again, I

If

2012-01-26T12:49:00.003+08:00

To Little Lief. Ibu Loves You.

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

-Rudyard Kipling

6+

2012-01-09T16:22:00.000+08:00

Because you're my sakinah, he said.
When asked why of all persons, me. Despite my fiery openness, he found peace with me.
Alhamdulillah ya Allah.

I'm the antithesis of a domesticated wife, and he's the not the archetypal husband.
Dysfunctional. Perfect.

And Isam sings to us our song:

This ain't a love song
This is a live song

Woman, u my equal, my wife
We be tight like
2 perfectly matching calligraphy lines
What drew us together
Doesn't conform to the laws of nature
It is written
There is only One opener for the lock of these things

We don't wanna build our house of earth, water and stone
But of wisdom, pure intentions, conversation
Compassionate action, with purity of heart
We might get somewhere, become light
Fast and burn like a candle, right
Intertwine, u give me peace of mind
I cloak u and u cloak me
Responsible I feel with honesty
Between us God has put affection and mercy
Praised be He who created u
Cuz all I see in u is beautiful

My dearest
I adore you like the most beautiful shooting star in the sky
And when I feel alone I know that you understand me
I know that you comprehend me
I'm looking for comfort in your smile
Let's hurry, follow me
'Cuz I've always seen myself old and aged
My children grown up, grandchildren by my side
And the moonlight has revealed
That your heart beats for me
And it has always been like that
I've practised what to say many times
When God is willing
We'll stand face to face
That will be the moment to put a spell on you
If only I could slide into your eyes
If only you would see through the past
If only I don't have to pay for my peculiarities
I'll dedicate my life to you
Even after death will separate us

Most definitely in our love are signs of knowledge
Every dime I spend on you
Is worth more than what I spend on the poor
See patience is the best key to happiness
Continuous, satisfaction, pearls wanna be like u
Intertwine, u are my Sakeena

You protect me and I protect u
Scientifically we be deeper than Al-kindi
Between us God has put affection and mercy

We going 6 years strong
With no sign of REGRET
With each year we gain in force with ups and downs of course
And thank God, my son was born without complications
my love to you is unconditional
Not limited by typical Bollywood scenarios
Or by statistics when problems occur we leave
'Cause I know t u?ll stay till I no longer will breathe
Or if I'm crippled, blinded or anything else
I know I can rely on u helping my every step
Love is not just limited to butterflies and sex
It's to recognise and respect each others intellects
Lots of regrets many things we shouldn't have said and done
But that's just part of our journey and it's just begun
Define beauty 'cause one day looks will fade
But a beautiful mind still be young at an old age
And I know it's hard me being away for so long
But I respect u so much for being so strong
I remember U being pregnant going to school
Cooking food taking care of the whole house
All in one something a man could never do no doubt
So I thank my mother for the day she brought us together
And I pray for our reunion in the afterlife forever

Woman, u my equal, my wife
We be tight like
2 perfectly matching calligraphy lines
What drew us together
Doesn't conform to the laws of nature
It is written
There is only One opener for the lock of these things

Right. Two weeks is too long for some people.
Us. :)

hati yang merasa

2012-01-06T11:39:00.003+08:00

Dia mengendong anaknya, danberdiri patuh menunggu. Mahkamah: tempat asing untuk kanak-kanak, apatahlagi untuk bayi yang masih merah, digendong lembut ibunya dalam kain lampinkusam. Apabila giliran dan namanya dipanggil, dia memandang ke kiri dan kekanan untuk sesiapa memegang bayinya itu sementara dia disoal hakim.

Itulah kali pertama saya berjumpa dengannya.

Tangannya tidak digari seperti banduan lain, untukmemudahkan dia mendukung anaknya, tapi pergerakannya masih terbatas. Sorotanmata-mata yang memandang lebih banyak membatas daripada gerigi besi. Itu diatahu.

Katanya anaknya dilahirkan di dalam penjara.

Bila ditanya apakah perkerjaannya, dia menjawab kepada saya as a matter of fact:

“Ayam. Aku ni seorang Ayam”.

Naifnya saya ketika itu tidak tahu apa yang dia maksudkansehinggalah dia bercerita lanjut, mungkin disebabkan latah wajah saya yangmelampau: “Aku melacur diri”.

Nota ringkas saya ambil. Umurnya muda, baru 24. Wajahnyanampak lebih tua dari angka usianya. Ceritanya lagi, bukan sekali dua. Tetapiselama dia mula mempunyai ingatan dia telah mula melacur. Semenjak kecil? Tentudia dirogol. Saya catatkan untuk poin mitigasi rayuan. Sejak bila kau jadidemikian?

Senyumnya kelat “sebelum aku boleh berlari”

Saya kira kalau dia boleh melarikan diri, dia tentu bolehmeninggalkan kerjanya, tetapi dia menggeleng “Itu sahaja benda yang aku tahubuat”.

“Kerja senang, tapi selalu sakit. Dan ini-“ sambilmenunjukkan anaknya “bahana bila pelanggan degil memakai ‘getah’.” Masihdikucupnya bayi yang kasihan itu.

Soal saya bagaimana dia ditangkap, katanya:

“Aku ditangkap dengan seorang budak sekolah”

Kesnya bersambung pada tarikh lain. Entah ujian makmal apapula yang belum siap.

Dia dibawa pergi, sambil diciumnya anak kecilnyabertalu-talu.

wishful drink

2011-12-23T15:47:00.003+08:00

She is a woman in her early sixties.

Haughty, withoutapology. She made sure that her house is clean, spic and span, her kitchenimmaculate and she will have no excuse for her (now grand)children’ssloppiness. She believes in discipline, as her years enduring the toughestnursing career had shaped her.

I was having lunch with her when I brought the bowl of riceto her plate, while she demanded her glass of water She wasn’t even beginningto eat when she scowled. “You know my son Joe will never forget my drink.”

“How do you expect me to eat if there’s no drink?”

“Do you want me to choke?”

I felt clumsy . And inefficient.

She continued to fuss about it, threatening to noteat at all. I had no notion of hinting to her that I was just a visitor, justfinalizing some legal documents and still I was subjected to her wrath. But Isaid nothing and brought her glass of water. Then she began telling me years ofgood upbringing had weaved her Joe to become a gentleman that he is, foreverputting her as his first priority. I sat, listening and slowly munching mylunch. It felt like a stale bread.

Then dinner came.

Her four children joined us for dinner. Being a guest, andwith that I afforded myself with not doing anything, while her children busiedthemselves manning the dining room. They helped themselves with curry, saladsand then they sat down for dinner. We were beginning to eat when the old ladyraised her voice the first time in the evening “Where’s my glass of water?”-

No one remembered her. Not even Joe.

Joe studied his mother, hesitantly motioned her sister topass the jug of water to the matriarch. She sat still, unknowing of what to dowith her own expectation of her children. Still she had to take her own glassfrom the kitchen cabinet.

I saw the hurt in her eye, for her belief had shatteredright before us. Before the guest for the evening, especially.

Lief story

2011-12-14T11:10:00.000+08:00

Little Lief.

Many wonder where did I get Hanzalah’s screen name from. Itoriginated from Dutch, meaning Lovable/Beloved. But honestly, I got it from anonline store (gasp!).

Don’t be put off just yet, the story how an online storeinspired me is as memorable that I nickname our Mr. H in that way.

I’d like to believe that I’m an easy going Mother.

So simple that Little Lief had not been wearing socks sincehe was 1 m.o, to much annoyance to traditional mothers. Its not that I have my own(anti-angin) theory, but its because at 1 months young, Hanzalah had outgrownmost of his stockings. His weightdoubled to 6kg, so it left me with sudden overwhelmingly short of socks.

Of course, the ‘aunties’ bunch were not happy. Its not likeI intend to.

[Dalam hati rasa..eh anak aku dok Malaysiakan. Why do Ineed to overbundle him. Tengok anak Areej yang dok uk OK je takdok alas kaki). But toassuage them all, since I’m an inexperienced mother so better to listen to anypossible passable logic. So I thought, I’ll buy him Shoes for him to wear duringthe outings (where the ‘aunties’ bunch can be met). So ada la jugak alas kaki kan.

So I online shopped and came across this gorgeous semiboots:

Lief! Stoer Brand. Comel kot.

Everything is ok, the boots are still in stock and payment forthe Dutch flown boots are about to be made. But Angie from mybabypitstop, the online storeowner called me personally, and asked me if I’m a muslim.

Of course, I told her.

So she told me, she’s not selling the boots to me.

……………

“because the boot has pig-skin lining”.

Siapa kata..China(wo)manpikir untung saja? Angie could have just sold the boots, and our family wouldn’t haveknown et all, but thinking that it would somehow detriment our belief in any way, Angiedid not. She could have made her sale that day, but she did not. She respects our belief despite 'its all business'.

[Although she offered me different shoes afterwards, I didn’tbuy. Picky BUT easygoing mother. But Amy’s still cool about me not buyinganything]

Honest business people. Just like the Prophetictradition.

wear 'em

2011-12-13T14:51:00.001+08:00

ProbablyI should not.

ButI always cringe to people who wear 'their sins' on their skin, like a scarletletter. Negative energies, (which I find it hard to control),should stay withinoneself. Unless you let it out, it won’t go a-bombing. That is why I love tosee people wearing their wedding band, it signifies family, bond and love. It’sa whole lot different matter if you see people with self-inflicted scar ‘downwith capitalism’. (Please, no hate mails). It just goes on to show differences, hate and, negativity. But most ofthe time I just put a sock in my mouth, to avoid any nasty exchange of ideologies.(Well, there’s various ways to channel your frustration. Wearing ‘em is not-IMHO).

That'swhy when I pointed to my opponent's left arm, with a tattoo inscribing a date –I assumed it was dated for a happy, joyous moment in his life. “Wedding huh?”ice breaker my foot.

gambar adalah hiasan. Google of course.

Hesaid, “No, it’s the worst day of my life”.

Ishould keep my trap shut but instead there goes Afzanic blurting “why would youwant to be reminded of something that makes you sad?”.

Okaypreachy me.

Hesimply retorted with a kind voice “so that it can remind me that I wouldn’t be that monster anymore”.

“Yousee, before that date, I couldn’t even talk to anyone without raising hell”

HereI am. Hot in court. With a 6 footer opponent with yakuza tattoos and I’m pokinginto his personal life. But still he told me he got himself and his family intoso many trouble because of his ways. He sought fulfillment through quick, wrongways. And the tattoo-ed date was the end of his evil ways. He didn’t tell mewhat happened on that fateful day, but I guess it made him whoever he is today.

Totell you the truth, he had been a wonderful opponent (which is quite rare,coming from the legal field). Soft spoken and always cooperative.

Iguess I could make amend with modern day scarlet letter wearers.

Justthat it’s not for me.

one jealous boy

2011-10-18T11:34:00.000+08:00

Our daily ritual after Maghrib consist of him playing and I will be subdued from the day’s work witha book in hand. So for 15 minutes, it was suppose to be an easy affair; him with the toys, I with the books.

Now not anymore.

The boy gets jealous of the book(s) and will attempt tosnatch it away, crying, and will try to nestle his head onto mine so I willstop reading the book. He gluedhis button nose to my mouth, disabling any contact whatsoever with the poorbook while his stumpy hand tears away the book from me.

So read the book to him you say.

But try reading 1941 to him, and try sounding silly when youread part of Blitzkrieg to the little boy, who will look to you longingly, likea lost love regained. Sungguh tidak kena.

Before he snatches the book and kick it out of sight (anyway).

So I stopped doing that. I will have to surrender and put down the book, completely stop reading the book.

And after did I stop, he will run back to his toys andcontinue to play out of his toy box, completely ignoring the mother.

Until I reach for the book, and up the tantrum circle.

This had been going onfor about a week now and I have not been able to read (except when he is fastasleep, which by then, I will be too sleepy to do anything too)

Hanzalah 7 – Ibu 0.

‘Ibu cannot read book. Ibu must not look at something else.Ibu must look adoringly ONLY to me’ the jealous-of-the-book boy say, triumphantfrom his daily conquer of the Mother.

micro cuts

2011-10-11T09:45:00.002+08:00

Just because you can't see it, it does not mean it's not there.

life is not fair

2011-10-06T09:00:00.000+08:00

just take a good look at ivanka.

she's brilliant, a genius and has regal presence.

I think this is this the second time I posted on her.

Getting jittery on today's appeal. Oh God, don't let me look like a dork.

foxy knoxy free alas!

2011-10-05T16:17:00.003+08:00

So there. Her freedom on 4^th October.

She didn’t know a lot of things. First yet, she didn’t knowhow beautiful she is.

And she didn’t know her trust to kind foreigners was deemedfeigned as they took her as the prime suspect.

Amanda Knox
Prime suspect to the murder to her roommate. MeredithKercher.

Honestly, one could be forgiven to be interested in thiscase because of the two accused’s good looks. Amanda Knox is beautiful, and sois her lover. No one would comprehend why would Miss Knox and her beau commitsuch crime, but when it was speculated that the kill was the aftermath of areluctant sex orgy, almost everyone stepped back and thought of a possibility. Buta deeper read through the report would present you to the shocking revelationon how the murder was carried out.

Amateurish

The killer had left too many evidence lying around the crimescene: bloody footprints, finger prints, faeces (he didn’t flush it down theloo) and too many dna for the csi team to party with.

Consequential

This is a case where any criminal lawyer would tell you,that the murderer’s method shows lack of preparation to kill. (or rather, lackof killing skill). This would discount his motive, but the energy put in thekill was evident of his motive. He wanted the victim to die. But he didn’t knowhow to.

The victim died in agony for more than 10 minutes, in theresult of knife wound. The killer didn’t even know how to use the knife. Andsudden remorse crept in, when he tried to cover the body with a quilt. Did hesaw a dead body for the first time? It must be the case when he fled off thescene, leaving trails of his footprints out.

Blood in her hands

By that time, Miss Amanda arrived at the scene with herboyfriend. She committed few mistakes that made her connected to the crime, oneof which: she should have waited outside the crime scene until the policeclears it. And she should not have trusted the foreign-talking police officerwho had her as the suspect without her knowing it.

But if there is anything wrong with Amanda is this: herbeauty made the world wept at Mez Kercher only for a while, and at the glanceof Miss Knox, everyone was moved by her appeal for innocence. (Technically, Iwould say she shouldn’t have pointed finger which had left her in a separate suitfor defamation).

I was amazed at this case as it involved the Italian legalsystem. And the fact that the victim, was a girl from a privileged Britishfamily. Knox is an American, while the boyfriend and the murderer, are bothItalians. At the first instance, Amanda was found guilty by the Italian court,but after a spin of appeal, she was acquitted yesterday. I heard she’s now backin the US, attaining the status of a sudden celebrity .So there, you have a perfect drama thriller.

Shall I compare it to Malaysian legal system?
Malas. No point.

Berjalan tanpa sedar dengan sengaja

2011-09-26T15:53:00.000+08:00

Jalan ke syurga itu mudah andai dapat menolak dunia dan seisinya
Yang sering memanggil-manggil dan berkata:
Fikirkanlah aku! Fikirkanlah aku!
Namun dia seolah-olah dihipnosis
Kemaruk cinta
Lalu berjalan terus
Memikirkan tentang Dia
Dan akhirnya selamat tiba

Aku mahu menjadi sepertinya
Kau bagaimana?

Mar

HKA 1

2011-09-23T17:55:00.003+08:00

Hanzalah.

Dia yang kini bergigi 7, merangkak laju berkuak lentang, dengan senyuman semanis madu, kini genapsetahun hari ini.

Setahun lepas, dalam dakapan ayah, ibu sedang bertarungnyawa menyambutmu.

Kelahiran yang dinantikan, yang dipermudahkan dan diringankanAllah, dengan seorang bayi lelaki seberat 3 kilo dan panjang 54 sm.

Dan kami namakan dia Hanzalah, sempena nama seorang panglimadan sahabat nabi.

Nama yang kami angan-angankan untuk anak pertama kami sejakmula bertemu.

Peribadi ringkas yang berani, dan dia yang tegas memilih antara dua cinta. Diayang merasakan tertipu dengan dirinya sampaikan dikatakan dirinya munafik,walhal dirinya pantas merasa insaf dan dekat dengan TuhanNya. Itulah dia,Hanzalah ibnu Ar Rabi r.a

Dan harapan kami buat Hanzalah ibnu Khalis Amali, semogaterus menjadi seorang yang soleh dan ikhlas.

Semoga hatinya cepat menyerap kebaikan dan kebenaran. InshaAllah.

Semoga dijauhkan dari sifat dengki, bisikan syaitan, perkarayang buruk dan perbuatan jahat manusia. Nauzubillah.

Setiap anak itu dilahirkan dalam fitrahnya sesuci kainputih.

Semoga Allah membimbing Ayah dan Ibu selalu dalammencorakkan peribadi muslim kepada dirimu wahai anakku. Ameen.

Selamat hari jadi, sayang.

Sanah Helwah, Hanzalah habibi.

Wahai belahan dedua ayah dan ibu.

wordless wednesday

2011-09-21T10:08:00.000+08:00

without fear or favour

2011-09-20T15:50:00.000+08:00

“Islam is the only religion that retains its weltanschauung; nonetheless I wouldn’t like to live in an islamic state.”

I remember having this conversation, feeling the awkward fusion of both defensive and combative. He was the only son to a wealthy Indian family, who read both medicine and law (locally and in the UK), and had almost be deserted by the family when he married a French alien. Surely his view, at least as Malaysian, mattered. He was no longer professing any belief. So it did not matter to me if his opinion on religion may be discounted by ungodly sentiment, I was not going to impose him my belief, and he wasn’t forcing me accept his independent view whatsoever.

Otherwise I would have lectured him the peaceful tenets of our religion, as the achievement of an Islamic state (perfectly. That state bordering India need not apply) would make him and other Malaysians happy contented citizens.

But the real problem rests within the scope of understanding the religion by Muslims themselves. Oft they see themselves as untouchables. And even more so the ones with religious knowledge will use it to back up things to condone sinful things. One must always see that every step they take has consequences. And Allah knows everything.

Besides, religiously, if you ask me, nowadays it can longer can be restricted in academic discussion but has more political effect. To his echoing statement, I remember looking at his wizened gaze and told him “I understand”.

Word of caution: I do not accept what he said, but I merely understand.
I understand his fear.
Fear of the unknown. Things that he had not understood. Things that he could see as a threat.

I remember walking down the streets of Prague, Czechoslovakia as a university student, I was busy (attempting to) sketch moleskin's of buildings and snapping my life away with the camera on the loop. I didn’t realise I had entered into a discreet synagogue when suddenly a man wanted to snatch the camera away and had began to chase me , shouting, with several other men. Surely I can relate of not calling such place as home.

But if anyone, not asking the Rabbi, any reasonable man, had told me off, that it was a zoned-out aucshtung do not enter religious process is taking place, I wouldn’t have wandered far and will not fear for life. Heck, I didn’t even realise it was a synagogue in the first place!

Don’t think any real practicing Jew would want me to feel that way.
Vice versa, but how come they see a 20 year old female as a threat?

It all has to do with politics. How the worldview has shaped who is dangerous, what to fear, who to hate. I remember a friend of mine (Muslim Malaysian female) who studied at Harvard who had came unprepared for a Halloween party. She was donning the usual scarf and blouse and a backpack. So when she was asked who she might be for Halloween costume, she jokingly said “a suicide bomber”. Later she related the story to me, I was surprise not many could see it a joke.

This is not merely asking you or anyone else to sell your belief out to others just so we all can live happily ever after. You see, living happily ever after, is an ongoing process. When no compromise can be measured with so many differences, can we atleast acknowledge it and accept that the differences are what we are? But we shall not use our upperhand (who says we have it anyway?) to suppress it. It looks ugly.

Like how ugly France looks (at least to me lah) when the Jumuah are banned from praying on the streets. Demographically, the influx of melting pots to France rests no wonder that Muslims community are quite large, but sadly, they are not respected. Their rights to profess and practice Islam beautifully and peacefully is denied. If you have Muslim French friends, ask them how they feel, and I’m sure they wished for a more acceptable authority.

Islam is a religion of peace.

Peaceful as it should be you could be rest assured that you can let guards down in the protection of Allah, when it comes with dealing with other beliefs. It is not by being forceful or overzealous or over righteousness can Islam be reflected beautifully on others, but through gentle, hikmah and wisdom.

Just like how the Prophet (sallahu alahi wasalam) did.

tasmanian mountains

2011-09-14T18:00:00.000+08:00

how I wish I could stay and never return.

Oh his next hols is so faraway :-(

angels on my right and wrong.

2011-09-06T11:33:00.000+08:00

I have (only) one (thank God) elder brother.

He who had set the tone of the household with his comical and/or annoying gimmicks, the rebel who have an ACCA under his belt just for the sake of why not? The mathematician and music maverick whom I can not be, no matter how hard I tried, these two disciplines remains as his personal forte. Apart from that, both of us share the same insight for arts and philosophy, and will not fight about literature and politics. The good son, the beloved lazy bum who intentionally get lost during travel just to explore the unfamiliar and sudden beauties of the travel, who truly adores our mother and my child. Will soon be getting married to a wonderful lady.

I have a twin sister.
Who seems to be living out my dream. Who knows exactly how I feel and still will give me a tight slap about it nonetheless. She’s an army officer, a doctor, a nomad vagabond, a paratrooper, a skydiver, etc etc. Who is always surrounded by equally crazy friends who would always have plans to do something, somewhere, with her. She’s volatile, funny and the custodian of my deepest secrets. She who gives and gives and gives and gives and expects nothing in return. A passionate doctor who squabbles when one ask for a free mc, but understands anyway that a human need is not justifiable only on paper, and a medical encyclopedia who know nuts about football or where Tanjung Karang is(but will go to cluelessly, just for the sake of why not).

My two siblings, my two (why nots?) 6th September brother and sister.

Zainal and Zakiah.

Happy birthday.

Lucky to have both of you, right and wrong, me stuck in the middle.

Without you, I can not be who I am now.

