Hilman Nordin

December Read

2012-02-07T07:24:00.001-08:00

I think I was doing OK with my blogging frequency towards the end of last year. I think I was doing OK with my book reading too. I managed to finish off Eyman Hykal's Detik Debar - which then I reviewed in my last blog posting.

Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns was also among books that I read last December. It was an adventure altogether (as I was reading it when undergoing my own adventure) and I think it deserves a review in another posting. But looking at my questionable commitment in writing, I can even let myself wonder when I can start writing on that disturbing read.

But the one that disturbed me the most was one book on the story of the success of Israel, Messrs. Senor and Singer's Start-Up Nation tells a story among others; on why Israel turned up on most of the things we use today. It is also discussed in the book, that if Israel decided to apply the marketing campaign similar to Intel's "Intel Inside" - then that sticker will turned up in almost everything that we touch today - even those with Intel Inside stickers.

Another way to gauge success according to the authors; featured at the back cover of the book was the fact that Israel has more companies at NASDAQ than Korea, Japan, Singapore, China, India and all of Europe combined. This was one of the reason why I picked that book and paid for it.

Did I learn anything from the book (to a certain extent, Israel)? Yes indeed, and as a matter of fact, I was writing a review on that book - it still is in draft form as I write this post. But I am still deciding on whether to publish it or not - and I think the draft is still far from capturing the idea of the authors.

There were two more last December, and if I still can recall, it was a fiction entitled "Fated" and life-storytelling "Shit My Dad Says". After "Splendid Suns", "Fated" seemed to be dry to me, but SMDS kept me to its end of pages. It was a story about a Jewish father trying raise his son. As you might have guessed, the story was from the perspective of the son. I enjoyed it as it tells the reality of father-son relationship in our time. Or.. maybe I enjoyed it because I just read "Start-Up Nation" and thought that I can learn from that Jewish dad as well.

I actually finish all these during the last few days of December. Unfortunately, in January 2012, I didn't manage to finish any books. And my excuse is that I was reading too fast for my writing to catch-up with me. Or another excuse is that I am still busy figuring out my new year's resolution. Yes, I am.

Happy Belated New Year?

[VIDEO] Eyman Hykal's Detik Debar on Selamat Pagi Malaysia, TV1

2011-12-29T17:29:00.001-08:00

My own review here.

Eyman Hykal's Detik Debar - Review

2011-12-27T05:52:00.000-08:00

If in one of these days, given the current circumstances and the stereotypical view on Muslims and Islam, especially the perception of the two in the eyes of Americans, and with most of the current IT-era developed by and with the support of 'debt industry' - the world suddenly changes, from the interest-laden economy to 'Islamic economy', it will require the world superpower to be the first one to adapt the change. At the time of writing this, America is still the world's superpower and therefore Americans might have chosen a leader capable of embracing that change, with or without knowing that their leader capable of doing so. At least in "Detik Debar", that was what its writer imagined and persuaded the readers to believe in.

After Obama made it to the seat of power, the President of the United States of America can easily be either black or white in many fictions. Detik Debar's own John Martinez is effortlessly portrayed as Hispanic, without any reference to his religious belief in the beginnings of the novel, enough to make readers assume that the American President is nothing but a Muslim. Readers then embark on the journey of finding the true nature of the president, his own drive on making his own country embrace 'Islamic economy' and might find the occasional references of John Martinez uneasiness around Zionist lobbyist, and the support given to Jennifer Miles, a young reporter who reported news from the Middle East who fell in love with Palestine, and with it, her unbiased reporting from 'the other side of the fence'.

Eyman Hykal created Fariz Zafar as the hero of the story, a good man (grandson) from the reference to his grandmother; yet capable of being fierce and killing without doubt, skillful in the arts of parkour - which I believe to be an excuse for the Eyman to make Fariz Zafar agile and make him take that extra jump and running around the novel. Fariz worked with BISIK, Malaysian version of the CIA, and with it the access to incidents and events (read: plot) that most of the time, unknown to many.

Detik Debar was written in a style that managed to capture its readers attention to the story, living up to the meaning of the novel's title. The story moves quickly, without too many reference on the background story, history of the characters, and settings, and in places where there were, the story is purposely made to slow down before the next shock. Readers may only dwell and savor the development of few characters, with an exception to one character named Omar, other characters such as Alvaro, one of the assassins sent to finish off the president (many would have guessed an assassination attempt on the President after he made the claim to support 'Islamic economy') , are not really exposed (Omar was not exposed on purpose by Eyman). This shows that the focal point of the story is not on the assassination; we always get that from many action stories - a psychopath killer, an ex-army turned assassin have their character built up to the point-blank. There was an underlying, grave and urgent message from Eyman Hykal from his choice of characters.

In the end, readers will be left with wanting more of John Martinez, Jennifer Miles and Fariz Zafar - the first character because of the possibility of different history of the world where 'Islamic economy' is realized, the second for her charms and secret wishes that she'll end up with either the first character or the third; and the last character, Fariz Zafar for he represents what many Malaysian thought was not real, but wishes for it - a brave, ass-kicking Malaysian spy!

[VIDEO] What happened if they demonstrate during Merdeka Day parade?

2011-12-18T02:22:00.000-08:00

Back in 2009, I wrote this post. Now, another compliment is due for my father. He completed another marathon run, and if last time did made me had an urge to write, this time the feeling surges. Congratulations Abah, once again!

This time, there's a book launch for the new novel held together with Ramlee Awang Murshid's latest thriller. Managed to accompany father for the event, and since it is held in MPH, I was exposed to a lot of books from 2pm to 5pm. The result is me getting 4 books of various titles from the store!
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The title of this post is related to the video (or another interesting title is "What happened if America embrace Islamic Economy (sic)?") - where father told the audience about his novel, where his inspirations came from, and some interesting bits and pieces you can expect in the novel. Ramlee also introduced his new 'Fiksyen 302' afterwards, and my camera was out of memory to capture the actual launching gimmick. Do enjoy the video, and if somehow you are convinced to get one (any of the two books or both), you can get one with signature from here.

Poster for the occasion

Signing session

Queue for the signing session (taken from escalator)

Tokyo by Bike - Part 2

2011-12-08T16:33:00.001-08:00

An interesting sight in Tokyo about bicycle, and specifically to 'mamachari' is the different upgrades that you can apply to your bicycles. From the bicycle, similar to cars, you can guess what kind of person rides it. But since everyone is riding a bicycle of similar type, you can only see the difference from the practicality of the bicycles, not from the class or how expensive it is (as you would from looking at cars).

One kid

Two kids

No kids

More than two kids (or when your kids get older) - buy another bike for your kids

No idea.

You can also apply upgrades such as electric assist.

The flying machine alignment problem

2011-11-29T17:09:00.001-08:00

Tokyo by Bike - Part 1

2011-11-28T18:27:00.001-08:00

Policeman checking bicycle registration as I wonder when this will be over since the traffic light is already turning red again.

I have been stopped by policeman in Tokyo for three times in the course of three months. I can still remember all three occurrences. The first time when I was heading for Tokyo Institute of Technology for the first time from my dormitory near Komaba. The distance between the dormitory and the university made it possible to be lost (>6 kilometers), especially when I was not familiar with the roads, and because I was getting there on a bicycle. When you are lost, its common to ask for directions. And since there are a lot of Koban (police box) around, its only natural that I stopped by (OK, I have not been stopped by a policeman in this case) and ask for directions.

After asking for directions at the Gakugei Daigaku koban, I was asked to wait for a while before continuing my journey. I have been asked whether I bought the bicycle, where I bought it and whether I registered it under my own name. There was a sticker pasted on the seat post, something similar to vehicle registration number that the policeman can use to check who the bicycle belongs to.

The second time was after getting used to a certain route to get to the university. By getting used to I mean, I know the directions well, I know two or three different routes to get to the university, and I know where the koban(s) are, so if I passed in front of Koban, I will definitely "behave". So there I was, on one of the main junctions, at that time I was trying to get to my dormitory. The policeman stopped me and check for my bicycle registration. This time, I asked a friend of mine take a picture of the process.

The third time, I was cycling alone, trying to get back to my dormitory. I was following an old lady closely since the path is not big enough for me to get in front of her. It was not near any koban. It was a police car, with three policeman in it, suddenly spoke through the car speaker asking me to stop. The old lady stopped but then was asked to continue. At this point, I already knew what to do, so I hand over my identification for them to check, and showed them where the bicycle registration was.

But then, they want to do a body check. So the three policemen divided their work - one was doing the bicycle registration, another is doing the body check, with another one inspecting my bag. They also ask many questions about my current situation, where I was heading, what I currently do and where I came from. At that time, I have a lot of things on my mind, since I thought there were not many people stopped by the curb and get inspected.

Sense the feeling of uneasiness in me, so they ask a lot of questions on myself and my country, in the process of getting friendly. Lucky I was not stopped by at any of the main junctions, if so, I would feel embarrassed.

Mamachari - available upgrades: child seats.

After checking with Malaysian friends, they also mentioned that they experience the same thing. This made us conclude that the policemen are looking at the foreigners more carefully than the locals. Also we conclude that you are tend to be stopped by policeman if you ride 'mamachari' (see picture above) instead of mountain bikes. This is maybe because 'mamachari' are more popular (almost everyone have one), and easy to be stolen because it looks the same.

But maybe this conclusion was formed because of the Malaysian (my own) perception of our own country's police force? More importantly, they (Japanese policemen) are doing their job and in my opinion after my observations, they are really good at it.

Getting old

2011-11-20T01:45:00.001-08:00

My sister told me that she's facing difficulty in understanding Japanese kanji. And I replied to her:
"If you start now, by my age you can be fluent in Japanese already".

I pondered upon my own answer. Nanka... it made felt old with traces of regret. Guess you can never turn back time.

SS - Someday We Gonna Die

2011-11-13T17:09:00.001-08:00

My sister found a story I made during my school days. It should have more chapters than 1, as it is now it's not even a complete story. At that time I am not sure why I chose Death as a theme and part of the title. If you have some spare time, do read the story, but I assure you, it will not be worth your while. You can access the story here.

The flying machine needs some Nitrogen

2011-11-10T23:01:00.001-08:00

Exam Tips - UM New Examination Hall

2011-11-08T16:32:00.000-08:00

With the new exam hall, if you are having a morning examination at Dewan Tinta (they give names to the halls this time), make sure you come early and book a place opposite of the glass windows. The hall is facing the Federal Highway traffic, and morning sun rise. The hall is not facing the sun directly, but if you are sitting in the last rows, you might feel uneasy with the light and temperature.

p/s: took the picture and wondered what to do with it.

Hope in Humanity.

2011-10-27T21:12:00.000-07:00

Great Turkish meal

Recent earthquake in Turkey brought memories of my personal experience of earthquakes and Turkish food. The mosque that I frequented last Ramadan in Japan was run by Turkish government. Other than the imported cook brought from Turkey, I was informed that the Imam was on the government's payroll. My experience was somewhat a mixture of culture and great meals, and also great friendship forged.

Tokyo Camii Mosque - Ramadan 1432 H.

And this news gave me more reasons to reminisce. It is about the survivors at Ercis living in orderly fashion; no looting occurred during desperate times. Another story on the Japanese people (even children) donating money in Turkish embassy in Tokyo, despite that they are still recovering from the great East Japan earthquake last March; these two stories give hope to humanity - despite that we are now being fed with news showing people do not even care about 2-year-old laying down on the street.

Barriers.

2011-10-26T16:27:00.001-07:00

When faced with barriers en route to your destination, a step back to get the whole view of your path is important. Viewing your route from the outside; or bird's eye view give you the whole picture of where you want to go and another way around the barrier. In modern terms, it's kind of like GPS.

Barriers/challenges in life can also be put into the same frame. On one side you have your goals/destination. On the other you have where you are at the moment. If let's say, one of your your goals is to be the best worker in your department - it will be a barrier of your boss do not like you.

But if your goal is to become the prime minister/president of a country; then the fact that your current boss do not like you will only mean that you will lose one vote towards your presidency. This will make you evaluate your barriers, in this case you will downgrade the level of challenge you might face with someone not liking you. The level of barriers can be lowered when you have higher goals.

Life is full of challenges/barriers. To be the bigger man who can cross any barriers easily, you need to set the highest goal there is. You need to set your destination right. That way when you take a step back, all the challenges can be seen as small and a necessity, because when you have something big, out-of-this-world kind of goal, there will always be a bigger and harder challenge that you have to face after that.

So where you headed?

The Letter (Part 6) - The Meeting

2011-10-22T16:22:00.000-07:00

Previously on The Letter:
I prayed that sooner or later I will get to meet her. The last letter (part 5) was written on July 2009. And about 2 years after I wrote the letter, Allah gave me the chance. I met her.

Part 6
The meeting convinced me. I now have the idea of spending more time with her. Our last meet was short, but I managed to get some idea of what kind of person she is, her views on life and death, her belief, her shortcomings. She faced a great difficulty months before the meeting, a great test by Allah; at the time when I knew about that I nearly decided not to see her. I thought of the trouble that I might face if I decided to go and see her, but all the time that I was in her company, I felt that my worries were baseless. HasbunAllahu wa ni'mal Wakeel.

I promised last time before I met her, that I will be a better person. Thank you Allah, for the chance to meet her made me a better person.

Class time.

2011-10-21T23:27:00.001-07:00

Had the opportunity to relive my experience as undergraduate listening to lectures. This one delivered by Prof Imtiaz of my department, I was here along with junior-course mates. Lucky the lecture was on how to find literature and write literature review which is still relevant to my current studies.

Sanity.

2011-10-20T02:01:00.000-07:00

Crazy as a routine, become a part of sanity.

Reasons.

2011-10-19T08:48:00.001-07:00

After a few times cycling to UM, I wonder what is it that I want to achieve. I was inspired with a story of a guy who cycle to work for fun from one of the TEDTalks I watched. I previously cycled in Japan during my 3 months visit, partly the reason why I can 'finally' lose weight.

Is it because of it's fun? Is it because I want to continue losing weight? Or maybe I just want to relive my days in Japan? I had these questions currently running in my head.

But I think I might have one word to describe what I am doing. The word describes the fact that I am not satisfied with myself and that I want to push myself further. I'll keep the word with me for now.

Achievement: Cutting down Facebook time!

2011-10-17T20:19:00.000-07:00

Simply using StayFocusd in my Google Chrome browser, I managed to cut down Facebook/Twitter/Youtube time. I began with giving myself 10 minutes per working period to visit all the "time-wasting sites". This week, I cut the time down to 5 minutes. With that, my productivity should increase right?

I would say, yes. But that does not stop me from finding ways to overcome StayFocusd; details I wouldn't share here in case you want to use it for your own good. It also does not stop you to discover new "time-wasting websites" (in that case, you might want to start blocking the new website using StayFocusd). In essence, StayFocusd can be used as to help you, but it all go down to your own self willpower.

Mirrors.

2011-10-16T06:58:00.000-07:00

One of the place I searched for myself, and met someone I've never thought I would become in me.

Finding Islam in Tokyo (5)

2011-10-14T02:23:00.000-07:00

This is the place I usually pray in Tokodai. It is close enough to my lab even though its in a different building. Actually this place is the 'R' level, where 'R' stands for roof.

The 'R' floor.

I brought a slipper with me. And since I usually wear shoes to Tokodai, it is convenient that I leave my slipper on the 'R' floor of "Ishikawadai no ichi-go-kan". That way, I can use the slippers when I want to take my wudhu' on the 7th floor, one level beneath 'R' floor. It's good to know that somebody already leave two praying mats on the floor; makes it convenient to do jamaah.

Sometimes, there will be a girl who prayed here. I believe she's an undergraduate student, since I didn't see her during Ramadan. Undergraduates are having long summer break, and I noticed that during Ramadan, when the summer break already started for them, only research students were around. Usually when she came to pray, I waited for her to finish. Same goes when I went to 'R' floor before her. After I noticed the usual time she came to pray, I adjusted mine and we didn't see each other quite often.

The place is not that big, but once, I prayed with two other people. This is also the place I met and befriended Radon.

Radon is an Indonesian student in Tokodai. He's 25 years old, and he has a wife, currently pregnant, and expected to deliver at the end of the year. He mentioned that when he was telling me the reason of him not returning to Indonesia for Ramadan and Syawal.

"A lot of Indonesian went back home during Ramadan. It is hard to be here in Ramadan because of the duration of fasting. It is much longer here than in our country". Radon also expressed concern since I mentioned that I will be experiencing fasting in Japan. I was more concerned with him, I guess, since I can picture that he will not be returning home even for Eid!

Picture of the stairs leading to the 'R' floor.

There was also one time when I prayed alone for Zohor since there were no one else around; and suddenly some Japanese people came to the floor. I was praying near to the edge of the stairs, and I can hear that someone's voice telling me,

"Sumimasen".

And then some people walk behind me to the adjacent door. After I prayed I realized that they were the elevator's repairman. The elevator of the "ichi-go-kan" reaches only to the 7th floor, and you would have to take the stairs to get to the 'R' level. 'Maybe they needed to get on top of the elevator to fix it' was what I explained to myself. I thought it was very thoughtful of them not to bother me while I was praying, even though they didn't took off their shoes to come on to the 'R' floor.

I was given this beautiful praying mat to use for praying inside/outside the restaurant.

Halfway in and out

The first time I went out far enough that I do not have any choice but to pray outside of convenience was during my trip to Kamakura. I was very lucky to locate one Turkish restaurant, where I confirmed with the owner that he sold 'halal' meat. Since at that time it was near to 12.00pm, it was already time for Zuhur prayers. After ordering food, I asked the owner where can I pray for my Zuhur, as my logic would suggest, the owner would have somewhere to pray since he should be praying too.

He then showed me one small place that I can use to pray. I was also given a praying mat, which in my opinion was very beautiful. At that point, I forgot to ask the owner something; but I didn't bother to ask as in my opinion, he hesitated. Maybe because there were a lot of customers and he needed to focus on attending to them and cooking for them.

How can I tell he was the owner? Actually, I don't have any proof, I concluded from my observations. I was in the toilet for my wudhu', and I saw his picture all over the place with different customers.

View from the staircase of the restaurant.

What did I forget to ask him? The qibla direction. I used a compass and my iPod to determine the direction, only to find out that the direction will require me to pray half-way in and out of the restaurant. It was an emergency staircase outside the restaurant, and it was made of steel. The way it was built make you able to see the ground, and I think I forgot to mention that the restaurant was on the 3rd floor. Since it was located at the back of the restaurant, it didn't interfere with the entrance or any customer, and from my observation, the emergency staircase was rarely used.

I was grateful to have found the restaurant, because another alternative would mean I have to pray in any of the many Kamakura's temples compound.

Finding "koen"

Bicycle as barrier, 'kain pelikat' as my prayer mat and this slightly bigger sidewalk become a place of worship.

Following my cycling trip to Tsukiji Fish Market (Kappabashi and Akihabara afterwards) which was about 10 kilometers (the furthest point was Kappabashi = 14km) from where I lived, it was Zuhur time when I got to Akihabara. I wanted to explore Akihabara, but I felt restless because I haven't prayed. In Tokyo at this time, Zuhur is around 11.30am and Asr is around 3.20pm.

I met one familiar Indonesian face in front of Yodobashi-Akiba, who mentioned about finding an empty space. At that time, I was having this kind of thinking - find a mosque/musalla first, if fails find a 'koen', Japanese for park. I didn't manage to find a musalla, but I found a public restroom to make my wudhu', and a slightly bigger sidewalk (so that it didn't bother with passerby) and prayed there.

This small koen is located next to Akihabara station, is where I prayed in Akihabara during my second trip in Ramadan.

The next time I was in Akihabara, it was in Ramadan. But this time, I searched straight away for any koen, or any empty space. I managed to find one right beside the Akihabara station. The best thing about the place was it had a tap where we can make my wudhu'. So I don't have to find any public restroom. Everything was there to begin my prayers. It came to my mind that I sincerely hoped that the koen might someday have a musalla for Muslim travelers.

I used 'kain pelikat' as a praying mat. I chose to pray somewhere that is not bothering anybody, while my back is against a wall. Of course, I need to make sure the spot was clean. This picture is taken with the Akihabara station in the background.

This is where I made my wudhu'.

Usually, before Ramadan, I would bring some bottled water, with the intention of drinking it, and using the water to make my wudhu'. But Ramadan made me forget to bring one, and it was really convenient to find tap water in a place suitable for prayers. The downside was, that this place is frequented by people, especially smokers. So there were a lot of cigarette butts on the grounds. There were also people who stop by to sleep. A careful look around the place made me me guess that some uses this koen as their home; with cardboard boxes carefully arranged at one of the corners.

But I am grateful to have found this place.

Lake Ashinoko and Hayakawa River

I had the chance to go to Hakone, after a friend of mine mentioned about it. And since at that time there was only a week prior to Ramadan, I thought I should travel and see more of Japan. I went there alone, and I believe it was a good experience, to a certain extent spiritually uplifting.

I found out that Hakone was about 80km from where I lived. So I made the decision not to use 'rukhsah' for my prayers. Since it is far enough for me not to get to Tokyo by Asr, I decided that I would do my Zuhur and Asr prayers in Hakone.

At first, I thought I wanted to make wudhu' with the water from Lake Ashinoko, a caldera lake formed by volcanic eruption of Mount Hakone. The water is very clear, with a lot of fishes. There were a lot of beautiful pictures of Lake Ashinoko, most of the time with views of Mount Fuji, or a red 'torii' gate on water. But during my journey, it was only time for Zuhur after I crossed the lake. I prayed after an interesting pirate boat ride.

This time, I brought along a proper praying mat.

View of Lake Ashinoko from where I prayed. Can't see Mount Fuji from here because of other mountains blocking the view.

I also thought that I want to pray by the lakeside. It would be an interesting experience! But there were a lot of people walking by the lakeside, so I decided not to. So I make my wudhu' in a nearby public restroom and prayed somewhere hidden from view.

It was a tiring one day trip, and before I went back for Tokyo, it was already time for Asr. I calculated that there will not be enough time for me to get to Tokyo and prayed Asr, so I chose to pray before I get back. So I headed to Hakone-Yumoto station, the station that linked Hakone to Tokyo area and try to find a place to pray.

I didn't get to pray by the lakeside, but for Asr I prayed beside Hayakawa River.

From the station, I went directly to Hayakawa River. There were some people in the river, walking and enjoying the cold water. I realized there was a spot with no one walking around. So I decided to pray at that spot, which is by the river bank. There was some thick bushes near where I prayed, a reflection of a path less traveled by.

I make my wudhu' with the water from the river, carefully on top of the slippery river rocks. I also went to take some water from the river to be brought back to Tokyo. The water tasted nice, and refreshing especially when it is cold.

Hayakawa River, near Hakone-Yumoto Station.

Praying near the lake and river of Hakone feels different. One of the reason maybe because I prayed alone, and have to decide on praying on my own. Hayakawa River is also a place where I made up my mind not to try 'onsen' (Japanese style hot spring). I decided after reasoning with myself with what Islam has taught me against my ever increasing curiosity to try out Japanese culture. Another reason why it feels different to pray there must be because it was closer to nature. The sounds of river. The sounds of cicadas of summer.

With lack of Japanese language proficiency, going to Japan can be intimidating. But I always get by with my little Japanese, and there were a bunch of people that I can speak English to. Going to Hakone alone meanwhile, reduces me to being only with myself. Before this, I always have qualms of going somewhere far away, because I thought I may deviate from Islamic teaching, and would have done something inappropriate. But, being alone in Hakone made me hoped from Allah to guide and keep me safe. This must be the reason why praying near the lake and river of Hakone feels different. I prayed, and I know I was not alone.

Finding Islam in Tokyo (4)

2011-09-30T00:07:00.000-07:00

I asked this picture from Norai, who was my classmate when I was Form 4 and Form 5. She is now happily married, blessed with a little child named Hana. Last time I checked, she stays in Japan, and updates her blog with life in Japan and many 'perantau' recipes! I asked her about halal soy sauce, and she gave me this picture.

To uphold the faith, one of the things that we must make sure of is the food that we take. I remembered in one of the Friday sermons in Tokodai the khatib mentioned something about the sign of Imaan in oneself - is when he start asking whether a particular act is permissible in Islam, or whether a specific food is halal or haram. In Tokyo, I found out that finding halal food is hard, at times I have to do something that I didn't do back home. The best is to cook by yourself, where you buy the ingredients, you determine the amount of fat and salt (in a way is healthy), use your own alcohol free - soy sauce and drink 'animal-derivative free' drinks.

But, sometimes if you meet with fellow Muslims, you know that he will definitely take Halal food, and in turn, if he is a shopkeeper or a restaurant owner, serves to you halal food. This is what we expect from out brothers and sisters in faith, and expected by them, we too will prepare halal food for them if by any chance they stop by our house. In Tokyo, to identify fellow Muslims are sometimes not with any Muslim identity - but your knowledge in geography and sometimes history of the their country of origins. Know their flags - as they will not pop out any calligraphic and Islamic sign outside their shop.

The Turkish Restaurant

During our visit to Kamakura, there's this awkward moment of where should we get our lunch for the day. Since I was accompanied by one Korean, one Chinese Singaporean, one Indian-New Zealander, and a Malay from Malaysia. I was thinking of getting in one of the Japanese restaurant and order anything vegetarian - as I experienced previously in Taiwan, the vegans can be very religious in their cooking. One suggestion was to get into Mac Donalds's but luckily the place was crowded. Then we went into a Turkish restaurant - by twist of plot, suddenly I was on top of the stairs up to the restaurant, leading the rest. Good thing I remembered how the Turkish flag looked like.

When we get the menu, the usual Turkish delicacies splayed on, with writings in Japanese. It was hard enough to read them even when it was in Katakana. But there was chicken and lamb, the usual kebab, rice and soup. Suddenly I remembered to ask something:

"Koko wa zenbu 'halal' desu ka?"
"Zenbu halal" the man, who I believe to be the restaurant owner responded.

I looked at the beverage section and I saw - Waa-ii-n (wine). Bii-ru (beer).

We were lucky that the restaurant owner provided a place for me to pray in the restaurant, so I don't have to stop anywhere afterwards. I prayed Zuhur while waiting for the food to be prepared.

