Nicole Queen - Why Islam Part II

The beauty of living for a Higher Power and not just for the worldly things.........

Hijrah

"Hijrah" can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. However, the "Hijrah" that we normally associate with has its root from the "movement" of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) from Mecca to Medina in order to prevent more prosecutions from the Meccan people and to seek greater "avenues" for the spiritual and worldly "growth" and well being of the Ummah during the early days of the Islamic propagation.

Nowadays, other than making the "Hijrah" celebration a "must" through outpouring of public joys and marching on the streets at the beginning of the new "Hijrah" year, every year, the significance and the spirit of the "Original Hijrah" born 1400 years ago, has sort of diminished or simply being forgotten by the vast majority of Muslims the world over who only look at it now as mere ritual.

The simple truth is "Hijrah" in its original context, if properly managed and executed, is the most potent "weapon" possessed by us Muslims for achieving what we are lacking at this particular period in our history.

The spirit of "Hijrah" requires us to always "move forward" from a position of "less" to a position of "more" of the good things in this life and the next whilst at the same time putting our complete trust in Allah the Almighty. We are not supposed to be stagnating in our life without doing anything to improve ourselves and the Ummah. We should always be moving forward and looking ahead to better our future in everything that we do.

The significance of "Hijrah" should not be undermined by our narrow interpretation of its meanings and potentials. No matter how insignificant is our efforts to better ourselves and the Ummah, if it is done sincerely by keeping the spirit of "Hijrah" alive, the end result could well be the beginning of our next "move" to a greater plane of success in this world and the hereafter....

Happy New Year 1432H...may we all be bestowed with all the best that can be bestowed by Allah (swt) and may the new 1432H and the years to come be prosperous for us all...

The Last of the Mohicans

Me wrote this entry while waiting for me Hakim to complete his registration at a local University in Bangi yesterday. At last me Hakim got his place to further his study after waiting for a couple of months.

This basically "complete" me responsibility to provide a decent education to me children - to the best of me ability and conforming to their respective interests, for the good of their future.

Hakim was the last of the "Mohicans", so to speak, since his younger sister "me Adek" went away to further her study a few months ago.

It was not an easy task to making sure our children get their proper education. As parents, we should not force them to do things against their will in matters involving education, if we are to harness excellence from them. Me for one, always belief that the children's interests should play a pivotal role in determining the field of knowledge they would want to pursue. We as parents should only "facilitate" and "steer" them towards pursuing their respective interests.

Leaving it at that, out of me six children, three of them (the two Muhammads and Hakim) have chosen engineering as their career path (coincidentally all three are majoring in "mechanical" just like meself! - maybe we all have that "mechanical" genes!). The others,the 2 Ahmads have chosen to do medicine while the youngest chose pharmacy as her career of choice. InsyaAllah, me pray for all of them to be successful in their chosen vocations.

Again, as parents the world over would agree, we should be thankful to Allah for the "Amanah" entrusted upon us to manage our wonderful children. Really, not much we as parents could do except to pray and pray that our children would grow up and be blessed with the success in this world and the hereafter...and that they would become our legacy and "assets" in this world, who would pray and pray continuously for our sustenance when we are no longer on this earth...

O Allah! make our children and our descendants to come, the source of your blessings and the source of our happiness in this world and the hereafter...Ameen.

You Only Need To Cry

Yesterday was the engagement day for me Along. It was supposed to start at 2:30pm at his fiance's house in TTDI, Kuala Lumpur about half an hour's drive from me home. But when me reached at the mosque where our engagement party was supposed to regroup, it started to rain very heavily and we have to wait for the downpour to stop before proceeding to our destination.

While waiting for the weather to ease itself, me had the opportunity to "explore" the mosque's toilet and was pleasantly surprised to notice the conditions of the toilets as one of the cleanest and well kept mosque's toilet that me have ever seen! This is a far cry from me other mosque's toilet experience sometime back in Kuala Pilah.

Although it was quite an old mosque, it looked like it has been well kept and meticulously maintained. Me noticed also the place is a hive of activities with a sort of kiosk being set up within the mosque compound to cater for the economic needs of the Qaryah (community within the mosque's jurisdiction) - indicating to a great efforts being put up to realize the true function of mosques.

This may have to do with the mosque being located in what used to be one of the elite areas of Kuala Lumpur. Me even noticed, the current mosque's AJK (Committee Member) is headed by a certain Tan Sri Datuk...

Coincidentally, during a conversation with one of me Along fiance's uncles, after the engagement ceremony ended, me happened to mention about a few of me cousins also staying in the same locality but unfortunately me couldn't recall where exactly as the last time me went to their place was to attend their mother's funeral, even then, me still remember, it was all done at the "mosque with the cleanest toilets".

Upon hearing that, the uncle spontaneously made this rather very interesting remark about the all-encompassing role played by his mosque in TTDI, in which me feel mosques everywhere should all try to earnestly emulate, when he candidly said, "Over here, you don't have to do anything at all as all have been taken care of by the mosque, if any of you got into any difficulty or emergency situation such as death in the family or accidents or anything, 'you only need to cry' as the rest is being taken care of by the benevolence of our mosque!"

