GPTD : Ahmad Ammar

I saw this video  as I was browsing the you tube. I could feel the nobility of this young man although he is none to my knowledge before. I was thinking, how many of our youngsters are like him? Indeed he is rare and like a gem to our society. His demise is indeed a great loss to our country.

(Sedang anak-anak kita sibuk mengejar duniawi...berFB, merempit, berpeleseran di shopping-shopping complex, bertexting bertali arus setiap hari, anak ini mengorbankan masa, jiwa dan raganya untuk agama. Rasa sangat terkesan menonton video clip ini.  Semoga Allah mencucuri rahmat ke atas rohnya. Ameen...)

Komunikasi yang dimudaratkan

Dalam dunia yang serba modern ini jarang sekali kita berjumpa dengan 'manusia' yang tidak memiliki 'handphone'.  Sekurang-kurangnya jenis yang ini..

Itupun, tok-tok, tokwan-tokwan, pakcik-makcik yang berpendapatan rendah yang biasanya menggunakan phone jenis ini..Pakcik makcik di pekan tak guna phone ni...Depa guna Samsung Galaxy, Blackberry, X peria, HTC...pendekata semua phone yang canggih-canggihlah!.

Begitu juga anak-anak muda kita... mereka bukan sahaja memilik phone yang canggih-canggih ni...mereka juga mahir mengendalikan

dan ini...

Hampir separuh hari, kalau tidak berjam-jam dihabiskan untuk 'mengadap' gadgets ini...Bangun tidur, benda ini yang dicapai dulu...sekurang-kurangnya nak tengok jam...Jam di dinding dah tak berapa fungsi lagi..kemudian, nak tengok messages yang masuk or 'missed calls'...takut ada yang ter miss atau yang teringgal...

Kemudian lagi, nak tengok FB notifications... atau FB messages...Twitter, Whataapp, Line dan macam-macam lagiTakut ketinggalan...Kalau-kalau ada kawan-kawan yang sakit, meninggal dunia...anak-anak kawan yang kahwin atau kawan-kawan yang baru kahwin atau kahwin lagi...sekurang-kurangnya kita tahu, kita up to date dengan berita-berita ini.. Kita tidak akan jadi seperti

Begitula kuatnya impak alat-alat komunikasi ini...Kita akan terus berhubung dan connect dengan rakan-rakan kita dan hubungan luar setiap masa. Tak dapat bukak Computer, bukak Laptop Tak dapat bukak Tab, bukak Smartphone. Segalanya berada di hujung jari.

TAPI!

Berapa ramai dari kita yang menggunakan peralatan-peralatan  ini untuk mengeratkan tali sirraturrahim sesama ahli keluarga kita? Berapa banyak messages yang kita telah hantar, kita tujukan kepada suami, isteri dan anak-anak kita? Berapa kali kita gunakan smart phone kita itu untuk menghubungi ahli keluarga kita bila kita berjauhan? Kenapa berat sangat jari kita untuk menekan butang telefon untuk menghubungi mak atau bapak kita? Kita lebih teruja untuk 'mencari' kawan-kawan kita dari bertanya khabar anak-anak kita yang ditinggalkan di rumah...dan kita tidak sedar perbuatan kita itu sebenarnya boleh mengundang MASALAH akhirnya.... Hmmm

Kesian anak-anak kita..suami kita, isteri kita...mak bapak kita...memanglah kita semua sudah besar panjang..tahu jaga diri masing-masing tapi itulah KASIH SAYANG namanya...ahli keluarga kita akan merasa kehilangan kita bila kita tiada kalau mereka  sering dihubungi. Pahala pun dapat kerana kita menjalankan tanggungjawab kita dari jauh walaupun melalui 'angin'.

Suatu masa dulu,

menjadi penghubung...kemudian  e-mail...bila dunia jadi semakin canggih, kita pun sudah jadi semakin advance, sepatutnya lah perhubungan sesama keluarga kita jadi semakin akrab. SEBAB...kita ada alat-alat komunikasi yang boleh kita gunakan untuk menghubungi mereka dengan cara yang MAHA PANTAS!

