancing left alot to be desired though but after zarina's poor effort with the English number a week before, Farah's performance was positively accepted. Moreover, the viewers had already made up their mind on whom to be eliminated this week and perhaps rightly so. At this stage, Farah was no longer the 'abuse' target of the fan and obviously the camera now turned to other characters during the DAF and she somehow managed to change the perception of her so called " gediks" and this further highlighted by her superb "acting' with Fitri on the scope" Aku Nak Makan Nasi Dengan Sambal Belacan". It was not only brave but humorous effort of her that perhaps sealed Fitri's fate in AF2.
The 5th concert , she was given the song "Tenda Biru" that suit her voice to the T. This song was rendered tremendously and her part in the Bonus song"Jangan Pisahkan" confirmed her stature as the one of the better singers in AF2. Her popularity grew as well as her fan and I was one proud fan when people start talking about Farah Diana Anuar. What state of mind was I at this point...in love? insane? obsessed?...Allah saja yang tahu bangganya hati ku...
The 6th concert was the concert that I dreaded most....based on my own calculation, one of the semenanjung girls will have to go tonite and zarina was just announced as the "Pelajar Contoh" earlier in the week and farah was struggling with Siti Nurhaliza's " Ya Maulai". I was literally sweating the whole week and instead of merely participating , I got myself 'involved' hoping for Farah's survival...hehehe...it wasn't funny though during that time....She did not perform as expected and have to thank AF management strategy for Zarina's departure....for 4 straight weeks that I managed to predict those to be eliminated correctly...personally, I am of my considered view that the similarity between Rosma and Zarina's departure was not mere coincidence but perhaps scripted to ensure continuous support for the show...although Zarina did not perform well, her last week's performance by right should be able to carry her though...
Wow...week 7, Farah will be singing " Jangan kau Mimpi" from Siti Sarah's original and somehow I was grinning the whole week knowing she will nail this song...the support for her incresed in numbers and she was no longer seen as the weak link and together with her no-nonsense attitude in DAF and perhaps her "Telenovel" with Adam, Farah's reputation grew tremendously and her unselfishness to help Mas was beautifully edited to give her that sligth advantage in relation to character development. Rightly so, Farah's survive the week and though still sitting lowly in the weekly student percentage chart...she managed to get herself out of trouble when it matter most...good job FFC!!!....nope, I wasn't part of the team but I love their attitude..hehehe...so what state of mind I was during this period....almost insane....someone that frequent the many political based websites and not to mention soc.cul.mal, now visiting AF2 blogs and chatting and making new wonderful cyber friends...hei guys....I have started to have special prayer..hehehe..sembahyang hajat beb!!..reciting the Yassin for Farah's survival..call it whatever..I am a believer of DOA and though many may not find it appopriate..it does not matter...DOA and Usaha mesti berjalan serentak...Allah yang memberi dan Allah juga yang mengambil semula.... C@15 what??.. I was a regular babe!!..no nick mentioning though..hehehe..am I insane...yes perhaps but I am not the only one in the country....
Week 8.....another crucial week and I wasn't really comfortable with that Nora's " Bebas berlari". I could not see how this song will utilise her full vocal range and I was more hoping for her survival until suddenly I received private message from so called fellow @15 chatters confidently saying " Farah tak keluar punya.Jgn lah risau risau"...I have never received any private message before and my thought at that point of time that it was from some moderators and the nick was never seen on @15 before or after...true to that message and couple with some nicely crafted 'kexutan cit cat' , Farah survived to see another week....am i getting older....the adrenaline pumping , the heart seems to be jumping and sweating while waiting for the result...the joy of listening her name not being mentioned as the student eliminated was so fantastic but I wasn't there infront of TV..hehehe.. because i decided not to listen to aznil's annoucenebt and only a couple of minutes returned to hear the bad or good news...hehehe..