It Is Not How Long We Live That Matters

These past few days me had been deeply troubled by the news of an untimely demised of two individuals - although not directly related but they were very close family members of me office colleagues. One was a mother in-law and the other was an elder sister cum motivational consultant who died within a few days of each other due to tragic circumstances - an accident and an illness. Both the deceased were two individuals having different backgrounds but shared the common fate of a tragic and untimely death...

And this morning, over the radio, me was sort of relieved and consoled by an Ustaz who were giving his usual morning motivation talk that aptly gave a fresher perspective on what me been troubled with for these past few days. In short he said, it is not how long we live but what matter most is what have we done with our lives and the impact it give to those around us in the time given by God for us all to live on this earth...

May the souls of those departed rest in peace and in the good care and blessings of Allah swt...

A Brief Stopover in Bahrain

On me way to Dammam last week, me had a brief stopover in Bahrain after taking a seven hour Gulf Air flight from KLIA. It was about a four hour wait for me next Saudi Arabian connecting flight which took about thirty minutes to reach Dammam, an oil town just across the border inside Saudi Arabia.

However, the thing that me wanted to share was not about me "Dammam Experience" (which will be shared later under a different topic, insyaAllah), but a chance meeting during the transit with a Malaysian student on his way to Cairo, also taking the same flight from KLIA.

What made it interesting, the chance meeting was caused by the curious student who had recognized me colleague, Mr Iqbal, as the "Mat Salai" (a popular burger chain) burger man that he had just met at UMP (University Malaysia Pahang) during a student's carnival about a week or so before the chance meeting in Bahrain.

After getting the confirmation from me colleague that it was really him - the "Mat Salai" burger man that the student met, me got to talking about what me was doing in Bahrain while waiting for our flights.



Coincidentally, the student was on his way back to continue his second year medical study at the same University where "me Adek" is studying too! That got me excited as me never thought of meeting "her colleague" this far out - as it turned out, this is a normal route many Malaysian students are taking for a cheaper flight to Cairo via Bahrain or Dubai.

As to why me was there too, me told him about me mission going to meet a potential business partner in Dammam to be followed by a short visit to the holy cities of Mecca and Al-Medina Munawarrah for Umrah and Ziarah - InsyaAllah. And me is bringing along the "Mat Salai" burger man who also happens to be me Technical & Sales Manager!

As me explained to him, it was not difficult for me colleague to be both a Manager and a "Mat Salai" burger man if we love doing what we are doing. It is not because of his salary as a Manager is too low (maybe so!!...), but more importantly because of his entrepreneur spirit, no matter what we do, as long as it is "halal" and the money is good.

Me pointed out that one of the major reasons why our brethren back home are "less economically endowed" than the other sections of the community was because of the missing entrepreneur spirit in us, many of us would rather be employed than working on our own or doing anything that we considered as "less dignified" - such as selling the "Mat Salai" burger!

The other thing, which is more severe and more delicate to address is to get rid of the "Tuan" mentality. Mostly, we would shy away from those "sources of incomes" or careers that could severely undermine our status as the "Tuan" of the land - even though as "Tuan", we are nowadays often less well off than our "Subjects".

In short, me did mention to him that the change must start with us NOW if we do not want our future generations to be among those "unfortunate souls" living in their own country, where they have everything but nothing.

Yes! We need to start now and set our future course of actions along the line of doing business no matter what our vocations are - we must have that entrepreneur spirit back in our midst even if we work as a Doctor or an Engineer - more so, we must have that "Muslim" touch just to make it right.

As for meself, me told him that it has taken me nearly ten years to get where me is now - and going overseas is just the beginning of more exciting things to come..but if me didn't start ten years ago, maybe me would also be like many of our brethren back home - saddled with an economic profile that could not get us anywhere....

And on that note, me parted ways with the student and me wish him all the best in his study and hope one day he will be a great "entrepreneur" doctor himself..Ameen.

Dammam, Saudi Arabia

It is not everyday that you get to meet the Kings of Saudi Arabia, in this instance, me actually "met" with three of them in a hotel lobby in Dammam during me short visit to Saudi Arabia for a business meeting.

Me actually been to this country for quiet a number of times since me first visit back in 1991 to perform me first Umrah. However, this trip is rather different as this is the first time me been to this country, at the invitation of a potential business partner to look into possible business cooperation between our companies.

After hearing so many stories about the failures of our local companies doing business here, me now had the opportunity to assess the situation first hand. Overall, it has been a very fruitful journey and the experiences gained would undoubtedly help when come the time to make good decisions...

This is a short entry made while waiting for the train to take us back to Dammam after a whole day meeting in Riyadh. Not many will realize that this is the only train line in this country connecting Dammam and Riyadh - back and forth, a slow four hours journey to nowhere...

Sayonara Me Adek

The time has come that me have to let you go - temporarily though, for the sake of your future. No words could describe how me wish you could always be around so me could "see" you everyday. But me know that is not possible as you are no longer that "little baby" me will always fondly called "Adek".

The time has come for you to grow up as you cannot always be me little baby. The time has come for you to equip yourself with the "tools" necessary to live through this life - no matter where that tools could be found.


Bye! Bye! me Adek, it is OK, me can now accept your temporary sojourn in the far away land of the prophets and the pharaohs. It is now your duty to learn as much as possible about your chosen vocation and most importantly enrich yourself from the "sights and sounds" of the land to learn about life itself.

