A Brother Too Far

A Brother Too Far.

Assalamu ‘Alaikum,

Being born amongst the youngest in a family of eleven means in adulthood I’m usually spared most of the heads of family duties when it comes to marriage of siblings etc. However things changed when you marry a girl who is amongst the eldest in her family. I married the eldest girl in a family of seven. So when the youngest brother but one, in her family is to be married I found myself promoted in my station in life. I am now a rookie Head of Engagement Delegation on behalf of my young brother in law. At times like this you’d wish MPH will stock your wish list Dummy books like “Head of Bertunang Delegation for Dummies”.

If my brother in law decided to marry someone in Perak or even culturally awesome Negeri Sembilan I wouldn’t have really baulked, but he had of course to choose to marry someone in Limbang Sarawak, a sweet girl he met at a Polytechnic in Kuching.

Fine, so what do I know of Limbang putting aside the Head of Delegation fears for the time being. The ladies in my wife’s family came into the fore when it comes to engagement ‘perhantaran’ and all that. I suspected my wife and her sister had gone to secret night classes for Malay engagements and wedding with their detailed knowledge of what to do which impressed me no end. I was of course already practicing my head of delegation speech in my head. I sought tips from various sifus in my extended family of course, and what came through was the “menyambung silatarrahim’ phrase which I’m told and I found is a natural winner in the scheme of things.

And it was indeed a ‘menyambung silaturrahim’ event indeed on the day of the engagement. My three youngish children found themselves on a journey again having weathered Europe, Johor Baru, Lenggong and now Brunei and Limbang all in a space of four weeks from the start of their school holidays in November. I told them that even before their teacher asked Papa wants a travelogue of what they did during their school holidays in my constant effort to sharpen their English language skills. Adlin went off tangent with a Korean teen age love story, Zahir started page one and sort of took a long break since, and Adila secretive as always, not willing to show me until she has completed the exercise.

I digress; we thanked Air Asia for the huge savings in family flight to Brunei which now include my sister in law and her primary school going daughter, and dad in law and mum in law. We checked in into a family hotel in Bandar Seri Bagawan and waited for my sis in law to be to make the connection. We had no idea in which direction Limbang is and how to get there. Naively I offered we take a taxi there but I’m glad we didn’t, as direction-telling wise to the taxi driver it may have been a bit complicated. Her uncle and son came with two SUVs and we breathed a sigh of relief. And that was where I learnt about a family separated by historical boundary decisions.

We knew she was from Limbang but we had no clue of the family relationships with Brunei. For those whose East Malaysia geography is a bit vague, Limbang is the strip of Sarawak, Malaysian land that splits Brunei into two separate parts. Yes, no land access between Bandar Seri Bagawan Brunei and Temburong Brunei, Malaysia goes straight to the coast. You sought of feel for the Bruneians, for the split of their country into two separate halves, but Wikipedia immediately eased my guilt feelings when I learnt it wasn’t us Malaysians who did the splitting but some White Rajahs well, well before us. We all know of course that at some point in time, in days gone by, the Sultanate of Brunei actually covered almost the whole of Borneo.

I was surprised to learn that my sis in law to be’s father is the only brother this side of the border whereas most or all other brothers and members of his family are on the other side. They or their fathers were all residents of Kampung Lumapas which was split into two when they set the border between Brunei and Malaysia. So I imagined my Kampung Sira in Lenggong Perak split between two countries, Pak Lang Ibrahim’s house which is just a shouting distance away is now in country A, whereas me and my gramps in country B, though I could throw a rubber ball that would go through Pak Lang Ibrahim’s window if I wanted to. Well that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but that’s what Kampung Lumapas residents found themselves facing in that boundary-placing year.

Many brothers thus carry Brunei Passports while my sis in law to be’s father and his entirely family carries Malaysian Passports. Now if you understand the economics between Brunei citizens and Limbang citizens you would wish to draw attention to the Malaysian authorities that it is long overdue they do Limbang citizens right, and make them proud to be Malaysians. The Zahid family will do our part with the sillaturahim of marriages etc, but the powers that be need to buck up and do the rest.

Back to the engagement event, praise be to God all went well yesterday. I didn’t do too badly I think, and hoped. As everybody was happy and smiling I presumed I had not grossly offended anyone by any rookie mistakes, and I think they liked my regaling of Islamic finance teaching tales in safari Africa and all. I knew that is always a fall back I can rely on. Alhamdulillah armed with this invaluable experience I’m now ready in sya Allah to handle more of such events as I may have to, for fatherless nieces and all. In sya Allah and Alhamdulillah.

Zahid.

C72

The Elusive Snow

Assalamu 'Alaikum

The Elusive Snow.

 

I recalled it used to snow at Easter in London during my student days in the seventies, so the family now on London trips, never held much hope for snow in London in winter, if it did it was a bonus. Last two trips, the family had to fit in Papa’s work time so we never expected any snow during the late November early December trips, and we were not wrong! This year the planning was for snow, although Papa has to make London a first stop for work purposes. The family, well Mama and Papa, homed in on Helsinki, for can it not snow in Helsinki in late November, early December?! Well, as we are finding out, it can, not snow in Helsinki in late November early December actually.

