Thursday, September 24, 2009

Eid 2009 - The Raya

(My family with Mak during raya morning)

Pepagi lagi dah sibuk kejutkan anak-anak, nak pegi semayang raya. Last-last, Long was left behind. Lambat sangat bangun. I took the rest - Ngah, Teh, Kakak, DeDe and Anek. Mama dia tak boleh pegi. Best betul dapat jalan dengan anak-anak aja. He he. Sampai kat surau, I arrange the girls place and help them to put their telekong on. I proceed to the male prayer hall with the boys. Dah lama tak masuk surau ni. Abang Sani (the imam) is finalising the Takbir before leading the Eid Prayer. Allahu Akbar Allahu Akbar Allahu Akbar Walillah Ilhamd. Masa dengar khutbah, teringat masa arwah Apak jadi imam dulu. He will practice reading the khutbah the day before raya. I will usually coach him with his pronunciation. At least he wont pronounce 'cyber' wrongly.

Lepas sembahyang raya, kami adik beradik berkumpul sambil makan-makan. This is the bestest part kalau raya. Hiruk pikuk dengan deraian tawa sambil bergurau senda. Last night after Isyak, we had our normal tradition of family takbir. Bang Ngah Zainol never fail to lead the takbir since apak passed away. So, this morning, everybody is fresh and clean. And the giving of duit raya is the most awaited event, especially by the kids. The general rule is those who hasn't work will entitle for the duit raya. So, beraturlah masing-masing nak dapatkan dut raya. It is not the money that matter most, especially to the bigger kids (like those final year degree students yang gedik terlebih beratur nak duit raya jugak-jugak). Buat heboh tu yang best. Lagi lah pulak bila Elli, Shazwan dan Baby (yang dah nak graduate with their degree) tersangatlah sportingnya. Itu yang buat lagi best! Anyway, kalau nak kira in average, the children is getting RM180 per person. Itu belum termasuk duit upah puasa.

(My Mother during Hari Raya)


Check out at KeluargaKita for more happennings!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Eid 2009 - The Balik Kampong

(The Balik Kampong Luggage)

I thought it will be a jam-giler trip to balik kampong on Saturday, the eve of Hari Raya. But quite surprisingly, even my children noticed it, the journey was very smooth. Nothing held us back for the 2 1/2 hours journey.

The highway was boring, very monotonous. Only palm oil trees on the left and right of the road. Added with the puasa punya pukulan, the mengantuk was almost unbearable. Only after Seremban, passing through Bukit Putus, we felt rejuvenated, thanks to the virgin tropical reserved we were passing through. The smell of country leaves and cool breeze is so refreshing.



We arrived Kuala Pilah earlier than expected. The usually crazy traffic during festival and holiday was nowhere to be seen. Betul ke nak raya esok?

(Kalau bulih nak jadi cikgu sekolah, kek Kolo Pilah!)

5 kilometres away from the Kuala Pilah town is my kampong, Kampong Pulau Pandan. Located alongside Sungai Muar, the population is only about 30 people during normal days and swells into about 300 during festivals and long holidays. Greeting us on entrance is a surau where the village people will gather for prayer. The surau is very sentimental to me. Here is where I learn and grow a Muslim. Apak was the Imam for almost 13 years here before he passed away in 1998. This is the place where I learn to read Quran when I was kid, together with other kampong buddies - E'cha, Chunai, Apit, Abg Apa (arwah), Awang, Padey, Eidir, Alim (arwah) and Azam. We will prepare coconut-leaves torch to light our walk back after mengaji session, usually will finish at about 9pm. I will always be the favourite student for Tok Achik who tought us the Quran. Sometimes he will take me with him on his bicycle home. He influenced my life. On this surau also I practised my azan reciting. Ateh Kadir will usually corrected me whenever I went wrong. And on this surau also, Arwah Abang Udin thought me some basic Tarekat. But the old surau was not as 'modern' as this one. It only gets this look with the help of Abang Zainol (Tan Sri).