Thank you.

all pictures taken during their visit to Manipal. :)

cabang-cabang cinta

2011-09-05T10:28:00.000+08:00

Abg Romi and his beautiful family (Nur, after so long, baru dapat jumpa!) came to our humble abode. Love begets love. That's what I learn from the short but sweet visit. He wrote about our pride n' joy here.

Kekuatan dan ketabahan hati Nur dapat dirasai. Sejuk hati memandang Nada dan Marwa. Semoga menjadi anak soleh yang mendoakan ayah dan umi, ya?

19 hari

2011-08-19T09:48:00.001+08:00

Masuk minggu ketiga puasa, berat badan saya susut hampir 2kg. Berpuasa sambil menyusukan anak memang sangat-sangat mencabar. Tiba waktu petang, kepala saya terasa kosong, seakan-akan diisi angin dan tekak menjadi sangat kering. Seolah-olah ini kali pertama saya belajar berpuasa. Very draining.

Pengalaman puasa saya bermula semasa saya berumur 7 tahun. Saya tak pasti bagaimana saya boleh berpuasa penuh, yang nyata tiada metod khusus yang diajar oleh mak abah.Tidak pernah juga kami digula-gulakan dengan juadah iftar, cuma seingat saya, mak abah ‘mengajak’ kami berpuasa. Diajak bangun sahur. Tak nak bangun, sudah.

Tapi mengingatkan ketika itu saya yang masih kecil, agak lucu apabali pemandu kami yang baik hati, Auntie Gan sering merasa kesian kepada kami adik beradik, terutama saya dan Zakiah yang masih kecil dan selalu berhenti di gerai minuman tebu untuk membelikan air. Katanya ‘jangan risau, auntie dah Tanya semua orang. Budak-budak tak payah puasa maa. Kesian lu orang, nah auntie belanja”. Tapi seakan-akan sudah berjanji pada mak,air tebu yang sejuk tu hanya dipegang, direnung dan tiba dirumah, air disimpan terus dalam peti sejuk. (Ada jugak 2-3 kali saya jenguk air tebu, nak make sure isinya tak berkurangan) hehe.

(Dengan Auntie Gan juga saya belajar untuk bermain dengan anjing. Saya nak sangat betulkan persepsi Melayu presumed to be Muslim kat Malaysia ni, menyayangi anjing bukan sama dengan menghina Nabi-tajuk Majalah Mestika yang agak tolol. Main, dan basuh dengan tanah. Tak susah. Islam tak susah. )

Tapi kali pertama saya dikenalkan dengan ibadah puasa, sebenarnya semasa saya di Tadika Husna, taski kelolaan Jim Petaling (yang menemukan saya dengan Aliza dan anak tuan punya tadika, Maryam Aizuddin yang seringkali dibuli sebab saiznya yang kiutmiut. Hahaha jahat.). Pun masa tu kami tidak diajar puasa dengan paksaan, Cuma dijanjikan manis syurga. Percayalah, ceritakan keindahan syurga pada kanak-kanak, memang berkesan. Akan saya praktikkan pada Hanzalah, insyaAllah.

p.s : perasan tak, waktu puasa ni, ramai betul kaum adam yang tiba-tiba menjadi sungguh ‘fatherly’? keluar dari McDonalds’ dengan Happy Meal berbondong-bondong, waktu lunch hour. Wow. Muda-muda pun dah ada 3-4 anak. Bukan seorang, tapi satu waktu tu ada 5-6 orang lelaki Melayu presumed to be Muslims yang buat macam tu.

satanic steps

2011-08-14T22:27:00.003+08:00

After two weeks of Ramadhan (or 28 years, 4 months and 23 days to be exact) I finally concede that evil can outsmart us in the most spectacular ways, so subtle you will not realise that it was wrong at the first instance.

Bit by bit, it whispers the things you're almost familiar with, never would it startle you with something that you're not comfortable with.
Until it snowballs into something bigger and you're in so much mess when you realise you shouldn't have started it. But by then, it's already almost, too late.

Like an addiction. If you ask the hardcore drug hippies, they'll tell you the same thing.
Alcohols. Prostitution. Telling lies. Crimes. Zoning out of Allah's mercy.
It all started with a simple 'alah, sikit je ni- takde pape pun ni..'

How it can be disguised even after full prayers, full hijab and clean intentions.
Remember how easy it was for satan to entice numbers of 'Abids, just when they started to think 'I can always repent later?, for Allah is Merciful"

Like a game of chess, but how many pawns do you have to sacrifice in losing the battle for you to win the war?
Now I know better.

Be sure to make your move, your move.

Hassan Al-Basri (radiyAllahu' anh) identified 6 ways that the heart can become corrupted:1} Committing sins in the hope of repenting,2} Seeking knowledge and not applying it,3} Practice without sincerity,4} Eating the sustenance of Allah without appreciating Him,5} Not being pleased with the decree of Allah, 6} Burying the dead without learning from them.

cause and effect

2011-08-10T20:49:00.002+08:00

In my fifth year of legal practice, I noticed somehow everything I encounter is translated to Legal semantics, cause and effect, almost mathematically, always automatically.

Like when I'm reminded to recent personal event, I would start listing all the Latin maxims:
Persona non grata. Damnatio memoriae .Ex turpi causa non oritur actio which I loosely translate it as niat tidak menghalalkan cara.

Like how I see the recent London riots had nothing to do with the effectual incident (as you might already see, pro BN fanbois are suddenly posting youtubes on the aftermath of the riot, and heh aren't they all quite happy to see the bashing of our student?), but rather I see it as a working class uprising.

Stop- before any of you fanbois say 'that's why we need to curb these demonstrations, its not safe etc etc'.

What you don't see is, the cause of the riot.
For a nation that respects the rule of law, it still has a wide disparity of social classes, and this alone can never guarantee permanent peace. It's an ongoing process which needs to be checked and re-checked. Always. But not in Malaysia, IMHO rule of law only exist in the scribbles of my legal notes while I was studying Constitution.And think these people would rather wait until the gap between the rich and the poor becomes as wide as heaven, than to correct it.

Sigh.

Anyway I wish I can be objective in (subconsciously) automated legal thinking while working too. Or when I really need to.
Now my brain plays dead on me while I frantically searching for cases to be referred for next Monday's submission. Even with Lexis, everything seems to be AWOL.

Cause: rollercoaster emotions, and a huge wave of love for my men~ Khalis n Hanz.
Effect: neverending daydreaming. Haiyohhhh I need to get back to my subs la wey!

Alhamdulillah ya Allah for my family.

1 ramadhan

2011-08-01T16:16:00.004+08:00

Brought Little Leif for his first Tarawikh experience.

Suffice to say, I think everyone at the last row would remember (while praying) a little boy crawling across the hall as fast as he could away from the defocused mother. Haih. I could almost hear some trying not to giggle.

I even left before the Tarawikh started, after successfully chasing and yanking the babbling baby from meddling with other people's sejadah.
He was trying to match the Imam's prayers.

And the score is: Hanzalah 1- Ibu 0.

Hanzo, you're so grounded.

:)

Missing the funny Leif now, starting this month he's stationed with a new nanny- no more nanny Macu who's heading back to campus life. Thank you Macu and ayacik for your care :')

Ramadhan Mubarak! May we attain the pleasure of seeking of His pleasure in this holy month :)

Still hating Mondays

2011-07-11T11:40:00.000+08:00

2 years ago.

Why I love Digi. (family post paid)

Wife: eh bill bulan lepas dah dapat tau

Hubster: alamak. Mungkin bill bulan ni ter-banyak sikit. Abang call mak abah banyak.

Wife: ala, mak abah abang kan Bil melambung pun tak pe. Yang tak bolehnya awek.

Hubster: dengan awek abang, calls kan free

Air-cond

while travelling back to Ipoh, banyak betul iklan Air Cond.

Wife: do you know, the correct translation of aircon is pendingin hawa, not penghawa dingin?

Hubster: hm. sebab perempuan (hawa) memang cold kot?

Arundhati Roy (God Of Small Things)

Hubster: Nah, I’m done with this book

Wife: How is it? Do you like it?

Hubster: Maybe you could tell me. Abang tak faham.

Wife: eh how could you go on and on finishing the book without understanding it?

Hubster: that’s just like loving a woman.

about breastfeeding

2011-06-26T16:09:00.000+08:00

This is my opinion about breastfeeding (sorry, this is not a post where I tell you what brand I use for the breastpumps,how I stow it in the freezer, what freezer I use, with pictures etc etc).

1. Break the Market. Please.
Google-lically speaking, there are one or two prevalent brands of breastpumps that really helps breastfeeding. Its too bad no more marketing brains are trying to break this monopoly, as breastpumps are unnecessarily expensive. Some say its an investment, long term savings instead of buying tins of formula milk. But when you ask working mothers with a monthly household income of RM2000, the lowest range of pump are priced at RM700, they'll say "breastfeeding is for the rich, because we can't afford the breastpump, the freezer, the ebm storage and whatnots". And you said breasfeeding is au naturel. It should be. But it doesn't help when the ones that really encourages milk production are pricey.

You know what I think: I think this is all is a marketing scam. My friend, who is a specialist doctor, who has to work 8-12 hours a day, sometimes for 48 hours when she's on call, managed to breastfed her daughter until the kid is almost 2. And yet she used only Manual Hand Breastpump. There you go. All you need is your own determination. Don't fall in the trap of the marketing bubble.

2. Alienation.
And to those mothers who do not breastfeed, don't feel bad. I'm sure you have your own reasons why. If breastfeeding mothers/relatives/friends pressure you, just shoo them away. They know nuts about you and you kid. There's nothing honourable in them being able to breastfeed, just to belittle others who don't.

If they tell you that you're still fat because you don't breastfeed, tell them its vice versa, without exercise the babyfats are still going to be there to stay. Haha!

love, unconditional

2011-06-21T17:48:00.002+08:00

At first, he was adamant not to pay for his sister’s bail.

As a school teacher, he felt the amount of RM3,000.00 was too much for a man like him to fork out just to let his sister out from the prison, a repeat drug offender, nonetheless her first time in jail.

When our eyes met, he told me maybe its best for her, to stay in jail this one time, for her to learn her lesson, this time. It wasn’t easy for him to care for her sister’s daughter, and he had his own share of mouths to feed. And it wasn’t easy to fend his sister’s addiction, he was tired of his own hope that maybe she’ll change.

As I accompanied the family out of the prison, the client told me her next trial date is fixed on 1^st July. Teary eyed, her brother told her he simply cannot afford to pay for her. She cried. Her 6 year old daughter, cried without any sound.

Just today I received a call from the brother. He told me, he’ll find a way to pay.

When I asked him what made him change his mind, he related to me the same day we went to prison, the daughter, with her grubby hands brought to him the calendar and showed to him “Mummy out from prison, 1 July is Friday, paklong”.

That was more than enough reason. When he felt a child missing her own mother.

Love, unconditional. A child's love.

luaran

2011-06-15T14:20:00.002+08:00

Scenario 1:

Was eating at a vegetarian restaurant with Karen. We were suggested by the friendly waitress to order "vegetarian chicken", "vegetarian beef" etc -its egg/tofu based with artificial flavours. Karen, who is a devout Buddhist, said "ni macam topeng. muka saja hijau tapi hati masih merah".

Scenario 2:
At a mamak restaurant with Mr K, I pointed to him rows of Barbican (drinks that imitatae the taste of alcoholic drinks) which is oxymoronically labelled as "halal beer". He said "buat pe. Macam hipokrit".

Why do people try to create alternatives for the things already forbidden?
Macam nak menipu diri sendiri, luar je nak menunjukkan diri tu baik (dengan ikut yang halal), tapi hati masih teringin nak merasa (yang haram).

Kalau hati hijau, luar pun akan hijau juga.
Tapi bukan sebaliknya.

Would you? (tofu perisa babi) hmm.

cloud nine

2011-06-13T15:26:00.002+08:00

A small bookstore.

Corner with windows, pebbled driveway.

The original first editions on top of the bookshelves.

Mockingbird. Critus. Nineteen weeks. Graham Greenes.

And posters of civic duties (and favourite rock star albums).

Stereo playing softly O Fortuna! sometimes Yellow Submarine.

Books of dissent, comedy, debates, history and beauty.

Nothing on vampires, or loving blood sucking creature that reminds you of bats.

Collectors’ item, The Simpsons included and graphic novels.

Small tables to serve coffee, tea and toast.

One or two customer sitting down, savouring tuna sandwich.

Students photostating friend’s homework, grandma buying recipes.

And little Hanz, playing, down at the counter, choo choo train.

Zoe Jane is 19

2011-06-12T14:12:00.000+08:00

She's already 19.

Half of her is ready for the future, half is still deep rooted onto her past, her home.

Home where she laughs, where she seldom cries, and lives her life, showered by those who loves her the most. Sometime she leave home (and comes back often), to become whatever she is destined to be, may her steps be graced and blessed by God Almighty, all the same out there where danger lurks, people seemed to be in line to hurt her, where other strangers couldn't care less.

But she;ll be bringing our prayers for her to be safe, be protected and blessed.

This time around, she's a year older, no longer a small toddler, but a full grown beautiful maiden (who is now a baby sitter, no longer the baby sister).

My Zoe Jane.

Happy 19th birthday.

july 14!

2011-06-10T17:16:00.003+08:00

Baru nak happy sebab esok hari minggu.

Tapi Mr K tak jadi balik. Ada exam surgery next week.

(Good luck to you, dear.)

Terus rasa down.

Takpelah. Esok hari yang happy sebab dah plan nak buat birthday celebration untuk Zetty, ikut stail favourite kami iaitu picnic sambil main game. (Ala tapi Mr K selalu yang paling excited main board game. Takde dia tak berapa best).

Down balik.

Takpelah. Tibe-tibe dapat sms dari babysitter aka birthday girl Hanz, katanya baby dah pesta poo-poo kat rumah. I’ve never been happier to see human faeces until I became a mother. Alhamdulillah after 3 days of no poo. Yay! Siap beli cherries and pears lagi, nak buat puree untuk Hanzalah makan time picnic esok. Fun and fibrous, senang nak poo. Tula.. hari-hari makan bubur nasi, mana taknya sembelit cinonet ibu tu. (When I actually initially plan to give him rice alternate days). Dasar pemalas. Tapi sebenarnya puree lagi senang. Kukus je. Takpun mash. dahla buat fresh hari2, so storage tak jadi hal ape. Tapi bubur nasi + kentang + ikan tenggiri favourite Hanzalah. Nak buat cemana, perut melayu, ikut Ayah dia.. kalau ikut ibu dia.. hari2 makan puree pun takpe. Sigh.

Apesal la dok ingat kat boyfriend yang kesian kena pulun tu..biarla dia..huhu..

Tengah layan blues, ternampak burung gagak berak kat kepala orang. Orang tu menggelabah. Haha sakan gelak. Tapi orang-orang tua kata, orang yg kena tahi burung tu lucky. Sigh. Kenapa kau tak yakyak kat aku wahai gagak? even birds don't like me. (Err biarkan. Tengah blues semua pun ntahapahapa). Sedih balik.

Tibe-tibe officemate datang bagi training pass Liverpool.

Hehe.

What sadness?

a comma. not a dot.

2011-06-10T12:39:00.000+08:00

(It’s a bug. Once you start, you can’t stop. I’ve been blogging for 3 days now. Gila poyo).

And like I true kaypohchi, I started to check on friends’ blogs too. For convenience, I’ll check those who are on my RSS tabs. And there’s always this unspeakable feeling when I see J’s Nafastari blog. The last time he blogged was 4 months ago and as you might know already, he died sometime ago from a car accident. He is survived by his wife and two daughters.

The very notion of someone you knew passed away will always make you think about how frail human lives are. How temporary everything is. Life and death, separated by a blink.

Even when I start writing this, I still stumble with the is/was. Too late to write, but lest be forgotten this is a small reminder that life is just a vessel for the afterworld.

J was a coursemate at our alma mater. We were never close much while we were both reading law, but while he was stationed in Pakistan and I was in India, we chatted regularly on the ym. We always compared ‘notes’ on living abroad, and when Embun was born, I congratulated him, he said “Nur makin cantik kan Af?”.

That’s how I will remember him. A loving husband and father.

Now when I look at my little universe, and I realized that everything I own is on loan. Nothing is forever. Nothing is mine. Not even my own breath.

Thing is, I’m a little bit whiney when it comes about having to be so far away from the husband. I love weekends when he comes home, but I hate Sundays when he’ll head back South. I keep on telling myself that I’ll endure this for a year plus, and then that’s it. I dread when Monday starts, when I have to be on my own again. I have great respect for J's wife who is now caring for their daughters on her own, and my experience seems so trivial compared to hers.

What I need to learn is to be grateful~ distance is not a separation, even if it is, nothing is forever.

of obedient wives and few good men

2011-06-09T14:38:00.000+08:00

After months of underutilized syariah practice, and yonks of years since I last laughed hard at memorizing the atomic structure of Faraid formulas, today I had the chance of honing the almost inexistent skills.

Private law is not a favourite niche of mine. Its too emotional, and as a woman (and a wife and a daughter) I tend to get too biased for my own good. But I’m not a hardened feminist, as I believe not ALL equality can or shall be achieved. One to its own!

But what about the exclusive classes offered by the Obedient Wives’ Club?

You know, the recent hullabaloo nonsense saying that if wives are more ‘creative’ on bed, then their men won’t go straying away to find other ladies. Up to a point they did say something about being a ‘whore on the bed’.

Since when (yes the Obedient Wives Club is headed by Muslim women) marriage is predominantly dominated only by affairs of the bedroom? Statistic shows that breakdowns of marriage are caused more by economic factors, socio-economics and life arrangements.

I don’t think it helps if wives have to be dirty, or feel dirty, or be looked as one for marriage to last.

I think its all about mutual respect. What remains in the bedroom, stays in it. But when men stray outside to another, it has got nothing to do with his wife, it him who’s having the problem.

Alamak. Biased lagi. Haha baru nak ngutuk the obedient wives club.

bills bills bills

2011-06-08T18:13:00.001+08:00

Just another day. Drafting. Pleadings. Work.

I have been accused of neglecting this dear blog of mine, without defence, but I'm reminded to a friend who told me the hardest feeling to describe is happiness.

Bila hati kacau, I tend to write more.
So yes, am no longer brooding.
Happy.

Happiness is defined in a 9kg healthy baby, with 6 tooth and a penchant for adventure.
That's all I ask for.

On a hindsight, I miss my mischievous curious rebellious me. The one that fuelled the writer/blogger in me, to write with abandon.To write in almost, teenage angst but in ofcourse responsible rage (I don't write too personal post here. He he. Misteri itu manis. PDA itu yucky)

That, or I'm to miserably busy with work. Not too bad, but I hate chasing clients for bills. I hate keeping up with the costcentre I'm running about for. Hence this post. :)

lunchtime news

2011-02-22T14:23:00.002+08:00

Was having lunch (for the second time. Thanks boss) while reading today’s paper. Some thief died in a red-pursuit by the victim’s car. With his remaining testis (obviously being torn off) clamped on the car, his body is thrown into a drain.

Not a good way to die. No. but it’s not for us either to say ‘padan muka’. Have respect for the dead, while you’re still alive.

That statement, almost made me choke my (second time) lunch. Not the testicular incident. Nope.

goodbye, girl

2011-02-01T20:24:00.000+08:00

Now just go already.

Helloo Suarez!

roti basi

2011-01-29T22:19:00.008+08:00

I like the number 23.
My firstborn was born on 23 September, and I had said yes to his father, almost six years ago, on a 23 December.

If you ask me, what I've learnt about the roller-coaster ride of 6 years together, I'd say the most important thing in a relationship is compassion.
Not even loyalty.

Without compassion such thing as wonderful as love would lead the two of you into an obsessive, jealousy-driven relationship. You'd say no to your partner's need to breathe (from you. hey, remember s/he is an individual, not your conjoined twin) Pastu pakat pakai baju sedondon tapi bila gaduh tak ingat akhirat. Please lah. So tingkatan 2 punya cinta.

Couple t-shirt. So lame. rofl

And without compassion, loyalty will not just tumble into its place. No siree.
Let me give you a comparison:

Bayangkan menunggu kawan kau yang contact kau time dia nak promote bisnes MLM je. Pastu lambat 4 jam. Panas tak panas. Walaupun lepas tu dia belanja kau greentea starbucks, kau still rasa nak pelangkung dia, kan? No way you'll let that happen again.

Bezakan kalau korang tunggu untuk cinta hati kau? sanggup berhujan berpanas, kan?
Cinta hati punya pasal. No hal lah.

(At the spur of the moment lah. Time mengorat lautan berapi pun sanggup redah)

But, when you wait for your cinta hati for the next 40 years come rain or 'shine, that's what I call compassion.
Compassion is what keepin' the love alive y'all.

N.b. I need to be more compassionate. Porfavour.

Lek2. A woman's imagination is so wired up ad infinitum.
I wrote this because of number 23.
Because today, on 29th January 2011, I almost ate an expired loaf of bread, dated 23 January.

Huargh I need help. Mekeke.

coming soon

2011-01-27T16:14:00.001+08:00

I don't want to retire when my child is already an adult.

I want to see him grow before my own eyes.
Friends suggested "so open up your own Firm"

To which, as i reflected to the bosses I work(ed) with, being a boss will take your time even more than being an employee (And I hate to micro-manage the office) so I said:

"SoHo, anyone?"

Imagine cooking for lunch, while waiting for clients, in the office part of the home.
~ah so romantic

dexter

2011-01-25T14:01:00.002+08:00

Cried watching (3 year old) Dexter.

And to this.

to all dexters, little Sudanese kids..and to the abandoned children of the world.
May angels' wings protect your journey, for there is a piece of heaven in each of your smile.

Ali Imran : 8

2010-06-15T19:05:00.007+08:00

when I get older, I'll be stronger.
Ameen.

Do you ever wonder why, when we were younger, we had so much passion to do things right?

But now-
You hope your friends who had continue to soldier not to remind you how you used to be.

