Yeay!

"Now there are more overweight people in the world than average-weight people. So overweight people are now average… which means, you have met your New Year's resolution."
-Jay Leno.

Really? Yeay!

The Last Weekend of 2007

Time Flies. It's going to be 2008 soon. Just what have I been up to in the last weekend of 2007?

i. Saturday - The plan was to attend the book reading session in Bangsar and finally to meet and get my Growing Up in Trengganu signed by the author Awang Goneng. But I didn't tell a soul of my intended plan. Not even to the wife. Because I just don't want to get my hope high only to be dashed by some last minute thingy. And true to form, I was stuck in the office until late evening on Saturday. Sigh! Its year end where everybody go for a holiday and be merry. And I couldn't even go to a book reading.

Awang Goneng and his better half Kak Teh

ii. Sunday - Daughters said they need to buy more school stuff - seperti bags, tudungs and all. Drove them to Summit USJ, had lunch and followed them up and down the shopping complex. The truth is that both the wife and yours truly do not enjoy shopping with the girls anymore....too much walking around aimlessly. Window shopping. Exhausted, we went back home just in time before Zohor habis. So after Asr, with body aching all over, climbed onto the bed and was snoring away soon after. A couple of minutes later, Arissa woke me up and shoved my ringing cellphone. Naturally I was startled big time. Saw the caller's name: Samantha (hehehe). And I groggily answered the call. (Btw, Samantha is one of my bestest and sweetest friends - but she speaks very loud - quite a lethal combination kan .. sweet and loud!). She informed that she's with Awang Goneng and Kak Teh in Bangsar Village at that moment (they are her good friends masa kat London dulu) and perhaps knowing that how I long for a signed book by AG, she offered to buy me the book kat MPH and have it signed. Now, isn't that sweet? And then she passed the phone to Kak Teh. I was then trying desperately to snap out of my grogginess and sound clever at the same time. Because I look up to well-known writers/bloggers like Kak Teh in a similar fashion like my daughters look up to..er.. Miley Cyrus, that was a real surreal moment for me. Mau tak surreal, tengah ting-tong terkejut dari tidur. After exchanging pleasantries, we hanged up. Then I hit my head onto the wall. Why oh why, didn't I request to speak to Awang Goneng himself? Anyway, just in case I didn't get to see both you in person, Terima Kasih AG and Kak Teh! That gesture means a world to me. And to you Wan, do come over for dinner as the Tiramisu's waiting! Bila nak balik KL lagi?

iii. Later that Sunday- As I was too hyped up to go back to sleep, I decided to pay a visit to the barber - nak potong rambut sikit. As I was preparing to leave, the wife tiba-tiba kelam-kabut nak ikut. I was going: "What for?" She responded: "Nak tumpang baca URTV free kat situ la!". Ooooh!

The Wisdom of Isa A.S

(I do believe this entry is rather appropriate for us Muslims to ponder upon - even more so during tis season where everybody are feeling jolly!)

The following sayings of Nabi Isa A.S from traditional Arabic sources are excerpted from Walk on Water, a book by Hamza Yusuf. Please note that the names in parentheses indicate the hadith scholar in whose collection the hadith is found.

i.
According to Ahmad, Prophet Isa A.S him was known to have said, "Virtuous action does not consist in doing good to someone who has done good to you -that is merely returning a favor. Virtuous action consists in doing good to those who have wronged you." (Imam Ahmad)

ii.
According to Malik b. Anas, Prophet Isa A.S, "Do not speak much without remembering God, for by doing so, you harden your hearts. Surely a hard heart is distant from God though you are unaware. Do not, like lords, look at the faults of others. Rather, like servants, look at your own faults. In truth, humanity is comprised of only two types, the afflicted and the sound. So show mercy to the afflicted, and praise God for well-being." (Imam Muwatta of Malik)

iii.
Once someone asked Prophet Isa A.S ,"How are you able to walk on water?" Prophet Isa replied, "With certainty." Then someone said, "But we also have certainty!" Prophet Isa then asked them, "Are stone, clay, and gold equal in your eyes?" They replied, "Certainly not!" Prophet Isa responded, "They are in mine." (Imam Ahmad)

iv.
Once Prophet Isa A.S met Iblis [Satan ]and Iblis said, "Is it not true that only what has been decreed will happen?" Prophet Isa replied, "That is true." Then Iblis said, "So throw yourself down from the top of this mountain, and let us see if you live or not!" Prophet Isa answered, "The servant does not test his master; rather, it is the master who tests his servant." (Imam Abu Na'im)

v.
Prophet Isa A.S said, "You will never obtain what you desire except through patience with what you despise." (Imam Al Ghazali)

vii.
Prophet Isa A.S , the son of Maryam, said, "God has given me the power to give life to the dead, sight to the blind, sound to the deaf; but He did not give me the power to heal the fool of his foolishness." (Imam Al- Razi)

(Hamza Yusuf is an American convert to Islam who studied for several years under leading scholars in the Muslim world. He is the co-founder of the Zaytuna Institute in California and has translated into modern English several classical Arabic texts and poems.)

