Tagged

There is this tag thing, among the bloggers, Im sure u all know what tag mean, you yourself is a blogger or at least an avid reader.
I was tagged by Zafi, in the name of charity. I dont think it is still valid, but anyway its fun to answer all the questions, actually more like completing 27 phrases. Here is my response in about 20 minutes time

1. A person is only as good as ... infinity, there is no limitation to be good

2. Friendship is always ... important, they are the want u talk to, things u cant talk with yr family

3. To love is to ...like something or somebody very much

4. Money makes me ...spend, or think about spending

5. I miss ...my childhood, where my judgmental is pure

6. My way of saying I care is by ...extending my help, if cant, my prayers

7. I try to spread love and happiness by...spreading the truth

8. Pick the flowers when ...I was ask to, I never pick a flower, no reason on doing that

9. To love someone is to ... admire someone

10. Beauty is ...not skin deep

11. When I was thirteen, what I remember the most was ...I was in an all boys boarding school

12. When I was twenty one, I remember...I was struggling to find myself

13. I am most happy when ... I feel happy, I am usually not sure why I am happy

14. Nothing makes me happier than ...the world is in peace

15. If I can change one thing, I will change ...something about myself

16. If smiles were ... therapeutic, why people don't smile to cure their misery

17. Wouldn't it be nice if we could ...all 'see'

18. If you want to be useful then you have to ...contribute

19. Money is not everything but ...it is a necessity

20. The most touching moment I have experienced is ...when my D praises me

21. I smile when ... I want to

22. When I am happy, I ...smile and talk more than usual

23. If only I don't have to work then...I will still work, doing something is working

24. The best thing I did yesterday was ...(sorry cant tell you, it is none of yr business :P)

25. If I ever write a book, I will give it this title ...SELF TITLED BOOK (hehe)

26. One thing I must do before I die is ...getting closer to Him

27. Doing this me, I feel like ... Im done

Im not going to tag anybody, feel free to copy if you want to answer these questions, its fun. Cheers!

What is gay? by a 12 years old boy

Look at the diagram below, observe the pictures and read the hyphenated words.

No, I’m not asking you to do the task. (If u want to, please, and please don’t ask me to mark, I am myself have lots of grammatical error in my sentences :P) But this task was given by me to a group of 12 years old for their English class. I was their on-call teacher.

Student A & B: [Talking and laughing]
Me: Boys, Whats so funny about?
Student A: He said Gerald is gay. [Pointing at student B]
Student B: [Sheepishly smile and avoid eye contact]
Me: [Not sure whats appropriate to say for a second. Come up with a question to Student A] What is gay?
Student A: Pondan! sir [confidently tell me]
Me: No, its not. [cant hold the straight face, I did smile]
Student A: Yes, it is [smiling]
The girls: [Smiling too]
Other boys: [No reaction]
Me: [Change topic, and laughing inside (No, im not going to change this English class to a sexual education forum)]

Im not surprise they know the jargon (which should not be known by their age at my time), its all over the media (the celebrity gossip etc). But I just don’t understand how they come up with that conclusion (Gerald is gay). Obviously they associate the term with effeminate male (they pics suggest he is befriending with two girls, thus Gerald is not masculine, maybe?), and its not about sexual orientation Haha Even many adult don’t understand this, how can I expect their kids to understand (speakin in Malaysian context). Even some of the so called expert on TV somehow suggest to viewers that gay is about the sexual activity u-know-between-not-the opposite-sex.
Thank God im not that shallow and I did take some social science subjects back in college.

Islam is a sexist religion?

I'm sure we all aware of this statement, from the media, or from other people around us, or even from our own thought, when we think about it base on our shallow understanding of Islam.
I guess its normal, we all human, logical being, faith doesnt come by without deeper understanding and thinking.

Therefore sometime, even Muslims themselves believe in this statement, and some even try to reinterpret the Quran because they think there are bias in the interpretation as it was translated by males, therefore it is from male perspective.
Probably this is an unnecessary step, because what I believe, we don't need 'new' interpretation, as the most important thing is, to understand the meaning behind what had been interpreted.

