Happy Birthday to Me

No. This is not my birthday cake. Ini kek hantaran Teh to her husband on 4 June 2006 nan lalu. Sebab tak ada gambar birthday cake, guna sajalah yang ni. Berapa umur Mak Lijah? Perhaps a bit younger than Mak Andeh but we must have lived in the same period of history. About the same age as Ayah; Pnut and a bit older than Cyberdad. I must emphasize on the ABOUT and A BIT sebab jaraknya tidaklah begitu jauh.

So what about this birthday of mine this year? Nothing significant. Last year I "celebrated" my birthday in Vientienne with some of my friends in a beautiful bungalow once stayed by Malaysian Prime Minister. And this year? Nothing special. Just another additional number to my age. Dapat juga hadiah dari Pak Lijah pagi tadi. Cantik sangat. Thanks Pak Lijah (if you're reading this. Fat chance is - he doesn't read Blogs)!

That's all folks... 

Bastion Point, Auckland

Pemandangan dari atas ni memang cantik. Lansdcapenya remarkably beautiful. Again, macam mimpi. 

The Undiscovered Part of Me

Mak Lijah rupanya seorang yang gayat. Itu ler...Ketawakan lagi orang!

Mak Lijah pernah mengetawakan seorang kawan Mak Lijah (bekas blogger yang beralih arah ke suatu aliran lain yang juga baru dia discover) apabila dia memberitahu yang dia gayat bila dia cuba mengambil gambar dari bumbung pejabat dia dulu. Baru kini Mak Lijah betul-betul tahu apa ertinya gayat. And it took a holiday to New Zealand to discover that thing about myself.

Mak Lijah memang awal-awal lagi berminat nak melawat Skytower di Auckland tu. So as part of the Explorer package, we came down from the tour bus to 'test' the Skytower. Masa baru sampai tu, ada sekelompok manusia sedang memandang ke atas, so we assumed that something interesting was about to happen. Sambil mengambil a few shots, we waited for 'the thing' to happen. Rupa-rupanya ada orang buat skyjump, something like bungy jumping, cuma dia tak bounce back and the person will land on a platform at the foot of the tower.

After seeing that action, we went inside the tower and bought tickets to go up there. So efficient. Semuanya diorang bantu. Without anticipating anything, we went into the lift and the people who worked at the tower there pushed the button for us. And so the lift moved and I told the children that the journey up is similar to the one in KL Tower masa belanja Pak Lijah dinner on Father's Day the year before.

Tiba-tiba...whossshhh... bright light....whossshhh... bumbung bangunan...cloud...perahu layar...the sea...and suddenly I felt that we were moving very fast. But my heart was beating even faster...And whosssh... gelap balik... WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT???? WHAT...??? The tower actually had 'holes' for us to see outside while we go up the lift?????

...and then, it started to get brighter again..but this time I kinda prepared myself, so I turned around, screaming in silent and menyumpah-nyumpah dekat sebakul kerana decided to go up the Skytower.

About two minutes later, we all pun sampai di atas... Legaaa....

Mujurlah pemandangan yang cantik di atas tu cepat-cepat memulihkan semangat Mak Lijah. Fuuhhh.... However, Mak Lijah stayed far, far away from the glass windows sebab tak sanggup nak tengok. Sambil berjalan-jalan dengan Kakak, tiba-tiba dia kata, "Mama... cuba tengok lantai yang Mama pijak." Innocently, Mak Lijahpun tengokler ke lantai tempat Mak Lijah pijak tu. APA TU...? Tiny dots...and they are moving WHAT THE... OH MY GOD...!!! Glass floor... and the floor was moving as my knees started to move along. Kenapa lembik lutut nih... I need to sit...! I need to sit...!!!

Alahai.... Gayat rupanya aku nih...

After awhile, we decided that it's time to go back. Dah puas and gayat yang melampau telah meletihkan Mak Lijah. So we waited for the lift and went it came, we got in and Mak Lijah awal-awal lagi pusing ke belakang dan to confirm yang Mak Lijah tak akan dapat memandang ke luar lagi macam tadi, Mak Lijah terus pandang ke lantai saja. Ada beberapa orang Jepun bersama kami dalam lif tersebut dan mereka seakan mengerti situasi Mak Lijah. Bila lif mula bergerak, Mak Lijah mula menghitung saat untuk sampai ke bawah.