Your new surroundings will hopefully provide the stimulus to embark on exciting adventures where not many of your contemporaries got the chance to experience.

Consider yourself as lucky and the "Chosen One" - a torch bearer, who will not only be enlightening yourself but will also be enlightening others that you now left behind...

May your dreams be fulfilled and may your time is spent wisely and brought you closer to your Creator...Ameen.

The Month That Was

The Ramadan month is no longer with us, now is the turn of the month of Syawal in the Islamic Hijri calender - a month of joyous celebrations to some and also the month of "Eidil fitr" - returning to our fitrah (origin), to some others.

Recalling back the month that was - during the Ramadan month, me got the opportunity to experience two totally unrelated events that me think worth sharing.

Firstly, an opportunity to have iftar (breaking of fast) with our ex Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir (TDM) and secondly being over charged for goods bought at IKEA.

Me first close encounter with TDM and being able to get a "one to one" photo with him was quiet an opportunity not to be missed - considering after knowing him all these years from a great distance!. Although there were many others wanting to take the "photo of a life time" with TDM, me managed to squeeze through the crowd and get a close shot with him while exchanging pleasantries and conveying me wife's "salam" to him.


TDM was very obliging and seemed to be a great listener. From near, me can sense the aura and charisma are still much alive just like meeting with great leaders such as him. The occasion had left me wondering where TDM got his "abundance of energy" to entertain the tireless crowd that seem oblivious to him being an eighty something of age. It was as if TDM was there during his heydays as PM - answering questions and bantering with the crowds on a never ending issues.

Me left the occasion that night at around eleven before TDM left. To me surprise, the next morning it was mentioned in the live coverage of Merdeka Day celebration, TDM and wife was among the earliest VIP arriving to greet the current PM!

One hypothesis that me can put forth regarding the source of TDM's "perpetual power" may well be the endless energy he gets from all the adulation of the crowd that he met, that he was very obliging and never refuse a conversation in public, seem to be the prime source of energy that made him vibrant and look much younger than his age.

In a perspective, me would guess that TDM's penchant to love the crowd had been the very source of energy for him in going through this life. As espoused in Islam, God has created us from various races and encouraged us to get to know each other especially in learning from each other for the greater good of mankind - and along the way, just like TDM, we may find our very own "fountain of youth".

The second encounter with the "truth" in the month that was, was when me realized that me had paid triple from the actual amount that me supposed to pay for the cookies bought at IKEA.

Me immediate reaction was to go back to the counter where the payment was made. On being informed of the error, the counter girl asked me to go to the customer service to ask for a refund. To me surprise, upon informing the customer service guy, he nonchalantly asked for the receipt and refund the amount overcharged in cash without even checking the actual boxes of cookies that me bought!!

It was a pleasant surprise indeed to experience such a "moment of truth" where your integrity have never been questioned or even suspected of trying to cheat the store as customary in our culture.

Me realized that the lesson learned from this encounter at IKEA has a far ranging implications if it is practiced in our everyday living. It seems, the "Muslim Culture" as originated from IKEA's home country, Sweden, has been really practiced by them in a supposedly Muslim country as in Malaysia where our "culture of telling the truth" is still much to be desired.

That was the Ramadan month which me will miss forever until the next one arrive, InsyaAllah. for those doing the "Puasa Enam" starting on the 2nd Syawal, tomorrow InsyaAllah will be the last day of experiencing an extended Ramadan, then to be followed by a "second" Eidil Fitr the day after!!...

May Allah blesses us all - Ameen!

Me Sure Bet @ Catching Lailatul Qadr

Sadly the blessed month of Ramadan this year is moving fast towards its end. As always, most of us are looking forward to this last portion of Ramadan in the hope of "catching" that blessed night of Lailatul Qadr - where a night of supplication is rewarded with a thousand nights of doing good deeds. Surely this is indeed a "short cut" to Jannah or Paradise for those not wanting to miss the opportunity by doing extra good deeds and seeking lots of forgiveness from Allah (swt) in that one blessed night - where nobody really knows when it actually will happen within that month of Ramadan.

For the seasoned Lailatul Qadr "hunters", basing on the tradition of the blessed Prophet (pbuh), their "prey" could be in any one of the nights of Ramadan by putting strong emphasis on the last 10 nights and focusing on the "odd" nights as compared to others in order to "catch" that elusive night.

For those not wanting to miss this opportunity given only once a year, me would recommend to adopt an "Istiqamah Strategy" whereby we have to be consistent and persistent in our ibadah and focus on doing that extra good deeds and seeking forgiveness much earlier even from the start of Ramadan and making sure not to miss even a single night of supplication...surely this would be a sound formula to adopt and a sure bet at "catching" that Lailatul Qadr!

May Allah blesses us all in our journey to "catch" the Lailatul Qadr, do continue to perform our good deeds in an istiqamah way even though we could have missed that blessed night this time around - happy hunting!

Kuala Lumpur
27 Ramadan 1431H

Ramadan is Here Again!

Salam to all! As if it was yesterday but it has been a full year since we welcome the last Ramadan.

God willing we will meet Ramadan again either tomorrow or the day after and hopefully the last school of Ramadan has taught us the meaning of fasting and the way forward to do good in this blessed month.