My 2nd chicken meal in Japan.

Where is the mosque?

During my cycling trip to Tsukiji Market, we stopped by Kappabashi, a place that sells a lot of Japanese craft. It took sometime to get there from my dormitory as it was far away, and I made a long stop at Kappabashi to accompany my friend to purchase some 'Made in Japan' knives. By the time we want to head for Akiba, it's already Zuhur. I don't think I want to have a look in Akiba when I haven't prayed yet. That's when I recognize another flag - the Indian flag.

I went in the restaurant, asking about where the nearest 'musolla' is. At this time, if we didn't get to a mosque, it's good enough to get to the nearest designated musolla, since there's a Muslim restaurant nearby, the restaurant itself may offer a place, or there's a place near to the restaurant. My logic is, if not, how can the workers pray?

After being shown where's the nearest place was, I head out to the place. I have Asakusa Mosque in my mind - it's one of the mosque in Tokyo, and its being run by Indonesian.

I follow the directions given by the Indian restaurant worker to no success. Instead, I arrived at Akiba's own "Low Yat Plaza". There I found a familiar place that we often see during Friday prayers in Tokodai, and I asked him where was the nearest place that I can go to pray.

"Just find an empty space and pray" he mentioned.

I was having that idea in mind for a while already, so I found an empty space, put my bicycle as a barrier, use my 'kain pelikat' as a prayer mat and prayed Zuhur that day.

A bigger sidewalk where not many people passes through. Lucky I brought a compass with me, and my iPod serves as a reference to Qibla.

Kebab should be halal right?

In Akiba, I started to feel hungry. Maybe because of the distance traveled. Maybe because the hot weather. Then I saw another Turkish flag. They were selling kebabs! Last time, Mustafa (a friend in the Tokyo Camii Mosque) mentioned that you can get halal kebabs sold by Turkish people in Shin Okubo, who happened to be a relative of the Tokyo Camii Mosque caretaker!

After looking at the prices and deciding to buy, I asked a question, just to break the ice.

"Koko wa zenbu 'halal' desu ka?"
"Wakaranai" the seller answered.

I was overwhelmed with an "Eeeeeehhhhh?" moment for a while.

Then he explained in Japanese about why he didn't sure about the status whether it is halal or not. Maybe he's not the one who is in charge of purchasing the meat or something. But he mentioned that the meat is from Osutoraria. He also mentioned that the lamb that they have is halal.

I don't know why, but I said thank you, and I no longer felt hungry.

Can you drink Carlsberg Coffee?

I was rethinking this scenario over and over again. What if, Carlsberg, back in Malaysia, suddenly wanted to sell something like coffee. It is perfectly logic to assume that the company will change the brand name, maybe to Sunny Coffee? But still, it is made by the company that serves beer. Maybe I'll drink Sunny Coffee, if I don't know that Carlsberg made it. Maybe I didn't drink it if I know Sunny Coffee was made by Carlsberg. But what if it was named as Carlsberg Coffee, where it clearly mentioned the name of the company who made it?

The last time I met Mustafa (I hope to meet him again soon in Ramadan), I managed to steal his time and discuss about a few things, one of which the oddities of Muslim restaurants serving wines and beers. I wanted to know this issue from a regular Japanese Muslim view.

He mentioned that he knew it is Haraam. And he explicitly mentioned that according to his personal view, he disagree with Muslims serving beers in their restaurants. But at the same time, he mentioned that Japanese loved to drink. It would be weird if you go to a restaurant that suddenly didn't serve beer. He also told me that some of the Muslim brothers didn't use the money (acquired from selling beers) for themselves, but given to charity.

"It is between that 'brother' and Allah". he added too, that some restaurants do survive without serving beers and wines, citing a few examples such as the nearest Egyptian restaurant to the Tokyo Camii. It is all down to the choices that 'brother' had made.

Another thing that I asked him was about what he ate everyday, as I told him that it is quite difficult to get decent halal delicacy, and food in konbini usually is not halal. He answered that he seldom eat out. Judging from the fact that most of the Japanese like to eat out, I somehow feel that Mustafa made a great sacrifice of not going to a lot of places with his Japanese friends.

Kirin straight tea. Its tea, and tasted like tea.

I relayed to Mustafa about my recent visit to Kirin Beer Factory. At the end of the visit, we were told that we can have free beer tasting. Along with the beer products, Kirin also had other products such as zero alcohol beer (its a beer where they throw out all the alcohol, it actually was an alcoholic drink in one of its stages), straight tea and yellow-colored beer-look-alike tea. At that moment, I chose Kirin Straight Tea.

Mustafa told me that its OK to drink it. If I chose not to, then I will limit myself to small group of things that I can take. Then he had to rush for a meet with a friend, he was late because of the fact that I hold him with my inquiries.

Back in Malaysia, I wouldn't even enter a place where they serve pork. Here, I have to enter a kitchen to prepare my food, without questioning what the guy next to me is cooking. It maybe beef or chicken? Back in Malaysia, I wouldn't drink something with beer brand on it. Here, I learned to be flexible, for the fact that everyone in the trip to the factory was celebrating and "kampai"ing. That was the last time I get something with Kirin on it. I chose to limit myself whenever possible, but at the same time to respect the host (its understandable if you don't take alcohol, but if you don't take something that is not alcohol only because its made by the same company, you are one fussy guest).

They say, when in Rome, act like Roman. If being a Muslim made me impossible to be Roman, so be it. I will try to be as Roman as I could without violating my religion.

Dear Allah, forgive me if I was wrong in my judgement.

Talking to your child early and often

2011-09-28T06:42:00.000-07:00

Bought last time with no time to read. Now need to finish many books before indulging myself into buying more.

In the book "the genius in all of us" by David Shenk, the writer discussed on one interesting research by two psychologists, Betty Hart and Todd Risley. The research methodology involves sampling the actual number of words spoken to young children in 41 families of different socioeconomic background. The research was conducted for more than 3 years with families from (1) welfare homes, (2) working-class homes and (3) professionals' homes.

They found out children from professional's homes are are exposed to 8 million words more than children from welfare homes over the course of one year. By age four, the difference between children from the two homes would be 32 million words. They also found out direct correlation between the intensity of verbal exposure with later achievement.

This research among other researches compiled in the book as evidence of genetics not being able to dictate future of an individual, and talent; apart from being a gift, is actually a process.

This notion rings a bell in my head most probably because I read Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers.

Cycling to UM

2011-09-19T18:14:00.000-07:00

Morning before departure. Got these two bicycles from Sungai Way. Apparently, the old bicycle shop near Taman Bahagia LRT station now only carry branded bicycle line; some costs RM30,000 plus. These two bicycles are way cheaper.

Back in Tokyo, one thing that I did to keep me sane, was to be crazy. Among the things that I picked up in Japan is cycling. I would say one of the things that caused my weight reduction is cycling - and I cycled almost everyday back then. During week days, when the weather is OK (little shower also was considered as OK) I cycled to the Tokyo Institute of Technology from where I lived, and it covered around 6km per trip.

The crazy part? I didn't take the train as many would. Tokyo is pretty much covered with trains, you can get anywhere with trains and a little walking. And since I was new to the place, I should stick to the train lines, but invite trouble when the very first night I bought the bicycle, (yes, I went out and get myself a bicycle at night only to be amazed most of Tokyo wasn't asleep) I got lost on the way back home.

As soon as I realized that this may be the path less traveled by, but nevertheless a number has trudged through it, it became less and less crazy alternative.

Cat behavior early morning? The cat climbed the fence to eat some bamboo.

Cat behavior 2: Cats gather around bicycle.

So in Malaysia, I wanted to ride a bicycle too. It's been a while since I took something healthy as a hobby. Last time, I was into Trading Card Game (TCG), and it costs me money and time to collect rare cards. I didn't join any competition though. After that, I was into Basketball, and still is, I guess. But back then, I would want to buy basketball shoes. It costs money last time, but now I can't really set aside time for it (good excuse not to play. I hope I can go and play again later).

So I bought two bicycles, and start planning cycling trips. The first is to measure time taken for me to get to Faculty of Engineering from my house. I have thoughts of getting to the faculty by bicycle for work, and this is a good test. Whether I will actually do so, time will tell.

Near Taman Sea school. Climbed the first elevation.

I wonder who's idea is it to grow something in the middle of a pedestrian path?

Pedestrian path covered with untrimmed growth.

One of the great things in Tokyo for bicycle, is that the streets are bicycle-friendly. Sometimes I also use the pedestrian path. Japanese will gladly make way for me to pass through, and say "Gomennasai" (I am sorry), though I was the one who felt sorry for them. Motor vehicle drivers are also used to the sight of bicycles that they may develop more caution when it comes to bicycles. I have discussed about this with my friend back in Tokyo, if we were to take bicycle in Malaysia, specifically KL and PJ, there are many problems.

Finally arrived in Faculty of Engineering. Took around 34 minutes.

First sight of problem. Gave my sister a call for reinforcement.

But Malaysia have an interesting cycling community, hidden from my knowledge because I did not have a bicycle. There are a lot more crazy Malaysians out there who make cycling trips. A friend of my brother made one cycling trip to Langkawi from Selangor covering around 100km per day for total of 8 days. I don't know if I will go that far, but for now, I wish to keep myself healthy (and save money from buying more fuel, saving the environment etc), and maybe cycling is one way of doing it.

Closer look at the bicycle. The guy who worked on the bicycle actually is featured inside a cycling magazine that I bought.

p/s: Haris, sorry for not stopping for Teh Tarik that morning!

Finding Islam in Tokyo (3)

2011-09-16T17:45:00.000-07:00

Biwa fruit tree. I failed to make a biwa jam out of this fruit. I accidentally made caramel.

There are some interesting people I managed to meet over at the Tokyo Camii mosque. And discussions between us vary, from how my home country look like to my opinion on Japan and the Japanese people, I always answer, to hide my real feelings, and to give out a partially truthful opinion or rather observation on the Japanese people: "Japanese are hardworking people". Deep in my heart, I believe, they are not only hardworking, but they overwork.

When I answer that way to Mustafa-san, he mentioned that Japanese are not really hardworking. Most of the time they lose focus. And he mentioned, it is better to take a break and do solat and after that only continue your work.

Mustafa is a Japanese young man that I usually met at the mosque. He is in his late 20's, older than me by a few years. From my observation, I believe he had traveled to all sort of places in the world, and gathered so many friends, I believe because of his friendly nature; always smiling.

I manage to meet one of Mustafa's many friend, an Arab from Jordan most probably, who stopped by to the mosque to perform his Asar prayers well after everyone has finished. The Jordanian Arab brought a non-Muslim Japanese girl to the mosque. Mustafa, accustomed to visitors in the mosque, showed her the way into the mosque, suggested that she took one of the scarves provided near the door for women visitors to cover their heads.

The girl declined saying "I am wearing a short skirt".

After his friend finished praying and joined us, Mustafa started to talk to his friend. And his friend mentioned that, if he wanted to see Mustafa, he would have come to the mosque. That is, because, that is the only place he ever see Mustafa!

After finish talking in English, Mustafa continued speaking in French with his Jordanian friend. They were discussing on a friend of theirs, Muhammad from Jordan, who is currently working in Lyon, as a lecturer. They even joke that the friend of theirs were incapable of speaking French!

Another fruit I tasted, but I don't know the name of this cherry-like fruit.

Another interesting person that I met was (Ustaz) Abdul Karim. Introducing myself to this man made me feel humbled. Before departing for Japan, I learnt how to properly introduce myself in Japanese. And since there's difference custom in naming between Malays and Japanese, I always insist to be called Hilman, instead of Nordin. I have no trouble to be called using my father's name, it is a good name though, but I wish to be called with the name my parents gave me. And since my name is I believe, a little bit hard for the Japanese tongue to master, I always pronounce my name as 'Hiruman'.

That was how I pronounce my name when I introduce myself to him.

And then he introduced himself with Abdul Karim. Perfect Arabic. Not Abuduru Kariimu. I then realize that my name, and the way I pronounce it doesn't sound 'Islamic' at all - and here in front of me a man of Japanese descent proud to be using an 'Islamic' name. I then explained, and pronounced my name properly, though I forgot that I bear the name of our Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) in the beginning of my name, because of I expect (again) that the Japanese are not used to long and foreign names.

"Can you tell the difference between Malaysians and Indonesians?" Ustaz Abdul Karim asked.

Then we discuss at length on recognizing other people's home country by just looking at their face and to the extent of clothing. Ustaz Abdul Karim mentioned that as a Japanese, he can tell the difference between Koreans, Chinese and Japanese; but he never get to tell the difference between Malaysian and Indonesian.

After discussing at length about the corruptions that enveloped Muslim countries, he then asked me whether I have tasted the biwa fruit. He mentioned that it is the season for the biwa fruit, and that the mosque have many biwa plants all around it. Since I never heard of biwa fruit and I believed I never tasted it - he brought me downstairs to biwa fruit plants, interestingly those belonged to a Russian-Turkish family who lived beside the mosque.

After asking for permission to get some Biwa from the family, Ustaz Abdul Karim then proceeded to help with getting some of the fruits down. I later brought those fruits back to my dormitory. The next day, I answered to him "Oishikatta".

Ustaz Abdul Karim watching a man of Russian descent trying to get some biwa fruit down.

Another person who I happen to meet during my stay in Tokyo is Mr Idris No Madjid, the Founder of Ummah Media, publisher of "Wawasan Kepulauan - Al Ummah Newspaper", a Japanese-Indonesian newspaper based in Japan. He is also doing business on halal food product, namely Bilal Food and Bilal Meat. He managed/owned (I am not sure) a travel agency, a member (if not the president) of Japan International Citizen Hajj Committee.

He gives away his colorful character the first day I met him. He gave me one of the newspaper, which I later keep in my office, and we exchange stories from our countries. He then mentioned "I was with Anwar Ibrahim during ABIM days years ago". Then somehow, our conversation gets into political matters.

I asked him one matter regarding Ramadan that trouble me for some time after coming to Japan, maybe because I believe he had the same background with me, coming from a country with majority Muslims.

"In Malaysia, we will know the exact time to start our fasting month during the announcement for the Ramadan month commencement, usually communicated through live-telecast and radio. But how about here?" I really doubt that the Japanese government will make a live-telecast announcing the start of the sacred month in present circumstances, though I hope there will be time for that to happen in the future.

"You can always come to the mosque to confirm, or to the Islamic Center. We will look for the new moon and announce the start of Ramadan. If we can't see any moon, we will contact the Government of Malaysia for confirmation", he explained.

I was shocked to know that. Why would someone contact my home country for confirmation of that matter?

"There is a fatwa on that: if we here can't determine the start of the holy month, we have to contact the nearest Islamic country and follow them, and that country happened to be Malaysia".

Finding Islam in Tokyo (2)

2011-09-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

The Islamic Center in Tokyo. There's a written word "Islam" on the windows.

Other than rituals, food plays a very big role in the Islamic way of life. Food that a Muslim consume must be halal - some products need to be properly processed according to the Islamic way before consumption; and toyyiba - directly translated as clean/good.

In Tokyo, I was careful with food products. I can't consume meat as how I would enjoy back in Malaysia where meats are processed in the Islamic way. Pork - the most popular meat products in the world - are easily available in Tokyo. Muslims can't consume pork. Muslims also can't consume meat that are not processed in the Islamic way. To play it safe is to tell my hosts that I can't take meat, not to the extend of being a vegan as I can take fish and egg.

I have been warned by my supervisor back in Malaysia, that you couldn't eat most of the biscuits and ice-cream. Also some of the soy-sauce. They may have animal derivatives (most of the time find Sho-to-nin-gu and Nyuu-kazai), or they may have alcohol (mirin, sake, aru-koo-ru etc) in it. This made me alert with what's the content of every food I take, though since I have limited Japanese language capability, I tend to stay away with food that have the potentials of having these derivatives.

Previously, a colleague of mine, told me about the existence of Baticrom - an online Halal shop. You can order online and the item will be delivered to your doorstep. But, to get there from where I was is about 11 km. To find out where the nearest place that I can get meat and chicken in Tokyo, I went to the Tokyo Islamic Center. It is situated on the same road as Tokyo Camii (prounounced in Japanese as Jyamii) - but it's located further on the west direction of the mosque.

If you are too intimidated to get in, you can always take the brochure provided in front of the door.

I-su-ra-mikku Sen-taa . Jya - pan.

The Islamic Center

At first, I was afraid to go in. I don't know at that time, what I would do if I got in. Actually, I did have a list of halal shops from the Islamic Center website, and pinpointed the nearest to be in Shin-Okubo. So getting inside will only reconfirm what I already knew. After some hesitation, I went in, give salaam and I met my fellow Muslim brothers.

I introduced myself, telling them I was from Malaysia and they can quickly relate to the Muslim-majority country. That day I met someone special, named Mustafa. He conversed fluently in English, and I can ask him directly about the halal shop. I also met with another person, even more special as it was a special day for him. That was the day he bear witness that "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah".

The even more special guy was my senpai - as he studied in Tokodai and graduated 8 years ago. From what I can tell, he became a Muslim with knowledge. I can't tell you his name, as he was, at that time, still thinking of what to call his new self. I hope my name, after I told them, inspire him to maybe named himself after me.

Mustafa quickly told me about the functions of the Islamic Center, among others, to regulate Muslim affairs such as shahadah and marriage. He also mentioned about a musolla available in the second floor. But since the Tokyo Camii is near to this building, I might as well go for jama'ah in the beautiful mosque.

When I asked about the nearest halal shop, they also mentioned Shin-Okubo (around 3-4km from the Islamic Center). They also gave me directions on how to get there. What they didn't realize was the fact that I was going to cycle to get there, instead of taking and changing trains.

I brought my compass with me so that I can determine whether I went north and south, since I need to get towards the north to get there, and make sure to the south when I get back. Previously before this cycling trip to Shin-Okubo, I lost my sense of direction, the unfamiliarity with the place failed me to remember patterns and locations. For this time, I made sure to bring a compass with me. From the Islamic Center, I set my aim to Shinjuku and then to Shin-Okubo.

Mustafa wished me when I went out, what he said, I believe have similar spirit as the phrase "Tawakkaltu a'lAllah". Alhamdulillah, I managed to get to Fuji Store, an Indian Muslim shop which reminds me of Syarikat Taslima in Kelana Jaya, Malaysia. I bought soy sauce, fish sauce, and chili sauce (made in Thailand) , also some fried rice flavorings (made in Indonesia). I made a mental reminder to get some dates (from Tunisia) later on when Ramadan comes, but that was the last time I went to the shop. I did get some Tunisian dates out of miracle later on.

On the right is Fuji Store. If you forward a little bit more, you can find that there's a Turkish restaurant that sell kebabs - maybe next time.

p/s: I didn't get to the Kebab shop after all. as I mentioned, that was the first and last time I went to Shin-Okubo.

Perutusan Aidilfitri 1432 H (Aidilfitri Message 2011)

2011-08-28T19:14:00.000-07:00

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri to everyone!
Enjoy the video. This year will not feature my face ^_^

p/s: thank you Syakirine for the pencil and eraser (and video advice). Happy Birthday to you too!

Finding Islam in Tokyo (1)

2011-08-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

The minaret of Tokyo Camii Mosque

Islam is one the very first thing that I look for when I was in Japan. I wanted to find if any other people are practicing Islam as their way of life, and wanted to figure out how can I do so too. There are a lot of things to consider when it comes to way of life, among others, food and beverages, thoughts, practices, rituals and many more.

But you can tell whether Islam is practiced in a certain place, when you see people prostrate to Allah in the Muslim way. To see that, you need to find where people usually pray. The first day in "Tokodai" (short for Tokyo Kogyo Daigaku or Tokyo Institute of Technology), I encountered an Indonesian girl, so I quickly suggested my friend to ask for direction where do they practice Jumaat prayer, as we are going to do so the next day.

The kind girl mentioned about South Building 3. So I went there to perform our Zuhur prayer for the day, and discover the place to be more than just a place to pray. It was also a place that sells food, which later I discover that I can get hot food (fried chicken, sate and chicken rice) every Friday. Some canned drinks were also available. It was very interesting that the products were sold by just displaying them, and honest Muslims will put the right amount of money in their respective money boxes for their food and drinks.

The place where Muslims in Tokodai do Jumaat prayers were at the South Building 3, O-okayama Campus.

Very helpful. From here I know about the Jumaat prayer time. The prayer time was adjusted to suit the lunch break, because there's a lot of Muslim here (Malaysian included) that are undergraduates who need to attend classes.

We come across two friendly Indonesian who mentioned that there will be people who bring food to be sold here. This place become one of the source for halal food

The next day, I attend to the place to perform Jumaat prayer. I was happy to see that there are so many Muslims around me. And guess what, many of them are either Indonesian or Malaysian. But of course, there are more Indonesians, and from what I learned, there is also an Indonesian Musolla nearby, where iftar will be conducted during Ramadan. There was also a donation box, labeled as "Masjid Meguro", which refers to the Indonesian Musolla. I later found out that the progress of building the mosque is still on going, and for Ramadan, many Indonesian Muslims gather at the Indonesian school in Tokyo, where the said mosque was planned to be built.

It is good to be around Muslim brothers when you are in a different community. Muslims came from various backgrounds in Tokyo. They may have religion as their axis of life back in their country, but when they came to Tokyo, the Japanese in general don't have similar belief like them, so being among Muslim brothers is good to preserve their faith.

A Malaysian Tokodai undergraduate is reciting the khutbah.

Tokyo Camii Mosque

I thought that there were not so many people of Japanese descent that are Muslims. And my guess was right. The next day, I went to Tokyo Camii mosque, a very different building in stark contrast with other buildings in Tokyo.

The Tokyo Camii minaret behind building

The mosque looked very gigantic and beautiful - different.

When I first saw the mosque, it was when I was on my way to it. I saw it when I was crossing one of the railways, and my heart beat surge. I immediately fell in love with what I saw. I felt a sudden joy, and wishes to get there as soon as I can. When I arrived there, the feeling got better. I was greeted by a Turkish man who spoke fluent Japanese. I found out that the mosque was built in 1938 by Turkish community that emigrated from Russia.

The front door entrance heads to the Turkish Culture Center

The top tier is the prayer hall, can be accessed from the side staircases and from the Culture Center entrance.

The mosque serves both as a Turkish Cultural Center and a Mosque. They also sell prayer supplies, and there were a lot of book on Islam that are written in Japanese available here. They also have a Japanese-Arabic Quran available.

During Asr prayer that day, I found some Japanese praying as well. That was my first encounter with them. There were also people who are interested in Islam waiting outside during the prayer session. The Turkish Imam told women who wanted to visit the mosque to get their scarves in one of the drawers inside the mosque before they get into the mosque. Some of them went in and listen to the explanation from Ustaz Abdul Karim, a Japanese who works there. Others sat down, almost in the state of meditation, trying to feel the spiritual atmosphere of the mosque, while there are others trying to enjoy, or maybe comprehend Turkish architecture. I later found out during Ramadan that there are some who emulate the way the Muslim pray at the back.

From there, I thought that Japan is ripe for the works of Da'wah. These occasional visitors might have found peace when coming to the mosque. From the days here, I found that the Japanese are indeed spiritual people, especially the old generations. But from my observation, the visitors that came to the mosque are mostly young people; some have Muslim companions with them. They may come into the mosque out of curiosity, maybe to relate or confirm what they may heard about Muslims beforehand. They may be in awe of the stark contrast of architecture and ask themselves "why do we have something like this in the middle of Tokyo?" and would like to learn about it. Whatever their initial intentions maybe, let's pray that Allah grants them hidayah, and open their hearts into accepting Islam as their way of life.

Japan: Different kind of Tarbiyyah

2011-08-21T09:26:00.000-07:00

Day 80 - Heading home.

Alhamdulillah, by 4.45pm on the 19th of August, I arrived in Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). It was 80 days prior to this that I depart from the same airport to Japan. The experience was surreal, I almost believed that I was reliving a fairy tale, as my dream of going to the country began many years ago. I romanticized the idea of setting foot in Japan, living their lifestyle, observing all the beautiful people and walking the clean streets. The concept of civility in my head was originally Bushido code of conduct; 'way of the warrior' as many would know, influenced me in some of my writing, especially my short stories.

And returning to Malaysia is to return to reality. And back from the fairy tale, I sense a certain degree of change in me. The journey was definitely a struggle, to a certain extend in my limited understanding it was 'tarbiyyah'. If it is not, then it was of a different kind - whatever the definition, I pray that I am back to reality as a better person.

The blog rests, I never.

2011-06-04T19:40:00.000-07:00

Some of you might realize that I am not in the country currently. I am now in Tokyo, Japan for 80 days until 19th of August 2011. Therefore, this blog rest for a while from worldly update from me. I do maintain another blog, however, but refuses to state the name here for its private nature.

I can't use my mobile phone here, so the best medium of contact would be Facebook (sidebar), Skype (hilman.nordin), and GTalk(hilmannordin@gmail.com). Yes, in that order.

I really am sorry if I can't attend to many of you guys during this period and even before this.

Pray that I will arrive back to Malaysia safely, and emerge as a better person.

cinta hati maafkan aku lagi

2011-05-15T17:14:00.000-07:00

Cinta hati mohon satu pinta,
Ampun banyak lepas pandang,
Ampun banyak pinta berhutang,
Ampun banyak hajat tak sampai.

Cinta hati minta payung berteduh,
Payung yang ndak tak mahal,
Payung bukan emas perak buatnya,
Bukan milik puteri raja,
Payung tak bertatah intan permata,
Bukan corak ukir negeri jauh,

Cinta hati minta payung berlindung,
Payung yang ndak boleh dipakai,
Payung diminta kuat tahannya,
Tahan panas,
Tahan sejuk,
Tahan lama.
Payung elok, tempat teduh ribut,
Payung elok, tempat bermain anak cucu.

Adik cari payung sekali,
Bagi cinta hati redha,
Bukan untuk pakai sendiri,
Buat menafaat alam semua.

Cinta hati maafkan aku kali ini lagi.

Hilman Nordin
(Machang - Kuala Lumpur 14-15 Mei 2011)

p/s: selamat hari lahir cinta hati.
p/s/s: cinta hati maafkan aku part 1, di sini.

Imaan's Gamble

2011-05-01T04:29:00.000-07:00

This journey of life, is really a big gamble.