 

We’ve been here two days now and although the temperature is decidedly lower than London its not the snowy kind. The pictures of snowy Helsinki at the Tourist Centre were nice but it wasn’t happening then. Helsinki is a beautiful capital city at the southern coast of Finland surrounded by an archipelago of islands.  Vlad the handsome Finnish boy who greeted us at our apartment homestay tried very hard to search for snow in Finland where we can take a day trip by train, but Lappland at 700 km away was not quite the distance we had in mind, although it most certainly is the capital of snow. The Finnish girl at the City’s Tourist Centre also showed us a blotch in the centre of Finland in her laptop where it is currently snowing but she said its only 10 cm of snow and I surmised it might just not still be there if we were to take the 5 hour train ride there!

 

So we walked the beautiful lighted city of Helsinki, taking in the atmosphere. It was certainly their celebrative time of year, with street lamps that are iconized as reindeers. It was only half past three in the afternoon, but for someone from Malaysia who may be without a watch, it could easily be 9pm at night.

 

Helsinki seems a very nice quiet city, without the hullaballoo of London traffic and people jam. It’s more laid back with huge, rectangular box mansion-like buildings lining the streets, and well dressed people moving purposefully to their destinations.

 

Paying for tickets on trains can be a real challenge for the honest passenger though. Firstly there is no ticket counter at any station! The locals all seem to have that plastic thing which they touch at some reader thing as they enter the train. The visitors then would not have these plastics and is ready to pay with cash but there is nobody to take the cash!

 

Vlad said there will be someone to collect your money as you sit in the coach but nobody came. We asked, but the man said wait for the ticket collector to come. The ticket collector did not come as we arrived at Helsinki Main and the guy said go on, it means you don’t need to pay. Sure enough as we left the train and walked out of the station there was nobody at the exit requesting for tickets!

 

On the return trip home I was determined to pay my two adults and 3 children tickets but all the coaches said “No Ticket Sale”. I was a trifle bit confused- they don’t seem to want your money here! Then the coin dropped and I remembered Vlad said there will be one coach where there will be ticket sale! Sure enough we found the coach and we entered it, me absolutely determined to pay for the tickets.

 

Our policy overseas is to follow the rules to the letter, for we don’t want vacations spoiled by us not following foreign rules. We almost already reached our stop, when I saw the ticket collector. So I got up quickly and proffered her a 20 Euro note as the train arrived at our stop. She just smiled and waved us off the train without paying, as they was not enough time for her to do the ticket thing on her gadget. I failed again to pay, but comforted that this time it was no less than the ticket collector that let us off.

 

Today is Helsinki Zoo time and I did pay the train tickets this time. But I did not pay the bus tickets to the Zoo, as you can travel anywhere on any transport in Helsinki for free, after purchasing your first tickets, provided you do the travelling within one hour of your first ticket purchase.

 

So we found ourselves at Helsinki Zoo, which was on a little island connected by a short bridge from the Mainland. If you can imagine a zoo in the coldest freezer you can find in KL, that was Helsinki Zoo. The winds were icy and the day darkening as we went on our search for the polar bear. Well actually there were no polar bear at the zoo. In fact there were no animals at the zoo, that can be seen that is, all snugly hidden somewhere probably having a good laugh at the humans out there in the cold trying to eye them.

 

However after the bison and the elk, things got more exciting as we neared the end of the zoo. Close encounters of the furry but scary kind. We were face to face with Siberian leopards and an Alpha lion and his two lionesses. Although these are animals we should be familiar with coming from Malaysia this was the first time we were figuratively speaking, breath smelling close to these big cats separated only a by a two inch glass wall. The Lion King took a liking to my eldest daughter Adlin and was stretching his paws lightly pounding the glass door that separated him from Adlin. Adlin said the Alpha lion winked at her twice; I teased that’s probably because she looked like roast chicken to him, although I must say the lion comes across as a very friendly pussy cat.

 

The sea winds on our face in the zoo island made it seems as if it was cold enough to snow but it was not to be. All seems déjà vu our Korean trip in days gone by, also waiting for snow. Will it also has a snowy ending this time?

 

Zahid C72

Banda Aceh

Assalamu ‘Alaikum,

Banda Aceh

Mukhti said he lost 105 family members in the Tsunami. I asked him where he were, which seemed to be the same question I asked every Achinese I met, when the catastrophe took place. He said he was not a beca rider at the time, he had a stall selling things. The waves were nearing him when he packed his family of five onto his tricycle bike to rush inland. He was missing one 6 year old son who could not be located. It was a horrific position for a dad to be in to move on to safety minus one offspring but the decision had to be made or the entire family would be sacrificed. Most fathers I think can empathise with his dilemma. However this particular family had a happy ending for the boy lodged himself in the minarets of one of the mosques. But it wasn’t a happy ending for 105 of his relatives of which he said they could locate only one body to be properly buried. Due to pressing circumstances the Tsunami victims were mostly buried in huge common graves which are now under barriered but unmarked lawns at several places you will see on the way from the Sultan Iskandar Muda airport.

Mukhti was a persistent beca rider to whom we eventually succumbed in view of our consideration to his obvious economic plight. The new leaders of Aceh are trying their best with infrastructure buildings and all, but until the economic impact trickles down to the poor they do not see the impact of economic growth. This is one economic lesson we need to learn and relearn. Progress is not about percentage point increases to the GDP nor profit increases to mega corporates, it is about how the most underprivileged is taken care of economically by the government. Just like the monetary system where the traditional method is to enrich the rich so that some spoils will trickle to the poor, economic systems cannot rely on this formula either. Whilst yes it is obvious infrastructure building will eventually enrich the economy, what do you say to the beca rider who said the big port they are building has so far has not touched his life. He does see however it enriching the companies involved with the project. So the object lesson in new economics is, parallel upliftment of the plight of the poor whilst you go for your broad infrastructure development. I will unfriend you from Facebook if you even mentioned the word BR1M! Technically however it is a not such a bad solution provided it comes from the profits of an expanding economic cake, but not if it comes from reputedly dubious sources.

