lagu untukmu

Dari Malaysia ke Palestin...


A snippet from a local newspaper:

"We are scared... that we can die at any moment,"
said 11-year-old Mohammed Ayyad who lives near a government compound blasted in the overnight raids.
Source: NST

Now, people around the world are awaken from their own perpetual slumber. Everywhere, here and there, demonstrations are being held and protests towards Israel are being heard. It's the time to be neither ignorant nor indifferent.

Fellow bloggers already have their own posts on this matter. My post may not open the eyes of 1 million people but if I can make 1 person be cognizant of this issue, at least it's a start.

Marilah kita berdoa. Bukankah doa adalah senjata orang mukmin?

"...Berdoalah kepada-Ku, nescaya akan aku perkenankan bagimu..."
(Al-Mu'min (40): 60)

From Malaysia to Palestine...

bring me some water

When I looked at NST's front page yesterday, there it stated - Klang Valley will face water shortage in 2010. I was like, Great! Now we have a water crisis.

photo by Hypergurl

With the economy is tumbling and food prices keep going up, up and away, there's no telling what else will happen in this world.

People will start looking for solutions like maybe the Earth Hour 2007 - 2.2 million people in Sydney, Australia switched off their lights in order to fight global warming. So, what does it have anything to do with the water crisis? Well, maybe everyone in the world can skip their morning shower on a certain day or maybe don't go to the toilet for 12 hours. Who knows? If people are desperate, they might just go for the extreme measures. I guess we are being ignorant towards the fact that our world is in a state of environmental turmoil.

When I was in MRSM TGB, there were several times when we faced water shortages. Plus, KMB also had occasional episodes of water crisis. When humans face impediments such as these, that's when they realize the value of water. Maybe we should do the same to our nation; stop the water supply every now and then so that people would suffer, thus hopefully we would be thankful enough to have access to clean water. Imagine that. Haha, don't take me seriously.

What should we do? Well, moderate our water consumption and practice this everyday; we don't need to opt for the hyperbolic steps. After all, istiqamah is much better. It's like doing your EE, whether you want to write all the 4000 words in one day or you want to write it slowly but progressively and in the end producing a top-notch essay. You decide...

everything is not what it seems

photo by GranDadWoof

You might probably have seen lots and lots of optical illusions in science classes. But, have you seen a real one? (Wait, if it's an illusion, how can it be real?) My point is, have you seen a real world optical illusion or in this case, anamorphic illusion?

Entitled 3 Ellipses for 3 Locks, this piece of art at Cardiff Bay Barrage was created by Swiss artist Felice Varini and his team in 2007. It's his first work in Wales and also the first in the UK. So, KMBians who'll be going to Cardiff next year, you'd know where to find this illusion!

We may always think what we see is true but then again, it's not always like this. Ergo, when should we trust our senses to give us truth? (Don't bother answering. It'll take more than 1000 words to answer this question)

Try not to be judgmental; especially if you don't have the necessary knowledge or skills. I know a doctor shouldn't.

judgmental Definition
from Your Dictionary

judg·men·tal (juj ment′'l)

adjective

1. of or having to do with the exercise of judgment
2. making or tending to make judgments as to value, importance, etc., often specif., judgments considered to be lacking in tolerance, compassion, objectivity, etc.

So you see this person at a very strange place doing something very weird or you see that person walking side by side with a very interesting person, (am I making any sense here?) don't always believe the thoughts that you have in mind, they might be illusions. Husnu zan, ok.

And Hammad actually wrote a replied version of this post on his blog. Do read Not everything is what it seems.

By the way, I've just realized my concept of writing in most of my blog posts. It's multi-definition. My posts somehow have bits of everything as I tend to write about lots of things in my mind but each of the bits actually refers to the title. It's sort of ambiguous at times. I guess it's true, everything is not what is seems...sometimes, that is...

bebas berlari

Imam Ghazali pernah bertanya kepada anak-anak muridnya:

Apakah yang paling berat di dunia?

Memegang amanah.

photo by speedgrafer

Aku ingin berlari
Tanpa menoleh belakang
Menuju destinasi
Ke arah fajar
Ketika dinihari

Aku ingin bebas
Di tengah-tengah padang
Luas terbentang
Tidak dicengkam prioriti
Tak perlu fikirkan implikasi
Bebas berlari...

Mungkin aku telah sedar - betapa beratnya amanah ini.

I have always wanted a big brother; someone that I can look up to, so I don't have to hold the responsibility as the eldest child, so I can be free.