When you step out of your house, there's many things you see around you that challenges you and your heart. You might start out with big chunk of Imaan early in the day, and reduced it to a tiny portion towards the end. Challenges come and go in many forms, and one that many are troubled with is regarding women.

Many have seen solutions to this matter in marriage, usually reminded that sometimes, marriage is a trouble of its own. Many would have thought it would be the easy way out, without realizing the other kind of challenges coming their way. Others realized, solving a problem by replacing it with another is not a good way of handling the situation.

The world today, with its various challenges, need solutions in a timely manner. Last time when we were living in the dark, we would have cared less to get a candle to light up the night. We would have slept through it. But now, the world revolves faster, decisions needed to be done sometimes during the night when the rest of the world is facing the sun. Now, our nights are bright. Sometimes with the light from our lamps, and most of the time by the blinking of our iPhones.

May I conclude that we cut short our nights with the invention of lamps?

How about our challenges regarding women? We might see that we need some quick fix for this trouble, just because we solve other problems by using the same approach. Maybe we are being forced to find the quick fix, just because we just need to solve our problems quicker. Blame it to the fast paced lifestyle we are currently living in?

Some have concluded that, if it is a gamble to live, its an even bigger gamble to live without a wife. The challenges in the form of women come nowadays not from out of the house, but they creep into the very sanctuary and security of the home, in the form of multimedia devices. Now, we can start reducing our Imaan before we even leave the house!

But at the same time, many would have thought that the same challenges in the form of women will come even when you are married, and that marriage will only partly solve the problem, or not solve the problem.

I made a promise to myself two years back, after being shocked with how beautiful girls can be when there are no prosecutors around to question you: I will no longer go out from this sanctuary (ironically enough, this country) before I got married. I broke that promise a year after when I went for Bandung, and now about to travel out again in near future.

I will have my Imaan to be my prosecutor, if I am to be guilty, will jail me in the greatest of regrets.

p/s: to make sense of the title, you might want to translate it to "Pertaruhan Iman".

A disease many care less

2011-04-17T08:59:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of diseases in today's world. I think I can put up an impression that the diseases of the pasts are nothing compared to what we have today. A positive way to see it is we will still need a doctor in the years to come, that the profession will always be in high demand.

Last time, we saw what plague can do to a person, a community and a country and today we practice quarantine. We saw the importance of nutrition, but now we are surrounded by obese people. We found out that most of the time many of these physical affecting diseases can be overcome, if not sooner. Sometimes, we found out the cure has side effects, that maybe because there must be something even better out there to replace what we thought as the best.

But many care less with diseases that affects spiritual being of a person, a community and a country. I think I can put up an impression that our country is currently invaded by a great, sometimes infectious virus of a disease called as the moral decadence.

I will let you in to an obvious secret.

A positive way to see moral decadence is that we will need one profession that can cure this disease, and that profession will always be in high demand. It is obvious because many saw the importance of this profession. It is a secret, because many are ignorant of how beneficial being one of them is.

p/s: The electrician worked alone this time.

Electricians work in pair

2011-04-13T06:19:00.000-07:00

Previously, before departing for Umrah, my mother asked me to fix a lamp in my sister's room. Since the lamp, the stairs to get to the lamp and the lamp switch each has their own position, it will be troublesome for me to fix the lamp, go off the stairs and test the lamp by turning the lamp switch on. My mother offered her help, and then mentioned one observation:

"Electricians always work in pair", she explained by saying that while one of them will be up there fixing, another will be down and take care of the switch, tools and replacement lamp.

I found this observation to be true when one day two men came in my office to fix the lamp. But since there are a lot of people in the office, everyone offered their help.

The picture is a lamp, supposed to be fixed in my own room. I didn't fix it yet last time because I was left alone at home.

How your language proficiency tell when you will get married?

2011-04-10T04:05:00.000-07:00

Recently I have the pleasure of accompanying (read=driving) a few friends to go to another friend's wedding in Kluang, Johor. Since our destination was to an event celebrating the love between a man and a woman, one of the topic that we discussed was on marriage. Being this age, graduated and working; this topic seems to pop up much more in recent months.

There are a lot of things came up in the conversation, and one of it was on the how people of different background looks at the concept of marriage. Then there's this idea of different language determine how different people look at the same thing. It is just like the word "heart". Though the Malay language word of an internal organ associated to love is "hati", when we are dealing with other things rather than love such as cardiac arrest, we are dealing with "jantung" rather than "hati". English speaking people will use the same word to describe both.

There's this one phrase associated with getting married in the English language, and it is "to settle down". By definition, to settle down is "to adopt and orderly and routine way of life, take up a permanent post, etc., esp after marriage" (here). To put into context what I meant, you can view this video and enjoy this beautiful song;

Father and Son - Yusuf Islam (formerly known as Cat Stevens)

Father

Its not time to make a change,

Just relax, take it easy.

Youre still young, thats your fault,

Theres so much you have to know.

Find a girl, settle down,

If you want you can marry.

Look at me, I am old, but Im happy.

I was once like you are now, and I know that its not easy,

To be calm when youve found something going on.

But take your time, think a lot,

Why, think of everything youve got.

For you will still be here tomorrow, but your dreams may not.

Son

How can I try to explain, when I do he turns away again.

Its always been the same, same old story.

From the moment I could talk I was ordered to listen.

Now theres a way and I know that I have to go away.

I know I have to go.

Father

Its not time to make a change,

Just sit down, take it slowly.

Youre still young, thats your fault,

Theres so much you have to go through.

Find a girl, settle down,

If you want you can marry.

Look at me, I am old, but Im happy.

(son-- away away away, I know I have to

Make this decision alone - no)

Son

All the times that I cried, keeping all the things I knew inside,

Its hard, but its harder to ignore it.

If they were right, Id agree, but its them you know not me.

Now theres a way and I know that I have to go away.

I know I have to go.

(father-- stay stay stay, why must you go and

Make this decision alone? )

I believe, after learning this phrase (and listening to the song) that it meant you should look at marriage as a turning point. If previously you are out-of-order (pun intended), after marrying, there will be someone to look out for you and make your life orderly and neat. But I also think that, to a certain extent, this phrase suggested that, after marrying, you have to start sticking to routines, thinking of stability and taking less risks. There's a lot of truth to this, as after marriage, you have to think of your spouse (first) and children (later).

But looking at this phrase from the view of an unmarried someone, it will be like looking at a bad alternative. It is like all the adventures (and misadventures) will stop the moment you are married to someone. To the extreme of sacrificing your dreams and career to the marriage commitment, or to raise a child, made this phrase seemed to suggest you have to do everything you want to do, achieve everything you dream for, be stable financially and in life, before you choose this alternative.

From here I reasoned why many chose to get married later (after everything has settled down), especially Western people and to the extent of English speaking Malaysian. If we look carefully at their income class, location and the background of these Malaysians, we may establish a connection between them and how do they view marriage and eventually when do they do so. I believe this is because speaking/using a specific language is a way to embrace another culture, in this case, western culture.

Another phrase that we discussed during the drive was "gentleman". In English speaking world, this is not just a phrase, but a conduct that every man should hold. We've been entertained by movies and stories with strong "knight in a shining armor" (another familiar phrase), fearless in front of enemies, but gentle in the company of women.

A phrase that a Malay men have to hold dearly however, is to be "anak jantan". From here I would reason the difference between how Malay men would treat their women. If you ask me, I would say this is where "husbands are always right" attitude came about, because it will be hurting the man's pride if the women challenges their decisions.

The alternative to "anak jantan" would be directly translated "gentleman" which is "Lelaki Lembut". Maybe this is why we have lesser gentlemen nowadays!

p/s: Sorry for the Gladwell-style post title!

Relearning a lesson from becoming 25

2011-03-06T07:12:00.000-08:00

My birthday has always been one occasion that I chose to blog about something. But 2011 seems not to give me an urge to do the same like previous years has done to me. Looking at previous years, I even put up a competition called as the "Chef of February" - namely because of my extended jealousy of my sister's successful learning of the food arts and because it was February, a month I always liked, probably due to the years of believing that it is the month of love.

It was supposed to be one day that I can look back and tell the world how grateful I am to be alive. I was supposed to write something that can remind me that death is near, and all the things we see today will come to and end. And to have my birthday be within a few days with the birthday of the beloved prophet Muhammad S.A.W, there was so many possibilities and ideas to elaborate on, something worth everyone's time to read.

But that does not happen. I believe I took my mother's writings in Facebook and pasted it in this blog just to be a reminder on the fact that I do not write a thing, and the fact that I treasure my mother's writing on me that day (thank you Emak~!). The latter is a valid and solid reason on my opinion, but that does not explain the silence two weeks after.

The truth is, I have been sick for a few weeks already, and Alhamdulillah, I think today I have fully/partially recovered. My birthday was on Thursday, that week was a busy one, me and my parents even discussed on what's been bugging me to sickness and we agreed that it was because of the intensity of the week. But when I look back, my everyday life has always been intense, I wanted to keep it that way so that I can feel that I have done something meaningful, and I am alive.

---

I questioned myself whether there are any difference between my previous birthdays with this one. I have come to believe that the sickness I was in was a warning in the physical realm. It was like me being an insect that undergoes a metamorphosis. It seems to be in the age 25 require intense energy, one which affects me biologically, draining my health along. It is like I am going to be stuck in this body for some time before the next phase. Or maybe the next phase will come much sooner, I will feel more and more helpless when the time comes.

---

I also looked at my thoughts and ambitions. Remember the plan I did a few years back? That plan was drafted 2 years back, after my graduation which I was 23 years old. I targeted some awesome things back then for me to achieve. And many of the things I wish to achieve, I meant to achieve it when I am 25. Its like 25 was a magical number back then, and during those days, I believe 2 years was long enough time for me to actually make my mark on the world.

What has happened after two full years? I believe its neither "nothing" or "mission accomplished". Its something in between. You can say that this is how I comfort myself with all the failures, and that I don't simply have the guts to admit defeat. There are many things I haven't done, but still wishes to; yes I failed to do so in the period I set. But I don't want to let go many things still on the list, and there are other things that occurred to me, that was not in my plan, which I believe are things to be proud of with.

---

The number 25 also brings me into terms with something more spiritual.

There's one thing I want happening during my 25 years of age. I think I've been wanting it since 2 years ago. Back when I drafted those plans. Back when I decided on my course of life.

---

After receiving my SPM results, I believe I am one of the lucky candidates who will make it out of the country, learning new things from foreign soil. It was sad, those times. I failed to make it to UTP (Kamal will remember the grudge I have against Petronas when we were walking in KLCC), or get any scholarship from the petroleum company to go to other country. I failed to get JPA or MARA scholarship to get to the UK. I wanted to apply for Pusat Asasi Sains UM, but I managed to have a placement in Malacca Matriculation College.

I lashed out at the young lecturer who taught me Mathematics, just because she tried so hard to teach us in English, during the days when the government (suddenly) decided that everything should be taught in the language. I was so ignorant at that time, I wanted the best education, I wanted to learn everything in English - at that time I believed it to be a superior language of knowledge. She cried, I was informed. I later then went to her office to apologize. At that day, I never knew that later on in life, I will be inside her shoes teaching Mathematics.

Later after my matriculation days, I went on studying in University of Malaya. Still in homeland soil, and near to my house. Little did I know back then, that I was about to study not only engineering, but more than that. I learned about life, the good and the bad, I learned how to persevere, holding strongly on my faith and belief. During my second year in UM, I know that I learned more than I possibly can if I were in other universities.

--

It turns out that what you wanted in the first place might not be the best thing in your life. What you wanted in the last 2 years might not be what you wanted today. I am relearning the same lesson all over again - that I never can dictate what will happen to me later on in life, but it is important to persevere, to continue believing, to continue trying to achieve something. Have faith, because what you will always get is not the second best thing, but it will always be the best for you.

Coretan Emak

2011-02-16T19:57:00.000-08:00

Hari ni b/day Hilman Nordin ke 25
(umur ni mak dah menikah. Iman bila lg? He3)
Mengandungkannya, 9 bln morning sickness
Melahirkannya, mudah je
37 minggu dah kuar, tak sabar lihat dunia
Berat 2.28kg, kesian mcm baby tak cukup zat

Memahami susah mak abahnya
Tak pernah minta2
Seluar koyak di stapler
Kecik2 pikul t/jwb sbb mak keje

Alhamdulilah, dah dewasa & sehat pula
Dah berjasa pd mak abah
Curahlah jasa pd agama & penghuni dunia
Restu mak abah sentiasa

Hepi birthday, Iman
Thanks, Imam

Emak, 17 Februari 2011

The 4 Hour Work Week - Timothy Ferriss

2011-02-06T03:34:00.000-08:00

picture from toughsledding.wordpress.com

It's been a while since I last updated in this blog - and unfortunately to many, I chose to update on one of the books I read a few months back. This book has a story behind it, and it made me think there's something worth writing about. The story behind it began from the very moment I flip through the pages in MPH One Utama until recently, when I was in Kelantan telling stories adapted from the book to a soon to be successful businessman.

Love at the first sight

The day I took the book is similar like any other ordinary day, similar to many people out there who felt stressed out with their daily working life. Some might not even agree with me to say that we do live by working, and would like me to define working as a bit more nearer to slavery. I do have those thoughts as well, which is why the title "4-hour work week" gets me at very beginning. 4-hour work week here means you work only 4 hours per week. Yes, I know it is hard to believe, but to prove his point, the author lists down his achievements that he obtained using the remaining 164 hours per week (1 week equivalent to 168 hours), one of which he is the world record holder for the most consecutive tango-spins in one minute.

I believe, I took the book out of another book's influence, the other book entitled 'Executrick' written by a witty Stanley Bing. I was mesmerized with the other book, because of all the tricks listed from obtaining a very good chair to sit on in your office to enjoying traveling to various countries, courtesy of your boss's money. Executrick was a very light read that I think I am going to have some rest from reading all the thick and deep books by reading Timothy Ferriss's 4HWW.

And so, this book can't really be one of those I chose out of love at the first sight, because I liked it because I liked something else.

The book and the elevator

The book's title can make you either proud, or embarrassed. Say for example you are inside an elevator heading to your office, and you are holding the book in your hand. If you want to show-off what you read, you will definitely hold the front cover outwards. You will hold it inward when you don't want to show others what you are currently reading. You might give other people a clue of what is going on with your life when you are holding a book that boasts "Learn to Cook" in the front cover.

Chances are, there are not really many people out there who always hold a book in their hands, therefore if you are one of the lucky ones with a book in your hands wherever you are, you need to always be aware that you have a book in your hand. Then you can decide how do you want to enter an elevator.

I was not really prepared (to enter an elevator with a book) that day. Timothy Ferriss's 4HWW was a page-turner that I brought it whenever I believe I had the time to at least flip a few pages. I forgot that I have a book in my hands, I was holding it inwards (the front-cover facing me); but since I am the only one holding a book, others are interested to know what is it about. And that day, the elevator also brought one young lecturer who does not hesitate to begin his conversation with, " 4-hours work week? Wow!".

The fisherman and the businessman.

One of the story I remember most in the book was on one big businessman interviewing one small time fisherman. My version of the story might be different as I try to write this purely with what I have left in my head. But the gist is there I believe.

This fisherman, who have one house at the lake, woke up early in the morning, fishing for food for the day. Usually, the fisherman will have enough food on the table for his family, nothing more to sell and make profit. The businessman, aware of this fact, proposed to the fisherman that instead of fishing early in the morning, try to do fish farming. Instead of waiting for the fish to come naturally, he proposed to the fisherman to manage fish cages that will have extra fish that he can have enough for his family and sell for profit.

The fisherman, hearing this as too much troublesome asked, "After I made some profit, then what?"

The businessman then proposed to the fisherman to process the fishes he caught. He can get more profit when he sold processed fish instead of selling raw fishes. The businessman explained that he need to acquire machines to process the fishes. He also mentioned that if he did not process the fishes, other people will take this opportunity and buy raw fishes from him. "Why let other people take the profit when you can get all that for yourself?"

The fisherman looked at the proposal as more trouble coming. He will have to work hard to manage all those profit. He then asked, "And then what?"

The businessman mentioned that he can take up import-export business. More profit means expansion. The fisherman can build a factory for processing fish. The fisherman could also hire some workers to do all the fishing and fish farming. The fisherman can employ latest technologies that can double the usual yield other have been making. "If you don't do it, others will buy the processed fish from you and export it in the international market." The businessman mentioned of the big money in the current food industry due to shortages here and there. "You can make more profit, and

"That seems like more trouble to me", the fisherman said. All the factories, workers and machineries he has to manage seemed like hard work. "And then what?", the fisherman again asked.

"And then you can retire and have everything being controlled by people you employed. You can buy one house near the lake, and you can spend time with your family, fishing and doing nothing."

What do you want to do at the end of your life?

The book asked a question on whether what you are doing currently is something you did for the sake of passing the time. The book (or rather, the author) asked "if you knew that tomorrow is the last day of your life, what do you have in your plans for today?". Most of us, when posed with this kind of question will easily mentioned that what they have for today is routines, and by no means the best way to spend your very last day in the world. The book encourages you to do something out of routine, searching for those wishes deep down inside you that you wanted to at least try this and that before you die.

The story of the businessman and the fisherman taught a valuable lesson on how to view your own life. In the end, the businessman proposed a life that the fisherman have been currently living on his own without all the trouble to attend even one board meeting! The fisherman enjoyed his life with what he can afford - that's all that matters.

The businessman might enjoy his life dealing with all sort of challenges - workers, factories, import and export - but he didn't live the ideal life he has been imagining living in - house near the lake, fishing and doing nothing.

Conclusions

In general, the book managed to get my interest going, at least until I reached the fisherman-businessman story. Though there are some ideas proposed in the book that is against my working principle, I managed to learn something. The author reminded also, that you have to be courageous to put down a book once you know it does not benefit you. Reading a book halfway through does make you feel obliged to read the whole - but you have to set priorities and read only those that gives you profit.

I didn't finish the book in the end. I believe it is one courageous move.

I shared the story of businessman-fisherman with one businessman friend in Kelantan. I wonder if it has an impact to what he is currently doing.

And the young lecturer I mentioned in the elevator? He is currently reading the book. He mentioned if the book is good enough, he will finish it in two days. But it has already been two weeks.

No promises

2011-01-23T07:15:00.000-08:00

I thought of writing back for quite some time, and I think its good to begin by changing the environment of writing/reading in this place (therefore the change in blog layout design). I believe the recent rise in the usage of micro-blogging and social networking sites made more people comfortable in reading short and direct pieces. I became more comfortable in writing short and direct updates, but somehow I do realize that to support my arguments/comments, I need the freedom to write as long as I wanted, to present the case the way I see fit, which is aimed to get everyone to understand my reasoning.

I've been writing, honestly. But nowadays to the audience of a select few.

And let not this piece fool you into coming back here again in near future, as I wrote in the title of this entry, 'no promises'.

A reminder to self

2010-11-05T03:24:00.000-07:00

Ahli akademik yang syok sendiri mungkin selalu berjumpa dengan situasi ini.

There are sometimes a need to simplify things, making everyone understand what you are trying to convey. Early this week, I had the opportunity to learn just that - in a land far away from home. As Einstein once said, "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex... It takes a touch of a genius --- and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction".

Perutusan Aidilfitri 1431 H

2010-09-12T17:36:00.000-07:00

p/s: maaf zahir batin. I'll be back with more writings inshaAllah

Short Story: Monkey's Dilemma - Conquest of the Heart

2010-08-29T09:19:00.000-07:00

Its already been a three days journey to Satsuma. Though I was hesitant to leave Lord Nobunaga on his own, he ordered me to scout around the southern provinces.
"There's a chance that we can secure alliances and gain control of Kyushu", he told me.
"And I want you to be the one to represent the House of Oda", he continued.

The truth is that I wouldn't want to leave Lord Nobunaga. After the fight to secure Echigo, he was injured and I am especially worried with rumors of mutiny among the retainers. I wish I would be there to strengthen control of the army; someone is needed to clarify Lord Nobunaga's actions these past few months. The House of Oda has seen battle after battle, though we mostly won, many lives has been lost. Its only natural to see brothers, fathers and husbands death in this warring times.

I believe if we need to win, we need to win the hearts of survivors, those who lost someone important in the battles. But I have been told to look at the bigger picture, that we need to secure Kyushu in order to pressure Southern provinces into submitting to Oda.

I've been his second thoughts for some time now. But this time, I believe I have to earn something before pointing out to him his mistakes. I will need to lead a new revolution army gained from the pact that I'll make in Satsuma to aid my master's quest in unification of the Land of Rising Sun.

The question is, whether I have enough time to raise an army big enough for conquest, before the House of Oda falls apart from internal clashes. I hope I earn this one quickly - the fate of the House of Oda, and more importantly, the quest of unification, depends greatly on me.

Projek Pembangunan Diri - Mengurus Pembacaan

2010-06-29T10:00:00.000-07:00

Hujung minggu yang lalu, saya sempat berjumpa dengan seorang yang hebat. Saya sangat seronok sekiranya dapat berbual panjang mengenai satu-satu perkara yang menjadi kegemaran saya. Dan topik pada pagi hujung minggu hari itu ialah berkenaan buku. Perjumpaan saya dengannya yang lebih muda daripada saya pada pagi itu merupakan peluang saya untuk meraih ilmu walaupun dalam kebanyakan masa mulut saya yang banyak buihnya.

Ekstrak buku
Selalunya saya akan bawa buku ke mana-mana. Menariknya pada hari itu, saya tidak membuat pengamalan seperti itu seorang diri. Orang muda yang hebat yang saya jumpa itu juga turut membawa bukunya. Dalam diam, saya mula mengagumi dirinya. Bukan senang nak berjumpa dengan orang yang selalu bawa buku ke mana-mana hatta dalam gedung ilmu seperti Universiti Malaya ini.

Yang lebih menarik, saya perasan yang beliau tidak membawa hanya sebuah buku, tetapi dua. Dan kedua-dua buku itu diselak olehnya. Satu digunakan untuk membaca. Satu lagi tidak dibacanya, tetapi dituliskan sesuatu.

Apabila saya tanyakan kepadanya buku apakah yang satu lagi itu, beliau menjawab, itu merupakan buku yang digunakan untuk menulis isi-isi penting dalam buku-buku yang dibacanya. Terus saya menceritakan kisah Karl Marx dan catatan-catatannya. Menurut kisah yang saya baca dalam buku biografi Das Kapital (bukan merupakan teks Das Kapital, tetapi cerita bagaimana Marx menulisnya) Marx sering menulis kritikan-kritikan kepada buku-buku yang dibacanya. Dengan cara itu, idea-idea baru terhasil.

Karya yang sarat seperti Das Kapital itu sebenarnya terbentuk hasil daripada tulisan idea-idea yang didapati dari pelbagai sumber. Nampaknya selepas ini saya perlu ada sebuah buku untuk membuat catatan perkara yang saya baca. Paling kurang, ruangan dalam blog ini saya gunakan untuk menulis review mengenai pembacaan saya. Kalau saya tak mampu menulis kritikan, saya akan cuba menulis tafsiran. Kalau masih tidak mampu, cukuplah saya berkongsi apa yang saya dapatkan dari buku tersebut.

Bedah buku
Soal berkongsi apa yang didapatkan melalui satu-satu buku paling tepat untuk dikaitkan dengan 'bedah buku'. Saya lihat pembedahan untuk buku ini sangat perlu, lebih-lebih lagi apabila kita ada terlalu banyak benda untuk dibaca. Zaman internet ini, kita dihumbankan dengan hujanan informasi - yang berguna dan yang tak bernilai. Ada yang mempersoalkan 'adakah Google menjadikan kita bodoh?' Pencarian dalam internet sering berlaku seperti ini:

1. Anda memikirkan untuk mencari mengenai sesuatu perkara. Katakan, "cuaca Kuala Lumpur"
2. Menggunakan enjin carian Google, anda mula mencari informasi tersebut.
3. Sementara menunggu, anda dengan pantas membuka 'tab' yang baru untuk log masuk Facebook.
4. Rakan anda baru sahaja memasukkan update mengenai video lawatan ke Dubai.
5. Video tersebut dihoskan dalam Youtube, maka anda click 'Open in new tab'.
6. Selesai menonton video tersebut, ada beberapa suggestion dibuat untuk menonton video lain pula.
7. Pada masa yang sama, anda membaca update di Twitter dari seorang ahli politik mengenai kumpulan extremis di US.
8. Tangan anda laju menekan kekunci mencari maklumat mengenai kumpulan tersebut dalam Wikipedia.

Di hujungnya, anda terlupa untuk mencari mengenai cuaca Kuala Lumpur yang awal-awal tadi. Itu kalau menggunakan enjin carian Google yang berbentuk minimalis. Kalau menggunakan Yahoo, mungkin sahaja berita-berita selebriti telah pun dibuka dalam 'tab' yag baru.

Anda mungkin tidak dapat mengelakkan dari menerima lambakan maklumat dari pelbagai sumber. Bedah buku merupakan serampang dua mata. Satu, maklumat dapat dikongsikan dalam sesi bedah buku tersebut. Kedua, perbincangan dapat dilakukan di sekitar buku tersebut. Kalaupun buku tersebut merupakan sebuah buku yang kurang nilainya dalam sudut pandangan seseorang, perbincangan masih dapat dibuat, sekurang-kurangnya berkenaan "mengapa buku ini teruk?"

Paling baik sekiranya semua catatan yang telah dibuat semasa proses ekstrak buku dapat dijadikan satu slaid presentation. (Ada yang mempersoalkan juga PowerPoint menjadikan kita berfikir simplistik). Kalau bisa dilakukan secara berkumpulan, masing-masing boleh berkongsi mengenai buku yang telah mereka baca menggunakan kaedah ini.

Lagipun, sebenarnya, tukang bedah selalunya dapat menajamkan lagi pemahaman mengenai buku tersebut. Sekali bentang mungkin bentang sintesis. Kali kedua dah boleh merumus kritikan terhadapnya.