Week 9....after chart topping week, I was more relaxed of the outcome until the song " Mengapa" was given to Farah. It was supposed to be her favourite song , so by getting her favourites song increases people's expectation of her....I was again back to my praying mat...hehehe...the way she sang the song during DAF wasn't convincing enough and Adam's dramatic P.Ramlee's kind of sobbing did not help either.....by this week, Farah's cute romance with Johnny was features regularly and her dialogue to console Adam is very much freah in mind....." Adam!!..mengapa nei...Adam menangis"...macam baca skrip untuk drama radio!!!...she is now a household name and regularly being mentioned as the next number one singer in the country...i was so proud of her....so damn proud .... Alhamdullilah, Farah "Mengapa" was a classic and her contribution in that Whitney's number was well appreaciated...so for the second straight year, my favourite singer managed to go to the Final after supporting Nija during the AF1 season.....
..Now for the final week....the AFMASUK rather overshadowed the final itself and by this time I was more engrossed in protesting for AFMASUK than concentrating on the Final....I could not watch the diary anymore without feeling betrayed....so much money was spent and on week 9 alone atleast 500 votes were sent for Farah and suddenly you have AFMASUK....no offence to Linda, though....she was not that bad a singer good but AFMASUK was terrible.... the student's percentage chart was not helping my nerve...and by friday that it was obvious that the best Farah could manage will be 3rd placing... Knowing her saturday voter quite strong, I was still hoping though not convinced that she will get 3rd place.....Her rendition of the new song " Tangisan Dalam Kerinduan " was fantastic and that "Skater boy" was professionally sang though not really giving that edge required for the final....
..I was shattered but looking back at her progress for the past 10 weeks , I have to say I was disappointed with AFMASUK rather than by her failure to be accordingly placed at the Top 3.
Moment to remember
1) Farah dapat ikan.." wang besar wang besar"
2) Farah lanyak Fitri sambil rambut dah kusut masai dan cakap" Aku nak makan nasi dgn sambal belacan"
3) Farah nangis ikan mati
4) Farah wrestling dgn Linda
5) Farah always conscious dgn bottom dia bila menari...well done girl
6)Farah dgn Johnny cakap Tamil
7) farah lap lap Adam
8) Farah ajar menari jerit mcm Cikgu Linda
9) Farah buat bubbling
10) Farah nangis ...datang bulan kot!!!hehehe
11) Gelak Farah ..ahakahakahak...
12) Gigi kapak Farah ( pinjam screw!!)
13) wardrope mulfunction masa lagu Bebas berlari...sexy tuuuuu
14) muka merah padam masa practise lagu "Mengapa"
15) Tangan terseliuh main bola
16) Tolong Mas nyanyi
17) buat aksi kung-fu dgn cikgu corrie
18) nyanyi dgn Ella lagu " Standing in the eyes of the world"
19) buat buat injured nak surprise cik gu Linda
20) hehehe...buat merajuk sampai terkencing RMS
21) sepak kaki Adam yang menggatal masa last friday kat bunglow
22) Farah tendang belon
23) farah di Imbasan....fantastic girl
24) Breep Breep.....
OK Farah....the stage is yours now..go for it girl....thanks for the memories and just be yourself .... I am not so sure whether this tribute to Farah or tribute to my stupidity...hehehe..
Farah ...I love you...tapi bukan cinta ingin memiliki mu tetapi cintakan bakat dan sikap mu...
Farah..kau dikatakan harus dewasa untuk mematangkan seni mu dan kedewasaan selalunya datang dengan cinta....hehehe..sekiranya kau memerlukan alat untuk mendewasakanmu..aku rela diperalatkan..hehehe..dan sudah kau matang dan tiada perlu menukar battery untuk alat tersebut..kau campak lah peralatan itu ke lombong sunway lagoon, aku redha ....ahak ahak ahak...
As`an ardent fan, I could not hold back my tears looking at Farah pretending as if she was taking everything into her stride and only Allah knows what went through her mind that very moment. This talented girl is the real find of the AF2 season; her vocal prowess undenieable , her ability to mix her naturally powerful voice with some new techniques that she learnt from her trainers or cikgus was there to be admired.