Now the beca that Mukhti takes you for Aceh rides in are not the nice bicycle trishaw you see in Melaka or similar. It is a rickety trishaw somehow attached to an old motorbike with an engine that seems about to die any which time. I wanted to take the taxi but the hotel receptionists all insist the trishaw is better and cheaper. We did take a taxi for the longer distance rides but we did what I thought was economic jihad for the shorter ones. It does take a huge dose of bravery to sit in one, while your beca rider weaves through the pretty scary vehicles traffic. We are acutely aware that the beca is no match in a heads on fisticuffs with a car. However beca rides gives a street view of Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh Provinsi. I will describe Banda Aceh as having huge potential, although presently it is very much a 1960s Malaysian city town.

The Achinese are a very proud race with a very proud religious history, the source of entrance and the cradle of Islam for the Nusantara. They have been fiercely independent and has hardly succumbed even to the Dutch during the hey day of Dutch colonialism. So it is hardly surprising they were at odds with Jakarta even after independence. The Aceh strive for independence from Jakarta lasted 30 years and was premised on Jakarta’s failure to honour the pre Merdeka pledge to them to uphold the rule of Islam for whole of Indonesia. But this is now water under the bridge, GAM or Gabungan Aceh Merdeka made peace with Jakarta after the Tsunami catastrophe of 2004 in a historic Helsinki led peace agreement brokered by Ex President Ahtisaarri of Finland.

Having completed our objectives in this beautifully quaint city, we said goodbye to Mukhti and said we will take a taxi to the airport tomorrow. Mukhti insisted we take his beca to the airport with our luggage on the rooftop! I pacified him that we might take a last minute ride before we leave for the airport tomorrow. I don’t know whether he believes me but there is really a limit to my economic jihad, and after all he did enjoy the Nasi Padang lunch we asked him to join us in earlier.

Zahid

C72

The Price of a Smile

Thursday, May 19, 2011

The Price of a Smile

Assalamu ‘Alaikum

The Price of a Smile

It was worth every sen. Now she smiles at every opportunity. Many moons ago in Riyadh when she was a wee bit smaller she must have tripped and hit a coffee table or something. We weren’t sure, it could also have been the tons of sweet the two front teeth had no choice but to process. The end result was a gap in her smile which had us a little bit worried because the stumps were still intact. With the tooth fairy scheduled to deliver her permanent teeth soon we wanted the fairy’s job to be easier without having to deal with the milk teeth stumps as well.
So Mama and Papa agreed, and Papa dug deep in his pocket for Adila to have a dental surgery to remove the stumps. Aah yes, another thing is that it can’t be done in a normal dentist’s clinic. We have run out of dentists in Bukit Jelutong who’s not afraid of Adila. Once she makes up her mind to clench her mouth shut no amount of persuasion by any dentist will get her to open it, leave alone let any dentist poke all those sharp things in her mouth. We suspected the young dentist we last visited broke down in tears as soon as we left; everything about dentist chair side manners she learnt at med school failed miserably with Adila. Well she’s in good company even Adila’s paedi did not fare any better in other encounters.

So it was in this spanking brand new Medical Centre in Shah Alam that we arranged for Adila to have her dental surgery. This dentist fared a little bit better than the others as Adila was under sedation this time. So out came the stumps plus six other little teeth which probably spared the tooth fairy some overtime. Now its endless sweet smiles from this happy eight year old girl. Still with gaps and generally toothless but a happy smile nonetheless. We only knew how heavy it weighed on her little mind when she confided with Mama that she was very shy to smile before this. We are parentally happy too; Mama said we should remember to up her mas kahwin* when the moment comes.

Mama and I also agreed our parents could never have afforded such expenditure for kids. Our tooth problems being solved either through natural means or through the proverbial stringed tooth tied to the doorknob. Dental visits will be when the doktor kerajaan visits our schools; otherwise we just pretend dentists don’t exists, tooth pains being solved by Granny’s clove or two, or the juice of Mum’s squeezed garlic.

There are many other things our kids go through where we had other alternatives in days gone by. When our five year olds stretched their limbs at the playground during kindergarten recess we flexed and stretched muscles through acrobatics on rambutan trees. When they splashed and squealed with float wings in beautifully blue swimming pools, we had natural Jacuzzi in clear kampong streams. When kampong lads in the likes of a Malaysian Tom Sawyer was our childhood hero and caring big brother, Zahir had clean cut little Farhan who pinches everyone at every opportunity. When we had marbles and tops and kites to keep us busy, our kids have zombies to kill, aliens to destroy and buildings to demolish in their computer world.

Well, that’s progress. Wonder what the kids will be writing about their own kids in their blogs in times to come.