Penghujungnya anda jadi apa?
Kita saban kali diberitahu, "you are what you read" (kadangkala ditukar kepada 'eat'). Maka pembacaan yang saban hari dibuat ini sesungguhnya sedikit sebanyak mencorakkan pemikiran kita. Bayangkan kalau kita saban hari membaca mengenai hal-hal remeh. Sedikit sebanyak otak kita akan disempitkan dengan perkara tersebut. Tidak hairanlah kalau selepas itu yang keluar dari mulut kita juga soal-soal yang remeh.

Selama ini, kira disuapkan dengan buku yang sepatutnya kita baca. Dari zaman UPSR dahulu, sampai SPM, hatta dalam universiti sekali pun, kita diberikan satu senarai buku-buku yang kita perlu baca. Contohnya kalau kita ingin mengkaji mendalam mengenai Proses Pembuatan. Maka pensyarah kita akan menyuruh kita rujuk buku Kalpakjian!. Tentu sekali, pembentangan pensyarah, silibus yang diajarnya dalam kelas juga merujuk sedikit sebanyak buku-buku tertentu.

Tentu sekali untuk menjadi jurutera pembuatan, rampaian buku-buku itulah yang wajib dihadam. Maka apabila buku-buku mengenai proses pembuatan telah semuanya ditelaah, tiba masanya untuk membuktikan kepada dunia yang kita merupakan jurutera pembuatan yang baik.

Itu kalau cerita nak jadi jurutera pembuatanlah. Soalnya dalam pembacaan kita sehari-hari, adakah kita menetapkan sesuatu untuk kita 'jadi' di masa akan datang?

Selepas 9 bulan berlalu.

2010-06-13T09:40:00.000-07:00

Dalam satu coretan pada Syawal yang lepas, saya ada menukilkan berberapa bait kata dalam posting bertajuk "Pelajaran untuk Pagi Raya, sehari sebelum raya dan sebelumnya":

Cumanya, apabila kita dihadapkan dengan pilihan berat - Allah mahukan kita untuk memberikan perkara yang terbesar dalam hidup kita, saya risau sekiranya tidak mampu melakukannya. Saya risau sekiranya saya tidak boleh 'enjoy' dalam memberi lagi.

Apabila saat itu tiba, saya kurang pasti bagaimana tindakan saya.

Yang baiknya, saya sedang melihat seseorang yang sedang berhadapan dengan perkara tersebut di hadapan mata. Kekuatan perlu diraih, semangat setiakawan, dan yang paling penting sekali kebergantungan dengan Allah. Saya mendoakan beliau berjaya dalam memberi yang terbaik, meskipun dalam masa yang sama, bisikan syaitan di hatinya semakin menjadi-jadi. Semoga beliau terus melihat kehidupan ini dengan mata hati, dan dapat terus 'enjoy' dalam memberi.

Dalam posting tersebut, secara amnya saya menceritakan tentang syoknya memberi. Bahagian akhir posting tersebut saya menyatakan kerisauan dalam hilangnya satu perasaan 'enjoy' dalam memberi apabila kita diminta untuk memberikan satu perkara terbesar dalam hidup kita. Mungkin bukan sahaja perasaan 'enjoy' sahaja yang hilang, malah, kita langsung menolak untuk memberi di saat itu.

Saya juga menyatakan yang saya sedang melihat seseorang berhadapan dengan pilihan yang sebegitu sukar. Saya menyatakan perkara demikian sebagai suatu yang baik - kerana saya boleh belajar darinya. Saya juga yakin bahawa ketentuan Allah pada dirinya adalah untuk kebaikan dirinya juga. Maka, kesukaran yang berlaku adalah suatu yang baik dengan izin Allah.

Saya gembira melihat beliau masih lagi berusaha memberi yang terbaik.
Saya sebenarnya bangga melihat beliau berusaha mencantikkan pemberian itu, supaya pemberian itu bukan sahaja dirasakan yang menerima, tetapi semuanya dapat merasa dan menjamahnya.
Saya mengambil contoh, dan banyak belajar dari beliau.

Saya sayangkan beliau, kerana dialah cinta hati saya.
Semoga Allah membalas dengan memberikan yang terbaik untuk Emak!

p/s: Sudah 9 bulan. Seperti kelahiran baru.
p/p/s: "Allaahumma baarik lanaa fii Rajaba wa Sya'ban, wa baalighnaa Ramadhaan" (link) * Terima kasih Ust Hidayat!*

Father Material

2010-06-02T21:30:00.000-07:00

For most of us, father and material go well together. We fed, clothed, and sheltered using materials provided to us by our fathers. Materials, in the early days are game meat, fishes of different kinds, berries, raw leaves and vegetables for us to fed on, wood for the use of heating and building shelters, wool for our clothes – our fathers seemed to be in different professions at a time. Strong men must know how to fish, hunt, build, and knit. Today,our fathers are even more powerful, since he have all the workers to employ for him to choose to bring home meat or fish, fruits or vegetable, to choose what type of house to be built – all are possible with powerful humankind integration and with the knowledge of trade and the invention of money.

Material and father can be defined separately.

Material father meanwhile, are fathers that we see in our everyday lives – he who provides for his family, and in cases that are getting more common, we have mothers who provided for her family too. But, does physical materials are the only things we need to give our family as a father?

Revisiting father materials will give us the definition of what a father is, and is hoped to give us overview whether providing a family with just materials are enough.

It is even more fair if we define the correct father materials using the perspective of his child, as a father in no way can tell us whether he is a good father. The child's view, though in many ways may result to biasness as well, in many ways as well determine what type of father he want to be in the future, thus defines good father materials. What the child think as a good point in a father, will in many occasion be emulated, thus resulting to good father, in the father's opinion, of the father who looked up to his father as a child.

“Cinta di Rumah Hassan Al Banna (Love in Hassan Al Banna's Home)” was filled with these perspectives. The book, filled with stories from media interviews to Hassan Al Banna's children, are truthful opinions of those who received direct tarbiyyah touch from a great murabbi, of their father.

Reading this made me realized that there are a lot more to a father other than just materials. It is being told in the book however, that Hassan Al Banna's children was given a lot of spending money, is said to be more than of the children's friends. There are also some money allocated for the children to buy books that they like. There are even three types of allocation, daily, weekly and monthly. Contrary to popular belief nowadays, giving so much money to a children might spoil them, but what happened to the children was not the act of spoiling.

It was purely an act of a father loving his children.

This is an example of how Hassan Al- Banna being a material father, far from summing up the father materials that he possessed, and far from our conclusion of whether materials are the only thing that matters. But why, in the definition of people today, the same act of loving a children materially becomes spoiling, whereas, Hassan Al Banna manages to do the same without worries that his children will misuse the power (read: money) given to them?

Indirect advice to inculcate respect

In one of the passage of the book, there's a story of Saiful Islam, one of Hassan Al Banna's children. Saiful Islam told that his father, as busy as he is with all the da'wah movement, is well aware of what he is doing. Saif once bought a comic book, that in one of the days that his father came back late, saw Saif was still reading the book and not sleeping. His father let him finished the comic book, but told him the day after that he will give Saif better books than what he was reading. Saif later received story books about Muslim leaders and other more beneficial books.

There are also a passage on Hassan's daughter, Tsana, who was reluctant to go to school once the school season begins. After telling Tsana to go to school, and Tsana refused, Hassan told his daughter that she is a good cook and she can stay home and help her mother to do house chores.

Tsana cried and later agreed to go to school. according to Tsana, she was not afraid of her father, but rather respected her father – the same with all her siblings.

Father and son

I am not a father, and yet to become a husband. Apart from finding exemplary actions taken by Hassan himself to be few of my guidelines in becoming a good father in the future, there's something important that I learned from the book that are real relevant to what I am now. A son.

Most of the time, they said that sons are naturally close to their mothers. The same goes to me.

But reading the book gave me an insight on how Hassan's own son was appreciating his father. The last chapter of the book is an interview of Ahmad Saiful Islam al-Banna on his father. Reading through the chapter made me envious not on the fact that he had Hassan as a father, but on how he can tell a lot of story about his father and at the same time appreciated them all. Reading them made me realized that 'fathers are secret lovers of their children'.

While we often see what our mothers did for us, thus we can appreciate and love them reciprocally, fathers are sometimes are not being loved enough. They work in the shadows, and we need to have a long thought before realizing what they did to us are really an act of loving - it is just that they fail to show it to us directly.

My father and I

I remembered the time when I was 16 years old. My father totally changed the way he communicate with me. It was time when I was young and I thought I am an adult already. He kindly respected me - we were starting to discuss big issues around the country, what I would like to refer as 'old people talking'. I felt that I was talking to a friend - who understood me real well.

The answers lies in a fact that he liked to mentioned back then, "You have my genes! You are me!". He put that quotation in his first novel, "Dekat di Hati". Speaking of his novel, did I mentioned he used my name as his pen name for that novel? He was combining my name and my brother's name - at home I am called as 'Iman' that put the name 'Eyman' in Eyman Hykal.

At times when I was in my very first motorcycle accident (alone, the real first one is with Shafiq 'the Child') - he helped me settle things. I was helpless back then - moreover at that time I require a place to hold a brainstorming session with my friends. He knew I was not supporting his political party - yet he helped me to find a place. Of course, the brainstorming session was with friends that are people who were at the other side of the political divide.

I wrote an email to my father saying that I am really sorry because of all the troubles that I caused. I told him that I am a 'high-maintenance child' when I need him to settle things out with the aunty who drove a CRV that I rear-ended with my motorcycle because of brake failure.

Abah replied:

Iman,

Even as a toddler, you will walk and fall.

Even with a walker, you will ram anything nearby.

Thus, I am not surprised, with all the troubles,

Never mindlah, Iman.

I always close one eye for my kids sake.

I know Mak will close both eyes!

You gave problems, parents will kautim one.

That’s what parents are for!

abah

(4th January 2008)

The day Allah created this wonderful father of mine.

Abah, I may still be your high-maintenance child. I may not be able to fully express my love and give enough appreciation to all the things you did for the family. But here is the truth, I love you so much for the sake of Allah. I am proud of everything you did for the family, and am prouder with your strive for the sake of Allah. I will continue supporting you, and back you up when people are saying bad things about you.

For you are my father, and your genetics are in me. There's an Arab saying that "A lion's cub is a lion too". I accepted your challenge back then to be even more successful than you are. I want to make you proud of myself.

I may not have Hassan Al-Banna as a father, but I am grateful that you are my father, Abah!
Thank you Allah, for this wonderful father of mine.

Happy 53rd birthday, Abah!

p/s: Abah, it was an easy challenge actually - since 'successful' can be define on our own terms, LOL!
p/p/s: Will I be a good father myself? Am I a father material?
p/p/p/s: Sorry for the mixed up post readers~!

Projek Pembangunan Diri - Pemain Peran

2010-05-31T17:43:00.000-07:00

Tanggal 17 Mei yang lalu, lengkaplah satu tahun saya berada dalam alam pekerjaan. Sempatlah beberapa orang sahabat saya jamu dalam satu sambutan yang tidak dirancang. Sahabat-sahabat saya ternyata di kalangan mereka yang baru sahaja tamat pembelajaran di universiti. Oleh kerana saya bekerja di universiti, maka saya bersahabat dengan siswa, tetapi saya juga sebenarnya sengaja bersahabat dengan mereka untuk kekal bersemangat dan kekal muda.

Duduk bersama mereka yang masih di alam perancangan, idealistik dan bersemangat ini sememangnya mengingatkan saya kepada saya yang dahulu.

Pada tahun lepas, waktu begini di isi dengan pelbagai perancangan, dan banyak juga keputusan yang dibuat pada ketika ini. Samaada untuk terus bekerja ataupun berehat beberapa minggu atau bulan, ataupun mula mencari-cari siapakah yang sudi menjadi suri di hati. Pada tahun lepas, tempoh ini merupakan antara tempoh yang bersemangat buat saya - saya masih terikat dengan beberapa pertubuhan pelajar, masih rapat dengan mereka yang masih bergerak aktif dalam gerakan aktivisme, membuatkan idea-idea baru selalu singgah di kotak pemikiran.

Kertas kerja Projek Pembangunan Diri

Apa khabar ya proposal tersebut? Tahun lepas, pada tempoh ini saya merangka-rangka sesuatu yang besar. Sesuai dengan idealisme yang ada di dalam diri ketika itu, saya mula meletakkan sasaran-sasaran pencapaian kehidupan yang tinggi-tinggi belaka. Seperti mana kita buat kertas kerja apabila melaksanakan sesuatu program, saya mula merangka satu 'kertas kerja' untuk satu panduan bagaimana 'mengerjakan' hidup saya.

Saya dapati membuat perancangan sebegini mampu membuatkan diri bersemangat. Saya merangka perjalanan hidup saya untuk tempoh 10 tahun. Elemen-elemen yang tidak dirancang juga menyebabkan saya bersedia dengan beberapa pelan. Plan A, B atau C? Contohnya, menjadi pelakonkah, peniagakah ataupun ahli politik? Apabila kita merancang 10 tahun, kita bisa melihat apa bayangan diri kita apabila kita mencapai umur sekarang + 10 tahun. Kalau di hujung perancangan tersebut kita jadi pengarah filem, CEO syarikat ataupun menteri, pastilah kita tersenyum panjang membayangkan angan kita.

Saya sedar di sebalik saya ada beberapa pelan kehidupan, saya sedar akan sifat seorang hamba yang merancang di kala ada Pencipta yang merupakan sebaik-baik perancang. Saya meletakkan sasaran, bidikan saya mungkin mengenai sasaran awal daripada saya rancangkan, ataupun lebih lambat, ataupun langsung pergi mengenai tempat lain. Cepat atau lambat pencapaian, saya jadikan sebab yang boleh memotivasikan diri, dan bukan satu perkara yang menyebabkan saya malas meletakkan sasaran.

Yang tak terkena, sebagai hambaNya, kita perlu bersangka baik dengan setiap kejadian. Mungkin ada tempat yang lebih baik untuk keluar berburu?

Berkongsi pelan hidup

Saya juga membawa satu carta mudah perjalanan 10 tahun saya kemana-mana. Kadangkala saya berkongsi dengan beberapa orang yang saya rapat dan percayai berkenaan apa yang saya ingin lakukan. Perkongsian itu saya adakan bertujuan untuk menjadikan carta tersebut berjangkit. Saya inginkan sahabat-sahabat disekeliling turut mempunyai perancangan!

Sebab saya sedar, sekiranya saya masih mahu meneruskan cita dan idea 'gila' saya untuk menjadi orang yang hebat, saya perlu dikelilingi orang-orang yang hebat juga. Masakan saya boleh membiarkan mereka berehat-rehat tanpa arah tujuan dan tidak merancang strategi untuk menjadikan mereka hebat juga?

Saya perlukan sekumpulan pakar dalam pelbagai bidang untuk saya hubungi. Saya ambil contoh seorang Professor dari Singapura yang saya pernah ceritakan sebelum ini, berkenaan menjadi orang yang pakar dalam setiap perkara. Prof mampu bercakap dalam pelbagai bidang kerana pengalamannya yang luas dan penguasaan bahasa yang banyak, selain daripada mempunyai rakan-rakan untuk dihubungi untuk mendapatkan pandangan bagi sesuatu perkara. Hidup Prof sentiasa dalam pembelajaran perkara-perkara baru. Walaupun beliau fokus kepada pembacaan satu bidang (yang saya kurang setuju) tetapi beliau belajar dari rakan-rakan beliau yang bersepah di sekeliling dunia.

Nah, saya juga perlu jadi begini. Saya perlukan rakan-rakan yang berada dalam pelbagai sektor. Saya juga perlu sentiasa dalam 'attitude' untuk sentiasa bersedia untuk belajar dari sesiapa sahaja. Berkongsi pelan merupakan serampang dua mata - saya boleh memberikan semangat kepada mereka, pada masa yang sama, pelan saya juga tidak bebas dari kritikan yang saya boleh belajar darinya.

Saya mungkin ada pelan, tapi pada masa yang sama, saya perlukan ramai orang untuk menggerakkannya! Pelan yang saya buat tidak memungkinkan saya untuk saya gapai seorang diri. Saya percaya saya perlukan kerjasama ramai pihak untuk menjayakannya. Semua ini dengan izin dariNya.

Kenapa orang bisnes sangat gemar networking

Saya akui, cara paling mudah untuk mendapatkan pakar dalam semua bidang adalah melalui networking. Orang-orang bisnes memang sangat gemar membuat networking. Saya dalam tempoh ini, mula berjinak-jinak dengan 'business card'. Pantang ada event, business gathering atau brainstorming sessions, akan ada business card yang dihulur. Kalau bertuah dapat jumpa orang-orang besar negara, lagilah.

Sebelum ini saya sudah membiasakan diri dengan kad untuk memperkenalkan diri sebagai 'wakil rakyat' di UM. Program-program luar universiti merupakan satu masa yang sangat sesuai untuk memdapatkan 'contacts' yang baru. Mana tahu, di kalangan mereka-mereka yang saya kenali ini tiba-tiba jadi Tuan Director ke - bolehlah tumpang sekaki. Saya ingat lagi, antara nasihat berkenaan business card ini, ialah apabila terima daripada seorang 'contacts', kita catat di belakangnya bagaimana, bila dan dimana kita berjumpa dengan 'contacts' tersebut.

Senang nak jelaskan kepada mereka mana kita dapat nombor telefon mereka, selain daripada kita akan berjaya establish satu tanah yang sama (common grounds) dengan mereka dengan satu interests atau matlamat yang sama. Kemudian, mudahlah untuk buat business deals atau favors. Ini yang menjadikan business networking satu perkara yang menggembirakan ahli perniagaan. Selain daripada dapat deals and favors, mereka juga offer deals and favors pada masa yang sama.

Cumanya, yang saya perlukan, bukan sekadar 'contacts', tetapi friendly experts.

Seratus lima puluh orang pakar

Malcolm Gladwell ada menyebut tentang perkara ini dalam The Tipping Point. Dalam kajian yang dibuatnya, beliau melihat kebanyakan institusi hebat hanya meletakkan 150 orang dalam satu-satu subunit organisasinya. 150 ini juga dilihat dalam budaya salah satu puak Native Americans yang membuat koloni yang baru setelah satu-satu koloni mencapai angka 150 ini. Otak manusia dikatakan boleh mengadakan hubungan rapat dengan 150 orang pada satu-satu masa. Maklumat berkenaan seseorang bukan sahaja nama mereka, tetapi kaitan mereka dengan kita, kaitan mereka dengan orang disekeliling kita, kepakaran mereka dan lain-lain.

Katanya, ada juga unit-unit tentera yang memastikan ahlinya kurang dari 150 untuk mengawal keadaan.

Biasa kita lihat, apabila di rumah kita ada masalah dengan PC - si ayah terus memberitahu anak lelaki yang memang minat dengan gajet-gajet dan komputer untuk membaiki masalah tersebut. Suruhan si ayah tersebut bukan kerana beliau tahu anaknya memang belajar jurusan Kejuruteraan Komputer, tetapi, memang merupakan suruhan yang lahir dari bawah sedarnya.

Saya pernah melihat seorang ustaz yang membentangkan slaid berkenaan perjuangan bertanyakan tentang satu-satu perkara kepada isterinya yang berada dalam majlis tersebut sebagai peserta - kerana dia tahu yang isterinya mengetahui hal tersebut. Hal ini juga merupakan antara sebab perceraian sangat menyakitkan - kerana kita kehilangan 'mind extension' yang kita telah bina bersama dengan pasangan kita!

Dalam tempoh ini setahun yang lepas, saya mula membuat satu senarai 150 orang. Senarai ini tak pernah lengkap. Senarai ini saya lampirkan kepada kertas kerja pelan kehidupan saya. Yang saya senaraikan bukanlah mereka yang expert semata-mata, tetapi mereka yang rapat sahaja.

Berbeza dengan membuat networking, mereka yang rapat ini selalunya ialah mereka yang dipercayai. Dalam networking, kita serahkan kepada mereka business card sahaja. Kepada orang yang kita rapat, kita serahkan lebih daripada itu. Contohnya, dengan berkongsi maklumat pelan kehidupan saya, saya memberikan kepercayaan saya kepadanya. Kadangkala kita berkongsi cerita suka dan duka. Kadangkala kita berkongsi angan.

Masa inilah yang paling sesuai untuk kita naikkan semangat sahabat kita untuk terus berfikiran terbuka dan berjiwa besar untuk mencapai satu perkara yang diimpinya. Pada tempoh ini tahun lepas, saya berjumpa bakal direktor filem, bakal pemilik busana Muslim terbesar di Malaysia, seorang bakal dan juga bakal Perdana Menteri Malaysia!

Kemudian, senaraikan dia dalam antara 150 orang tersebut: tuliskan kepakarannya dan cita-citanya. Saya tuliskan hubungannya dengan saya dan cita-cita saya. Samaada ianya complimentary atau mungkin sahaja dia bakal menjadi pesaing saya! Keduanya merupakan motivasi buat saya untuk terus melangkah ke arah yang saya tetapkan.

Pemain peran pembangunan diri

Nah, dengan sebesar-besar cita-cita yang dicoretkan, apabila semua yang perlu dilakukan tidak dilakukan seorang diri, bukankah semuanya menjadi lebih mudah? Peranan perlu dimainkan oleh diri sendiri tentunya, pada masa yang sama peluang untuk membangunkan diri sahabat-sahabat dan rakan rapat perlu kita ambil. Mungkin sahaja rakan rapat kita dapat membantu realisasikan cita kita masa akan datang. Mungkin juga kita akan menjadi pesaing, masing-masing berlumba mengejar cita.

Nasihat terakhir : Letakkannya dalam bentuk tulisan - supaya kita ingat dengan janji kertas kerja dengan diri kita, selain memudahkan visualisasi misi besar yang kita ingin lakukan. Mudah juga untuk dikongsikan. Bila kita benar-benar ada keyakinan untuk berkongsi, insyaAllah, kita sebenarnya turut ada keyakinan untuk merealisasikan idea dan cita-cita gila kita tersebut!

p/s: Tulisan separuh masak ini sebenarnya dah lari dari tujuan asalnya. Tulisan ini dihasilkan dalam hari-hari yang berbeza memungkinkan discontinuity berlaku dalam tulisan ini.
p/p/s: Terima kasih atas semua komen~!

cinta hati maafkan aku

2010-05-15T08:45:00.000-07:00

kenapakah lancang mulut ini mengungkap kata menyakit cinta hati?
hiris, hiris, hiris.
satu dunia ilmu tak guna,
bila cinta hati mengangis,
alam turut simpan dendam,
revolusi dalam perancangan.

bergerak luar lingkungan orbit,
saat semua bertasbih,
kau ungkap kata,
kotor, busuk bernanah,
walau dalam senyum ikhlas.

"By default" hukuman bukan kau tentu,
titis air cinta hati itukan saksi.

Ilmu apa belajar kepalang ajar,
Ilmu tak pakai meruntun hati perempuan,
Saat kau jadi lelaki,
Saat kau lupa sunnah Nabi.

Cinta hati maafkan aku,
Panaskah, sejukkah perutmu.
Cinta hati maafkan aku,
Terguriskah lagi hatimu.
Cinta hati maafkan aku,
Lidah ini salah lagi.

Dan selamat hari lahir.

Monkey Series

2010-03-31T05:40:00.000-07:00

Toyotomi Hideyoshi (Picture from Wikipedia)

Some wondered what is the Monkey stories all about?

For those who do not know, I wrote some short stories back when I was on Yahoo 360. I like to write stories, some resembles the real world where I live in. In these stories, I will have to use other names as the character's name, other places that resembles real places where I pass by, and essence of what is going on all around using analogies. A lot of blogger are using this type of writing to depict what really happened, most probably to protect the real information.

By doing so, I have the liberty of making the stories even more thrilling to readers, or maybe more thrilling for me to write - as readers reactions are somewhat mixed on these kinds of stories.

The character Monkey was derived from a name of a long gone Japanese daimyo named Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

So, the stories are using his settings - and the stories are so far :
1. Short Story: Monkey Learned about his Master
2. Short Story: Monkey met the Emperor
3. Short Story: Monkey's Dilemma - Conquest of the Heart

Have fun reading! Please give feedback while you are at it!
(This is not a completed post. I will update more if there are more stories on Monkey)

Mendefinisi semula rumah (home) sebagai 'state of mind'.

2010-03-20T19:30:00.000-07:00

Beberapa jangka masa yang lepas, saya ada menulis ‘status update’ di dalam Facebook yang menyebutkan bahawa saya sedang mencari ‘rumah’ baru. Saya juga menulis update tersebut di FB untuk mengingatkan saya bahawa saya ingin menulis sesuatu mengenai pencarian rumah yang baru-baru ini saya alami sendiri. Iya, bergantung kepada bagaimana yang kita mendefinisikan sebuah rumah itu, barulah kita tahu apa yang kita cari. Apabila tahu apa definisi rumah yang saya berikan, barulah semuanya mengetahui apa sebenarnya yang saya cari baru-baru ini.

Oh ya, update di Facebook tersebut tidak mendapat sambutan. Tiada ‘like’ atau komen panjang, Cuma ada satu komen dari saudara Azwan yang menanyakan samaada sudah tiba masanya saya keluar dari rumah? Bukanlah saya inginkan komen panjang dari rakan-rakan semua, tetapi kekurangan komen tersebut membuat saya berfikir panjang, adakah pencarian rumah baru ini merupakan suatu yang biasa berlaku – hinggakan tiada respon balas untuk menanyakan apa yang berlaku sebenarnya (untuk posting kali ini, saya menolak kemungkinan bahawa saya kurang popular di kalangan rakan-rakan –yang saya memang tahu hakikatnya sebegitu!).

Pelaburan Hartanah

Sebelum ini saya pernah membaca buku Rich Dad Poor Dad karangan Robert T. Kiyosaki mengenai pengurusan kewangan. Kepentingan seseorang individu untuk membezakan apa itu liabliti dan apa itu aset membolehkan individu itu membuat pelaburan yang tepat. Banyak kali kita mendengar – pelaburan yang terbaik adalah dalam bidang hartanah.

Rakan-rakan sekerja juga banyak memberikan input seperti ini. Ada yang sudah pun memulakan praktikal – membeli rumah dan menyewakan kepada orang lain, antara strategi – ialah menyewakan dengan harga melebihi harga pembayaran pinjaman bank secara bulanan.