Farah's achievement was clearly more than just getting into the final and placing 4th overall, her achievement should be analysed from the very 1st week when her rather raw talent was put to test by singing the Dayang Nurfaezah's Seandainya Masih Ada Cinta ballard. Performing as the 1st singer for the AF2 maiden concert she showed tremendous courage in interpreting the song in her own individual way but was overshadowed by the later contestant notably Kaer with his classic rendition of Glen's 'Januari'. As the first singer, her commandable effort was perhaps easily forgotten by the introduction of some fast and catchy numbers by the other contestants. Nonetheless,it was that pure magical raw vocal talent that attracted my attention to Farah ; it was like spotting a Wayne Rooney playing at the nearby school field. The potential in her vocal talent was tremendously obvious and her effortless rendition of that difficult ballard number on that 1st concert was awesome.
Again she tremendously showed her talent by rendering the rather catchy number of Fauziah Latif's " Tua Menggejar Kita" and beginning to get the attention of professional juror. Although she rather rush the song a bit, she was able to catch hold of the song tremendously well. Any new admirers of her vocal power during the 2nd concert was cancelled out by her rather 'overzealous' excitement when receiving the special pet at the end of the show. I was rather surprised with her mannerism but more forgiving than others knowing that she was only 19 years of age and perhaps merely being herself. Somehow though, that 2 minutes of over excitement nearly signalled the end of Farah if not for her outstanding performance during the 1st elimination concert or the 3rd concert.
Farah's memorable rendition of Aishah's Janji Manismu and the 'kezutan' of Aishah's comeo appearance saved the day for her. Placing last/2nd last during the beginning for the 3rd concert, her fantastic performance was able to cover the deficiency in her so called 'gediks' or childish attitude during the daily dairy activities. However, her ability to sing Aishah's song with the key adjusted to a higher note unfortunetly cast another doubt on her ability of whether she's only capable of hitting the ballard high note kind of song. Predictability was something any student must avoid in order to survive. I was probably 'madly in love' with this young lace by this 3rd concert and perhaps rightly so judging by her tremendous performance. It was clear now by the 3rd concert that Farah was not the frontliners for the Final and I sensed that the 4th , 5th and 6th concert will be crucial for her survival. If she could pull it through, I was quite convinced that she will go all the way to the Final.
Her 4th concert performance singing the ABBA's " Dancing Queen" may not be that spectacular but that performance managed to convince many that she was not about all about high notes and malay songs only. Her dancing left alot to be desired though but after zarina's poor effort with the English number a week before, Farah's performance was positively accepted. Moreover, the viewers had already made up their mind on whom to be eliminated this week and perhaps rightly so. At this stage, Farah was no longer the 'abuse' target of the fan and obviously the camera now turned to other characters during the DAF and she somehow managed to change the perception of her so called " gediks" and this further highlighted by her superb "acting' with Fitri on the scope" Aku Nak Makan Nasi Dengan Sambal Belacan". It was not only brave but humorous effort of her that perhaps sealed Fitri's fate in AF2.
The 5th concert , she was given the song "Tenda Biru" that suit her voice to the T. This song was rendered tremendously and her part in the Bonus song"Jangan Pisahkan" confirmed her stature as the one of the better singers in AF2. Her popularity grew as well as her fan and I was one proud fan when people start talking about Farah Diana Anuar. What state of mind was I at this point...in love? insane? obsessed?...Allah saja yang tahu bangganya hati ku...
The 6th concert was the concert that I dreaded most....based on my own calculation, one of the semenanjung girls will have to go tonite and zarina was just announced as the "Pelajar Contoh" earlier in the week and farah was struggling with Siti Nurhaliza's " Ya Maulai". I was literally sweating the whole week and instead of merely participating , I got myself 'involved' hoping for Farah's survival...hehehe...it wasn't funny though during that time....She did not perform as expected and have to thank AF management strategy for Zarina's departure....for 4 straight weeks that I managed to predict those to be eliminated correctly...personally, I am of my considered view that the similarity between Rosma and Zarina's departure was not mere coincidence but perhaps scripted to ensure continuous support for the show...although Zarina did not perform well, her last week's performance by right should be able to carry her though...