Wassalam,

Zahid

Note: * mas kahwin = dowry; doktor kerajaan= government doctor; rambutan= a favorite local fruit;
             kampong= village 

Dari Gong Lilit ke Jakarta

2011

Assalamu 'Alaikum

Dari Gong Lilit ke Jakarta


We wouldn’t have gone if it wasn’t Popo’s wedding but ties that bind and the fear of Kak Ju’s cold stare saw us put ourselves into our kenduri kahwin clothes barely a few hours after arriving from a tiring morning flight from Kota Baru. The journey started just after Subuh from Besut, Trengganu that Saturday morning after a hectic previous day's barbecueing at Tok Aboh’s retirement cottage. Actually it all started on the Wednesday night when we took the overnight mail train from KL Sentral to Wakaf Baru, Kelantan.

Koko

Friday, January 4, 2013

Koko

Assalamu ‘Alaikum

Koko

Mine was called Oren in reference to his colour. I vividly recalled the day Oren came into my life. It must have been frightened out of its wits when this 5 year old boy grabbed it and wouldn’t let go come what may. I remembered there was a boy, in the house granny and I visited, who cried and said or intimated the kitten was his but something came over me and I held on very tightly to Oren. Of course in the traditional Malay way Pakcik Roleb and his mother persuaded the crying boy to let me have the kitten and Pakcik Roleb then drove me and granny home with the kitten. I can’t say I remember much playing with Oren but I do remember he led a long life and can still picture him as an adult cat walking majestically in our home in Kampung Sira. 

My kids have asked for a pet for a long time but being previously nomadic we feared we might be nomadic again and declined their request as not a good idea. When mama said a mother cat had delivered and left two kittens in Zahir’s room I thought nothing of it taking the kittens out and delivering it to their mother. I knew the mother and the two elder siblings as they sort of assumed they were our pets asking for food at the front door every morning. We obliged by putting chicken bones and fish ribs on the grass outside the gate thinking why not as we would have rubbished them anywhere. So we were surprised to learn on coming back from mama’s kampong that there were two little kittens in the house. When I placed the two kittens at their mum’s feet what later shocked me was she only accepted one and refused the other. She took the favoured kitten away, left the other one motherless and disappeared for a long time. The appeals from the lonely kitten was heart rending. A bit later we saw the mother came back sniffed the abandoned kitten and again abandoned it! Mama says probably the kitten didn’t smell like hers and therefore she doesn’t want it. When I came back from work in the evening and mama reported it is indeed an abandoned kitten on our doorstep, we made a family decision to adopt it. The kids wanted to call it Kiki but I said it’s a male kitten and so they decided on Koko instead although he is rather black. We made a house for the kitten out of a large foam box making a door for it to slip in and out. In the current coldish weather it should keep the kitten warm if there is a thunderstorm at night. The beseeching calls to mum is still there but we can’t communicate with it to appease it so the kids decided to play with it often to keep his mind off mum. Food is condensed milk mixed with water until she gets a bit older. Kids are excited they have a pet now.

It dawns on me now why cats are so loved by the Prophet s.a.w. and is said to be the only pets in Jannah. They are so trusting on human and constantly appeals to the human heart. It was presumptuous of mother cat and her elder siblings to demand food from me every time I return from dawn prayers but they do it in a fait accompli sort of way we ended up feeding them every day. It was also presumptuous of her to choose our house to deliver her litter but I am quietly proud that this animal have high regards and trust of humans. When I left the kittens with their mum it was with some trepidation knowing what amorous male cats can do to kittens if they sense mother cat is on heat. But that didn’t happen fortunately, and in dramatic twist our hearts go out to this abandoned kitten instead. The family don’t know whether we will be adequate as a surrogate parent but we will do our best as Allah has put him in our care. Koko seems a rewrite of the story of Oren. Caring for Oren must have imparted values that now forms a part of me. I eagerly await how Koko will shape up my children in sya Allah.

Wassalam,

Zahid

Status Facebook

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Status Facebook

Assalamu 'Alaikum,

Status Facebook pagi ini.

Adila balik dari sekolah agama dan tanya emaknya - "Mama Nabi Adam manusia yang pertama kan?"
Adila balik dari sekolah kebangsaan dan tanya emaknya - "Mama cikgu kata zaman purbakala manusia tak berbaju - Nabi Adam tak pakai baju ke Mama?"
Papanya balik dari tazkirah subuh dan cerita kapada Mama tazkirah yang menarik oleh Imam pagi ini. Surah AlBaqarah cerita kepada kita Nabi Adam a.s. dicipta disyurga dan diberi ilmu yang lengkap oleh Allah swt. Apabila Nabi Adam diturunkan ke dunia ia telah memilikki ilmu yang lengkap setaraf dengan pangkatnya sebagai Nabiullah. Dari mana pulak datang cerita Neolithic, Paleolithic dan sebagainya dengan manusia kunu tak berbaju separuh kehaiwanan tanpa ilmu apa-apa? Bukan kah ini keturunan Nabi Adam a.s.? Bukan kah Habil dan Qabil anak-anak Nabi Adam sudah bercucuk tanam? Bukankah Habil dan Qabil telah menghadiahkan cucuk tanam mereka kepada Allah swt didalam suatu peristiwa yang diceritakan dalam AlQuran? Dimana pulak timbul cerita orang zaman kunu "hunter gatherer" yang tak pandai bercucuk tanam, separuh bogel tak berbaju pulak tu? 