Me would like to remind meself not to miss another God given opportunity to load more "goodies" into me "Ibadah Bandwagon" on me continuing journey to meet me Creator - for the journey is still long and winding and only those who are well prepared will attain true salvation..

Welcome Ramadan al-Mubarak!

Kuala Lumpur
30 Syaaban 1431H

"Why I Wanted to be a Doctor"

Last week, me wife was shuffling through some old files when me stumbled onto this almost decade old essay written by our eldest on why he wanted to become a doctor. It was quite a revealing piece and its unpretentious "free flow" style had caught me attention and prompted me to immortalize it in this entry.

Hope you don't mind Dr.Along since me think it is good to share what you had gone through then and comparing with the present, now that you have achieved your dream and are a doctor yourself and busily serving the "real people" in this "imperfect world".

Also for others, your brothers and sister and all the young people of the world to share and learn an eternal and universal message - that we must have a dream and a strong will and passion to achieve what we desire in order to succeed in whatever our chosen fields or careers in this worldly life.

Happy reading....

"I had always visualized medicine as saving lives, curing ailments, alleviating pains, and overall making life healthier for everyone. However, the reality at all times is far away from my fantasy.

During my first hospital attachment at the Tampin District Hospital, I had learned my first lesson of medicine for all its power, medicine cannot always succeed. I had experienced one of the most disheartening and demoralizing aspects of medicine and faced it. At the A&E Dept., I witnessed doctors did their very best to save one heart attack patient, how they collaborated among themselves, their persistence and the absolute teamwork between the doctors and nurses to ensure the patients’ survival.

I also noticed that the application of medical knowledge was most effective when mingled with compassion and empathy from the health care provider. Then I learned my second lesson of medicine, it is hard to be a good and dedicated doctor. They live in a mind numbing, tedious world. Dreams of watching doctors like in the ER series were soon replaced with the reality of the irritable patients, uncompromising criticisms, never-ending paper work which seem to steer all dreams away.

Scheduled rounds to the wards had opened my eyes on how challenging a doctor’s life could be. When I did my second hospital attachment at the Armed Forces Hospital, one of the doctors told me that the most fundamental thing that I must be aware of at this point is the reality of a doctor’s life.

Nevertheless, while thoroughly aware of the long hours a doctor must work and the challenges he or she faces, I am choosing medicine because of the unique satisfaction it provides the rewards of helping other people. The area of paediatric has been of great interest to me since I began my research into medical training, and I aim to pursue a career in this field.

My unique family background first launched me toward a profession in the service of other. Honestly, none of my close relatives are involved in this discipline. However, growing up in a family with five brothers and a sister, it seemed that someone always needed help, either physically or emotionally. As a big brother to so many siblings, I learned that helping others in need is more than simply a career choice - I feel that it is as my moral responsibility.

This had led me to serve my fellow friends in many ways. Back in my secondary school years, I was the President of Karate-Do Club and one of the Executive Committees (EXCO) of the Prefectorial Board, sharpen up my leadership skills. My participation with Karate really taught me about something, since it required a lot of passion, endurance, and discipline to thrive in it. Only after 5 years of hard work, I finally managed to obtain my 1st Dan Black Belt in Karate.

I was appointed as the Religious and Moral EXCO of the Student Council for my college. This position of responsibility meant helping out at formal college functions and acting as an ambassador for the college. The Duke of Edinburgh Award has taken up much of my out of college time for the past one year. In order to achieve my Bronze Award, I have participated in an Ecological Expedition in Endau-Rompin National Park, and planned weeklong activities.

The community service was beyond doubt an inspirational experience as I helped the aborigines to build their kindergarten’s playground, and taught their children on how to read and write. We also held a health carnival at their village, which involved some of the health workers from the nearest town. It also opened my eyes to the restrictions of the health care necessities particularly in isolated, rural areas. This experience, though not medical in nature, had allowed me to work with and help people, which I found especially rewarding.

Some of the interests I pursue outside of the academic hours include reading, and participating in sports, I represented my college in several rugby tournaments, and managed to reach at least semi final in each of the tournaments. I have recently enjoyed reading “One for My Baby” and “Man and Boy”, both by Tony Parsons.

I have contributed to college activities on a regular basis throughout my college career and I would seek to bring this participation to university life. I believe that I have the qualities, which are suited to medicine, including a great level of commitment and the ambition to become a good doctor..."

Any comments Dr. Along?!!

RM 228 Hotel Promenade,
Kota Kinabalu
22 July 2010

Brave People of the Peace Boats

It is not everyday that we hear the bravery of the ordinary citizens of the world. By that me meant the Gaza peace mission organized by several hundreds peace loving people on their armada of peace boats which were brutally sabotaged by the forces of evil a few days ago.

Obviously, when the mission started, it was meant to end like it did - being stopped at all costs before reaching its intended destination - the destitute people of Gaza. It was like a well scripted ending with the exception of the death of several of the brave participants - who were blessed with martyrdom. When the other party to the conflict is well known to break all the rules of the civilized world, this is only to be expected.

The apparent victory this time around seems to be on the side of the evil forces. This is also to be expected if we just look through our naked eyes. But if we care to look through our inner eyes, the long term success is already guaranteed to be on the side of the peace loving people of the world - such as those who care to provide assistance and aids to the needy and desperate citizens of the Gaza strip.