You hope nobody, including yourself, remembers.

You swallow you past like a bitter pill when it was once a felt like a wartime pride.

Why, are you ashamed of your own past?
Has life caught on with you and you're too trapped to see anything else?

Or do you intend to rectify the present time by doubling your efforts in your olden days, when you yourself can't be too sure if God will grace you with long life?

Or is it you know deep inside you're just all talk?

Rabbana la tuziqqulubana..

modus

2010-05-19T18:00:00.001+08:00

Sorry for the long hiatus. Took my time to re-settle.

Sudden changes took place and after finding myself in strange places, now I'm back home to Malaysia and I found her stranger than ever before.
Without the smiling bestfriend to (physically) hold my hand, I know I should be taking everything in a stride before I strike. Not a day passes me without thinking how I missed our little house in Anirudh. How I miss his gentle, teacher ways.

Nervously I had started to work, this time around with priorities to provide for a special person that every kick I receive at the other end a smile entails.
Pay is good, and its only 5 km away from home. God indeed works in mysterious ways to help us.
But of course, it ain't easy. One word: ladyboss (ok so I cheated)
No one would choose to work if paychecks come in the mailboxes (it is, actually possible- but that's another story)

Being away I began to develop the inner-sights of the complex human relations, as thinly we brush to each other's own is as thick the feelings we have inside. Friends, they come and go. Some stay, some dwell longer. Family is another fraction of how we intepret friendship, but with blood ties things are just meant to be more perpetual.

Where I went for during the hiatus is a mirror image of our own land. In bigger proportion, poverty becomes a disease, corruption becomes a practice, unity becoming a problem. But back at home sweet home, you don't have to wait for the nation to grow to billion population for the same outburst.

Surreptiously I observed from afar, of things that makes the world go round, making mental notes and juggle mental arithmethic.
Survival for the day, investment for the morrow, and lessons learnt hard from yesterdays. I'm threading carefully step-by-step to a fault of becoming over-analyzing, but sometimes, more than often, I carelessly stumble. Again and again.

Again I, restart.

Kerala Backwaters : Houseboat

2010-01-21T15:45:00.008+08:00

After tiring our feet (and back) from jalan-jalan cari nahas in Kochin, we decided to take it slow for a boatride in the backwaters of Kerala.

In India,the Houseboat attraction comes in third after the Taj Mahal and Kashmir. I was at first puzzled, what is so special about spending overnight in a slow boat??

Right. Little did I know.

Its the serene river and lakes, and surrounding scenes, even the houseboats are (cute!). Here everything is naturally beautiful. When I boarded into "our" houseboat, I was speechless. Memang cantik. For a couple's boat, we paid approx. Rm300 for a small luxury houseboat, one bedroom with rattan windows, bathroom, lounge, one kitchenette complete with a cook, meals, juices and everything else you need. Of course, the boat has a captain, so don't worry about getting lost..eheh (kalau lost pun best jugak hehe)

The trip takes about 18 hours, circling around the vast lake and small river. By nightfall, the captain parked the boat next to a breathtakingly beautiful paddy field. (The Keralan Govt. forbids night travelling for houseboat) We were visited by two English (funny girls) whom we bumped into each other couple of times during our trip.

After the rumble jumble, just by looking out to the open waters, felt as if all my troubles seem to dissipate somewhere far, far away. I highly recommend houseboat to anyone, this one thing you cannot miss. By the time the trip ends, I keep thinking if they'll let us another round. Sob sob.

I'll let the pictures speak of the beauty of the backwaters of Kerala.

Ni la rupa (tradisi) houseboat Kerala. Comel. Macam Ulat gonggok

Houseboat yang lebih besar ada 4-5 bilik. Satu famili dalam RM700+

Room with a view.

It's also known as (the Indian version) Venice of Asia.

Serene. Relaxing. Peaceful.

Our stop for the night. Breathtaking.

Ever Thine, Ever Mine

2010-01-03T19:03:00.003+08:00

I applaud Tuan Guru Nik Aziz's stand on the "Allah for Catholic" issue, at least to those following the Abrahamic faith.

But I also remember a local scholar who has the Al-Attas heritage in his name, claiming that it is not our culture to universally accept Allah as the One God for all, and this will ultimately confuse the Malay-speaking people.

As I looked past the New Year Celebration with our Prime Minister cajouling the Muslims over this issue, promising that there will soon be an appeal, I can't help but to think: why let it be decided in court, dear gomen, when this can go through academic theology dialouges?

They say, one have an hindsight of the whole year they're heading on the first day of the new year.
Good luck, Malaysia!

Well me. I had BaskinRobbins on the eve and I had missed eating my favourite (but equally fattening) breakfast on that day. Tell me thats a good omen.

Namanya Puri Bhaji.

Space dementia

2009-12-25T15:43:00.005+08:00

Its just as simple as watching a basketball match with you.
Or getting on the scooter to buy late night grocery ---- ---
Or playing ~~you being chased~~ with the puppies ---- ---

See?
The sentences would not be complete without you.

Love begets love

2009-12-18T00:08:00.004+08:00

"I'll be there for you. No matter what. I love you"

We'll hear these knowing that there must be an exchange of something in return for such affection. Nothing is unconditional, there must be a catch.
Question is, is our world becoming so daft that everything nice and pure must be paid for?

Why can't there be just love?
And not expecting for anything in return, in turn of the love we give?

Must there be the feeling of entitlement of something that we give away?
Who the hell do we think we are, to feel entitled?
Must we be so selfish?
Why can't we be sincerely loving?
Why can't we be sincere?

Love. Just love.
Without prejudice, to your own expectations.

Tuluslah wahai hati.

n.b: if I sound like an isoteric 'spread the love' hippy, forgive me. What I'm missing is just that dye-tie t-shirt and strings around my head. And yes, weeds.

Hospital

2009-12-14T12:30:00.006+08:00

If you're talking about one of the few country that still has polio cases and untreated illnesses, with over-populated region, you can't compare with the country I'm currently residing in.

The poverty here is beyond (any Malaysian, at the very least) imagination. The neighbouring apartment (which was named Nik's Paradise) housed their security guard on the basement floor complete with a family (toddlers, a grandmother, a wife, another sister) sleeping on the floor.The only thing they have out of public eye is the basement toilet.

Slumdogs everwhere
But their condition is not as bad as those living out in the open. Remember Slumdog Millionaire? Its not just in Mumbai, you know. Even the workers here are so poor even eating outside will make you feel guilty, they'll have rice only with curry. Not even a slice of cucumber. While we're walloping kambing beriyani. Its hard life here for them.

So you can just imagine the health condition of the people.
Straightaway you'll imagine third-class-rated service of the hospital, long buzzes of queues, heady waiting halls waiting to infect one another and whopping bills.

Expecting the worst
Last Friday I had the chance to visit the local government hospital, as the husband had to do some ENT check-ups (he's ok btw).

The hospital was over-crowded, still, but the service was really fast. By fast it does not discount good treatment.

I believe in government hospital. I know the best doctors are still in govt hospitals, the best equipment and latest technology are all set there.But ofcourse, medical treatment is relative~ anywhere in the world you'll sometimes get good doctors, bad doctors, quack doctors. Sometimes it just luck. But the only thing that makes the difference is the service in between. Nothing can really riles you up like a bad mannered government counter person.

But I'm amazed how good the admin staff in Manipal treats the patients here, we're talking about ten-fold of the number of normal patient in Malaysia (keyword: overpopulated illnesses) and we're talking about a very effective system.

One thing for sure: they don't just make patients wait not knowing for what, for so long.
What happened here, if I may elaborate briefly is: After the the registration, my husband was told to be present at ENT departmentin few minutes, and upon reaching the ENT dept, he was brought straightaway to the doctor. His file was brought up even before we got there.

The husband was referred to an ENT specialist, and thereafter he was referred to another specialist accompanied by the same ENT specialist. Complete with the microb test. And then the dispensary and the bills (of equiv. RM5) were va va voom as well. All we had to do is to get there without getting lost. All in twenty minutes worth of wait. Memang laju.

I had armed myself with a book (just in case), but I haven't had the use to. I was simply impressed with the service. I was told by friends of the husband of an advise while traveling in India: expect the worst. But 'tis not the case for the hospital service.

Maybe Ismail Merican can himself try to believe, that India has a system in her houses of health, that Malaysians can learn of, but sadly, he was only here to visit the campus.

Salam Eidul Adha

2009-11-29T00:56:00.005+08:00

Dari kecil sampai besar, saya hanya pernah melihat korban disembelih untuk korban hari raya hanya sekali, iaitu sewaktu berada di kampung. Bukannya serik, seram atau ngeri, tapi cumanya tidak berkesempatan lagi (saya perempuan, jarang diajak ke tempat sembelihan korban).

Dari pengamatan saya, erti pengorbanan bukan setakat semasa putusnya nyawa dari leher yang dikorban, dan bukannya perasaan lega selepas korban berjaya dilakukan. Tapi pengorbanan yang sebenar bermula sebelumnya.

Ayahanda Nabi Ismail yang sudah tua bila menimang zuriat yang dinantikan berpuluh-puluh tahun. Sayangnya kepada Nabi Ismail tidak berbelah bagi. Tetapi korban tetap dijalankan, dan Nabi Ismail tidak merintih menghalang Nabi Ibrahim, sebaliknya memujuk ayahandanya untuk mentaati perintah Allah untuk mengorbankan dirinya sendiri. Dan pisau tetap dihayunkan. Cerita yang diulang berkali-kali setiap kali hari raya haji masih menyimpan hikmah yang bukan semua fahami.

Di Manipal, kami hanya mula menyambut Eidul Adha keesokan harinya. Sebabnya tidak cuti, dan suami masih bergelumang dengan peperiksaan praktikal. Beberapa pelajar mengorbankan kambing, dan perjalanan membawa haiwan korban ke rumah bagaikan menempah cabaran; dengan sekatan jalannya, (untuk memeriksa kenderaan tidak membawa haiwan korban dari lembu) sehinggalah bila rewang dijalankan di salah sebuah rumah pelajar, beberapa penduduk bertindak untuk 'bertandang' tanpa diundang dengan kayu panjang dan memeriksa rumah sehingga ke dalam bilik untuk daging lembu. Bila diperiksa tiada, melainkan daging kambing semata, malu menebal tetapi masih berkeras hati sehingga pasukan polis sampai, dan menasihatkan pelajar-pelajar untuk berpindah lokasi.

Alhamdulillah, ibadat korban selesai.

Dalam tazkirah sementara menunggu makanan dihidang, pemberi tazkirah mengaitkan kejadian yang dialami dengan makna sebenar korban. Alhamdulillah, Allah Maha Pelindung. Di negara Ghandi ini, ibadat korban agak sukar dijalankan tanpa gangguan, tapi sifat toleransi amat perlu diantara pihak, jadi saya puji sikap pelajar-pelajar yang berlembut hati sebagai tetamu di Negara Ghandi dan mengambil jalan untuk tidak membalas. Pandangan orang luar perlu dibetulkan dengan sifat lemah lembut peribadi muslim, seperti santunnya budi Nabi Muhammad s.a.w.

Saya fikir, alangkah bertuahnya kita kerana masih boleh memberi korban dalam nikmat sebenar iman. Selamat menyelami makna eidul adha. Eid Mubarak!

Fort Cochin bukan kuih koci

2009-11-22T06:00:00.003+08:00

Hari 6-9 :Dari titik D ke G

Ooty-Mettupulayam-Coimbatore
Dengan peparu dan lubang hidung penuh dengan arang keretapi Toy Train, kami tiba dalam waktu kecemasan untuk beli tiket terakhir ke Coimbatore:i tak mahu bermalam di stesen!

Sambil berbuka puasa dengan biskut dan cokelat, kami memerhatikan kedatangan tren pukul 8 ke Coimbatore. Hampir-hampir terlepas tren, sistem makluman bercelaru dengan tulisan hindi, Kannada, Malayalam dan Inggeris berbaur Mumbai yang takde satupun kami boleh faham.

Banyak kali saya ditanya: kau orang kena naik tren ramai2 sampai berdiri atas bumbung tu ke?
(Rujuk gambar dibawah)

gambar hiasan. Tak sempat nak keluarkan kamera pun.

Memang azab.

Selama 45 minit ke Coimbatore tu rasa macam sardin. Dengan bag 60 litrenya. Terpisah dengan Mr K, disebelahnya ada tempat kosong yang 'direzabkan oleh seorang pakcik dengan stokinnya. Geram. Akhirnya pakcik tu rasa bersalah, setelah lama tengok saya berdiri, dia ajak duduk. Kalau bukan sebab kaki dan badan aku letih, takkan saya terima. Tapi sepanjang perjalanan saya tak tengok muka pakcik tu. Merajuk. Hahhaha ~~buruk perangai~~

Hanya semalam kami di Coimbatore, sebuah bandar besar yang terkenal dengan pasaran tekstilnya. Bukan tidak mahu menjengah, (keluarga saya berasal dari Tangkak, i.e. syurga kain) tapi sebetulnya kami tidak berminat dengan bandar moden!

Selamat datang ke Negeri Kerala!
Dari Coimbatore, kami ke Fort Cochin di Negeri Kerala. (Taklah semudah tu sebenarnya. = Tren 3 jam ke Ernakulam, dan seterusnya naik feri lebih muatan ke tanjung Fort Cochin. Lagi lima saat feri tu nak berlepas, kami lompat masuk ke dalam. Bergoyang sikit feri tu.Ngeri)

Kak Lat pernah bagitahu yang penduduk Kerala ni walaupun berlainan agama dan keturunan, mereka bersemangat muhibbah, dan bandarnya bersih.

Di Negara Ghandi ni, terlalu banyak pergaduhan antara agama dan kaum, sehingga melibatkan beribu-ribu nyawa terkorban. Macam penyakit berjangkit, ianya hanya makin berbalas. Ahli politik utama pun akan terlibat (bukan terlibat untuk cease fire) tapi masing-masing ambil port.
Makin teruk keadaan.

Tapi tidak di Kerala.
Struktur sejarah melibatkan pedagang pelaut asing banyak mempengaruhi sistem sosial di Kerala, terutama di Fort Cochin, berbanding di tempat lain. Yalah, perlabuhan. Mesti banyak yang menyinggah. Sedangkan kapal Selam najib pun singgah sebentar di Fort Cochin.

God's own Country: kompromi segala agama disini

Tapi yang menariknya, penduduk di Kerala ni ada sistem dialog interfaith, yang mana kalau ada apa-apa perkara yang perlu diselesaikan antara agama, ketua-ketua agama akan bersidang dan keputusannya diterima umum. Penduduknya terdiri dari muslim, hindu, kristian, gujerat, yahudi, dll. Memang aman.

Simbol setiap agama disusun pada kunci pintu-simbol masyarakat setempat
Tapi simbol salib diatas simbol bulan sabit. Hmm.

Di sini, kami bermalam di Princess Inn, homestay yang direkemen oleh Lonely Planet. Tempatnya selesa, agak hip dan tuan punya pun kool (dia pasang lagu bob marley, kena dengan suasana tempat). Sewanya pun murah; Rs 400 semalam. (Lebih kurang Rm35+).

Dua hari di sini diluangkan untuk bersantai dan meronda bandar yang banyak tinggalan sejarah. Muzium, istana raja-raja, gereja lama, masjid, synagogue, dan persisiran pantai. Suasana Fort Cochin agak berbeza dengan tempat lain, terkadang terasa berada di Melaka/Penang disebabkan banyaknya unsur Portugis.

Suami seronok dengan muzium maritime yang penuh dengan warheads sebenar- macam taman permainan untuk kaum lelaki. Haha.

Museum Maritime: Mr K di taman permainannya

Di keliling pekan, kelihatan nelayan Kochi masih menggunakan Chinese Fishing net, cara tradisional memukat ikan dengan jala gergasi (perlu ditarik oleh 4 orang lelaki, paling kurang). Kalau teringin makan hasil tangkapan laut, boleh terus beli dari nelayan yang juga boleh memasak. Sekeliling persisiran pantai penuh dengan gerai-gerai cenderamata.

Gambar besar: Chinese Fishing Net

Cumanya makanan di Fort Cochin agak mahal. Yalah, tempat pelancong.
Tapi kami sempat menikmati makan malam yang romantis di satu hotel mewah (sewa semalam mencecah RM1000+) dengan harga yang berpatutan. Kena pandai cari, baru boleh puas hati.

Untuk sesuatu yang berbeza, kami menyibuk di Dhobi Khanna (Dobi Street), melihat proses di tempatnya. Semuanya macam zaman dahulu kala, seterika arang batu, basuh baju secara manual (ditibainya kain basuhan dengan jeritan ala-ala karate). Semuanya lelaki. Berbual dengan seorang pendobi, katanya pihak ketiga (kedai dobi) akan menghantar pakaian yang dikumpul ke Dhobi Khanna. Boleh diagak upah yang diterima tak memadai dengan payah jerih mereka- tapi ada hostel usang disediakan untuk para pendobi yang kebanyakan warga emas.

Dhobi Khanna! (boleh tak seronok kat sini?)

Segalanya untuk baju yang bersih dan kemas

Seronok di Cochin, semua tempat nak singgah (termasuklah kilang halia dan herba ayurveda) kecuali synagogue di perkampungan yahudi. Sentimen, mungkin. Tapi sempat beli buku Shantaram di pekan yahudi tu. Kami dimaklumkan sekarang hanya 2 keluarga yahudi sahaja yang masih bermastautin, lebih kurang 12 orang; dan tiada kaum luar yang berkahwin dengan kaum tersebut yang berkulit putih.

Masjid yang berusia 200 tahun, beratapkan kuprum!

Esoknya kami ke Allapuzha a.k.a Aleppey, dan tuan punya hotel dah dapatkan satu kapal comel for two ;) Sambung lagi!

resident

2009-11-20T15:33:00.007+08:00

I hardly feel I'm in India when we're at home in Manipal. Manipal, where we reside, feels like a tiny Malaysian village, and less-Indian (if not for the absence of family and friends). Even the buildings here are quite modern. Sometimes I feel I'm at Ipoh with the colonial homes and shady trees. Even the locals here wear shirts and pants, compared to the usual lungi/dhoti/saree, mostly donned by the worker classes, more prominent during our travel to south.

I often describe Manipal as a campus-town, it pre-existed only because of the university. Businesses, restaurants, et cetera, revolves around campus life. Catering the needs of fancy of Malaysian and international and super rich Indians. If you discount the terrible road condition and eccentric driving style, you hardly feel anything different.

Malaysian food is everywhere, although its not the same with the real thing, it'll do.
(E.g Nasi lemak here is not bad but the sambal is flat and the rice is not lemak. Its Lamak.)
Substitution for the real thing. For a while in Manipal.

Maybe I'll update the blog soon with some pictures of Manipal.
Nice little town, uphill with a view.

I apologize for not being able to update as much and soon as I would love to, sometimes I get caught on everyday life as a housewife, being struck with the natural drama of the unusual cyclone Phyan, the daily brown-outs (as opposed to black-outs, you get my drift), and reading books to not harass my husband when he is revising his books.

Will update soon on the last three chapter of our south trip! :D

Ooty Snooty

2009-10-22T12:23:00.013+08:00

Hari Ketiga - Mysore ke Ooty

Ooty = Toy Train
Initially Ooty (or Udhagamandalam) was not in our initial plan. I saw it on the travel India brochure, and having forgotten the cool weather of Cameron Highlands, I probed the husband about it, and he agreed: Naturally it was something about Men and Trains. Going to Ooty means Toy Trains -something the husband could not say no to.

After a day in Mysore, we traveled 155 miles in a horrendous bus (delayed 2 hours) and ended up from Mysore with a backsore. (Haha cubaan menjadi kelakar). And there must be something about hilltop resort and honeymooners, because we were harassed by a couple seating behind us with immense volume of PDA. Sangat geli. Siap ada bunyi slurp slurp- serious la Get A Room!

Terkandas
Dan kami sebenarnya rancang untuk tinggal di Ooty selama semalam sahaja, sebab utama kami datang pun sebab nak naik Toy Train di Ooty. Tapi malangnya tiket keretapi sold out -yang ada cuma hari lusa: malang sebab kami berdua (terutama Khalis) tidak tahan sejuk dan cuaca di Ooty mencecah suhu 0 degrees pada waktu malam. Rupa-rupanya susah nak dapat tiket Toy Train on the spot, sebabnya nanti aku terangkan.

Agak kelam kabut bila tak dapat tiket keretapi pada hari yang dirancang: ini bermakna sedikit rancangan perjalanan terpaksa diubah tanpa merubah tiket akhir pulang ke Manipal. Susah, tapi we learnt a valuable lesson: backpacking kena sangat sangat fleksibel (sebab tak semua yang kita rancang menjadi i.e bas lambat, cuaca, mogok dsb) dan kita kena rancang plan B)

3 hari di Ooty
Ooty ni dipanggil Queen of Hill Station, dan orang-orang British dulu selalunya berehlah di Ooty sebab cuacanya yang sejuk (siap panggil Ooty Snooty- sebab pemikiran dorang yang pandang rendah usaha mem-british-kan Ooty, padahal dorang punya idea. Tak ke bangang) jadi banyaklah bangunan yang diilhamkan zaman koloni. Tapi sekarang ni dah jadi tarikan pelancong, jadi tak berapa nampak tinggalan British disebabkan dah penuh dengan penduduk India yang sentiasa mencari peluang pekerjaan di mana ada.

1. Pengemis yang tidur di kaki lima - kesian dia, dahla sejuk
2. Sungai di tengah pekan - bukan perkara terbaik di Ooty
3. Khalis seronok dapat sewa motor

1. Pekan Ooty
2. Motor yang tak mahu hidup - kami putus asa
(kotak di bawah ) 3. Hotel yang agak best tapi pasang heater sampai pukul 10 am shj.