Ada juga tips-tips lain. Untuk mendapat rumah yang baik untuk disewakan, kawasan rumah tersebut mestilah berdekatan dengan KFC ataupun Mc Donalds. Teringat saya kepada Lexus and the Olive Tree karangan Thomas L. Friedman : Dua negara yang ada Mc Donalds di dalamnya tak mungkin akan berperang antara satu sama lain. Dalam kes hartanah pula, Mc Donalds mungkin sahaja dilihat sebagai salah satu tanda aras 'standard' sesuatu tempat. Bahasa mudah, kalau Mc Donalds pun mahu buka perniagaan di tempat itu, tentu sahaja golongan kelas menengah ramai tinggal di kawasan tersebut. Harga sewa mungkin sahaja lebih lumayan.

Itu definisi rumah untuk mereka yang melihat keuntungan.

Tempat untuk pemulihan.

Bekerja dengan manusia dari pelbagai warganegara dan latar belakang budaya membuat pandangan saya terhadap isu yang satu ini juga turut bercambah. Seorang yang baru berkahwin yang baru sahaja menghabiskan wangnya untuk perkahwinan tersebut pasti mempunyai kriteria yang berbeza dalam pendefinisian sebuah rumah dengan seorang yang berasal dari negara 'atas angin'.

Terkejut salah seorang rakan sekerja saya, apabila saya memberitahu yang kami di Malaysia tidak kesah sangat pun kalau mandi tanpa menggunakan air daripada alat pemanas. Mana tidaknya, definisi mandi bagi mereka ialah menggunakan alat pemanas. Menemani mereka mencari rumah sewa - apartment, semua bilik air perlu dilengkapi dengan alat pemanas. Amat ganjil bagi sebuah bilik air tiada alat pemanas - pemilik rumah dianggap sebagai tidak bertimbangrasa.

Seorang lagi rakan mahu mencari tempat yang boleh 'memulihkan'. Tempat, suasana, kelengkapan (termasuk tempat letak kenderaan) - semua itu diambil kira. Belum lagi sistem sekuriti yang menjadi prioriti bagi ramai penduduk kawasan bandar ini. Masakan boleh pulih, selepas seharian bekerja, kita lihat lif masih lagi rosak, ataupun sampah masih lagi tidak diangkat walaupun sudah melimpah keluar. Masakan boleh nyenyak tidurnya memikirkan semakin banyak kes-kes jenayah di sekeliling tempat tinggal.

Kalau mengikut skala rakan saya, di sekitar Petaling Jaya, Damansara dan Kuala Lumpur, harga yang perlu dibayar sebulan mencecah RM 2500. Itu mengikut skala pemulihan yang optimum. Kalau kurang ongkosnya, pemulihan perlulah dibuat dengan cara lain mungkin.

Itu definisi rumah sebagai tempat kita duduk diam, makan dan tidur sebelum bangun semula keesokannya untuk menghadap kesengsaraan bekerja.

Majlis Nur Kasih.

Benar, apabila saya melihat sekeliling, pencarian rumah baru merupakan satu perkara yang biasa berlaku. Sebelum ini, seorang sahabat saya menanyakan mengenai harga rumah di sekitar Kelana Jaya. Mungkin beliau berminat untuk menyewa rumah di sekitar kawasan rumah saya itu. Maklumlah, beliau ingin melangsungkan majlis Nur Kasih kira-kira beberapa minggu selepas itu.

Bulan Disember lepas saya banyak jemputan untuk ke majlis-majlis Nur Kasih yang berlangsung di seluruh Malaysia. Saya ambil ruang ini untuk memohon maaf kerana saya tidak mampu memenuhi undangan-undangan yang dibuat.

Majlis Nur Kasih kesemuanya ini memberikan peluang kepada pasangan yang bernikah untuk melihat diri mereka dan memberikan definisi baru kepada apa itu sebuah rumah. Iya, sebelum ini bersama rakan-rakan bujang. Apabila terjalin ikatan sah, satu definisi rumah baru harus diberikan. Melihat bulan yang penuh dengan manusia dalam pencarian dan pendefinisian baru sebuah rumah ini memungkinkan ramai yang tidak kesah walaupun saya juga ingin menjadi salah seorang dalam pencarian. ( Saya tidak kata saya akan berkahwin dalam jangka masa terdekat ).

Nah, definisi saya yang belum bernikah dengan mereka yang sudah berumahtangga pastinya berbeza!

Keluarga

Tempat jatuh bangun. Tempat permainan. Ibu dan bapa kita telah memberikan kita masing-masing definisi awal berkenaan apa itu sebuah rumah. Sedar ataupun tidak, definisi tersebut terus sahaja kita ambil - sehingga kita meningkat dewasa dan beranak pinak sekalipun, kita akan pulang ke tempat yang telah ibu bapa kita definasikan kepada kita sebagai sebuah rumah.

Barangkali, inilah yang dimaksudkan dengan 'Home Sweet Home", definisi rumah dan keluarga itu selalunya tidak jauh beza. Rumah yang baik selalunya melahirkan manusia yang baik jua. Seorang anak balik ke rumah, mengadu mengenai kesukaran memahami pelajaran di kelas. Berbekalkan nasihat dan motivasi ibubapa, dia terus jadi bersemangat, masuk ke bilik untuk menelaah pelajaran. Mungkin sahaja anak yang sama masuk ke bilik menghempas pintu setelah dimarahi kerana keputusan merosot.

Seorang suami yang balik ke rumah keletihan mungkin sahaja segar kembali apabila menghidu aroma lazat dari ruang dapur isteri. Isteri juga gembira apabila suaminya memuji-muji masakannya, dan 'perasan' dengan lantai berkilat - yang isteri sejak selepas solat Subuh lagi sudah mula membasuhnya.

Rumah ialah zon neutral. Tempat sama-sama mencari kebahagiaan. Kalau rumah jadi zon perang, kebahagiaan tak akan timbul. Mungkin kerana itu sebuah keluarga itu dipanggil oleh orang Melayu sebagai satu institusi 'rumah tangga'. Definasi rumah memang tidak boleh lari daripada keluaga!

Pencarian rumah

Apabila baru-baru ini saya melahirkan hasrat mencari rumah, saya bukan mahu meninggalkan definisi rumah yang selama ini diberikan kepada saya. Semua definisi mempunyai kesesuaiannya. Saya masih seorang anak, selagi ibubapa saya izinkan, saya akan terus mendefinisikan rumah ibubapa saya sebagai sebuah rumah. Saya mungkin mencari rumah untuk tujuan pelaburan, ataupun mencari pasangan untuk meluaskan lagi definisi rumah bagi saya.

Baru-baru ini setelah menonton "The Compass" - yang sarat dengan kata-kata motivator, yoga master, ahli perniagaan dan pereka hiasan dalaman, saya tertarik dengan pendefinisian rumah yang diberikan. 'Kejayaan seseorang itu bergantung kepada di mana dia bangun'. Suasana di mana kita tidur/memulihkan diri sangat memainkan peranan kepada pergerakan kita seterusnya.

Satu kuasa ajaib menyelubungi rumah, keadaannya, suasananya, ahli-ahlinya, yang membolehkan kejayaan ditentukan dengan rumah. kalau baik isinya, maka mudahlah proses pemulihan, proses memotivasi untuk berlaku.

Saya cuba membayangkan rumah yang saya duduki. Apabila teringat tempat tidur saya, saya menjadi risau kerana saya selalu membiarkannya berselerak. Terlintas di benak saya untuk menghiaskan sekeliling bilik saya dengan banyak buku-buku ilmiah, mungkin saya boleh menjadi lebih bersemangat apabila bangun tidur dengan melihat buku-buku, atau mungkin juga saya menjadi lebih pening kepala dengan memikirkan banyak lagi buku tidak dihabiskan (sebab tujuan membeli buku untuk menghias mungkin).

Tiba-tiba terlintas mengenai satu rumah yang saya jarang-jarang kunjungi. Yang selalu saya kunjungi hari Jumaat, hari raya Haji dan hari raya Aidilfitri.

Rumah Allah

Sebenarnya, sebagai seorang Muslim, kita dipanggil 5 kali sehari untuk ke rumah-rumah Allah ini. Rumah-rumah ini sememangnya ajaib. Persekitarannya, suasananya. Semuanya memberikan semangat baru untuk kita meneruskan kehidupan. Kita pulang ke rumah saban hari untuk pemulihan. Kita tidur dengan semua masalah kita. Kita berbincang dengan ahli rumah kita, pasangan kita, ibubapa kita. Kita bangun dan keluar rumah dengan semangat yang baru.

Kita masuk ke rumah-rumah Allah ini, kita bukan berjumpa dengan ahli keluarga yang rapat dengan kita. Tetapi kita berjumpa dengan pencipta diri kita, pencipta seluruh alam yang luas ini. Alangkah kita berbincang dengan ahli keluarga pun boleh selesai banyak masalah, inikan pula kita berjumpa dengan penyelesai segalanya. Alangkah, masalah dan penyelesaiannya tidak mampu wujud tanpa izinNya.

Ini seterusnya membuat saya berfikir mengenai rumah sebagai satu kondisi minda. Kalau sebelum ini kita berpindah rumah, rumah yang kita tinggalkan tersebut lama kelamaan bukanlah tempat yang kita panggil rumah lagi, bukanlah tepat kita pulang ke pangkuan orang-orang yang tersayang.

Kita mula merasa selesa dengan rumah yang baru. Saya percaya, kalau kita sudah terlalu biasa, kita sudah memanggil rumah kita yang lama sebagai rumah mak-ayah, rumah tok, rumah nenek - lagi-lagi kalau kita sudah berkahwin dan mendefinisikan rumah bersama pasangan sebagai rumah yang baru.

Maka rumah bukanlah didefinasikan sebagai rumah dengan apa yang terkandung di dalamnya, tetapi kondisi minda apa yang kita pilih dalam diri kita untuk kita namakan sebagai rumah - tempat yang kita pulang untuk rejuvenasi, merasa selamat dan berehat.

Rumah yang saya seharusnya cari

Solat merupakan tiang agama. Kita datang ke rumah-rumah Allah ini selalunya untuk solat. Seperti mana kita pulang ke rumah untuk berehat, makan dan sebagainya, kita merejuvenasi diri dengan solat di rumah Allah ini. Saya mula percaya solat merupakan peluang-peluang untuk meluruskan kembali diri kita ke posisi neutral. Posisi ini saya percaya, kalau kena caranya, kita mampu menggegar dunia.

Maka, seharusnya - setiap kali selepas azan memanggil, rumah manakah yang harus saya cari?

How to become an expert in everything

2010-03-06T18:01:00.000-08:00

If I happened to sit beside someone who is very important, experienced, and knowledgeable in his field, I would ask this question : Can you name me a few books that really influence your life? Sometimes I even ask them to list out the names up to 10 books.

But I gave up on this one engineering professor, as soon as I knew that he wouldn't read any other materials besides engineering. I had thought that he had limited his knowledge by simply shutting off himself from the larger world out there. Yes, he is famous in the world of engineering, or more specifically in the world of nano-machining - he has wrote 300 journal papers where I have none.

He told me his children won't take up engineering after seeing their father doing engineering reading all day long that they are mistaken engineering as a reading course!

After pondering for quite some time, I realized, he made up all the lack of reading of other materials, simply by experiencing life. He can talk all day long about 'relevance' in life, setting goals, being a good citizen or even fighting for your native tongue. And when you are at his years of age, you wouldn't have the chance to juggle many things on your hands. He had to stay focused - so that he can master what he identified as relevant to the world today.

Speaking of nano-machining, he will tell you a story about how he despise going to see the doctors in Japan. There was a day when he had some internal pain, and he had to go to the doctors. He went, and the doctor strained him - pushed down his throat a small wire with camera attached to the tip of it to see the problems. He suffered, badly. The doctors told him to come back after a few weeks to check on him.

The pain alleviated. But he wouldn't go again to the doctors.

The doctors told his company about his refusal to go to see them. When the company asked him, he told the sufferings he has to endure along the process, all the restraints, and pain caused by the camera.

The company then told him that the doctors are not going to restrain him this time and that previously, they were using 10mm diameter wire. This time, they are going to put in a much smaller one - 2mm. True, he went - no restraints, no pain but he brought back an inspiration that the world needs things to be smaller in the future.

He stayed focused. He master the world of nano-machining. At the same time, he inspire his students to do the same. Find relevance, stay focus - so that greater improvement can be brought to the world.

Nevertheless, I did gave up on him after meeting him and asking the question I asked for the first time. But it changed after I met him the second time, a month after the first.

I brought with me an article on Dewesternization - as I need to do some translation on it (a request by a friend whom I respect so much). Of course, I need to understand what the article is all about, at the same time learning from other field as well.

The professor asked me what was I reading - having known that he didn't read other materials besides engineering, I was reluctant to discuss about the paper. I then asked him about the work that he is currently working on. He told me it was not about enginering - it was about mother tongue.

He was writing a speech in conjunction with International Mother Language Day - or in Bangladesh known more as Martyrs' day. I kind of going through a short history course that day - I learned the history of Bangladesh's independence - how the strive began with a language movement.

I was not amused to know he's been writing on another topic - I was excited to know that he consulted a number of friends after writing on that topic. He has a large network of friends, and finding one to consult with when you have to write on mother tongue is easy.

I did told you that he consulted his friends after he wrote on the topic - not before. He thought of a theory on what is coming in the future regarding mother language. Then after that he consulted his circle of experts. Lucky he was to find an expert who share the same theory on the future of mother tongue - or as I later deliberated, can be summed up as the future of the world.

Of course, he did not write it to mean he is an expert on the subject, only that he had that subject dear to him, as you might have guessed, he is Bangladeshi.

After that second meet, I found that I reassured myself. I was having doubts to further my study in this line - simply because I believe life has so much to offer, and I do not want to get stuck with one way of seeing life. Seeing the professor somehow, I believe he had seen life in many colors. Did I not tell you he know how to speak in Japanese, Spanish, English, Urdu and Hindi? Though he said he always dreamt in Bengali.

I concluded that, I may read many materials - but I may not become an expert on everything. I have to work to befriend many experts - so when I need to give an opinion on something, I am at the very least the master of my own words, speaking with confidence borrowed from consultation with 'friendly' experts.

Oh, after I asked about the most influential books, usually I will go straight to the second question - who played the most influence in your life? - a question I asked to know who he had in mind as the most influential person in his upbringing and career development.

He told me that he learnt from everyone he met. He told me he shared the work on mother language with his driver too, so that he can gauge the information he projected can be understood by all walks of life. (at that time, I believe he is learning from me as well)

And his answer to the most influential book is not really an engineering text book.

He told me the sums of everything good is in the Qur'an.

p/s: Entah ke mana hilangnya keterujaan itu. Sebelum ini, selalu sahaja terkejar-kejar orang yang berilmu dan berpengalaman. Ada sahaja yang hendak ditanya dan dibincangkan. Banyak pandangan, nasihat diminta - untuk mencorak masa hadapan.
p/p/s: I should have got the clue the first time when I heard he mentions the Holy Qur'an!
p/p/p/s: the writing is on a perception of myself of someone. He might not be the same man you thought he is, until you see him the way I see him. =)
p/p/p/p/s: the answer on how to become an expert in everything? you might find it out here. (Seminar Muslim Super iLuvislam)

Happy 24th birthday!

2010-02-17T02:49:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all the well wishes!

Few of the major findings that I found after all these years are:

1.if you wish enough and you pray enough, Allah will grant your wishes - in ways that you sometimes do not comprehend.

2.Happiness in life does not equal to money. It may correlate in a way, but it is not the cause.

3.Solat 5 times a day is an opportunity for you to realign yourself to the 'neutral position'. You can conquer the world from that position.

4. Solat is not merely of the thing I stated in number 3. How I wish I can know every properties of it.

5.For everything that happen in life, there is a reason. For everything that you want to happen, there then should be a reason. To acquire reason you must then think, so that everything you do, there is a reason - here we call it as 'meaning'.

6.Teaching someone is simply learning from that someone.

7. To lead, you have to learn how to serve. Choosing who and what to serve is not only the job of a chef - its everyone's calling deep inside themselves, proven by series of historical events occurred from the beginning of time.

8.Writing is showing your state of mind. Not writing does not means you do not have a mind, but in a way, it does.

9. Love is a work that you do with utmost pleasure.

10. Jinsei wa yappari, shigoto desu~

Life is apparently, work. Life and rest is not synonymous. Eternal rest only exists somewhere beyond our comprehension currently, though history has tried to remind human being that eternal rest do exists, and to achieve that, there is a need to work.

These 10 things represents humanly opinion. It was written after the mind begged to share something in relation to the historic day. the words chosen by the writer might not have the same definition as what you believe as the definition of the words. Through careful deliberation, however, you can understand what the writer meant.

after a month of hesitation

2010-01-08T19:20:00.000-08:00

The last time I wrote was about a month ago. I wonder where all the drive went to. I thought I made a mental reminder to myself to write at least one post a week. Now after weeks of doodling ideas in the 'draft' form, something has to be published to make sure that whoever read this blog, continues to read them - as I have a lot to share, those I personally think worth to be read.

1. I made a post on the topic "Home". It was supposed to appear here 3 weeks ago. I shared the ideas of an ideal home with my family, and a contrasting idea of a home that is not in a physical-material state, but rather in a philosophical-spiritual state where people have to go to when they want to seek refuge and rejuvenation.

2. I then found out that the article on 500 Most Influential Muslims made it to the Malaysian Insider - enjoyed reading comments from people who frequent the website, which I don't have the pleasure to do so in my own blog.

3. Somehow, I felt an extreme feeling of satisfaction, that my article featured in a website that have many eyes on - a complete belief that somehow, my ideas have been shared with many people out there. Reading the comments on that page proves that somehow, there are people who actually reads that article.

4. I wanted to translate that article into Malay - which I believe the best way of communicating my ideas to many readers of this blog. But, an avid reader of this blog, whom I respected and loved, said that my Malay language is not as good as compared to my English - which I think best left to the readers to decide.

5. The article somehow made me think that I have to write something important, that can rival that particular article. Also, it made me think that I have to write in English, and that I have to write facts. This then made me think twice, thrice on which language that I want to use to convey messages, and on the topics that I want to share.

6. But since I couldn't think that I can write something better -and that I realized that I have to read more and more before publishing half-cooked thoughts, this blog is left behind. And also I have to write my research proposal - which then costs me a lot of time.

7. This then completes the cycle of me, a blogger having what usually called as bloggers block.

The 500 Most Influential Muslims 2009 - A Malaysian Commentary

2009-12-01T19:23:00.000-08:00

Picture from Reuters

Previous weeks has shown that somehow there are people from Malaysia being featured in a "500 most influential Muslims in the world" list. The research categorized influential people in 15 categories - depicting the source of influence, among others, Scholarly, Political, Administrative, and Lineage. It is interesting to note that Women is also in one of the categories.

The research done by Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre (RISSC) of Jordan exerted that influence is hard to be quantified, thus among the top 50s are those who are either a monarch, religious scholars and leaders of religious networks.

It also exerted that geography played a vital role on how influential someone is. Let's say you are a religious scholar living in the Middle East, you are most likely be more influential rather than those living outside that circle. North America and Europe is somehow home to many influential Muslims, due to more important national institutions are more likely to be situated in this regions.

You have already known that the RISSC has named Tuan Guru Nik Aziz Nik Mat, to be situated in the 42nd place of the 500 long list.

Other Malaysians on the list are Sharifah Zuriah Aljeffri (Women), Zaynah Anwar (Women), Prof Dato' Dr Osman Bakar (Scholarly), Anwar Ibrahim (Political), Mohideen Abdul Kadir (Development), Prof Dr Mohd Hashim Kamali (Scholarly) , Dr Mahathir Mohamad (Political) and a nasheed group, Raihan (Arts and Culture).

It is also noted that, only the top 50 is ranked. The other 450 appear unranked. But, there's 12 names appeared in a list of honorable mentions, said to have an influence comparable to the top 50 people.

I can't help but wish to put into context the number 42nd of the list, make some commentaries on the relevance of the list on Muslimah's movement in Malaysia and track some trends on the future of influence/popularity in the Muslim world in the coming years. These are my interests, among other things that I too wish to write on.

Tuan Guru Nik Aziz Nik Mat

Without any royal positions, situated far from the middle east and not in command of a big oil reservoir under his feet, I would say number 42 is quite something. I try to differentiate between two subjective things - influence and popularity.

You have Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan at number 46 - A Pakistani Nuclear Scientist - the father of 'Islamic Bomb' who made Pakistan into a Muslim country with a nuclear weapon.

Osama bin Laden made into the list - as a radicals. I believe he is more popular than our own Tuan Guru, but in this case RISSC made him less 'influential'.

I do believe however RISSC has considered popularity as one of the most important aspects in influence. Amr Khaled for example, at the 14th place of the 500 names list. A televangelist whose website said to rival Oprah Winfrey's, Amr Khaled has been ranked as the 13th most influential person in the world by TIME magazine.

Now it gets harder to quantify influence and popularity.

Said to have source of influence from Administrative, Political and Scholarly - Tuan Guru Nik Aziz is written in the book as Spiritual Leader of largest political party in Malaysia. The RISSC also added that he is a "spiritual leader of Malaysian Islamic politics and holds very important sway over the tenor of politics in the nation" - I can't help but agree, he really deserve the spot.

Tuan Guru Nik Aziz is always in the middle of controversies. But at every turn, one can learn something of his way to handle adversities - with two of the most important Islamic elements, that is spiritual and intellectual. He is a teacher to both his rivals and his friends.

In the time of this writing, the 42nd most influential Muslim in the world is asked to resign his positions.

Malaysian Muslimah Movement

It was not a surprise when two members of Sisters in Islam (SIS) made it to the list under the Women category. Zaynah Anwar and Sharifah Zuriah Aljeffri both members of the movement, being on the list is a prove that despite of the many critics to SIS, the world community has started to accept them. Musawah, a Global Movement for Equality and Justice in the Muslim Family, launched February 2009 has been initiated by SIS shows how sophisticated the movement is.

Prof Amina Wadud who was a lecturer in International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) between 1989 and 1992 also made into the list in the same category as an influential Muslim in the United States.

However, not a single first lady of this Muslim country however, made it to the list. Turkey have Hayrunnisa Gul - the first First Lady in Turkey to wear the hijab. I started to have a secret wish that whoever in the future becomes the first lady, she may have influence to Muslimahs of the country and beyond. A good influence, I mean.

This shows that Malaysian Muslimahs Movement is not far from being influential, but seeing many criticism come their way, I can't help but confuse whether the truth is that Muslim women in Malaysia really can't speak their mind, or somehow making SIS as a representative of Malaysian Muslimah is incorrect.

But then, who is the most influential women in Muslim world? Number 31, Syeikha Munira Qubeysi, leader of a women-only Islamic movement. She does education, and she has more than 75,000 students.

Malaysian Muslimah Movement have a lot to learn from her. Meanwhile, critics have to do better. They should wipe-out inaction from their vocabulary. And there's a lot to be done, when there are only 43 women in the 500 long list.

New age popularity / influence.

Revisiting Amr Khaled at number 14, there are a lot of reason to see why he have this spot. He owns the most popular personal website in the world with 20 million regular users, 232,219 fans on 79 Facebook groups, and 2 million hits on 200 Youtube videos. He made everything seems to be "you and me can do it too!"

At number 19, we can see IslamToday.com supervisor, Sheikh Salman Al-Ouda. IslamToday.Com have 2000 daily hits. Sheikh Salman also features in many TV appearances, with global reachability.

These are 'ordinary people' who have major influence in the Muslim world. The list boasts royalties, grand muftis, spiritual leaders, presidents and head of nations. It seems that you and me have a shot here, by having a website that caters to many. But you can always opt to follow the footsteps of Osama or Obama, the latter was accused to be a Muslim and does not have any spot on the list.

Whatever it is, the media is playing a very important world in the new age. Whether you own one or you jumped on the alternatives, that is secondary. Having both however, is one of the strategies that media giants applied. CNN for example, being an old media, gave out personal touch making their newscasters active on Twitter.

Media is one of the categories in the list.

The next 10 year's list will have to consider the influence made on the youth of today. Influence and popularity tends to be similar in the new world. You are said to have influence people can look you up easily through Google, easily to communicate with you through a lot of social networks, that you are friend of a friend of a friend that have a say in the Parliament, and that you have a biography in Wikipedia.

Conclusion

While it is getting more subjective to quantify influence today, the published list helped many. Fellow Muslims may look at it and see that there are people out there doing real work to help better the world, and they are Muslims. They can be proud of people featured, and also have faith that they can do something major, even though they are inside the Muslim community - assumed to be restrictive by many who does not understand Islam.

Others can have a look on the list and track the trends where the Muslims are heading. They can identify who are the ones representing Islam in their community and learn from them.

The list has shown that somehow there is a very thin line separating popularity and influence. The Issues of the Day category however, compensated the subjective "popularity equals influence" equation. The category boasts names that involves in the recent issues in the world of today - I might even say this is where the real work is being done, though it may have either good or bad influence.

RISSC welcomes everyone to contribute to the list next year by sending emails to them. The list will become something to look for in the coming years, though I now wish that there will also be a list on "Muslims of the year". The subjective influence/popularity can be put out of the equation - and those who really did contribute something, those that matters in the Muslim world made it to the list.

* This article has been published in the Malaysian Insider on 3rd December 2009. It can also be read here and here.

SS: Monkey met the Emperor

2009-11-08T03:57:00.000-08:00

Emperor's Garden Restaurant, Boston. Picture taken from Yelp

Master asked me to venture to China. The act was supposed to be done by him personally, but for the fear of his health, I was asked to go. That was the first time master sent me to do something else other than scouting. The current job is not easy, it is more complicated than the routine tasks that I was asked to do.

A great leader should have met the Emperor in person.

I grow fond of the Emperor of China from the stories that master has told me before. Thus, the meeting made me feel sort of insecure, knowing that relations between the two countries is not always good. Moreover, master has made known to the world that he is going to conquer China. Saying your vision out loud may have been very stimulating and self-satisfying, but when it comes to meeting the man in person, your presence matters - I wonder if having only me to represent such boastful vision will be enough.

I was sitting in front of the Emperor in one of his gardens.

