Friday, 16 January 2009

Kehidupan saya di Flat Taman Melati, Setapak, KL

3 hari selepas berkahwin tahun 2006 dulu, saya terus pindah duduk di flat sewaan hubby semenjak dia bujang. Memang dulu saya mati-mati tak moh dok kat situ sbb rupanya buruk & rumah tu rasa macam kecik aje, hanya ada dua bilik. Terpaksa redha sbb hubby kata dia nak cari apartment untuk dibeli dengan kadar segera. Jadi kalau nak pindah, baik sekali jalan je. Jadi memula mmg terpaksa-rela & rasa macam tak standard (konon!) dok kat flat Taman Melati. Bukan flat Seri Wangi, ya! Flat ni hanya 5 tingkat, dan saya duduk tgkt kedua. Lokasi flat ni pulak agak strategik sbb dekat dgn stesen LRT Terminal Putra yg hanya 10 minit jer kalau jalan kaki dr rumah, ada banyak gerai makanan, dekat dgn kedai runcit & pasar malam, dekat dgn rumah mak saya (naik keta 3 mins jer).

Tup-tup dah nak masuk 3 tahun saya dok kat flat Taman Melati ni. Lelama dok situ, rasa macam ok pulak. Kawasan rumah saya ni berdepan dengan padang permainan dan banyak pokok2 besar. Jadi rumah saya sentiasa sejuk & redup. Lagi, flat ni agak private sbb pada satu tingkat hanya ada dua rumah saja yang mengadap satu sama lain. Jadi jiran saya hanya org depan rumah & makcik rumah bawah saja. Keadaan flat ni pulak agak tenang, tak bising dan tak ramai orang. Rata-rata orang balik rumah, terus dok dalam rumah diam2 dah tak kacau orang lain. Mat-mat rempit pun tak banyak preng-preng kat situ, maybe depa preng-preng tempat lain kot. Lagi lah aman flat saya.....Persatuan penduduk sini agak aktif, selalu jer ada mesyuarat, ada aktiviti2 (biasanya yg UMNO based lah).

Tapi duduk di flat ni memang banyak dugaannya. Pandangan saya, rata-rata orang yang duduk di flat ni berpendapatan sederhana atau rendah, dan mungkin juga tidak berpendidikan tinggi. Maafkan sekiranya menyinggung sesiapa yang terasa dengan generalisation saya ni. Tapi ada sebabnya kenapa saya kata begitu, dah banyak berlaku insiden yang tak menyenangkan kepada saya & hubby.

Keadaan kebersihan di sekitar flat ni agak menyedihkan. Ye lah, nama pun flat, mana ada maintenance service, mana ada Alam Flora sapu sampah kat tangga atau sapu daun-daun kat sekitarnya, walaupun bayar sewa mahal -RM450 sebulan. Jadi pakcik/makcik yg dh pencen & tinggal kat rumah bawahlah yg sapu pagi-pagi. Yg menggeramkan, adalah penghuni tak reti bahasa & tak belajar sivik, sukati mak bapaknya saja, buang sampah direct dr tingkap rumah diaorg, jatuh ke bawah. Lagi, tak ajar anak-anak mereka jangan buang sampah keluar tingkap, selalu la bila jalan kat bawah saya jumpa sebelah kasut baby, anak patung, tisu, kertas, plastik, macam2 lah. Memang la kena lalu jalan situ jer pun, takder jalan lain daa....

Yang lagi kurang ajar, bila depa sapu sampah kat atas, selamba jer buang kat bawah, berkumpal kat depan rumah saya & tangga tingkat saya. Memang tau sampah tu disapu kebawah jer sbb pernah saya tengah menyapu tangga, orang atas sapu sampah dan dengan selambanya tolak sampah tu ke bawah & debu-debu terkena atas kepala saya. Masa tu sempat la saya jerit "oi!". Apa kurang ajar sangat depa ni, rumah sendiri bersih sbb sampah buang kat rumah org. Apa salahnya guna scoop utk buang sampah tu. Saya pun reti gak sapu-sapu sampah depan rumah & dkt tangga & guna scoop utk kaut sampah tu. Bukannya saya tolak sampah ke bawah. Kalau ikut hati nak je saya buang sampah kat rumah org atas!! Biar dia tau apa rasanya. Buang masa saya jer kalau buat pun...Nanti dia tolak balik jer sampah tuh ke bawah. Dah settle masalah dia. Memang boleh agak la mentaliti orang yang dok kat flat ni sbb ikut generalisation saya yg kat atas tadi. Yang penting, saya jangan jadi dangkal pemikiran macam depa yang buat benda macam nih...

