Tidak pernah meninggalkan

Abu Hurairah berkata:

“Kekasihku Rasullullah SAW telah berwasiat kepadaku tiga perkara, aku tidak meninggalkannya, iaitu; supaya aku tidak tidur melainkan setelah mengerjakan witir, dan supaya aku tidak meninggalkan dua rakaat solat Dhuha kerana ia adalah sunat awwabin, dan berpuasa tiga hari daripada tiap-tiap bulan.”

(Hadis riwayat Al-Bukhari dan Muslim)

What's in your water??

            I was stupid enough to accept a friend request from a Malay chap. His profile [and he] looked harmless. And I was in a compassionate mood - he was new to facebook and had like 5 friends at that time. Kesianlah konon!
            So when he pm me, I responded politely - he was polite too. Things took a strange turn a few pm later. For some strange reason, he thought that we would be good together. Now, I'm used to getting the regular, "Hi pretty! You look beautiful and like a person I could love for the rest of my life..." which I'd totally ignore. This chap didn't write anything like this - just the regular pen-pal kinda messages of "how are you, what are your interests". So I thought that he was just being friendly.
            Anyway, somewhere along the way he had this idea that we'd be good together blah blah blah. I quickly told him that since I don't know him from Adam, it didn't seem possible at this juncture. Here's where it gets interesting. He suddenly went into drama king mode and accused me of stringing him along. This....[if I were to believe his profile info] from a guy  in his 40s, who professed to be an engineer and has lived in UK for the last 3 decades. I would think he'd understand enough English to notice that I wasn't in the least skewed that way toward him.
           So I'm wondering if the Nigerians are getting better at their scams [good English and all], or this poor chap has been drinking water laced with LSD......

Dontcha believe them!

            I'm into gardening at the moment. I was curious to find out what the hype is all about - I was invited to join this group of avid gardeners and they seem such a happy lot! Being me, an avid researcher, I traipsed over to youtube to find out more. And I got hooked! Well, enough to give it a shot at least ;)
            Today I heard this during a talk on permaculture [on youtube - of course!]: "when u believe that yr sustenance is dependent on the stores, then u'll fight to keep them [stores]". How absolutely true! 
            We've been conditioned to think that we'd only be able to feed our family if we farm on a big scale. That there's no way our little postage stamp front/backyard, balcony, rooftop would produce a crop big enough to feed the average household of 5. So we grow flowers or lawns instead in these spaces. And end up spending a lot more in its upkeep. Ironic isn't it.
            Hurray! The powers that be are happy. Delirious in fact. And they keep on brainwashing us by telling us that there's a lack of food in the world. We swallow this hook, line and sinker. I mean, most, if not ALL of us have seen pictures of skeletal people in Africa and various other parts of the world. We hear of famines. We hear of pests, droughts and such like disasters wiping out food supply. And we feel so blessed that we can still comfortably get access to "fresh and healthy" food albeit at rising costs.
            Is the produce that we purchase really fresh? Is it really healthy for us? We know it's not. So we try our best to buy organic foodstuff - at an even higher price! Which makes it unaffordable to most. I mean, how many can really afford chicken at RM35 per bird? So we quietly consume the pesticide residue in our food. Whilst giving thanks for our bounty. 
            Congratulations, Mr Zionists! I read about how the zionists get us at every level of our lives - food and entertainment ranked highest on their to-do list. I must say they've done a great job. They got us thinking that store bought food is the best for us. That uniform looking vegetables and fruits with absolutely no markings on the skin are great and healthy stuff. That modern farming technologies to create higher yield and better looking produce are really helping the world arrest starvation. We only woke up from our stupor when they tried to shove GMO food down our throats. Oh, bless you [not], Monsanto! Since when would a company synonymous with pesticides be interested in our wellbeing??
            So, yea, Mr Zionists, you got us there. But you know what? Many have dared to prove you wrong. They travel to those parts of the world deemed impossible to grow anything and have made "oasis of deserts". Without the use of pesticides. Or synthetic fertilisers. Or heavy machinery. Or exorbitant cost. These folks work with whatever's available on site. They respect nature and cooperate with it. And nature showers them with abundance. Many pockets of seemingly arid land is now green. Proof that when men work hand in hand with nature, abundance is assured.
            People are amazed to find out that they could feed themselves for a whole year with just a 4'X4' plot! I'm amazed too. 4'X4' is an area most of us have to play around with. Whether it's flat on the ground, or vertically up a wall. 
            If you're willing to eat local produce, you should be able to cut your food bill quite considerably if you would just work a 4'X4' plot. Check out square foot gardening on youtube. Prepare to be amazed :) 

The man who wanted to be PM.....

