Eid…town…countryside…

“Abah! I think that would be your present for me, right? You must! Promise, ok?” said little Nuha Insyirah, her eyes wild with excitement.

My son-in-law’s eyebrows suddenly cocked up to one side.

By then, the little girl was running all around the fields and around the house belonging to an aunt (her grandfather – my husband’s side). Her t-shirt was all soaked and her forehead trickled with sweat. The little chicks she was chasing went helter skelter and were desperate on their feet, their mother clucking and following right behind them.

“Insyirah! Be careful, the mother hen could give you a nasty peck if she gets very annoyed!” said I, trying to hold still her little brother Ameer Ihsan who was flapping gleefully everytime the rooster cried, “Cock-a-doodle-doo!”

“But I want to hold the little chick in my hand!” cried Insyirah, “they are so cute,” and off she was again.

“How would you like yourself to be away from ibu and abah?” said her dad, trying to cajole his little girl.

“I would not like that!” she said, thoughtfully.

“Likewise, the little chicks. So leave them be, okay?” said her father. His little girl now tired, held on to his hands. But her eyes were still eagerly watching the yellow and fluffy chicks pecking and sifting the sands behind the bushes with their mum.

I remembered the first time we brought our son-in-law to this remote part of Kedah. A place called Kampung Bukit, near Napoh to be exact.

“What is that?” my son-in-law asked, quickly moving to the paddock nearest to the roadside. He could not help from running his fingers along the golden stalks.

“Why? That is the padi plant, of course! You mean you have not seen one?” I asked in return.

“No! I have not!” he said, a look of wonder in his eyes.

A teacher in a well established environment in the city once told me that she had asked the little children under her tutelage to draw a picture of a chicken. And what she got was a drawing of the fried chicken drumstick!

Our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was put in the care of Halimatus Saadiah at the countryside as was the norm and custom during those times. This was so that the child may learn the fine language of the outback and grow up in the unspoiled and clear environment, where the air is fresh and clean.

However, the same cannot be said about the present state of affairs in most of our own countryside. On my parent’s side, the kampung is infested with drug addicts and situation for old folks staying all alone is certainly not safe.

How about your experience in your own kampung? Do you encounter the same situation? It would be interesting to share…

Our Eid this year was really a meaningful one. Ameer Ihsan (I year 2 months) has just ‘found his feet’ and put them to real use. Our yearly photo session was hectic too! Which explains why most of the pictures had to be just candid…

To all readers, it is still not too late to wish you all “Eid Mubarak…let us seek forgiveness and start anew”.

May Allah bestow upon us the strength and commitment to fast the 6 days in the remaining days of Shawal and to be able to see Ramadhan and Shawal of next year, Insha Allah…Amin…

Discount and rebate at POPULAR bookstores nationwide..

My latest book has been shortlisted in the POPULAR bookstore's choice and a 20% discount and rebate is given at all its branches nationwide.

This offer is valid beginning 6th August until 7th October 2010. Please click here for the link. Readers are welcomed to get the book at your nearest POPULAR bookstore branch.

Some more information about the book....

"Puteri Di Alam Fantasi" (translated as ‘Princess in Wonderland’) is a book intended to sow seeds of appreciation and to inculcate amongst our youngsters, the love and care for this earth we live in. Hence, the need to be involved with efforts in sustaining it. Also the importance of caring for another fellow human being as well as others. All for the sake of our Creater i.e. God, none as Exalted as He is.

For those Malay Language readers who have finished reading this book, I would appreciate very much if you could make some comments and evaluation of the book at the publisher's portal (PTS) here... As a writer, it feels great to be able to gather feedbacks from readers (be it good or bad).

Although this book is for children, adults too may contemplate and ponder over the message that the book was intended to deliver...the idea and concepts were based on “Alice in Wonderland” with trimmings and touches of good values, to nurture goodness in the minds of our young readers…

God says in the Quran:

وَ مَا أَرْسلْنَك إِلا رَحْمَةً لِّلْعَلَمِينَ‏
“We sent thee not, but as a mercy for all creatures..” (Al-Anbiya’/21: 107)

Wasn’t the coming of Islam and also our Rasul (peace be upon him) none other than as Rahmatan Lil-‘Alamin?

God knows best…

Plastic bags? No...

“You want this?” said the Malay lady, the owner of the Herbal Rice (Nasi Kerabu) stall, her fingers deftly weaving in and out of the delicacies laid out on the table. Her customer flashed an eager smile, her head nodding away, looking pleased.

“This?” said the owner of the stall again, this time her fingers were holding the spoon to something which looks like budu (fermented anchovy sauce).

