As always, somebody will take the charge of calling Chicken Hut. 01 4736888. Got it!
Me: Hello, is this Chicken Hut?
Chicken Hut (CH): Yes, its Chicken Hut. Where are you calling from sir?
Me: South Circular Road
CH: Alright, which house then? 218? 254? 308? 318? 322?
Me: No, its 380 (heh banyak rupanya yang rajin memesan Chicken Hut)
CH: OK so there's a new place?
Me: Yes! (smiling)
CH: So what you'd like to order?
Me: Give me 2 Family Pack please
CH: Pepsi or Club Orange?
Me: Club Orange
CH: Now I repeat it again - 2 Family Pack, Club Orange. The address is 380 South Circular Road... and it will be ready in 30 minutes, and your contact number sir?
Me: 0851477775, four seven altogether
CH: OK thank you very much
The amazing true story of Zeitoun
Abdulrahman Zeitoun is the real-life hero of Dave Eggers's new book. In the aftermath of hurricane Katrina he paddled from house to house in a canoe, offering help to his neighbours. For his trouble, he was arrested as a suspected terrorist.
Abdulrahman Zietoun in the New Orleans Greyhound bus station where he was held after being arrested. Photograph: Julie Dermansky/Polaris
//Matt Damon is Richard Miller, tasked to search for WMDs, which turns out to be one good bogus reason for America to go to war.
Few weeks back my buddies and I managed to go to eye clinic ie. GSC, for Green Zone. Directed by the same guy who did the Jason Bourne trilogy (buku dia pun layan sehh), hence the screening was almost full house.
Heh, terrorist terrorist terrorist. Then somebody (they say its from local intel whereas its just manufactured from some analysts who stayed at parents' basement for yonks), someday, one way or another there will be attempts to connect those baddies with weapon of mass destruction, or deception - more politically correct.
Anyway its a good watch, I'd say this clearly - if you have bought Robert Fisk's The Great War for Civilisation, or any middle-east history books, and couldn't find time to read, re-read, or it's still in the shrink wrap, you would better off spend one evening watching this. It's a documentary in its essence.
Sempena Maulidur Rasul, Masjid Negeri Pulau Pinang ada menganjurkan majlis mengupas buku di atas, yang memperincikan peribadi Nabi kita, dari segi tuturkata, cara melayan tetamu, sahabat-sahabat (dalam konteks kita rakan sekerja), dan macam-macam lagi. Sayang tidak berkesempatan pergi... dek kursus ACLS.
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My favourite Burdah. Yea I know it is not the one recited during Maulid...
Another statement deserved for "WTX" remark, whereby X is whatever unpleasant word you could think of. Eg. What the cuss?
Norani Othman, a sociologist and founding member of SIS Forum Malaysia, a Muslim women's organization, said some in the government may be playing dirty politics, but Anwar is being stubborn and vain.
"Whatever his sexual orientation is, I'd advise him to just let it go and resign so our alternative politics is not held hostage," she said. "Whether Monica Lewinsky's blue dress or the underwear here, they belong to the same rubbish bin of contemporary history."
Everyone knows about the Chilcot inquiry. On the other side of the Atlantic, things are different. They're at the forefront, with full determination despite new guards are now staffing the White House.
If you fancy satire, you should try Full Battle Rattle. Location: Iraq. Yes, it seems Afghanistan is much prominent now. Hmmm... not at the best time to write a movie review...
After spending almost one and a half hour watching this: Inilah Filem Paling Sengal
What it means: Wishing you to be prosperous in the coming year, and red envelope please! Source: http://goodcharacters.com/newsletters/gong-xi-fa-cai.html
Heh, because of 1Malaysia spirit, I can give green angpows too!
// Photo op with Mr Kevin @ PMCSA CNY Dinner
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Hmmm... Maulidur Rasul. Celebration by Prophet Muhammad's birthday. My oh my, so you want to organise a parade? Its not even a tradition by the prophet Muhammad, but hey, no harm doing it as long as you don't claim it is his instruction. You see, Kelantan has no parade organised, but nobody make any noise?
Anyway, this brouhaha reminds me of the jolly of having Maulid celebration back in high school. Apart from parade, we have lectures on and quiz up and running - with aims to refresh back thought and knowledge about our prophet Muhammad. Everyone was kinda happy about it.
As for the parade, at one particular year it was decided that each batch need to assemble a team, more of a choir, to recite appraisals of the prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him (selawat in arabic), or poems (burdah), and then have them do the parade around the school compound.
// An example of Maulidur Rasul parade. This is quite advanced and extravagant, ours were simple - no banner at all, everyone just dressed the same - white baju melayu, green samping, with black songkok. In the light of current situation, you might want to hold up a huge banner saying - "Nabi Anti Rasuah", "Perasuah Masuk Neraka", "Rasuah HARAM!". Heh, let's see if anyone got detained under ISA, heh or State Religion Department for that matter.