Lagi, orang yang directly atas rumah saya nih suka buang barang di bahagian dapur luar saya samada secara sengaja atau tidak sengaja, saya pun tak tau. Memang ada bumbung atas dapur luar rumah saya yang memisahkan saya dengan orang atas, tapi dah terkopak sbb Mami dok lalu lalang kat situ. Kejadian berlaku di para kat dapur luar di mana tempat ni saya buat letak penyapu jer & ada seperate sink untuk basuh pinggan, semua masak-memasak dalam rumah. Jadi memula, ada kaftan yang terjatuh kat para tuh. So saya buat dek jer la sbb orang atas pun tak mintak balik kaftan tu. Lantak kau lah, sapa suruh tak sepit baju bila jemur kat tingkat atas kan...? Kalau nak datang la mintak. Agaknya memang dia dah tak nak kaftan tu sbb berbulan benda alah tu tersadai kat tempat yang sama, saya tak alihkan pun.

Insiden kedua pulak, ada spender budak kecik yang masih lagi bergulung (EEUUWWW!!!!) jatuh atas para saya. Yang ni membuatkan saya fikir bahawa kejadian "membuang" pakaian ini bukannya tak sengaja. Saya dah tak boleh bersabar lagi & amik spender tu terus buang dalam tong sampah. Takde masa nak pulangkan balik. I can play silent wars too....lepas tu ada lagi kaftan jatuh and sebelah stokin jatuh/buang. Saya cuma alihkan ketepi supaya tak ganggu penyapu2 saya. Latest incident, rasanya dalam bulan lepas, atas penyapu2 saya ada beberapa sampah dibuang ke bawah iaitu 2-3 tisu bergumpalan, kertas and plastik. "Tuyuk! Paloi! Sik sekolah!". Saya alihkan penyapu saya ketepi supaya lepas ni apa2 barang yang jatuh/buang terus jatuh kat para bawah. Lantak korang lah nak buang apa2 pun lepas ni...

Ada lagi la macam2 kejadian yang terjadi & malas saya nak fikir & cerita, kalau tak lagi sakit jiwa. Bukannya saya tak nak pindah dari tempat ni, memang saya nak! Cuma proses pembelian apartment di Danau Kota tu lambat sikit, makan masa dekat setahun sbb owner dah migrate ke UK. Lagi lawyer owner buat lembap aja, kami baru dapat strata title bulan Disember 2008. Kunci sampai sekarang belum dapat lagi. Owner tak nak kami duduk lagi rumah tu sbb loan bank belum release, tp dah lama lulus. So harap-harap boleh dapat kunci rumah pada Feb 2009 & boleh pindah secepat mungkin!!!

Thursday, 15 January 2009

Domestic vs Overseas Traveling

In order to cheer myself up from my bouts of boredom, I been doing some homework on my next getaway - Taman Negara. Not sure why I'm pursuing this destination with fervor. I guess its time for me to go there, this is the year where I will have to go to Taman Negara. Or so I thought, before I did my internet research on it. The fullboard packages not inclusive meals are about RM300 or more, if include activities like nite trekking, canopy walk, shooting rapids, add a few hundred ringgits more. Plus other compulsory expenses like boat transfer from Kuala Tembeling to Kuala Tahan will cost you RM50, each way. If you are taking a bus, then it will cost you about RM140 for return fare. If you are driving, then the toll and petrol costs would be more. So for one person to go to Taman Negara taking a fullboard package with activities, and inclusive of traveling (boat, bus cost) will easily set you back at RM700. Oh man....

Domestic traveling is not cheap! And my definition of cheap for domestic traveling is anything below RM300 to spend on a person for traveling expenses - accommodation, food and ground handling, not inclusive of shopping which will be another cost. Anyway, I do realise with such meager amount allocated for my getaway/holiday/vacation or whatever you may call it, I can't do five star treatment in this time of economic uncertainties. Economy may be down for now, but hotel prices and food costs are still up. There may be some price reduction in the tourism services but I doubt it will be significant in terms of traveling. So, with that budget it'll be lodging in budget motels (RM50 per night) and gerai food for 3D/2N.