Somewhere inside me had always wanted to escape from taking up responsibilities. You might think I'm selfish but it's just that I don't want my current priorities to be obscured by new ones. That's why I try my best to say NO to new tasks. I'm scared that I couldn't manage everything. I might end up making people feel upset but it's better than to do things unwillingly.

"Sesungguhnya Kami telah kemukakan tanggungjawab amanah (Kami) kepada langit dan bumi serta gunung-ganang (untuk memikulnya), maka mereka enggan memikulnya dan bimbang tidak dapat menyempurnakannya (kerana tidak ada pada mereka persediaan untuk memikulnya); dan (pada ketika itu) manusia (dengan persediaan yang ada padanya) sanggup memikulnya. (Ingatlah) sesungguhnya tabiat kebanyakan manusia adalah suka melakukan kezaliman dan suka pula membuat perkara-perkara yang tidak patut dikerjakan."
(Al-Ahzab (33):72)

Tiada guna memegang amanah tanpa sebarang komitmen. Namun, tanggungjawabku sebagai seorang Muslim, akan tetap kupikul sepenuh hati...

slumber

I know... I should be studying right now. Let this be the last post before the Final Exam.

I found myself sleeping in classes be it in Economics, Chemistry or even Malay. And most of the times, the teacher was right in front of me or even next to me. Well, this urge to fell asleep does not come intentionally and it's not like I never dozed off in classes before; but in the 3rd Semester, it's more prominent than ever.

Reminiscing back at all the mountainous work (IAs especially) that had to be done; it's a wonder how I managed to survive out of all the franticness. With several of my IAs managed to pass muster and another handful ended up badly thus forcing me to go all out in the May 09 IB Exam, I just can't deny the great relief that I felt to find out it's all over. IELTS, Mock interview, UKCAT, UCAS - All done! The MPP of 07/08 has also stepped down and I do hope Semester 4 would be a smooth ride.

Yet, a sudden realization woke me up from this perpetual slumber. It's not over yet!

"Every human mind is a great slumbering power until awakened by a keen desire and by definite resolution to do."
Edgar F. Roberts

Despite the success of overcoming all these impediments, there's still the Final Exam before the final curtain falls on Semester 3 and I still have my EE to worry about.

I have probably been sleeping too much. I need to wake up...

gossip

photo by ala care este

Pssst...did you hear about that?

You like it don't you? Hearing nasty things about others. Assumptions, speculations, tittle-tattle, scandal, call it whatever you want, the list goes on...

It's interesting yet disappointing to find out that humans have this peculiar fondness of hearing negative stories about others. Once the information is acquired, it needs to be circulated whether it is true or not. Well, did you know that...

"...and fitnah is more grievous than killing;..."
(Al-Baqarah (2):191)

And even if it's true, I heard from someone about this...

"O believers! Avoid most suspicions, verily some suspicion is a sin and do not look out for faults and do not backbite one another. Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would abominate it. And fear Allah, Verily Allah is Relenting, Most Merciful."
(Al-Hujraat (49):12)

Well, what you're waiting for? Spread the word! You know you love it. XOXO, adlan wafi...

7 things

I got tagged...again! It's a different one though. Considering the time of the year, I think it's time to write 7 things about being me...

Thanks petite girl for tagging me. At least I have something to write about ;)

Rules of the tag:
Link to your tagger and post these rules in your blog. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.

Tagged by: petite girl

1. Because of Allah

We may not realize it but we should actually do everything for Allah. Every single thing - starting from the glorious dawn when we wake up till we close our eyes under the night sky; it's all for Allah. And the reason why I have this blog is...because of Allah. If our intentions are sincere, then we shall achieve what we want one way or another.

2. Prefer pictures than words

A picture is worth a thousand words. Whenever I want to publish my posts, I would try my best to find the right picture to go along with it. Pictures can really attract our emotions. It tells a story which can only be known by those who observe them.

3. 3 dots...

Each of my posts ended with three dots. It's very symbolic actually. A mystery. Continuity. A technique in writing. But most of all, to tell others that the road of da'wah is day and night.

I choose blogging as a way of da'wah. The basis of da'wah is amar makruf nahi munkar which means everything that promotes to goodness and prevents evilness is essentially da'wah.

"Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong: They are the ones to attain felicity."
(Ali-Imran (3): 104)

4. Published on Saturdays

Most of my posts are published on Saturdays and I try my best to keep it that way. It's all because I'm a perfectionist and it's a drawback sometimes. I want to make everyone follow my way and try to give the best that I could and make sure everything's perfect. But as I grow older, I began to be a bit tolerant and try to be less of a perfectionist. It's hard but I have to do it somehow.