      

 

            

 

                What next?

I'm Muslim, Melayu, Malaysian :)

            I grew up at a time when my religion is termed "Melayu". Reverts were described as "masuk Melayu". "Melayu" was synonym with "Muslim" then. Back then, it would suffice for me to describe myself as "Melayu" and "Malaysian". Everyone took it for granted that all Malays were Muslims. Period.
            It was 1968. I started standard 2 at an "English" school. My exercise books were printed with SRK(I) on their front covers. English was the default language. I hardly heard Malay, Chinese or Tamil being spoken among us schoolkids. I had spent 3 months of standard 1 in a Malay school, got seriously ill for a year, and landed in an English school in time for its 2nd term [after undergoing a test at some Education Department]. And the start of another round of discrimination of sorts.
            Lets backtrack for a bit. When I was in standard 1, I was somewhat discriminated against as I didn't "look Melayu" with my long, reddish hair and brown eyes. Also the fact that my spoken Malay was different from the majority. I was in a SRK(M) - bapa's bright idea to promote "assimilation into the community"...hehe. My family had lived in Kg Kemansah on and off since 1963, among the predominantly Minang/Nogori-speaking fraternity. We stood out like a sore thumb - bapa had the ONLY car in the kampung, we could speak English, we were deemed "spookily" polite with our "thank yous", "hellos", "tolong...", "saya/awak" [all spoken in a moderate, soft voice] etc amid the "den/aku", "kepalo bapak kau", "kocik2 dulu tak nak mampuih" etc [normally spoken in a loud voice for half the kampung folks to hear], we didn't swear [mak would kill us if we did!], we didn't fight with our siblings [mak's doing too!], we hugged and kissed each other; however, to this day, I still believe that we were deemed different more because mak made us wear shoes instead of selipar Jepun - she got tired of mismatched/missing slippers after games of "baling selipar" to amass cards and "getah". The kampung kids were never too comfortable around me except for my immediate neighbours. When they were upset with me, I was called names like "anak Koling", and "anak Benggali". Also the fact that we were city kids and were so "jakun" as they termed it. We got excited over rivers/hills/insects/river stones/snakes....you get the drift! :D
            Back to 1968. I was placed in B class. Many viewed me with disdain as I came from "sekolah Melayu" so I was deemed to be English-illiterate and "bodoh". The class teacher [an Indian] jumped on the discrimination bandwagon with great enthusiasm, and would always pick on me and the other Malays in my class. I was even accused of copying when I scored at class tests.  I was made to stand in the hot sun whenever I missed school and, hence, couldn't hand in my homework - despite my explanation that I was sick [I was a sickly child]. But there was an up-side to this. My classmates warmed up to me by virtue of the fact that they hated that teacher. So I became a cause for a rebellion! Anyway it culminated in the teacher being transferred out of state....when the "Eurasian" deputy HM caught the teacher being mean to me, and he interrogated my classmates as a result of my account of "teacher from hell"... and me being saved from roasting in the hot sun and lashes from the "rotan". NB: Back then, we didn't complain to our parents. Teachers were highly respected and viewed as only slightly lower in stature than God.
            All through my years in primary school, my best friends comprised Malays, Chinese and Indians. They were Anis and Ruby, Yew Sim and Mei Lin, and Bhajan Kaur. There was this unspoken/unwritten rule:
1)   Food brought by the Malays can be consumed by all.
2)   Food brought by the non-Malays will not be offered to the Malays.
3)   Food made from beef will not be offered to the Chinese and Indians.
4)   When the Malays went to the homes of the non-Malays, we would be served bottled drinks and store bought snacks - no cooked food.
5)   When cooked food was served to Malays in a non-Malay home, it was often still in the packet it came in from the shop/restaurant. We'd also be informed that, "Ini uncle beli dekat kedai Melayu/Bilal ooo".
6)   When the non-Malays came over to Malay homes, no beef was served.
7)   Food from the school canteen was shared by all.
8)   Drinks were shared by all - whether it was brought from home/school canteen.
9)   When you hear, "You Malay. Cannot eat this", you can be rest assured "this" contained pork.
          Although we didn't really understand religion then, we respected each others' faiths. We respected each others' culture and traditions. We didn't ridicule the Indian kids who came to school slathered in "minyak bijan", or the Chinese with their black arm bands. Or the cortege with its paid "wailers". Or the ruckus during a Chinese funeral/Gong Xi Fa Cai. It was just another of those days as far as we were concerned. It didn't matter that my father's Chinese friends brought cakes to his funeral.
          We embraced the true spirit of "muhibbah". We tolerated and accepted each other even when we didn't understand. We spoke pidgin Malay and pidgin English when the need arose. Or resorted to sign language when we had to. All hunky-dory.
            Then I was introduced to the corporate world. Where racism exists - whether one wants to admit it or not. At EPF during a training stint, I noticed that the officers and staff were mostly Malay. I was part of an audit team at Tractors Malaysia - didn't see any Malay accountant at the division I was assigned to. I can't remember if I even came across a Malay accounts officer. The drivers were mostly Malay though. At Genting Berhad HQ, I was one of 3 Malay personnel among hundreds of Chinese. However, when it came to operations at the highlands, there were hundreds of Malay personnel - very few of whom were in supervisory positions. The drivers cum bodyguards were Indians/Sikhs/Indian muslim. I admit that I was treated well [partly due to the 10% Bumiputra quota at officer level] but there was just too little room for upward mobility. At Koperasi Shamelin HQ, I saw an all-Malay staff force. My friends who worked at "Chinese" corporations like SCS spoke of the rampant racism there. To the point that they had to leave to maintain their sanity. I also heard of muslims not being given time off for Friday/daily prayers at "Cina bukit" [for lack of a better term] companies - this was as recent as 2005.
            So, yes, racism has existed for a long time. It got out of hand on 13th May, 1969 culminating in many dead Malays and Chinese. Took a while for the animosity to simmer down. Now it's back - with a vengeance. An age-old story given new life and excellent coverage with the advent of the internet, cyber-troopers, muddled politicians, huge social networking population, [over]zealous followers.
            Am I a racist? Not on a personal level. People are just...people....as far as I'm concerned. It doesn't matter what race/creed they are, the obnoxious ones will remain so under almost all circumstance and vice versa. But when I'm challenged with racial slurs, then, yes, I'm still very much a "Melayu". So there! :)        
         