The cost of traveling domestic is the same or at time more expansive than overseas traveling, and we are talking about short haul destinations like Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, etc. Case in point: my trip to Bali in Jan 2008 costs about RM750 - which was RM300 for flight and RM450 for fullboard package per pax - inclusive 3 star accommodation, meals, tours with guide and van. It would have been cheaper if we managed to book the Air Asia zero fares flight which will cost about RM150 only to Bali. But then we have booked the flight early (July 2007), so to pay the tour package is not so taxing on us. Another case : Kamilia told me that she paid about RM500 to travel to Bangkok, which included flight, hotel, meals and tours which she went in 2004. With that much and you can travel overseas!

Some comparison for domestic vs overseas traveling:

Domestic Travel
1. Not necessarily cheaper - the popular destinations are quite pricey expecially if you intend to stay in 4-5 star hotels. My costing would have to be double if I bring my other half.
2. Know your product! Get the chance to go up close with tourism products around Malaysia, and get yourself educated with our unique selling points - ecotourism (eg Taman Negara), homestays (eg Banghuris), heritage, etc.
3. Accessiblility - can travel by car, air or sea, anytime (except monsoon season for Pantai Timur area).
4. Culture and language - share same language and understand culture of the
Overseas/International Travel
1. Cost is a factor, and airline ticket is the bulk of traveling expense. So careful planning must be needed to organize your money and travel itinerary. Apart from the obvious expenses like flight, accommodation, food and ground handling (transportation), be sure to spare some for unforseen circumstances like ticket to enter into certain tourist destination (sometimes not included in package), tipping for driver/tour guide, porterage in hotel/airport or airport tax (eg IDR100,000 to exit Indonesia).
2. Take advantage of MAS/Air Asia's promotion camapaigns. Book flight ticket first, then lookout for MATTA Travel Fairs (normally held in March and September) for discounted packages.
3. Do some homework on the destination that you are going to - in order to enjoy fully the destination and whatever info passed by the tour guide. Maximum exposure!
4. Culture & language may be a barrier, especially in non english speaking country.
Even if you want to travel domestic must have some planning and much disposable income. Now I'm thinking twice about Taman Negara unless I get a really good promo during MATTA Fair...

Tuesday, 13 January 2009

Have you ever had one of those days..?

When you feel so lethargic and you feel like sleeping it off?
When whatever you eat doesn't satisfy your appetite?
When people irritate you and you don't find their jokes funny?
When you are not thinking on your feet and make stupid mistakes?
When whatver you do takes forever to complete and doesn't seem right?

Today was the day that I feel this way, out of sorts;
I don't know what's bugging me;
It's very hard to put down in words;
Tonight I'll just sleep it off;
Hopefully tomorrow will be better, and I will be more energetic....

Monday, 12 January 2009

Two things today....

In the course of my work, there were two things that caught my attention today:

1. Festival Nasi Seratus
Just received a copy of the calendar of events for tourism activities in 2009. One event that particularly interested me is the Festival Nasi Seratus that will be organize in Kelantan from 20 - 22 March 2009. Venue still TBA. This festival basically bring together every known and unknown rice related dishes all over Malaysia such as nasi lemak, nasi beriani, nasi tumpang, nasi kelongsong, etc. Check out about this festival here. Asked mum to go with me to sample the different variations of rice, but she was unable to due to future commitments. Am bummed.

2. Tourist Arrival for 2008
Malaysia reached it's all time high for tourist arrival at 22.05million, thus surpassing it's target of 22.0million tourists for the year of 2008. Tourism Malaysia deserved a pat in the back, but that doesn't mean that they should be resting on their laurels after this achievement. This year's target for tourist arrivals is 20.0million as announced by DPM after the Cabinet Committee for Tourism. Tourism Minister is giving emphasis on ecotourism and youth tourism. So the job's cut out for this year, hope Tourism Malaysia can do a good job as well...chaiyo, chaiyo!

Saturday, 10 January 2009

Facts & Quirks

Got tagged from my school friend, Salfaryna, who was in school together with me from 1991 - 1993 in Sultanah Asma School, Alor Setar, Kedah. So here are the rules:

Facts & Quirks
1. List these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog.
3. Tell 6 unspectacular quirks of yours.
4. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
5. Link the person who tagged you.
6. Leave a comment for each blogger.


