3 walimah dan jalan-jalan di Singapura

Foto 3 walimah:

1. Haikal & Hidayah


//Pasukan Kompang Sri Tambak dari Bukit Katil


//Potong stim betullah pakcik jurukamera...


//Haikal & Hidayah bersama Cikgu Sulaiman, Kak Zu dan sekeluarga...


//Bersama rakan-rakan SMAPK. Ada yang dah berubah rupa... aku pun dah tak kenal...

2. Farid & Shuhaila


//Farid dan Shuhaila... dulu mereka berdua sama-sama menuntut di Perth

3. Reza & Marliana


//Reza dan Marliana dengan Nya'ie Suparni dan kaum kerabat keluarga sepupu ibu...


//Papan tanda iklan menarik di Changi Road, berhadapan dengan Masjid Kassim


//Masjid Kassim... siap ada Wisma Indah lagi...

Perjalanan ke Singapura dengan Senandung Malam memang membosankan. Taubat lahum saya nak ke sana lagi pada malam hari. Lain kali, lebih elok ke sana pada siang hari, sebab boleh lihat pemandangan... taklah gelap semata-mata...

Pagi-pagi lagi sudah tiba di Woodlands... sememangnya banyak lagi pokok-pokok... sejuk mata memandang. Semoga terus hijau bumi Singapura, walaupun tergolong dalam negara maju... di sini, pantang ada tanah kosong (juga berpokok-pokok), ada saja pembangunan yang tak terancang mendatang, walaupun tanah itu sekangkang kera - tapi masih boleh bina 3-4 biji banglo! Kok ye pun buatlah taman... inilah Malaysiaku yang cemerlang, gemilang dan terbilang...

Setibanya saya di Tanjong Pagar, terasa suasana kolonial - bangunan stesen yang lama (juga ada cat-cat yang terkupas), dan juga mural yang menggambarkan kegiatan ekonomi di Tanah Melayu dan Singapura... tidak lupa kedai mamak Hasan yang menambahkan lagi suasana pekan koboi...

Dengan menaiki MRT (dari Tanjong Pagar ke Paya Lebar), terus saya ke Pasar Geylang untuk bersarapan. Dapatlah juga makan Mi Goreng yang ditambah pewarna - ya amat pelik sekali... warnanya sedikit keoren-orenan, tapi pelik-pelik pun, lazat juga...

Setelah mengisi perut, sempat juga jalan keliling pasar, sebelum bergegas ke Tampines (banyak orang Tampin ke?), untuk walimah dua pupu saya. Pasukan kompangnya didatangkan khas dari Panji. Silat pun ada... memang meriah...

Petangnya, saya kembali ke Pasar Geylang - ya, untuk makan lagi. Ingatkan nak beli emping berlada, rupanya salah faham... terborong emping mentah. Laaaa, di kampung saya ada benda alah emping ini...

Hajat di hati ingin ke Wardah Books, atau paling kurang ke Masjid Aleem Siddique... tapi tersalah tren dan masjid pula. Maka bersolatlah saya di Masjid Kassim di Kembangan. Dapatlah juga lihat kedai Pustaka Nasional, dan menketedarah Maggie Goreng dan Roti Prata di kedai makan mamak seberang jalan sana. Aisemen. Tapi takpe, lain kali boleh ke Singapura lagi...

Malam itu juga saya bertolak pulang ke Kuala Lumpur dengan Senandung Malam. Jejaklah kaki saya di KL Sentral yang sesak (sebab banyak sangat gerai yang dibuka) pada pagi Isnin...

What it means to be patriotic?

TMNet Streamyx memang macam biskut 'Choc Fudge' buatan LU (sekarang Danone). Sekejap ada, sekejap tiada. Memang biskut. Heh, external harddisk pun buat songeh juga. Haiya...

Oh ya, dapat email ini dari Yahoogroup PPIMI, Hafyz yang postkan. Baca ya?

Opinion
Wednesday August 15, 2007

What it means to be patriotic

I REFER to ‘Ong: Don’t question patriotism’ (The Star,
Aug 13). We must understand patriotism, before we can
question it.

As we near the 50th anniversary of independence, the
word patriotism is being bandied about flippantly. It
is regularly highlighted in the mass media and in
political speeches as one of the main ingredients of a
united Malaysia.

Patriotism originates from the Greek word, patrida
meaning fatherland and equates with love and loyalty
to one’s country. The antonym of patriotism is
treachery.

There is a distinct difference between country and
government. Confusion arises when loyalty to country
is mistakenly equated with loyalty to the government.

Thus any dissent or criticism of the workings of the
government is mistakenly interpreted as lack of
patriotism.

