Anak sulung lebih bijak..huhu

Anak sulung lebih bijak..huhu

Sorry, kid, first-borns really are smarter - Health - Kids and parenting - msnbc.com

I found this article while browsing through my hundreds of unread news feed.

Quite interesting though to know that there is actually a dedicated study done to verify this as a hard fact.

Being the eldest has given me a lot of advantages as well as the opposites. Apart from having the nicest attention during my "younger" days, I also learned a lot especially in becoming a more responsible person. This actually helps in preparing myself before having my own family.

Am I smarter than the rest in my family? Maybe.. hehe

However, now I feel threatened by this guy:

Selamat berpuasa

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Ramadhan Mubarak

Ramadhan Mubarak

Ini merupakan kali kedua saya menyambut ramadhan di Paka, Terengganu. Saya masih tidak dapat membuang rasa kagum pabila hadir ke masjid untuk menunaikan solat Tarawih semenjak semalam lagi. Masjid benar-benar penuh bagaikan sewaktu solat Jumaat gambarannya. Istimewa sekali.

Namun, "keoptimisan" saya ini terhapus terus tatkala mengenangkan apa yang berlaku pada tahun lepas. Masjid hanya penuh sebegini di awal-awal Ramadhan sahaja. Semakin ke penghujung, semakin sunyilah jadinya.

Keadaan ini dilihat sama sahaja di pelusuk dunia mana sekalipun. Semasa saya belajar dahulu, lebih kurang beginilah keadaannya dengan satu perbezaan ketara. Memandangkan New Zealand bukanlah negara majoriti Islam, sambutan hari raya tidak dimeriahkan dengan jualan murah di sana sini. Maka, tertumpulah juga umat Islam mengerjakan ibadah di saat-saat akhir ramadhan terutamanya pada malam ke-27. Masjid-masjid lazimnya akan mengadakan qiamullail jama'ie pada 10 malam terakhir Ramadhan. Pada malam ke-27, bukan sahaja sewaktu Tarawih masjid2 dibanjiri, malahan pada waktu qiamullail begitu jugalah keadaannya. Lebih istimewa.

Alangkah manisnya jika ini berlaku setiap hari tatkala waktu subuh menjenguk..

Terkenangkan Ramadhan di Auckland..

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Busy

Busy

We are very busy. Looking at the current situation that we are facing in this world, makes us become busier than ever.

If you are someone who follows world and Malaysian news, you will notice that there are a few issues that are occupying the front page of most newspapers.

1. Israeli raid on humanitarian Flotilla aid to Gaza.
2. Oil spills from BP's Deepwater Horizon Rig at the Northern Gulf of Mexico Coast.
3. Malaysian sugar shortage.
4. World cup warming up sessions injuries.
5. Apple launched its new iPhone 4.
6. Many more

Being a normal person who is not so clear about his own big dreams, I feel like I'm not contributing much in making this world a better place to live in. I even feel that I'm not even capable of improving my own self by much.

People are fighting their way up to champion the humanitarian cause in Palestine. Companies are challenging each other in coming up with products that bring the world's technology a few steps further. Organisations are working hard to lend a hand in helping those in need. National teams are struggling really bad to become winners in what ever competition that they are competing in.

At this very moment, What I can do is just sit in front of my laptop, reading the news, read some books and after this I'll go to work. I'm busy at doing nothing actually. Maybe, this is the time when I have to challenge myself and run very far from complacency.

I feel very busy everyday. But I'm not sure if I'm spending my time being busy in attending the right thing. Sometimes, I was just busy wandering around my work place compound, surfing useless pages in the net, reading things that I don't understand and etc. No impact at nothing at all.

I have to be busy at the right thing, starting NOW...

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Comfortable

Comfortable

Why do some people work hard from one day to another?

Why do people venture into big businesses?

What are we expecting when buying a decent building to be owned as our home?

If we think deeply about it, the different guessing that we have is actually rooted from a single reason. So that we can live more comfortably.

Once we have the experience of living in a very comfortable condition, most of us will rather fight than letting that "feeling" go. Hence, you will always find people who are already rich, will work their way to become richer.

I have no problem with this. In fact, if being rich can bring us closer to Allah, some scholars said we should not let it go.

There are some cases where people are willing to let go of all their wealth because they just experienced their spiritual awakening and straight away thought that becoming less rich is more favourable by The Almighty (the act of becoming a Zuhud person). This is not particularly true.

Ibn Taimiyah once said, Zuhud is the act of letting go things that does not bring us any benefit in the hereafter. While those that benefit us, should be sustained as much as possible. Experience tells us that usually, these things are not in our favor. For example, we can be a billionaire. No problem. But, those wealth that we have should not be kept for our usage only. It should be spent for the benefit of others and more holy if this is done in the name of Allah and Islam.

Hence, it is our call now. As human, we are not who we think we are, but we are who we choose to be. If we choose to live a life of comfort, we could probably die as a mediocre homosapien that does not contribute to the betterment of this world. However, if we choose to live a life of sincere contribution, the reward that is waiting for us is tremendous.