Be patient, me brothers and sisters. This is only a small test for the Umma. Treat this as a catalyst for the Umma to rise to a greater awareness on the power of Iman and solidarity.

Belief me you, we have the secret weapon which even their nuclear arsenals cannot defeat. We have the ultimate key to victory even they cannot deny. Me truly belief as has been mentioned so many times before, victory will be near when we Muslims are united, when our actions are solidified into one - when our mosques are full during the morning prayer as it is now full during the afternoon Friday prayer. Then the demise of the evil forces will be undeniable anymore for they themselves will surely know that their end is truly near...

A Day in the Lion City

It has been quite a while since me last trip down south to Singapore. Last Friday me had the opportunity to take an AirAsia flight together with several of me colleagues for a day trip to visit a factory located in the Ubi Road area, about 20 minutes from the Changi airport.

Apart from the potential business collaboration that could be discussed further, the thing that really caught me attention was the factory owner and his lifelong struggle from having nothing, with only an idea and a bold determination, to achieve what he had achieved today, which he proudly called the "fruit of his labor" - only after more than 30 years of "bloods, sweats and tears".

Nothing came on a silver plate for this self educated man. From being a humble welder with a very poor family's background, the achievement that he had today is truly an amazing and a classic case of "rags to riches" story. It was not meant to be easy for him, from the day he first started back in the mid 80's until even today, the challenges still keep on knocking on his (factory) doors. But he took it all in good stride and never once saw the need to stop tackling the challenges, even how insurmountable they may be, as long as he still has the capacity to think and the will power to tackle and make good the problems at hand.

The story of his lifelong struggle, that was told within the few hours that me were with him that day, had really struck a chord in me psyche. It has always been in me interest to know what would be the best recipe to a successful life especially in the realm of doing business. Me learned from this man that not many would have the acumen and the patient needed to steer a successful business. Those unseen qualities, such as sincerity and humbleness which me noticed were bestowed on him would have provided him the internal strength which constitute an important prerequisite to success.

This brings us back to the all too familiar story of businessmen wanting to become instant millionaires. In their haste chasing the millions, they had inadvertently thrown all precautions and good traditional values out of the windows with some even forgotten their real purpose on this earth!. All too often, we have been made to belief that being in business is easy and glamorous and the one sure road to a quick easy life. Alas! it was not meant to be that way in reality....Without knowing the many pitfalls that may lie ahead, a lot of aspiring businesses would have succumbed to the horrible truth before they even reach their first year of operations...often ending up much worse than before.

Me always belief that we must possess inner strengths based on our Islamic values in order to confront the myriad challenges posed in our quest to building a successful business.

As exemplified by the factory owner that me visited, knowing to skillfully and patiently ride the ups and downs when building a business will always remain the essential ingredients to building a successful future.

Passing of the Malaysian "Toilet King"

Me only heard of his name a few days ago when news of his passing came out in the papers. There has been a lot of changes in the Malaysian political scene lately and him being a deputy minister would have to be contented with less public attention - hence not many, including meself, would have been familiar with his name.

However, the thing that grabbed me attention about his passing was his so called reputation as the "Toilet King". Apparently, unknown to most of us, this "Rags to Riches" man had been waging a relentless war against dirty public toilets in the country. Again, not many of us may have realized the fact that he spearheaded the "clean toilet revolution" in the country during his tenure as the Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister back in 2004. Along the way he also set up the first toilet association in Malaysia – Quality Restroom Association Malaysia (QRAM), in which he was its chairman from 2005 to last year!

Me cannot agree more when he said that “Public toilets are a gateway to a country and reflective of the country’s development and their people’s culture”.

The thing that made me want to make this entry was also to highlight the sorry state of the toilets found in most of our mosques in this country. Apart from many of the toilets not being kept clean, the accessories such as the water hose, hangers or locks were often found missing or faulty. Me once had the harrowing experience of rushing into a mosque's toilet and soon realized that there was no door to lock!

In stark contrast to most public toilets in this country, me still remember, during me Aussie days, there was even a toilet being used as a voting center as it was the most convenient and most cleaned place that the authority could find at that time.

No doubt we still have a long way to go in this respect, but never give up easily, all quarters should double up their efforts to educate the public especially our young ones on the importance of keeping things clean. These efforts should not only be left to the authority, it should also be the responsibility of us all.

We would not want the efforts started by the late "Toilet King" being wasted just like that, we should continue on his legacy to make our surrounding clean as we should all appreciate that cleanliness is a virtue that knows no boundaries....

Lessons from The Beatles

Me stumbled upon this article when going through The Malaysian Insider yesterday and thought it would be a good read for those Beatles fans out there. Me used to remember the Beatles during me younger days especially the unique "Temenggong Juggah" hair style which became the craze during those good old days back in the 60s.

What lessons we could learn from the Beatles? Well, as enumerated by the writer, we could look at the following good things which has come out from the "crazy" days of the Beatles mania if we want to succeed "big" in life:-

Firstly, when we do things, ignore conventional approach - do it differently and do it as we know best and most importantly it is to our liking. Secondly, never get too complacent too fast, get uncomfortable, get restless, try we must, on every "tricks" in the book while climbing the success ladder. Get to the bottom of what we really want to do and never give up easily eventhough the tasks in front of us looks too daunting and full of hurdles...the important thing is, to have a go first, and with a bit of luck, just like the Beatles, they managed to win "big" by conquering the US music audience after being successful and complacent in their home turf - UK.