7 FACTS ABOUT ME

1. I'm 31 years old female;
2. Second child from 4 siblings, of which I am the eldest daughter;
3. Owns my first ever car, a silver Proton Saga, which I bought June last year, after 5 years of working;
4. Worked in the tourism industry eventhough I'm not a graduate of tourism school and have been working there for 6 years and counting...
5. Loves cats...*
6. Loves food..*
7. Loves TV...*

* nampak sangat takde idea nak jawab nih...hehehe

6 QUIRKS ABOUT ME

1. Hates drinking coffee, but loves the smell of it;
2. Hates people who sneezes in my presence, believes that the germs will get to me;
3. Very the hentam keromo when cooking, never followed ingredients properly, just make do with what I have in the fridge;
4. Quite anal with having things in order before I start working on something i.e. must clean up my desk before doing actual work in the office;
5. Will only exercise only when I'm in the mood or inspired:p...aren't we all??
6. Spend a lot of my time at home being in front of the tv while multi tasking i.e. masak, basuh baju, lipat baju, etc...


Tag 7 persons

1. La Signora - a housewife with nothing better to do except entertaining Pancho and her never ending quest for kurus (aren't we all)
2. Noreez - another housewife with nothing better to do except entertaining Princess and occasionally cook up a mean laksa sarawak - hey, can give me recipe for mee kari??
3. Ash - who's waiting for her GRE result and have the cutest brother. Pretty soon we'll be calling her "Doctor, Phd"!!
4. Hynhar - living in the UK at the moment and a mother to 3 cute children, also a very passionate blogger and a decent chef, too!
5. Ziah - second child mommy to be and now enjoying her iPhone and new laptop;
6. Qirzah - the vivacious superboy living in Buenos Aires, and currently recuperating form his mysterious illness...
7. Sue - formemrly known as luvsal and hubby's officemate!

So people, you've been tagged!

Thursday, 8 January 2009

Laknat Israel, Help the Palestinians!!

Let us pray together and do what we can to alleviate the suffering of fellow Muslims in Gaza whom are now under attack from the Israelis. I urge all to do our part in boycotting Israeli goods such as Starbucks, Nokia, Tesco, Carrefour, Colgate, McDonald's (more list in link: Inmind UK and IslamOnline.net) and to contribute to any legible organizations, no matter how small your donation is. The important thing is we do something about it. Donations channels are as below:
NSTP FUND FOR GAZA
Donations to the fund, which will be open until Feb 7, will be handed to Wisma Putra to help the people of Gaza. To contribute to the NSTP Fund for Gaza, the public and corporations can do the following:

- Bank in or transfer money to Maybank account number 514105-320501 under the name "NSTP Fund for Gaza";
- Write cheques made payable to The New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd with the words "Fund for Gaza" written on the reverse side and send to NSTP, Balai Berita, 31, Jalan Riong, 59100 Kuala Lumpur; or
- Make cash donations to the cashier at NSTP, Balai Berita, 31 Jalan Riong, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur or any of the NSTP branch offices nationwide.

or

The Malaysian Red Crescent Society

MRCS will mobilize two Personnel in order to support the PRCS. They are one Medical Doctor - Dr. Hj Yahaya Abu Ahmad and Mr. Nasir Khan Abdul Rahman - Relief Personnel. Next team is ready to be deployed if the requirement or assistance required.

Currently, we are working closely with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to help in whatever way necessary.

Donors can sent cheques or cash to the following address:

Secretary General
Malaysian Red Crescent Society
National Headquarters
32, Jalan Nipah off Jalan Ampang
55000 Kuala Lumpur

Cheques should be made out to the “MRCS International Relief Fund” written at the back GAZA CITY or bank in into MRCS Account Maybank No – 5144 2210 2657. Donations to the MRCS are entitled to Tax –Exemption.

Tuesday, 6 January 2009

Eye Candy: Simon Baker

Pics courtesy of IMDB

Introduction

This is Simon Baker, Australian actor. He is the reason why I must be at home by 7pm nowadays, in order to catch his performance in AXN as the brilliant but stoic lawyer Nick Fallin in the series "The Guardian". He is currently starring in the new series "The Mentalist" as Patrick Jane, which is about a mentalist/clairvoyant turned private investigator to help police solve cases. Of course this series haven't hit Malaysia yet, but I'm looking out for the DVD release from the ever resourful DVD supplier, Raja.

Where Have I Seen Him Before?
You may have seen him in Devil Wears Prada, where he played Christian Thompson, the character who seduces Andy (Anne Hathaway). He was also in the movie "Sex & Death: 101" as the lead character Roderick Blank together with Winona Ryder. And for horror film fans, he starred in The Ring Two as Max Rourke. Hmmm...he always got nice name to go with his characters.