Let us have more understanding and faith about the unseen future so that we will not suffer then.

Qul Aamantu billah, thum mastaqim..

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Frustrated

Frustrated

It felt very frustrated when you cannot get what you always wanted in life. It really does. Look at kids who are not allowed to play with toys simply because their parents cannot afford to buy one. They would feel very sad, not because the fact that their parents are having financial problems. They're sad because they cannot get to play with the toys that they desire.

We would think this is very childish. We think that we would feel differently if we are adults and having to face the same situation. As for me, I don't think so. We shouldn't take the case with the kids and their toys directly. For our case, it is extravagantly complicated.

As adults we are not looking for toys to make us happy. There are other things. Getting married, having a lot of money in our pockets, going for luxurious vacations, having dinner at exclusive restaurants and what not. These are our toys. Some are more important than the others. Some might be considered as needs while the rest are our desires.

When there are things that could block you from your way to achieve what you desired, you will directly be frustrated. And, that will be the perfect time to play "blaming others" game. It seems right to blame everyone in this whole wide world other than ourselves for the thing that we are going through. This is true since I am having the same problem myself. For example, when our car tire was punctured because we ran over a hole on the street, we will firstly blame either the tire or the street and not ourselves who obviously having the control of our car in our hands. We might play the blaming game as far as with the government who is responsible to make sure the street is a safe place to drive on.

However, things are far more complicated than what I can give you in my example. Sometimes, even we have no control with the situation that we have to face. Blaming others will not help even a little. Blaming ourselves will not shrink the issue as well. What then?

Let's ask the Almighty to help us see the hikmah behind every test that He puts upon us every single day. I'm very sure, nothing happens in this world but with a reason. A reason that could transform us to become a better person.

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Unconditional

Unconditional

Love unconditionally.

Some say it is a myth, some say it is pure truth.

The first time I came across the term "unconditional love", I didn't really understand what does it mean. However, deep in my heart I know it's good.

Being able to understand that term now, I personally think that it maybe too good to be true. Just imagine this, you were just being laid out from your company. When you got home, your wife or parents (for those who are still bachelors like me) scolded you for what had just happened to you. Tell me if what you feel for them at that time is exactly the same like when you are in a "happy we are so lucky" mode.

Those with very tough mental attitude might be able to attain this. If our love could really be unconditional, there's nothing more that we could ask to be happier. Those around us couldn't be more thankful to have us at their side. How prosperous our life will be.

Let's make unconditional love happen to those around us, to the Almighty that only Him worthy to be worshipped, and also to our Prophet whom without his teachings will make us live in darkness.

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Adat

Adat

Terlalu banyak perkara yang kita lakukan tanpa ada sebab yang konkrit. Sebagai seorang Islam yang diajar untuk mempersoalkan banyak perkara, saya sukar menerima bila kita terpaksa melakukan sesuatu hanya kerana orang dahulu biasa mengamalkannya.

Adat.

Pernah saya dimarahi oleh ibu, ayah, datuk dan nenek kerana terlalu banyak mempersoalkan adat Melayu semasa majlis pertunangan saya. Saya pelik kenapa...

1. Kenapa perlu sediakan jumlah2 hantaran tertentu untuk dihantar ke rumah perempuan? Si perempuan perlu membalas dengan jumlah tertentu pula. Contohnya, kalau lelaki hantar 7 dulang, perempuan perlu balas 9 atau lebih. Jumlahnya mesti berangka ganjil.
2. Kenapa tepak sireh atau sireh junjung seakan2 wajib ada dalam salah satu dulang hantaran itu?
3. Kenapa cincin bertunang perlu berbatu? Cincin merisik pula berbelah rotan? (Ini mungkin lebih kepada tanda, bukan adat)
4. Dan lain-lain

Ada lagi beberapa perkara, namun terlalu sensitif untuk saya sebutkan di sini. Mungkin ada sahabat lain yang mahu berkongsi pendapat.

Walaubagaimanapun, saya tidak menafikan peranan adat dalam membentuk kita menjadi seorang yang tertib, saling menghormati dan hidup teratur. Cuma, kalau kita terus mengamalkan adat-adat yang tidak relevan dengan masa, saya bimbang bangsa ini akan terus ketinggalan.

Kita perlu berubah. Akal fikiran perlu menjadi paksi kepada tindakan sekiranya tiada nas qath'ie (kuat) yang mensabitkan untuk kita melakukan atau meninggalkan sesuatu.

Tidak lupa, ingin saya ucapkan syukur atas majlis pertunangan yang sudah. Alhamdulillah, dikurniakan tunang solehah dan keluarganya yang sangat baik.

15 dulang hantaran di pihak saya. 9 utama, selebihnya hadiah kata ayah. (Gambar di ambil sebelum rombongan berangkat)

Di rumah tunang. Saya tinggal di rumah sahaja.

Ayah saya (berbaju belang) sedang berbincang dengan ayah tunang saya. Nama tunang dirahsiakan..hehe

Saudara mara membawa dulang hantaran ke rumah tunang saya.

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