Kata Imam tu lagi," Mengapakah kita terima kesesatan dan kejahilan Barat ini didalam pendidikkan anak-anak kita?" 
Papanya terkedu dan ingat subjek Islamisation of Knowledge yang dipelajari diUIA dimana kita perlu rombak semula subjek-subjek yang diajar kepada anak-anak kita supaya tepat ilmu mereka dengan landasan AlQuran. Atau kita masih mahu lagi agung agungkan segalanya dari Barat?

Wassalam,
Zahid '72S

Facebook status this morning.

Adila came home from religious school and asked her mother -"Mama Prophet Adam is the first man created by God, right?"
Adila returned from a national school and asked her mother - "Mamateacher said in prehistoric age people don’t wear clothes -  Mama, did Prophet Adam  wear clothes?"

Papa came back from fajr tazkirah and related to Mama an interesting  tazkirah by the imam this morning. Surah AlBaqarah tells us,  Prophet Adam a.s. was created in paradise and given completeknowledge by Allah swt. When Prophet Adam a.s. was thrown downto Earth he already possesses complete knowledge commensurate with his position as Nabiullah. Whence then came the story aboutNeolithic, Paleolithic and others with half naked men, semi beasts, lacking in knowledge ? Didn’t Habil and Qabil, the sons of Prophet Adam already know about agriculture? Didn’t they present their produce to Allah swt  in an event recounted in the Quran? Wherethence the stories about prehistoric people being hunter gathererswho did not know how to farm, and dressed half naked?

The Imam said , "Why do we accept Western error and ignorance in the  education of our children?"

Papa was speechless and recalled the subject of  Islamisation of Knowledge learnt at UIA where we need to overhaul the subjects that are taught to our children so that their knowledge accurately tracks the Quran. Or do we still look highly at everything from the West?


Zahid '72S

Andai Titian Bisa Bicara

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Andai Titian Bisa Bicara

Andai titian bisa bicara

Andai titian bisa bicara
Apa hujahnya kepada tebing
Andai luahan tersusun kata
Datangkah pagi sefajar menyinsing?


Fajar menyinsing menyinar kebenaran
Susun tapak juang menanti
Mana kesatria mana persiapan
Akan ku berjuang seorang diri?

Sungguh tinggi gunung didamba
Seribu rintangan sejuta penghalang
Kerdil dan dhaif sifat hamba
Bergantung kasih Maha Penyayang.

Berbekalkan azam, ilmu dan nyawa
Baitul Muqaddis lambang suci
Seberat beban yang bisa dibicara
Tidak seberat beban yang mengetahui.

Meniti Cabaran

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Meniti Cabaran

Assalamu 'Alaikum,

Meniti cabaran

Alangkah manis cinta ini

Cinta sejati hamba kepada Tuhannya.

Tiada pagar merintasi kata

Tiada malu menghalang rasa.

Namun aku pinta tinggal detik manis ini,

Demi perintahMu ya Ilahi

Tak mampu kususun kata-kata

Isi hati lebih kau mengetahui

Manis sungguh hubungan akrab

Diulit pilu bersulam duka

Namun aku harus tinggal pentas cinta

Mengagung korban janji setia

Kau lebih dekat dari urat dileherku

Kau kurniakan apa yang dipinta

Cinta Nabi s.a.w. kepada umatnya

Kasih insan pada saudaranya.

Andai airmata jadi timbangan

Andai hajat jadi ukuran

Andai semangat jadi pertarungan

Andai keringat jadi buktian

Ya Rabb kasihanilah,

maafilah,

rahmatilah

redhailah.

Will you walk with me this lonely path

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Will you walk with me this lonely path

Will you walk with me this lonely path?

Will you stay with me this lonely journey?

Can you see the hope behind the smile?

Can you read the wish behind the bravado?

Can you read my mind bro?

Will you read my mind bro?

I have none to turn to

An orphan of a nation.

The loneliest path is those who ask with their eyes

Who pleads with their silence

Who’s reason is eloquence itself

Who’s reality is the cold heart of day.

Can you read my mind bro?

Will you read my mind  bro?

Will you walk with me this lonely path?

Will you stay with me this lonely journey?

From Windows To Mac

Sunday, June 15, 2014

From Windows To Mac

From Windows to Mac

Assalamu Alaikum,

After a long hesitation a few days ago I made the jump, I changed from Windows to Apple. It wasn’t easy I tell ya, the decision to purchase process was long, protracted and yes, painful. Leaving Microsoft’s Windows is not unlike weaning. Its also like leaving your best friend after so many years of beautiful friendship. Refusing to acknowledge it I must have been sold a month back when I saw how thin Adnan’s Mac Air was when I was carrying what seemed a ton of Windows in my laptop bag.  What tipped the decision to purchase was probably when I saw a Nigerian lady participant deftly using her Mac Air in the courses I conducted a few weeks back.

Of course the things are not at the right place in Mac Air compared to my trusted old Acer. Minimise and close buttons are not at the right place ; copy and paste deliberately hidden somewhere ; and scroll is an activity you have to relearn once again. I suspected it was a deliberate scheme by Apple just to annoy and irritate the Johnny come lately Apple converts.

The decision to purchase does make sense really, for the same amount of money one is prepared to spend on a Windows abled laptop one gets a heck of a lot more in specs by purchasing an Apple one. All that jazz about better graphics and CAD did not budge me. What actually did was I need to pass my laptop to the kids as they have busted theirs, and also the killer selling point that for a certain amount of money I can have Microsoft’s Powerpoint, Word and Excel in Apple’s Mac Air.! Well what more do you want. The sole reason you refused to buy Apple is no longer there!