MALANGnya...kita jadi semakin "mundur" oleh alat-alat ini..Hubungan jadi semakin RENGGANG. Salah ALATkah? Salah  MASA? atau salah KEADAAN? Selalunya kita tidak akan salahkan DIRI SENDIRI...Kita akan bagi SERIBU macam alasan termasuklah faktor keadaan dan masa. Tapi kita lupa, masa dan keadaan ini akan terus berjalan dan kita akan jadi semakin TUA...Waktu yang lepas itu takkan kembali...tapi TUHAN masih beri kita waktu untuk memulihkannya. Cuma kita MESTI sedar akan kesilapan kita dan cubalah untuk MEMBAIKInya. Selagi kita masih bernyawa, tidak ada yang terlambat kerana saya selalu berfikir yang TUHAN MAHA ADIL dan TUHAN lah YANG PALING CANGGIH ! DIA akan terus dapat kita hubungi tanpa perlu talian maxis, telekom, celcom, unifone, broadband, streamyx DLL.

Sekian. Terima kasih.

Smart Parenting

Recently, I came across this article in the NST online. It was written by Mr Zaid Mohamad, the founder of smartparents .com.my. 

Do take a look at it , and read it until the end...Tell me how do you feel after reading the whole article. HAPPY, SAD...?

When we think we have time

Recently I took my youngest son, Adam, for a haircut. He is eight years old and dislikes going to a barber as he prefers Mummy to do it.  I persuaded him to join me for the trip by saying that he is now a big boy and besides, a professional haircut would make him more handsome.

He reluctantly agreed but went through the process without any problem. After the cut, I was impressed at how neat and nice he looked. So I gave him a spontaneous compliment, "Wow Adam. You look so cute!" His response was not what I expected. He was not very happy with the comment. I then probed, "Why, you are not cute anymore?" His candid reply: "I know I am still cute, but please don't call me that anymore!"

That comment left me smiling. But it also reminded me of how fast he had grown up. Being the youngest, he had always been "a baby" in our family. Apparently he began to feel uncomfortable with the status and tried to move on to another phase of life.

Adam is not alone. It is quite common for kid this age to start being independent.  They may also begin to feel uncomfortable when treated like a little person. Parents may find them reluctant to be hugged and kissed especially in public. However, this does not mean that they are loving us less.  It just means that they want to be treated like a bigger boy or girl.

This forms a great reminder to all of us parents. First of all, it is not unusual to wish that our kids will never grow bigger.  Many parents want their little angel to stay nice and cute forever. This is because their little ones provide an endless source of entetainment, funny and memorable moments during their growing up years.  They will never resist us when we want to give that quick hug or a peck on the cheek.  

Because of this, parents may sometime feel that they have all the time in the world.  They sometimes postpone spending time with the kids because they will do it some other time. Many spend a disproportionate amount of time at work thinking that there will be a break coming soon.

The days turn into weeks and months but the break never comes. On the contrary, we are getting busier than ever as our careers or businesses flourishes and grows.  In the meantime, our kids at home are also growing at a faster rate.  They no longer like to be hugged, cuddled or called cute.  

When that happens, the parents would have lost a significant amount of parenting joy.  There's no amount of money that can pay back the lost time.  

Looking back, there really isn,t that much time.  Try to look back at your kids' photo album and you will know what I mean.  Once our young ones go to school, we will be missing the days when they fell asleep on our chest.  We will wish that we have just one more night to bathe them, put them clothes and read them a bedtime story.  Now that they are busy with their school work and activities, we will be wishing for some quiet time just to have a decent meal together.

Talk to any parents with grown up kids, they will tell you a thousand more memorable stories.  Chances are, they would no longer complain about the hardship; in fact, many would not want to do it any other way.  

These hindsights form the valuable learning we can fast forward to our situation today.  Stop complaining about our kids' antics because it will be for only a short time.  Never miss another dinner together because many necessary distractions will be coming soon. Stop pondering about whether to take that holiday; just pack and go instead.

The time is shorter than we think. We only have about five years to hold and cuddle them before they politely push us away.  The next seven years will be spent in primary schools.  The teenage years will be even worse. Many teenagers would prefer to spend time on their own or with friends instead.  

As it is, time do fly indeed. One of the best measure of how much our kids have grown is to see how easy it is now to hug and kiss them, as their heights are catching up fast!

Let's not waste any more days not doing things together. Stop holding life and love because things will never be the same once today is gone. Take that break and go on that vacation. Read that book and play that game with them. Laugh at their jokes and feel the stresses melting while the bond renewing.