Naik bukit
Sebab kami tiba Ooty pada waktu malam, kami mula berjalan keesokan harinya. Mula-mula nak cari motor untuk disewa, jenuh mencari (semuanya mintak lesen, Mr pula tak bawa) akhirnya jumpa kedai tepi jalan. Tapi mungkin ada hikmahnya, motor tu taknak hidup. Jadi kami berjalan kaki sekitar pekan dan naik transpot "kegemaran": Auto.

Pekan Ooty ni kecik je sebenarnya. Comel, dengan satu taman botani gergasi, satu taman ros, satu tasik yang ada taman tema dan ladang teh. Aku tak ingat pernah sampai Cameron Highlands ke tak (memory aku ada Fraser Hill dan feveret budak UIA: Genting je), tapi dapatlah puaskan hati aku. Cuma tak ada ladang strawberry je. Sejuk, dingin, nyaman.

Memang patutlah Ooty ni antara tarikan utama di Selatan India: banyak tarikan pelancong. Cumanya kami rasa 3 hari terlalu lama untuk manusia-manusia yang suka berjalan dan bukan honeymooners yang nak terperap kat bilik je. Hoho.

Aku dan Mr K sempat naik kuda dengan harga yang agak murah. Akhirnya guide jockey mengajar aku untuk memecut laju jauh meninggalkan Mr K: sakit pinggang ok. Sempat juga ke Taman Tema: kami berdua sahaja yang naik Motion Master dengan harga (equivalent) Rm5 seorang yang Genting Highlands caj RM40 seorang.

di Taman Botani (sangat suka!)-kami ada ramai peminat haha.

1. Kuda yang ikut warna baju kami
2. Sahur feveret : peanut butter!
3. Kedai tukang jahit yang sempoi

1. Di kilang teh tertinggi di Selatan India. Bau teh yang manis!
2. Ke atas puncak Ooty di Doddabetta: musim kabus tak nampak apa.
3. Buruh wanita membina jalan: dah jadi satu kebiasaan.

Rose garden

1. Pasangan ibu anak yang menjual garland di tepi jalan
2. Mr K gembira sebab banyak bunga rose hampir dengan namanya : Chalis Gold, Amalia
3. Aku cuma ada bunga ros yang keding yang dinamakan Meiavf (bagi can la. ada jugak bunyi Af)

UNESCO World Heritage Mountain Railway - Ooty To Mettupulayam
Akhirnya selepas 3 hari bersenang lenang di Ooty, hari yang ditunggu tiba untuk kami naik keretapi. Sangat seronok! Dari stesen Ooty kami akan ke Mettupulayam, untuk destinasi kami seterusnya ke negeri Kerala.

Apa yang istimewanya dengan Toy Train sehingga tiket mudah sold out ialah (1) keretapi ni bukan keretapi biasa, tapi ianya keretapi antik yang mula diguna pada awal 1908, di atas landasan dibina untuk menghubungkan ladang-ladang teh yang pada suatu masa dulu sehingga kini merupakan komoditi penting (2) perjalanan turun ke bawah bukit yang menakjubkan- bayangkan naik keretapi atas awan (3) permandangan terindah sepanjang jalan (oh dengan sikit tip: beli tiket kelas pertama dan cuba mintak untuk duduk di belah kiri) Tak percaya, tengok sendiri:

1. Ni rupa kepala Toy train - nasib baik kami dapat beli tiket kelas pertama
2. Baju di sidai atas tanah -kalau Mak nampak mesti dia marah
3. Ladang Teh - makcik pekerja Ladang Teh yang sempat melambai kami

1. Rumah memang di cat warna warni
2. Pekan Ooty di bawah
3. Salah satu tanda Tandas di stesen - Khalis tak puas hati kenapa ada misai

1. Rupa dalam koc - memang romantik
2. Tiba di Wellington hehe

Seterusnya Mettupulayam- Coimbatoire- Ernakulam- Fort Kochin

Selamat tinggal negeri Tamil Nadu!

Mysore!

2009-10-13T21:07:00.017+08:00

Mysore, bandar kedua terbesar di Karnataka selepas ibunegeri Bangalore, dengan populasi penduduk hampir 800,000 - 2 kali ganda jumlah penduduk Shah Alam.

Ianya dikenali dengan Bandar Diraja disebabkan jumlah istana yang terlalu banyak yang semuanya dibina indah. Ikut perancangan asal, kami singgah ke Mysore hanya untuk membeli tiket bas seterusnya ke Ooty. Tak sempat nak tengok semua, terutamanya Istana Utama yang lampu-lampu sebanyak 96,000 akan dibuka pada malam minggu.

Apa ada di Mysore?
Tapi aku sedikit teruja apabila disapa mesra oleh seorang pemandu Autorickshaw yang menawarkan "tour Mysore" ke tempat-tempat menarik dengan harga Rs. 250 (lebih kurang RM20) dari pagi hingga ke tengahari. Kebetulan bas seterusnya ke destinasi kami Ooty ialah pada pukul 2 petang.

Just nice.

Kami terus bersetuju selepas beberapa kali memastikan harga. Bukan apa, agak murah. Kami letakkan beg2 Everest kami di pejabat syarikat bas dan tempat pertama dituju ialah Bukit Chamundi.

Bukit ni dinamakan sempena dewi yang bunuh Mahahishura, satu kuasa jahat yang beraja di Mysore. Jadi bukit ini dikhaskan untuk memuja dewi tersebut, tapi kami lebih berminat dengan pandangan dari atas bukit Chanmundi, di atas 1000 m aras laut.

Dari atas nampak keseluruhan Bandar Mysore, termasuk istana-istana kerabat raja yang telah dirampas oleh kerajaan dan dijadikan hotel-hotel mewah, dewan perkahwinan untuk disewa dsbnya.

Atas puncak bukit, boleh agak, terdapat sebuah kuil untuk dewi tersebut dan deretan peniaga-peniaga kecil menyambut kami.Suasana dingin bukit mulai terasa. Di luar kawasan kuil, kelihatan berhala Mahahishura yang dibunuh dewi Chanmundi teguh dibina sekeliling round-about. Aku sedikit keliru, ingatkan dewi yang dijadikan berhala, tapi sebaliknya yang dibunuh yang diberhalakan.

1. kita nak naik sampai ke atas tu lah!

2. Dari jauh: Istana Lalitha yang kini dijadikan Hotel bertaraf Lima bintang

3. Mr K bersama Anand yang sedang bercerita -katanya Mysore ada 2 juta penduduk!

1. Mahahishura yang tewas berperang dengan dewi
2. penjual-penjual kalung bunga
3. ukiran di kuil

Kami turun bukit dan beberapa kali terserempak dengan pelancong Barat yang menapak naik ke atas puncak bukit dengan 1,001 anak tangga. Aku? jangan harap ~~sebab tu kau gemok~~ . Anand si pemandu Auto singgah sebentar di berhala Nandi yang berupa seekor lembu hitam, katanya merupakan kenderaan untuk dewa Shiva.

1. Patung Nandi - diukir beratus tahun dahulu
2. Bersama Anand, dia ada 2 orang anak yang belajar di universiti
3. Pasar di puncak bukit yang mengingatkan aku pada pasar di Kuil Borobudur, Indonesia.

Kami singgah sebentar di Tasik Karanji, (aku tak minat nak tengok binatang kat zoo Mysore, walaupun aku suuuuka binatang, tapi zoo akan membuatkan aku rasa sedih). Raja Mysore membina tasik ini 100 tahun yang dulu untuk kegunaan harian rakyat Mysore dan hanya pada tahun 1976 diambil alih oleh Zoo Mysore dan dijadikan taman berbayar.

Anand membawa kami ke Lalitha Mahal, yang kami dapat lihat dari atas bukit. Dahulunya milik sang putera kepada Sultan Tipu, kini dijadikan hotel mewah 5 bintang yang diuruskan kerajaan. Aku sempat menyelak buku panduan yang tidak merekemenkan hotel tersebut. Indah, tapi servisnya lembab, kenapa tidak diswastakan. Haha. Aku quote terus eh dari buku tu!

Untuk 5rs seorang, kami diajak masuk kedalam untuk menikmati Teh dan scones, tapi kami berpuasa.
1. Lalitha Mahal
2. Reflektif tengkorak -bukan tanda pokok beracun, tapi sebagai ganti lampu jalan raya

Kami meneruskan perjalanan ke gereja St Philomena, yang dibina pada tahun 1935. Reka bentuk gereja yang banyak dipengaruhi gereja neo Gothic, (aku tak paham kenapa budak2 melayu kita yang banyak ikut Gothic- dorang faham tak apebenda yang dorang ikut?) yang banyak di Itali. Aku tertarik dengan seorang budak kecil berkopiah yang menjual barangan gereja seperti salib, gambar-gambar kristian dsb diluar gereja. Wajahnya yang sedikit ketakutan untuk berhadapan dengan aku menyukarkan aku untuk ambil gambarnya.

1. Tasik Karanji yang tiada orang dan Mr K yang seronok naik lembu
2. Gereja Saint Philomena
3. Yang menarik perhatian: budak yang taknak pandang kamera, dan ice-cream warna warni dugaan untuk orang berpuasa :)

Dan benarlah, didalam setiap hati Muslim, ada masjid. Kami tersenyum apabila Anand memberhentikan kami di sebuah masjid hijau. Katanya ia adalah sebuah masjid lama yang berusia 100 tahun lebih. Katanya kebiasaanya wanita tidak dibenarkan masuk ke dalam dewan masjid, walaupun untuk bersolat sebab wanita muslimah india selalunya hanya bersolat di rumah. Jadi hanya Khalis sahaja yang masuk ke perkarangan masjid sementara aku menunggunya untuk solat tahiyatul masjid.

Tak lama kemudian, Khalis memanggil aku masuk ke dalam, katanya orang masjid panggil dan memperkenalkan aku. Disuruhnya aku untuk mengambil gambar dalam masjid sambil bertaaruf dengan Khalis. Mereka gembira bila mengetahui kami pasangan yang telah berkahwin dan kami sedang berpuasa. Khalis diajak untuk solat Jumaat, tetapi kami terpaksa meneruskan perjalanan.

Masjid Hijau

Dan akhirnya Anand membawa kami ke Istana Utama Mysore, kediaman rasmi kerabat diraja Wodeyar, yang juga dibuka untuk orang ramai. Dikatakan akitek yang membina semula istana ini pada tahun 1912, diarah untuk mereka istana ini dengan pengaruh Hindu, Islam, Rajput dan juga Gothic. Istana yang agak besar ini penuh dengan pengunjung, terutama dengan penganut agama hindu yang mengujungi 2 kuil yang terletak di dalam Istana tersebut.

Mysore Palace

Kami akhirnya keletihan berjalan-jalan sekeliling istana, (baca: panas keliling istana yang luasnya macam 10 padang bolasepak tengahari buta) akhirnya memutuskan untuk naik kereta kuda kembali ke pejabat syarikat bas.

1. Naik kereta kuda!
2. Gerbang-gerbang kota yang banyak di Bandar Mysore

Seterusnya hari ketiga - Ooty!

Kembara Selatan India

2009-10-09T13:19:00.009+08:00

Manipal ke Mysore, Hari 1

Setelah 3 hari tiba di Manipal, yang hari-harinya dipenuhi dengan mencukupkan keperluan rumah, Mr K menunjukkan tiket berkembar keretapi yang ditempah kehadapan. Bagaikan melambai-lambai dan sedikit menguji "baru sampai, dah kena berjalan".
Dan si dia tersenyum lagi "Malam ni kita bertolak- kita jalan Selatan!".

"How far are we going?"
Mr K mengambil buku Lonely Planet versi India dan mencartakan perjalanan yang menunjukkan ke bawah Selatan dan loop back to Manipal. Di atas Peta India, perjalanan kami nampak acam bentuk "V" yang runcing, tapi oleh kerana peta yang ditunjukkan nampak ringkas, (dan sebab percaya bulat-bulat perancangan Mr K), aku hanya tanya sedikit soalan tanpa menanya hal-hal terperinci. (padahal ada tempat sejuk)

Dan aku mula mengemas baju dan keperluan lain ke dalam backpack 65 litre untuk tempoh 2 minggu. Makanan dalam tin, biskut, dan favourite traveler's food : Peanut butter. Check.
Ubst-ubat mual, diarrhea, panadol, bonjela. Check.
Iron (nasib baik ringan walaupun tak senipis Stewardess Iron) Check.

Aku anggap diri aku Light Traveler, hanya satu beg backpack dan satu sling back camera sahaja di atas badan. Senang nak jaga. Tapi masa mula mengangkat beg, terasa juga tulang empat kerat.

Sejujurnya, aku tak tahu pada awalnya sejauh mana perjalanan kami. Kalau diletakkan peta Malaysia sebelah-sebelah, ianya sepanjang perjalanan dari Perlis ke Singapura.

Manipal - Mysore
Aku pernah terbaca yang keretapi India sangat-sangat on time. But this could not be said the same about their buses, even the chartered ones.

Perjalanan pertama dari Manipal ialah ke Bandar Mysore, melalui bas. Tiket pukul 9.
Sampai nak dekat pukul 11. Cheh. Sakit hati. Kalau tau, boleh lepak lama kat rumah tengok tv ke apa kan.

Nasib baiklah perjalanan kami ke Mysore ialah"overnight bus"; bas kami bas double-decker, tingkat atasnya adalah tempat tidur. Agak selesa, bantal dan selimut dibekalkan. Ada tirai untuk privasi. Aku jakun. Dan nyenyak tidur. Walaupun sekali dua terbangun tengah malam dan ternampak perlalanan hutan di tepi bukit yang curam agak menyeramkan. Sipi-sipi saja lagi masuk gaung, at full speed.

Mr K tidur lena di sebelah, tak terusik dengan keseraman yang aku rasa. Dan aku kembali tenang. Perjalanan 331 km tak begitu terasa.

Kami bangun untuk bersahur dengan biskut dan solat Subuh duduk, dan kemudian seketika, nampak bangunan-bangunan dan jalan tar yang elok (jalan terbaik sepanjang pengamatan aku di sini) siap dengan papan tanda "Welcome to Mysore- Road built by Karnataka State" padahal sepanjang jalan, jalan berlubang tak ingat pula nak bagi papan tanda serupa. Mungkin sebab Mysore bandar DiRaja.

Akan datang- Mysore city

Eid di Manipal

2009-10-07T11:33:00.005+08:00

Kuih raya pun dah tinggal habuk, baru sekarang nak update pasal hari raya?
Haha.

Sehari lambat dari Malaysia
Ala, kalau esok bulan Syawal habis pun, kami di India masih ada sehari lagi untuk beraya. Kami beraya sehari lambat, dan waktu korang tengah makan-makan merai Eid hari pertama, kami masih berpuasa hari terakhir (dan menyiapkan juadah makanan untuk esok hari).

Entah mana ralatnya, sebab masjid dah mengumumkan raya hari Ahad, tapi padi malam Ahad, masjid tersebut masih bertarawikh. Padahal mula puasa sama dengan puasa di Malaysia. Entah macamana kira, tak pasti. Mungkin nak cukupkan 30 hari. Tapi kesian kat budak-budak yang dah siap buat rendang, keesokan harinya makanan jadi basi dan kena buat semua semula.

Nasib baik aku agak malas untuk masak awal. Aku start masak rendang daging dan ayam masak merah pun dekat tengahmalam, itu pun bila dah confirm raya esok (takdenya raya lepas 31 hari puasa). Siap masak semua dalam pukul 3 pagi.

Solat Raya
Oleh kerana kami berdua ni kemana-mana dengan vespa, jadi bila aku dah siap berwuduk dari rumah, kene pakai glove tangan sebab hari ni hari raya, kena pakai baju kurung jadi kene duduk macam perempuan ayu atas motor (sebab taknak batal wuduk le). Serious rasa macam nak jatuh. Sepanjang perjalanan ke Masjid, nampak kelibat orang-orang Islam India berpusu-pusu berjalan kaki, dengan baju raya yang meriah, walaupun hari hujan. Alhamdulillah kami selamat tiba di Masjid-e-Manipal.

Solat raya di sini tiada bezanya, cuma tiada alunan takbir style Melayu yang mendayu-dayu dan khutbah raya dalam bahasa Kannada (dialek biasa di Manipal). Tapi boleh tangkap apa yang cuba disampaikan, sebab banyak Ayat Quran diselitkan dalam khutbah.

Usai solat, jemaah masjid berpelukan (yang perempuanlah..muslimin aku tak nampak) dan mengucapkan Eid Mubarak. Terasa Meriah di masjid walaupun kelibat jemaah orang Malaysia tak begitu kelihatan.

Raya di India
Di bandar-bandar yang jauh lebih besar, solat raya akan diadakan dikawasan lapang dan diawasi pihak polis yang bersenjatakan rotan panjang untuk keselematan (oh ye, sini Inspektor Sahab je kot yang ada pistol, orang-orang bawahannya bawa rotan panjang macam cikgu-cikgu HM kita time sekolah dulu).

Populasi orang Islam di India adalah lebih kurang 15% daripada 155 juta penduduk, dan merupakan agama kedua terbesar di India. Dari jumlah ini, India merupakan negara ketiga terbesar mempunyai jumlah penduduk Islam (selepas Indonesia dan China). Menariknya, pengikut Islam di India adalah golongan minoriti terbesar di dunia.

Kebanyakan muslim disini akan berkopiah, dan wanitanya kebanyakannya berpakaikan hitam dan berpurdah (tapi kadang-kadang nampak ekor rambut dibelakang). Mungkin budaya. Entahlah. Sehairan aku melihat mereka, sepelik tulah kot dorang tengok aku. Bertudung tapi berseluar (wanita tradisional jarang memakai seluar dengan t-shirt/kemeja, kecuali untuk dipadankan dengan pansuit).

Perasaan raya
Haha tak boleh tipulah, memang janggal beraya tanpa keluarga dan hiruk pikuk makcik-makcik aku sebelum raya. Tapi merasa jugaklah beraya di perantauan, disamping suami tersayang. Makanan yang termampu kami buat, kami buat. Tapi burasak (makanan Bugis, nasi pulut kukus yang diletak dalam daun pucuk pisang) tak terbuat.. sebabnya tak tahu mana nak cari daun pucuk pisang. Meliur jugak dengar Mak cakap raya tahun ni Burasak menjadi. Sob sob.

Ish, cakap pasal raya, mesti tulis pasal makanan. Yalah, dah sebulan berpuasa ~~macam la bulan puasa korang tak melantak makanan sedap-sedap~~ . Haha.

Sekian, laporan raya.

Selamat hari raya maaf zahir batin dari kami berdua.

Macam Mak Datin

2009-10-05T18:29:00.009+08:00

Yelah, kerjanya hanya ~~melawa~~ meneman suami ke function yang dia pun tak tahu orang-orang sekeliling. Dalam dua tiga hari secara berterusan ~~tak payah masak~~ ~~makan free~~ komuniti pelajar buat open house dan diatas kesempatan nilah aku mengikut Mr K. Dan diperkenalkan sebagai Mrs K (siap ada announcement. Sangat segan ok)

Tapi tak lah Mak Datin.
Aku masih comot.

Bak kata Yah bila ber-skype tempoh hari "eww korang dorang buruk la"

Yes I have a terribly honest sibling.

In relation to that, my defence as to why I'm I'm fatter and darker:
Baru aku discover kenapa aku hitam..sebab dalam bas/train, Mr K akan suruh aku duduk di tepi tingkap. Jadi dia duduk di sebelah aisle. Alasannya sebab nak protect aku (dari apa?) tapi akibatnya, aku kena dimamah matahari. Oh sungguh aku tidak peduli.Hm maybe next time aku suruh dia pulak duduk tepi tingkap dalam bas. Baru aku ada can jadi heroin Hindustan yang putih melepak itu.

Gemuk?~~sebab syok makan masakan sendiri.~~ Haha aktiviti aku seharian, boleh agak kot lah kan masak, makan, mengemas, tengok Weeds, main facebook, baca buku. Mana taknya menternak lemak. Tapi setelah mentekedarah majlis raya secara berjaya, aku bersenam aerobik pagi tadi dan telah dua hari berjogging dengan encik K tersebut di End Point yang cantiknya MasyaAllah. (Self Note: bawa kamera).

But today I got these. tu bahasa hindi : my pyar karthi hoo. Ntah apa makna dia.

Ah the guy hasn't stop being the debonair who brings flowers to his lady :) And I feel beautiful. ~~Ataupun sebab nak pujuk Liverpool kalah dengan Chelsick semalam kottt~~ Hahaha

Motorcycle Diaries

2009-09-30T23:12:00.003+08:00

Agak lama aku tak kemaskini blog, terlalu banyak perlu diceritakan dalam rencana seharian, jadi makin banyak ketinggalan dateline yang aku cipta sendiri, makin lama makin tak terkejar jadinya.

Mr K sudah seminggu memulakan kuliah, dan sebagai peneman ~~rasuah~~ di kala bosan, dibelikan buku-buku dalam kadar yang banyak memandangkan harga buku yang murah. Contoh: buku P.G Wodehouse yang dijual sekitar 50rs (lebih kuran RM4.50).

Untuk minggu ini, tinggal lagi 3 buku untuk diratah-ratah enak (hint hint kepada Mr K haha). Algebra of Infinite Justice, Right ho Jeeves dan aku sedang membaca buku Che Guevera yang dikarang sebelum beliau menjadi sosok politik terkemuka dan ikon t-shirt terlaris; The Motorcycle Diaries.

Poin yang aku cuba sampaikan cuma satu sahaja: (dan cukup baiklah untuk aku mula berblog setelah blur sebulan dalam transisi dari seorang full fledged lawyer kepada seorang stay at home wife.)

Poinnya: aku tak perlu mengemaskini blog secepat suatu kejadian berlaku. Itu macam melaporkan berita. Apa-apalah. Yang penting, satu hari nanti, aku boleh baca kembali catatan aku yang 30, 40 tahun dahulu. Dan ketawa berdekah-dekah dengan ketotolan zaman muda. Bak cara Ernesto Guevara, aku cuma perlu terus menulis, walaupun perkara tu dah lama berlalu.

Terima Kasih Che, menjadi sumber inspirasi kesekian kalinya.