Frankly those are all I need on a laptop plus the ability to send email and do some fesbuking. The lady assistant did say something about the three finger moves, the four finger moves, and the whole finger moves you can do on Mac Air. I have not mastered that yet hoping of course its all Shariah compliant.

There’s also the multi windows tasking and a whole spectrum of icons to introduce myself to. I guess as usual over time some will be overused whilst others will remain strangers to the end.

Slowly getting there, fonts on browsers are still small as I have not got round to figuring out how to enlarge them. Facetime from Apple to I phone looks good and better than Skype, although of course 9 year old Adila was sitting next to me when we tested it! The real test will be when I am a few thousand miles away. Battery life is one whole day which means I no longer need to set up wire booby traps at airport transits. And I guess if I want to I could also now practice my Apple smirk, as usually displayed by Mac users at those expensive coffee joints.

Incumbent President Malay College Old Boys Association might wish to buy one and use the campaign slogan from Mac to Mac in line with his nickname in the up coming MCOBA elections (smile). All other election Candidates will of course see leaving Windows as a Window of Opportunity to serve MCOBA. Sorry, couldn’t resist that, must be the atmosphere, in the run up to MCOBA elections this Saturday (smile).

Wassalam,

Zahid Class of ’72 Sulaiman House.

What is it?

Monday, May 12, 2014

What is it?

Assalamu 'Alaikum

What is it?

What is it that I don’t have to introduce myself for you to immediately be my close buddy? It does not matter what age you are, how much older you are than me, and how much older I am than you, we’re instant pals. It does not matter who you are, how long your titles are, how high up in the world you are, your heart melts the minute I touched on a few code word, code jokes and code memories.

It's not as if we came from the same kampung or village, your accent is far different from mine, your taste in food and things may be wildly different from mine, but we sense a camaraderie that can only be felt by lifelong friends.

Yes tears swelled in my eyes when the young boys sang those spirit raising songs to lift their team in the rugby game against us. I could feel the nation building nerves and stuff being built into their souls as they sang those songs. I saw me in them like it was only yesterday, and I remember the feeling when the school football jerseys were distributed in class in readiness for the match in the afternoon. That powerful shirt of black, white, red and yellow injected so much pride in the youthful boy that I was then, it was an indescribable feeling.

Yes it was indeed a path down memory lane. We had less facilities then, and we don’t have that nice eminent school shirts to wear just as supporters. As the family usually drive past Prep School at other occasions 8 year old Zahir will say here we go again Papa will tell him where he will be living if he joins Papa’s school. Last weekend  Zahir was bought. His first touch of a rugby ball thrilled him so much and the overall atmosphere won him over, he is now determined to go to Daddy’s school. But the biggest surprise was Mama. From a staunchly reluctant admirer of the School Mama thoroughly enjoyed herself at the Old Boys gathering and concert and seems to have made amends with her previous stance. She did not know I was that breed when she married me. I was curious why she disliked the people from that school so much before this. She said when she was on campus in university days they were haughty and kept themselves aloof and apart and did not join the lesser mortals at the university. Aaah was all I could say in apology for my younger tribesmen. Those reading this please take note you are being watched.

Of course when I saw the new school Auditorium I could only remember arwah’s Cikgu Yusuf’s house was exactly the same spot. Cikgu Yusuf was the father of my batchmate Captain Faisal, who as a boy must have felt left out when we were all feeling homesick in those early preppie days. Heck his mum can see through our dormitory window from her house whether her son has had his shower for the day! Aah I recall the bubur kacang and the brittly black and white English league TV matches we used to watch at Faisal’s house on Saturday afternoons. Or was that at Ustaz Nawi’s house. Anyway the porridges at both houses were awesome I recall.

The familiar buildings were still there although peppered by newer ones. But the eternal tree of life, the Big Tree is still there witness to many I'm sure who walked underneath her hallowed shadow. I somehow associate that tree with the annual cross country race where my soul mission in life then was to score the lower points for my house. I could only dream what it’s like to be in the first ten, running not being my forte. I also recall the injustice of being asked to take the early shower during the school rugby trials; my squeaky clean white shirt being the ultimate giveaway. I probably broke some world record on the longest game a player ever went through without ever touching the rugby ball! Heck I was playing wing, I wasn’t supposed to join scrums was I?! I played rugby for the house though, and still recall how one XXXL boy Salleh Lamsin cheated by not wearing a shirt and rubbing his entire body with “minyak kuda” or horse ointment just to evade being tackled.  Now who on earth can tackle him, and in retrospect who on earth would want to?! Yuck!

I still recall the taste of the fried chicken with chillies on top ; even the fried mackerel and kembong was at that young age, nice. We learnt the natural partner for bubur kacang was cream crackers. And that some boys called soy sauce toyu. And the definition of heaven then, is of course, ice cream at the high table.

Yes MCKK you still tug our hearts, and thank you for the Old Boys Weekend for allowing us to pretend we are back home once again.

Zahid

Class of 72 Sulaiman House

And taking a cue from Brother Anand the current Old Boy headmaster of MCKK, I have one announcement to make – Please be there at the FreemarketMCOBA event at the MCOBA building Car Park this Sunday 18^th May 9-11am. Mr Prez will be taking attendances J

Aah terhiris hatiku

Friday, April 18, 2014

Aah terhiris hatiku

Aah terhiris hati ku.