Thirdly, the magic lies in the power of pursuit - as mentioned by the writer, "In order to succeed, sooner or later we had better take some action even before we are ready.Movement will educate us, especially if it involves getting out of our comfort zone. Maybe it’s just a normal part of the process of maturing and sharpening our skills, and holding back will only make us narrow our repertoire by doing things that we’re only good at, when you don't even start yet!"

Further, as he mentioned, "It’s possible to feel inadequate and crippled by the fear of failure – oh, don’t we all have that! – but perhaps mistakes can be good sometimes. I wouldn’t recommend anyone to actively seek failure but mistakes can tell us what to do and, more importantly, what not to do. It’s part of growing pains and maybe that’s why life is called The School of Hard Knocks" - as me always told meself, me, graduating from the University of Nothingness...

And finally, the greatest lesson of all is on the aspect of leadership, a true leader should not think of self glorification but should always put the welfare of others in the forefront, instead of his own success, a good leader should always pursue the success of his "flock" or the group he is leading, in this way, at the end of the day, if we are not too greedy and self centered, we will eventually get both, our self fulfillment as a leader and most importantly bringing success to the group that we led...

After reading the article above, time to enjoy the Beatles' nostalgia, me favorite Beatles song...



Room 721,
Concorde Hotel, Shah Alam
07 April 2010.

Dilema Melayu Kita

Me came across this You Tube clip lamenting on the pitiful state of the Malay folks by a Malay singer named Cikgu Naim from Kelantan...maybe a lot of you have come across this clip but to me, being from the west coast, the Kelantanese dialect of the song has added a witty twist to a rather cynical song dealing with a very serious subject matter touching on the sad state of affairs of the Malay folks even after more than 50 years of independence.

Indeed, as mentioned in me previous entry, the Malay Dilemma Revisited, the Malay folks are still the simpleton they used to be despite the valiant efforts made by the power that be, to propel the Malays into this modern world.

Hope you enjoy the song and take the cue of where we are at the moment and where we want to go in the future as a society...in comparison with other more progressive ones...



Transcript of the song in Malay...

"Apa erti kemerdekaan
Bagi umat Melayu kita
Tak seh terima perubahan
Anak cucu menjadi mangsa
Orang lain duk rebut peluang
Takkan kita nak tengok saja
Masa tetap berjalan
Sesaat tak tunggu kita

Dilema, dilema, dilema Melayu Kita

Orang lain hidup bersatu
Kita balah sama sekampong
Bangsa lain hidup maju
Bangsa kita masih mundur
Orang cakap jaya selalu
Angguk kepala macam Jepun
Ikut stail dulu-dulu
Jadi katak bawah tempurung

Dilema, dilema, dilema Melayu Kita

Anak orang naik kapalterbang
Anak kita naik teksi
Anak orang makan hotel
Anak kita kedai kopi
Anak orang jual barang
Anak kita la duk beli
Tak dok pitih rela hutang
Tanah pusaka jual lagi

Dilema, dilema, dilema Melayu Kita

Kereta orang kereta Mercedes
Kereta kita Moris Minor
Kereta orang asap nipis
Kereta kita asap bunga
Kereta orang hidup dengan servis
Kereta kita mampus tolak sokmo
Beli baru tak leh pitih
Beli beras pun hutang sokmo

Dilema, delima, delima Melayu Kita

Anak orang baca buku
Anak kita duk ghalit sekerap
Anak orang masuk ke U
Anak kita masuk lokap
Anak orang minum susu
Anak kita duk togok ubat
Macam mana kita nak maju
Kalau tak seh ubah sikap

Dilema, dilema, dilema Melayu Kita

Anak orang gi Masjid
Anak kita tepi jalan
Anak orang duduk mengatib
Anak kita duduk gewey
Anak orang perangai baik
Anak kita serupa jembalang
Duk cari bala penyakit
Tak seh fikir masa depan

Dilema, delima, delima Melayu Kita

Apa erti kemerdekaan
Bagi umat Melayu kita
Tak seh terima perubahan
Anak cucu menjadi mangsa
Orang lain duk rebut peluang
Takkan kita nak tengok saja
Masa tetap berjalan
Sesaat tak tunggu kita

Dilema, dilema, dilema Melayu Kita"

When come to dealing with cultural changes, it is not always easy to make the change especially with those steeped in their traditional values even though others around them have changed...we can only hope, one day, with knowledge and perseverance, the desired results would materialize in the future generations to come....

InsyaAllah...Ameen.

Me Words of Wisdom - Part 2

A promise me have to keep...Me selected words of wisdom on Time and Success....

Me Tryst with Time….these are wonder words on time and what it really mean to us…..

“Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend.” - Diogenes Laetius

“Tomorrow life is too late; live today.” - Martial

"Nothing is worth more than this day." - Goethe

"Yesterday is a canceled check; Tomorrow is a promissory note.
Today is all the cash you have; Spend it wisely - Author Unknown

"The value of life lies not in the length of days, but in the use we make of them" - Michel de Montaigne

"When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive -- to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love." - Marcus Aurelius

"If you want to make good use of your time, you've got to know what's most important and then give it all you've got." - Lee Iacocca

"The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life." - Muhammad Ali

"First I was dying to finish high school and start college.
And then I was dying to finish college and start working.
And then I was dying to marry and have children.
And then I was dying for my children to grow old enough for school so I could return to work.
And then I was dying to retire.
And now, I AM dying -- and suddenly I realize I forgot to live." - Author Unknown

Hence, we must not procrastinate anymore, go and take your time to:-

Take time to call a friend that you haven't talked to.
Call a long lost relative and see how they are doing.
Go to the park, feed the ducks;.
Look through old pictures and reminisce about good times.

And

Most importantly, make sure your loved ones know how you feel about them never let there be any doubt." - Jackie Sagner

Me Formula for Success...

These are motivational words for us to follow if we ever want to taste the success in life…..

"Tomorrow has a place for those who demand more of themselves today." - Author Unknown

"Search for the things that you are good at.
Work at them until you are the BEST.
You are guaranteed to succeed." - Contributed by Joe Brown

"We are all equipped with a gift or talent, which used correctly, will lead us to fortune and success." - Contributed by Joe Brown

"People seldom see the halting and painful steps by which the most insignificant success is achieved." - Anne Sullivan

"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." - John Wooden

"Ones best success comes after their greatest disappointments." - Henry Ward Beecher

"There is only one success - to be able to spend your life in your own way." - Christopher Morley

"Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go." - William Feather

Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it." - Henry David Thoreau

"Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out." - Robert Collier

"If you want to succeed you should strike out on new paths rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success." - John D. Rockefeller, Jr.

"Six essential qualities that are the key to success: Sincerity, personal integrity, humility, courtesy, wisdom, charity." - Dr. William Menninger

"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful."

"Flaming enthusiasm, backed by horse sense and persistence, is the quality that most frequently makes for success." - Dale Carnegie

May these wise words be our guiding light to proceed with this life with time and success on our side and making full use of the time that we have left….….in our journey to eternity...

At home in KL 09 March 2010……

What?! The French is Going "Halal" Too?

Me noted with great interest on a recent news article that mentioned about some dissenting voices made by a few French lawmakers against a French fast food chain that had made "halal food" as part of their standard menu.

Although the move for a halal menu by the fast food chain (which was in fact majority owned by the state!!) was simply a matter of survival based on a "supply and demand" business decision. This goes to show that the "Light of Truth" from the more than 5 million Muslims currently living in France, could no longer be "suppressed" as had been happening for ages. In the end, it is bound to surface from the smallest of crevices or cracks and find its way to the hearts of the populace.

The move and the subsequent controversies the "halal menu" generated is to be regarded as "healthy" and to an extend could be an eye opening experience for the French society at large, where the norm had always been to dismiss the Muslim beliefs and practices as "primitive" and "intolerant", even though the controversy itself has "helped" to reinforce the wrong notion among the French that Islam is a religion bordering on "insanity" for they could not "see" why the followers of the blessed Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. had to abide by certain rules and regulations with regards to halal food, as ordained by Allah the Almighty, which do not make any sense at all to them - in the context of their Western upbringing.

In fact, for the West, the controversies surrounding Islamic practices had not diminished much especially in the post 911 period where it had begun to breed the kind of Islamophobia the likes of which had not been seen before in the West. The proponents of the West, post-911 period, had cited numerous examples of the Muslims trying to "colonize" the West, either through their "population explosion" strategy or Muslim empowerment in its various forms such as the halal food, wearing of the Islamic garbs or the hijab for the Muslim ladies.

Again, to the proponents of the West, the fear is real, if left unchecked, some of the right thinking Westerners would most probably turn to Islam in droves and that would be to them, the beginning of the end of their Western ideology!

Hence, all efforts should not be spared to deny the Muslims, living in the West, their rights to live in accordance with their believes and practices. This can be seen either from the numerous books being written or films being produced with the single minded purpose of fanning anti-Muslim sentiments across the Western world. Hoping that this will create a "fear factor" in the hearts and minds of the Westerners which could act as a barrier from them getting to the bottom of the truth, whose light is beginning to shine ready to fill up the religious vacuum existing in the Western society.

Recently, that fear factor had been aptly symbolized on top of the current "halal menu" controversy in France, by the banning of Minarets for new mosques in Switzerland and the banning of the Hijab or Burqa in France itself which had captured the imagination of millions the world over.

Who knows, what started of as a basic "supply and demand" business proposition in the halal menu controversy in France, could be the beginning of further opening of the floodgate of acceptance of more Islamic practices in France and the Western world in general, we never know, it is all in the "Hands" of Allah, for He works in many mysterious ways.

No doubt, as Muslims, we must believe that Allah will never, ever, abandon His religion, Islam - the peaceful way of life, and that He will continue to ensure that His "Lights" and the Truth are not going to be forever remained buried in the hearts and minds of those who presently "fear" His religion....with His Mercy, it is not impossible, for those proponents of the West, to be the proponents of Islam instead, chosing Islam as their way of life. A way of life meant for the Western society as well the entire Ummah....Ameen.