Don't worry about putting work on hold because time with the family is much more limited.  It will be a time well spent because we don't really have much of them.

"Duit, kalau hilang, boleh dicari, diganti bila-bila waktu. Kita cuma perlu lebih usaha. Kasih sayang kalau hilang, kalaupun datang semula, tidak akan sama dengan yang asal..."

Happy Father's Day!

I never thought that I could get a step mom at the age of 47. And my dad is now 78 years old . He's old and weak alright but not lifeless. Even when he was living alone last time, he would still do house work like sweeping the floor while sitting on his wheel chair. I don't know where he got the energy to do that..probably through his never missed solah and dua..

So, last Sunday I did some 'speaking' activities about fathers with my students. Yes,  the class suddenly became so excited and lively.

"Have you called your father today?" Some said yes, some said no..
"Ok, if you haven't called your father, you can call them now..5 minutes!" Some students took out their phone. Of all the phone calls made in class this particular call made by a student to his father is the most interesting.

"Assalamualaikum Dad!" he said as he giggled.
"Happy Father's Day...I'm in class right now. My teacher asked me to speak English with you." the whole class laughed at him by now but this boy was very sporting. He kept on giggling. Earlier, he told the class that both his father and mother work in the police force.

Then, after the phone calls I told my students to share with the class any good moments that they had with their father.  I had them talking, chatting and laughing about 20 minutes or so about this topic.

" Madam, I don't have a father"
"Passed away?"
"Nope!. Ran away." (Pulak dah...)
"My father married second wife. I cannot remember anything about him."
"Since when?"
"When I was 6.."
Therefore, I told him to speak about any father figure that she knows.
"Yes, my uncle." Problem solved.

"I remember my father a lot because he always scolded me." (Arghh...I immediately felt guilty of asking this girl to share her story about her father ).
"He is strict and not easy to communicate with him. I always feel scared talking to him..(beruntunglah anak-anak aku...)
 "Don't worry. We have the same father..It's not easy to talk to my father neither. My father was a policeman. Is yours the same?
"No, rubber tapper." (I felt even guiltier...)
But one day, before I go to school to sit for my first paper SPM, I hugged my father.
Everyone was quiet. Kata takut dengan bapak...
"You hugged him or he hugged you?"
"I hugged him."
"I said thank you."

"What was your father's reaction?"

"He looked like he wanted to cry.."
She looked as if she wanted to cry. I wanted to cry too but the tears were under controlled. Terharu.

"I love my father"

"Did you call him?"

"No credit."

" I used to help my father in the palm oil plantatation before I came here."
" Now, I'm here. He had to work alone...on his own." another boy shared his story with the class.He must have missed his father a lot. He's from Jerantut, Pahang.

"My father was a great man. He can sew baju melayu, cook ketupat, do carpentry, build houses while working as a policeman. My father is also very pious and never miss his solat and prayers. He used to be a strict and disciplined man too because he wanted all his daugters not to stray away."

"So, whatever that your father do, don't complain too much. Always be grateful. He's trying his best to mould you into a better and greater person."

"Boys, if you don't have a good father, then, create one" I ended the class with a big smile.

And I left the class with lots of childhood  memories with my own father.

Pagi Jumaat yang mulia..

AL Quranul Kareem

The old Quran...a bit torn  since Ive been using it for quite some time now..

I bought this old Quran when I was about to leave Philladephia for good after 4 years of being a student at Temple University. Pennsylvania. It was late Summer 1989, almost entering the  Fall season of that year. As usual during those lazy summer days I liked to walk around the neighboring streets and visited the street shops. My favourite street town was the 50th street where the Univ. of Pennsylvania still proudly stood. However, ironically, the shop where I bought this Quran was not situated anywhere along the street. I bought it at once a popular used bookstore called LAME DUCK BOOKS and it was situated at South 45th Street just 1 block from the apartment where I stayed. It's a small bookstore but had a huge book selections of any kind. Of all the books that I browsed through, this Quran really caught my eyes. I didn't really know why. Probably because the side pages of the book is coated with gold color. It looked really beautiful. I bought it for only $10.

The bookstore...now no more existed...It was first opened in 1984 in Philadelphia before it moved to Harvard Square...now, already closed (September 2010) due to the competition from online books.