This effort prompted many discoveries of 'selawat' and 'burdah' version, including its meaning. A form of intellectual pursuit eh? Yes! At least most of us has no problems comprehending - since all of them in Arabic. Did I tell you that we learn Arabic in school?
The day came, and every batch was duly prepared. And then there was a surprise : One of the selawat rhymes exactly like Siti Nurhaliza's Cindai, originally by Imam as-Syed Jaafar bin Hasan bin Abdul Karim al-Barzanji - in short Imam Al-Barzanji - yes the Malay word Berzanji comes from his name!
Alright let's do some karaoke here:
Marhaban Jaddan / Jaddal Husaini - Welcome! The grandfather of Imam Husain
Marhaban Ya Nur / Ya Nur 'Aini - Welcome! Oh the light of my eyes!
Marhaban Jaddan / Jaddal Husaini - Welcome! The grandfather of Imam Husain
Marhaban Ya Nur 'Aini - Welcome! Oh the light of my eyes!
The stanza above rhymes with: Cindailah mana / tidak berkias
Jalinnya lalu / rentah beribu
Bagailah mana / hendak berhias
Cerminku retak seribu
Then here comes the chorus, no doubt everyone cheered!
Anta Shamsun Anta Badrun - You are the sun, you are the moon
Anta Noorun Fawqa Noori - You are light upon lights
Anta Ikseerun wa Ghaali - You are gold and even more priceless
Anta Misbaahu's-Sudoori - You are the light of hearts
Hendaklah hendak hendak ku rasa
Puncaknya gunung hendak ditawan
Tidaklah tidak tidak ku daya
Tingginya tidak terlawan
When the result was announced that team didn't win anything. Heh, obviously too much of a parody... Duhhh its quite hard for the judge (our teachers of course!) to accept such a brave stunt. Well, now everyone knows Cindai and Selawat cannot sit together, its hedonisme and spiritual. Yeah, like oil and water.
Morale of the day - If you want to do selawat, do it right. Dapat pahala! Check this link out eh?
Postscriptum - That weekend, am going to have ACLS course. No parade I suppose.
Alright, the first column is what you want to do. You can read it up alongwith translation, or you pursue on further, by memorising. It will be a remarkable feat, not to mention the rewards from Him. Aisemen, alot to catch up laaa...
Somebody forwarded this nifty table to me on Facebook recently. First time I came across with this, it was yonks ago, back in Form 1, albeit in written form. Lama... Upon enrolment to a secondary school in Kajang, I was surprised to see everyone was competitive in terms of memorising the Quran. It was the 'in' thing. If you don't follow the crowd, you are a loser with a capital L.
Everyone was so committed to it and if you throw a stone during school assembly, you're bound to hit someone who'd memorise at least 2 volumes (out of 30 excluding the bonus volume Juz Amma). Urgh, what a peer pressure! Translation-wise, we had Arabic lessons anyway, ultimately for PMR and much later, SPM, so everyday there is a word to learn.
Of course all the Arabic vocabs and grammars seem to be dissipating continuously, until now. Heck, even my Arabic ustazah, cried when advising me on how to do with it, as the final exam was around the corner. "Abadi, jangan gagal dalam Bahasa Arab, ya? Paling kurang, dapatlah faham apa yang imam baca," I just sighed, and said to myself - "Apalah lembab sangat aku...."
Anyway I think I'd drifted too far from the main point. Reading Quran, is quite simple to grasp as its about eye to voice coordination, and with lots of practice - read it everyday, you should be fluent in no time. However, one should remember, its a bad thing to read it without Tajwid - reciting in proper pronounciation and intonation, as even slightest mistake could alter the meaning.
C'mon, most of us will be parents soon enough, and it is a shame if one still having problems with Tajwid. How can one teach own child then? Ketam hendak mengajar anak berjalan? Then you'll need someone else to teach them, but it is sad to hear stories about parents being stingy - they can pay hundreds for private tuition, but for this, a tiny RM10 a month! (Sepuluh ringgit cukuplah....) And yet they expect the teacher to do it everyday. What the!
Heh, it was still vivid until now. The teacher wielded a long cane while going through checking out our recitation one by one. One mistake, that's it - a gentle hit on fingers, and you gotta restart all the way from the beginning. Some of us were damn quick like a bullet train - "Baca perlahan-lahan, sikit, bukan macam keretapi, main langgar saja..." When everyone was finished...
Heh, this is not about Tarannum yet - reciting it out with melody. As what Adnan Sempit puts it - "When there is a will, there is a highway"
"You don't need a camera in some instances because you will always remember that moment anyway."
Obviously lugging around DSLR is kind of a burden especially when I'm travelling light. Sometimes I wish the Capsule Inc. technology (from the Dragonball series) is already here!
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This movie is quite good though, it did ring alot of bells!