The meeting was a secret between the two governments. Many would be disturbed to know that such relations between countries existed. The people of both countries - grew suspicious of each other for such a long time. Others, Dutch, Spanish and all will be very alarmed to know such meeting took place. My master also took the necessary steps to keep the meeting secret, even from the knowledge of his faithful advisors.

If only the Emperor knew I am only a Monkey sent by the Great Kingdom of Japan, I would certainly be expelled. I was to play the role of my master's right hand man.

"The unifier of Japan is very busy to meet you for such trivial matters", I began the conversation, referring to the meeting as mere trivial.

"And yet, he is now quarreling with his wives! I wonder where he put his priorities." the Emperor chuckled, referring to the clashes that still occur among clans in Japan, even after the unification.

"He always have his priorities in his vision to conquer the world" I said the word confidently, though I couldn't hide the trembling tone.

"And today, he sent only a small man to move the mountains of China?" the Emperor smiled. I believe the phrase 'mountains of China' was referring to the vast population of the country, and the resistance that we would face from the vast army, should we decide to attack China.

I need something even stronger than mountains...

"Today, he sent only a man to bring forth his vision", I declared.

Today, Monkey bring forth his master's vision to be heard by the Emperor of The Rising Dragon.

And that evening marked a historical event. I saw the princess in person - the two great countries have agreed to stop major clashes. The common seas however, will be left to rock with minor skirmishes between young generals. The princess will be married to my master, though there are several complications that suggest the marriage be done in secret. The Dutch and Spanish will be banished from the lands of the two countries, and new sea-route to the New World will be discovered by heading East, towards the rising sun.

The secret meeting in the lavish garden of the Emperor will always be in my memories. I believe now that, in order for me to perform my best, my master should have trusted me in full. A great leader he is, giving me the opportunity to seek a better me, when he could have done the same.

Knowing my master, however, I believe he already had that many opportunities with him since the beginning.

But, he didn't get the opportunity to taste wonderful Chinese cuisines with me!

p/s: Currently Monkey D. Luffy is trudging to level 3 of Impel Down.

Short Story : Monkey learned about his master.

2009-11-01T16:20:00.000-08:00

Monkey D. Luffy WANTED poster - as advertised in Taipei Main Station Mall

It was raining that day. I always wanted to get rid of the rain - by getting out of the Palace early, so that I can continue my journey to the next city. Today, somehow, I did not have the strength to do so, maybe because of the early morning scold by my master.

I believed I had served him well. I scouted paths before he travelled through, I checked his sword, sharpened it before any battle and I tasted the food before he ate it - to make sure that it is not poisoned.

Though I loved my job – especially the food tasting, I always believed that my master does not have what it takes to be our leader.

I dreamt of taking over his place all the time!

That day, I failed miserably. I knew I deserve to be scolded. But still, I believed that he does not have the cut to be a wonderful leader – he does not do what is required to be one.

I always believe that to be someone great, you have to do great things.

That day, I learned something. Great people just do not do great things in front of your eyes. They did it every time.

What’s even greater – my master offered me the opportunity to do the miracle. Shocked – I leave the honour to him.

Then I thank God for the opportunity to see a great miracle at work – and I prayed that he stays that way.

I then trudged through the drizzle – scouting.

p/s: I was a boy-scout once. Someone told me that boy-scout also means something else.

p/p/s: The miracle was not food-tasting, in case if you are wondering.

Minna, Arigatou~

2009-10-25T16:58:00.000-07:00

It is quite surprising to know that, during my absence in writing, there are still few clicks here. It is true that however we see it, updating your blog should be in one's list of responsibilities. Some might go as far as saying "this is my blog, therefore, it is my choice to update it".

Respect

I respect those who read this page. It is because you took the time to read someone else's opinion on things, what revolves around him, and some even leave comments: a gift that all bloggers wanted - however they may deny this simple gesture as having an effect to them.

One asked me to update this page.

A living page

I don't know why, but somehow, this page has a life of its own. On two different occasions, I was told that they read my blog even though I did not update. It is because there are other people's updates featured at the sidebar of this page, updating every hours with new thoughts and experiences.

On these two occasions, both conveyed a message that they learned a lot by reading my friend's blog. I too am learning from them: but I never thought my blog can act as a bookmark for someone else to read my friend's updates.

Malaikat

On one occasion, someone told me that I have 'Angels' as friends. The way these people conduct themselves (in the Internet) are pious. The message that they deliver filled with warmth and peace. They hardly putting on bad light on matters.

On the other, someone told me that he learned where the next "Intellectual Discourse" will be by reading my (friend's) blog.

Connecting people

I believe I belong to various circles of friends. The topics I discussed here varies from time to time. I have interests in many different things. I guess, that's how people meet each other. From someone you know that knows someone that her friend knows someone.

What disappoints me is that sometimes, the traffic only goes one-way. By one-way I do not mean that you have to comment on my friends blog, but what I really mean is there's this one group who didn't take the opportunity to get to know the others.

These people may provide solutions in their blogs - therefore the heavy traffic into their pages, but they did not go and have a look into the source of the problems - get to know where the solutions can fit in.

Come on, get together and play nice with each other.

Arigatou.

Some of you friends who are listed on the sidebar changed people's life. I want to thank each and everyone of you for making your blogs updated, filled with information, solutions, problems to be solved and rantings on your life. You never know how your blog can benefit others. Even if you are writing about a vase behind the wall that you cannot see (what the...).

Thank you. Now I have many reasons not to write often. LOL!

p/s: I am in the state of living a story of my own. I am not prepared to share with you the stories of what happened until 'it' happened. I believe, after 'that' point of my life, I will eventually tell you the story - for the sake of sharing and learning from each other.

Pelajaran untuk pagi raya, sehari sebelum raya dan selamanya.

2009-10-02T17:08:00.000-07:00

Raya tahun ini saya banyak mempelajari berkenaan "memberi". Selain daripada merupakan tahun pertama saya menjadi 'distributor' di pagi raya, ada banyak peristiwa yang berlaku pada Syawal 1430 H yang pada pendapat saya, tidak akan saya lupakan sampai bila-bila. Mungkin inilah yang dirasakan oleh atuk, nenek, pakcik, makcik, ibu dan ayah saya apabila memberikan sesuatu, samaada di pagi raya, beberapa hari selepas raya pertama ataupun selama-lamanya.

Ibu bapa

Syukur ke hadrat Allah, pada tahun ini, saya sudah bisa memulakan untuk memberi sedikit token apresiasi kepada kedua ibu bapa saya. Sengaja saya memberi 'duit raya' sedikit awal, iaitu sehari sebelum raya - untuk mengambil berkat Ramadan. Ada juga ibu mempersoalkan samaada saya berkira-kira dengan Tuhan kerana melakukan sedimikian.

Bagi saya, saya perlu mengambil semua peluang yang ada. Oleh kerana saya bukanlah ahli ibadah, hafiz qur'an ataupun sesiapa yang tidak banyak dosanya, saya merasakan bonus Ramadan yang dikurniakan Allah perlulah direbut. Awal atau lambat, namanya tetap "duit raya" bagi saya.

Sedikit kelakar, apabila saya memberikan duit raya kepada ibu bapa saya, namun pada masa yang sama, makan dan minum saya masih lagi ditanggung mereka. Kalau dihitung, perbelanjaan untuk pulang beraya (tol, minyak kereta) sahaja mungkin sudah melebihi duit raya yang saya berikan.

Aduh, memang banyak lagi bakti dan jasa yang selama ini ditabur kepada saya oleh kedua ibu bapa. Nampaknya, saya perlu berusaha lebih keras lagi untuk membalas jasa mereka.

Sepupu-sepapat

Wajah ceria Aidilfitri - Kira - kira yang perlu dibuat.

Sepupu memang ramai. Yang masih bersekolah pun ramai. Mereka ini, saya sudah buat peruntukan khas. Awal sebelum bulan puasa lagi saya sudah berkira-kira untuk memberikan sesuatu kepada mereka. Dilema peringkat awal, ialah berapa yang sepatutnya diberikan kepada mereka?

Rakan sekerja pula mula menceritakan pengalaman raya tahun-tahun sebelumnya apabila ada yang membuka sampul duit raya di hadapan si pemberi sambil mengatakan, "Alahai... Seringgit aje?" .

Syukur Alhamdulillah, apabila nyaris sahaja saya membatalkan hasrat untuk memberi, Allah memberikan saya rezeki lebih untuk makbulkan hajat saya. Akhirnya, saya memutuskan untuk memberi dahulu sekadar mampu, dengan kesimpulan yang saya buat terhadap diri saya - saya baru sahaja bekerja beberapa bulan, tahun-tahun akan datang akan lebih banyak daripada tahun ini insyaAllah (pada masa yang sama bilangan sepupu turut bertambah).

Sedikit kekesalan saya pada tahun ini ialah, saya gagal merancang untuk menghadiahkan sesuatu kepada pakcik dan makcik saya. Tahun hadapan, perancangan perlu lebih baik.

Adik beradik

'Memberi' kepercayaan untuk dua orang adik memandu kereta ke Kuala Lumpur. Ini boleh dikira sebagai satu pemberiankah?

Syukur, tahun ini juga mula memberi kepada adik beradik. Biasanya sebelum ini, pemberian untuk adik beradik hanya berkisar tarikh lahir mereka sahaja. Tahun ini, saya gembira dapat memberi kepada mereka juga, diluar tarikh lahir. Kegembiraan saya untuk memberi kepada mereka mungkin sahaja melampaui batas masa selepas ini.

Dan biasanya, saya meletakkan syarat kepada adik-adik saya. Terutamanya yang lelaki (macamlah ada banyak adik lelaki) . Syaratnya, duit yang diberikan hanya boleh digunakan untuk jalan ma'ruf sahaja.

Sebenarnya, memang sepatutnyalah kita membelanjakan untuk jalan yang baik sahaja. Tetapi, cuba kita renung sekali sekala. Astaghfirullah, saya mendapati, ada juga wang saya yang keluar untuk perkara sia-sia.

Saudara jauh

Kalau nak diikutkan saya sebenarnya sudah mula memberikan duit raya sebelum Ramadan lagi. Yang paling awal ialah seawal Ogos. Saya memberikan duit raya awal kepada Dani dan Lala semasa saya berada di Taiwan.

Dani bengang selepas dilanggar secara tidak sengaja oleh seorang budak lelaki Cina. Silap saya bila jalan tak tengok depan!

Keluarga sebelah ibu memang besar. Ayah kepada atuk lelaki berkahwin dua. Jumlah anak semuanya 25 orang, termasuk atuk lelaki saya. Di Taiwan, saya bertemu dengan Abang Hashim dan Kak Adda, the best Malaysian couple in Taiwan! Syukur, dalam pada saya dan Sayuti berkira-kira untuk mencari tempat untuk tinggal bagi hujung minggu tersebut, Abang Hashim terus sahaja mengambil kami untuk minum-minum, dan menawarkan tempat untuk bermalam bagi hujung minggu tersebut.

Kasihan juga dengan Dani dan Lala. Mereka perlu beraya di perantauan pada umur yang masih muda. Saya belum lagi merasakan perkara sedimikian dalam hidup saya setakat ini.

Syoknya memberi

Bukanlah tujuan saya untuk memberitahu semua berkenaan saya telah memberi banyak duit raya pada aidilfitri kali ini (sebenarnya bukan banyak mana pun - cuma nasib baik tiada siapa yang buka sampul raya dan menjerit ".....ringgit aje?!!"). Tetapi saya sangat gembira untuk berkongsi dengan semua kegembiraan memberi dengan semua.

Memberi bukanlah semasa Aidilfitri dan Ramadan sahaja. Adik saya baru-baru ini 'berlatih' untuk senyum. Katanya, "senyum itu sedekah".

Kalau dalam musim raya ini, "memberi masa" dan melawat sanak saudara mungkin satu perkara yang kita sukar lakukan. Ketahuilah bahawa kita sedang menyenangkan hati mereka dengan melawat mereka, dan 'menghabiskan' makanan yang dijamukan kepada kita. Falsafah 'sepenuh-penuh peti, takkan tak muat sehelai sapu tangan' digunakan secara maksimum untuk menjamu kuih raya selepas perut sudah selesa dengan rendang dan ketupat.

Cumanya, apabila kita dihadapkan dengan pilihan berat - Allah mahukan kita untuk memberikan perkara yang terbesar dalam hidup kita, saya risau sekiranya tidak mampu melakukannya. Saya risau sekiranya saya tidak boleh 'enjoy' dalam memberi lagi.

Apabila saat itu tiba, saya kurang pasti bagaimana tindakan saya.

Yang baiknya, saya sedang melihat seseorang yang sedang berhadapan dengan perkara tersebut di hadapan mata. Kekuatan perlu diraih, semangat setiakawan, dan yang paling penting sekali kebergantungan dengan Allah. Saya mendoakan beliau berjaya dalam memberi yang terbaik, meskipun dalam masa yang sama, bisikan syaitan di hatinya semakin menjadi-jadi. Semoga beliau terus melihat kehidupan ini dengan mata hati, dan dapat terus 'enjoy' dalam memberi.

Banyak yang perlu saya belajar. Benarlah, 'real' tak sama dengan 'ideal'. Cuma saya sahaja yang perlu terus menerus berhajat untuk melihat dunia ini dalam bentuk ideal - menurut acuan Penciptanya - dan saya rasa mula-mula saya perlu tanamkan sifat memberi ini.

p/s: Maaf. Post ini sudah lama dikarang, tetapi ambil sedikit masa untuk dipaparkan.

p/p/s: Semoga beroleh manfaat. =)

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri

2009-09-18T16:52:00.000-07:00

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

Maaf Zahir Batin.

from

Mohamad Hilman bin Nordin

p/s: This post is made on a rush. I'm going to share with you more on raya, insyaAllah
p/p/s: Going for a long drive to Mersing, Johor. Going to be back in KL on Wednesday.
p/p/p/s: Enjoy your raya ppl! -Pray that all our ibaadah is accepted by God-

Ramadan yang berbaki - Harapan buat semua

2009-09-14T17:09:00.000-07:00

Realiti berpuasa pada umur yang kian meningkat, sangat berbeza daripada berpuasa pada zaman persekolahan dahulu. Kalau tak tengok jauh sangat pun boleh. Lihat sahaja zaman belajar dahulu. Bukanlah lama mana zaman itu saya tinggalkan. Aduh, kalau difikirkan kembali, amat banyak amalan yang kali ini tidak ada kesempatan untuk saya lakukan.

Ah, mungkin sahaja saya mencipta alasan. Iyalah, mudah untuk saya katakan yang setelah mula bekerja, banyak masa saya dicuri untuk pekerjaan. Ah, bukan. Sebenarnya, banyak juga masa yang saya sendiri curi untuk kegunaan sendiri. Malang buat saya, apabila yang saya katakan sendiri itu, bukan untuk pencipta diri, tetapi untuk merugikan diri sendiri.

Merajuk

Baru-baru ini saya 'merajuk' dengan adik. Hari cuti. Bukan ada kerja apa pun. Saya meminta untuk menggunakan PC di rumah. Kononnya untuk belajar mengawal kehidupan manusia, kewangan mereka, keluarga dan hubungan kejiranan mereka, dan pengejaran pangkat dan cita-cita - erti kata lain, mencuba permainan baru yang terisi dalam PC di rumah, The Sims 3.

Kemudian, setelah meminta berkali-kali dan menyatakan alasan saya untuk bermain permainan tersebut - iaitu untuk menjadi bahan dalam blog saya - akhirnya post ini; setelah ditolak berkali-kali oleh adik, saya masuk terus ke bilik saya, mengunci pintu dan mula membaca buku tebal yang tak berusik setelah sekian lama. Syakirine, terima kasih kerana tidak membenarkan abang main game tersebut. Dapat abang baca satu chapter buku yang 'menakutkan' itu.

Sweet. Selepas itu, adik saya menulis nota kecil, diselitkan di bawah pintu bilik saya - saya tidak sedar kerana telahpun buku sudah mula membaca saya.

Nilai yang tidak terus meresap dalam diri

Aduh, dalam game pun nak jadi jahat juga! -Picture from romperz.com

Berbalik kepada The Sims 3 - bukannya apa. Kita sangat-sangat bagus mengawal kehidupan karakter-karakter dalam game tersebut, mengurus keluarga, kewangan, kadang kala menguruskan kenaikan pangkat dan penambahan ilmu karakter-karakter rekaan kita. Kalau boleh dalam sehari itu, kita maksimakan apa yang boleh dibuat.

Kita minta karakter kita mambaca buku sehingga berjam-jam - supaya esoknya dia mungkin ada kemahiran 'Cleaning' atau 'Cooking' untuk kenaikan pangkat seorang Chef.

Aduh, itu kehidupan maya. Kehidupan realiti? Ha! Kita yang berjam-jam menghadap komputer dan memainkan karakter-karakter itu! Bila pula kita sendiri nak belajar memasak dan mengemas?

The 10,000 hours-rule

Slaid yang dibuat sempena pembedahan yang dilakukan

Baru-baru ini saya diberi kesempatan berkongsi ilmu dengan sahabat-sahabat di BT, Seksyen 14 - Jangan tanya saya ianya singkatan untuk apa; buku yang telah lama saya baca iaitu Outliers karangan Malcolm Gladwell. Dari dahulu lagi saya ingin kongsikan buku ini di dalam blog, tetapi apa yang berjaya dibuat cuma draf postingnya sahaja.

Dua perkara dalam buku tersebut yang menceritakan tentang "A story of Success" ialah bahawa kejayaan itu terletak pada peluang yang dicapai dan juga legasi - dan pergi jauh sejauh ethinicity! Si Malcolm itu berkata, ada bangsa-bangsa tertentu yang boleh berjaya, dan ada juga yang terpaksa untuk tidak berjaya (walaupun Malcolm bukan simpulkan ke tahap ekstrim itu - ini kesimpulan yang saya dapat)

Tetapi yang lebuh menarik perhatian saya ialah "10,000 hours - rule" - untuk menjadi seorang maestro, grandmaster, expert, specialist, primadona dan pemenang Nobel Prize, yang diperlukan ialah masa yang kita isi dengan baik (sehingga 10,000 jam!) untuk terus berlatih. The Beatles bermain muzik di Hamburg 8 jam sehari, setiap hari sebelum menjadi terkenal. Mozart hanya selepas 10 tahun menggubah, baru menghasilkan 'masterpiece' yang pertama!

Sekali lagi. Masa.

Bulan Ramadhan ini, masanya dirasakan berlalu sangat pantas. Saya memanglah bekerja, tetapi banyak lagi masa sebenarnya yang saya salah gunakan. Kalau hebat urus masa dan pencapaian dalam permainan The Sims 3, tetapi bukan dalam realiti - apakah gunanya. Hebat betul urus masa bersama jiran-jiran, urus masa bersama anak-anak kecil, bersama bos (boleh tuang kerja juga dalam game ini!) tetapi realiti, ada di hadapan komputer, bermain permainan ulang-ulang tanpa henti.

Iya, seorang mati, selepas itu kita bermain menggunakan cucunya pula. Kehidupan manusia berulang-ulang ini sebenarnya sangat menarik untuk diperhatikan.

Saya sememangnya sangat lemah dengan masa ini. Dan bulan Ramadhan benar-benar menguji. Pejam celik, sudah tinggal berbaki beberapa hari sahaja lagi. Sebak Aidilfitri seolah tak bermakna apabila memang kitasendiri yang pilih untuk tidak melakukan apa-apa sepanjang Ramadan ini. Subhanallah, banyak yang perlu saya perbaiki.

Harapan saya kepada Pemilik Masa - "HambaMu ini tahu, hamba tidak mempunyai masa panjang di muka bumi ini. Isikanlah masa hambaMu ini dengan kebaikan, peluang-peluang membuat kebaikan dan masa untuk bersyukur atas segala kebaikan. Isikan masa hambaMu ini dengan menjauhi keburukan, peluang-peluang untuk mencegah keburukan dan masa untuk bertaubat atas segala keburukan yang telah dilakukan. Redhailah segala apa yang hambaMu lakukan di muka bumi ini."

Harapan saya kepada pembaca - semoga semua berjaya memanfaatkan masa Ramadhan, masa umur muda, masa hidup dengan melakukan kebaikan dan menjauhi keburukan. Doakan kita semua. Salam Ramadhan - belum tentu lagi tahun depan boleh begini lagi.

Online Identity - How the Internet Sees Hilman Nordin

2009-09-07T02:09:00.000-07:00

Hilman Nordin

A few weeks back, a friend of mine who I called 'the maven' showed me to Personas website. Its a work by a team of brilliant people in Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Aaron Zinman, with help from Alex Dragulescu, Yannick Assogba and Judith Donath made this project using sophisticated natural language processing and the Internet to tell you how the Internet sees you.

Using the first and last name of a person, Personas then crawl throughout the Internet to find for information on the person, before categorizing the found information into labels such as 'politics', 'online', 'fame', 'music', 'religion' and many more.

You bet I tried it using my own name. And since I have a Malay name, I guess what Personas really want is a keyword for it to search with. In the internet, I go with many names, but I think the best keyword that define me is 'Hilman Nordin'.

Can't remember when I made that video

Going through the calculation, I saw a few new information about 'myself'. Apparently 'I' won 3rd place in a short-film festival in UKM. This shows that I share the same name with someone who had been a short-movie director! This is one weakness of the application. People who goes with the same name with you might be 'characterized' along with you!

Guess this has nothing to do with the fact that I once dreamt of becoming a movie director someday.

I hate this one!

Bad boys! My name, Faisal Mustaffa's and Azlan Zainal's on this one. I guess, bad news written by someone with bad intentions will not escape the search engine. This troubles me a lot. My only link to this case (Pig head in surau) is the fact that Malaysiakini give me a call to ask on what happened.

Second one with 'Babi' attached to it

See? Hmm, in this one I guess the word Parti will add up to the 'Politics' label, but I am not really sure what 'Babi' will add up to.

Somehow, Machiavelis is not in the keywords list.

This one is also a bad example. The highlighted keywords are 'corruption' and 'critical'. Now, how do you associate me with those two? This information is apparently a title list on a certain website. But hey... 'International'?

Ahh.. brings back memories.

This one's the best. 'Minister' and 'President'. Seeing this one, I remembered back the memories of taking a stand and meet with someone important. Though not in a peaceful light, I was satisfied back then, in my head was "Biarlah apa nak jadi sekalipun".

Alright, and after all the calculations by Personas, the result is the picture at the top of this post. Lots of things can be said with that one. If you can't see the picture clearly, kindly click on here or on the picture.

After seeing how Internet sees me, I do make a little search on others. The saddest case I met with so far is my father's name. Nordin Mohamed. Since he share a common name with Nordin Mohamed Top, the characterization of my father's online identity is not really accurate. My father wrote something on "Ada Apa pada Nama", and he answered in the end "Macam-macam ada!"

I also went further to look for other names! I wanted to make a list on people who have interesting online identity, but seeing that Personas can sometimes search information that put the person on a bad light, I think, its up to you to find other names that you can make interesting discoveries!

p/s: I tried Personas many times, and I see that the results change over time.

p/p/s: Do you think that our current online identity can tell who are you going to be in later years? And do comment on my online identity too! ~the comments will be wonderful insights for me.

p/p/p/s: I wonder if there is a 'Start Over' button that can erase many things written about you that you don't like. (Like erasing history or going back to the past).

p/p/p/p/s: Thanks a lot to Mr. Firdaus Rahiman (the maven)

09/09/09 updated - I noticed that I didn't put the link to Personas. Here you go~!

Merdeka 52 - Time to reflect and improve

2009-08-31T01:44:00.000-07:00

Today is the day when Malaysians celebrated Merdeka Day.

52 years ago, the people of Tanah Melayu struggled for the independence we enjoyed today.

Today, we are struggling to keep the country fair to all.

Reading about 'Kepala Lembu' incident personally aches my heart, and I realized there's a lot of work need to be done in order to make Malaysia a better place.

Do not curse the idols they set up beside God, lest they blaspheme and curse God, out of ignorance. We have adorned the works of every groups in their eyes. Ultimately they return to their Lord, then He informs them of everything they had done.

(Al-An'am, 108)

The fact that Muslims is observing the holy month of Ramadhan when this happens saddened me more. Moreover, the Merdeka Day was around the corner. This is supposed to be the month where we Muslims are most patient, where we are acknowledging the other components that made us human, as opposed to the usual 'materialistic' view of ourselves.

For me, in the case above, to disagree is one thing, to demonstrate using such method is another. I believe in the rights to assemble and freedom of speech. I believe that people should be given their rights, that the government today is made up with the consent of the governed.

But messing up with other's belief is way too far.

And after 52 years, we still have this kind of problem?

Therefore, in the light of moderate Merdeka celebration this year, I think it is the best of times for us to look back upon our previous years (muhasabah) and figure out what went wrong. As a Muslim, I long to see a real Islamic country in Malaysia - where justice and equality are upheld.

p/s: Finished reading "What's Right with Islam is What's Right with America". My view on Islamic state has broadened a little if not many.

p/p/s: The accompanying video on top of this post features three values (2.47) -Respect, Justice and Self-Esteem.

p/p/p/s: Though saddened with many latest events, Happy Merdeka Day to all Malaysians! Let's double up our efforts in making this country a better place!

The Real Objective of Ramadan fast

2009-08-23T01:31:00.000-07:00

As I was reading a book titled "What's right with Islam is What's right with America" by Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, I found something worthwhile to be shared:

The real objective of the Ramadan fast is to raise one's God-consciousness (taqwa). It is meant not as punishment but as an exercise that accelerates one's spiritual progress. The exercise teaches you quickly that you have a soul.

Imam Feisal wrote that the first few days of Ramadan will slow bodily systems down. You would not feel hunger as "I am hungry", instead, the separation between body, emotional being, mind and "I"(soul) made you feel that "My body is hungry". There will be a lag between stimulus and reaction of your body, in the case of someone making you angry, you can afford to think it over, whether to react or not.

Fasting therefore helps you recognize the different components of your being (body, emotional being, mind and 'I" the locus of the soul). By the end of the month your will has been strengthened,; you feel that you are capable of far more than you thought, and you are less susceptible to the "I can't help myself" syndrome.