Reasons Why He's My Eye Candy:
Obvious talent (won Logie Award for Best new talent, and nominated for AFI and Golden Globe awards), intensity in potrayal of character, puppy eyes, golden locks, hot bod, and seemingly intelligent persona. Although he was formerly a brick layer. 'nuff said.

Updates for Jan 2009

Nothing much to write about. So I just summarize whatever I was thinking about these past few days:

1. Writing Project
Am now helping Fezin with his travelogue project by rallying round some friends from UIA, as he needs more articles to [ut inside. To date, he already received 10 articles from various writers and non-writers. Famous people like Faisal Tehrani and Saharil have contributed in the travelogue. I told Fezin that the others, including yours truly, are virtually unknown in the writing world, and he said "hey, it's the experience that counts!". If he doesn't have enough articles, this project may be canned. What a shame!

2. Movies
We, as in hubby and me, haven't been to the cinema in a long, long time. I can't even remember what was the last movie we saw together, but I think it may be sometime in August 2008. I been entertaining myself with DVDs. There are lots of interesting movies around like "The Twilight" (maybe just catch the DVD), "The Spirit" (my colleagues said it's stupid, but Ash seemed to like it!), "Australia" (I love Nicole Kidman, but her British accent in the movie sounds more Australian than British).

3. Exercise
After reading "He Loves Lucy", about an advertising exec who gets to slim down in reality tv, I was inspired to do a bit of exercise myself. Haven't exercised in ages. I promised myslef that once I bought my car, I would be able to exercise by going back early and go jogging in a nearby park around my housing. Never got round to it. So last night I did some yoga, just the basic breathing exercise plus some yoga movements like cobra stretch, sun pose, seated sun pose, baby pose, etc. None of that hanky panky chantings. Seemed that I did sweat quite a lot during yoga, means I'm burning calorie. But yoga is more warm up for me, I still need to do some cardio exercise. Didn't have my Kathy Smith Kickboxing DVD, instead I ended up dancing to JLo's videoclip!!

4. Work
Still doing that report which is due by end of this week, then it's going to be presented to a focus group and finally the Management for approval. If everything goes well, by March 2009 we will start with a new study on tourists dispersion throughout Malaysia. That means visiting some tourists attractions around Malaysia. Yay! Can't wait. Other news on office, my Director's been changed again. It's been 3 Directors changed within 4 months of me working there. When will this stop??

5. Going away
First going away project of the year is during CNY, which is about 4 days, and we are going back to Rompin. I know it's my kampung but it's been ages since last I went back. Can't wait to go back for nasi dagang for breakfast, singgang fior lunch, keropok lekor for tea and eating out for dinner! Other projects in the pipeline: possible going to Paka for Ms Fantaghiro's birthday late March, Taman Negara trip in May and Taiping Zoo's Night Safari by end of the year.

That's all for updates today...

Sunday, 4 January 2009

My Favourite Views of Kuching

Managed to upload some photos from my last trip to Kuching sometime late November. Pictures taken on my last day in Kuching when I took a walk around Kuching from Holiday Inn, pass by the Main Bazaar, to Bangunan Yayasan Sarawak and the carpark behind for a mee kolok. Walk again till Satok and turn around back to hotel before catching my flight in the afternoon.

Bangunan Yayasan Sarawak on the left hand side of the pic, with the foodcourt behind in yellow building. Also, Masjid Jamek on top of a little hill at the end of the road.

Bot penambang and the Sarawak river


Rajah Brooke monument in front of the Waterfront



The Indian Mosque Lane or Jalan Masjid India.
I met Anita Sarawak once in 1995 browsing inside one of the textile shops, with her then husband the guy from the Commodore group. She still had long black hair, Cleopatra style, complete with heavy bangs in front. She had on a smart suit with a very short skirt and long legs....still young and beautiful at that time...

Used to be my favourite shopping haunts, and still it hadn't changed. As if time stood still in Kuching, all the things same like 13 years ago.


I cannot believe that this bus service still exists!! The bus I took from home in Petra Jaya to go to tuition center behind Hilton Hotel and I'd walk quite a bit from the bus terminal.

And voila! Hopoh Shooping center still exist! My mum hated this shopping centre back then because it's so lousy...this pic is for u mum!

My tuition are behind Hilton Hotel...love this view as it is normally very peaceful and serene...not many cars around..