Trichy

2009-09-03T10:06:00.013+08:00

Dah lima hari aku berada di Negara Ghandi.
Baru hari ni boleh update, keadaan jadi surirumah (ehem!) lebih sibuk dari bekerja.
Masa kerja dulu ada saja masa untuk update facebook blog sini sana.
Tapi hari ni aku wajibkan diri meng-update blog, sebab selain mak aku, yang lain aku tak sempat nak hubungi untuk beritahu keadaan aku di sini.
Alhamdulillah, kami sihat :)

wajah-wajah yang dirindu di airport (not in pic: Yah, Kak G dan abah juga)

29 Ogos
Aku tiba di Airport Thiruchirapalli, tengahari Sabtu, dalam satu queue yang sangat panjang.
Khabarnya wabak H1n1 baru sampai di India, dan semua yang datang dari luar diwajibkan diambil suhu badan, dan sesiapa yang suhu badannya tinggi akan terus diasingkan. Nampaknya pihak berwajib India mengambil langkah berjaga-jaga, tapi bukan nak buat perbandingan, sebab di India penduduk asalnya saja dah mencecah 1 billion, dan setiap saat ada seorang atau dua bayi lahir.

Sempat juga aku berbual dengan seorang penuntut falsafah keagamaan Hindu yang fasih berbahasa Melayu, rupanya macam Gregory House versi India. Katanya India ni macam Malaysia 50 years rewinded. Tapi realitinya teknologi India jauh lebih maju dari negara kita, mereka ada teknolgi nuklear sendiri (bukan cilok Rusia eh!).

Agak remeh juga urusan di airport Trichy (nama timangan/lain, sesuatu yang biasa di Tamil Nadu disebabkan nama asal panjang berjela nak sebut, kan Nik?) tapi dari jauh aku dah nampak kelibat suami dengan baju biru belang (senang aku nak cam katanya) hati jadi tenang.

Oleh kerana perjalanan seterusnya pada pagi keesokannya, kami terpaksa bermalam di hotel Trichy. Kami bermalam di hotel Railway Station. Ada cerita disebalik hotel ni.

Mr K dihadapan hotel stesyen keretapi

Ceritanya Mr K yang tiba semalam awal untuk mejemput aku, booking hotel dah dibuat di hotel lain, tapi bila nak diambil kunci bilik, booking dicancel macam tu saja, terpaksalah Mr K cari hotel lain. Semua penuh.

Dalam kepenatan dan jam pukul 12 malam, Mr K hampir putus asa dan pulang ke Railway Station, berniat untuk tidur di siar kaki lima stesen keretapi, tapi nasib baik ada bilik kosong. Jauh lebih murah pulak (Rs 500) tu dari hotel lain (Rs 1400+) [lebih kurang RM 50, RM 140+)

Lepas meletakkan beg di bilik hotel Railway, kami berdua turun untuk bersiar-siar di pekan Trichy. Daerah di Tamil Nadu, yang kedudukannya paling selatan India, adalah tersangat panas. Tak jadi kami untuk berjalan kaki, sebenarnya aku yang excited untuk naik Auto (singkatan kepada Autotrickshaw) untuk keliling pekan dalam Rs 150.

muka aku yang excited dapat naik Auto

sebenarnya sangat horror- bayangkan teksi yang merempit

Rock Fort Temple -atas bukit nun

pakcik pakai Sunglass cool-memang panas!

Rock Fort Temple dari dekat

Lourdes Church sementara membeli buah di Chinnar Bazaar

Tarikan di pekan Trichy, as you can see from above, adalah Rock fort Temple, yang dibina tinggi dan diukir tinggi 83m diatas gunung batu oleh Kaum Pallaves. Kami tidak masuk ke kuil tersebut kerana menghormati bulan Ramadhan. Untuk berbuka puasa, kami singgah di gerai buah (buah delima oh!) dan kedai arab untuk membeli shawrma kambing dan ayam tikka.

pemandangan dari luar balkoni bilik hotel kami

not bad la kan bilik ni..untuk Rm50 , dapat bilik bersih dan selesa.

30 Ogos

Dalam pukul 3 pagi kami bangun untuk bersiap-siap untuk perjalanan keretapi ke Mangalore (Mangaluru) yang mengambil masa 18 jam. Tiket second class AC sleeper. Hehe nak explain susah, tengok jelah gambar ye.

Rasanya satu coach ni ada 6 deck, yang setiap satunya ada 6 berths. Nasib kami baik sebab tak ramai penumpang, jadi boleh berpindah tempat sesuka hati.

4 berth tengah, kiri kanan atas bawah

berth tepi tingkap yang lebih privasi (sebab ada tirai sendiri) tapi sangat sempit

Apa kami buat dalam train 18 jam? Apa lagi...catch up sleep, dan khatamkam PSP game (cis bukannya khatam Quran). Kadang-kadang boring sangat, kami melepak di tepi pintu keretapi. Agak gayat, terutama sekali bila bergayut tepi rail untuk menangkap gambar.

korang ingat apa?

tandas rupanya.

gunung yang macam Table Mountain di Cape Town, tapi ini di Coimbatore

pemandangan indah sepanjang jalan

Oleh kerana coach kami second class, takdela sangat orang berjual beli. Jadi masa nak berbuka puasa, terpaksalah kami makan buah delima dengan serunding daging yang dibekalkan oleh Mak.
Alhamdulillah! serunding terbaik dan buah delima yang paling merah manis isinya! Bila keretapi berhenti, Mr K turun dan beli chapati dengan kari telur. Sangat sedap ok. Sampai boleh menangis! haha. Lapar punya pasal.

Kami tiba di Mangalore kurang 15 ke tengah malam. Untuk ke Manipal,kami menaiki teksi yang perjalanannya memakan masa 1 jam lebih. Agak menggerunkan sebab jalanraya di sini tiada lampu dan semua pemandu memasang lampu high-beam, dalam keadaan hujan ribut. Alhamdulillah kami tiba dengan tiada insiden.

31 Ogos - 3 September
Sejak tiba kami sibuk membeli-belah menyiapkan perkakas rumah, dan cuaca di Manipal berbeza dengan Trichy yang terik. Di sini masih musim hujan. Hujan lebat yang tiada guruh petir.
Malam ini kami akan bertolak ke Mysore, untuk advencer kami ke Selatan India selama 14 hari.
:) Doa kan ye?

Tom Petty

2009-08-26T20:52:00.008+08:00

Semalam Bos belanja berbuka puasa di Lake Club, bersama ikut merai si clerk dan chambie.
Merai aku yang esoknya akan secara rasminya quit.
Borak punya borak pukul 10 lebih baru ingat nak balik.
First time aku tengok Bos aku dari sudut "manusia'. Heheh.

Hari ni hari terakhir bekerja di CK.
Sempat juga siapkan Rekod Rayuan (untuk difotostat kendian) termasuk Memorandum + Kronologi nya sekali, dan sementara tunggu print bilik aku dah siap kemas. 4 Plastik bag sampah siap diikat. Mak aiih banyak gak sampah aku buat.
Ni cuma nak cerita betapa ~~diperahnya~~ dedikasinya aku, last day pun banyak kerja.

Dalam pukul 2, aku get ready dengan muka sepuluh sen nak minta gaji, tapi Bos suruh buat Saman + Soc. Bekejar jugalah nak membuatnya, faham-fahamlahkan nak balik awal. Tapi tengah selak-selak BQ, invoice, contract terms, rasa sayu. Rasanya takkan lupa saman terakhir aku buat kat firm ni. ~~Lawan Ranhill pulak tu. Haha memang tak boleh lupa~~

Aish. Tempat jatuh lagi dikenang...

Firm aku ni kecik je.
Tapi Bos aku ni aku ibaratkan dia sebagai The Malaysia Duncan Wallace.
Taiko construction law kat Uk nun. Banyak yang dia ajar aku. Banyak yang aku belajar dari dia.
Aku akan practice kembali, tapi untuk balik ke firm asal... macam mustahil je?

Anyway.
Tepat pukul 5 aku balik.
Masa tu BFm tengah mainkan lagu Tom Petty "Don't come Around Here No More".
Aku gelak sorang diri. Boleh bayangkan Bos nyanyi. Afterall, ni kali kedua aku tinggalkan dorang.
Sayu ada sikit, tak boleh tipu.

Cahaya: ustaz Asri

2009-08-19T00:01:00.005+08:00

CahayaMu penuh Kemuliaan
CahayaMu Penuh Kasih Dan Sayang
Memimpin Kami Menjulang Panji
Berbalas Senyum Dalam Redha

Mengajar Ertinya Ketaqwaan
Mengajar Ertinya Ketabahan
Memutih Hati Yang Kian Rawan
Penawar Jiwa Yang Melara

Biarpun Mata Terpejam
Kasih Tetap Di Hati
Terukir Peribadi
Segirang Matahari
Memancar Hari Sanubariku.. Berseri
Menerangi

I know this entry is a week late, but I've been really busy this week.

When Puspa told me of Ustaz Asri's death, I was stunned.
As facebook status starts flooding in on his death, I started to re-listen his songs in the car,a habit that was just created for the last one week, and a rare one I could say, as I never play nasyid songs in the car. A pleasant surprise as opposed to my usual Metallica-PInk Floyd-laden playlist, but still, for a sad note in remembrance of a favourite munsyid of mine.

I know I had always been less forgiving to other nasyid groups, 1) because they don't sound nice anyway 2) they gave my alma mater a bad name = apakah itu cinta ukhhuwah ana-enti? ewww tolonglah sangat plastic!

The only super exception given was to Rabbani.
I kept thinking of this song, one which reminds me of him now that he's gone.

Its one of the first nasyid songsI listen to when I got myself in to read law in the Garden of Knowledge and Virtue. Its quite superificial to relate nasyid songs with the campus, but one cannot escape from listening (and liking the better ones?) after 5 years of study. Especially the overplayed intro to Intifada, everytime there was an opening ceremony in the uni. But I discovered that I can enjoy Rabbani's music arrangement, yang sangat tidak mendayu-dayu although my "pendengar nasyid tegar" friends would always prefer other nasyid groups.

It remained my only favourite, and with Ustaz Asri's demise, I could not help from missing his voice and presence.
Teringat takbir Ustaz Asri raya nanti mesti sayu.

Innalillah.
Thank you Ustaz, for your wonderful music.
I'm forever grateful for your guidance in seeking eternal happiness.
Semoga Arwah ditempat di hamba-hambaNya yang dimuliakan.

Ameen!

tengok teater

2009-08-13T11:10:00.006+08:00

Semalam aku dan rakan2 tengok teater di DBP "Projek Koken: Kompilasi Teater Vol 2".

Sempet heret Yah dari spital (dia yang minat teater walaupun terhuyong hayang menahan keletihan.) Overall aku rasa OK walaupun sakit pinggang aku sebab tempat duduk aku tu takde penahan belakang.

Teater kali ni ada 2 cerita; Legasi dan Naturalisasi.

Legasi ni mengisahkan seorang pejuang KMM Cikgu Baha (ke Bakar? berkata aku yang pekak lagi rabun) yang hidup dan matinya dalam paksi perjuangan KMM. Akhirnya sampai ditinggalkannya isteri dan kawan-kawan, dan terus hidup dalam igauan 'perjuangan memerlukan pengorbanan'.
Korang tak tau KMM tu, sila google ye. NI zaman-zaman sebelum merdeka.

Aku tak terkesan sangat dengan kisah Cikgu Baha ni, sebabnya mungkin hati aku kering sikit, nak balance life dengan perjuangan, cita-cita dan cinta, jadi pendirian Cikgu Baha bagi aku agak asing. Walaupun aku setuju pejuangan tak memerlukan pengiktirafan, tapi aku rasa ianya perlu diletak diatas kondisi masyarakat sezaman.

Cerita kedua naturalisasi ni..aku rasa ada sedikit unsur sarcasm, sebab bila tengok nama dan watak dan cerita macam pernah ku dengar real life. Terlalu dekat persamaannya untuk dijadikan unsur metafora. Kisahnya dengan Razman peguam kepada seorang tokoh politik terkenal, yang berkawan rapat dengan seorang activist, Rahmat. Masing-masing mempunyai agenda tersendiri dan perkaitan rapat antara perasaan. Sama juga Nurul, gadis liar yang mengandungkan anak luar nikah Razman.

Kenapa tajuknya Naturalisasi? Simple, sebab semua watak sebenarnya ingin kembali ke "natural state". Razman ingin kembali kepada sexual orientation yang betul dengan hidup barunya dengan Nurul, Nurul ingin kembali kepada hidup yang stable, Rahmat ingin kembali seperti mana sebelum dia melarikan diri ke luar negara, dan kembali kepada hubungan dengan Razman, dan Tan Sri yang tiba-tiba ingin kembali kepada hidupnya sebelum politik. Dan HIV positif memberi mereka berempat peluang untuk "kembali"

Poinnye disini, boleh nampak macamana politik boleh menjahanamkan hidup orang yang tak terlibat pun, contohnya Nurul. Puspa kata Nurul ni dianggap metafora "rakyat".
Kelakar pulak rasa orbit cerita ni seorang peguam. Pentingnya peguam ye..
Tapi tak puas hati, apesal kena gayyyy

Dah aku dah bagi spoiler.Heh kena sambung buat kerja.

merindui syurga

2009-08-12T11:49:00.004+08:00

rindu

Bila tengok gambar ni rasa rindu pula kat masjid Taman Ilmu dan Budi.
Walaupun dah cakap kat Alak 'kalau nak buat masters, buatla kat tempat lain.."

I don't think I have an innate sense of belonging to the place I used to study, maybe I used to change schools when I was lot younger.
Bagi saya, setiap tempat ada baik, ada buruknya.

Tapi tipulah kalau kata tak terusik perasaan bila tengok masjid di Taman Ilmu dan Budi.

Rasa rindu perasaan lelah yang terubat dengan aman Masjid setelah sepanjang hari belajar.
Sisters disekeliling berbual dan berkenalan, membaca quran dan berusrah. Jemaah berkejaran untuk merapatkan saf. Dan syarah agama yang tidak putus-putus didengar mengubat hati yang kosong.

Mungkin sebelum berlepas ke India, nanti nak jenguk masjid ini tempat saya belajar selama 4 tahun.

Maryam, teman ye?

congrats sis!

2009-08-10T15:33:00.012+08:00

Tahniah ZZ for your MD degree.
Sorry lah letak pic ni..can't resist, expression muka terlalu kiut.
Walaupun Yah kata "alah konvo je, tak penting" tapi we were very happy to be there for you.

Mak senyum sepanjang hari.
Af ingatkan I can't make it to your convo, rupa2nya just nice to make it on time.
Walaupun tak masuk dewan, tapi takdela aksi "Negaraku" sebab kitaorang enjoy je tunggu :)

U.N internship

2009-08-07T19:26:00.006+08:00

Had a day long hearing of application at the Shah Alam Court.
It didn't start too well.

I thought at first that since I have no instructions to proceed, I will leave to the court to decide but the fair learned judge wanted to hear the merits of the case.

I act for the Defendants, and the first Defendant had sometime been wound-up, leaving the rest of the Defendants "un-interested" to defend anymore and insisted that I withdraw acting for them.

But I never wash my hands off something like that.

So I subjected myself to a tricky situation, having no warrant to act for the company et all, til the Court Intepreter realised my nervous face and showed his thumbs up. I felt better for his positive gesture.
But anyways.

Judge decided in my favour.
Alhamdulillah.

After court I made my way to the next building the Shah Alam Mall, to look for hiking gears when the Court Interpreter, the ever friendly Aru greeted me.

And he knows me by name :)
"Eh you nak pegi mana ni?, beli barang-barang camping?".

I told him I'm leaving for India at the end of the month to live with Mr K and for the "little project" I have to do while I'm there.I did tell him that I'm worried if its a new zone altogether, afterall practice had been the only thing I know.

Aru said "Afzan, even without the project, I think you should just go. Once you have commitment, houses to pay, children to feed, you're grounded here".

"People like you are always welcomed in Private Practice. You're passionate. So don't worry when you come back"

"I'm sure you'll enjoy India. Its beautiful, and colourful. You're going with the love of you life, so it could be the best thing, you know?"

Ahhhh.
Thanks Aru. You surely know what wreaks my havoc.
Kadang2 terkena bisikan syaitan.

I love my job.
But Family will always come first :)

let's talk nonsense

2009-08-06T10:43:00.004+08:00

In the same tone of discussion that there are Santa Claus waiting up your chimney, OK?

The Organiser of Mansuhkan ISA were the ones responsible for the massive traffic jam, causing traders losing thousands of ringgit and citizen hours of their precious idling time.
No fault goes to the police blocking the roads to the city.
Nope, they were just curbing the demonstrators.

Article 10 Freedom of Assembly does not apply here, therefore the demonstrators ought to be gassed and arrested for their "crime". There were a lot of exchange in the modern day battle, the demonstrators do not form a peaceful assembly as they were seen shouting 'no to detention without trial', the real threat to the country's peace is to guarantee arrest for suspicion of having different "ideals". The detainees are traitors because they break up the one block of political mentality, therefore they should be educated. The demonstrators deserve for the beatings anyway, their voices might shatter our fundamental right for peace, therefore they need to be silenced.

Whatever was said by our revered Tunku Abdul Rahman, our Father of Independence, during the debate in parliament, is irrelevant, as the enemy of our peace and harmony is the opposition. He promised this:

“My cabinet colleagues and I gave a solemn promise to Parliament and the nation that the immense powers given to the government under the ISA would never be used to stifle legitimate opposition and silence lawful dissent"

Poor demonstrators, thinking that the law on ISA had been abused, that they thought they have a fundamental right for their liberty and in cases of abuse of that legitimate right, they thought they could hold a peaceful assembly.

Remember the old maxim "presumed innocent until proven guilty?", well students of Law, sorry to tell you that was in the olden days. Justice delayed is justice denied, and I hear Saiful Bukhari saying the same too. Ahh great thinkers think alike eh.

We need the ISA. Seriously.

happy bug

2009-08-05T16:17:00.006+08:00

Morning I had a matter in Shah Alam court, the least favourite court of mine.
For known reasons, the stairs the lift the parking the system the food at the cafeteria is just as bad.

But now the court had adopted the Tracking System, following the KL courts.
Which would only mean longer queues, shorter dates and since its Shah Alam, more headaches!
And today was the Teoh-MACC case (which was adjourned) and every single space available around the court is congested, and court staffs were seen donning surgical masks.

Hmm.
Dengan bersesak2 begini, risiko pasti ada.

I didn't get to strike out Plaintiff's suit, too bad. The Plaintiff managed to come out with documents to stop me from striking out their 2 years-adjourned case initiated by the now-wound up Plaintiff, meaning their solicitors do not have warrant to represent them. While todays was supposed to be their final date.
But heck, its court's discretion. Kadang-kadang macam tu lah.
Tukar-tukar sampai tak boleh nak appreciate kes.

But I'm not going to be the one handling the matter once its called up in October.I think the Boss knows by now how hard it is to find LA's. Seriously, anyone nak join firm aku taak?

I think I'll miss all this hoo hah.

Today is a happy day, for someone who had been sick for days.
* Mr K got me an Indian Kitteh. Cuteness to the extreme
** had lunch at home with Zetty while waiting for Mak to come home
*** Sasha with the help of her Mr F got a neat farewell gift for me, Ayu and Aliza. (see below)
**** An old friend had offered his help to buy things I need and said "kita ni macam adik beradik lah, tak pe"
*****Finally decided that I'll ditch the expansive speedlite and battery grip, I'll just buy extra CF card, extra battery and one external disk :)

All the best to Aliza and Ayu, and to the law20 girls..thank you so much..!
Will miss you lots, and please, cramp our house whenever you want!

Where's your mommy?

2009-08-02T18:02:00.007+08:00

I stayed home for 5 days now.
No I've not been quarantined for h1n1, but I've been ill.
And I missed my urgent arrest team doing heroic legal duty for the Aug 1st rally.

I feel proud of them.
I know most of them comes from the same place I studied.
We share the same vision of social justice.
This nation we share in love and duty.

What can I say?
All the modern relics of easy living and dog eat dog world left us with ignorant Middle class citizens, complaisant to their day to day lifestyle, traffic jams and shopping, that it seemed Detention Without Trial is just an issue blown out of proportion, is just a media hyped by the opposition, and selfish to the point as it concerns only the "bad guys".
Bad guys meaning having different oppinion with the government, and its a crime here.

What do you mean its good, for the people to be scared of the government?

I'll quit talking with the lolly pop sucking kids of Middle Class people.
They make me sicker than I already was.

I think I'll rather waltz with a totok Pro-Isa than these people.
At least they'll make me laugh.

"Washing one's hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral".-Paulo Freire

just charred, not burnt

2009-07-24T17:45:00.006+08:00

After having lunch with friends who insisted of going Delicious instead of Devis, I received a long winded sms of apology.

I had almost choked myself with tears reading the message.
Shall I reply?

Maybe never.
My pride is all I've got, and it got the best of me.

Maybe tomorrow.
I'm not a Monster.

But you know, I'm one of those few who'll write LODs ending with "may good sense prevail".
(Romantic kaaan Letters aku?)
Yup. Good sense, I got that.

P/s: Still considering going kopi O' Nite with Legalaiders tonight.
Saturday I'm off to my in Laws' place in Ipoh, and Sunday friends are kidnapping me to somewhere I don't know. I heard its in KKB. :) Here and there, 1 months to go!

2= 18.5.07

2009-07-22T13:05:00.005+08:00

I try to make it a habit to remember dates, much to the dismay of my husband (anniversaries dates, the first times bagai)

~ but after awhile it dawned to me I'm not that typical woman.
So much that I love facts, rearranging them, making them work for me, but I'm useless with dates, even my own.

There was once I received a bouquet of roses from him (while he was in India), that had me thinking..eh untuk apa ye?
Hahaha. Lepas tu baru teringat. Hahaha.

Anyway today I just remembered something:

It has been two months+ past the day I was called to the Bar 2 years ago.
Haih.