As a Muslim, we believe in all things Allah had told us to, its in the faith.
But, how you as a Muslims, going to face such remark on Islam. Is your current methodology is wise enough?
Or if you are still searching, you want the answer and you feel that your faith is not strong enough.

Even if you are not a Muslim, but you are open minded, and want to learn what Islam actually is, and why there are the so called 'sexist rules' in the religion,
Or you have been irked and unsatisfied, by the common answer from a Muslim regarding Islam. for example, When u asked, why a Muslim women need to cover up?, they replied with the common stereotypical: to prevent her from being raped. Of course this doesnt make sense.

There are answers for this.
Perfect Justice: Debunking the male bias myth by Yasir Qadhi

The introduction transcript

The topic that has been assigned for me for today, is entitled perfect justice debunking the male bias myth. In other words the topic is about explaining to non Muslims in our time even many Muslims why is it there are so many gender specific rules. Gender different rules in Islam.

Why do our women have to wear hijab and not man?

Why is it that a man is allowed to practice polygamy and not women?

Why is it that the inheritance is different?

Why, Why Why?

So many questions arise from non Muslims and even in our times for many Muslims They are questioning the fundamentals of their religion. The fundamentals of Fiqh. The fundamentals of Usul. The fundamentals of male female interaction and they are wondering why is our religion is so different from what we see around us today. From the environment we have been raised in and so I’m trying to explain in this talk in a nutshell our proper methodology of response.

How do we response to these allegation Somebody comes and tell us Islam is a very Chauvinistic religion? Its a sexist faith? It prefers men over women? And they list a number of things such as polygamy, such as hijab, such as inheritance, such as this and that, witnesses in the court and they list a number of things and they say look, look at this type of religion, its making women backwards, and is promoting male chauvinism and making men better than women. How do we response to these allegation? how do we defend our faith from these accusations?

Now the topic that I’m talking about is very common, is very common you’d heard it so many times on human rights in Islam, in fact I may even go so far as to say that this has become a staple topic for many conventions and many speakers. So much so that an average talk that is advertise with this topic in mind, would not even generate a great response because its cliché been there done that. I’ve heard this conversation before So let me reassure you that although the topic might indeed be very common. In fact one of the most common topics at Muslim conventions and gatherings. Let me be so bold as to state that the response you’ll hear today insyaAllah is a very very unique response It is a response that is rarely heard It is a response that I personally believe is a much better and perfect response than the traditional, than the stereotypical response that is given to these questions

Because and I claim perhaps very boldly and Ill justify this claim that the traditional methodology of responding to these allegations by traditional methodology I’m referring to answers that all of you know.

Why is a men is allowed to have more than one wife and a women isn’t? Well because during the times of war its men who dies and the women is more numerous because there is orphans because you know more widowers.

Why is it that u know the inheritances is more for the men vs. the women? Well because the men has more financial obligation than a women, so you have these (excuse me) stereotypical responses okay.

And I state quite boldly and Ill defend this insyaAllah that these responses have not, cannot and will not succeed in doing justice to our religion These traditional responses, they will not succeed in solving this bias In solving this perception that non Muslims and unfortunately many Muslims who are now grounded in their religion have of our religion with regards to male female interactions.

I hope, above transcript of the introduction had intrigue your interest in watching and listening to the video below. Mark your planner for an hour date with this Yasir Qadhi’s lecture, because I think it is the best lecture providing the best answer in this issue.

to download, find the link here

About Yasir Qadhi
Yasir Qadhi was born in Houston, Texas and completed his primary and secondary education in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He graduated with a B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Houston, after which he was accepted as a student at the Islamic University of Madinah. After completing a diploma in Arabic, he graduated with a B.A. from the College of Hadith and Islamic Sciences. Thereafter, he completed a M.A. in Islamic Theology from the College of Dawah.
His published works include Riya'a: The Hidden Shirk, Du'aa: The Weapon of the Believer, and An Introduction to the Sciences of the Qur'an.
Yasir Qadhi is currently pursuing his doctorate, in Religious Studies, at Yale University in New Haven, CT. At AlMaghrib Instiute he teaches the Light of Guidance and the Light Upon Light seminars, which focus on aqeedah.