5. All posts are named after song titles

Anyone who realized about this feature on my blog, do tell me. I want to know how many people are very observant and aware of this trait.

I love music. There's something about music that makes me feel calm and relax after a long day of work. If we can really utilize the specialty that music has, then I believe we'll be able to bring tarbiyah to the next level.

6. Blog to keep in touch

The sad fact about life is that we have to say goodbye to some of our friends as time passes by. That's why I hope that I will still be a blogger after many years so that I can keep in touch with them though we might be miles away. I might not visit their blogs everyday but whenever I see their names on my blog list, it gives me a soothing feeling that they're just a click away.

7. Today's my birthday!

It is indeed my birthday. However, I still wonder what my birthday on the Hijrah calendar is. I hope I find out about it one day.


I may be a year older but it would not just be an addition of numbers. Instead, I hope it will be more of an awareness of everything that I've done in the past and also a reminder of the expectations that I wish to fulfil in the future.

To all my friends, thank you so much for celebrating my birthday with me. You made my night...

waltz

photo and info by dance-passion.com

"Probably the most popular dance of all times, waltz music has a very distinctive one-two-three tempo. The rise and fall of the dance gives a smooth and graceful movement by which the dancers seem to glide and whirl across the dance floor with grace and ease."

It just so happens that when I'm under pressure, I would dance in my room. That's why I got those green curtains to cover up my windows and sometimes, I lock my door for a long time. (The validity of these statements shall be kept as a secret)

That's not the point. What I want to say is that, we will face obstructions everyday. These challenges of life would continuously annoy us and in the end, claiming their victory when we finally give up.

KMBian 1: "I got low marks for my econ commentary..."

KMBian 2: "She cut the CAS hours by half! SHE misplaced the reports!"

KMBian 3: "I cannot work with my IRP group"

KMBian 4: "I need to redo my TOK presentation...sigh"

KMBian 5: (ME) I don't have an RQ for my EE...but now, I have an idea! Ms Rosmaria, here I come!

And in KMB, the challenges are becoming increasingly harder and more intense. And through tagged, I learned from iman ka and wan zulhilmi about these:

"So, verily, with every difficulty, there is ease.
Verily, with every difficulty there is ease."
(Al-Insyirah (94):5 & 6)

So, bear that in mind and insya-Allah, we can waltz our way through...

21 questions

I got tagged and this is my first time! Actually, I hope I won't get tagged but somehow it made my day...;)

RULE #1 People who have been tagged must write their answers on their blogs and replace any question that they dislike with a new question formulated by themselves.

RULE #2 Tag 5 people to do this quiz and those who are tagged cannot refuse. These people must state who they were tagged by and cannot tag the person whom they were tagged by. Continue this game by sending it to other people.

Tagged by : Shahkang

1. What would be the least favourite thing that has happened to you?

Disappointed by my friends. I'll make them pay.

2. If you can have a dream to come true, what would it be?

Becoming a person who is always happy and be able to spread da'wa better.

3. If you were a cake, what flavour would you be?

Chocolate mud cake. Deep with passion.

4. What would you do with a billion dollars?

Lots of things. Save a bit, donate some and raise more.

5. Will you fall in love with your best friend?

Anything's possible.

6. Which is more blessed, loving someone or being loved by someone?

Being loved by someone. And the best - loving Allah and loved by Him.

7. How long do you intend to wait for someone you really love?

Until I'm ready to get married, then I shall propose to her.

8. If the person you secretly like is already attached, what would you do?

Just let it be. I know there's someone else for me.

9. If you were to choose a verse or verses from the Quran that has made an impact in your life, which one would you choose?

"...it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knoweth, and ye know not."
(Al-Baqara (2):216)

It's really motivating and inspirational. Never fail to boost my spirit.

10. What is your nickname? If you don't have any, what would be your nickname?

Multitalented. Because I believe it's important to be good in many areas.

11. How would you see yourself in ten years time?

I'm a doctor who is very profound in his career, with a wonderful family and great friends. And I'm still a blogger.

12. What’s your fear?

That would be the fear of being left behind and also time. I just hope that it will never be too late to do anything.

13. What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?

A very good friend and a very talented writer. Quite annoying but friendly and funny too.

14. Would you rather be single and rich or married but poor?

Married but poor. It's better to be poor on the outside than to be poor on the inside.

15. What’s the first thing that you do when you wake up?

Look at the time and hope that I'm not late for Subuh.

16. Would you give all in a relationship?

I would be a very dedicated husband to my lovely future wife, insya-Allah.

17. What is the movie that you would recommend to others?

A Beautiful Mind. I watched it lots of times already.