Lastly, me would like to take this opportunity to again thanks me honored guests for the great support given to this blog for the past one year for today also happens to be the 1st anniversary of "JustSaySolah"!! Happy reading....

Prayers for Me Pa

It was 33 years ago to this day that me Pa passed on to the next world. Every year, on the 31st day of January, for the past 33 years, me have always made it a point to allocate a few moments to remember me Pa who died on this day back in '77 at the "tender" age of 58. He would have been 91 years this year, if he is still around.

Me was then just completing me matriculation year in Australia and was a week away from returning to Australia at the end of me summer vacation when he passed away.

The thing that me remember most about Pa was his simple and unassuming ways going through life. He was the one man that was never in a hurry even though the challenges that he was facing were many as life back in the '50s and '60s was very tough when you quit your job and living in the village. Nonetheless, despite the great odds, Pa had managed to move on and successfully brought up his 9 children until what we are today.

To say the least, me and me siblings owed much to Pa for the many sacrifices that he (and Ma) had made in bringing us up and for that me could never be able to repay them except to extend me prayers and utmost gratitude to Allah swt for His blessings and hope the souls of both me parents were with those who received eternal sustenance from Him...Al-Fatihah...Ameen.

When Thieves Come a-Calling

Today is that one day where me wish me could forget soonest possible and get on with me life. The day had started of normal enough as it was a weekend. Me was in Seremban together with me family enjoying the day doing sweet nothing at a shopping complex, browsing through things while waiting for me Along to come back from his "on-call" duty at the hospital.

At about noon, me received a phone call from me neighbor next door informing that me house may have been broken into the previous night as his wife had noticed that the back door's grille was ajar. Me wasn't panicky to hear the news, in fact, ironically, me was relieved as no one was at home and the worst that could happen was "things" in the house could get stolen and not me family members or meself got into some nasty fight or got injured or got into worse trouble with the intruders.

We managed to stay calm after the news but quickly bought some lunch and had our lunch at Along's house instead of at the Kenny Rogers' as planned before packing our things and scrambled back to Kuala Lunpur.

True enough, upon entering me home, the house was in shamble, on first count, four laptops and a Sony Bravia had vanished and "walked" away with the unwelcome visitors. The master bedroom and the other rooms upstairs were ransacked to the hilts, leaving clothing and other items strewn all over the place as if monkeys were having a wild party the night before.

Luckily, in their frenzy to find their bounties, the thieves had neglected to take our international passports and other important documents which were left untouched. They also missed the "jackpot" as me wife's jewelery was still safely tucked in its hiding place!

After making the customary police report at a nearby police station, some of the police inspectors came to the house to take some photos and take more notes of the situation before filing their investigation report. Obviously, typical of our neighbors, upon seeing some patrol cars in front of me house, they came out in drove looking aghast and alarmed not knowing what had had happened to me!. As usual, apart from the neighbor next door who first alerted me on the incident, others were dazzled in their ignorance and appeared surprised in not knowing that their neighbor had been robbed!

Such is the kind of society that we are having nowadays, things would have happened a lot worse before they even realized what had really happened!

Me not blaming anybody on what had befallen to me today except to ponder why it had happened in the first place. Of course, this is nothing new to me and the instances of houses being broken into were too numerous to even qualify me for a slot in the newspaper column.

Simply put, things happened for a reason, as far as me case is concerned, me don't have any reasons to put forth except to say that it has been fated and hopefully in future, steps were taken to avoid similar incidents by being more careful when leaving me home empty.

After all, the main thing is me family members are safe and sound and the "material" things that we lost today could easily be replaced in the coming days...InsyaAllah...

A Path Less Traveled

Ever wonder why the traffic going the opposite way is always clear when you are in a hurry and are caught in a jam? Ever wonder why when looking at the things we do in life, we had always seem to restrict our mind and be contented to follow what others are doing? Did we ever imagine that there could be so many other roads to take to avoid getting stuck in a jam? Maybe not many of us realize that we could simply avoid being stuck in a lot of tribulations in our life if we were to choose a path less traveled in the first place....

Looking at things from a different perspective, out of the norms, could be a good starting point before we choose which path to follow. The opposite would be following others blindly and worst still having a “herd mentality” and not knowing which direction to take - doing what the crowd is doing and being clueless of why it being so.

We have always been reminded by our elders not to follow others blindly if we want to avoid pitfalls and to succeed in life. We should be able to live our life to the fullest by doing what we love best. To enjoy life to the fullest could mean making sacrifices not many are willing to take.

Although taking the less traveled path can pose its own unique challenges, like being left alone and lonely, it can also be a rewarding experience for those who dare to thread its path. True enough, in reality not many of us dare to venture out of our comfort zone and worst to be labeled as "crazy" just to experience life beyond the norm.

Yes, following the less traveled path is a lonely journey not many are willing to take. But for those willing and crazy enough to risk their everything, they may find their pot of gold at the end of that grueling journey.

It has been said time and again, that those taking the less traveled path and able to survive at the end of the ordeal had lived their life to the fullest and achieved what others can only dream of - the pinnacle of their true potential.

It is a unique success story that can only be emulated by the dieharda and those willing to say "NO" to the crowd and take on the challenges throughout their epic journey to glory along the less beaten, less traveled path!