Green for Fly, Red for Politics

This post is not about green/red apple nor political parties official colour.
But Its a bout me! metaphorically described.
As I am about to cross an important junction in my life.

Finally, an absolute green light from the scholarship provider.
Insya'Allah Im going to leave Msia this October, but not for-ever, I hope.
Finally, I think I'm happy, but mixed with all kind of emotions.
Perhaps, I am not really happy, huh emotion are complicated, wont be able to comprehend myself.

I have to start prepping spiritually, mentally and physically, I think I did already start, probably I need to multiply the effort.
More time on enriching these.
Maybe by cutting down my online hours, especially the time spend on political web-logs and news.
I came up to a conclusion recently that I don't feel I gained anything positive from reading 'em. Just plain hatred, which only boils my blood (haha, a bit exaggerating). But cant deny that I am pissed when the truth will usually find its way under the carpet. Swept by the prime media and lies.
At the end of the day, what I felt is a sense of anger and helpless. Which is not good for me, I need to cheer up and loosen up more.

I cant do anything to correct it, yes, but I did note it in my mind, Ill give my attention to this when the time comes, in the near future.

I have to focus in the most important things for me, for now, and let the other things revolve around. Prioritize!

Thanks all for your extended prayers, God bless.
Thank You, for the only You, the only one entitled for the credit, for all the blessing.
Hoping for bright years ahead.

p.s. Ive been tagged by Zafi.
Did saw the same tag on MarinaM's blog few weeks bfor,
will get back to the questions soon.

Jom Heboh Penang

Last weekend, I was in Penang. And coincidentally, Jom Heboh was bein held there that weekend. As I never been to this carnival, I decided to give it a try. So early that morning, my sister and I head to Queensbay Mall to experience it ourselves.

Well, its not bad at all. I arrived early, people not yet got up from their extra time weekend morning nap, therefore I was less bothered by mass amount of people. There were lots of booth from TV3's owned to food product to automotive to hotlink supersized booth to a ministry booth.

For those who hv never been to this carnival, here are things u can do:
TV3 booth, u can meet the celebrities, get their autograph, take pics (its no big deal for me)
Food booth, u can sample food, and buy em, they sold it cheaper compared to retail
it is a fun place to be.

The highlight of my Jom Heboh was Muadz.
He is a singer, a new talent with good intention. A good addition to our local music industry. We can categorized him in Nasheed, but with a fresh approach, contemporary image and music to spread the message of truth through the lyrics. Alhamdulillah, there are such efforts. Its a great thing I found about him there.

Here are the pics of the autographed CD (my sister's)







My sister was suprised that Muadz is an extremely nice guy when we met him. Probably because she never met a celeb, they are supposed to be nice, but I think he is genuine. He expressed his gratitude over our purchase, in fact he was the one opening the CD plastic wrapping using his own coin. I felt silly for a moment, I think I didn't even say thank you when we left. But I did say Good Luck (it is unnecessary when I think about it again) and All the best!

Haven't yet heard all the tracks as the CD is with my sis, but i did heard some (i think its live) during the carnival. He has a good voice, really nice tone, suite the lyrics and music. And his inspiration (written in the CD) are Sami Yusof and Outlandish (to name a few), owh now I see how he come up with this album. I hope Malaysian can embrace this kind of Nasheed genre. Its time to move away from the MTV guys, it is so 90s haha

I felt a bit sad, bcos he didnt get a good support during the carnival. Nobody bother to stop when he sang live at a booth, it was just couple of us and a few, which I think is pathetic. I saw most are Malay there at the carnival and of course Muslim, come on, give him a support at least by stopping by. Probably bcos no one knew him (just recently he got into the newspaper), he deserves attention like these guys below had.







...sucked into hedonisme for a while.
The male celebs were on makeup (not light!), hehe, i know2, the camera thingy, but seriously theyd lost their masculinity

Back to Muadz story, He has his own blog at http://muadzseekinglight.blogspot.com/
There are some clips from his album. Its worth a try to give a visit and listen to some. "The Wayfarers" is an awesome track.
For those in Malaysia, Grab his CD in stores. It cost less than RM30 and you are helping him spreading the words of wisdom to humankind.