Pantun Untuk Anda Semua

Kepada Sekelian Tuan-tuan dan Puan-Puan, Saudara Saudari Semua,

The New Year is coming! And the election is coming! The election is coming! I have stumbled upon a rather appropriate pantun for all of us. It goes like this:

Kalau Mencari Tempat Mandi

Pertama Teluk Kedua Pantai

Kalau Mencari Pemimpin Negeri

Pertama Elok Kedua Pandai.

Just a reminder:

The elok here refers to his or her "keperibadian" and "kejujuran" (not someone who has gone under the knife or has been injected with botox bagai and now she or he spots a brand new look.

And the pandai here refers not to those who are pandai only berkata-kata, pandai using a penyapu to sweep everything under the carpet, or pandai hiding behind ISA, the police and the mainstream media as and when it suits them... etc etc.

Okay? I'm going to work now. Bye!

(p.s: the pantun was apparently uttered by a certain menteri sometime in the 80s. As usual I ciplak it here lah!)

I'm floored. I'm confused. I'm humbled.

i.
I'm floored. This is such a delightful read. And when I grow up I want to write just like Awang Goneng and perhaps come out with my own GuIT (Growing Up in Temoh) too. That probably will never happen anyway. For one, I really can't recall a single momentous event ever while I was growing up. What a boring life!
Now can someone tell me how to get my book signed by Awang Goneng himself before he goes back to London? Anyone?

ii.
I'm confused. Till today I stilll can't figure out the police's (PDRM) priority. Or is it just me, er, simply being my not very clever self? These past weeks they merrily went on a "spree" of cleaning up the streets of Kuala Lumpur which suddenly were filled with sooo many bad Malaysians. Hmm, they must have been very busy. The thing is, what ever happen to Nurin's murder case? Any progress ker? Do let us know la ye? And please don't tell me there's no progress....

iii.
I'm humbled. My heart and doas are now with our brothers and sisters who are being hit by the floods in various part of the country. This is a dugaan Allah (one that I certainly could not imagine having to go through myself). At the time of writing this entry, it seems that the floods are getting worse especially in Pekan area. About 8000 people are stranded and the roads have been cut off. Now's the time to lend our helping hand. Those living in KL, please deliver your contributions to the Flood Relief Centre at Istana Pahang, Persiaran Raja Chulan, KL. Please contact Dato Nordin at 012-988-9149 or 012-900-7068.

Salam Aidil Adha

Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Adha.

Moga Amal Ibadat Kita Bertambah Baik

It's the tag thing!

Noting that I've had trouble coming up with topics for this blog, Fauziah Ismail had tag me. And here goes....

1. Name one person who made you laughed last night.
Aishah, my wife’s niece. One of the most “blur sotong” person I’ve ever met. And here she is. Maybe one of these days, I'll compile her quotable quotes.
2. What were you doing at 0800?
This is am, right? I was driving to work.
3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago?
Blog hopping.
4. What happened to you in 2006?
I moved to a new job in a new company. Now that 2008 is coming, I’m so ready to move on elsewhere. Any opening anywhere?
5. What was the last thing you said out loud?
Er, er no memory of that whatsoever. Sudah tua lor.
6. How many beverages did you have today?
I had air sirap in the afternoon, hot Milo and coffee during breaks and more air sirap for dinner. Diabetes, here I come.
7. What color is your hairbrush?
I don’t have one. Er, do I need one?
8. What was the last thing you paid for?
A “tapaued” Mee Rebus at Mydin for MIL.
9. Where were you last night?
In Ikea, Ikano Power Centre and The Curve. People watching and tengok lampu lip lap with my family, my MIL and my SIL’s family.