(To this my Boss said: I lost track of my own years too lah! I feel Oldddd!)

Anyway Mrs K, happy 2 years (+9 months) (+2 months delay) = 2 years and 11 months of practice!

(terasa seasoned! alah mengada)
No, there's a reason for me to say that, and I'm entitled to say that to very least because most of my Law coursemates had ceased practice.
Oh well.

Not so glamourous afterall, its all hard work. And some are not getting paid their worth.
But it pays to have the most independent profession, yes?
To be your own boss, to be in charge of your own matters, and to screw up alone too. Heheh!
(Emon, hahaha nak buat kau rindu-rinduan kat practice life).

So far so good.
Right now I have another 1 month and 5 days to enjoy my career, and I think I'll miss it soon enough when I'm away.

It is afterall, my passion.

Don't use It

2009-07-21T12:49:00.009+08:00

I read with interest whenever “it” gets mention.

Sometimes I wonder what does it mean by saying “they should be grateful” to us, for “letting” them in, “by willing to share what is ours”. As if this is a exclusive God-given entitlement that one should remind the others whenever the others seems to be getting more. Don’t they know, Allah helps the ones that helps themselves?

I am a Malay, by blood, by the constitution (which til now dazzles me) for I speak Malay and a born Muslim. My mother is quarter Chinese (her paternal grandmother) and the rest 75% is Melayu Bugis, the strong Bugis lineage in both of her parent is said to be directly linked to Bugis family in Sulawesi. My father on the other hand, is 100% pure Malay from Kelantan. I did ask him of our lineage, but he said as far as he could remember, that was it, but maybe to spice things up, he said maybe a touch of Pattani blood is there. We’ll never know. But this could only mean I’m a Malay, regardless if my genealogy geographically hailed outside of Malaya 100 years ago. I will call myself Bangsa Malaysia, and a proud Muslim.

The only strong “we are one” sentiment I have for this country is for my fellow countrymen, regardless of race and religion. You’ll never hear me say “alah memang janji Melayu”, “cakap macam k—“, “chinese drivers like that”, except in those afrorementioned illustrations. I never knew racial difference made a hard line in life, well, not in mine I think. I went to a good mixture of race in school, I can never tell the difference. My parents and my teachers had brought us up well.

But I soon had the experience when I was 12, when our school teacher Cikgu Zul, brought us out for lunch as a treat after we had painted murals on the wall of our school, to Subang Parade. There was a scuffle involving a Malay guy and a Chinese guy. I didn’t know why they argued, but the commotion drew our attention as they were shouting and exchanging insults. As young as I was, it was an everyday drama and I took no further notice of them (it was my first time out with friends in a shopping mall) but a friend of mine said this to me, which made me wonder til this day. She said “Tak baik la mamat Melayu tu. He said ‘balik la China’ to that Chinese guy”.

We were just 12 but we felt racial difference is an odd card to play with. I felt uneasy with the “balik la China” statement, it was harsh if not too surprising for me. And later as I reminisce my childhood did I realise that I was actually pleased with my friend who had shared the same feeling, only because I thought the uneaseness was caused by my own “sort of” betrayal to my own race, as I felt upset with the statement (when I should feel the same way with the Malay guy), but it was none of it.

I had been confronted with a friend who demanded my loyalty as we were showered with education aids, and again with their role obtaining independence. For one thing, wherever I am now it is on my own merit, I had not use my father’s connections if that’s what he meant nor had I any scholarships awarded simply because I prefer being independent. Now tell me, in what way didn’t I show my loyalty to this beloved country just because I remain non-partisant and critical to the ruling government? Even the revered Dato’ Onn Jaafar didn’t (later). I commended their good jobs done to the people, but if I sound selective, that is because certain issues aren’t settled. Hence the voice I have is a part of the People’s voice, a process of democracy, and thus supporting the due process of the country right? That is why, one of my aspiration is to give something back to the wonderful society that helped to shape the person that I am now. Regardless of what, I think I love my country more than one can imagine. And I love its people. They are all beautiful. There’s no place like home, and its not mine alone, I’m sure this feeling is shared by the beautiful people.

But like our lawyer Puspa said, the older generation is helpless (on the racial issue). The only hope is with the younger generation. Where the hope lies in truly colour blind so our nation can come forward. Come one, I’m sure you and I are already tired with this odd card being pulled out, just to let you know, “it” just won’t ace anymore.

apa pekdahnya??

2009-07-20T11:56:00.004+08:00

"They sincerely believe what they did was right to defend other Muslims, that's what worries me."- Noorul Huda Ismail, who once joined JI nd is now a researcher and head of the Institute for International Peacebuilding, an Indonesian foundation that seeks to reintegrate Islamist fighters into mainstream society.

No matter what you do, you can never raise sympathy the way Israel can do as an aggressor. And even they had to fork out money to do that. And you're not even in Palestine, so cut it out!
No, you're not even defending some military attack to start with.

9 dead, 55 injured.
What are they trying to prove?

Suicide bombing in our neighboring country in Jakarta made me frown.
I can never grasp the idea of bombing lavish hotels full of foreigners by any "Islamic radical" movements.

So far, the officials had pointed out their only suspect to the JI organisation, which the connections to their Malaysian bomb experts is too close.
Names like Mas Selamat, Azahari, and now Muhammad Mat Top might have caused a bit more than a stir in our stomaches.

So there's a reason for us to worry to, while reading the news you might have said " Oh well, its in Jakarta, so what, it'll never happen here".

I can never put into words of how human relations are so crucial that every minute touch counts, but who would care to give a damn? (Afterall I am extra-sensitive, friends might confirm this to my account.)

So when a bomb strikes, it can only mean more than one message.
But the way I see it, their actions only fueled Islamophobia.
While the Muslim Ummah is still nursing the ol' 9/11 wound.

Thanks, but no thanks.

heads must roll

2009-07-17T10:26:00.003+08:00

Something is wrong with that picture.
The police is "Polis Forensik", indicating that it happened in Malaysia. Malaysia pun Boleh!
The location is at Plaza Masalam, the same building that placed MACC Hq.
And they way his body landed sideways, his hands bracing for a fall.
Theories may appear, but conscience tells us this is definitely not suicide.

Why would someone who is not a suspect jump off from a building after the MACC's questioning?
Why would someone "stay back" at the HQ after the questioning?
Why is the MACC questioning session ended at 3 am? (police pun sampai pukul 6 petang je tau?)
Why is the long gap between the when the body was found at 1 pm and when he was released at 3 am?

It is MACC"s responsibililty to ensure his safety, and this all happened in their premises.
Why why why.

It does not make sense.

Condolences to Teoh Beng Hock's family, and to his fiance, whom he would've have registered their marriage today, his death will be avenged.

Rest In Peace TBH.

allahumaghfirlahu warhamhu.

2009-07-16T22:47:00.007+08:00

A relative of mine passed away few days ago.

Arwah was a firemen.
So we were brought to the Shah Alam Fire Station after the post mortem for Solat Jenazah.

Arwah didn't die because of any fire mishap.
They usally can overcome critical situations, afterall, they're professionally trained.

But he died in his sleep. Just 31 years old.
(The same age with my eldest sister) Young, with two young kids.

Doctors revealed his heart stopped beating, in his sleep.
Friends told us that they found him lying on the couch of his living room in his unit, the lights was not switched off, indicating that he only meant for a nap, to take a rest.
I could imagine he must've been very tired, to just came back from his shift and dozed to sleep not knowing it'll be eternal.

His mother was shocked to hear her youngest son died in such away. Suddenly.
She fainted few times.
Must've been very shocking, to the very least of emotions.
Afterall, arwah didn't have any health complication known of, and he was fit.
He didn't look as if he had any heart problems, he was not fat at all.
Tapi tulah.... ajal maut di tangan Tuhan.

Innalillah.
Shahriman
(1978-2009.)

p/s: peringatan untuk aku yang selalu tido dahulu sebelum solat isyak.

(Cerita sampingan: Seriously, that was my first time being in a Fire Station. I was excited (aku kan tomboy dulu) seeing the Fire Engines and yes, there were poles~one we could slide down aku ingat dalam cerita je ada? siap ada siren emergency from the tower..waaah! cepat je fire engine tu keluar, tak sampai seminit!)

When we arrived Yah quickly glanced to me and said "Sukalah tu. I know you like firemen" with that annoying look to tease me. I committed myself to embarrassment telling that to her once, but it never occurred to me of any importance why I said it, but here's my reasons.
Hah jangan ngengade ingat bukan-bukan !

True, I had always thought I'll marry ~~one that would douse my hot temper~~ or in truest sense, I had always been attracted to heroic-type of people.

Why specifically firemen, not policemen? I knew from I was young they receive duit kopi eughh. Memang turn off OK! I fear them.

Why not army..thing is, firemen could not save you from other evils but fire, which is not a human controlled. So it kinda made firemen a special league on their own. Yang lain tu macam boleh tercemar dengan agenda politik je?

Doctors? well, I haven't the slightest thought of marrying a doctor (sorry sayang?) But its not the same with lawyers, whom I made sure I'll never get involved with! hahahahaaaaa.) Kutuk diri sendiri. Ehem.

Anyway. siut je Yah.) Tu cerita Darjah dua laaa!

diamonds in the rough

2009-07-16T18:02:00.007+08:00

Yesterday the Israeli army IOF admitted that whatever they do amounts to war crimes, to the group "Israel Breaking the Silence". The soldiers openly admitted that they had killed civilians, using them as human shields, destroying homes without any justification following 'definite' orders.

Clearly it contradicted the Israeli government statement few months ago, saying that they were the one at the receiving end, and their re-action is a military defence.
(Bla bla bla. Mampus la korang, your army dah admit guilt on your behalf)

I suddenly remembered Dr Farish Noor informing a full-packed hall that they are several Israeli soldiers that had been imprisoned because they refused to follow orders (i.e to do harm to Palestinians). And they felt as if they're on their own, their people calls them traitors, and the rest of the world just don't see them.

Can anyone tell me how do I send postcards/cards/letters to this beautiful souls?
I just want to tell them their actions is an inspiration and may God bless their noble courage.
Surely it means something.

Semoga Allah memberi hidayah kepada mereka. Ameen.

go to sleep

2009-07-15T22:37:00.009+08:00

No way I'm gonna confirm. Sorry!

Don't lose sleep over this, we're just small people, so why worry.
Tired of your antics, your self-obsession fanatics.
Done with your lies and deceit, now we're moving on.
But you're too proud to say your sorries, to even ask why.
Afterall this is not your first time, but it shall be the last.

Of course I forgive you.
Its just that I'll bury the hatchet where I could remember.

far from maddening crowd

2009-07-15T09:43:00.002+08:00

So the tribe has spoken.
Manek Urai PAS-PR won by a slight margin.

Due to work constraint (on the weekends as well), I have not been able to jump into the happy- election-tourist-bandwagon this time, although I was tempted by Puspa to ride the train to Kelantan (and tempted over nasi berlauk and etok too) . But I had followed the pictorial news, and it seemed to me that the opposition's supporters seemed to be at their stronghold.

Not.
With a margin of lesser than hundred (I think), this could only mean that some quarters had been listening to UMNO. Whatever said or done by Muhyiddin (about the bridge especially) lands them in a big mess, but PM Najib 100 days popularity seemed to hit on the right note.

The 'undoing' of NEP, the releasing 19 ISA people, the PPSMI gone in three years, financial matters, 1Malaysia thingymajiggy (all the issues raised by everyone but UMNO) but credits goes to them seemed to work the magic.

With BN shadowing the people's concerns and interest, seems like a mirror image to what PKR is doing. Right time. Doesn't matter if its a messy wrong move.

Leverage
Understanding Kelantanese people is by not putting them into direct classification of political loyalty, but~ the spiritual strength of PAS had seemed to have been leveled-out with the rest of the PR's liberals. I can only think of PAS being really Islamic conservative would appeal more to the Kelantanese more than PAs being friendly with the more modern parties, it just would not set the difference to UMNO, would it?

I could be wrong, but.
That's just my take.

post Monday blues.

2009-07-14T18:21:00.005+08:00

see more Fail Blog

sigh. Its one of the days.
Its not even a Monday for it to blamed at.

~~neverending phone ringing~~
~~the only staff here is still on leave~~
~~today's dateline for arbi submissio~~m
~~and its still sitting on the Boss' desk~~
~~client neverending stops by the office~~
~~while the Boss conveniently went out~~
I can't seem to focus on working on anything
the Husband is not feeling well
Yah had left for tudung shopping in Jalan TAR
Naah. All in a day's work.

Keep on looking for the reason that ticks you off, when actually you know the answer at the back of your head.
And you know there's nothing you can do about it.
Just because you think you know how to go about it and that you're used to it, doesn't mean its a walk in the park.

Nothing works.
Not even comfort food.

no country for old men

2009-07-13T01:42:00.006+08:00

There's always a crazy Anton Chigurh wailing every evil minion's step.
The very move of his is catastrophic, and his vices are god-damned bigger than drugs and money.
Well, drugs and money~ thats where everything rotten started to roll.

And actually, the evil minions didn't start bad, they're just opportunist.
Thinking that they could get away.
Getting away clean, is not possible, but too bad they didn't know it.
They should know dirty buck stops right here -before their eyes, not in their hands.

And there's always Sheriff Ed Tom, a heroic stature in all the mess.
Good, but not good enough to keep up.
The patriotic kind that would reminisce about the good old days and compared with themselves.
But not with what the future holds for them.

In any country, either the young ones die young battling, or the old men retire early, at the prospects of the young ones.

Its not just in the wild wild west, you know.
Rhetorically applies here, no country for old men either.

Finally done with the banned film 'No Country For Old Men'.
Its fairly good, received rave reviews on it and I found myself on the edge of the seat (literally, but I was on the bed, watching it via the laptop).

(Its not because its banned that I had just recently watched it as if I have been searching high and low for it, Mr K would've downloaded for me- but knowing me, I delay watching "screening now movies"or rather when the show had been sold out the hype is already gone, I ain't watching them no sir, I believe saving the best for the last. Except, of course, for company). Alasan.

Lembab je sebenarnya.
Atau takde masa nak gi tengok muvi.
Fact is, I miss going out to the movies with him.

Kenapa Orang Melayu tak pandai English

2009-07-09T17:16:00.005+08:00

Saya yang terlewatkan isu ni.

Tapi jangan pandang sepi pendapat saya ni, walaupun saya bukan (belum?) lagi menjadi ahli akademik, ahli sastera dan atau ahli negara. Saya fikir, bukan sebab majoriti matapelajaran duniawi dalam Bahasa Melayu, sebab tu bangsa kita mundur dan tak pandai berbahasa English.

Eleh. Jangan sebab politik kita jadikan generasi akan datang bahan ujikaji.

Tapi saya rasa kebanyakan kita yang boleh tahan terer berbahasa English akan mengakui, pembelajaran di luar sekolah yang membuatkan kita pandai cakap English sampai berabuk.
Pelik, tapi benar.

My Two Cents:
Antara sebab kenapa orang kita tak pandai-pandai English, saya rasalah:

Malas baca buku English/ budaya malas cari ilmu
-Kenapa malas? banyak sangat hiburan yang jauh lebih mudah dari buku
-maaf, di negara kita budaya ilmu ni tak segah konsert jum heboh.
-buku mahal dan terkadang dilihat sebagai budaya 'elitist' (teringat IKD haha)
- jangankan wikipedia, rata-rata budak2 sekolah buka internet bukan cari ilmu, tapi kemaskini facebook dsb.

Contoh melalui tauladan
-dulu zaman mak ayah kita yang ada English Medium, cikgu-cikgu yang menagajar bahasa atau dalam bahasa English, adalah Curby trained (eh betulke macam tu ejaannya Mak?)
-kesian cikgu-cikgu kita sekarang, dah la takde training curby tu, diharap pulak mengajar dalam bahasa English padahal masa kat maktab tak pulak kan?

Orang yang cadangkan PPSMI ni tak fikirke kondisi sosial kita yang banyak mempengaruhi taraf pendidikan kita? Bukan bahasa.

weekends off! (well almost)

2009-07-06T14:33:00.008+08:00

First time in 3 months I had my weekends off.

Sangat best OK.
I can let my feet off and not preparing for any activities.
Hm, that if you consider the breakfast with Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir ast Saturday in Bangsar as something "informal".

So tak prepare pape.
Ingatkan boleh borak2 biasa.

But when I arrived (quite late), the table was rocketing the discussion with FICs and APs.
*Gasp*.
Corporate world is still alien to me, I can't chip in just to save my own life.

Nasib baiklah Mukhriz did touch upon his Aman Malaysia peace mission in Palestine and a little bit on Police (non)duties.
Bolehla jugak menyampuk.

Maybe I came later than everyone else, or maybe I was still segan, but I should've just spoke whatever there is on my mind, the prevailing issues, as MM was all systems go in the discussion.
Well, next time lah.
What about Mukhriz?
I think he's cool.
Cool enough to sms to thank me for my time. Haha (should be the other way round kan?)
Ok lah, he invited us over for brekfast, just to get to know whats the deal with young people.
Despite his allegiance and what not, I look forward to discuss with him in the future.

Anyway its already July, and so far "work" with the Selangor OSCC brought me to places I never imagine going.
Nak travel India, negeri sendiri pun tak cover habis.

The roadshow brought me to various DUNs in Selangor, as far as Pulai Klang, Dusun Tua, Batang Kali, Semenyih, the flat area in Gombak, Ampang.
I can see the people's eagerness to improve the society's awareness, something that I thought only urban elitist "cared" to parade it for whatever reason only they know.

Oh ye. Buat masa ni umum mengetahui saya tidak menyertai mana2 parti politik, tapi saya sangat puji kesungguhan Kerajaan Negeri Selangor yang sanggup turun padang setiap minggu untuk kempen OSCC.

I can see their honest and sincere effort, and really I can really see the people are very appreciative of the State Govt's initiative.
Kudos kak Ogy (YB Rodziah) and Ir Endok Sempo, Director of Wirda Selangor, and the dedicated volunteers at Wirda Selangor.

So I had my weekends off and still I talk about work. Sigh.
Anyway.
Sunday I stayed home and am just happy to spend it with the family.

I went head-hunting for red canvas shoes.
With no avail. Ahhhh kecewa.
Syafiq Sunny suggested Converse, but all I want is good'ol Pallas Jazz.
Mana nak cari?

bombshell shock

2009-07-01T17:47:00.018+08:00

Dropping the Bomb
Finally I told The Boss. That I'm leaving.
Well, he didn't raise his voice or shown any volcanic emotions, which I rather actually, because his sudden sad change in his face and voice made me feel bad.

Etching a dream: Taj Mahal

Anyway, I have another 57 days to go~ lets not mix more emotions shall we?

Shell shock
Last night was my first trip to a Pakatan Rakyat Ceramah (or in any other way, my first Political ceramah), I was curious (and will remain curious, hence I might not join any of them any soon), last night held at the Kelana Jaya Stadium.
Lim Kit Siang, DSAI spoke.
Too bad Tok Guru didn't come. I was hoping to hear him the most. I think he's cool.

LKS on the big screen

Anyway on the way there we were hit by a Bus from the back (loaded with Teachers).
And because of the momentum, we hit another car.
Untimely accident, unfortunate witnesses.

Puspa's little miracle that kept us alive~ Alhamdulilah

No break neckspeed but the collision was hard and fast, Faisal who sat at the back was vaulted to the front, and my chest was tugged by the seatbelt, so there were bruises there and my neck still hurts ~but we're Ok.

In split second between the two hits I was already thinking to myself: This Is It The End.
But Alhamdulillah.
Alive and kicking, and we continued to soldier on to the Stadium.

shaken not stirred: we're ok.
Duduk2 di rumput hijau mendengar orang bercerita adalah best.

p/s: I still hate rude police officers.
I say "rude" not all.
Hey,I enjoy talking to the Inspector ladies in Department B1 (that's sexual crimes for you)

about a girl

2009-06-26T11:45:00.005+08:00

yang bertudung merah: feveret nurse aka rakan2 karaoke beliau

Boleh ke aku tag dia, dia tag aku balik?

Ok2. Mari aku kenalkan korang pada adik kembar aku yang bernama Zakiah.

1. Dia seorang pegawai tentera berpangkat Captain
aku rasa lawak ah orang2 bawah dia kene tabik hentak2 kaki bila jumpa dia. Haha

2. Walaupun kitaorang rapat, tapi kami jauh berbeza.
Bak kata Fariz, kami ibarat langit dengan bumi bezanya. (Dan dia bumi, sambung Fariz lagi, sebab dia bulat hahaha). Seringkali kami terpaksa bersumpah dan menunjukkan IC untuk membuktikan kami adik beradik kandung. Tengok nama pun orang tak percaya. Aku A, Dia Z. Aku nama barat, dia nama kekampungan. Muahahaha (gelak evil)

3. Laughter is the best medicine
Dia sangat menghiburkan dan disayangi di mana-mana, kalau di tempat kerja, nurse2 dan pesakit2 pun sangat appreciate beliau yang seakan2 Doctor Adam Patch. Dan aku tau walaupun dia suka melawak, dia sangat dedicated dengan kerjanya. Tak pernah aku tengok doctor passionate sebegitu.

4.Manusia 120% Air.
Dia kuat minum air ~~dan makan pon boleh tahan jugak~~ bergelen-gelen sehari. Aku pernah cakap dengan dia kalau tong pun boleh pecah tapi dia buat bodoh je.

5. Perangai Bugis.
Nampaknya mengikut Bonda kami yang 100% bugis (nenda2 kami bugis), hanya Yah sahaja yang ikut perangai Bugis. Aku jeles jugak tapi hahaha aku tak dapat nafikan, walaupun aku tak tau apa itu "Perangai Bugis". Dia ni suka merantau, passionate, cita-cita tinggi, terlalu berani, tak peduli orang kata apa, ada sedikit cepat melenting, cepat memaafkan, pandai mengarah (hahahaha). Tapi dia comot. Hmm.