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf - What's Right with Islam is What's Right with America

The book deals more on the bridging the gap between Muslims and the West. He is the Imam of Masjid Al-Farah in New York City, and he saw many things American that are Islamic. A wonderful read, seeing there are rooms for improvement in the relations of differing views, especially among the same rooted Abrahamic ethic faiths.

p/s: I bought the book on July 2008. Lost it somewhere. Found it back, thus the read.

p/p/s: Will share more from the book, especially on the American 'Religion' that even Atheists believe in.

p/p/p/s: It took me quite some time to write back in English.

p/p/p/p/s: Salam Ramadhan Al-Mubarak!

Dia yang tak sempat saya temui

2009-08-17T03:26:00.000-07:00

"Di Taiwan ni tak hujan ke?" soal saya kepada James semasa perjalanan kami untuk makan tengahari. Cuaca panas sejak hari pertama kami tiba di sini menyebabkan saya terpanggil untuk bertanyakan soalan tersebut.

"Hujan. Kalau tak hujan, macam mana pula pulau Taiwan ini boleh ada air!" James menerangkan. Mungkin dia sedikit pelik dengan soalan yang saya kemukakan. Saya sempat berbincang dengan Sayuti, teman perjalanan saya berkenaan keadaan panas di Taiwan yang agak berbeza. Panas di Taiwan tidak menyebabkan peluh yang banyak. Berulang kali saya memegang belakang tengkuk. Tangan saya kering sahaja walaupun berkali-kali mencuba.

"Malaysia merupakan negara yang panas dan lembap sepanjang tahun, sebab itu kita berpeluh banyak. Kadar kelembapan di Malaysia menyebabkan kita boleh berpeluh" saya seolah-olah mengulangi kembali pelajaran Geografi yang telah lama saya tinggalkan apabila Sayuti menerangkan.

"Iya, di Taiwan ini pula, kelembapannya kurang. Tapi kami sangat memerlukan hujan. Mungkin kamu semua belum merasa lagi hujan di Taiwan ni macam mana", ujar James, dalam bahasa Inggeris yang ber'slang' Amerika.

Satu lagi sebab tersenyum lebar

Perjalanan ketika itu membawa kami ke restoran Little India. Senyum panjang bila nampak tulisan 'halal' tertera di hadapan kedai. Bendera India dan Arab Saudi pun terpapar untuk meyakinkan lagi pengunjung. Bila tengok kepada menu, terus saya pesan Briyani kambing. Geram kerana beberapa sebelumnya, serunding daging yang saya bawa dari Malaysia di tahan di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Taoyuan.

Cuaca terpanas

Hujung minggu, kami berkesempatan untuk pergi ke Taipei, melawat bangunan tertinggi di dunia (sehingga entry ini ditulis). Menurut radio tempatan, suhu hujung minggu itu merupakan suhu paling panas dalam beberapa tempoh. Terdetik di hati saya ketika itu, 'kalau sekiranya cuaca yang paling panas sedang melanda Taiwan, mungkin tak lama lagi cuaca yang paling sejuk pula'. Ketika itu saya beranggapan bahawa, setiap perkara itu mesti ada imbangannya.

Pandangan saya ketika itu, walaupun cuaca ketika itu merupakan yang paling panas, tidak pula saya merungut kepanasan. Mungkin kerana kurang berpeluh, suhu yang panas itu seolah tidak mendatangkan kesan nyata kepada saya.

Dalam cuaca yang panas sebegitu, masih ramai manusia mengerumuni bangunan Taipei 101, mengambil gambar bangunan, diri dan warna-warna masyarakat. Ini menguatkan lagi pandangan saya bahawa panas di Taiwan bukanlah panas mana.

Budak sekolah dalam kostum MRT - sistem rel efisyen di kawasan Taipei

Namun demikian, yang paling mengagumkan, pelajar-pelajar sekolah yang melakukan aktiviti sempena 21st Summer Deaflympics Taipei 2009. Mereka memakai pakaian beragam kreatif, yang diperbuat daripada kain tebal. Apabila melihatkan mereka, saya terfikir, bagaimana agaknya suhu dibawah kain ketika itu. Namun, mereka tetap berdisiplin mengikut arahan guru pengiring yang membantu menunjuk arah perjalanan mereka.

Hilang atas jambatan

Beberapa hari kemudian, kami ditanya pula oleh Cik Hsieh, berkenaan dengan cuaca di Malaysia. Apabila kami beritahu bahawa di Malaysia tidak berlaku bencana alam yang berat seperti ribut taufan dan gempa bumi, Cik Hsieh jadi pelik, seolah-olah tidak puas hati dengan apa yang kami sampaikan. Mungkin kerana gempa bumi dan ribut taufan merupakan perkara biasa yang mereka hadapi saban tahun.

Kami diberitahu ketika itu yang taufan akan melanda bumi Taiwan pada bila-bila masa. Cik Hsieh juga memberitahu, stesen-stesen TV Taiwan akan mengeluarkan amaran sekiranya Taufan melanda. Ada yang akan diberikan cuti supaya berdiam di rumah untuk mengelakkan perkara buruk terjadi.

Skuter, jambatan dan sungai yang kering - Di kala 'typhoon', sungai ini mampu menjadi pemangsa

Ada kisah seorang yang menaiki skuter menyeberangi jambatan melintasi sungai, yang hilang kerana terjatuh dalam sungai tersebut, setelah ditiup angin taufan. Manusia tersebut hilang sehingga ke hari ini. Oh, cerita tersebut diberitahu ketika kami sedang menggunakan jambatan di mana peristiwa itu berlaku!

Malam selepas perbincangan dengan Cik Hsieh, saya terus menggunakan enjin carian Google untuk mengetahui dengan lebih lanjut berkenaan taufan yang bakal Taiwan hadapi. Itu kali pertama saya mengenali Si Morakot. Perasaaan di dalam hati bercampur baur. Ada separuh yang mula merasakan 'kesakitan rumah', ada separuh yang ingin melihat sendiri bagaimana yang dikatakan sebagai ribut taufan, seolah-olah tidak cukup dengan apa yang dipaparkan dalam televisi.

Syukur saya tidak terhingga kepada Allah, kerana sempat kami bertolak ke Malaysia sebelum bertemu dengan Si Morakot itu. Masakan tidak, sebaik sahaja kami mendarat di Malaysia, Central Bureau of Taiwan mengeluarkan amaran bagi Morakot!

Morakot hari ini

Melihatkan kesan-kesan taufan yang melanda Taiwan, tidak dapat tidak saya bersimpati dengan apa yang menimpa. Mujur kenalan-kenalan yang saya temui di Taiwan tidak mengalami apa-apa kecederaan. Sedikit sebanyak, saya terkesan dengan apa yang berlaku, walaupun bukan di negeri sendiri. Satu, kerana pernah sampai ke bumi itu. Dua, kerana sipi-sipi sahaja kami ditakdirkan tidak bertemu. Kalau tidak di bumi, mungkin bertemu di laut? Mujur tidak berjumpa.

"Thermal Scanning in Progress (LCCT)" - Hilang satu kerisauan, datang satu lagi kerisauan lain. But, its good to be home!

Morakot merupakan taufan terburuk pernah melanda Taiwan dalam lipatan sejarah. Lebih 500 yang telah disahkan maut. Manakala lebih 10000 masih lagi hilang. Sehingga catatan ini ditulis, Taiwan masih berada dalam situasi untuk menghadapi 'aftermath' Si Morakot itu.

Morakot merupakan taufan yang paling 'basah' sekali dengan membawa hujan sehingga 2777mm di Alishan. Iya, soalan saya paling awal benar-benar terjawab. Memang ada hujan di Taiwan sebenarnya!

Catatan Konvokesyen 2009

2009-08-14T03:54:00.000-07:00

Konvokesyen 2009 - Bersama ahli keluarga.

"Apa yang kau rasa lepas terima skrol atas pentas tu?,"soal abah.

Memang saya akui, ada perasaan gementar sebelum melangkah ke Universiti Malaya pagi itu. Sempat singgah ke pejabat untuk menenangkan fikiran. Terasa untuk melawat sahabat-sahabat yang bergraduasi pada sesi pagi, namun apabila mengenangkan sesi petang itu bakal saya hadiri, saya tidak boleh duduk diam.

Selepas satu episod Tokyo Magnitude 8.0, terus saya bergerak ke Bangunan Peperiksaan, tempat berkumpul sebelum melangkah ke DTC. Jam 12.45 tengah hari. Saya merasakan sangat perlu untuk berada awal, memandangkan saya antara mereka-mereka yang tidak hadir ke raptai majlis.

Perasaan

Semuanya berlaku secara pantas. Nama dipanggil. Berjalan kehadapan, ambil skrol, turun pentas, duduk semula. Tunggu lagi beberapa nama dipanggil, kemudian keluar dari DTC yang menyaksikan kehadiran saya di bumi Universiti Malaya seawal Minggu Haluansiswa lagi.

Ketika itu, kegusaran telah hilang. Hati sudah berbunga-bunga. Saya cuba mencebikkan muka, supaya tidak kelihatan begitu gembira, tetapi gagal. Mungkin ada gambar-gambar saya yang diambil yang kurang seri mukanya kerana cubaan-cubaan mencebik.

"Penat dah senyum?," salah seorang senior bertanyakan soalan setelah kami bertemu di luar dewan.

Senyum pada hari itu sememangnya automatik.

Yang penat ialah berjalan-jalan dengan pakaian berlapis dengan tangan yang penuh. Kamera yang mencari-cari senyuman manusia masih boleh ditangani lagi. Ucapan terima kasih saya hulurkan kepada semua yang menghadiri untuk mengucapkan tahniah dan memberikan hadiah. Entah berapa kali terima kasih saya berikan kepada semua.

Yang lagi penat ialah cubaan untuk mengingatkan diri bahawa semua yang saya kecapi hari tersebut adalah rezeki yang Allah berikan yang juga menjadi ujian besar buat saya.

Penat untuk mengingatkan diri supaya tidak berasa bangga dengan pujian-pujian manusia.

Mencari makna konvokesyen

Pembelajaran selama 4 tahun yang saya alami di bumi Universiti Malaya ini bukanlah suatu yang sangat mudah. Ianya suatu yang sangat payah untuk saya hadapi sendirian. Abah dan emak yang banyak memberikan dorongan. Ahli keluarga saya yang sangat 'supportive'. Sahabat-sahabat perjuangan yang berada di sisi ketika cabaran yang 'pelik-pelik' menimpa saya. Rakan-rakan satu kolej, fakulti, kursus dan ramai lagi yang menghuni pengalaman-pengalaman berharga saya sepanjang di UM.

Segala puji bagi Allah, yang menentukan banyak aspek yang saya temui, dapati dan capai sepanjang 4 tahun yang lalu.

Konvokesyen itu merupakan pengiktirafan manusia kepada ilmu yang saya dapati.

Ilmu yang diiktiraf yang saya dapati itu merupakan susunan ilmu yang pre-detemined, sebelum saya memilih jurusan yang saya minati lagi.

Tetapi sebenarnya, sepanjang 4 tahun lalu, banyak juga ilmu-ilmu lain yang saya timba yang tidak diiktiraf dalam bentuk skrol.

Kerisauan saya ialah, adakah saya telah menghabiskan masa selama 4 tahun ini semata-mata untuk mendapatkan pengiktirafan manusia dalam bentuk skrol?

Kovokesyen itu merupakan hari memberikan amanah kepada penerima skrol. Selepas ini tanggungjawab kita adalah untuk membantu masyarakat dengan ilmu yang telah dipelajari. Mengamalkan ilmu yang telah diberikan ke jalan yang betul.

Kerisauan saya pula ialah samaada saya telah terponteng kelas, atau tertiru assignments, tutorials, tests dan exams. Saya juga risau sama ada saya terminta tolong seseorang untuk tandatangan kehadiran saya ke kuliah.

Risau lagi saya sekiranya saya pernah menyakiti hati pensyarah-pensyarah dan tutors yang saya temui sepanjang 4 tahun lalu.

Risau saya tidak dapat memikul amanah dan kepercayaan yang telah manusia berikan kepada saya.

Menuju ke hadapan

Sebenarnya, saya tidak perlu risau sekiranya niat yang saya letak dalam setiap perbuatan saya itu merupakan niat yang betul. Niat yang betul akan membawa kata-kata dan tindakan yang tepat dengan situasi dan suasana.

Saya mohon keampunan kepada Allah, sekiranya saya sentiasa lari dari niat yang tepat sepanjang kehidupan ini, terutamanya sepanjang 4 tahun tersebut. Sempat saya berkongsi harapan saya dalam Facebook:

Ya Allah, amatlah sesal bagi diri kami ini, sekiranya yang dikejar selama 4 tahun ini merupakan pengiktirafan manusia dalam sebuah skrol. Sangatlah sesal sekiranya ilmu yang kami dapat ini diperolehi dengan cara ponteng, meniru atau 'mintak sign'. Ampunkan dosa kami dan redhailah segala perbuatan kami selama 4 tahun ini. Bantulah kami dalam menjalankan tugas dan amanah serta mengamalkan segala ilmu setelah kami diberi kepercayaan oleh manusia.

Sekarang, yang perlu saya fikirkan ialah masa hadapan. Saya sudah meletakkan beberapa perkara untuk dicapai, seperti mana saya meletakkan dan merancang semasa awal permulaan pembelajaran 4 tahun itu. Tetapi, kali ini, saya perlu pastikan, untuk semua perkara yang saya ingin capai, bukanlah kerana saya inginkan pengiktirafan manusia, tetapi kerana inginkan keredhaan-Nya.

Kepada semua, saya masih memerlukan anda. Tegurlah saya sekiranya anda berpandangan yang saya telah melencong ke tempat yang tidak sepatutnya. Kepada Allah kita sama-sama mohon agar ditunjukkan jalan yang lurus.

Bahasa Kembara di Taiwan

2009-08-11T03:19:00.000-07:00

Bahasa Melayu

"Perempuan Taiwan tak bagus, mau duit. Perempuan Vietnam bagus, tak mau duit", kata salah seorang pekerja yang saya temui di kilang Manford Machinery Co. Terkejut apabila saya dengar bahasa Melayu digunakan oleh bukan Melayu. Tambahan pula, Taiwan penuh dengan pengguna bahasa Cina. Apabila ditanya, beliau menyatakan yang beliau berasal dari Vietnam. Pernah bekerja di Malaysia selama 3 tahun. Kalau bukan kerana teman yang turut bersama saya ke Taiwan menggunakan bahasa Melayu, alamatnya 9 hari saya tidak menggunakan bahasa ibunda saya.

Vietnamese yang sangat rajin dan menguasai banyak bahasa

Apabila ditanya kepada salah seorang anak kepada pemilik kilang, pekerja Vietnam tersebut memang merupakan seorang yang rajin bekerja dan menguasai banyak bahasa. Apabila saya perhatikan perbualannya bersama rakan sekerja, beliau menggunakan bahasa Cina. Walhal baru sahaja bekerja dua tahun di situ.

Bahasa Kira-kira

Bahasa memang menjadi salah satu kesukaran yang dihadapi sepanjang saya berada di Taiwan baru-baru ini. Ada ketika saya dan teman melangkah ke 7-Eleven. Selesai memilih barang yang hendak dibeli, terus kami ke kaunter pembayaran. Mudah untuk membayar apabila ada paparan skrin mesen pembayaran yang dioperasikan oleh si 'cashier'. Matematik, bahasanya sama sahaja di mana-mana tempat. Simbol notasi yang mewakili nombor mungkin boleh berubah, tetapi konsep tambah dan tolak pastinya sama.

Terkejut apabila gadis 'cashier' tersebut menghulurkan sebuah kotak kepada kami. Dengan lancar gadis tersebut menerangkan sesuatu, menggunakan bahasa yang tidak kami fahami tentunya.

Rupanya gadis tersebut mahu kami memilih salah satu kad yang terdapat di dalam kotak tersebut. Setelah memilih salah satu, dengan menggunakan pengimbas barkod, gadis tersebut mengimbas kad untuk menentukan nilai diskaun yang kami dapat untuk pembelian yang dibuat.

Sangkaan awal saya, kotak tersebut untuk derma kebajikan!

Bahasa Jalan Raya

Antara perkara yang sangat mengejutkan saya ialah trend menggunakan skuter di kawasan bandar. Sukar untuk mendapati motosikal 'kapcai' dan motorsikal berkuasa tinggi di atas jalan raya. Hari pertama saya tiba di Taiwan, saya mengambil banyak gambar-gambar skuter yang diparkir di kaki lima. Semuanya diletakkan rapat-rapat, seolah-olah pemiliknya boleh menggunakan mana-mana skuter yang diparkir disitu kerana kebarangkalian untuk 'tidak perasan skuter sendiri'.

"Pedestrian has the right of way"

Pemandu kenderaan di Taiwan menggunakan laluan disebelah kanan, seperti kebanyakan negara di Barat. Laluan sikal adalah yang paling kanan sekali. Kenderaan dibenarkan untuk membelok ke kanan walaupun ketika itu lampu hijau diberikan untuk pejalan kaki melintas jalan. Namun, kenderaan akan memberikan prioriti kepada pejalan kaki yang sedang melintas.

Bagi orang yang diajarkan untuk melihat kanan-kiri-kanan untuk melintas jalan sejak dari kecil, kesukaran tentunya berlaku. Nasib baik saya tidak diberikan peluang memandu kereta. Mungkin terhempas dengan pemandu arah bertentangan. Menukar laluan pemanduan perlu disertai dengan sifir 'ikut kanan, ikut kanan'. Mungkin sekali perlu ada co-pilot di sebelah untuk mengingatkan.

'Kiri-kanan-kiri'. Teringat zaman kawad Pengakap di sekolah dulu. Teringat juga iklan 'Street Smart Petronas' dengan kartun-kartun comel melintas jalan. Nampaknya, ada perkara yang kita perlu belajar semula walaupun perkara tersebut sudah terlalu biasa bagi kita.

Bahasa Mesin

Berbincang dengan bahasa mudah. Demonstrasi

Teringat saya kepada seorang lagi 'sifu' saya yang mengajar di Manford Machinery. Yang sukarnya, 'sifu' saya ini tidak fasih berbahasa Inggeris. Tapi, boleh dikatakan 50% pembelajaran di kilang tersebut adalah dikelola oleh beliau. Dalam kesukaran berkomunikasi itu, kami menemui satu persamaan yang memudahkan.

Bahasa mesin. Sepanjang 4 tahun pengajian, saya diperkenalkan dengan satu bahasa, atau lebih tepat lagi kod-kod mesin Computer Numerical Control (CNC). Mudahnya kerja 'sifu' saya apabila hanya perlu menunjukkan fungsi-fungsi punat dan tombol pada mesin tersebut dengan membuat demonstrasi menggunakan mesin. Tekan punat ini, mesin akan mula beroperasi, punat itu untuk mengeluarkan cecair penyejuk, 'port' ini untuk menghantar maklumat bentuk yang perlu dimesin menggunakan 'G-Code' dari komputer peribadi kepada mesin.

Bahasa mencari Tuhan

Nampak sahaja perkataan 'halal', senyum sampai telinga!

Syukur kepada Tuhan, kerana latihan bagi perkara-perkara lain yang lebih kritikal diajarkan kepada saya menggunakan bahasa Inggeris. Mudah untuk menangkap pelajaran yang disampaikan melalui perantaraan bahasa yang saya sudah mulai selesa dengannya. Syukur juga kerana sepanjang berada di negara tersebut, kami dipandu oleh orang tempatan yang fasih bahasa Inggeris dan bahasa Cinanya.

Bilik hotel yang kami duduki semasa berkursus di Manford tidak mempunyai tingkap. Setelah 'check-in' di sebelah petang, saya terus meminta pengiring kami untuk menanyakan kepada pihak hotel arah Utara, untuk kami menentukan arah kiblat. Panggilan telefon daripada 'receptionist' hotel dalam bahasa Inggeris yang tersekat-sekat; "After you go into your room, turn right. That is North". Saya terpaksa meminta ulangan.

Solat Zohor dan Asar kami tunaikan dalam bilik mesyuarat kilang, setelah diberitahu di mana arah matahari terbit.

Hari-hari awal kami di Taiwan, bilik hotelnya ada tingkap. Matahari terbenam memang betul-betul boleh dilihat dari tingkap hotel. Sempat juga 'double-check' dengan menggunakan Google Maps, terus menggunakan pandangan satelit untuk melihat jalan raya dan hotel yang kami duduki.

Di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Taoyuan, saya gagal menemukan arah kiblat menggunakan Google Maps yang secara 'default' menggunakan bahasa Cina. Mujur waktu Zohor ketika itu, matahari sudah mula beransur ke Barat. Solat kami di sebelah luar salah sebuah pintu terminal yang kurang dilalui orang. Selesai solat, saya perasan ada seorang pengawal keselamatan lapangan terbang sedang berkawal berdekatan dengan tempat kami solat. Syukur, tiada sebarang insiden tidak diingini yang berlaku.

Solat kami menggunakan bahasa Arab tentunya.

Lepas makan,bertegur sapa dengan chef yang didatangkan khas dari Turki

Alangkah gembiranya rasa hati apabila melihat seorang mualaf Cina yang bekerja di sebuah restoran halal Turki mengucapkan 'I am a Muslim, Alhamdulillah'. Beliau terus berkongsi dengan pengiring kami berkenaan Islam dalam bahasa Cina. Beliau juga sempat berkongsi kesukaran untuk menghafal bacaan dalam solat yang menggunakan bahasa Arab. Paling bertuah apabila beliau terus menerangkan kepada pengiring kami mengapa kami tidak memakan ayam, daging dan 'pork', memudahkan pemahaman pengiring kami terhadap diet kami yang sedikit pelik.

Sebelum beredar, sempat kami berbalas salam dengan tukang masak Muslim dari Turki yang memasak juadah makan malam hari itu.

p/s: I really need to learn more languages!

Ekonomi Bertuhan

2009-07-27T20:07:00.000-07:00

Perkongsian bersama saudara Wan Fayshal baru-baru ini dalam Diskusi Ekonomi ECONS (DisKon) menambah lagi satu lagi keping dalam puzzle yang saya perlu lengkapkan untuk memahami dunia Islam secara lengkap. Sebelum ini saya sempat berbincang dengan beberapa orang tokoh (walaupun perbincangan yang sehala, kerana kelemahan saya dalam bidang-bidang tersebut) berkenaan pendidikan Islam; bagaimana sistem pendidikan perlu dilihat secara 'tauhidic'. Begitu jugalah sistem ekonomi, perlu dilihat sedemikian, malah, cadangan untuk rejuvenasi ekonomi Islam perlulah bermula dengan membetulkan pandang alam untuk melihat semua perkara dengan pandangan tauhidic, maka pendidikan Islam banyak memain peranan untuk memulakan anjakan pandangan alam.

Awal-awal lagi, jawapan kepada persoalan samaada wujud ekonomi Islam ataupun tidak pada waktu mutakhir, telah dijawab - Tidak. Ditanya samaada wujud pada zaman dahulu, penerangannya mudah, tidak ada yang dikatakan sebagai ekonomi Islam, kerana semua aktiviti yang dijalankan pada zaman dahulu yang kita kaitkan dengan apa yang kita panggil 'ekonomi' sekarang ini dijalankan secara Islamic. Pandangan ahli ekonomi kini berkenaan 'homo economicus' - manusia yang tak diambil kira sifatnya selain ketamakan dan penting diri; pada zaman dahulu mungkin sahaja dibahaskan dibawah bidang falsafah ataupun bidang lain yang menerangkan tentang manusia. Ekonomi memang sudah dibincangkan melalui bidang-bidang lain, tambahan pula zaman dahulu sarjana-sarjana Islam tidak dipetakkan untuk mempelajari satu-satu bidang.

Mampu sahaja ada yang hafaz Al-Quran, tapi pada masa yang sama faqih bidang geologi dan perubatan. Maka mudah sahaja ulama' ketika itu menyelesaikan permasalahan umat, mereka memang faham secara jelas isu semasa permasalahan yang wujud dalam bidang yang pelbagai.

Pandangan Wan Fayshal apabila habis perkongsian sehala saya dapati mengarah kepada sistem ekonomi Islam mirip sistem sosialis. Contoh-contoh yang diberikan, banyak yang menunjukkan beberapa gerakan luar Malaysia yang cuba untuk membawa pemikiran sosialis. Pertanyaan saya ketika itu, samaada benar sistem ekonomi Islam mirip sosialis berbanding kapitalis. Sistem 'welfare state' yang diamalkan beberapa negara yang bukan 'socialist in nature' sebenarnya telahpun diamalkan zaman Abbasiyah melalui perlaksanaan zakat dan jizyah.

Namun demikian, beliau akui bahawa ada juga beberapa pihak yang berpandangan bahawa sistem ekonomi kapitalis juga boleh dikaitkan dengan sistem ekonomi Islam. Hal ini saya rasa, perlukan satu perbincangan panjang, mungkin menampilkan pihak from the two extremes.

Perlu diingat juga, ramai yang bercakap soal ekonomi Islam mutakhir ini, tetapi sebenarnya berkata berkenaan 'Islamic Finance'; ataupun ada yang berbicara berkenaan Jihad Ekonomi - tetapi sebenarnya menerangkan perniagaan secara Islam.

Kini, kita bisa sahaja mendefinisikan kebahagiaan dalam sistem kapitalis sebagai 'maximizing profit' tanpa mengambil kira sustainability alam sekitar sebagai salah satu externalities. Autoriti tertinggi dalam sistem kapitalis itu ialah pasar (market).

Bisa sahaja 'safety-net' didirikan dalam sistem kapitalis menjadikan negara tersebut sebagai sebuah 'Social Democracy'. Bisa sahaja banyak tanggungan kerajaan sehingga ada negara yang bankrupt.

Lalu, apa pula yang dikatakan sebagai Ekonomi Islam? Autoriti tertingginya ialah Tuhan. Definisi kebahagiaannya bukan untuk menipulasi semuanya yang ada di muka bumi ini. Institusi yang wujud sejak zaman kegemilangan Islam terdahulu, wakaf dan zakat contohnya, dijalankan kerana pandang alam terhadap institusi tersebut adalah Tuhan. Zakat merupakan tuntutan agama. Memberikan sedekah contohnya, tidak akan asing daripada konsep mendapat pahala - satu pengalaman spiritual yang melengkapkan sifat seseorang manusia; good-natured.