And my tuition centre, which has now been transformed to the Pinnacle Kuching Lodge. Last time, there used to be a bar instead of 7 Eleven beneath my tuition. There still exist the big wooden door which served as the entrance to the bar from the side of the building by the stairs...was shocked to see this changed coz I always tell my friends that my tuition centre is on top of a bar hehe

Thursday, 1 January 2009

WELCOME 2009!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL AND MAY GOD GIVE US THE STRENGTH AND RESOURCES TO FULFILL OUR NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS!!

My new year's resolution: To enjoy life to the fullest and execute my travel plans as best as I can...

Tuesday, 30 December 2008

Happy Birthday, Master G!

Today's his 28th birthday. He's my neighbour in the next cubicle. A monkey who likes to play pranks on me i.e. lower my seat down while I'm sitting on it, throwing a toy lizard around. Always pretending that he wanted to ask me a question but in reality he just wanted to pull that prank on me! Thank God I'm unpreturbed at the lizard thingy.

Anyway, happy birthday, Monkey!

Monday, 29 December 2008

Played the Hookey

Today woke up late. Reason being I couldn't get up on time as last night slept quite late around 2.30pm because we reached home at 1.30am last nite travelling from Batu Pahat.

Arrived at office 7 minutes to 10am. My Immediate Boss was not around, she's on leave to get PMR result for her son. Went to breakfast with Aza de Kaza at the 32nd floor pantry. After breakfast, both Aza and I mengadap another boss for comments on our study report. By the time we finished our short discussion, it was already 12pm. Our brains were jammed. We went out aound 12.30pm to get a bite to eat at the delicious nasi ayam hailam at Ampang Point area with Aza. She's the food expert, knows a lot of good places to eat. After lunch we ambled on to Habib Jewela, looking for the pearl earrings which were on promotion priced at RM49 per pair. Out of stock, too bad. Went to Ampang Point across the street, spent RM167 at AJ's textile, bought some materials for blouse, baju kurung and hubby's baju melayu for hari raya. Time: 2.00pm. Continued our journey to Mei Yin, the tailor to pickup my baju kurung batik. Had to endure her lecture on MLM, Aza fell asleep on her couch. Paid for the baju - RM190 for two pairs of baju kurung batik sutera with lining. Head back to office. Time reached the office: 4.30pm. Continue to read thru my emails. Zaidi from Frankfurt office buzzed me. We started to chat online with some other colleagues on the internal communicator. Catch up on office gossip, today's hot story are some colleague's posting to overseas. More news on the grapevine than anything concrete, really. More speculation on the posting with other colleagues in the office. They tell their version of the gossip, and we speculate some more. Time: 5.30pm. Oh hey, it's time to go home already. I haven't done anything productive today, apart from this morning's discussion. But as Aza always say at the end of a working day, "Ini semua duniawi"....so I pack up my bags to leave and flashed out of the office.

And that's how I played the hookey today......Tomorrow is another day, maybe I'll behave tomorrow!!

Sunday, 28 December 2008

Parenting 101: Discipline

What is it with parents nowadays?

They give in to their children so easily, which resulted in spoiled and/or rotten behaviour. They whine for hours or throw tantrum at their own disposal when their wants (not needs) are not fullfilled. This is my observation based on some people's kids that I knew. I've nothing against them but sometimes I've just had enough of them, and in my mind, I'd find ways to torture them i.e. tempeleng sampai bodo (slap 'em silly, get it?!!), bang their heads on the wall and/or bind them with cellophane tape. These are just results of an over-imaginative mind plus sakit hati and jiwa at having to bear with screaming kids, at which their parents do nothing about to shush them. I think that fact makes me more sakit hati than the screaming kids themselves. I mean, kids are kids. The parents have to teach them what's right or wrong, the can or can't do, all the right stuff, etc.

My mum always said: I'm your mother, not your friend. Thus, it implies that you need to treat your parents with respect and there should be some boundary as to which a person should behave towards their parents. Don't treat them like your friend - when you don't feel like talking, you just ignore them.

It is said in Islam that when a child is born, his/her heart is pure like a white cloth. Then it is up to the parents to shape/color it any way that they see fit. The problem is that when a child is not properly disciplined then they would behave or do something inappropriate and get away with it because their parents have gone "soft" on the child and would not be able to punish them accordingly. Discipline must start from a young age, it is impossible to instill it once your child have grown up. Children have to learn conditional learning (this is Intro to Psychology), when they do something bad, then the parents reproach or scold them accordingly. In time they will learn that the particular behaviour is unaccaptable or bad. Makes me think hard about rearing kids if I can't do it properly, if they should end up being a nuisance to other people. Being parents, normally they would be oblivious to their child's fault and would only think that their child is the more angelic than others.