18. Would you forgive and forget no matter how horrible a thing someone has done?

I think I have the capacity to forgive but to forget; that is a whole new question.

19. What makes your blog unique?

A lot. But each of my post ended with three dots. That would be one of them.

20. What posts from any blogs that you have read would you like to promote to others?

That would be ammar's kamera (simple yet significant) and haziq's my portable player (a satire full of sarcasm). And not to forget, imanka's how do you direct the clouds?

21. List 5 people to tag

Ammar Roslizar
Iman KA
Wan Zulhilmi
Zuhri Shin
Zulaikha Zainol

It actually made me learn more about myself and it wasn't easy answering all these questions (it took hours to come up with the answers). I'm glad that I got tagged...

empty

I once told my friend that as we grow older, our raya celebration gets less fun. I don't know about others, but this reality seems to hold true for me.

Everytime I went back to my father's kampung in Melaka, I would usually be elated to meet up with my cousins. Nowadays, it's not as exciting as it used to be. I guess I'm older now and being the second eldest grandchild has its own drawbacks. Most of my cousins are much younger than I am and thus, it's not so easy for me to mingle with them. Many years ago, we would stay up late at night to watch raya dedication programmes on tv, sleep together in the living room and play bunga api almost every night in the first week of Syawal (Yup! Bunga api, not mercun since it's dangerous though I played it several times before). I miss the old days.

Back then, I would taste every kuih raya in each house that I went to. I told myself that I need to sample at least one each. I'm glad that some things never changed. I still enjoy nibbling kuih raya but not all of course; just my favourite - semperit. I would try the semperit in each house that I went to in hope of finding the best one. And so far, no one can beat my Opah Yang's semperit. They're delish!

photo by resipidiana

Sometimes, I think it's funny when I am unable to have long conversations with my relatives. It's even funnier when I found out that my aunts and uncles have the same problem talking to members of their kin whom they have not met for a long time. I guess it runs in the family. Haha. Whenever we have visitors, I constantly had to ask my family members who on earth these people are. After all, they only come by once in a year and sometimes once in a blue moon, seriously.

It's lamentable. Nonetheless, my little brother Irfan reminded me of the felicities of celebrating Aidilfitri. His frivolous giggles and ecstatic attitude made me realize that we should enjoy it while we can. Although we might only have small chats with our relatives and we might only visit them once in a year, at least we're doing it. These small things in life - they're actually the fundamentals that make us wholesome.

We should treasure the time that we have now because we never know when our last will be. And there's high chance that this will be the last raya celebration for most KMB students before flying off next year.

"zendagi migzara..cherish the moments.."
An sms I received from my good friend, Wan Muhamad Zulhilmi a.k.a Chong.

These people - friends and family; they're the ones who remind us that we're not empty. And my Aidilfitri celebration, surprisingly it wasn't as empty as I thought it would be...

warna-warni aidilfitri

(I set two records by publishing this blog post. This is my first Malay post and the first post to be published on a day other than Saturday)

Semoga Ramadhan yang lalu memberikan kita pengajaran bermanfaat agar dapat menjadi insan yang lebih baik.

Marilah kita sambut bulan Syawal yang telah tiba dengan semangat dan azam membara untuk meneruskan perjuangan di dunia yang sementara ini.

Terimalah pantun bagi tahun 2008:

Tatkala pagi dilaungkan gema,
Disinari cahaya petunjuk Illahi;
Ampun dipohon maaf dipinta,
Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri!

Kuharap agar warna-warni aidilfitri akan dapat membuka mata serta memberi teladan yang penuh makna. Di sebalik kebahagiaan yang kita rasai, pasti ada hikmah tersirat untuk dihayati...

wishin' and hopin'

Did you wish you could have done better?

Did you hope that you wouldn't take this holy month for granted?

"So lose not heart, nor fall into despair; for ye will gain mastery if ye are true in faith."
(Ali-Imran (3):139)

And so you disappointed yourself by not fully utilizing the time that you have in this illustrious month.

Guess what? Ramadhan's not over yet; so don't give up...

get up

If you have been reading my blog since the first post, then you should be able to know what I have faced so far throughout the 3rd Sem. Ever since the start of the semester, I have missed so many classes. If there was an award for the student who recorded the highest number of days absent from class BUT with reasons, I would surely be the winner. Before this, I felt that I was at a much lower level than any of my classmates. They seemed to excel in their studies and not to forget, they were able to complete their assignments on time.