Tiba-tiba... that bright light again... Oh no...!!! Glass floor...!!! S**T...!!! ...and whoosshhh.... cables...huge cables...they move up as we go down...really fast...and there's a black dot down there...the hole we were moving down into... and my heart was leaping out...This is not good... NOT GOOD AT ALL... and Mak Lijah dah sampai tahap dewa dah nak control macho... Huwaaaa....!!! The Japs were laughing at me... not to exclude my children and Pak Lijah... Huwaaa......!!!!

That's it...! Enough...!! No more towers...No more towers 'with holes'.
So that was the undiscovered part of me.
Gayat rupanya aku nih...

Auckland's Skytower

This was where I discovered something about myself which was unknowingly hidden over the years. Hmm...
See the little black dot to the left of the building? Itu adalah sejenis manusia yang sedang mengkaji aliran adrenalinnya.
 

Masa baru sampai di kaki Skytower

Apa-apapun, amik bahan bukti dulu, bahawa dah sampai ke Skytower.
 

Jom Adik...!

Masa ni tak tau betul-betul lagi macamana rasanya naik lif ke atas...Cuma excited jer nak compare Skytower dengan KL Tower. 

Dalam Skytower

Nice view from up here. Nampak betapa banyaknya perahu layar dari atas ni. That's why Auckland is named 'City of Sails'. 

Baa..baa.. white sheep

 

Tiga Bradik di Rotoroa

Di sini, budak-budak ni asyik komplen bau busuk. Mana taknya, geyser merata-rata. 

New Zealand...here we are..!!

First stop in Auckland : Mt. Eden 

New Zealand..here we come..

Baru lima belas minit kapalterbang take-off, "Mama, dah nak sampai ke?"
While Danish enjoyed making funny faces sambil sebuk tanya, "...bila nak sampai ni..", Kakak and Abang were all excited to have personalised screen right in front of them with all their favorites waiting for them. 

Kia Ora

At last, Mak Lijah and family menjejakkan kaki jua di bumi Kiwi ini. Setelah lebih dua dekad memendam angan-angan, maka akhirnya, pada 28 Mei 2006, tibalah Mak Lijah sekeluarga di Auckland, New Zealand.

Betul-betul macam mimpi. Banyak kali juga suruh Pak Lijah cubit Mak Lijah, kut-kut tengah mengigau. Rugilah pulak kalau memang betul tengah mimpi. Tapi pengalaman membawa anak-anak Mak Lijah menaiki pesawat untuk perjalanan selama 10 jam lebih mengerikan. Pun begitu, syukur mereka tak meragam, cuma excitednya semacam jer.

Gerimis di airport Auckland baru sahaja reda sebaik kami mendarat kira-kira pukul 10.45 pagi. Kami disapa oleh angin sejuk New Zealand pada suhu 16 darjah selsius. Budak-budak boleh tahan lagi. Relak jer diorang, macam sejuk tu biasa jer sedangkan Mak Lijah dah mula menggigil semasa mengambil gambar mereka.

Kami dibawa melawat ke Mt. Eden, sebuah bekas gunung berapi yang telah lama mati. Seperti yang diduga, pemandangannya memang indah sekali. New Zealand is rich in a variety of awesome landscapes. Seperti yang kita belajar dalam Ilmu Alam dulu, NZ has spectacular glaciers, picturesque fiords, vast plains, subtropical forest, volcanic plateau, miles of coastline with gorgeous sandy beaches - all left me speechless and breathless...

Nanti sambung lagi...

The Piano

I was lazing around, as usual, on this wonderful Sunday afternoon when I heard this plucking of piano coming from the TV. Not that it was such a beautiful rendition, it was the fact that the pianist was playing it while lying on the floor! Yes. I mean, he was lying under the piano, facing the keys above him, both arms reaching above and actually playing a complete piece! Imagine that? Just for Variety. A very funny show, that was.

What actually triggered me was my fond memories of my music lessons way back during my school days. I wanted so much to learn music, then, and it was my choosing of between the piano and the electronic keyboard (organ). I end up choosing the organ, although I prefer the sound of the piano more.

By the time I started to learn music formally, I'd already knew how to read the notes. So it was just a matter of choosing what songs to play, correctly and systematically. If I chose to learn the piano, I would have to learn the classical songs first. That was the way the syllabus was arranged back then. I didn't like that idea. I don't really enjoy classical songs, whoever the composers are.

On the other hand, learning the organ is to immediately learn modern pop songs. That's more like it. That's what I want!

Therefore, the organ was my fastest means to achieve my ultimate goal to be able to play music I like. So I learned to play the organ. Went through some exams of which I had to play songs of my choice (I especially remember The Masquare and When Will I See You Again) with my own creative arrangement and succesfully finished up to the sixth grade. The rest was history. I could play some of my favourite songs, provided I have the notes in front of me.