6. Al-Kitab Zakiah
Kami sekeluarga ada sediakan 100 perkara mengenai Yah dalam satu buku. Tapi terlalu personal untuk dimasukkan di blog untuk tatapan umum, pendekata Zakiah ni memang terlalu unik sehinggakan kami perlu untuk mencatat ke-unikan beliau.

7. Ahli 6 September.
Dia share birthday dengan kekanda kami Zainal. Ada beberapa gambarfoto yang menunjukkan kekanda kami yang sedang menyambut birthdaynya yang ke-5, dan aku yang waktu tu berusia 1 tahun sedang mencopet kek harijadi yang best tersebut (sebab Nal tak bagi orang sentuh kek dia)--pada hari yang samalah Zakiah dilahirkan. Mengikut riwayat dia pun nak sebok sambut birthday tersebut.

fakta: aku dikelilingi orang-orang 6 Sept. Bos aku dan anak perempuannya pun lahir tarikh yang sama.

8. Kereta Baru
Selama ini dia dikenali dengan kereta buruk aka Power rangers nya yang selalu meragam dan buat hal. Tapi semalam dia dapat kereta baru. Dia beli kereta yang simple, katanya mudah. Memang orang yang jimat.

9. Hati dia baik dan suka meraikan orang
Walaupun kadang2 dia agak menjengkilkan (esp terhadap Fariz) hahahaaaaaaaa..oh ye dia suka meraikan orang, kenduri kahwin kawan2 dia jarang miss walaupun sibuk. Honestly aku rasa dia antara insan yang membuat aku selesa dengan diri sendiri

10. Def-tone karaoke maniac.
Dia suka menyanyi dan terus menyanyi walaupun kami kutuk. Dia selalu terlupa lirik, dan menghentam sesukahati dan selalunya nyanyi out of tune. Aku kira dia pandai menghiburkan hati sendiri tapi tak peduli orang lain kata apa.

That's our Yah for you. =)

motigo factory

2009-06-25T11:12:00.005+08:00

click to enlarge

Motigo Webstats
Adakah ini yang menyebabkan nama aku menjadi familiar? (refer post sebelum ini)

Oh well.
*Aku memang vain tengok last visitor aku dari mana.
Especially kalau dari India, hati aku akan melonjak gembira.

Factory
I woke up with a headache and after breakfast with Fariz, I reached office at 10.30.
Still no reply from the Boss approving my draft Defence due today.
But got an email from his pressing for a megabucks Writ.

I feel like I'm a factory, mass-producing 4-5 Writs and Claims and Defences and Statements in a day.
So efficient that I'm the lone robot in this Firm.
No one else.

2 months to go. Be Patient, dear robotic self.

goodness begets goodness

2009-06-24T12:30:00.007+08:00

Welcoming the month of Rejab.
Just a thought.

Not everyone realises that whatever is ordained by God is meant to protect oneself from danger and further harm.

The understanding of God's commands and the asbab is said to be somewhat privileged only to the high level academicians, as it strings to many debate of intrepretation, hence discounting the lay person from the hikmah and appreciation of the hukm, although everyone should seek to discover their own religion, but not everyone is as diligent.

But sometimes we don't realise that despite our lacking in Fiqh knowledge, its actually the failure to mantain 'husnu zhan' of His command that does more damage than anything else.

Wallahu a'lam.

"Allahumma barik lanaa fi Rajabi wa Sha'bani wa ballighnaa Ramadan.."

tag with a vengeance

2009-06-22T20:28:00.006+08:00

kena tagged dengan Danny Vengeance adik aku yang kacak oh!

things about the tagger: (aku saje cukupkan 10~ dia tak suruh pon)

1. selalu puji aku pandai maths n physics tapi aku tak tau perli ke betul. haha. cisss

2. bila dia makan kari, badan dia pun jadi bau kari (apakah!)

3. dia sangat sweet, berbasikal dan belikan brekfast, bila aku bangun, ada makanan!

4. pujaaan wanita. ehem. dan kebanggaan kami.

5. dia tak boleh bulatkan/besarkan mata (mata dia kecik)

6. kalau kita tengah panasss marah2 bebel2, fariz akan amek tapak tangan kita dan picit-picit. Oi ingat ada butang reset ke kat situ??? (tapi seriously, menjadik ah. Selalunya kitaorang akan terdiam sambil memikirkan apahal si Fariz ni dan melupakan kejadian marah tersebut) Kaum lelaki, maybe boleh belajar teknik niii?

7. dia sangat sayang adik bongsu kami, (tapi aku selalu rasa kelakar Fariz suka bercakap tanpa henti dan Zetty tak boleh mencelah muahahaha) dorang macam twin. Muka pun sama. Cuma Fariz tinggi 180 cm dan Zetty..... 140 cm! hahaha!

8. I think he'll be a great father. Aku tengok dia layan kuma2 (patung kekura) siap timang2 lagih.

9. Sangat gifted in maths, physics dan chem. Oh ye, dia bakal cikgu Maths! (haha boleh bayangkan student2 dia yang kene dengar cakap-cakap motivasi dia!)

10. Dia sebut "sotong" "kosong" "tong" dengan one of a kind. Serious korang suh dia pronounce!
Berikut ialah pic dia: obviously dia yang lelaki lah.

Dan aku kene list 10 hobi atau fakta mengenai aku:

1. Hobi aku melukis dan berpuisi. Tapi sekarang dah tak sekreatif dulu..
2. Bila aku terlalu marah, aku akan lari. Berlari berkilometer.Eh korang ingat apa?
3. Aku tak makan biskut. Aku cuma makan "main meal" selalunya sahaja.
4. Aku tak pernah karaoke.
5. Aku tak kan nak pakai kaftan atau skinny jeans.
6.Teman gossip aku ialah suami aku. Dia tu kuat jugak membebel.
7. Kalau apa-apa jadi kat aku, aku malassssss nak ulang2 cerita tu lebih dari sekali.
8. Aku suka ambil gambarfoto tapi aku tak tau guna Photoshop.
9. Hobi aku ialah menyusun fakta. (hampeh betul lawyer in me ini)
10. Aku nampak je macam serious. Teman-teman rapat tau aku sebenarnya tak boleh pakai.

Aku nak tag Yah, Alak, Mr K, Shuey, Ayu, Hida, Puspa, Emon, Sasha, Wan Maryam, dan Nuyu.

memor

2009-06-22T12:00:00.006+08:00

Cerita satu:
Ahad lepas dapat jemputan forum.
Forum terdiri daripada satu inspektor polis, doktor, pegawai Jabatan Kebajikan dan peguam.

Selesai forum Inspektor mendekati sang peguam dan bertanyakan nama penuh.
Setelah mengetahui Sang Inspektor berkata "Oh nama yang sangat familiar"

Ooopsie.

Inspektor wanita yang mengetuai Unit Jenayah Seksual nampak peramah dan rajin, walaupun dia sangat muda (setahun muda dari aku) nampaknya dia serius dalam kerjanya membela nasib wanita.
Dia mengajak aku untuk melepak di IPD nya.
(Ajak tengok statistik Keganasan Rumahtangga yang sangat banyak kita boleh pelajari dan sambil makan biskut kering cicah teh panas)

Kalau bukan kerana terlebih banyaknya kes-kes Polis yang menggusarkan, mungkin aku akan sambut pelawaannya.

Baru-baru ini satu lagi kejadian di Taman Jaya, 20 orang Burma ditangkap semasa sambutan harijadi tokoh demokrasi negara mereka.
(Aku tak pergi kerana tidak sihat 3 hari. (Mungkin berkaitan dengan Cerita Dua dibawah? Wallahu'alam.) Apapun, baca selanjutnya di blog with friend like this, I don't need enemies aha)

Kerana nila sebelanga, rosak susu setitik
(nota:aku tak silap mana-mana dengan penggunaan peribahasa Melayu)

Cerita dua:
Hari ini 22.6.2009.
Setelah 9 tahun berlawan akhirnya berakhir hari ini.
Aku rasa pelik sebab tidak merasa gembira (bila tahu konklusi nya aku tidak ada reaksi overr)
Tapi sebenarnya aku tenang.
Alhamdulillah.

Terkadang ketenangan kita bukannya disebabkan kegembiraan tapi dengan urusan yang dipermudahkan-Nya. Janji Tuhan itu pasti. Kebenaran itu dekat.

res ipsa.....

2009-06-15T14:36:00.003+08:00

On the way to court with The Client in his M7, I suddenly found myself “defending” polygamous marriage.

I surprise myself, I kid you not, I’m a married woman and I could never share my only one.

But I felt the notion of legitimacy of polygamous marriage had been taken advantage by lustful men, and them using “religious” sanction makes me nauseous.

Don’t use religion to spearhead your lust.
Its digusting and smears our religion.

Same goes for everything that uses “religion” as an excuse to do something.
Didn’t someone say the road to hell is paved with “good” intentions?

The reasoning behind the polygamous marriage, I must concur, is something beyond my emotional understanding.
Even Ali never married anyone else but Fatimah, as the Prophet knows it'll hurt his beloved daughter.

But I believe there must be good reasons why God permits it.
Asbab—my little brain reasoned it by relating at the history when the Prophet (peace be upon him) practiced polygamous marriage to widows, older than him and needful of protection – seems to answer it all. I posted some time ago that if you want to berpoligami, you have to be a superman.

But I suppose modern logic thinking dismiss possible outbreak of war (yeah right), as I was furiously explaining this to The Client, that polygamous marriage would deter “extra-marital” affairs which would break a family institution.

The Client then refuted saying most of his Malay friends hides away the second,third etc wives far from the knowledge of the First Family, he said its like keeping a mistress.

To this I said, the practice of Malay Muslim men of marrying in Siam for their consecutive marriage in secret, would “defeat the purpose” of polygamous marriage- no way it would be "adil" for any of the family, not even for the consecutive wives.

If it is not wrong, why hide it, like a crime?
And when the secret is out, all hell break loose.

Don’t this all put the practice of polygamous marriage in a bad light?

So first thing first: It must be done correctly.
Truth must be spoken.
Justice must be done.

But it seems, to expedite their passage of lust, Malay Muslim men would skip fast forward the “correct” procedures.

What riles me the most is they (ada hati lagi) to question why are they blamed when they're just following the Prophetic Sunnah of polygamous marriage?

Konpem la pasal tak ikut Sunnah Nabi A to Z.
Ni lompat katak ambil Z, memang ler.

Sudah terang lagi bersuluh. The thing speak for itself. Res ipsa Loquitor.

felicem diem natalem!

2009-06-14T21:38:00.005+08:00

Dear ~~flower witch~~ F.E,

I hope you find your 'white' shining knight, armoured with the silly dozens of flowers you love, which I can't differentiate peonies and lilies, and I know you'll love red rose bookmarked in your literately novels of romantic despairingly poor people, and all the fabulous foods you can think of actually taste better if it's yours (with the exception of Madame Nora's) or maybe a temporal memory lapse to your boss so that you can run beserk in the gallery while going crazy making your craft and making you smile like it always does, as the orphaned kids really smile when you celebrate them by throwing mini parties for them for no reason.

But most of all, I wish you all the happiness you can find, as an angel like you truly deserve.

Happy Birthday, bohs- (checking minor audiences and not really finishing the last syllable. Its your birthday, I'll cut you some slack just for today)
Haha

Yours sincerely
BFF.AFF.

piger pigra pigrum *updated

2009-06-12T17:22:00.012+08:00

Genius mode on
2 hours waiting in court.
Almost 200 skipped songs, genius mode playing.
From Aretha to (Rob) Zombie,
Met an old friend NN and we hang out from 10 to 1.30.
Switched off music and we talk and talk and talk.
Not really missing a beat.

Thursday starts haze
Had one day off this week.
On Wednesday 10th June we went for a birthday picnic.
Titiwangsa, to Aquaria and then Ikan Bakar, Jalan Bellamy.
Nice view, nice day and family full of laughter.
Perfect.
Happy birthday, ~~toyol hijau~~ keroro chan.

Count your Blessings
FIL called to come back home Ipoh this weekend.
Kids' school holiday.
But this Saturday I'm 'working' again.
Fully booked til 2nd August.
But atleast this weekend I have my Sundays off.
And I'm not that afraid to take on the podium anymore.
Still is. A bit. But not too bad now.

Done and over with!
Exam's done: Now I can have my husband back hehehe.
Vacation over: Boss will be back from Swiss this noon. There goes my Zombies vs Plants. (I wonder if he gets us any Swiss souvenirs. His wife would remind him usually)
After someone's postcall: I will have to "do my shopping" aka jadi bodyguard orang dating. Ehem!

P/s : I don't like shopping. Hate it. Especially on weekends. And when there's sale.
I rather be at home. Anywhere, faraway from the capitalist shopping malls.
So you know I love you.

the updates:

If this is not love, I don't know what is.
1. Cendawan picnic spot -precious taken by angelus mak
2. hari ni katak warna biru
3. bersama permainan tradisi sejak 8 tahun lepas
4. cap doc yang first time cuti nampak gembira.

Friday ad libitum

2009-06-05T12:04:00.004+08:00

sunyi
I'm homealone in the office.
When I thought I could be my OWN Boss.
Wrong!

haha. Dari pagi tadi I was rushing to answer the door, pickup the phones, cash-in cheques.
Wow. Karen's doing a good job, I must appreciate her more :)

Every now and then I have to go running somewhere.
And you bet, my own work on my desk is still untouched.

Lucky me I have sort it all out, just few minor-minor things to be checked.
~~in between times aku main Plants vs Zombies wuyo best~~

Happily Ever After
Anyway. My cousin Annie got married few days ago in KB.
I didn't attend the Aqad, I just managed to speak to her over the phone.
She sounded happy as she was preparing for her Sanding.
Annie and hubby, congratulations.
Pilihan ibubapa, Annie and suami cuma kenal lepas ditunangkan.
Comel la korang!
Af doakan semoga bahagia ke anak cucu.

2 months plus to go.
Preparation i.e. shopping for India had been halted, because my car had been giving sorts of problem. It's an old car, and last week after the OSCC workshop it started to run on a high fever.
I had to leave it to the mechanic to fix it and he returned it to me with whopping bill.

But the problem does not end there.
By recommedation, the family mechanic Mr Mohd Firuz (Nal panggil dia mekanik diraja. How Apt!) told me to 'overhaul' the engine, to make it last longer.
Expected bill is around Rm1000+.

Thousand RM. But necessary.
Realistically I could afford a Non-Proton car, but I have to fork out 800 per month for 9 freaking years. Or RM 1,400 for 5 years.
That amounts to RM20,000 of interest. No I don't believe into the theory of buying time crap. Interest is interest is interest is interest.

I learnt somewhere the highest loan you can take out is 30% from your monthly pay.
But come on!
So I think 1000 for (minimum) 3 years is a big save, don't you think?
Ye saya kedekut.

Anyway so far I've bought some things for my travel:

1. 50 litre backpack
2. Kasut jalan2 (Thank you Zt and Yah teman cari)
3. Two Sleepingbags that can withstand 20 degrees celcius (Hehe Thank you Yah and F)
4. mosquito net (Thank you Puspa teman cari kat ikea)
5. kain baju (yang tak hantar taylor lagi. Must do this weekend!)
6. reliable lens
7. new glasses (power naik wo)

aiyak Tu je beli? hahahhahaa
Other things: yang aku boleh pikir setakat ni

1. plant seeds
2. brooch banyak2
3. makanan yg takde kat sana... e.g santan, asam, udang kering
4. rain coat
5. winter clothing, thermal u.wear

Hehe best best!

bellum omnium in omnes

2009-06-03T15:14:00.009+08:00

A war of all, against All.
(Wah three posts in three days. ~~I'm so freeee! Boss is in Switzerland for couple of weeks~~

Anyway. I'm an 80's kid.
I grow up listening music from cassettes.
It was an 'in-thing' during my teenage years to own a Walkman, although Discmans were already available, but they weren't as popular as cassettes players.

Simply because one CD is priced at RM40+.
And cassette is RM12+. Being a schoolkid with a daily allowances of RM2, we can only afford the later.

pojaan hati ku. Old School habis!

Anyhoo. That's the good old days.

Where piracy is not heard of.
Until the very enterprising pirates catches up and built their empire on cheap pirated CDs.

Thing is, no one feels wrong or guilty about pirated goods.
In fact they feel heroic to back-stab the giants of multinational company by supporting the counterfeited items.
As if they're doing the world a favour by doing that.

Wrong.

First of all, let me tell you, (anti capitalist pirate goods buyer), the big Corps are not going to disappear just because there's piracy.
Afterall, they're not going to argue further knowing that their goods are made of quality.

And secondly, the counterfeiting is not the only crime involved in the market.
You thought, some child labour would get paid the same rate as the Big Corps would pay the poor kids.

pic from http://www.blessforall.org/childdevelopment.htm

Fine the Big MNC Corporation is still guilty of taking up cheap labour, but the Pirates Co. is the same old with the Big C. (Nike I hear ye)

And where you don't know, the Pirates Co.'s crimes does not end there.
This is a Black Market we're talking about, man.
In the ghetto y'all (I better quit talking like that) Human trafficking, bribery (especially to the customs and auhtorities) homicides and all are all part of the package.
Don't you wonder why the Pirates in Petaling Street still exist?

In my research I found that a factory in China, producing medicine (read: counterfeited) which was shipped later to Brazil and sold as an alternative cheaper medicine, resulted into 50 deaths.
The horrendous part is, the medicine was bought by a bona-fide NGO as a means of charity.

Talk about paying the Ultimate Price.

So don't feel sorry if you're turning down an offer from a Makcik selling you fake Guess bag.
You're doing her a favour.Afterall, in their chain of life, the small fishes get caught first.

Same goes for pirated DVD's peddlers.
If you feel there's no alternative to the Hollywood made movies, then I suggest if its good enough, just go to your nearest cinema. I'm sure it'll worth it.
~~Or take up a new hobby ke. Do you know sleeping activates your braincells more than TV-Movie watching. I'm just saying~~

(Yang aku tak fahamnya, ada je someone I know up there on the bench, a self-confessed pirated DVD addict.) Haisy.

You know your part, if you feel disgusted with the Capitalist scheme, please feel equally the same to the Pirates.
Boycott all the roots of crime.

Takde apa yang indahnya.
Walaupun murah.

Sekian terima kasih.

dulcis domus : abusus non tollit usum

2009-06-02T15:15:00.007+08:00

home sweet home: abuse of right does not validitate use

Most people think whatever happens in a house, remains in the house.
This belief is widely spread among the society, and sadly even to the police practices, upon seeing a domestic violence case; the reaction is almost treated with unsympathetic cynics.

More often than not the victims were chided with disparaging remarks of "you deserve to be beaten" to "just go home and please your spouse" than actually taking up the cases.

Why?

1. The Police Force is just lazy to "interfere" with domestic problems;
2. Most of the time the cases were withdrawn, (Unfortunately the reason number 1 is backed up by the attitude of the victims themselves) seemingly the victims were cajouled in a cooling off period.

What, good treatment in one night made the bruises and cuts disappear?

Kid me not.

Domestic violence is our country, sadly, is something being taken lightly by almost everyone.

Including the victims.
One slap does not make a difference with two or three more.
Simply because the dominating spouse is "right" and the victims are depending on their partners economically, socially, emotionally and yes, physically.
-Too dependent to severe the ties, forsaking their ownself.

Bruises do disappear, and I have often felt at loss when the victims do not even bother to self-collect their own evidence.
And the violation, more often than not, are recurring abuses.
Initially I suspected the victims 'allow' the abuse to take place, but then I realised it takes several layers of reason.

One of the main reason is ignorance.
I have met few abused women, who seemed shocked when I told them what happened to them are all abuse. They came running saying "they simply don't know it was wrong".
They were told to accept it as a way of life.
And once and if they report the abuse, it would 'disrupt' the outer-shell hypocrisy of 'our family is OK'

Until they learn that violation of rights is not a sacred token of a marriage or familial life.

Secondly: Helplessness.
I spoken to a few victims of domestic violence, it seemed that they did not know help/rescue are available to them.

They have no where to go, no one to talk to.

Gender Neutral
If you notice, I have avoided using a specific gender to denote the 'abusers' group.
Simply because (although the statistic shown otherwise) there are cases where the husband was abused by the wife. No laughing matter, the man is over 60 and bedridden and the wife is 30-year old able bodied woman. Its just as sickening to watch a person's right being violated.

And to make things worse, the case was only reported when the hospital checked him in and found wounds that can only be made by repeated abuses.

This is where One Stop Crisis Centre comes in.
Most of the victims, having conquered their fear of being ridiculed by the society (as failed spouses) [- yes negative societal pressure is damn shitty, you let me know if you need me to bore you about it], will be traumatised to get checked again and again by authorities, first by the medical officers, second by the police officers, third maybe by legal enforces like the JKM.

So this OSCC room, having all the authorities at one place, the traumatising experience will (and should be done) in One Shot.
So no more repetitive check-ups and reporting, and no more 'walk of shame' from the police station to the hospital; as the relevant authorities would be placed in the same system.

Thats the the whole Idea, to facilitate further processes of the law together with 'saving' the psychological aspect of the victim. The Ideal Rescuer.

Since the OSCC is fairly new, the authorities have been very supportive of the Idea and now the State of Selangor is spear-heading the project in 6 government hospitals.

I've been lucky to join their roadshows, and I could only note one or two possible improvements:

1. OSCC-specific officer.
The authorities buzzing around the OSCC placed in the ER room are not specially assigned to watch over the OSCC room, an officer to facilitate the OSCC service shall be a boost in the smooth running of the OSCC operation.

2. Train the Police officers to familiarise themselves with Domestic Violent cases.
Most of the officers, sadly and shamefully, are not experienced officers to deal with DV cases.
I always thought that persons handling DV cases should be trained to do so, as it should be handled differently.

Its a good step forward.
I'm not part of the PR, but I applaud the state's attempt to 'turun padang' and for once, really work on the very basic unit of the society: family.

After all, a good state begins with happy homes.
I hope other states can folllow suit one day :)

For more info, visit wirda selangor

argumentum ad ignorantiam

2009-06-01T14:35:00.004+08:00

I live in the State of Selangor all my life.
That, includes KL~lah (geographically).