But now, I find myself on the same level as everyone else - I'm back on track. I scored quite well in the previous Math test and I'm also proceeding well with my Econ IA and Malay World Lit essay. EE? Nope, that's excluded. In addition, I believe my IRP group has the potential to become one of the best judging from our performance in class and the team spirit among the members. Everything is going smooth.

I used to think that everyone is so much better than me. The thing is, I can have high level of optimism but most of the times I need to have assurance from others; like my friends for instance in order to have faith in myself.

Being humble is a fine trait but being TOO humble can lead to your own downfall. The more I think the others are superior, the more I find myself going nowhere. And with that, I would like to share with you one of my favourite quotes:

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

Eleanor Roosevelt

Don't stay too long at the bottom. It's time to get up...

anyway

Yup! A blogpost for the 9 day trip in Cambodia. 16 KMB students: Wan Zulhilmi, Syukri, Nina, Nik Syuk, Mimy, Linda, Izzy, Hosni, Fasya, Farid, Erni, Asmak, Ariff, Ammar, Aliah & Adlan Wafi departed on the 14th of August to Cambodia on a humanitarian mission and together, we are "Sehati Serumpun".

I didn't expect that my journey to Cambodia would be so colourful! With so many places to go to and with so many activities; I could only wonder what new experiences I might gain and how they're going to affect my personal well-being.

Leaving Malaysia

The first mosque that I found in Cambodia

At the House of Emirates (an orphanage)
Good hygiene always

What better way to spend time than to play a game of Frisbee?

Smile to the camera

One more picture before leaving

A souvenir for the orphans

Painting the grimy walls

We love to have our pictures taken while relaxing from painting

All the guys of Sehati Serumpun with some of the children

The villagers followed us wherever we go

Staring through the window

The students loved their photos to be taken too

Flour attack!

With the cute kid!

So joyful

The children can get very excited when it comes to candy

And not to forget, balloons!

Preparing for the battle

It was definitely a fierce combat

Group photo!

We're back in Malaysia!

I was grateful to meet the children of Cambodia. They taught me something - even though they're living in awfully depressing environs, they manage to make the best of their lives even at tender age. The children's faces are filled with hope, valour, great determination and of such innocence.

Each of us learned the importance to lend a hand to these people who are desperately in need of our attention. We know what we did is not enough. It might not be a life-changing experience. It might not even be long-lasting. But we did it anyway.

"You can chase a dream that seems so out of reach and you know it might not ever come your way; dream it anyway..."
Martina McBride

What makes me marvel is that the children seemed so buoyant to receive such little gifts. They'd jump for joy when they get candy or even a colour pencil. They'd crave for the simple things in life which we often take for granted.

I know that all the members of Sehati Serumpun have one thing in their minds - we wish we could do more. Well, at least it's a start. A start to new opportunities; a start to a much better future.

What I enjoyed would most probably to be able to make the Cambodians feel exuberant as we visited their villages. Despite the poor conditions which they live in, they were capable of greeting us warmly. They knew that our assistance may just be worthwhile but they're still happy. They smiled anyway...

the sweet escape

Wow! It's been a long time since I published a blogpost. Last week was surely an amazing experience for me as the members of IP (Interactive Peers) and MPP (Majlis Perwakilan Pelajar) went for a trip to Singapore. I was really in need of a vacation and also to get away from the tedious tasks of KMB. I actually packed my clothes on the very day of departure (I ran to my room as soon as class ended). Eventually, I managed to get everything ready and boarded the bus on time.

Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) or ACSI, a private school which applies the IB Diploma Programme

One of the picturesque views around the school

KMBians meet the ACSians

Relaxing on the grass after an engrossing tour around the school

Along the Orchard Road...

KMBians at MENDAKI

Vivacious KMBians

We actually went to the festival on the very last day of exhibition! ;)

Spectacular diorama

KMBians just love photos

Let's go to Sentosa!

More pictures!

Sentosa Luge was definitely exhilarating

Taking a break along the way...

Yup! The sign says it all

We're underwater!

On the double decker bus!

Waiting for the bus...

Songs of the Sea was marvellous!

"The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see"
Gilbert K. Chesterton

As I look at the pictures from the Singapore trip, the emotions of excitement begin to stir inside my heart - the feeling of euphoria and curiosity of travelling to another country is still vividly retained.

"Have they not travelled in the land so that they should have hearts with which to understand, or ears with which to hear? For surely it is not the eyes that are blind, but blind are the hearts which are in the breasts."
(Al-Hajj (22):46)

The 3 day trip in Singapore was a blast! I met new people, learnt a bit about the history, gone to places I've never been before and intuited a virtue which I believe will come in handy in the future.

It was simply joyful and indelible...