“Oh no! No, thank you!” she broke out into a laugh.

The nasi kerabu seller went on to stack the tiffin carrier and was about to put it into a plastic bag when the owner said, “Please, no thank you! No plastic bag, please!”

And off she went, full of energy. I watched her happily walking away, her blonde head bobbing amongst the crowd. Everybody else around were smiling. I looked down at the bundles of plastic bags filled with the things we bought, wrapped around the fingers of my other half. And mine too! We exchanged meaningful looks. Guilty to the core…

We were feasting our eyes, buying dinner, at the Saturday night market in Kuah, Langkawi – only, it was still daylight then. The sun slowly moving towards the horizon.

The next morning, we met the blonde again, at the elevator. We exchanged smiles. Little did we know that we were staying in the same condominium block, overlooking the sea, just off the yatch training centre. The place belongs to my brother. A very popular piece of property with numerous expatriate owners.

I salute the spirit of some of these expatriates – their conviction on greening, no plastic bags and all. Hiring bikes, or walking to town. More sensitive towards issues concerning sustaining the earth. Of which we Muslims should be at the forefront. We - who are supposed to be Allah’s vicegerent on this earth…

So touched I was, that when I returned to my working home at Parit Buntar, I tried to emulate the same spirit. And so, the next time I was buying my grocery, I brought my carrier bag along. At the checkout counter, the girl was filling in my things in plastic bags, oblivious to the carrier bag which I held out to her. So, smiling and full of spirits, I said, “No plastic bags, please! In this bag here, thank you!”

What did I get? Pouting lips, frowns and glaring stares, also from the adjacent check-out counter… So much for trying to go green, eh?

BeeeeZeeeee.....

It has been an eventful looooong month. More than a month actually…

The OCEANS 2010 conference in Sydney, ‘holiday’ in Shanghai. ‘Holiday’ means accompanying my husband who was on a business trip. New intake of students and ‘new’ subject to teach this session and in this new semester. Speaking of ‘new’ means handling a subject which I thought that I would not be teaching anymore. The last time I laid my eyes on the subject was about 6 years ago and so I was frantically trying to find my notes (maybe in my old laptop which has since been ‘condemned’).

As a consequence, I have been living on a day to day basis – lectures tomorrow and preparations? Today and till late at nights….

But in between, there was little Ameer Ihsan’s one year birthday. Yes! Already a year since the little darling – new addition to the family, was born. Our first little jewel i.e. his sister - Nuha Insyirah, is already 5 now...

Amongst other things which I was extremely happy about was the success of my good ole student in undergoing her Masters (M.Sc.) viva session just recently. Very tough, but she pulled through with gusto... Some corrections and she will be on her way..convocation in March next year, God Willing (Congrats L!)

I owe a lot to her – for without her assistance in collecting all the data, I would not have progressed in my own Doctorate studies years ago…As soon as I hired her, she had to spend at least 2 months each time at HUSM, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan. Never been there, problems in understanding the language – adjusting to the food – sometimes unpalatable to her taste but she put up with all these willingly, faithfully, diligently..…anyway, those were the days.

The recent convocation (early August 2010) brought me back to this little gift, presented by 4 students who have graduated on the occasion. I was their supervisor for their final year projects (here, we call it FYP). Reading their messages inscribed in the accompanying card, makes me happy inside. A sense of satisfaction and you feel good about a job done well with full sincerity….

Very beeeezeeee indeed...

Talking about being busy. I saw this line written on one of the walls of the hangar at Kepala Batas, Alor Setar, while on our way back to Jitra – my husband’s kampung, so many, many years ago..

“It is ok to be busy but please do not be busy bodies….”

My children were bent with laughter in the rear seat of the car when they read it. I totally agree with the phrase. Do you?

PS. To all friends and readers – May the blessings of Allah be with you throughout Ramadhan and forever…Amin…

My up and coming book...

My newest book will be around soon...Actually, it was supposed to be out during the recent school holidays. I was too busy with my work at the university hence the delay in the proofreading process. Took longer than it should have...sorry, editor!

Madam Ainon Mohd. (PTS Publications) had generously introduced it at her blog here...

I do hope my Malay readers would enjoy the book....(back cover blurb in Bahasa Melayu is here).

World Cup, Then and Now….

It was the summer of 1978. I was so up to my nose with the preparations for my A-Levels that was in a few days time then. I was sent to study at the Chesterfield College of Technology (now known as Chesterfield College), Chesterfield - a tiny market town in the county of Derbyshire. If one happens to travel by rail to Sheffield from down south, one might be able to catch a glimpse of the signature landmark of the place – the crooked spire of the town’s church, if one looks out of the left window of the carriage.