Kenapa saya suka Jae Suk

Selain daripada dia emcee yang popular di Korea, juga peserta reality show, Running Man yang pantas berlari yang sering muncul dengan skinny jeans (fakta yang tak ada kena mengena), Jae Suk adalah seorang gentleman.

Betul!

Jae Suk adalah seorang yang :
sopan
menghormati dan menghargai kaum wanita
dan juga menghormati sesama rakan, krew
pandai bergurau tanpa melanggar batas-batas kemanusiaan
cakap bertapis
proaktif.

Saya amat berharap agar lelaki Melayu, apatah lagi, beragama Islam pula tu... lebih gentleman daripada Jae Suk ni. Keperibadian mulia memancarkan keindahan hati, akan terlihat di wajah.

Selamat berkenalan

Assalamualaikum buat semua pembaca blog Ijan Berbicara.

Saya adalah maksu, dari blog 'ceritakosong'. My hobby is bercerita, cerita cerita kosong saja.

Tuan rumah blog ni merupakan ex-boss saya. Yang paling saya sayang, dan saya sudah anggap seperti kakak sendiri :)

Terima kasih tuan rumah yang sweet sebab menjemput saya untuk bercerita kosong di sini.

Well, sebagai permulaan, in person, saya tak berapa pandai bercerita.. apatah lagi yang kosong. Tetapi di ruangan siber ni, saya boleh bercerita dengan siapa saja, insyaAllah :)

Sekarang ni, saya rasa macam nak kongsi profail dengan semua orang... walaupun saya boleh agak responnya... 'tak tanya pun'. :D

Ok, saya akan berumur 50 tahun, dalam masa 6 tahun lagi. Dan suami saya akan berumur 55 tahun, dalam masa 6 tahun lagi. Saya tertarik dengan nombor 50 dan 55, sebab masa tu saya nak mintak duit. Alah. duit yang kat dalam tabung tu... Dok menabung lama ni. sabar ya maksu, sabar [pat my own shoulder].