Aku setia saperti dahulu,

Kau yang lari dari kesetiaanku.

Aku erti pahit maungmu seolah pahit maungku

Aku erti hirisan jiwamu seolah hirisan jiwaku,

Tapi aku nun jauh dari lubuk hatimu

Kesetiaanku tiada lagi nilai disisimu

Kiniku dirudung hiba

Kau bilang aku alpa

Saudaraku, musuhmu musuhku

Yang kau terpaksa kawan, tetap musuhku

Itu takrif kesetiaanku padamu.

Mengapa kuseorang tercari cari rakan yang hilang

Mengapa kuseorang berpaut kepada ingatan

Apakah itu semua tiada erti bagimu

Tiada nilai disanubarimu

Biarku berpaut pada yang lalu

Menghibur hati yang dirudung rindu

Rindu pada masa silam kau bersamaku

Setiakawan murni seikhlas kalbu

Offline Tioman

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Offline Tioman

Assalamu 'Alaikum,

Offline Tioman

“There is no Maxis or Celcom here in this part of the Island, only Digi”, said Nicholas  Chang the manager of the island resort we were staying in. I still held hopes they have internet café or something at the reception so I could get my daily dose of online caffeine. My hopes were dashed when the friendly Nepalese waiter and Filipino waitress asserted there is no such thing in this resort. Aaah I began to get the picture. Seeing the worry on my face the waiter offered that there is internet in the next resort, its only 30 minutes of jungle trekking away and I might have to kill a few dragons on the way there but the internet’s good. Visions of ‘Lost Island’ screened in my mind, and the feeling of isolation was complete when Adila announced there’s no TV either in our hilltop cabin. The view’s gorgeous though with the cove and beach panoramic from the glass wall from inside our room. I kinda thought this must be payback time for the yorns of hours I was online saving the world, and assisting the Malaysian Authorities to search for the hapless plane.

Just in case you have not got the full picture, no network for internet also means no internet for our mobile phones to reach civilisation. So as much as we are lost in this delightful island the world is also lost to us! It suddenly dawned on me that they might find MH370 and I wouldn’t know a thing about it, marooned on this offline island until Wednesday. Well I thought that’s life, a man needs a vacation occasionally and the world will just have to survive without him for a few days! J

I have never been to Mersing in my life so praise be to Allah this trip completes another notch in my to do list. I always thought that Mersing is via Kuantan highway and down the kicking genie route via south Pahang, if you’d pardon the expression- sorry, I couldn’t help that J. But my pal Ismail whose in laws are from Mersing said no, its via the southern bound Plus Highway exiting at Ayer Hitam, and on to Kluang before heading for Mersing via the Felda Nitar route, or something like that. Wayze and roadsigns along the almost 400 km route, easily led us to Mersing although I do have a bone to pick with the Mersing town authorities. A “This Way To Jetty” sign at the entrance roundabout to Mersing would be much appreciated by a tired KL family just arriving at your pretty coastal town. Lack of which meant we went on a little bit of run around before two helpful locals put us in the right direction.

Then it was parked the 4 wheeler and on to the jetty. There was some confusion on the booking dates with the resort rep at Mersing but it was amicably solved in the traditional Malaysian way. Take a bow Malaysians, we do not scream murder or throw water bottles at people trying their best to help us, do we?! Sheesh!

The ferry ride from Mersing to Tioman Island was very long, almost 1 hour 40 mins, but it was enjoyable as ferry rides always are to us. Sitting and pretending to sleep or actually sleeping in your seat is recommended for long ferry rides. Standing up would mean there is a conflict between your mind and your body; one says you are moving the other says you are not. Alhamdulillah all survived the ride beautifully.

When the girl resort rep at Mersing told us to disembark the ferry at the first stop on Tioman Island, where then a speed boat will be waiting to take us to our resort, I felt it was a bit Bond like. Instinctively I put up my shirt collar and donned my dark clipped-on glasses just in case some secret agents are around to overhear our conversation. Although with three happy holidaying kids plus wife with me, I must admit I do not exactly look like your run of the mill secret agent on a mission.

I guess it must have been the conspiracy filled atmosphere lately that got into me. I am a firm believer of dark scenes behind the world news as I know too much and understand too much of what is going on around the world. Too many expose’ from too many sources can no longer hide the evil intentions of evil. Yes, there are people who are working towards a New World Order; and yes, there are people who hopes to create chaos from World Wars, and out of which they hope the world will accept a New World Government led by them.  To this group within a particular race it is a religious mission they are duty bound to fill for they truly believe they are a chosen master race and the rest of humankind are to them just slightly above cattle. Aren’t cattles led by the nose, as are Presidents of a certain superpower? They enter and destabilised nations as they did Ukraine. If they are successful they will have a new country run by their kinfolks; if they fail they might just trigger a World War from which their Banksters will profit, and during which their Mothership will surreptitiuously expand its illegal borders under the guile of wartime self-defence. Devilish plan, isn’t it? Stand up mankind, ignore this evil at our peril.

Back to our idyllic island holiday on the morning of the first day, it was snorkelling and swimming for the kids whilst mum and dad lazed on the deckchairs. Our laze was interrupted by an unexpected morning rainfall in Tioman. I knew it was God’s way of testing whether we are thankful for the answer for our du’a for rain earlier. Praise be to Allah we are thankful under all circumstances. When the rain cleared after lunch it was back to the beach for more fun and frolic for the kids.