Muadz is a lawyer by profession, and a singer by passion.

p.s. Frens, great to see you all in Penang.

Malaysian Muslims Cant Solat (Pray) in the next GE?

I was alerted by MarinaM's blog bout the usage of ink mark on voters in the next General Election (GE) (I didnt read the newspaper yesterday). So far the decision on this hasn't yet been finalised. The obstacle is Islam according to him.

Teresa Kok (DAP – Seputeh): Why the Government had not made a decision to implemen the use of indelible ink in the next general elections?
He: Muslims could not perform their prayers if the ink could not be washed off for a few days after voting. For Muslims, when they pray, they have to wash their face, hands and feet and the water (air wuduk) must touch their skin. With indelible ink, the water will not be able to touch the skin and Muslims will not be able to perform their prayers
(he said while winding up the debate on the Elections (Amendment) Bill 2007)

Come on, give me a break.
Don't speak bout Islam or on behalf of Islam, if he is unsure.

Who is he? Read here on TheStar article

Minah, a new mum

I wrote the paragraph below in draft a week ago:

My she-cat Minah is currently pregnant, oh yes, from her s**ual escapades 2 months ago. Id calculated the due date of her labour.

The gestation (human term is pregnancy) for cat is 63-65 days.
The escapades happened on May 9 and 10.
So she’ll deliver her babies on July 12 to 15.
Hopefully she will be alright. Im sure she’ll be a responsible mum, its in her instinct. And hopefully she wont be chased away from home, by my parents bcos of the babies.

Today:
Minah disappeared during the lunch time and later in the evening we discovered she was nursing three new babies. Congratulation Minah! For the success in delivering 3 cute newborns, a black, a white and another one is exactly like her.





Look like her gestation period is only 60 days, 2 months exact, I think I know the father to the newborn (based on the kittens colour), It must be the black and white amputated rear foot cat (We called him Capit/Tempang) as he is the only he-cat I know of that colour and was following Minah during her escapade)

p.s. Till further notice, Dolah (Minah's bro) is gay

Before Tomorrow

I’m going to drive my Kancil back home tomorrow, since Ill be MIA for few years in few months, so its best that my sister use it in Penang.

Ill be missg him, he had served me and being a good friend for almost 2 years and he rarely breakdown (just some minor) although he is not a virgin when I got him (a second hand car).
He is the Kancil, yup a he-car, because he rarely causes any trouble, haha, sorry girls, a male chauvinistic remark, I’m just jesting. You all know im not a he-ass :P or am I?

Finally, I got the electronic copy of my offer letter last night, the original was mailed but haven’t yet arrived. Astounded by the amount of fees needed to be paid which is about 25k pound annum (Fee 14.5k + Consumable 10.4k), I thought it was a mistake. But when I checked with other good universities in the UK, it’s a common/standard international fee for medical related research degrees, obviously it’s a profit making business.
Well, Its not that I’m the one who is going to pay the fees, but I feel that (actually, Im not sure how I felt) it’s a lot of money spend especially when it is converted to Malaysian ringgit. Feel like it’s a huge responsibility for me to put my whole+extra effort in it, so that the money will be well spent.

Wonder why our public universities don’t charge a noticeable fee difference for the international students (In the UK, the fee for EU/UK students are much lower compared to internationals’). Plus most of the international students in Malaysia are very rich, their country too esp the middle eastern countries like UAE. But then, when I heard these countries are spending billions in our local universities research. I think it’s a simple give and take. Anyway, we have to charge based on our quality of education, probably higher rate in the future when the quality get better, hopefully, with all the sudden baby steps taken by MOHE.

Will forward the offer letter tomorrow to the scholarship provider, hope everything will be fine, the next meeting for finalizing the scholarship is in the next week, and I was told in a phone conversation with the officer that the fees wont be a problem. Lega! Anyway I'm still hoping a smooth process ahead.