But that was some 20 years ago. The JVC organ is still in Ayah and Mak's home back in Perlis. Our children will endulge themselves with the instrument and God knows what songs they play. Whenever I go back during Hari Raya, I would always play Seloka Aidil Fitri (or something like that - forgot the title)...and play the song without the notes in front of me. Maybe I should try out some of Mawi's songs...He...he..he..

How to answer

A friend sent me the following (thanks Loyot) and I would like to share this with you. A bit long though, nevertheless, it's worth reading. Iqraq:

John (J): Dr Danial (DD), I always wonder why prophet Muhammad taught Muslims to become terrorists. He should teach people to be kind and tolerant.

DD: Actually John, your concept about Islam and Muhammad is wrong. Completely wrong. Prophet Muhammad never taught his followers to be terrorists. On the contrary, it was the Muslims who were being terrorised by the non Muslims in the era of prophet Muhammad. For 13 years in Mecca, after being prophet of Islam, Muhammad and the Muslims were harassed and tortured by the Quraisyites. The companions of the prophet, for example, Yasser and Sumayyyah, were killed. The others, for example, Bilal and Ammar, were tortured. And yet the Muslims at that time were asked to be patient and persevere. They were not allowed to fight and raise arms against the non Muslims. Once prophet Muhammad went to Taif to preach about Islam. He got a cold reception from the people there. There cursed him and as if it was not enough, they threw stones and filth towards him. When the Archangel Jibril came to him to get his permission to demolish the people of Taif, prophet Muhammad said, "Leave them alone. Yes, today the people ignored my message. But I pray that their progeny will be a different group of people. I pray that they will accept Islam." Are these acts and words of terrorism John?

John: But there are verses in the Quran that promote terrorism. These verses instigate the Muslims to kill the non Muslims all over the world. If I am not mistaken, the meaning of one of the verses is, "And kill the non Muslims whereever they are."

DD: Oh, you are quoting the verses from the Quran. If that's the case, you should allow me to quote a few verses from your Bible and Talmud. In Numbers 31:17-18, it was stated, "Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man intimately. But all the girls who have not known man intimately, spare for yourselves." And in Luke 19:26-27, "I tell you that to everyone who has, more shall be given, but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. But these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them in my presence." How about one more verse from Matthew 10:34-35, "Do not think that I have come to send peace on earth. I did not come to send peace, but a sword. I am sent to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law." To me these verses are very dangerous. They can instigate people especially the christians to do acts of terrorism!

And please allow me also to quote from the holy book of the Jews, that is the Talmud. I suppose you know that the Talmud is Judaism's holiest book. Its authority takes precedence over the Old Testament in Judaism. It is stated in Sanhedrin 58b, "If a heathen (i.e. non-Jew) hits a Jew, the gentile must be killed." And In Sanhedrin 57a, "When a Jew murders a gentile ('Cuthean'), there will be no death penalty. What a Jew steals from a gentile he may keep." And John, have you read a book written by A. Hoffman II and Alan R. Critchley titled Judaism's Strange God?

John: Err, no.

DD: Never mind. A. Hoffman II and Alan R. Critchley recently did a thorough research on the contents of the Talmud and what they found surprised them. In their book, Judaism's Strange God, they said, 'On the surface, it seems that genocide is advocated by the Talmud. In the Minor Tractates, Soferim 15, Rule 10, there is a saying by Rabbi Simon ben Yohai, 'Tob shebe goyyim harog,' which means, 'even the best of the gentiles (i.e. non-Jews) should all be killed.' This passage is taken from the original Hebrew of the Babylonian Talmud as quoted by the 1907 Jewish Encyclopaedia. Israelis annually take part in a national pilgrimage to the grave of Simon ben Yohai, to honour this rabbi who advocated the extermination of non-Jews.' John, you will agree with me that these verses look very, very violent indeed....

John: But Dr. Danial, I think these verses, especially from the Bible, are taken out of context. If you read just the text it may look very violent. But if we read the text in relation with its context, it may be different..

DD: Oh, now you are being very sensible, John. You want the Muslims to read the Bible and interprete it within its context. Good, and I fully agree with you. But, can't you do the same thing to the Quran? Can't you interprete verses of the Quran within its context? As it is now you are not doing that. You are interpreting the Quran according to your own whims and fancies and that hurts me and the Muslims. By the way, the so called violent verses of the Quran that you mentioned earlier were revealed to prophet Muhammad specifically during the time of war. And war in Islam is an exception and not the norm. The Muslims went to war to defend their honour and country. Look at what Allah said in chapter The Cow 2:190, which means, "Fight against those who fight against you in the way of Allah, but do not transgress, for Allah does not love transgressors."