Wow...week 7, Farah will be singing " Jangan kau Mimpi" from Siti Sarah's original and somehow I was grinning the whole week knowing she will nail this song...the support for her incresed in numbers and she was no longer seen as the weak link and together with her no-nonsense attitude in DAF and perhaps her "Telenovel" with Adam, Farah's reputation grew tremendously and her unselfishness to help Mas was beautifully edited to give her that sligth advantage in relation to character development. Rightly so, Farah's survive the week and though still sitting lowly in the weekly student percentage chart...she managed to get herself out of trouble when it matter most...good job FFC!!!....nope, I wasn't part of the team but I love their attitude..hehehe...so what state of mind I was during this period....almost insane....someone that frequent the many political based websites and not to mention soc.cul.mal, now visiting AF2 blogs and chatting and making new wonderful cyber friends...hei guys....I have started to have special prayer..hehehe..sembahyang hajat beb!!..reciting the Yassin for Farah's survival..call it whatever..I am a believer of DOA and though many may not find it appopriate..it does not matter...DOA and Usaha mesti berjalan serentak...Allah yang memberi dan Allah juga yang mengambil semula.... C@15 what??.. I was a regular babe!!..no nick mentioning though..hehehe..am I insane...yes perhaps but I am not the only one in the country....
Week 8.....another crucial week and I wasn't really comfortable with that Nora's " Bebas berlari". I could not see how this song will utilise her full vocal range and I was more hoping for her survival until suddenly I received private message from so called fellow @15 chatters confidently saying " Farah tak keluar punya.Jgn lah risau risau"...I have never received any private message before and my thought at that point of time that it was from some moderators and the nick was never seen on @15 before or after...true to that message and couple with some nicely crafted 'kexutan cit cat' , Farah survived to see another week....am i getting older....the adrenaline pumping , the heart seems to be jumping and sweating while waiting for the result...the joy of listening her name not being mentioned as the student eliminated was so fantastic but I wasn't there infront of TV..hehehe.. because i decided not to listen to aznil's annoucenebt and only a couple of minutes returned to hear the bad or good news...hehehe..
Week 9....after chart topping week, I was more relaxed of the outcome until the song " Mengapa" was given to Farah. It was supposed to be her favourite song , so by getting her favourites song increases people's expectation of her....I was again back to my praying mat...hehehe...the way she sang the song during DAF wasn't convincing enough and Adam's dramatic P.Ramlee's kind of sobbing did not help either.....by this week, Farah's cute romance with Johnny was features regularly and her dialogue to console Adam is very much freah in mind....." Adam!!..mengapa nei...Adam menangis"...macam baca skrip untuk drama radio!!!...she is now a household name and regularly being mentioned as the next number one singer in the country...i was so proud of her....so damn proud .... Alhamdullilah, Farah "Mengapa" was a classic and her contribution in that Whitney's number was well appreaciated...so for the second straight year, my favourite singer managed to go to the Final after supporting Nija during the AF1 season.....
..Now for the final week....the AFMASUK rather overshadowed the final itself and by this time I was more engrossed in protesting for AFMASUK than concentrating on the Final....I could not watch the diary anymore without feeling betrayed....so much money was spent and on week 9 alone atleast 500 votes were sent for Farah and suddenly you have AFMASUK....no offence to Linda, though....she was not that bad a singer good but AFMASUK was terrible.... the student's percentage chart was not helping my nerve...and by friday that it was obvious that the best Farah could manage will be 3rd placing... Knowing her saturday voter quite strong, I was still hoping though not convinced that she will get 3rd place.....Her rendition of the new song " Tangisan Dalam Kerinduan " was fantastic and that "Skater boy" was professionally sang though not really giving that edge required for the final....