And the stated date for the 2007/08 intake in the offer letter is the 1st October. OMG it is in Ramadan which is before Eid. Felt like I wanna burst when I realized bout it. Probably I can forward the date to after Eid hopefully, hey Im a paid customer, I can do what I want hehe

Tomorrow too, my buddy is going to leave Malaysia for a month. Goodbye mate, sorry can’t wave g'bye at the airport. Im sure u’ll be fine and come back home in one piece. Ill pray for your safety. Thx for the sate treat ths evening, huhu, Im actually sad u r goin to leave.


And this stack of books plus some more at home in Penang is for my friend who is going to pursue her Masters which will start tomorrow. All the best, pal. Hope all these notes help. She wrote in her blog that I'm one of the person that has inspired her to discontinue her job and continue with her study. I am very flatterd Id unintentionally persuade someone for something good, but a bit weird as I myself don't feel that I can be inspiring. I'm sure you wont regret your decision on doing this, pal. Knowledge is power!

Off topic, I haven’t blog bout current affairs esp politic for sometime, but Im very happy bout the release of the BBC reporter in Palestine yesterday. See, Hamas is not a bad group of people; they had shown to the international that they are not an extremist; they are just fighting for their land which was stolen. Hopefully this event will clean up their image.

Cant wait to be in Penang tomorrow, I felt attached there probably because I grew up there. Will spend the few days, with friends back home and my cute nice. She is so smart right now, sometimes a bit naughty. Will blog bout her when I come back.


Till then. Adios!

p.s. Cikgu Hafiz (as addressed by lots of my fren recently haha) have to take few days leave for his trip to Penang. He'll be back in few days, teaching and at the same time learning.

The New Seven Wonders, vote before 07/07/07

The new seven wonders of the world project is going to end in approximately 3 days. There are 20 man made wonders to be chosen from (excluding the Egypt Piramid, automatically will be in the 7 list).


The new seven wonders candidate.
[website link]

Probably, u don't bother, or don't care to participate. Neither was I, before I watch about this on AlJazeera's Riz Khan. I think it is important for us to vote and to choose the new 7, this will make sure the new 7 is based on yr opinion too. So lets vote.

To help you narrowing up the choices, I have a suggestion of 3 wonders that IMO must be voted

Alhambra (12th century) Granada, Spain

Mohammed I, the first king of the Nasriden – a Moorish dynasty in Granada - converted a 9th-century castle into his private royal residence, and it is this which we now know as the Alhambra. The structure, which covers an area of 13 hectares, is renowned for its stunning frescoes and interior detail. The building is one of the finest examples of Moorish architecture in the world and is among Europe’s most-visited tourist attractions.
In short - vote for the Alhambra, because it now represents
- Dignity & Dialog!

The Hagia Sophia (532 - 537 A.D.) Istanbul, Turkey

The Hagia Sophia was erected during the reign of Emperor Justinian (532 - 537 A.D.), when the Byzantine Empire was at the height of its power and influence. The massive dome, which is the prominent architectural feature, has since often been used as a model for the design of Islamic mosques. Indeed, after the fall of Byzantium, the Hagia Sophia was converted into an Ottoman mosque. Today, the monument is a museum serving both Christians and Muslims.
In short - vote for the Hagia Sophia, because it now stands for
- Faith & Respect!

Timbuktu (12th century) Mali

In the 12th century, Timbuktu was at the crossroads of the four most important caravan paths supplying the Arab world, which then spanned from the Middle East all the way to Spain. The accumulation of wealth made it one of the wealthiest places on earth at the time. This allowed one of the first universities in the history of humankind to be established– the celebrated Islamic university called the Koranic Sankore, where 20,000 students studied law, medicine, rhetoric, etc. Today, it remains with us as a powerful myth and, in this way, resembles another Ancient Wonder, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
In short - vote for Timbuktu, because it stands for - Intellect & Mysticism!

Obviously, u can understand why those three.
Other 4 wonders, you can select from another 17 wonders, but I think we need to include the old wonders as well, so the Taj Mahal and the Great Wall obviously need to be in the list. But thats all is up to you.