Maybe we should make parenting class compulsory to all parents.....

Oh well, what do I know......I'm not a parent yet. I just pray to God that my child doesn't turn out to be a brat and that I wouldn't be so oblivious to his/her fault and that I would have the strength to discipline them. Amin.

Trip down memory lane: Kedah

Last trip to Kedah with the in laws brought back nostalgia, especially when passing thru the paddy fields. Its amazing to see that paddy grows everywhere - by the highway, the roadside, between houses, in front of the new Kedah stadium where there's a bit of land, there's a patch of paddy field. I didn't think that I'd missed the paddy field scenery with all the greens, so soothing and calming to the eyes and mind, but I did. It's like you don't know what you got till its gone, same like the paddy field scenery that I always took for granted when I was living in Kedah back in 1991-1993.
Paddy field taken in the Gunung Keriang area


A lone house in the middle of paddy field
Other trees flourish at the paddy field
Cows by the roadside, they moved when we honked

Discovery: Jamban zaman P.Ramlee teehehe

Lagi...kalau dengar lagu bola penyokong hijau kuning mesti bersemangat jer....

Yakinkanlah diri sendiri
Berjuanglah sejiwa murni
Tekun berani sesungguh hati
Demi sukan mengharung negeri
Biar jasa jadi kenangan
Hijau Kuning lambang kemegahan
Jelapang Padi tempat sanjungan
Negeri Kedah Darul Aman
Kedah, Kedah pantang kalah
Walau sakit jatuh dan rebah
Bangun lantas semula gagah
Bajur lalu melintang patah
Hijau Kuning tanahku
Darul Aman negeriku
Hijau kuning darahku
Negeri Kedah negeriku
Kedah, Kedah pantang kalah
Walau sakit jatuh dan rebah
Bangun lantas semula gagah
Bajur lalu melintang patah
Hijau Kuning tanahku
Darul Aman negeriku
Hijau Kuning darahku
Negeri Kedah negeriku
Negeri Kedah negeriku

Saturday, 27 December 2008

Ahlan wa sahlan 1430H..

Muharam merupakan bulan pertama dalam Sistem Kalendar Islam (Hijriah) yang membawa makna 'diharamkan' dimana Allah swt melarang umat Islam melakukan keganasan dan peperangan serta pertumpahan darah. Menurut Ibnu Abbas r.anhuma, sejak zaman nabi Ibrahim a.s telah diharamkan peperangan dan pertumpahan darah dalam bulan-bulan haram iaitu bulan DzulHijjah, Dzul Qaedah, Rejab dan bagi bulan Muharam pula sebab nya adalah didalam bulan tersebut umat Islam yang mengerjakan ibadat haji akan kembali ketempat masing-masing dan larangan itu bertujuan supaya jemaah haji yang mengerjakan haji akan merasa aman terhadap keselamatan diri masing-masing dari mula mereka meninggalkan rumah sehinggalah mereka kembali semula selepas menunaikan ibadat haji tersebut. Namun demikian larangan tersebut telah ditamatkan setelah pembukaan Makkah (Al-Baqarah: 91).

Rasulullah saw telah menamakan bulan Muharam sebagai bulan ALLAH (shahrullahi), dinamakan bulan ALLAH lantaran kemulian dan kelebihan bulan ini. Daripada Al-Hassan Al-Basry rahimullah "sesungguhnya Allah telah membuka lembaran Tahun baru didalam takwim Islam dengan bulan Muharam. Tidaklah kedapatan bulan yang lebih mulia didalam takwim Islam disisi Allah selepas bulan Ramadhan melainkan Muharram yang terkhas disebabkan kehormatannya".

Doa Awal Tahun & Doa Akhir Tahun

Barangsiapa yang membaca doa awal tahun ini, insya Allah dirinya akan terpelihara daripada gangguan dan godaan syaitan di sepanjang tahun tersebut.

Doa Awal Tahun:

Maksudnya:

Allah SWT berselawat ke atas penghulu kami Muhammad SAW, ahli keluarga dan sahabat-sahabat baginda dan kesejahteraan ke atas mereka.

Wahai Tuhan, Engkaulah yang kekal abadi, yang qadim. yang awal dan ke atas kelebihanMu yang besar dan kemurahanMu yang melimpah dan ini adalah tahun baru yang telah muncul di hadapan kami. Kami memohon pemeliharaan dariMu di sepanjang tahun ini dari syaitan dan pembantu-pembantunya dan tentera-tenteranya dan juga pertolongan terhadap diri yang diperintahkan melakukan kejahatan dan usaha yang mendekatkanku kepadaMu Wahai Tuhan Yang Maha Agung dan Maha Mulia.