Love of the country is not the same as love for the
government. Governments come and go but the country
remains.

The oath of allegiance is a duty a citizen
acknowledges to the country and sovereign only. This
is ingrained in our Rukunegara, Kesetiaan Kepada Raja
dan Negara i.e. Loyalty to King and Country.

Former USA President Theodore Roosevelt once said,
“Patriotism means to stand by the country and not by
the President or any other public official. It is
patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently
serves the country.

It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the extent that
by inefficiency or otherwise he fails in his duty to
stand by the country.”

As patriotism is nebulous in definition and comes in
many guises, what kind of patriotism are we seeking to
instil in Malaysians?

Blind patriotism calls for unconditional loyalty, is
rigid and inflexible, intolerant of criticisms and
adherents, and will support the country at whatever
cost.

Symbolic patriotism relies heavily on ceremonial
content, mass rallies, singing of patriotic songs and
flying of flags and other ways of proclaiming
allegiance to the nation.

Constructive patriotism believes that the best way to
love one’s country is with constructive criticism,
enhanced transparency and good governance.

The motive for this is a sincere desire for positive
change. To stand up and speak your mind is not a
challenge to patriotism but the heart and soul of it.
Often, these forms of patriotism overlap.

No matter how hard we try, there is no ‘Patriotism
Index’ to gauge a citizen’s loyalty to his country.
Patriotism is in the individual’s heart and is an
ongoing process.

It starts at home, continues in the institutions of
education and religion, the work place, daily living
and ultimately to our graves.

DR F.S. MALHI,

Ipoh, Perak.

Heh, itulah dia patriotisme. Sekarang, yang dikempenkan, taat kepada negara bererti taat kepada parti... dan jadilah sifir, parti = kerajaan, sampai habis pening marhaen nak bezakan yang mana satu... maka jadilah wargaparti eh silap, warganegara...

Atau dalam riwayat yang lain - "Anda tidak patriotik jika anda tidak sokong/undi BN."

postscriptum: Some ministers/decision makers come and go, but civil servants are here to stay...

...

Alhamdulillah tamat sudah elektif. Bak kata PokNik, "Habis kidney lah kau..." - intonasi berlainan boleh membawa maksud lain ya?

Buku Meja Kopi

Hmmm... dalam RM85 harganya, amat berpatutan!

Malaysia: A Pictorial History 1400-2004
Author: Wendy Khadijah Moore
Publisher: Archipelago Press

Review by Elizabeth Ng

THE next time you snap a picture with your ultra-slim, ultra-light, multifunctional digital camera, take a moment to remember how things were like for a 19th century photographer.

Back then, photographers in Malaya had to carry an entire laboratory with them so they could develop their photos on the spot. Everywhere they went, they lugged about flasks of chemicals, a darkroom tent, basins, glass plates, distilled water, tripod and camera, which in itself weighed about 10 kilograms!

Also, if you've noticed, pictures from that period are usually of eerily empty streets and portraits where the subjects pose rather stiffly. There's a technical reason for that. The cameras then had long exposure times (of about several seconds) and any moving objects would appear either blurred or invisible.

The interesting facts above are part and parcel of this wonderful book entitled Malaysia: A Pictorial History 1400-2004. Apart from its concise history on Malaysia and photography, the book is packed with over 1,200 images of our country as we journey from the 15th to the 21st century.

The images are made up of faded pencil sketches, subtle watercolours, engravings and photographs from artists and photographers alike. It includes the first views of Malaysia produced by 19th century professional photographers, studio portraits, experiments of early amateurs as well as unpublished rarities.

The book is divided into six chapters, each highlighting a significant period in Malaysia's history such as the birth of the Malacca Sultanate; the arrival of the Colonial era; the Japanese Occupation and surrender; Independence and the creation of Malaysia; and the nation's emergence from the end of the Emergency to what it is today.

This wealth of material brings Malaysia's history vividly to life, making this one of the more engaging books on history. Although the text isn't comprehensive, it is informative enough and nicely complements the images - which are, after all, the heart and main thrust of the book.

The changing times are noted through changes in the images' tone, colour and type. Early engravings give way to sketches and watercolour pieces of the idyllic and pristine beauty of our country.

Later, sepia-toned and black & white images of a simpler and less cluttered past come to life before they are replaced with the rich hues of modern-day photography.

The book inspires a sense of wonder and appreciation for our nation's rich culture and society.

It doesn't matter whether you're reading it for the nuggets on the development of photography or the history of Malaysia because both topics are beautifully tied together by the glossy images, making Malaysia: A Pictorial History 1400-2004 a good choice to have sitting on your bookshelf.