Eh! Maaf.. ada orang panggil, nak ngeteh.  Kita sambung lagi ......... :D

mz housekeeper ;)

            Aaaaah I finally did it! Only Iris dropped by last night so my humble flat wasn't overrun by the underaged, sampah-strewing, jubilant souls. So maktok/tokmummy/mummy Shasha got to clean the flat.
            There's certainly something soul-cleansing about housekeeping - when it's not forced on me! Digging out all the trapped dust/trash, wiping/mopping the sticky tables/floors/counter tops/keyboards/flatscreen/table tops, cleaning the bathroom, and emptying the dustbins.
            Then chilling with a cuppa afterwards, ciggie in hand, surveying my domain. All a-gleaming, ant-free [for now], sweet smelling [from a combination of floor cleaner and serai wangi], books overflowing "artfully" on the makeshift Japanese table and the soft glow from the salt lamps. Surveying my now-clean home while munching on cucoq which I arm twisted Iris to get from her mum.
            Enjoying it all - until the next invasion of the kids.....

ada apa dengan kamu?

timbul....

tenggelam....

timbul....

tenggelam.....

pelik sungguh kamu

yang datangnya tidakku undang

yang perginya tidakku halang

sekejap ada

sekejap tiada

seperti mimpi didinihari

yang lesap bila terbit mentari

yang datang sesuka hati

entah apa yang kamu mahu

entah apa yang kamu cari

menerjah ruang hidupku ini.....

ikut akal? ..... ikut hati?

            Kalau ikut akal banyak aktiviti yang nak aku lakukan:

     1)    kemas rumah
     2)    bayar bil letrik, telefon, broadband [yang dah berzaman aku "cancel"]
     3)    cuci baju
     4)    lipat baju
     5)    habiskan buku tentang pluralisme agama
     6)    baca Quran
     7)    zikir banyak2
     8)    tanam bayam hijau dan merah
     9)    telefon sahabat handai rakan taulan yang dah lama aku tak telefon
   10)    sprout beans and grains
   11)    start composting sementara cuaca tak menentu panas hujan ni
   12)    jadi terminator - of the leftover ants
   13)    start balik tuition budak2 underaged kat rumah ni
   14)    buat yogurt dessert
   15)    beli bahan2 untuk yogurt dessert
   16)    lawat makcik Naemah - best friend mak yang rumah dia dalam 150m dari sini - bawa sole solution
   17)    lawat makcik Melah - bawa sole solution
   18)    buat sole solution
   19)    jenguk twitter
   20)    tukar beg tangan
   21)    dll

            Kalau ikut hati:

    1)     nak buat bodoh buat tak nampak buat tak ingat semua benda yang aku patut buat

             :P

buang saja benci itu

apa guna membenci?

hanya memakan diri

menghitamkan hati

    mahu senyum pun sukar

    bicara keras, pahit, kasar

    jiwa serabut, gusar

tenanglah hati

lembutlah naluri

agar lidah mengikuti

    perit hidup bila membenci

    terasa dunia tiada seri

    jasad asyik bersendiri

alang-alang bersendiri

sebutlah nama Ilahi

ulang-ulangi beribu kali

    in syaa Allah akan pergi gusar

    jadi senang apa yang sukar

    jiwa nyaman, senyum mekar

mari berbaik sangka

berdoa untuk sesama kita

agar semua merasa cinta

    cinta suci untuk Dia

    cinta murni untuk si dia

    cinta sejagat untuk dia, dia dan dia.....

Mari berbicara tentang C.I.N.T.A.........

          CINTA. Anugerah Allah swt kepada setiap insannya. Memang diwujudkan didalam hati kita. Terpulang kepada kita samada mahu memberinya. Atau hanya menerima saja. Atau tidak ambil tahu langsung tentang memberi mau pun menerima. Terpulang pada kita membuat pilihan. Dan ini salah satu cara Allah swt menunjukkan cintaNya kepada kita. Dengan sentiasa memberi kita pilihan. Walaupun kadangkala pilihannya mungkin tidak banyak. Mungkin hanya "ia" atau "tidak". Namun kita tetap diberikan pilihan.
          Islam itu berkisar disekitar CINTA. Cinta kepada Sang Pencipta. Cinta kepada Rasul2 dan Nabi2Nya. Cinta kepada ibubapa. Cinta kepada sesama manusia. Tanpa mengambil kira keturunan, bangsa dan agama. Cinta kepada segala apa yang dianugerahkan kepada kita - pemandangan indah, ilmuNya dll.
          Namun kita sering tersasar dalam mencurahkan cinta. Lebih memberi cinta kepada manusia, hartabenda, hobi dan sebagainya. Kenapa ya? Pasti kita semua sudah lali mendengar dialog2 cinta dan babak2 hidup yang sebegini:

     1)   Aku mencintainya sepenuh hati. Tanpanya aku rasa hidup ini tanpa udara. Dia udaraku!
     2)   Anang dengan "separuh nyawaku pergi....."
     3)   Bon Jovi dengan, "I'll live and I'll die for you, steal the sun from the sky for you...."
     4)   Crocodile Hunter mati disengat pari kerana cintanya kepada alam semulajadi
     5)   mereka2 yang sanggup berbelanja berjuta2 untuk koleksi lukisan dll

          Semua pun kerana cinta. "Cinta agung" kata mereka. Mungkin di sinilah permulaan kisah penasaran manusia. Cinta yang diberi tidak kena dengan tempatnya.
          Aku seorang pencinta buku. Bolehkah aku hidup tanpa buku? Sememangnya amat sukar sekali. Tapi akan lagi susah hidupku tanpa mata dan penglihatan!
          Kita disogokkan dengan pelbagai epik cinta: Laila Majnun, Romeo Juliet, Rama Sita diantaranya. Ada yang sanggup mati kerana cinta. Ada yang jadi gila kerana cinta. Ada yang tinggal sanak saudara kerana cinta. Ada yang sanggup membunuh kerana cinta. Cerita2 cinta romantis/tragik sesama manusia ini banyak sekali diketengahkan sehingga kita jadi terbiasa equate cinta dengan romantic love. Cinta yang penuh dengan bunga, coklat, ayat2 asyik masyuk, lagu2 leleh, candlelight dinner dll. Cinta yang penuh dengan Valentine's Day dan pelbagai mementos untuk meyakinkan pasangan kita. Cinta yang sangat melalaikan dan membuat kita lupa bahawa kita ini dihidupkan di dunia supaya kita belajar mencintai Dia. Yang tak perlu diberikan bunga, coklat, puisi, cincin.
          Dia yang begitu hebat sekali. Yang memberikan kita segala apa yang kita perlukan untuk senang mencintaiNya. Memberi tanpa mengira samada kita akan mencintaiNya atau pun tidak. Tetap juga memberi walaupun kita sering lupa, sering berdosa. Walaupun kepada mereka yang tidak mengakui kewujudanNya.
          Apa mungkin kita akan berjumpa seorang manusia seperti Dia? Tentulah tak mungkin kan.
          Jadi, kenapa kita sering mengagungkan manusia? Mendewa2kan makhluk yang lebih kurang macam kita aja. Apa kelebihan mereka?
          Akalku memang susah menerima "pendewaan" sebegini. Apa "agung"nya Asaari kepada pengikut Al-Arqam? Al-Assad kepada puak syiah? Karl Marx kepada pengikut komunis? Jim Jones kepada pengikutnya yang sanggup mass suicide? David Koresh kepada pengikutnya yang gigih mempertahankannya di Waco? Ayah Pin dan umat Kerajaan Langitnya? Mereka2 ini tidak maksum. Mereka mempunyai berbagai kelemahan. Mereka bercakap perkara2 yang sukar diterima oleh akal2 yang sihat dan waras. Namun ramai manusia yang mempercayai mereka bulat2. Taksub tahap mega! Sanggup menggadai harta dan nyawa demi mempertahankan ketua2 ini. Membutakan mata dan menutup deria lain terhadap kelemahan ketua mereka. Seolah2 ketua mereka ini next to God tahapnya. Apa saja yang dikatakan oleh ketua diterima seolah2 menerima wahyu dan hadith sahih. Orang yang berlainan pendapat salah saja!
          Cinta yang tiada kesederhanaan, tiada jalan tengah. Cinta yang hanya hitam putih. Cinta yang hanya aku betul engkau salah. Cinta yang amat cepat bernoktah, ber-exclamation mark - tiada ruang untuk comma, semi-colon,colon, question mark.
           Apakah cinta sebegini sekarang menular semula di Malaysia?

PAS tak nak kawan UMNO........