..I was shattered but looking back at her progress for the past 10 weeks , I have to say I was disappointed with AFMASUK rather than by her failure to be accordingly placed at the Top 3.
Moment to remember
1) Farah dapat ikan.." wang besar wang besar"
2) Farah lanyak Fitri sambil rambut dah kusut masai dan cakap" Aku nak makan nasi dgn sambal belacan"
3) Farah nangis ikan mati
4) Farah wrestling dgn Linda
5) Farah always conscious dgn bottom dia bila menari...well done girl
6)Farah dgn Johnny cakap Tamil
7) farah lap lap Adam
8) Farah ajar menari jerit mcm Cikgu Linda
9) Farah buat bubbling
10) Farah nangis ...datang bulan kot!!!hehehe
11) Gelak Farah ..ahakahakahak...
12) Gigi kapak Farah ( pinjam screw!!)
13) wardrope mulfunction masa lagu Bebas berlari...sexy tuuuuu
14) muka merah padam masa practise lagu "Mengapa"
15) Tangan terseliuh main bola
16) Tolong Mas nyanyi
17) buat aksi kung-fu dgn cikgu corrie
18) nyanyi dgn Ella lagu " Standing in the eyes of the world"
19) buat buat injured nak surprise cik gu Linda
20) hehehe...buat merajuk sampai terkencing RMS
21) sepak kaki Adam yang menggatal masa last friday kat bunglow
22) Farah tendang belon
23) farah di Imbasan....fantastic girl
24) Breep Breep.....
OK Farah....the stage is yours now..go for it girl....thanks for the memories and just be yourself .... I am not so sure whether this tribute to Farah or tribute to my stupidity...hehehe..
Farah ...I love you...tapi bukan cinta ingin memiliki mu tetapi cintakan bakat dan sikap mu...
Farah..kau dikatakan harus dewasa untuk mematangkan seni mu dan kedewasaan selalunya datang dengan cinta....hehehe..sekiranya kau memerlukan alat untuk mendewasakanmu..aku rela diperalatkan..hehehe..dan sudah kau matang dan tiada perlu menukar battery untuk alat tersebut..kau campak lah peralatan itu ke lombong sunway lagoon, aku redha ....ahak ahak ahak...
Akademi Fantasia - Escapism tool
The recently concluded Akademi Fantasia received mixed reaction in relation to the eventual winners and the overall concept of the TV Reality show.
I was one of those addicted to the show and willing to spend hardearned money to make sure my favourite singer, in this case Farah , to make sure that not only she made it to the final but most importantly to be accordingly placed in the Top 3. Well, she made it to the final, against all odds I should add, but narrowly missed on the Top 3 placing after being voted 4th best.
What or why was the reason for the AF addiction or the lure for ordinary malaysian to be glued to the show and committed to spend a lot of money to vote for their favourite singer. Some called it virus in reasoning the unprecedented mania for some 12 artist wannabes in this Akademi fantasia TV Reality show.
Perhaps the frenzy can be liken to some TV shows back in the 70's such as Peyton Place or Dallas that was well received or traditonal craziness for the Hindustan Movies and lets not forget the extend of one would go in supporting their favourite teams during World Cup Final. Perhaps, every decade experience a similar kind of reception towards a new TV show or events or occasion.
I would rather view the AF addiction as a way of 'escapism' among malaysian especially the Malays. Akademi fantasia or AF as its fondly known provides certain elements or means for playing to express certain things/actions that they can't do in their daily life.
First and foremost, AF students comprising diffferent characters and capability that reflects the normal malaysian aspiring to be a singer or searching for fame. The more sophisicated malaysian will be supportive to characters like Nana of AF1 or Fitri of AF2 or Adam regardless of their singing ability, those seriously inclined towards music will be more willing to support the like of Sahri, Rosma, Bob, Farah regardless of the so called deficiency in personality and perhaps underdog lovers by nature will support the like of Nija and Mas to ensure their love to see the odds trembling down will satisfy their egos and those of perfectionist will be rooting for the Khai, Vince and Zahid. Each student represent different characters that suit differents viewers and viewers then will embrace the student for being similar to them and characters and aspiration thus creating an undivided love and loyalty that further develop into fanatism or perhaps mania.