I finally succumbed to my wish to know what’s going on around the world and started to chat up Raj, the Nepalese waiter who has a Digi phone. He said unfortunately he is out of credit but a friend will come with his top up card later in the evening. At dinner Raj passed his phone to me where I then gladly and immediately called civilisation to apprise me of the latest news. Yes at the time the world was still going on fine without me, they still have no news of the plane, Kajang went the way expected, and my clients have not missed me yet. I thanked Raj with a big tip. I did not realised before then, the effect of not knowing what’s going on in the world!

The night ended with fish feeding at the brightly lit jetty. Plenty of colourful little fishes gobbled up the food thrown by the resort workers to the thrill of the children on the jetty. The highlight was when a couple of sharks, smallish though they were, arrived on the scene, dispersing the smaller fishes and entertaining us with their fast menacing moves inside the water. Praise be to the Creator, the stars looked brilliantly beautiful under the cloudless island sky wishing I could remember the constellations to impress the children. I resolved not to borrow the mobile phone again tomorrow, to just enjoy being incommunicado and lost from the world on this idyllic island.

I was going to write the opposite of course is still our prayers for the hapless souls on MH370 but Nicholas whispered to me the official announcement during breakfast on the second day we were here. I was informed the authorities declared the plane had indeed crashed and all are presumed dead at particular spot in the Indian Ocean.  I was silent, speechless and thoughtful when I heard the news. But what ringed in my ears and mind then were the words I heard many days ago i.e. “The US have received indications the plane has crashed in the Indian Ocean.”

Yes I mused on the words “The US have received indications the plane has crashed in the Indian Ocean.” Now why did the US received those indications? Are they a prophetic nation God chose to gives news in advance?! If their satellite is so advanced it can tell from outer space the brand of a fountain pen we have in our shirt pocket, why can’t their satellite immediately find the plane crash and announced that to the world much earlier? And what a coincidence! The plane is now announced to have crashed in an area they “have received indications it will crash?!” Hmm the mind does indeed boggles!

This tragedy have raised more questions than answers, of disputed cargo between superpowers, of an innocent nation caught in the crosshairs of dispute, of an obedient and patriotic pilot called to duty but sacrificed and betrayed on the altar of expediency. Why was a CNN lead newscaster filming a documentary on Boeing 777s with the co-pilot of the fateful aircraft one week before the fateful flight? Why were two US Navy seals killed in Seychelles accompanying a high technology cargo? And why was this cargo said to be subsequently on the same aeroplane as a number of electronic weapon experts and some handy millionaires? And why was an aeroplane that turned backed and headed in the general direction of a naval base island called Diego Garcia now found far and away in the Indian Ocean?

Whatever lessons we have learned from this tragic episode, one must be for the common man to be no longer naïve, and he must begin to realise that life in this world is not as innocent as it might seem to be. There is evil out there that seeks to rule the world and we are mere pawns in their reckoning. Seek to know, for really, fear of knowing the truth is hardly a shield against the painful reality of the actualisation of truth. If indeed, in the least likely event that we err, is it not better to err on the side of caution?

Fesbukfirstkiatis

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Fesbukfirstkiatis

Assalamu 'alaikum,

Fesbukfirskiatis,

It’s the latest malady to grip the world. A debilitating illness that’s crippling much of humanity today. Many are discovering much work are not done or postponed indefinitely through the grip of this malady. Sufferers are unable to focus on getting any work done due this illness. Symptoms begin to show as red dots that appear in front of the eyes of the sufferers. It seems just not possible for the sufferer to ignore these red blotches that surreptitiously appear before their eyes. Immediately as if overcome by an unknown spiritual force they had to abandon their intention to do any work and focus their entire mind to address these symptoms first. 

But when they do that they are then caught in a horrendous vicious cycle, a compulsion to do things on the computer keyboard which they otherwise would not have done. Funnily enough the reaction to these red dots differs for each sufferer. Some makes the sufferers feel elated; others raise inexplicable feelings of annoyance, while others remains quite neutral in terms of the patient’s emotions.

Once gripped by the onset of the ailment, fingers begin to move as if having a life of their own. Once the sufferer has hit what he knows as the last key on the keyboard a sense of calm overcomes the sufferer and he is then able to address what work that he or she needs to do. But in nine cases out of ten, a new red blotch will appear in his eye which he or she can’t ignore again. And the motions are repeated until he again reaches the phase of calm.

The sufferer is fully aware of the illness he is suffering from and he feels happy the attacks hasn’t been too strong this morning and that he can now focus on getting his work done. Of course by this time it will be coffee time and he just has to go to the pantry or kitchen to get one.

Refreshed, once again he attempts to finish the report, or the excel model, or the PowerPoint presentation long overdue, only to be overcame again by the reddish rash across his eyes. This is a serious illness which have not been documented and researched by the medical profession yet. Sometimes the red dots are pre empted by a bleeping sound in the ear. Almost always the sufferer knows this forewarns the repetitious malady again.

He knows not who to talk to for the local clinic and medical GP certainly would not have heard nor have any drugs to deal with this ailment.

The only thing left for the sufferer, usually, is to blog about it and hope to find out whether there are similar sufferers throughout the world. Perhaps then a self-help group can be formed to assist and give comfort to similar sufferers throughout the world.

No name has been given to it yet but some early researchers suggest “Fesbukfirstkiatis” would not be inappropriate.

Wassalam,

Zahid