Time To Change at http://www.facebook.com/Kayaberjaya posted this:

KENAPA PAS BERKAWAN DENGAN DAP & TOLAK UMNO? INI JAWAPANNYA...
Ini betul punya cerita DAP, sebab tu Pas lebih selesa dengan Dap dan fobia dengan Umno...
Mungkin ramai yang belum faham kenapa PAS berkawan dengan DAP, tidak dengan Umno. Buat yang belum tahu apa sebabnya boleh merujuk kepada 16 sebab-sebab utama di bawah ini:

1) DAP tidak rasuah, Umno Rasuah. DAP tiada buat penyelewengan tetapi Umno sudah banyak penyelewengan kuasa dibuat.
2) DAP menolak Hudud sebab mereka bukan Islam, tetapi peliknya Umno tolak Hudud sedangkan mereka beragama Islam. Jadi PAS tak mahu kawan dengan orang Islam yang tolak hukum Islam.
3) DAP tidak pernah bunuh umat Islam, tetapi umat Islam Memali dibunuh oleh siapa?
4) DAP tidak pernah runtuhkan masjid, tetapi banyak surau dan masjid diruntuh atau ditutup oleh kerajaan Umno/BN atas pelbagai alasan.
5) DAP tidak pernah hentikan tazkirah dan kuliah agama di masjid dan surau. Tetapi banyak kuliah dan tazkirah dihentikan oleh pihak berkuasa atas alasan tiada tauliah sedangkan ustaz tersebut lulusan Timur Tengah dan IPTA yang dibina kerajaan sendiri.
6) DAP tidak pernah tangkap rakyat tanpa bicara, tetapi kerajaan pimpinan Umno menggunakan ISA dan akta baru sekarang untuk berbuat demikian.
7) DAP tidak pernah menggadaikan tanah orang Melayu, tetapi sejak merdeka tanah rezab Melayu berjumlah 3 juta hektar tinggal 1.7 juta hektar sahaja. Ini angkara siapa.?
8) DAP tidak pernah mempertikaikan Bahasa Malaysia sebagai Bahasa Rasmi negara tetapi siapa pula yang
memperkenalkan PPSMI?
9) DAP tidak pernah merampas dan menganiaya negeri orang Melayu dan umat Melayu tetapi kerajaan
Umno/BN menafikan royalti minyak kepada Kelantan dan Terengganu.
10) DAP setia kepada persefahaman dan persepakatan tetapi Umno lah yang menghalau PAS keluar dari
Barisan Nasional pada tahun 1974 kini Umno gila talak dan kembali rujuk kepada PAS.
11) Ketika Umno/BN kuat, PAS dipandang sebelah mata, bila Umno/BN lemah, PAS seringkali diajak bergabung
12) Umno BOLEH bergabung dengan MCA, MIC dan lain-lain parti bukan Melayu/Islam sebanyak 11 parti dalam BN, tetapi PAS bergabung dengan 2 parti pelbagai kaum iaitu PKR dan DAP TAK BOLEH pula?
13) PAS bukan parti berasaskan perkauman tetapi Umno adalah perkauman sempit sama seperti MCA dan MIC. PAS menentang dasar berjuang atas perkauman atau Assobiyyah.
14) PAS menentang kezaliman dan penindasan terhadap rakyat atas dasar apa sekalipun. Banyak sekali contoh kezaliman dan penindasan yang dilakukan oleh kerajaan Umno/BN seperti menafikan royalti, bantuan perkapita kepada negeri PR (diberi tidak sepenuhnya dan dilengah-lengahkan), bantuan kepada Sekolah Agama Rakyat
dihentikan, harga barangan dan perkhidmatan semakin naik dan sebagainya.
15) PAS menentang pembaziran yang menjadi amalan kerajaan Umno/BN dengan projek-projek mega yang
sebahagian besarnya tidak memberikan manfaat kepada rakyat .......
16) DAP dan PKR menerima dan memeterai perjanjian bahawa Islam tetap menjadi agama Rasmi Malaysia, Sistem Raja Berpelembagaan tetapi dipertahankan, Hak Istimewa Melayu iaitu Perkara 152 & 153 dipertahankan, Bahasa Melayu tetap menjadi Bahasa Rasmi Malaysia. 
Yang sebenarnya masih banyak lagi antara sebab-sebab tetapi 16 nurkilan kami di atas adalah penyebab utamanya. Moga tulisan ringkas ini mampu menjadi panduan ringkas kepada para sahabat semua. 