The New 7 Wonders of the World will be announced during the Official Declaration ceremony in Lisbon, Portugal on Saturday, July 7, 2007 - 07.07.07.

Vote Online click here
Happy Voting!

Future Malaysian Neuroscientist?

Utusan Malaysia 29 Jun 2007 (Timur)

2 pelajar USM catat sejarah

KOTA BHARU 28 Jun - Dua penuntut Sarjana Sains Neuro, Pusat Pengajian Sains Perubatan (PPSP) Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Kubang Kerian mencatat sejarah apabila terpilih menyertai program kajian berkaitan bidang berkenaan di peringkat antarabangsa.

Dua penuntut sarjana tersebut, Mohd. Nor Azim Ab. Patar, 24, dan Rahida Mohd. Shadli, 26, terpilih setelah kajian mereka mendapat pengiktirafan badan penyelidikan antarabangsa yang membolehkan mereka menyertai program dan kursus intensif dalam bidang sains neuro.


MOHD. Nor Azim Ab. Patar dan Rahida Mohd. Shadli berbincang mengenal kajian kecederaan otak dan tulang belakang di Kampus Kesihatan, USM Kubang Kerian, Kota Bharu, semalam.

Mohd. Nor Azim yang kini meneruskan pengajian dalam bidang kecederaan otak dan tulang belakang di PPSP, mendapat tajaan Pertubuhan Penyelidikan Otak Antarabangsa yang beribu pejabat di Switzerland.

Dengan penajaan itu, beliau akan mengikuti kursus di State University Ohio, Anierika Syarikat, selama sebulan mulai 6 Julai hingga 6 Ogos depan.

Mohd. Nor Azim juga merupakan antara 16 penuntut dari seluruh dunia yang terpiih dan satu-satunya pelajar tunggal dari negara ini mendapat tawaran kursus berprestij itu.

Beliau yang ditemui berkata, peluang tersebut akan dimanfaatkan sepenuhnya dengan memberikan tumpuan untuk mendapat sebanyak mungkin pengalaman dan pendedahan menerusi kursus itu.

Katanya, ini kerana peluang mengikuti kursus di universiti tersebut cukup berharga kerana di situlah terkumpulnya ramai pakar perubatan yang terlibat dalam rawatan kecederaan otak dan tulang belakang.

Beliau ditemui selepas majlis perasmian Bengkel Pengenalan Sains Neuro anjuran Jabatan Neurosains PPSP, Kampus Kesihatan, Universiti Sains Malaysia di sini hari mi.
Mohd. Nor Azim yang berasal dan Kota Bharu berkata, beliau sebelum ini berpeluang mengikuti kajian kecederaan otak dan tulang belakang secara praktikal di Universiti Tarbiat Modaras, di Tehran pada tahun 2006.

Kemampuan beliau menguasai pengajian dalam bidang tersebut juga membolehkannya menyertai Konvensyen Kyoto di Jepun tajaan Elsevier, sebuah syarikat antarabangsa yang mencetak dan mengeluarkan bahan serta jurnal sains.

Berikutan pelbagai peluang yang diperoleh itu, Mohd. Nor Azim berazam untuk melanjutkan pengajiannya ke peringkat doktor falsafah.

Bagi Rahida pula, beliau mendapat tawaran untuk membentangkan kertas keija berkaitan di Program Musim Panas Institut Sains Otak RIKEN di Kyoto, Jepun.

Katanya, peluang menyertai program itu dapat menambahken pengetahuan dan pengalaman terutamanya dalam mengendalikan kes trauma berpunca daripada kecederaan otak pada masa hadapan.

“Saya akan menumpukan kepada bidang kajian psikologi neuro serta kesan akibat kecederaan otak yang merupakan minat saya selama mi,” jelasnya.

Congratulation to En Azim (for making a headline) :D, and Bon Voyage. Take care Bro

p.s.
Sorry Azim, I have to publish this article although u didnt let me hehe. Its for your own good, Im digitizing it, and making sure it lasted for long, so u can show this to yr grandchildren in the future, InsyaAllah