Wahai Tuhan Yang Maha pengasih dari mereka yang mengasihi dan Allah berselawat ke atas penghulu kami Muhammad. Nabi yang ummi dan ke atas ahli keluarga dan sahabat-sahabatnya dan kesejahteraan ke atas mereka.

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Barangsiapa yang membaca doa akhir tahun ini, maka syaitan akan berkata:
"Hampalah kami di sepanjang tahun ini".

Doa Akhir Tahun:Maksudnya:

Allah SWT berselawat ke atas penghulu kami Muhammad SAW, ahli keluarga dan sahabat-sahabat baginda dan kesejahteraan ke atas mereka.

Wahai Tuhan, apa yang telah aku lakukan dalam tahun ini daripada perkara-perkara yang Engkau tegah daripada aku melakukannya dan aku belum bertaubat daripadanya. Sedangkan Engkau tidak redha dan tidak melupakannya. Dan aku telah melakukannya di dalam keadaan di mana Engkau berupaya untuk menghukumku, tetapi Engkau mengilhamkanku dengan taubat selepas keberanianku melakukan dosa-dosa itu semuanya. Sesungguhnya aku memohon keampunanMu, maka ampunilah aku. Dan tidaklah aku melakukan yang demikian daripada apa yang Engkau redhainya dan Engkau menjanjikanku dengan pahala atas yang sedemikian itu. Maka aku memohon kepadaMu.

Wahai Tuhan! Wahai yang Maha Pemurah! Wahai Yang Maha Agung dan wahai Yang Maha Mulia agar Engkau menerima taubat itu dariku dan janganlah Engkau menghampakan harapanku kepadaMu Wahai Yang Maha Pemurah. Dan Allah berselawat ke atas penghulu kami Muhammad, ke atas ahli keluarga dan sahabat-sahabatnya dan mengurniakan kesejahteraan ke atas mereka.

Doa akhir tahun dibaca 3 kali pada akhir waktu Asar atau sebelum masuk waktu Maghrib pada akhir bulan Zulhijjah.

Sesiapa yang membaca doa ini, syaitan berkata:
"Kesusahan bagiku dan sia-sialah pekerjaanku menggoda anak Adam pada setahun ini dan Allah binasakan aku satu saat jua. Dengan sebab membaca doa ini, Allah ampunkan dosanya setahun."

Peristiwa-peristiwa penting:
1 Muharam - Khalifah Umar Al-Khattab mula membuat penetapan kiraan bulan dalam Hijrah.
10 Muharam - Dinamakan juga hari 'Asyura'. Pada hari itu banyak terjadi peristiwa penting yang mencerminkan kegemilangan bagi perjuangan yang gigih dan tabah bagi menegakkan keadilah dan kebenaran.

Pada 10 Muharam juga telah berlaku:
Nabi Adam bertaubat kepada Allah.
Nabi Idris diangkat oleh Allah ke langit.
Nabi Nuh diselamatkan Allah keluar dari perahunya sesudah bumi ditenggelamkan selama enam bulan.
Nabi Ibrahim diselamatkan Allah dari pembakaran Raja Namrud.
Allah menurunkan kitab Taurat kepada Nabi Musa.
Nabi Yusuf dibebaskan dari penjara.
Penglihatan Nabi Yaakob yang kabur dipulihkkan Allah.
Nabi Ayub dipulihkan Allah dari penyakit kulit yang dideritainya.
Nabi Yunus selamat keluar dari perut ikan paus setelah berada di dalamnya selama 40 hari 40 malam.
Laut Merah terbelah dua untuk menyelamatkan Nabi Musa dan pengikutnya dari tentera Firaun.
Kesalahan Nabi Daud diampuni Allah.
Nabi Sulaiman dikurniakan Allah kerajaan yang besar.
Hari pertama Allah menciptakan alam.
Hari Pertama Allah menurunkan rahmat.
Hari pertama Allah menurunkan hujan.
Allah menjadikan 'Arasy.
Allah menjadikan Luh Mahfuz.
Allah menjadikan alam.
Allah menjadikan Malaikat Jibril.
Nabi Isa diangkat ke langit.

source:http://idanatrah.fotopages.com/?entry=1403803