Mana mungkin model homo-economicus digunakan dalam ekonomi yang penuh dengan orang yang setiap tindakannya ada pengaruh spiritual, bukan sahaja menggunakan akal yang mahukan material?

Seperti kata Wan Fayshal, ekonomi Islam memang tidak ada kerana semuanya dibuat secara Islam pada zaman kegemilangan Islam satu ketika dulu. Ekonomi yang bukan Islam ini sebenarnya dihasilkan atas tiadanya pandangan alam yang tauhidic, dihasilkan apabila hidup dilihat secara sekular. Definisi manusia, tujuan hidup, interaksi mereka satu sama lain, semuanya masalah yang sudah lama selesai dalam Islam.

Model ekonomi kapitalis mungkin dapat menunjukkan sikap manusia yang tamak. Pembuktian bahawa ketamakan manusia tak kan membawa tamadun ke mana-mana sudah banyak kali dibuktikan. Krisis demi krisis telah kita hadapi.

State property pula menonjolkan ketamakan sesetengah pihak. Ada juga ineffectiveness due to no pecuniary incentives. Yang dapat wang, terus tamak menggunakan cukai tersembunyi. Tamak lagi.

Lalu, ekonomi yang tidak tamak itu bagaimana?

Solusi yang dibincangkan dalam Diskon : Mesti ubah pandang alam manusia tentang banyak perkara kepada pandangan tauhidic, selain institusi-institusi yang sedia untuk bergerak melaksanakan perkara-perkara yang bukan cosmetic change. Semuanya tidak dapat lari daripada Islamisasi ilmu, selain kerangka falsafah yang perlu ada untuk mendefinisikan banyak perkara.

p/s: I realized that I can get 'biological' headache when I listen to inputs like DisKon.

p/p/s: This is my understanding on DisKon 1. Feel free to comment and correct.

p/p/p/s: Come and join us in Facebook, or visit this website.

That 3 words

2009-07-24T03:33:00.000-07:00

Besok paginya, dia tetap tersenyum.

Alahai, aku terlupa lagi. Aku lapar semalam.

Mana aku boleh tahan jam 3 perut belum berisi.

Tetapi dia terus senyum.

Lantas dinasihati "Kalau baliknya awal pagi, mandinya jangan diatas, tapi dibawah"

Aku terima nasihatnya.

Kemudian dia beritahu, strateginya untuk hujung minggu.

Bila dengar lauk kegemaranku

Fikir dua kali juga untuk melantak malam ini

Sempat berjumpa dengan kawan 'the doctor'

Dinasihat lagi. Kali ini, guna kalkulator dalam talifon

"Kau di paras bahaya"

Ini buat aku fikir untuk yang ketiga kalinya pula.

Tapi kucing tidor tak boleh biar

Tak boleh blah

Pagi itu nak bertolak

Sekarang selalu sahaja dia berdiri depan pintu

Tersentuh.

Kawan 'the doctor' kata, biasalah lelaki

Nanti-nanti tukar keluarga

Hati berontak, masakan akan berlaku begitu?

I love you.

Iya, hari tu aku kata juga.

Tapi, biarlah. Nak kata hari-hari.

p/s: My sister did an experiment to members of our family by sending a short and simple "I love you" SMS. Somehow, I felt that saying loving words becomes easier.

p/p/s: I have a strict rule of saying "I love you".

p/p/p/s: Nah, friend of 'the doctor'! A personal post. Anyway. Thanks. I love good food.

About Me

2009-07-22T05:08:00.000-07:00

I have hesitated to make this as a post by itself. In the future, this post will be added up gradually as a record of the feats that I made, experiences gathered along the way, as an attempt to put a memory of good times so that I can replay it in the future.

I sincerely hope that this can be the only post that I have to write about my achievements as I do not love to brag, instead of reading this post, why don't you read other posts that I wrote on my mistakes, experiences that hopefully can be a benefit to you. But Since you are here, make your journey worthwhile.

Name : Mohamad Hilman bin Nordin

Date of Birth: 17th February 1986

Place of Birth : Kuala Lumpur

1993 - 2003

His primary school study began at Sekolah Kebangsaan Kelana Jaya 2, where he learnt how to read, write and count. He then continues his learning at Sekolah Menengah Kelana Jaya (Form 1 - Form 3) and later at Sekolah Menengah Sains Hulu Selangor. (Form 4 - Form 5).

2004 - 2009.

He then further his study in Physical Sciences at Malacca Matriculation College. Afterwards, he spent four years in University of Malaya completing B.Eng in CAD/CAM. He graduated from University of Malaya in 2009.

May 2009 - Nov 2009
He worked for six months with Advanced Manufacturing and Materials Processing Centre (AMMP Centre) as Product Design Engineer. He learnt the basics of technical trade, fabrication and programming - with product design being the core of his job. The experience working in research environment also benefited him vastly in his view of academic life.

Nov 2009 - Now
He is now currently working in University of Malaya as a tutor while at the same time pursuing his studies at masters level.

Link to UMExpert page.

Menjelang Kongres Pertama Rejuvenasi Pendidikan Islam Negara

2009-07-06T02:17:00.000-07:00

11 Julai 2009♦Auditorium Muzium Shah Alam♦6 kertas kerja

Dirasmikan oleh Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim

'Rejuvenasi Pendidikan Memartabatkan Insan'

Perjalanan saya bersama Kongres Pertama Rejuvenasi Sistem Pendidikan Islam Negara (KO-SPIN '09) merupakan satu perjalanan memahami suatu yang tidak saya sedari sebelum ini. Hari Sabtu 11 Julai 2009 ini di Auditorium Muzium Shah Alam, bakal berlangsung suatu sejarah yang menjadi hadiah GAMIS kepada negara. Perjalanan menuju destinasi 'hadiah' tersebut merupakan perjalanan yang melibatkan banyak perkongsian dan percambahan idea, muhasabah dan kesedaran dalam diri.

Perjalanan yang bukan milik saya seorang, namun setiap yang bergerak pasti berbeza pengalamannya.

Saya terpaksa melihat semula kuliah kejuruteraan 4 tahun di universiti menggunakan 'tauhidic worldview'. Saya kini mengakui bahawa sesungguhnya Allah memberikan peluang yang sama kepada para hambaNya untuk mendekatkan diri kepadaNya.

Bayangkan sahaja perisian komputer yang bisa menunjukkan aliran pemindahan haba; asalnya dibina dengan menggunakan bahasa pengatucaraan yang melibatkan matematik, berdasarkan eksperimen-eksperimen yang mengaitkan kondisi-kondisi persekitaran aliran pemindahan haba tersebut. Ada hukum-hukumnya yang tertentu.

Sesungguhnya Tuhan kamu ialah Allah yang menciptakan langit dan bumi dalam enam masa lalu Ia bersemayam di atas Arasy; Ia melindungi malam dengan siang yang mengiringinya dengan deras (silih berganti) dan (Ia pula yang menciptakan) matahari dan bulan serta bintang-bintang, (semuanya) tunduk kepada perintahNya. Ingatlah, kepada Allah jualah tertentu urusan menciptakan (sekalian makhluk) dan urusan pemerintahan. Maha Suci Allah yang mencipta dan mentadbirkan sekalian alam. (Al-A'raaf : 54)

Pemindahan haba dalam 'mixer' - Dua aliran masuk, satu aliran keluar

Sebelum ini melihat corak pemindahan haba mampu sahaja membuatkan saya kagum dengan pengatucara dan penemu-penemu kondisi-kondisi persekitaran pemindahan haba yang membawa kepada corak berwarna-warni tersebut.

Sepatutnya, bisa saja saya kagum dengan Allah, pentadbir urus alam semesta, yang mentadbir dari sekecil-kecil zarah sehingga urusan pentadbiran alam semesta yang tak terjangkau manusia. Masakan pentadbiran pemindahan haba dalam kondisi mikro seperti ini tidak ditadbir oleh Allah?

Ketika menemui hakikat ini, saya tersedar, sistem pendidikan di negara ini masih banyak ruang untuk pembaikan. Itu hasil pengalaman saya, saya percaya penggerak-penggerak KO-SPIN '09 masing-masing ada pengalaman-pengalaman mereka yang berharga.

Perjalanan menuju kepada KO-SPIN '09 merupakan perjalanan merendah diri. Masakan tidak, bidang pendidikan bukanlah bidang pembelajaran saya, seperti mana bidang agama bukan bidang saya. Apabila berkali-kali melihat semula kepada objektif kongres menyebabkan saya merasakan banyak lagi perlu dilakukan. KO-SPIN '09 merupakan langkah pemula untuk membetulkan pandang alam terhadap pendidikan agama Islam dalam negara. Pada masa yang sama, tidak dapat mengelak untuk menyentuh soal pensekularan sistem pendidikan.

Sebagai pemula untuk rejuvenasi sistem, perjalanannya masih panjang. Pengalaman yang ada di dalam perjalanannya juga sangat luas. Sokongan kerajaan, ahli-ahli akademik, NGO dan orang awam amat diperlukan. Kalaupun tidak dapat menyokong permulaan, pastikan menjadi penyambut baik kepada penerusan rejuvenasi ini.

Doakan agar usaha ini berterusan dan mendapat pertolongan dan keredhaan dari Allah.

p/s: Details, here (http://kongrespendidikan.blogspot.com)

The Letter (Part 5)

2009-06-30T17:17:00.000-07:00

It has been long since our last conversation. No reply from you.

I visited you, only to see a place that will remain one of my aspired destination.

I remembered that story, about the man who climbed the tallest coconut tree in the world, each time he climbed, he saw a better view of the world. But soon, after he keep on climbing, he can no longer see the bottom, he only see the stars.

I hope we do not forget our roots, even we at the top of our own trees.

InsyaAllah, I will see you again, and at that time, for real.

I am still waiting for a reply from you, but I know this time I already have what to say to you. I have a no for the answer.

Next time I see you, I will be a better person. If I may, I would like you to pray for me.

p/s: Ya Allah, please guide me through Your plan.

Childish Dreams and people who earned "watch this space" award.

2009-06-27T23:46:00.000-07:00

UPDATED June 29th:

Some responded (not through the entry's comments) that I shouldn't tell the world that I can help everyone achieve their dream. It was not my intention to imply that, if you too understood this post that way, I am really sorry. I wanted to tell the world that I have many friends with beautiful dreams, some are big thus fall into my definition of childish. And the definition of childish dream meanwhile was not to ridicule their dreams, but to put it into a different light - with the fact that we always dream freely when we were small. But now, after all the years we have been living, we know, to realize our dream we need to plan.

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I asked a few friends of mine, those who were really helpful to discuss serious matters with me on what should I become in later years. I believe its a late planning attempt in my part to direct myself on life as a journey, but despite all that still having faith in the power of planning. Deep in my hearts, I hope Allah have a better plan for me, even larger than I can imagine.

In an attempt to make a 'proposal to myself', I also discover what are the things that are inside my friends' head. To my surprise, they too have a big thinking mindset, but being young and irrational, have yet to plan properly in order to achieve what they want.

I call these as 'childish dreams'. These are the things you really hope to become, but yet, some in circumstances that hold you from achieving it. These dreams are idealistic, but being a 'child' does not stop them to dream big. I see each and every dream as something that can be realized, provided the right opportunity and right attitude is there in the approach.

One friend wants to be a Queen. Another wants to be the Prime Minister of Malaysia.
One friend wants to be a Professor, another wants to be a host in a TV-show.
One friend wants to penetrate the international market in muslim apparel.
One friend wants to be a movie director, and I said I can give a few good phone numbers to start the journey.

Of course, I shared with them my deepest ambitions. It was not a childhood dream. It was something developed over the years, taking into account the history of mankind, separating what can be done and what couldn't. To share it here would not be strategic, as I would not know your response (your own dreams).

That moment, I realized that, I wanted to help. I wanted them to achieve their dreams, as badly as I want mine to be realized. I imagined a world that is better with these good friends of mine being somebody who believe the world can be a better place.

I am searching for more childish dreams - dreams that are wishful, but those that can really transform the world into a better place.

What's your dream?
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Before this, I read the news on an upcoming debate on unity government between Mr. Dzul Khairi and Mr. Mior Isfandy. The debate was being viewed as a start for the culture of discussing politics intellectually between students by Mr. Syaari.

Seeing these 3 persons, I can't help but start imagining what will they become in the years to come. However, I know that each of them will truly become somebody in the future, if they are still believing in making the world a better place.
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p/s: friends, go ahead and dream. If I can be of assistance, I will try my best to, provided that you want to make the world a better place, not destroying it.
p/p/s: I will update my personal 'watch this space' award quietly. You never know what will happen to the stranger you meet online the same way you never know what will happen to your friends.

The Marriage Supermarket

2009-06-17T08:49:00.000-07:00

I have a few friends who are already married. Some more had already enganged. Many are currently in a relationship, leaving a little group of 'I don't give a damn about relationship' kind of people. I was not thinking of classifying myself in any of those groups.

In The Logic of Life by Tim Hardford, I was attracted to this concept of Marriage Supermarket. Let's say there are 20 people in the Market. 10 male and 10 female. All of them are equal products, shopping in the market is easy because anyone can take home their spouse. And the value of a marriage is conceptually RM100. Combinations of 10 couples can be obtained, and each of the 10 can cash out RM 100. Possibly, the RM 100 will be shared in a fair amount between the husband and the wife. Each of the 20 people will then receive RM50. This is a regular scenario in the Marriage Supermarket.

Let's say, in another case, there are 19 people in the Market. Sadly, guys are numbered until 9 while their female potential partners are 10. All of the guys and girls will try their best to cash out something at the checkout counter. How does this look like in the marriage supermarket?

The force at work here will be among the women. All 9 of them will compete to get the values from their marriage. We have put the value of marriage at a conceptual RM 100. Therefore, the girls will try to bargain their share of the value by reducing the amount of their share. One of the women must have offered one of the guys to cut her share to RM49 to RM51 for the guy. But of course, the one girl who is risking not being picked will counter-bid to the price, cutting her share even lower.

Transactions in the Supermarket could not escape what economists agree as the law of one price which stated: "In an efficient market all identical goods must have only one price". Remember, the only girl left out will not be having a spouse and nothing to cashout at the checkout counter. Therefore, share price can go as low as 1 cents, for all the married women. All the guys will have RM 99.99 from the transactions they did in the Marriage Supermarket.

Guys in the story have the power of scarcity. The one guy that did not show up for the second scenario might be in jail, "pusat serenti" or 'rempit'ed his life to death - thus giving the other guys better deals from the market.

Girls who try to cut her share down in the Market is doing similar strategies inthe real world. To make themselves a better catch than the other girls, they will go to college, do a makeover, and many other things to make themselves mpore attractive to men. In the Logic of Life, this is how women responded rationally to the shortage of men as pointed out by Harford.

But, men in the real world may decide not to marry at all, even when they are the lesser amount of species. They will firstly rationally weigh the advantage and disadvantages of marriages. That will furher cut down the pool of marriageable men, apart from those in jails, and 'pusat serentis'.

Now the argument about marriage is then put to a bigger picture of reality. Objectives of marriages will be considered. Marriage is not a simple going to the Supermarket where you can choose anyone to live with. Both men and women will weigh in advantages and disadvantages. Rationally not getting married because sex is available with more women armed with contraceptives may be the path for men. Women who before carefully select guys who they sleep with will rationally available to any takers because of the reduced risk of getting pregnant.

In the book, Mr Harford was using the Supermarket analogy as above, applying the conceptual value of marriage in pounds. Society that embraces sex before marriage is available in the Western and Westernized countries. Other than rationally 'berzina' with someone, Mr Harford also put on arguments on rationally comitting crime and rationally get the addiction to drugs and smoke.

We might view the society differently. As a Muslim for example, the men are allowed to take more than one women as his wife. A different model of the Marriage Supermarket can be worked out from the Muslim view of marriage.

Secondly, human rationale have its limits. Therefore, rules and regulations are there to help us. But, of course, given human rationale, they can always change the rules according to their tastes - after laying out all the arguments needed, for example on adultery. If committing it before is very risky because of pregnancy, carefully rationalising the topic with the introduction of contraceptives might help legalising it.

As a Muslim, I believe that the rules and regulations must be referred to Al-Quran. Little that we know back then of the AIDS disease. Rationalising our decisions (per se) for many other things to come might be costly in the future. In this case, God knows best.

Thirdly, ask yourselves, is our country a Western or a Westernized country? If your answer is one of the two, then, expect the same trend to be available in the country, where there are a lot of people fighting behind the masks of 'Human Rights'. If you have a different answer from the two, I will say that, "You are optimistic. Let us pray to God to put our country out of harm's way".

Agenda Awani : Wajib Lulus BI Untuk Lulus SPM?

2009-06-11T03:34:00.000-07:00

Suhaimi Sulaiman as the host, along with three other panelists.

I had an opportunity to be on-air on ASTRO AWANI (Astro Channel 501) last Tuesday. The recent suggestion by the Minister of Education has been talked about by many. The people of Malaysia was asked to respond to the topic using various channels. "Wajib lulus Bahasa Inggeris untuk lulus SPM?" was the topic in the live talkshow and I was representing Gabungan Mahasiswa Islam Semalaysia (GAMIS) to give some views on the issue.

Thank you Allah for the opportunity to share with a wider audience

I am thankful to many of my friends who responded to me in Facebook and Yahoo Messenger. I was told that the talk will involve the discussions of effective English learning methods. All your suggestions was very good and highlights the importance of English, especially in the age of Internet. Thank you very much!

InsyaAllah, I will update this space with the video after I received it from Astro.

p/s: I brought a low-battery camera to the studio, ruining the chance to get some pictures of the places and celebrities.

p/p/s: Lucky me that my family back home took pictures of the television set! (~ the flickering effect)

Future dad

2009-06-03T17:12:00.000-07:00

No, I am not married yet. Although I managed to play a trick on a friend of mine saying that I am married, that does not mean I am going to be a father real soon. I do not have a wife with a bulge under her clothes, but I am the one who do have the "sihat kau sekarang..." type of belly.

The first son is a high maintenance child. He remembered crashing into someone's car, with the dad openly pays for all the damages done. He thought he can click an 'undo' button after all the mess, the usual thing he did when he crashes a program or when he erased the filling for Mio's eyes accidentally. What more, he even thought to apply for an internship with the guy he crashed into, seeing that the guy works in a small aircraft company.

The second child is a daughter. A writer. The one with the genes of creativity inherited from the father. Will publish a book real soon I guess. The first son was real jealous when she come into life. She, in the first son's opinion, was the favorite of the father.

The third child is a son. A genius.

The fourth child is a daughter. This particular child is why the dad is a future dad. This child has been churning out videos to be posted in YouTube. Even made a video for the dad's birthday. A potential threat to the copyright law, but since the dad is from the publishing industry, the last child has been putting disclaimers on her video, telling people from all around the world that the characters and music featured in the video is not hers.

Guess what, the last daughter, even though not in good terms with the second child at times, learned a lot from her sister.

And the dad faces a lot of things never faced before by his forefathers. In the Internet age, his children does not only submitted to 'real' peer pressure as they used to. They have friends from all around the world. Some of the friends are not even real.

The dad took his time to be one of the friends for his children, whether virtually and physically. The dad took the trouble of adding the childrens in his Facebook account, even leaving comments to the childrens's blogs. Not many parents know of the 'Second Life' their child has in the reality of today.

The dad now owns an account in Facebook, manages 2 blogs, one for his novel, one for his thoughts. He even thought of making a new one. Twitter? He follows his first son's updates. maybe he will have an account real soon.

p/s: The third child is my rival. Genius is a word I think best suit him - no need to say more.

p/p/s: I am the first child.

p/p/p/s: Iman sayang abah, abahlah abah Iman dunia dan akhirat. Happy belated birthday! (3rd June 2009)

"Shopping" itu runtuh

2009-05-30T01:45:00.000-07:00

As a small kid, I always tempted with the offers my parents made when they want to go out of the house. I really loved to go out and inside the car, the prospect of seeing things other than my own 'conquered' house made me happy. So, if I see my parents dressed well, I will question my parents, 'where are you going?'

And now, if I dressed well, my little sister will ask me the same thing. It makes you want to say "Salah ke pakai lawa-lawa kat dalam rumah?"

I remembered when my parents wanted to go to my favourite places. I will associate 'pergi' with places. For example, 'Jom pergi Taman Jaya'. (Oh, this is one of my favourite place. I love climbing ropes - but the one that was happier was Ai-Chan). It goes 'Jom pergi Giant', 'Jom pergi Mersing'. So, I as a small kid, always know that if its 'pergi', then it means going somewhere.

So one of those times, my parents said, 'Jom pergi shopping'. Of course, as a small and innocent kid, will associate shopping as a name of a place. So, there goes another addition to my favourite places. 'Shopping' in my definition at that time was a place, specifically the in-mall playground where they have bumper cars, small go around trains and electronic horses. (I forgot what I had rode, but I do love the trains)

A few years in the future, that is in the present, I learned that "Shopping" has collapsed

p/s : Aqillz also blogged about it. She reminisce about working at "Shopping".

p/p/s: Agreed with her bout the place being chill spots of ALL chill spots before MV and OU

Live from the Kenduri Kahwin

2009-05-24T01:24:00.000-07:00

Today someone called. She was someone I would like to call as my 'would be' mother in-law a few years back. She asked me why I was not there with her at one of my schoolmate wedding ceremony. I have no particular reason as to be an excuse for me not to be there. So she implied that I was so busy politicking, just like what everyone said about me, the politics guy.

"Hilman nak cakap dengan kawan-kawan dekat sini?" she offered that I speak to my friends useing her phone. I quickly avoided.

"Taknaklah makcik. Nanti pelik pula diorang kalau saya guna phone makcik".

"Apa yang peliknya. Cakap je lah. Dah lama dah tak jumpa dengan Hilman. Dulu adalah juga berbalas e-mail dengan makcik."

"Dulu ada kepentingan kot", I ended the conversation with a laughter and a quick bye. During the conversation, she managed to update me on her daughter, who came all the way to Kuala Lumpur to get to our friends wedding ceremony. I knew everything already, since my schoolmates are all talking about the wedding in Facebook.

I told her that my convocation will be on August, and that I was already employed. It occurs to my mind that I have to contact her again, just for another chat like this. I am still a friend to her daughter anyway, even though me and her daughter are not involved romantically anymore. And since she reminded me to invite her to my own wedding ceremony, it will be inevitable.

And the big question.

"Hilman bila pulak? Diorang kata Hilman dah ada..."

p/s: Diorang knows a lot. I myself do not know. LOL!

p/p/s: I wanted this update to be on KongresPendidikan, but somehow, something else is inside my mind. I have to write properly Kongres matters soon.

p/p/p/s: Selamat Pengantin baru Ekieyn!

Unconditional Love

2009-05-15T07:21:00.000-07:00

"Mak dah tahu dah. Tengok cara kau pun lain sikit", my mother said to me. She already knew this son of hers is different. We have different views in many things, but we also share the same interests.

I then explain my conditions. She patiently listened. Finally I can pour out many of the things unsaid before. I clearly told her that I did not tell her before because of a few reasons. It supposed to be a secret - but the real reason is because I was afraid that mother will not allow me to fight for my cause. But no, she understood.

I remembered that she was worried to see me drenched after the the demonstration in front of the Parliament. Even Mak Long called from JB to make sure that I was OK. Even so, mother doesn't scold me or anything. I was being naughty to be lying down on the road to the Parliament back then. I thought I deserved a long lecture on that, but mother said, "Tak apa lah, itu hal kau nak perjuang pasal pelajar".

I also remembered the election season. It was my first time to vote. And clearly I differ from the views of my parents in terms of politics. I was determined to do my part to see changes in the country. I was arguing with mother on the right and wrong of the political parties. I was a young soul, who inherited my mother's low blood pressure. I was flushed after the argument, one I regretted.

After that, even in the heat of the Perak 'yesterday this - today that - and tomorrow dunno', I decided not to argue, even I do have different opinions. I respect my mother's views by witholding mine. After all, she can even read my mind when I am not talking.

It is not that I wish to highlight my different of opinions with mother when it comes to politics, as there are a lot of other things to form opinions - but, I wish that I hadn't talked to her the way I talked on the verge of March 8, 2008.

Father said, "Mereka menggunakan kata-kata buruk apabila mereka kehabisan kata-kata yang baik". I obviously do not have enough good words in my vocabulary.

I hugged her closely, telling her that I was so sorry for not being there for her. "Iman minta maaf sangat-sangat, sebab kadang-kadang Iman percaya ada benda yang lebih besar perlu Iman lakukan. Iman minta kebenaran pada emak untuk meletakkan Allah sebagai tujuan hidup Iman, kadangkala Iman membelakangkan emak keranaNya. Iman minta emak tegur Iman kalau Iman terpesong, dan sokongan emak saat Iman memerlukan. Iman minta emak doakan apa yang Iman lakukan selama ini adalah kerana Allah" after that, I explain in detail why I was saying what I said.

"Jangan extreme sangat" said my mother.

I remembered saying to her about how to win her heart. I said, everything can be explain scientifically. I learned somewhere on how to win a girl's heart. I thought, my mother loved me because I used the formula to get to her.

I had forgotten that mother actually loved me not because of any formula or because I helped her in doing many things, but she loved me unconditionally. I forgot those days I was in her womb and learning to spell in kindergarten, I could not even spell M.U.M. Let alone use any formula. She loved me then, and she still loves me.

I remembered a few days back, when she received a SMS from her friend wishing her "Happy Mother's Day". Me and my mother both agreed that Mother's Day is a marketing strategy done by companies to sell out mother related products and services. I even remembered giving her a newspaper with the page showing a picture of a book called "Everyday is Mother's Day". So, I didn't wish her Happy Mother's Day. And since her birthday was around the corner, its a 2-in-1 celebration for her.

I wonder how she felt at that time.

After discussing what I did to worry her, I assure her one thing. "Iman takde belajar buat bom pun."

p/s: Happy 50th birthday, mak! And everyday is a Mother's Day! -Sorry for everything!

p/p/s: Alamak, this one is about personal life too...