(Surau Kampong Pulau Pandan)

On approaching Mak's house, we can already see kepulan asap showing that Lemang and Rendang is cooking. Mak's house is the first house in the kampong located on the left side of the road. Prevously, the current 'front' of the house was actually the 'back' portion of the house. The original 'front' is facing Sungai Muar.

(Rumah Mak on the left of the road)

Apak and Mak save their money to build the house, little by little. Now the house has 5 sections. The original 'front' has 3 bedrooms (me and my 2 younger brothers, Chu and Hisham, share this area) and a living where the boys and anak bujang will sleep. Then the original 'rumah ibu' has 2 bedrooms (for Kak Cik and Dik Nor) and a bathroom. The extended 'rumah ibu' was built somewhere in 1971, when I started schooling, has 3 bedrooms (for Along, Ngah and Ateh) and a store room. Together, both old 'rumah ibu' and the new 'rumah ibu' share a big hall where usually the girls and anak-anak dara will sleep during gathering. So all 8 siblings are having our room there, a flight higher than the next section which is on ground level. This section is relatively new, renovated around 20 years ago. Here located Mak and Apak's room, and a small surau where Apak will spend most of his time reading and praying if he is alone. Normally, when I come back from boarding school or university, he will pray at the 'front' section so that Apak and I can pray together and he will teach me to read Quran (and understand it) - Soomm moomm book moomm umm yoummm fahoummm laa yar ji'oun.... he he he. I can still hear very clearly his dengung while teaching me that phrase! Together with this section is a big living area where we will gather around watching tv (and gossipping). But not very long ago, err.. like few weeks ago... Mak extended the house further, Section No 5. Hmmm... this area, according to her, is to be left empty. It is a lepak area, unwalled, open system. I just say, ok Mak, do whatever you wish, no question ask, we will obliged, as long as you are happy.

Whenever balik kampong, the memories of the past will surely linger in my head.

(to be continued with Eid 2009 - The Raya)

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Eid Mubarak

I received a very special Hari Raya card today from Amir-Husiners. Thank you. It touches my heart. Selamat Hari Raya to my dearest business partner, Tuan Haji Husin. We've been through thick and thin together not without disagreements and ill-feelings. To Sarimah the Support Service Head ,Chu the Event and Promotion Head , Khairul the Card Services Head , Along the Fleet Operations Head , Hasrin the Tour Marketing Head, Mat Tarzan the Tour Operation Head and the whole Amir-Husiners - Ish, Farah, Aznor, Hasni, Shahril, Hadi, Jai, Pok Nik, Epen, Duan, Bahi, Sagat, Kenit, Awal, Marzuhaimi, Nurul, Azhar, Mus, Firdaus, Ari, Pak Amir, Azlan and Shah. Not to forget ex-Amir-Husiners wherever you are now - some that I can remember - Zul, Faizal, Amin, Nasha, Nita, Azizi, Ija, Azwan, Anas, Yaton, Waheeda, Ujang, Khai, Wan. Maaf Zahir Batin.



I will be celebrating Raya at my mother's house at Kuala Pilah. The office will be closed from Saturday 19 Sept and to open back on Wednesday 23 Sept.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

In approaching Aidil Fitri

Today is 26 Ramadhan. The Ramadhan of this year brings a lot of personal meaning to me. A month full of challenges and yet full of Allah's bounty. Alhamdulillah, at Amir-Husin, we share some of the fruits we planted by distributing an interim bonus to all qualified staff. Yes, praise to Allah, despite some glitches in general world economy, we relished. All this is happening because of hard work and perseverance performance by all Amir-Husiners. We also enjoy RM500 Duit Raya, each and everyone of us. It comes from the bottom of my heart. It is satisfying to see smiles and happiness on faces of people that you love. I love all my people. It breaks my heart when I see their struggles and difficulties in fulfilling their tasks. And the satisfaction to be able to give something back to them is indescribable, only God knows.

26 Ramadhan - 25 days without cigarette. This is the best so far. I am determined to push further. For me and for my children.

But, Ramadhan is not without sorrow. It reminds me of some friends that used to share some part of my life. Wherever you are, peace be upon you.