I haven't really used this Quran  until  a year ago (ish...lama tu...1989 till 2012...) I always read the Surah Yassin from the specialized Yassin booklet. I just didn't make any effort to read the whole  Quran. But since last year I started using it an to really read the Quran softly on my own in the surau..(in my house). I began with the AlBaqarah...and now I'm already into Al Maaidah (biar lambat asal selamat...).

Reading Quran has been like a savior to me. Where else do I seek help if not from Allah? What are the words that can really put me into peace and tranquility if not the words from Allah? Yes, I feel calm and safe everytime I read the Quran, I do realized now that being away from the Quran will only make our life a disaster. You may have all the things in the world but your inner self will not be calm and at peace till you"speak" to Allah. 

With so many turbulences in life that we are facing everyday, what could be a better solution than to read, understand the Quran and preach it. I pray to Allah that by reading the Quran, my house will be not be "looked" as a grave and will always be "glowed" by its lightness. Aamin Ya rabbal A'lameen....

Quran transalated with Tajwid Help ..just bought this last Sunday during the Registration of the new intake of KMK students..RM80. Hope I could use it as often as the old Quran.

Kesah MAK

Tak banyak yang ibu tahu pasal Mak kecuali antara adik beradik MAK, maklah yang paling berjaya kerana MAK dapat jadi cikgu selepas sekolah tamat darjah 6. MAK kerja 'gomen' dan bergaji tetap. Waktu MAK sekolah dulu, MAK sangat aktif bersukan dan merupakan seorang 'runner' dan 'badminton player' sekolah dan daerah. MAK kata, takde siapa pun yang mendorong mak ke sekolah pada waktu itu termasuklah kedua ibubapanya tetapi kerana semangat ingi menjadi 'lain dari yang lain' MAK kuatkan semangat untuk belajar bersungguh-sungguh.

Ibu boleh dikatakan sangat bertuah kerana mempunyai seorang ibu yang juga seorang guru. Ibu belajar huruf A, Alif dan no 1 dari ibu ibu yang  ibu panggil MAK. Diwaktu muda MAK tegas dan garang orangnya. Kalau pasal pelajaran, pasal solat memang MAK takde compromi, samalah macam abah tapi dalam banyak hal, MAK lebih lembut. MAK lebih mendengar dan MAK lah tempat mengadu. Sakit demam, MAK jugaklah ibu cari walaupun baru semalam kena marah dengan MAK sebab main hujan.

Satu perkara yang ibu tak lupa pasal MAK ialah MAKlah orangnya yang memperkenalkan ibu kepada Khutub Khanah ataupun perpustakaan. MAK akan bawa ibu ke Khutub Khanah boleh dikatakan  setiap hari masa cuti sekolah. Waktu itu ibu dalam darjah satu lagi. Ibu mulai mengenali buku-buku komik kesah melayu lama seperti Raja Bersiong, SiBadang dll. Ibu tak ingat siapa penulis maupun pelukisnya. Tahun-tahun berikutnya ibu berkenalan pula dengan buku-buku karangan Enid Blyton yang diterjemahkan dalam Bahasa Melayu seperti Kumpulan Lima Sekawan (Famous Five), 7 Perisik dan Cerita-cerita dari Aesop (Aesop Fables).

Ahh...dunia ibu waktu itu adalah buku cerita dan buku cerita sehingga setiap kali waktu membeli buku-buku sekolahpun, ibu akan selitkan juga sebuah buku cerita dalam buku-buku teks tersebut. MAK marah tapi MAK  beli juga. :)

Ibu jadi pembaca buku yang tegar di sekolah tempat MAK mengajar, melebihi murid-murid MAK sendiri. Sesungguhnya ibu menggunakan kesempatan yang ada kerana di sekolah tempat ibu belajar (Marian Convent), ibu belum berkesempatan meminjam buku-buku di khutub khanah sendiri di waktu itu. Hanya bila ibu berada dalam darjah 3 sahaja bari ibu dapat membuat sebarang pinjaman buku. Lalu, minat ibu beralih ke buku-buku Bahasa Inggeris kemudiannya seperti Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty dsbnya.

Begitulah hidup persekolahan Ibu waktu itu...IBU, MAK dan BUKU.

Bila waktu memanjat usia, MAK dah tak segarang dan setegas dulu terutama sekali bila dah bercucu. Nada suara MAK semakin layu dan lembut. Disebabkan itu jugalah, MAK beralah dengan besannya sewaktu Kak Long  'dilamar' oleh tok untuk dipelihara dan dijaga sepeninggalan ibu dan ayah di luar negara.  MAK tak mau berebut cucu atau berlaku apa-apa kekeruhan antara keluarga kami.