My other two housemates were cooped up in their respective rooms upstairs at the topmost floor, in the three floored semi detached house, silent and subdued. I had actually done most of the preparations. It was just a matter of going through the notes again and again as revisions. However, seeing others studying so hard sometimes make you ask yourself, “Why aren’t you studying too?” – if you understand what I mean…

After a time, I could not contain myself any longer. So, there I was, at the lounge area of the house (No. 10, Queen Street) rooted at the sofa, right in front of the TV, watching the games of the World Cup. The few hours in a day of occasional screamings and whatnots were actually food for my soul. The tension in me quickly ebbed away. My mind would be refreshed to take in the formulae, equations and theoretical facts to face the exams that was right around the corner. Argentina won 3-1 over Netherlands (2 goals made by Mario Kempes. A remarkable game it was indeed! And I had a great time, watching it all alone interspersed with intermittent activities - nail bitings, hair pullings, wrist wringing, hands in the air, at times punching the cushions or anything that I could lay my hands onto….it was a good thing that my housemates were so high up in the house…what with all the ruckus that I made…

And so, it is that time again this year. The place - South Africa. Today’s game was marred by a freak mistake made by the goalkeeper of England during the game facing USA. I am sure that he would not have wanted the incident to happen.

A quick reading of my one of my favourite websites Idris Tawfiq (an earlier entry about him on this blog can be found here – updates of which I obtained from time to time through email after registering at his website) made me ponder (read here)…

Idris Tafiq has said it well… Everything that happens is with His will.

However, my heart is constantly nagging - the biggest question still remains….the issue of Palestine and the fate of its people…would their cries of sufferings be drowned by the squeals and howls of spectators amid the goals scored during the World Cup?

Pirates of the Mediterranean

The recent Israeli raid ala Pirates of the Caribbeans (or more aptly stated as Pirates of the Mediterranean) has bared it all. Israel has nowhere to hide. Or is it still adamant on sheepishly hiding behind the hems of the trousers (or more accurately called ‘hems of skirts’ of the U.S. government? A non gentlemanly move indeed!

Even the Mayor of the city of Richmond, California; Gayle McLaughlin (a lady mind you!) has lashed out her points – even though she may be wearing a skirt herself – kudos for the spirited statements. (Read her statement here)

Take a look at the autopsy results which were released by the Turkish authorities. What do they tell you? (Read full report here)

The nine victims (shahid - Subhanallah!):
1.Cengiz Alquyz, 42: Four gunshot wounds: back of head, right side of face, back, left leg
2.Ibrahim Bilgen, 60: Four gunshot wounds: right chest, back, right hip, right temple
3.Cegdet Kiliclar, 38: One gunshot wound: middle of forehead
4.Furkan Dogan, 19: Five gunshot wounds: nose, back, back of head, left leg, left ankle
5.Sahri Yaldiz: Four gunshot wounds: left chest, left leg, right leg twice
6.Aliheyder Bengi, 39: Six gunshot wounds: left chest, belly, right arm, right leg, left hand twice
7.Cetin Topcuoglu, 54: Three gunshot wounds: back of head, left side, right belly
8.Cengiz Songur, 47: One gunshot wound: front of neck
9.Necdet Yildirim, 32: Two gunshot wounds: right shoulder, left back

What do these signify about the atrocities done by the Israeli commandos on board the Mavi Marmara. Please bear in mind that these are unarmed civilians. It does not come as a surprise as “When it is time to kill, the Israelis know how to kill well.” Am quoting the Honourable Mr. Tayyip Edrogan, the Turkish Prime Minister’s speech as he walked off the centre stage of Davos, February 2009, chiding the moderator (Ignatius) in allowing the then Israeli P.M. Shimon Peres 25 minutes to speak while he, only 12 minutes and then vowing never to return!

This also proved ironic and against their own (Israelite) teachings. Erdogan also reminded them a few days ago that it is written in their Jewish Holy Book - that their 6th Commandment is that they should not kill. But of course, they choose to turn a deaf ear.

Israel's blockade of Gaza is illegal and should be lifted. This has been reiterated by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay. He had also called for an investigation into Israel's raid on aid supply ships.

I would say – the leaders of the so-called American leadership who consider themselves the Police of the World are merely waiting for the next dictated action from their real master (who else but the Zionists?), more like a tight lipped ‘gentleman’- tail between their legs, ‘covered up in skirts’ in the first place.

I do hope that the eyes of the world are now wide open…and that Palestine and its people will be free once again…Amin

PS. All Praises be to Allah for the safe return of our friends on board Mavi Marmara to their respective countries...