10. What color is your front door?
Dark brown – like the rest of my neighbours.
11. Where do you keep your change?
In a green mug on the dresser. In my pocket. In a car.
12. What’s the weather like today?
Can’t really tell. I was cooped up in the office all day from morning till around 8pm. Except when I went for lunch with Kamal and Raja. It was drizzling then.
13. What’s the best ice-cream flavor?
I like durian and jagung, But only from Wall’s. But if it is from Baskin Robbins – all of it.
14. What excites you?
The wife. Wink. Wink.
15. Do you want to cut your hair?
No
16. Are you over the age of 25?
Yes. And enjoying it.
17. Do you talk a lot?
Not really.
18. Do you watch the O.C.?
What’s an OC?
19. Do you know anyone named Steven?
Spielberg, Seagal, Gerrard. Can , aaa?
20. Do you make up your own words?
No. I’m not that clever.
21. Are you a jealous person?
Not really. I don’t know lar.
22. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘A’.
Ahmad Nawawi. He's my best buddy when I was in Form Five. I just managed to track him again after 15 years. That's me and him when we were 18.
23. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘K’.
Karaihanah. Another name from Form 5 days. After SPM never heard of her ever again. Almost 30 years ago.
24. Who’s the first person on your received call list?
My wife.
25. What does the last text message you received say?
“Rachel called you” from Hajar. It’s an office thing.
26. Do you chew on your straw?
Yes
27. Do you have curly hair?
No. Wavy yes.
28. Where’s the next place you’re going to?
InsyaAllah, Kuala Terengganu, sometimes in January. To visit the many places as mentioned in GUIT. And to visit my friend Ahmad Nawawi – he’s there now.
29. Who’s the rudest person in your life?
Ada a few but would rather not talk about it. Buat spoil mood jer.
30. What was the last thing you ate?
Mee Rebus. Yummy!
31. Will you get married in the future?
Ha ha ha. I better not answer this.
32. What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the past 2 weeks?

Haven’t been watching movies lately. Although apparently the wife has watched I Am Legend while the girls have seen Enchanted and The Golden Compass on their own. Kesian bapak, kena tinggal.
33. Is there anyone you like right now?

Yes. No need to answer that lah kan
34. When was the last time you did the dishes?

I try to do the dishes everyday. I like doing dishes. Boleh main air and sabun.
35. Are you currently depressed?

A bit. Solution would be money dropping from the sky.
36. Did you cry today?

Nooooo. Why would I?
37. Why did you answer and post this?

I want to. I have nothing better to do. I have nothing to blog.
38. Tag 5 people who would do this.

Shah - Why not? Indeed.

Pak Zawi - I know you owe us an entry on the bus ride experience from KLCC back to Amanputra Puchong, but what the heck, just do this one lar ye Pak.

Yone - Please do not stop blogging. Just do this one.

Anom - Lama tak dengar cerita. So blog this. And blog about Vientiane too. Please.

Yan - Oh, just do it!

Number 43

This bloke turns 43 today. Syukur Alhamdulillah di atas segala nikmat yang Allah pinjamkan selama ini. Amin. Ini juga peringatan bahawa ajal juga semakin menghampiri.

I'm still here but I haven't got a clue what to write lah

The above title could very well be my entire entry. Period. But I'm itching to write.. Let see, what's been happening in my life in recent weeks? Work is still .. er .. work.
Life at home could not be better. But the kids were stalking the Internet most of the time(hence the no show of postings here...yeah excuses!). But the wife and kids are in Lumut these past few days (will be there for a few more days). A kenduri to attend. And why am I here all alone? Oh Ya... I've got to go to work.
So life is pretty boring nowadays. I don't really watch the TV. Been missing so much so don't know what to watch anymore. Oh! Okay, I am following the The Amazing Race Asia Season 2. But that's pretty much it.
Oh yes! A few days ago I found myself at the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. After the meeting, I went down to its Kedai Koperasi DBP on the ground floor. The last time I was there (I mean the DBP bookstore) was when I was in Standard Five. I remembered I bought buku Hikayat Malim Deman then. That was how many years ago? Many many years ago lah. This time around, I bought this :

This is a collection of short stories (cerpen) by Pak Samad from 1944 till 1991. Can you imagine that!! And personally, I must say that I find that the first paragraph of the first cerpen (Seorang Pengail - published in Semangat Asia in 1944) is rather absorbing. I was hooked from thereon. It goes like this:
Siapa yang tidak susah pada masa ini? Sama ada negeri itu berperang atau tidak, rakyatnya tetap menghadapi sedikit sebanyak kesusahan.

(Just wondering if Pak Samad is to write that cerpen in 2007, would he change the "sama ada negeri itu berperang atau tidak" to ... er.. "sama ada negeri itu diperintah oleh bapak mertua atau anak menantu". Er, I'm just wondering, okay?)