The Holocaust We Will Not See
Posted January 11, 2010
Avatar half-tells a story we would all prefer to forget
By George Monbiot. Published in the Guardian 11th January 2010
Avatar, James Cameron’s blockbusting 3-D film, is both profoundly silly and profound. It’s profound because, like most films about aliens, it is a metaphor for contact between different human cultures. But in this case the metaphor is conscious and precise: this is the story of European engagement with the native peoples of the Americas. It’s profoundly silly because engineering a happy ending demands a plot so stupid and predictable that it rips the heart out of the film. The fate of the native Americans is much closer to the story told in another new film, The Road, in which a remnant population flees in terror as it is hunted to extinction.
But this is a story no one wants to hear, because of the challenge it presents to the way we choose to see ourselves. Europe was massively enriched by the genocides in the Americas; the American nations were founded on them. This is a history we cannot accept.
// Zapin from Kumpulan Seri Melati. Melentur buluh biarlah dari rebung.
//Nazli and Akmal, the best man and the bridesmaid.
//Again the Perth gang united. Too bad the gentlemen were not bothered to have a group photo... heh.
// Live band playing traditional music, and Pantun Budi is my favourite.
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Initially this song was up in the list back in CCMB 2007, but had to be written off as there wasn't enough time to rehearse and to get the band in sync with the vocals - yes, it's me and Asyhraff.
Anyway, this is definitely one of the classics!
Hai cinta dulu-dulu Cinta malu-malu Cinta dulu-dulu Memang susah nak bertemu Bila sudah dapat bertemu Nak cakap apapun tak tahu Tegak berdiri tersipu-sipu Seram sejuk kaku membisu
Sejak kecil sudah diasuh Pantang larang dipegang teguh Mulia sungguh cinta dulu Adat resam budaya Melayu
Alah cinta zaman sekarang Sudah terlupa pantang larang Cinta zaman sekarang Di khalayak ramai dia pegang-pegang Kalau ditegur dia meradang Macam harimau nak menerkam Maruah bangsa sudah terancam Kerana perbuatan segelintir orang
Hidup penuh berpoya-poya Kalau kahwin pun tak kekal lama Bila dah dapat yang di idam Habis manis sepah dibuang
Hai cinta dulu-dulu Ikut nasihat ayah dan ibu Cinta dulu-dulu kalau nak kahwin bertanyalah dulu Berisik-risk bertanya-tanya Ayah dan ibu dan anak siapa Bila sudah berumah tangga Kekal hingga sampai ke tua
Cinta dulu cinta mulia Ikut aturan budaya bangsa Hidup mereka sungguh bahagia Cangkul dan tanah memisahkannya
Out of a sudden, there were stacks of Majalah Pengantin on the coffee table back home. Heh.
On that particular date, Asyhraff and I went to Alor Setar for a short visit to see old friends who currently working at Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah. Ah, what a feeling!
// The dinner was somewhat turn out to be a very late birthday for Hany (middle).
// Izwan, Najmi and Syafiq. The first two gentlemen now serving as HOs there. The latter is a house officer in Kangar.
We spent the night at Izwan's place, less than 1km from the hospital. It's almost half past eleven when Hazim & Huda dropped by. Borak-borak lagi.
The next morning, Izwan took both of us for a tour around the hospital. It's a well-equipped, paper-less, fully air-conditioned, in short, far cry better than PGH, which can be regarded as a museum if you ask me. We met Fareez and Bakry while wondering in the wards.
It's almost 9 when we set off to Syafiq's place in Langgar. Yeah, LANGGAR literally means knocked down. Perhaps one of the royalties in the olden days had an accident with kereta lembu or something like that, and the power that be decided to name that place Langgar.
What a surprise, Syafiq's place is by the roadside, and surrounded by acres of paddy field. Saujana mata memandang. We had a good breakfast and conversation on, well almost anything from politics to gossips. Haha.
// Kedah, negeri jelapang padi...
// Sawah depan rumah Syafiq. Kedua-duanya menahan nafas sewaktu foto diambil.
On our way back to Penang, we made a stop at Sungai Petani to get our lunch at Radix Fried Chicken. The meal was as tasty as the ones from KFC or McD, although fast-food is truly not my liking. But hey, those fried rices from Kelantan are considered as fast-food too!
// Asyhraff focused at the ladies but he forgot to zoom in.
// We opted for take-away...
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Meanwhile, two weddings:
Ikhsan & Kartini
// The couple
// A reunion of UWAFY 2002 (University of Western Australia Foundation Year). Those who were enrolled, from left : Yours truly, Fauzan, Hadiana, Azalia, Azura, Hazwani, Kartini, and next to the bridegroom, Shuhaila. Farid, popularly known as 'Gundat', the last one was our senior.
// Batrisya and Farid.
Hazim & Huda
// The most unexpected love birds in PMC. Haha I knew it all along.
// As usual, the group photo. Yours truly, Dr Azzahidi Fahmi, Dr Syafiq, The couple, Dr Ainun Nadwah, Dr Khamizi with Wafiq, and Jhaznarul.
PM: Zahid, what is the purpose of our defence policy?
Zahid: To defend Malaysia.
PM: No, Zahid. It is to make people believe Malaysia is defended.
Zahid: The Singaporeans?
PM: Not the Singaporeans, the Malaysians! The Singaporeans know it's not.