Bila kesihatan MAK mula terganggu, ibu mula mengambil alih tugas MAK dulu...sebagai pendengar setia. Segala keluh kesah MAK, MAK cerita pada Ibu.  Makan minum MAK, ibu cuba aturkan sebaik mungkin tapi tidak sama dengan cara MAK. MAK masak lebih sedap, lebih berperisa dan lebih kerap. Masakan MAK juga lebih berseni, tidak seperti  masakan  ibu yang biasanya ikut naluri. Lagipun ibu dah ada keluarga sendiri. Tak menang tangan ibu nak mengurus anak-anak  ibu sendiri. Benarlah kata pepatah..anak yang ramai belum tentu dapat menjaga MAK yang seorang.

MAK juga adalah insan yang menjadi kesayangan anak-anak saudaranya kerana sifat keibuan MAK yang kental. MAK selalu cium kami kelima-lima beradik walaupun kami semua   dah besar dan berkahwin. Teringat kata-kata seorang sepupu ibu tempohari,

" Kami masih teringatkan Wan Chik... (panggilan mesra MAK dengan anak-anak saudaranya) Dia selalu cium dahi kami ni bila kami nak balik.."

MAK juga suka menolong dan rajin bersedekah. Setiap minggu MAK akan bagi RM2 pada abah supaya bubuh di dalam tabung masjid. Sebab itu rezeki MAK murah. Mak boleh melancung ke UK, Australia, China, Indonesia, Vietnam selain dari mengerjakan haji dan umrah beberapa kali di sepanjang usia MAK.

"Kita kena tolong adik-beradik kita dulu. Jangan kedekut. Harta tu tak luak."

" Walaupun MAK bubuh nama pada harta MAK tapi ingat, hasilnya mesti dikongsi adik beradik..," pesan MAK.

"Mak selalu doakan anak-anak MAK, menantu-menantu MAK, cucu-cucu MAK...MAK sebut nama sorang-sorang. MAK syukur, anak-anak MAK berjaya. Menantu-menantu mak baik-baik belaka, jaga anak-anak mak elok-elok. MAK syukur sangat"  selalu MAK sebut perkataan -perkataan ini pada ibu. Hati ibu selalu rasa tersentuh. Terasa sangat ilmu keibuan ibu ni kerdil sangat.

Tapi inilah hasilnya ibu adik beradik. Insyallah, takde siapa yang berdengki atau rasa lebih maupun kurang. Ibu dan adik-adik ibu sentiasa pegang cakap MAK. Pohon Allah jauhkan segala fitnah dan hasad dengki kami adik-beradik. Semuanya berkat doa MAK.

Dan ibu teringat waktu Asyraf masuk ke Sekolah Agama Kedah 7 tahun dahulu, MAK lah  orang yang pertama  menangis kegembiraan kerana memang itulah doanya. Mahukan cucu-cucu menjadi  ilmuan yang beragama. 

Tapi sekarang MAK dah takde. Hari Ibu dah tak sama lagi.

"Macammana kamu sakit melahirkan anak-anak kamu, macam tu MAK sakit melahirkan kamu. Sampai demam-demam, bengkak susu dan macam-macam." kata MAK.

"Jangan tinggal solat, belajar rajin-rajin" pesan MAK masa ibu belajar di US dulu.

Insyallah pesan MAK takkan ibu lupa dan sentiasa sematkan dalam hati. Pada Allah ibu panjatkan kesyukuran kerana ibu dan adik-adik ibu berpeluang menjaga MAK waktu MAK sakit. Banyak pengajaran ibu dapat sewaktu menjaga MAK dulu baik dari waktu MAK mula tak larat sehinggalah MAK terbaring dan tak berdaya membuat sebarang pekerjaan. Bagaimanapun, ibu seharusnya memberi 'kredit' kepada ayah dan anak-anak ibu yang sangat memahami 'kesesakan' ibu waktu itu. Tanpa redho dan faham kalian semua, ibu takkan dapat menjalankan tugas ibu sebagai seorang anak kepada MAKnya.