I have friends from a healthy mix of everything.
From tudung labuh to the ones wearing mini skirts.
And if I could tell my future generation something out of this society, I'll tell them this:

"its pointless arguing with someone who has lopsided view.
Fact, is proven, not assumed.
Yes, stereotyping and prejudice is damn ugly, but you shouldn't be too"

Why do I suddenly blog about this?

Well, I have repetitiously found trouble with over-righteous people than rightly righteous ones.
This one person had said something in her kampung that disgusted her, something about young boys ferrying the girls on their motorbikes.

To my retort I said "well, don't judge too quickly. The ladies could've been their wives, mothers, etc. Our Duty when seeing, is to keep good zhan (assumption), but when given duty to correct, do it in a good hope"

She responded at length, all her argument is valid, but what riles me off when she said those who live in her Kampung knows its all facts, nothing is judged too quickly.

hak ena. Apa ke halnya marah?
Tak makan cili, tak terasa.
I was just relating to stop pre-judging, not really disputing her 'factual' feelings.

But the fact she went on and on about what this Imam said, what is the Prophetic tradition, made me further wonde: why is she so defensive?

Hm. Maybe she felt I was correcting her.
Haish. I was not.
Its merely my p.o.v, after all this years living in a Big City (again she claimed her kampung's case is even worse than in KL), this is how I react to such things.

Truth have to be told nonetheless. I agree.
But there's always a gentler way to convey it.
For me her statement, if I'm one of those kids, really put me off lah.

Tapi like I said. Pointless la argue with this type of people.
So it ended up like that.

But in retrospect, Maybe I should've asked her back these questions.

Instead of lamenting about it, do we really do our part to help those people?
Do you actually know what's happening? Their story?
You think you're exempted from all this social ills, by conjoining your disgust, by inciting more hate, by portraying all those bitter remarks twinned with religious reasonings?
Do you think, by posting that, you're portraying the warmth of gentleness of the religion?

And last, if the kids ever want to change, by these prejudices and stigma they have to live, do you think people like you can make it possible?

You Tell Me.

totus desiderabilis

2009-05-27T10:49:00.003+08:00

This one is dedicated to kids and young people at heart.

I still remember the world
From the eyes of a child
Slowly those feelings
Were clouded by what I know now

Where has my heart gone?
An uneven trade for the real world
Oh I, I want to go back to
Believing in everything and knowing nothing at all

One of my learned friend, Haq the fatherly lawyer had posted on his blog about his teenage daughter, Khadijah's work of art. It struck me as something beautiful, innocent and pure.

Khadijah's work. OMG.

That girl got mighty talent, I tell you.
And her parents are very supportive (mind you, art things are not cheap!).

Suddenly I felt tears coming out from my eyes, and the burden of daily tension dissipates.
This is what art do to you.

That, or I was reminded of how things were when we were young.
When I was so much younger, I used to draw and paint, and write proses of poetry.
I had stack of books of this artworks, much to my Mother's dismay (bersepah) but to anyone else's amusement (I was an angry child, so I would draw/write about the person I was angry with), that ot my melancholic feeling was deemed inappropriate for a child at my age to have.
And art was a way to release all my energy.

So what happened, you might ask?
I grow up.
Out of childhood, out of the things I used to love.

And when I tried to draw again last night, its not the same anymore.
Sigh.

My husband, since arriving back in India, had relentlessly searching for easel and canvas and paint.
So much that he had been asking around online if those things are available in Udupi.
Much to my surprise really, I thought he was picking up a new hobby.
Macam la dia ada masa kan.

But he said "No, its for you. Dah lama dah tak paint, kan?"
He remembers.
How come I don't?

So there, Haq. My explanation and tell Khadijah my thanks.

No one should forget their childhood, or their inner child.

push factor

2009-05-22T14:01:00.017+08:00

Its been 2 months since Mr K boarded his plane to India.
Not a single second passes without me thinking of him.
And to think I have another 3 months more to endure all this before August.
Sigh.

That is why I've been keeping myself busy.
Idling is evil in disguise.
So the plan is, to get busy (Sean Paul's song is apt) and to learn as much as possible to help make the time pass less painfully.

Thankfully I'm almost fully booked on weekends, up til August.
Perfect timing.
Got invited to talk about Domestic Violence during the weekends.
So far I have not let any invitations down as I think I can learn so much from it.
Its an open secret that I chicken out talking to open audience.
(Ye saya lawyer yang nerves, takut dan tak reti cakap kat orang ramai).
Got any tips?

Alternate nights I found myself following aerobic classes, kalau tak de apa-apalah.
Seronok gak berpeluh2.
Balik rumah, mandi, tido. Bangun pagi pun rasa sungguh segar!

Kadang-kadang cari aktiviti, kadang2 aktiviti cari kita.
Macam last night I travelled first time to sleepy town Rawang.
(ye aku tak pernah pegi Rawang..sian aku)
Aku gi ngan Puspa ke balai polis Rawang, and later to IPD Gombak to accompany a client making a police report.
By the time we were done, it was already 1 am and confirm tak sempat nak join Sasha and Razlan at IPD Ampang. So kami balik je lah.

Dan bangun lambat untuk court. Menggelabah.

Balik court, singgah Borders lepak sampai lunch pastu balik Office.
Time Killers, yes but I do keep mental note that I have to be effective time manager to finish work yang bertimbun di opis. Jadi selalunya saya akan siapkan kerja in advance.

And tonight after work I'm heading straight to Penang as a political tourist.
(Oh tidakkk. Saya tidak terikat dengan mana mana parti. I'd like to think myself as a critical nuetral "non-non-partisan", walaupun korang rasa tidak posible, peduli apa aku)

Sunday pulak kene bagi ceramah domestic violence in the morning, kat Bangi.
Harap2 aku bertenaga dan bersemangat :)

And I look forward for Monday, because of this....

'new lens' tell me I deserve this!

Mr K, I hope this post makes you smile, you're the inspiration :)
This is how I fill my time to get to you sooner this August.
Everyday is a new beginning, and bringing me closer to you.

Teddy, Fadhil and Mr Lee thank you for your kind advices for the lens. Hehe. Yaaay!

luxury

2009-05-18T21:33:00.011+08:00

The boss incessantly reminded me to be in court before 8.30 today.
Since Friday.

Spot of bother, so much he had to ask the client to give me a wake up call and another bloody reminder that inasmuch that sans-court I arrive for work later than 11 am every day, (one of the very few perks I have) as if I am real basketcase when it involves being punctual in court.

Damnit.
I was already in the parking lot at 7.30 am!
And yes, nothing annoys me more when the cellphone with calls and texts flashing "are you there yet?"
I hate this distrust, for I like to believe myself as a punctual lady of luck.

Especially when you know, when you're a lawyer robed in for an open court matter, your case would only be called 12 noon.

I would have turned myself in 10.30, if not to prove a point to the Boss that I am bloody reliable. And because of that I am that idiot waiting 5 hours in court just to prove a point I sent him a text message "hell, I'm in court already since 7".

And tell me, to what pleasure do I serve the long hours from 7.30 to 12 noon?

I read.
Last week I had bought 6 due to the hormonal madness that now plunges me to dash of desperation that I can't seem to finish a single book in a week's time (just like we used to during Uni, haha Old Age is catching up with you missy!), that I found myself stealing time to read a passage during the short Red Traffic light.

So there.
I was reading in court, while a busy lawyer, a friendly acquaintance of ours (whom I've dined at her lavish condo) sat beside me and cracked open her laptop, at first embarrassed that The Windows-intro-tune announced her intention to keep herself busy with work, even while waiting.

We said our hellos, and quickly exchanged our usual stories in our trade, we lamented for having slow process of the court while at the same time we complain of cases being brought foward too quick that we suffer palpitations of panic.

To this I told her my sudden rage of book reading, the dire need to finish them once and for all.
And how thankful I am to have a book in my hand, while waiting in court.
(wait. It was the other way round.) How thankful I am to have 5 hours to spare waiting in court to finish reading.
And she said, in my dismay, of something that wreak my respect to a senior fellow member of the bar when she said:

"You have the luxury to read, as you're working with somebody, because you're not your own boss. I simply don't have the time".

I kept quiet, remembering the maniacal Boss who reads even more maniacal than I do.
And when last Friday I felt proud with the sense of belonging that no other profession shares the spirit of camaraderie, and somehow in my stupefied stupor, I would like to believe my grey cells is activated by reading, that my fellow laywers might find the intelligence I lack of.

BUT this lady killed it.

It just don't sound right, no matter how right she might be.

tgif

2009-05-15T12:20:00.004+08:00

At 1 pm, I'll head to KFC 24-hours to meet the usual suspects; the legalaid members before the Bar's EGM at 3, in Dewan Sivik MppJ.

EGM calls for the uncalled arrest of the 5 legalaid lawyers, performing their duty.
Serious matter have to be treated in serious manner.

Hence the EGM.
Datang jangan tak datang, if you consider yourself a worthy legal practitioner.

Tapi blog ni dah jadi macam blog anti-kerajaan pulak la kan, when all I speak for is for justice, what I think is right, and somehow dah jadi sangat serious.

Take a break from that, so..
For this Friday, I present you with some pictures of us going back Ipoh, first time as husband and wife:

From KL to Ipoh to Lumut

And then to the family's farm in Titi Gantung

and for lunch he netted some fish, grilled and cooked for us :P

OK. Hehe. Dah aku dah lambat jumpa Puspa.
Tengokla kalau rajin aku repot la sal EGm tersebut.

Malaysia : the day that never comes

2009-05-14T12:27:00.008+08:00

Metallica- The Day That Never Comes (Official) - Click here for more amazing videos

Mouth so full of lies,
Tend to black your eyes.
Just keep them closed,
Keep praying,
Just keep waiting.

(Chorus:)
Waiting for the one!
The day that never comes!
When you stand up and feel the warmth!
But the sunshine never comes!

No the sun shine never comes.

Push you cross that line,
Just stay down this time.
Hide in yourself,
Crawl in yourself,
You'll have your time.

God I'll make them pay,
Take it back one day.
I'll end this day,
I'll splatter color on this gray.

eh wait a minute!

2009-05-13T15:32:00.003+08:00

It is reported that the High Court's order declaring Nizar as the rightful MB was stayed the next day by Ramli Ali JCA sitting alone in the Court of Appeal. Please refer to the provision of section 38 of Courts of Judicature Act 1964 which provides as follows (emphasis added):

"38 Composition of the Court of Appeal:

(1) Subject as hereinafter provided, every proceeding in the Court of Appeal shall be heard and disposed of by three Judges or such greater uneven number of Judges as the President (of the Court of Appeal) may in any particular case determine.

(2) In the absence of the President (of the Court of Appeal) the senior member of the Court shall preside."

Ramli Ali JCA is, by ranking, among the most junior members of the Court of Appeal having been elevated from the High Court only about one month ago.

ke aku yang silap baca?

****updated: (after Puspa commented. Please refer to her comment below)

Further research reveals this:

Section 44 Courts of Judicature Act 1964 provides as follows:

"(1) In any proceeding pending before the Court of Appeal any direction incidental thereto not involving the decision of the proceeding, any interim order to prevent prejudice to the claims of the parties pending hearing of the preceeding, any order for security for costs, and for the dismissal of a proceeding for default in furnishing security so ordered may at any time be made by a Judge of the Court of Appeal.

(2) Every application under subsection (1) shall be deemed to be a proceeding in the Court of Appeal.

(3) Every order made under subsection (1) may, upon application by the aggrieved party made within ten days after the order is served, be affirmed, varied or discharged by the Court.""

From this provision, which some people say is resorted to for the interim stay order.
That may be the case.

However, the Judge of the Court of Appeal can only make, presumably an "interim order to prevent prejudice to the claims of the parties pending hearing of the preceeding" can only be made subject to there being a "proceeding pending before the Court of Appeal": the words "incidental thereto" and pending hearing of the proceeding" clearly emphasise this point. At this stage, and from press reports, there is not even an appeal filed, for that matter, there cannot be an appeal filed for a case decided in the High Court on Monday afternoon and appeal filed on Tuesday morning. There is thus no "proceeding pending before the Court of Appeal", hence this provision does not apply. It is a case of putting the cart before the horse.

For appeal from the High Court to Court of Appeal, one usually needs to file a Notis Rayuan in the Court of Appeal within 30 days of the High Court's decision. This is followed by preparation of Rekod Rayuan which includes a Memorandum Rayuan, Kronologi Peristiwa, Nota Keterangan, Alasan Penghakiman, various affidavits filed etc. The Nota Keterangan will usualy take a month or two afer that to be furnished by the High Court judge. This is followed by Alasan Penghakiman, the grounds of judgement (i,e. the one that gets published in the law reports) etc. There will be case management etc before a date is set for filing of skeletal written submisisons before hearing is fixed. All these take time.

Further, applying the principle of ejusdem generis, "any interim order to prevent prejudice to the claims of the parties pending hearing of the preceeding" shoud be construed as those interlocutory orders in similar nature with those listed, such as security for costs, etc. Does this cover a stay order which can have the effect of nullifying the earlier order issued?

love in the time of cholera

2009-05-13T13:40:00.005+08:00

1 pm.
Lunch break.

Got Jewel's Lullaby album playing softly.
Kopi Hang Tuah yang hangat.
Perut yang kenyang.
Derum air cond yang tenang dan deruan asap motokar tak terasa.
Re-reading a favourite book just recently bought.

Damai yang mendamaikan.
Nothing sweet lasts forever but at least I'm in bliss, albeit temporary.

Until 2 pm, that is.
Work resumes and takes away my peace.
Where I'll always be at war with myself.

so near yet so far

2009-05-12T15:16:00.007+08:00

AND THEN they granted stay at the Court of Appeal.
and there is no appeal date fixed. Yet.

Tapi boleh la pulak dengar stay application pagi ni.
Dan terus granted.

sigh.
I told myself not to be too happy about yesterday's high court decision, but never expected this.

Frustration is an understatement.
Wonder how our friends in putrajaya feel.

some light over Malaysia

2009-05-11T16:56:00.003+08:00

I guess you've heard it already.

High Court declares Nizar the rightful MB.

Stay pending Appeal Rejected.

Zambry and 6 excos ordered to vacate post and office

And like a true gentlemen he is, Nizar will return to Perak immediately to seek an audience with the Sultan of Perak to request a dissolution of the state assembly.

Bukan main hentam saje.

Well, its true, can't be too happy now because there will always be appeal.
But I (along with other sincere Malaysians) am happy to relate the judgment with a fresh hope for our beloved Country.
Alas some light!

(Perlu ke tukar layout hitam ni kepada warna lebih cerah sedikit?)

Per High Court (Appellate and Special Powers Division) judge Datuk Abdul Aziz Abd Rahim::

"The stark fact is, there never was any vote of no-confidence taken in the legislative assembly.

"So how could one say that the applicant (Nizar) had ceased to command the majority confidence? Evidence as to the loss of confidence was taken from various sources and not a vote in the assembly," said Abdul Aziz.

"I am of the view that the office of the Menteri Besar of Perak has never become vacant or been vacated.

"Only in this manner (a vote of no-confidence), can the menteri besar be forced to resign."

The Two Hours of Traffic at court was well worth it!

laywer pon kena

2009-05-08T18:07:00.005+08:00

the fab five after their release.

Aku still boleh recall vividly before aku gi Studio W semalam si Puspa ajak aku untuk "legalaid duty" kat Balai Polis Brickfields semalam. Ada orang nak buat Candlelight virgil kat sana sempena 1Black Malaysia dan mana la tau apa-apa jadi, so boleh standby.

"Pukul Bape? aku lepas pukul 9.30 boleh la weh"
"Around that time ah. Kau datangla. Turn kita plak buat remand hearing ape ke".

Aku tak datang.
Malah malam tu lepas aerobic aku pengsan sampai ke pagi dan sedar ada berpuluh2 sms.
Yang Pertama datang dari Kak Lat yang berbunyi:

"5 LAC lawyers arrested representing clients last night, fadiah nadwa,murnie,syuhaini, puspa and ravin! solidarity and protest gathering 10am today, Duta Court. Wear court attire. Sebarkan"

Terkejut aku. Dan terus aku change my direction straight to Duta Court.
So aku call Encik Boss dan explain yang "I wish to be there for them".
Boss aku Okey je.

Pukul 10 kat court, aku tengok lobby dah penuh dengan lawyers.
Agak 300 lebih kot.
Farhana, Nadia, Nik, Leena, Stef dan Sasha dah stand by.

Aku tanya Leena apa ke hal nye?
Ini yang Leena cakap " They got caught because they were asking for a piece of paper"

Piece of paper?
Cerita nya macam ni...

Fad, Ravin, Murnie, Puspa and Syu on legalaid duty kat Brickfields untuk candlelight virgil.
14 dah kena tangkap.
Basically the fab five were trying to get the 14 ppl out.
But encik2 polis kata the 14 tu tak na be legally represented. Taknak pakai Lawyer.
So the fab five demanded to see the form 28.
Tau2 dorang kene arrested jugok.

Absurd tak absurd.
It'll be interesting to know what will they be charged under.

Tunggu kat lobby, Mr Ragu (president BC) dan Mr Jagjit (L.A dorang dua2 kena tangkap) pun secara ringkasnya terangkan apa yang terjadi. Tapi bila Mr Jagjit cakap, ada pulak polis nak halang dia. Maka terjadi lah sedikit scuffle.

(I was thinking: Ada ke datang rumah orang nak buat hal?)
Tapi don't worry, despite all the chaos, Mr Jagjit tak kena arrested.

Anyway around 12 kitaorang dapat info the girls would be released on Police Bail.
While Ravin's whereabouts was still unknown as at 3 am yesterday he was driven out in a car from the police stattion.

There was a possibility that a magistrate could be brought in to the police station, to extend the remand period, so some of us stayed in the court while the rest of us made a move to Travers' police station, where the girls were stationed at.

Sampai di travers, Kak Lat was already waiting.
Sementara tunggu nampakla kelibat Fadiah, Murnie, Puspa and Syu dalam pakaian lokap dan bergari, masa dorang dipindahkan dari bilik belakang ke hadapan (kena gari untuk short distance? pelik)

But nonetheless, they look OK (Fad especially. Nampak begitu bersemangat. Puspa macam biasa buat muka selamba rock beliau seolah olah tiada perasaan).

And then after awhile the 9 non-lawyer girls were seen transported to the Truck.
Aku dengar jugakla dorang tanya kalau dorang boleh tukar baju dorang.
Aku dengar baju tu akan dirampas dan dijadikan bahan bukti.

Pastu nampak kawan-kawan lawyer keluar siap dah tukar baju.
Nampaknya the non-lawyers sahaja yang masih berpakaian lokap.

Pastu kitaorang follow Trak Polis tu ke Balai Polis Brickfields.
Sampai2 je ramai lawyer friends yang menunggu.
Tak lama lepas tu Kak Lat tanya siapa nak tolong Bail.

So kami berlima (oh limited to five people je) aku, Valen, Sasha, Far dan Leena naik ke atas untuk Bail the girls.

Kami naik ke satu bilik kecik dan semua yang kena arrested ada bersama IO.
We were glad to see Fad, Puspa, Murnie and Syu dalam keadaaan selamat. Alhamdulillah.
Mereka masih bersemangat dan ceria (mungkin sedikit busuk sebab tak mandi semalam tapi tak pe okey. Dorang ni hero)

Sorang demi sorang masuk untuk bail.
Pastu kami dapat bail dan kesemuanya lepas.

Tak lama lepas tu Rombongan Lelaki diketuai Encik Ravin dari Taman Tun tibe.
Dia pun OKEY.
Steady lagi.

Pastu bertukar tukar cerita sedikit sebelum yang lainnya ke Bar Council untuk mrmberi press Statement. Aku balik ofis sebab boss tunggu submission aku.

What a day.
Apa nak jadi.

Laywer nak buat tugas pun kena.

fade to black

2009-05-07T19:42:00.001+08:00

I'll stay in this blackout state for a while.

gone case

2009-05-07T10:46:00.013+08:00

from nutgraph. click to enlarge.

In comparison to our American friends, you know that where OUR hard-earned tax goes to.
Goes without saying.

Here in our beloved country, most of the essential needs are almost privatised.

And if you want public service, you have to downgrade yourselves.
But if yo want good service, you know where your money have to travel with you.

e.g Nak education bagus, pegi boarding school.
Itupun if you have good cables.
(Aku tak heran la skolah mana pun. Masuk U jugak je aku sama je)

e.g Nak cepat sembuh, gi klinik swasta.
Takdela sakit hati tunggu HKL 5 jam bila Housemen dalam tu dok baca sokabar.
Truth is, we're short of doctors.
Padahal we produce straight A students like mass production factory.

e.g Nak jalan tak berlubang and tak jem, kene lalu tol.
And while conviniently the rate increased at the same time concession years extended.

All this being said, korang mesti dah baca dah kan paper/news semalam.
About a pregnant snatch theft victim yang mati di tempat kejadian.
While Nurin Jazlin's murderer is still on the loose.
And the other girl is still M.i.A.

For sure, there is no substitute for internal security (I don't mean ISA) where we can take the alternative way, just like how I illustrated in the examples above.
Takkan la kene privatise jugak..

Aku lagi takut dengan mat rempit daripda orang2 berbaju hitam hari ni.
(duhh Aku pun pakai Hitam hari ni. Infact, hari2 aku pakai HITAM.) Korang?

But as we speak, more than a few people have been arrested since yesterday.
Relating to politics, not crime.
Are they prioritizing something more than the other?
Tell me.

Hari ni pagi2 aku dah baca online news..sorang lagi mangsa snatch thief mati.
While the family of yesterday's dead snatch victim still mourns.

Macam de javu pulak. Today's victim is also a pregnant lady.
Surely God is trying to tell us something.

I don't feel safe in my country, lantakla kan even if its not because of all the political turmoil, but because of mat rempit roaming the streets, the psycho child molester is everywhere.
And who do I turn to?