          Tersentak saya bila terbaca artikel ini! I'm a muslim but I'm no muslim scholar. Heck, I'm no political scholar either! So please bear with me. I really need to know the following:
          1)   Is Time To Change the official spokesman for PAS? 
          2)   Does the highest echelons in PAS know about this and endorse it?
          3)   If the righteous muslims refuse to befriend the "wayward" muslim, then who will save the "lost sheep"? What is the hukum on this? Setahu saya umat Islam disarankan berusaha sedaya upaya selagi mereka bernyawa untuk menyelamatkan umat2 yang sesat. Kalau pun tak mampu sangat nak berdebat/tarbiah dll, sekurang2nya kita berdoalah supaya yang sesat ini diberi taufik dan hidayah moga2 dibukakan hati untuk pulang ke pangkal jalan.
          4)   I remember 13 Mei. I remember Malays who were predominantly muslims being mercilessly slaughtered. I remember what triggered this incident. The leader of the pack is still gracing many campaign posters as I speak. And I'm not talking about Anwar Ibrahim - just the guy next to him, who happens to be a DAP member.
          5)   What is so wrong about learning a school subject in a foreign language? Especially a language that will assist them later when they go on to tertiary institutions outside Malaysia? When mastery of this language will help them communicate and compete better on an international level?
          I cannot and dare not comment on the rest of the reasons as I'm totally clueless as to its history. My bad.
          I have numerous PAS friends. Funny that NOT ONE of them has ever made me feel that PAS has "given up" on me. 
          You, single handedly,  have succeeded where many have failed. Congratulations!

The day after.......posted the day after ;)

          It's the day after the big GE aka PRU13. I didn't sleep at all yesterday - just too jittery, and later a mix of relief, disbelief, excitement, thankfulness.

          Life, then, went back to normal. Iris had fallen asleep on my chaise lounge. She woke up from a nightmare. I comforted her and she went back to sleep. Faiz, the politics enthusiast - still engrossed with the goings-on of the PRU13 aftermath. Me reading the postings from disgruntled Malaysians splattered all over my fb timeline. Also the predominantly restrained postings of jubilant BN members. Many of my friends' profile pics had been blacked out so I went on to find out why. Aaaah okay. A protest of sorts. They're mourning and moaning and I could empathise with that - losing ain't fun and easily embraced.

          I came across postings by several PAS ustaz. I like most of it - bits of advice on conduct, redha and the like. I like the fact that they haven't spewed hellfire and brimstone and call their people to war. Unlike a certain political party.

          A bit later, my fb timeline was reminiscent of the pre-PRU13 circus. Aduuuuuiiiii!! A good thing there were postings of divine looking cats, kids, scenery interspersed among the same old, same old. Banglas never got such "advertisement/promotion" before I'm pretty sure. "Penat" already!

          How we are so fond of believing every single thing that agrees with our suspicion. Without due thought or investigation. Some of the stuff posted veered on the ridiculous, yet it garnered such attention and spread fervently.

          "Kesian" the local Indians who were mistaken for Banglas. "Kesian" the helpers at the polling stations yang "kena maki hamun" because of their affiliation with SPR. "Kesian" TNB "yang dituduh berkomplot menggelapkan" several voting stations. "Kesian" those who vouched for the lack of such shenanigans...and got bashed and suspected of being in cahoots with the big, bad wolf.

          "Kesian" Malaysia for being accused of lack of democracy and "kukubesi".

          "Kesian" kita yang sangat sukar untuk menerima kekalahan. To quote my son [a devout PAS member], "Facebook is swarmed with jiwa2 luka. Syg betul. Ramai yg msh xfhm erti berjuang...padahal hikmah punyalah besar Allah tunjuk. Inilah problem jika berjuang untuk menang semata2....tanpa prinsip...tanpa ilmu...". He went on to say, "Ilmu bukan untuk dibaca atau di"quote". Ilmu untuk difaham. Kebanyakan religious post bkn from 1st hand experience pun. Just share or copy....mmg la dpt phala sebarkn kebaikn klau kena niat..tp rugi la hati tak diisi...the challenge of being umat Google instead of umat ilmu..."

          And I smile....and thank my lucky stars [yet again] that this "anak orang lain" [bless her] calls me "mummy"  :)

alahai PRU13........