Apa yang berlaku pada MAK sentiasa ibu ambil pedoman dan ikhtibar untuk menjadi ibu yang lebih baik kepada anak-anak ibu. You are My Everything. Hidup ibu rasa kosong kalau takde anak-anak ibu di sekeliling ibu. Paling ibu terasa bila anak-anak semua pulang ke asrama. Mujurlah ada Anisah di rumah menjadi peneman. Ibu tahu satu masa nanti semua anak-anak ibu akan kahwin dan berkeluarga dan akan meninggalkan ibu dan ayah di rumah...itulah sebabnya ibu mahu menghabiskan masa dengan anak-anak ibu bila berpeluang. Ibu tak mau 'miss' langsung kalau boleh. Anak-anak ibu adalah segala-galanya untuk ibu. Takpe kalau ibu tak berhubung selalu atau 'bersosial' dengan kawan-kawan ibu asalkan ibu tahu anak-anak ibu cukup pakai dan makan, samada sakit atau sihat, samada boleh belajar atau tidak...cukuplah semua itu...segala  rezeki yang ibu dapat terutamanya  untuk anak-anak ibu...Ibu bukan orang kaya tapi ibu lebih senang berkongsi limpahan nikmat yang ibu dapat dengan anak-anak ibu.

Ibu tidak sehebat ibu-ibu lain yang hidup susah tapi boleh mengurus anak-anak dengan baik dan penuh keimanan. Dengan bantuan Allah dan ayah, Ini sajalah yang ibu mampu buat. Fikirkan juga anak-anak yang tak beribu dan tak dapat  merasa kasih sayang emaknya. Semoga anak-anak ibu serta anak-anak orang lain juga dapat menjadi orang yang cemerlang  di akhirat dan di dunia..di dalam belaian dan kasih sayang seorang ibu..

"Happy Mother's Day!"

PRU 13...Overseas voter: A Malaysian story shared

As the PRU 13 is passed and done, there are a lot of things that need to be reflected examined. We can always blame our 'the other party' but personally, I think we'd also better look at our 'own side's' flaws.  I really enjoyed the whole process of the election this time around beginning from the Nomination Day ( I was at Kota Bharu that time and got a glimpse of Dato' Nik Aziz's soft spoken but wise and maturedly speech. He is a real crowd puller) till yesterday, the Election Day.

Rockets always fly to the Moon in Kelantan, it seems...

 
I didn't buy the newspaper today since I already knew the results before I went to bed last night. However, this  article@opinion by an overseas voter caught my eyes as I was browsing the internet. And, I'd like to share it with the readers of my blog....

"As a Malaysian working overseas, I am exercising my rights to vote and was happy to know I could register as an Overseas voter for the coming 13th General Elections. Malaysia is my home, and I'm eager to be part of this exciting time of the year. But I've been facing problems with fellow Malaysians who scoff at my decision to vote, as well as the technical problems when registering as an Overseas Voter online.
To my fellow Malaysian who claims that I am “political” and “patriotic” when encouraging her to register and vote as an Overseas voter, please understand that:

• Absentee postal voting is a new process and a very momentous occasion shaping the history of our country. You may scoff at the idea that this process is already available in the United States and other countries, but since it is now available for you - why not vote? You may think that results for overseas voters may be rigged, no election process is perfect. There are other countries with worse election corruption - have faith in your own country’s election process. Even in America, not too long ago, women were not allowed to vote. Yet you also do not get to vote in the United States because to this day you are still a Malaysian citizen. The right to vote is a fundamental human right in a democratic society. Exercise that right.
• I am not political for I do not partake in any rallies or side one party more than the other. I am educating myself on the policies and platforms of the parties, think critically and make an educated decision come voting day. This being why your parents sent you to study abroad so you have an equal chance at education and are trained to think. This also being why you are living in the US all these years as there is freedom of speech in the press and you can obtain unbiased Malaysian news and make a judgement for yourself. By abstaining to vote and showing apathy for your own country’s politics, you reflect yourself to be very naive and ignorant.
• I am as patriotic as the next person who criticizes about Malaysia. For the better part of our lives up until starting tertiary education in US, you and I both grew up in a time when Malaysia was developing and prospering. It may have taken some necessary evil to do so, but that was the past. You and I both have families still in Malaysia. We do not have children, but our family and friends have children and we still want to call ourselves Malaysians. The future of Malaysia needs a different direction, and the change starts now. After all these years of living in the US, you can realize that America is not perfect and know there is some good in our racial unity and the quality of Malaysian education and healthcare.