Apa ertinya mengikut ward round?

"Can you tell me what is 'catamenial' ?"
"Err... I have no idea..." (huh, tak pernah aku dengar...)

Rupa-rupanya catamenial adalah 'yang berkaitan dengan haid', yakni menstrual-related.

Mengikuti ward round memang menguji crystallised memory. Kadang-kala, eh rasanya macam pernah dengar istilah tersebut, tapi di mana ya? Kena pula bahagian yang masih belum dipelajari, iaitu Nephrology. Tak dapat den nak tolong. Erkk... berpeluh meneran!

SLE, IgA Nephropathy GN, FSGS, Crescentic GN, ESRD, PD, HD dan AVF, Kidney Transplant Protocol, Steven-Johnson, Hoffman's sign... adeh adeh adeh... cukup... dah pening dah ni...

Adapun mengikut ward round mulanya bosan sebab tiadalah saya dapat menangkap apa-apa yang diperbincangkan bila kali pertama. Bila kedua, ketiga dan seterusnya, bolehlah make sense, dengan syarat mesti telaah fail pesakit terlebih dahulu.

Dek kena telaah fail yang sama hari-hari, dan wad yang sama hari-hari, maka kenal akan pesakit-pesakit. Hmmm... dapatlah juga faham mengapa mereka di sana. Nun di sana ada yang menunggu untuk pembedahan pemindahan ginjal, di sebelah sini ada yang itu, ada yang ini...

Dan, hari ini, dalam saya menyaksikan seorang pesakit dalam keadaan nazak, dan akhirnya meninggal dunia. Inna Lillah.

Apa-apapun, sekurang-kurangnya dimanfaatkan juga masa cuti musim panas ini. Tahun depan, barulah realiti bermula... terima kasih kepada guru-guru atas tunjuk ajar (dan buat): Dr Rashidi, Dr Osama, Dr Thanuja, Dr Suliana, Pau, dan para jururawat (ramai betul).

...


//Macam biasa, angle buku program. Same old, same old...


//Hmmm, sahabat dari UTP, yang bertanyakan mengenai kebangkitan pengaruh Neo-Liberalisma kepada Prof Dr Mohd Ariff Karim (MIER) dan Justin Leong (Genting Group Berhad)


//Foto Mustaza dan Faizah. Kami 'tuang' sesi petang... terlepas nak jumpa 'The Raslans'.


//Karam Singh Walia dan Wan Mohd Firdaus. KSW masih lagi mengenali saya... lantas bertanyakan tentang kebajikan dan situasi pelajar-pelajar di Dublin. Hmmm... susah sikit nak jawab...


//Yang ini, DYTM Raja Dr Nazrin Shah menyentuh tentang proses pembinaan negara...


//Dari kiri - Datuk Rafiah Salim (yang diboo), dan Prof. Dato' Khoo Kay Kim. Persoalan AUKU dan kesatuan 3 kaum dirungkai juga...


//Datuk Mustapa Mohamed. Kenalan saya sewaktu di Perth dahulu bertanyakan soalan cepumas - Mengapa mahasiswa-mahasiswa di luar negara digalakkan untuk menyertai Kelab UMNO, dan dilarang menghadiri majlis bersama tokoh-tokoh tertentu seperti Anwar Ibrahim? Hmmm musykil...


//Prof Dato' Dr Shamsul Amri Baharudin mengajak peserta-peserta supaya berfikir tentang NEP - New Economic Policy, National Economic Policy, New Development Policy, Never Ending Policy dan Never Ending Polemic...


//Sahabat-sahabat PMC menyuruh saya ambil foto ini...


//Syafiq Idris tetap ceria...


//Berita baik - Majlis Fatwa Kebangsaan telah meluluskan cadangan Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) untuk menggunakan dakwat sewaktu mengundi nanti bagi mengelakkan penipuan...


//Hmmm siapa ya sebenarnya yang dimaksudkan seperti dalam slaid yang dipaparkan? Go figure...

Input Hari Minggu

Oh ya, klik untuk melihat foto yang lebih besar.

Persidangan Pimpinan Mahasiswa Malaysia Pertama 2007. Input yang pelbagai. Cuma, bila disentuh tentang artikel 8 dan 153, terus saya terfikir artikel 152... hmmm...

Semoga apa-apa yang diperolehi boleh disampaikan kepada orang ramai...

postscriptum: saban melihat pelbagai jenis kamera digital SLR yang dipakai oleh jurugambar professional... ishhh... rasa gatal tangan nak merasa kamera yang baru... heh nampaknya 6.1 megapiksel sudah menjadi dinosaur!