It should be emphasized that so many revelations in the Holy Quran came down to provide guidance to Prophet Muhammad and the Muslims based on what they were confronting at that time. Therefore, it is important to understand and know the historic context of the revelations for a proper understanding of these verses. The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, was the peace maker of his time. He endured torture, hunger and the killing of his loved ones by his enemies, but he remained a merciful person. In his most startling conquest of Mecca, only four people died. And do you know what prophet Muhammad did to the prisoners of war after the conquest of Mecca? He asked the haughty chiefs of the Quraisyites, "What do you expect at my hands?" They answered, "Mercy O generous brother." And the prophet said, "Be it so, you are free." They are free, John. No vengeance being inflicted upon them. No Guantanamo-like prison for them (smile). This is the teaching of Muhammad. And you are telling me that Muhammad taught Muslims to become terrorists?

John: Yeah, I need to learn more about Muhammad....

(Dr. Danial bin Zainal Abidin (M.B.Ch.B. University of Alexandria) is the Managing Director of Danial Zainal Consultancy based in Penang Island, Malaysia. This Consultancy focussed on education and research. He is also a Medical Practitioner based in Penang Island, Malaysia. Besides that he is also an author who, until now, has written altogether ten books. As a motivator, he gives motivation weekly through Mutiara FM (Penang Island Broadcasting Station). He is also a columnist for i-Magazine in Malaysia.)

(Dr. Danial bin Zainal Abidin (M.B.Ch.B. University of Alexandria) is the Managing Director of Danial Zainal Consultancy based in Penang Island, Malaysia. This Consultancy focussed on education and research. He is also a Medical Practitioner based in Penang Island, Malaysia. Besides that he is also an author who, until now, has written altogether ten books. As a motivator, he gives motivation weekly through Mutiara FM (Penang Island Broadcasting Station). He is also a columnist for i-Magazine in Malaysia.)

Some of the Books Written by Dr. Danial:
Islam The Misunderstood Religion.
Bahan Berdakwah Untuk Remaja Moden.
Kit Kombat Islam.
Perubatan Islam dan Bukti Sains Moden.
Bukti-bukti Sains dan Sejarah Kerasulan Muhammad.
Empayar Minda Muslim.
7 Formula Individu Cemerlang.
Tip-Tip Cemerlang Daripada Quran.

A Makeover Investment

Semalam Maklijah made quite an investment in a makeover. It was actually a destress session just to bring back my semangat yang semakin pudar and also to boost my confidence. Tapi makeover ni, bukanlah yang macam kat magazine tu... Just a completely different look on my hair. The last time I did a major hairdo was in January and I guess I regretted that one sebab Maklijah kena blowdry every morning before going to work. I hope this one will do justice on me.

So what is it about this hairdo yang sebok sangat ni?

It's about having to tell, "Ayah, jangan guna credit card until Tuesday sebab kena 'top-up' dulu sebelum boleh guna. Just use Mak's card for the moment."
And he said, "Okaylah, bila Ayah nak pakai Ayah bagitau dululah."

He..he..he.. Teruk, kan? Bagi supplementary credit card kat both Mak and Ayah tapi boleh buat peraturan macam tu, pulak. Apa-apapun Maklijah puas hatilah apa yang Alex did to my hair. Berbaloilah tunggu dan bayar tiga digit.
Figure it out!

Five places I want to go

After six whole days of coming back late from work (meeting, actually), maka hari ni, sampailah ke penghujungnya. Esok nak pi round-up jer. Bosan dah hari-hari breakfast and lunch kat hotel. Rindu teh tarik Akbar. Hari ni, mulalah berangan, if only I could get away for a nice long holiday abroad. Masa meeting tadi depa dok sebut ada satu meeting di Rotorua in April nanti. Jelesnya, sebab Mak Lijah tak terlibat dalam meeting tu.

Maka Mak Lijah pon beranganlah nak pi situ one day. Dah ler frust hari tu tak dapat pi NZ masa nak buat master dulu.

Dulu-dulu Mak Lijah pernah menyenaraikan (privately) wishlist of five places I want to go at least once in my life (mengikut keutamaan):

1. New Zealand
2. Netherlands
3. Taman Negara
4. Paris
5. Switzerland

Out of this list, Mak Lijah telah sampai ke Amsterdam, Taman Negara dan Paris (bukan mengikut turutan). Switzerland = touch n go jer sebab transit kat Geneva masa nak pi Madrid dulu, so tak leh diambil kira.