       I've never paid much attention to politics - be it domestic or international. Never could understand the shenanigans rampant in that environment. I guess I also don't have a stomach strong enough to digest the offerings. And I have just discovered that my stomach is still queasy........
        I first voted in 1981....a looooong time ago. I was 21 then, and it was easy to choose which party to root for. For decades, it remained easy. No dilemma whatsoever. Until PRU13.
         For the first time in my life, in my sunset years, I sat up and paid attention. Much is at stake here. The future of my children and grandchildren, my religious faith, the fate of my people and nation. When I once just listened to political rhetoric with one ear [when I even listened], I had both ears plus one heart alert this time around. Being the researcher that I am, I went to work online and offline. I read. I inquired. I seeked. I pondered. I shared my views. I listened to everyone I came upon. I reflected. I thought deep and hard.
          And I prayed. I chanted the same doa the Islamic party chanted. I chanted it fervently. I was really at a crossroad then. I, too, want to make the right choice by me, by Islam, by my country, by the people I share my life and this blessed country with. I, too, want a clear conscience. I, too, want to believe that I've exercised my right honourably and have made the right choice. I, too, want to, one day, stand before my God and be able to get His blessings.
          In the interim, I helped out this kakak from PAS with her community work. She needed help and I had the time. I got to meet quite a number of PAS members as a result. And I like and respect Saari Sungip, and am really happy he won DUN Hulu Kelang. I never once heard him say anything remotely disrespectful about his opponents. In fact, he expressly mooted his "jentera pilihanraya" to be mindful of people's sensitivities, to not provoke or be provoked, to always behave commendably. I did declare out loud that if I could elect people instead of parties, I'd elect him :) He helped sooth the sadness of being deemed a lesser Muslim, even a kafir at times, and being told "tak dapat pahala ibadat". Which is more than I can say about many of the PAS leaders/supporters I bumped into online. Whose actions and language just made me go "huh?". They could learn a lot from my "son" - a passionate PAS supporter. At 25, he has more finesse and maturity than many [older than him] that I came across :)
          Not one to be easily impressed by rhetoric, nor easily swayed by sentiment, it was somewhat of an uphill battle to choose. I saw the flaws in both BN and PR. I'm not too enamoured with BN. I'm not blind to the goings-on in the party I've voted for since my inaugural vote. I'm not blind either to the "[in]effective housekeeping" of the PR when it comes to their "pucuk pimpinan". Call me naive, but when you scream integrity, honesty, openness, then I expect to see that clearly embraced and practised. When you scream "akhlak, adab", I expect you not to sweep "unpleasantness" under the carpet and to be consistently ethical in both behaviour and language. And maybe I'm guilty of expecting more from PAS given their Islamic leanings. I expect PAS to emulate the khalifah(s) of old. After all, they are definitely more learned than me. I must admit that several PAS leaders were like a breath of fresh air. I pray that they remain that way or be better.
          At the end of the day, it came down to just this: I just couldn't accept Anwar as PM. Not that I view Najib as an angel. Just that, in my eyes, Anwar is worse. In my eyes, Anwar = Israel. THIS, I cannot risk!
          Yesterday morning, I said the last of my prayers. Hugged the PAS and PKR members I met at their "markas". Went across the road and did the same to the BN members at theirs. I got in line. Recited al-Fatihah while queuing. And voted for BN. Not even half believing that it would win. Serious!
          I then went to a "gerai" for roti telur and sambal kerang. I was joined by BN, PKR and PAS supporters. We chatted amicably. Listened to a friend's son regale his experience of driving his MCA boss to dinner at Pavillion [if I'm not mistaken] on the eve of PRU13; their car was mobbed and they were told to pull out the BN stickers. The mob rapped on the windows and other parts of the car. It was scary, he said.  Good thing the boss had his bodyguard along. Bodyguard had to resort to firing a shot into the air to disperse the crowd.
          I bought them breakfast. We wished each other the best of luck upon leaving. Not the slightest hint of animosity. No voter was harassed. The few Chinese whom I chanced upon, who seemed a tad uncomfortable when they saw a predominantly "Melayu" crowd, visibly relaxed when they were courteously greeted and welcomed to the polling station. I was told the scene was way different at several nearby polling stations.
          When the results started coming in, I was kinda happy to see BN leading. After a while this lead went to PR. It got scarily touch and go. I watched with baited breath, a part of me praying for a miracle yet not placing too much hope of winning.
          I couldn't believe it when BN won! Albeit by the skin of their teeth. But a win is a win all the same. Alhamdulillah. And I sent out a prayer that BN would do right by every rakyat this time around. That they'd have learnt their lessons. That they'd take all the necessary measures to do the right thing. So they can honestly say they did their level best come PRU14, in syaa Allah. I believe that a stronger opposition is a good thing. Provided the opposition isn't out to draw blood. Keep BN on their toes for sure.
         I am thankful for this win. I didn't gloat. I noticed that all of my fb pro-BN pals didn't either. I'm glad.
         I figure I'll be paying more attention to politics from now on. Just enough to know the essentials. However, right now, I'll give myself some time off. I have more pleasant pursuits in mind compared to reading the seemingly endless whines, criticisms, suspicions, slander..................