Well, Aidil Fitri is around the corner. I am taking this opportunity to wish all Amir-Husiners and fellow friends a very happy Eid. Maaf Zahir dan Batin. Drive carefully, see you again after Raya with new semangat. God Bless!

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Iklan Raya Petronas 2003

Wednesday, September 09, 2009

09.09.09

Taking the opportunity on this 'nice date' to sign S&P for my Apartment at B1-1-11, Banjaria Court.

Monday, September 07, 2009

16 Days.

16 days and counting! Bakar has done 97 days. Jealous. Approach through The Power of Play angle. Last night was most challenging. Friends from Indonesia, Thailand and home country Malaysia sat together and cigeretting! Lemas dalam gumpalan asap, sambil menguatkan semangat untuk tidak menyertai mereka. Alhamdulillah, few hours yang sangat meyakinkan.

Thursday, September 03, 2009

I was looking at Referrer Report to my Traffic Counter. It shows some keyword used by visitor to arrive at my blog. Interestingly, the same keyword brings my blog and my niece's blog together. Hmmm... geniuses think alike.

In reading and doing some research about what is the real situation in regards to 'the cow-head march', I came across the following statement by a reader.

"It does not matter if the temple is next to a drain, iwk or whatever. The greatest temple in hinduism is the parents heart & the steps to heaven are the parents feet."

Wednesday, September 02, 2009

Motivation to Quit No 1.

Tuesday, September 01, 2009

11 Ramadhan - 11 Non Smoking Days

Yay! Not as difficult as before. I can feel my chest is light and empty. I think I can do this but I am looking for a real motivation as I started all this just 'for the sake of doing it!' No real intention.

Hubungan Malaysia - Indonesia.

Saya sangat kecewa dengan telatah teman-teman dari negara seberang, Indonesia, dalam respond beberapa isu kecil antara Malaysia dan Indonesia kebelakangan ini. Pada saya, isu-isu tersebut hanyalah isu kecil. Mungkin besar skalanya jika saya berada di tahap pemerintah (sudah semestinya untuk kepentingan politik, sama seperti di Malaysia). Berikut adalah nota yang di spam ke dalam email saya semalam.

"Today, August 31, 2009, an uncreative country, a country who likes to steal Indonesian culture, a country whose citizen is the mastermind of bombings in Indonesia, a country who has tortured many of our sisters — the migrant workers who worked there, a country who abused our national anthem, a country who harassed Indonesia on the Internet, a country that has stolen Sipadan and Ligitan islands, a country which has trespassed our water illegally, a country which received their independence from Britain, is celebrating its anniversary"

Jawaban saya cukup mudah:
1. Asal usul Malaysia dan Indonesia adalah serumpun. Pada waktu itu tidak ada Malaysia dan Indonesia, kedua-dua negara cuma terbentuk pada tahun 1965 apabila Malaysia ditubuhkan. 'Mencuri kebudayaan Indonesia' adalah fakta yang silap. Pada pandangan saya, ia lebih kepada penerusan kebudayaan turun temurun. Orang-orang berbangsa Jawa berhak meneruskan budaya mereka walau di mana mereka berada. Orang-orang berbangsa Cina, India, Arab, Minang dan lain-lain juga berhak meneruskan budaya mereka. Inilah yang uniknya tentang Malaysia. Pelbagai budaya dari pelbagai kaum diteruskan, mesra, tergabung dan terpelihara. Cuma disebabkan orang Melayu adalah majoriti dan menyerlah, maka budaya merekalah menjadi teras dan tunjang kepada kebudayaan Malaysia. Tidak pernah saya ketahui atau dengar, Malaysia mendakwa budaya Cina sebagai budaya Malaysia melainkan diperkenalkan sebagai budaya Cina yang dipelihara dan dipraktikkan oleh ORANG-ORANG CINA di Malaysia. Orang-orang Jawa, Bugis, Minang dan lain-lain bukan hanya tinggal di Indonesia. Mereka juga menetap di New York, Paris dan Kuala Lumpur. Kecuali Jawa, Minang dan Bugis Indonesia tidak mengiktiraf Jawa, Minang dan Bugis New York sebagai sebangsa dengan mereka.