Out of the two left from the wishlist, my strongest 'yearning' now is to go to New Zealand. Keinginan ini, sekiranya dimakbulkan, Mak Lijah akan rasa macam mimpi, macam masa menerima tawaran untuk buat masters on my birthday dulu. My strong interest in NZ ni sejak dari zaman sekolah lagi, masa belajar geografi (that's also for Netherlands). Mak Lijah terpikat dengan description about the country, about its economy, bentuk mukabumi, people, cuaca, culture dsb. Tambahan pula, homepage on tourism di situ dengan gambar-gambar yang cantik dan kreatif amatlah menarik. Banyak sekali tourist spot dia. Bestnya...!

Bilalah Mak Lijah nak ke sana, ek? Meleleh air liur...

Danisy dah tidur

Esok dah nak masuk hari Jumaat and Mak Lijah asyik balik after seven jer. Hari ni especially, Mak Lijah sampai rumah pukul 7.40 p.m. Lepas cium Danisy, Mak Lijah terus jer mandi dan sembahyang. Bila ajak Danisy dinner, dia kata dah makan. Aik? Pandai pula makan without Mak Lijah around. Sambil Mak Lijah makan dengan Abang and Kakak, terdengar dia membebel about Barney yang sedang ditontonnya.

Later, sambil Mak Lijah dok pilih-pilih channel mana nak tekan, suddenly terperasan yang Danisy dah stopped membebel. Kakak pon membuat laporan that Danisy dah terlelap depan TV. Alamak... Danisy dah tidur. Tak sempat nak bermanja dengan dia. I guess today, 16 March 2006, Mak Lijah only spent less than half an hour of quality time with him. Kalau dikira-kira dari hari Isnin hingga hari ini, Mak Lijah hanya spent about five valuable hours jer dengan dia.

Oh my God... What's happening to me? Cemana nak improve my life nih? Alahai anak-anakku...

Kenapa Sayang?

I've been trapped with this question for quite a while, and guess who asked this question?

Danisy, my soon to be 4-year-old-big-baby.

Kenapa Mama sayang Danisy?

Macamana nak jawab? Nasib baik bila Mak Lijah jawab, "Sebab Danisy anak Mama," soalan dia sampai ke situ jer. Maknanya dia puas hatilah dengan jawapan tu. Buatnya disambung, "Kenapa Danisy anak Mama?" Haa... jenuhlah nak craft out a good answer to end it there. I wonder macamana dia boleh come up with such a question.

Even Mak Tok pun dah pernah ditanya with the same question oleh Danisy after he was being kissed by her. Mak Tok was so amazed and was left speechless.

I should anticipate more creative and difficult questions from him in the future.

Kahwin Paksa

Tak..Mak Lijah tak kena kawen paksa dulu. Kawen dengan rela hati. Kawen dengan one and only Pak We. Tak boleh nak bayangkan kalau kena kawen paksa. Dah ler frust kena putus dengan Pak We, pas tu kena plak kawen dengan orang yang kita tak sayang. Cemana ek?

Bagi Mak Lijah (this is my own personal opinion, not representing anyone but me, I and myself), biarlah perkahwinan itu dibina atas asas kasih sayang. Memang betul ada yang bercinta lepas kawen, tapi pada zaman ini, mesti ada 'masa bertenang' sekurang-kurangnya beberapa bulan untuk membina kasih sayang itu sebelum Tok Kadi berjabat dengan pasangan kita.

Agaknya cemana orang-orang zaman tok-tok dan wan-wan mahupun mak bapak kita dulu dikawenkan, ek? Tak pernah jumpa, tentiba dah sah jadi suami/isteri kita. Tapi, perkahwinan yang macam tulah yang abadi dan hanya dipisahkan bila roh meninggalkan jasad.

Hmm... ilham ni timbul selepas 'bersembang' dengan seorang kawan yang membandingkan pengorbanan dia dengan pengorbanan Mak Lijah.

Ada banyak sebab jadinya kawen paksa ni:

1. mak suruh kawen dengan pilihan hati dia (ini pon ada banyak sebab)
- orang sekampung/senegeri
- sama darjat (macam filim Ibu Mertuaku)
- pilihan hati sehati sejiwa dengan ibu bapa
- dah ditunangkan sejak kecil (oh...tragisnya)
- mengukuhkan hubungan persaudaraan/persahabatan
- mengukuhkan kewangan (??)
- mengukuhkan legasi
2. mak we/pak we tak up to parents' standard (tak capai piawaian), so kena cari yg setaraf
3. sudah 'accident'
4. kena cekup

Ada sesiapa nak tambah lagi?