Secondly, the manner the AF was conducted in terms of the voting systems and elimination of student provides ordinary malaysian the chance to excercise their voting rights without fear or hesitation. In the real life, Malaysian hardly had the opportunity to express their voting rights without fear of the threats of ISA or OSA and so forth. Malaysian will play safe during election days to ensure the prosperity or the stable political environment to continue perhaps against their political wishes but in AF, those fears or hesitations removed and thus providing the malaysian a mean to express themselves in the real democracy manner and therefore more than willing to spend ridiculous amount of money for their favourite students.
Thirdly, AF provides the platform or mean the criticize or to support freely without having to look over your shoulder and this is something of a luxury in the daily day of the malaysian. Criticizing openly against the establishment in any walks of life will invite unwarranted respond from those in authority but in AF, those fear unfounded and therefore malaysian openly excercise their rights of freedom of speech to support or condemn their students or students of others.
This why 'escapism' is my choice of words to describe the addiction to AF or the virus of craziness towards the show.
I was one of those addicted to the show and willing to spend hardearned money to make sure my favourite singer, in this case Farah , to make sure that not only she made it to the final but most importantly to be accordingly placed in the Top 3. Well, she made it to the final, against all odds I should add, but narrowly missed on the Top 3 placing after being voted 4th best.
What or why was the reason for the AF addiction or the lure for ordinary malaysian to be glued to the show and committed to spend a lot of money to vote for their favourite singer. Some called it virus in reasoning the unprecedented mania for some 12 artist wannabes in this Akademi fantasia TV Reality show.
Perhaps the frenzy can be liken to some TV shows back in the 70's such as Peyton Place or Dallas that was well received or traditonal craziness for the Hindustan Movies and lets not forget the extend of one would go in supporting their favourite teams during World Cup Final. Perhaps, every decade experience a similar kind of reception towards a new TV show or events or occasion.
I would rather view the AF addiction as a way of 'escapism' among malaysian especially the Malays. Akademi fantasia or AF as its fondly known provides certain elements or means for playing to express certain things/actions that they can't do in their daily life.
First and foremost, AF students comprising diffferent characters and capability that reflects the normal malaysian aspiring to be a singer or searching for fame. The more sophisicated malaysian will be supportive to characters like Nana of AF1 or Fitri of AF2 or Adam regardless of their singing ability, those seriously inclined towards music will be more willing to support the like of Sahri, Rosma, Bob, Farah regardless of the so called deficiency in personality and perhaps underdog lovers by nature will support the like of Nija and Mas to ensure their love to see the odds trembling down will satisfy their egos and those of perfectionist will be rooting for the Khai, Vince and Zahid. Each student represent different characters that suit differents viewers and viewers then will embrace the student for being similar to them and characters and aspiration thus creating an undivided love and loyalty that further develop into fanatism or perhaps mania.
Secondly, the manner the AF was conducted in terms of the voting systems and elimination of student provides ordinary malaysian the chance to excercise their voting rights without fear or hesitation. In the real life, Malaysian hardly had the opportunity to express their voting rights without fear of the threats of ISA or OSA and so forth. Malaysian will play safe during election days to ensure the prosperity or the stable political environment to continue perhaps against their political wishes but in AF, those fears or hesitations removed and thus providing the malaysian a mean to express themselves in the real democracy manner and therefore more than willing to spend ridiculous amount of money for their favourite students.
Thirdly, AF provides the platform or mean the criticize or to support freely without having to look over your shoulder and this is something of a luxury in the daily day of the malaysian. Criticizing openly against the establishment in any walks of life will invite unwarranted respond from those in authority but in AF, those fear unfounded and therefore malaysian openly excercise their rights of freedom of speech to support or condemn their students or students of others.
This why 'escapism' is my choice of words to describe the addiction to AF or the virus of craziness towards the show.
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