2. Berkenaan dengan Nordin Mat Top yang dikatakan mastermind kepada peristiwa pengebomana di Jakarta. Saya tidak percaya Nordin bertindak berseorangan, tentu ada orang-orang beliau dari kalangan orang-orang Indonesia yang menderhaka kepada negara mereka sendiri. Orang Malaysia menjadi ketua dan orang Indonesia menjadi pencacai. Salah orang Malaysia?

3. Mendera tenaga kerja warga Indonesia? Apa kata kita banci berapa ramai tenaga kerja warga Indonesia yang mendatangkan masalah kepada Malaysia? Mari kita mudahkan cerita. Kerajaan Indonesia jangan benarkan rakyat Indonesia bekerja di Malaysia dan Kerajaan Malaysia tidak benarkan warga Indonesia bekerja di sini. Biar kedua-dua pihak susah. Jangan kita kaji siapa yang lebih susah dari siapa. Baru-baru ini kerajaan Indonesia menghentikan penghantaran pembantu rumah Indonesia ke Malaysia, disertai dengan kata-kata bersemangat dari pemimpin politik mereka membakar perasaan amarah kepada Malaysia. Tetapi apakah itu yang dimahukan oleh rakyatnya yang merempat? Pembatu rumah saya yang baru, Mia Agustina dari Tenggerang, Jawa baru mula bekerja 30 August yang lalu. 4 orang pembantu rumah saya yang lepas juga orang Indonesia. Mereka peduli? Saya juga tidak peduli!

4. Lagu Negaraku dikatakan berasal dari lagu Terang Bulan, dari Indonesia. Nasihat saya kepada Kerajaan Malaysia, kita tukar aja lagu kebangsaan kita. Walaupun telah terbukti Terang Bulan juga merupakan lagu saduran dari Perancis (atau mungkin dari Kepulauan Seycelles)

5. Isu lain kebanyakannya adalah isu persempadanan yang bukan tercapai oleh rakyat biasa seperti saya (dan kebanyakan orang Indonesia yang menjerit-jerit di dalam internet).

6. Tindakan menggodam laman web dari Malaysia sempena sambutan kemerdekaan Malaysia semalam juga menjadi bahan tawa dan lawak rakyat Malaysia. Soalannya, itu sahaja yang anda mampu? Tindakan anak kecil hingusan yang lapar susu. Ya, mungkin anda hebat tetapi apa faedahnya? Anda hanya menyusahkan orang lain. Dan anda mahu orang Malaysia menghormati orang Indonesia dengan cara bertindak begini?

Banyak lagi isu-isu remeh yang menjadi igauan kepada orang Indonesia. Kenapa ya? Saya pernah ditanya oleh teman dari Palembang soalan itu. Jawaban ikhlas saya kepada beliau ialah, semuanya kerana perbezaan jurang ekonomi yang ternampak terlalu besar. Satu pihak merasakan lebih superior dari pihak yang lain, digandakan dengan perasaan inferior pihak yang satu lagi. Apabila perasaan superior-inferior ini meresap kedalam hati masing-masing, sikap-sikap positif seperti melihat kehadapan, berdaya saing, terbuka, berpengetahuan, maju dan semua sifat-sifat positif lain akan diterjemahkan dan dilihat sebagai sombong, bongkak, angkuh, menekan dan menghina oleh pihak yang berperasaan inferior. Sedangkan jurang ekonomi yang dikatakan besar itu, secara relatifnya tidak wujud. Mungkin taraf ekonomi di Malaysia lebih baik dari Indonesia, tetapi kos sara hidup lebih tinggi (ingat, saya terpaksa membayar pembantu rumah dari Indonesia?)

Kita buang jauh-jauh tanda aras dunia dan materialistik. Jadikan nilai budi dan ehsan hati sebagai tanda aras baru dalam mencari kesatuan dan kemurnian hidup.