By abstaining to vote, you reflect yourself to be very naive and ignorant.

To the Election Commission:

• Please have English translation for ease of understanding official announcements, application forms and instruction process. I am sure most Malaysians living abroad will not understand the formal Bahasa Malaysia as well. Or have your instructions and guides on forms in a less formal language and more ‘idiot’ proof. Google translated English on such forms are also difficult to make sense.
• Please understand that not everyone abroad lives near a Malaysian consulate. Information needs to be disseminated sooner so that we can plan and make travel arrangements ahead of time. With only a one week notice of going to consulate between 9am-6pm on Sunday, the cost of plane ticket to get there is almost USD$500. Thankfully it is the weekend.
• I will give them the benefit of the doubt since this is the first time, but when contacting officials in the consulate department, most do not have any idea what to do or what the process is. Perhaps there should be clearer communication between EC and Consulate
  
  Source: 
  http://news.malaysia.msn.com/elections/overseas-voter-a-malaysian-story-shared
  
  
  
  
  

  

  A special voter no..999

   

  

  'Saluran 3' queue...I waited 45 minutes before I could cast my vote.

  
  
  

  

  My daughter's friend's father...:) LAIN KALI la..nampaknya.

  
  

  

  I was wondering...why the whole finger? It could be just a line on the finger..I think this process was the reason behind the long queue...

  
  
  
  Well, this next time ....PRU14 ('another' mother of all PRUs?)
  
  *** Sorry for the unreversable  pictures.

ILLUMINATI

I just got this info from a friend who happened to be an 'Islamic Healer' (not quite sure whether it's the right term to use but in BM we call it as Pengamal Perubatan Islam, i.e Prof Dato' Dr Harun Din and the likes). Among all teenage patients that he had treated, many of them have striking similarities in their interests and passions. They all like to surf the internet. Well, most of us do since we always think it is the 'world' source and reference. 

Unfortunately, the things that we try to find out might not all be safe and harmless. So, one of their interested subjects is ILLUMINATI. What is illuminati? You can find it here...http://naijagists.com/the-illuminati-signs-and-symbols-revealed. 

Of course there are many other websites in the internet that are related to this subject. Now, do we realize now how we have invited this 'unholy creatures' into our homes? Aren't we a die hard fan of Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter films and books? Didn't we always feel amaze when we listen to the 'ancient language' spoken in the films...the chanting, the magic words..? How many of us are aware that every time we read the books (or any books of that sort)we were actually 'calling' the 'spirits?'. 

We have to put a stop to all this. How? TEPUK DADA TANYA SELERA...:)

May Allah  guide us all with his love and grace...

Silver Lining Playbook.

Yes, it's a movie...a dark romantic comedy that I watched with my children, Amirah and Asyraf just an hour ago...We had a good time, commenting on the dialogues and scenes and having a 'teh-tarik' session while viewing the movie. Asyraf and Najihah are going back to KL tomorrow and I didn't want to let the night slip away without spending the time with them.

What is so interesting about the movie? Well, for one thing..Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence made a handsome couple, I guess. Then, there was Robert De Nero who made the movie more watchable....and  this  'dancing' thing. It's interesting how a physical activity like dancing could connect people again. How it could bond and make relationships strong and intact. They could easily get in touch or connected through smses,  facebook or twitter but that is not the case in this movie. The relationship is more genuine and real here just by doing it the old ways. Oh yes, one more thing...reading is another 'useful' activity mentioned in the movie.

And, talking about the world today, besides having all the technological advancements, we've seen so many destructions and chaos caused by it. More and more time are spend on computers and the internet rather than spending quality time with the members of the family. Everyone in the house has his own laptop , computer, Ipad and what not...So, everyone is looking at this technology tools more than they look at each other. Therefore, they will be less communication in the house and if there is one, most of the time it will be misinterpreted or misunderstandings. Isn't that sad? Once, it was a happy family...now, it has become a disastrous one.

Bradley Cooper is not my favourite actor although I love "Hangover". Jennifer Lawrence is my better choice. I began to like her acting skills since I watched her in The Hunger Games. She's a knockout. Anyway, overall, I like the movie because it's funny and entertaining. And, what is more meaningful than to be able to share your happiest moments with your love ones like your own children.