A place called there

Bismillahhir Rahmaannir Raheem

“There are no shortcuts to any place worth going” – Anon

Jannah. That’s the place to be. That’s our final destination, insyaAllah.

It’s true what the saying is telling us. Here we are, aware of our purpose of life, aware that this life is temporary but the afterlife is eternal, believing with the utmost faith of the existence of Jannah, that we all dream of to be; thus striving hard to get there.

Word: striving. Hard.

I don’t quite know how to describe the hardship, but it helps if there’s an example to compare with. Let’s reflect within ourselves. Have you been tempted SO hard, to do something that you know is not going to benefit you? Something that you know is the calling of the nafs, therefore something you should avoid?

There you are, contemplating: Should I or shouldn’t I? The nagging voice egging you on to “just go do it; it will only take a while. For after you’re done, you can get back doing what it was you’re doing in the first place. Go on, take a chance on me. Live a little. Don’t be too rigid. You definitely EARNED a break.”

Behold, the trickery of Shaaitan and the soft summoning voice of the nafs; enticing us with exciting, temporary but immediate enjoyment.

But nay, for truly if you believe, you know what’s better for you. I know it’s quite hard to repel all these voices but that’s the way it is decreed to happen. [thus, ‘striving hard’]

“Mujahadah itu pahit, kerana syurga itu manis.” (Solusi, 4,p18.)

And this actually reminds me of another story. Of two fishermen; one who is an idolater and the other, an obedient Muslim. When they both went to the sea [I’m paraphrasing this story of course =)], the idolater said the idol’s name when fanning-out his net and the Muslim of course starts his, with the Lord’s name, a recitation of ‘Bismillah.’ When then it was time to draw the net, it was found that the idolater’s net was full of fish but the Muslim has none.

An angel watching the situation asked the Lord Al-Mighty: “O Allah, what has happened? The idol-worshipper has committed shirk but yet You gave him such generous provision while your faithful servant who remembers and says Your name before it, You grant him nothing.”

Then the Lord replies:

“For the idol-worshipper, I have reserved him a place in hell-fire. So what is the provision that eventually will get destroyed mean, if I give it to him? But for my faithful servant… I wanted him to have a place in my Paradise, and for that reason I put him on trials to see how deep is his faith in Me.”

So you see, this road that we have undertaken, to the place worth going… is definitely without a doubt will be full of obstacles and deterrants, a difficult one, never ‘all-singing-all-dancing’ but hey, on the other side of the coin, eternal Paradise, insyaAllah.

“Do the people think that they will be left to say, ‘We believe’ and they will not be tried?” [Al-Ankabut, 29:2]

H-E-L-L-O

Alighting off the train,
Stepping on the platform,
With bated breath I looked up,
To the signboard that confirmed…
My being in this place.

Flying kisses I sent,
To the very air that blows,
To let others know,
That I am back again…

Traipsing down the streets,
That I never thought I would walk on again,
Climbing up the hill,
That once had led me home,
Bringing so much memory,
A pang of sweet angst,
Clawed in my heart.

Tears prickled at the back of my eyes,
As the bus passed by Pierrepoint Street,
Turning about the corner,
Watching those old, Victorian buildings,
Standing still so majestically,
Though aeons have passed.

Parade Garden too,
As lovely as I could remember,
Reminiscing the time I spent there,
Basking in the summer shine,
With book in hand,
And joy in heart.

Then its ascend at Bathwick Hill,
That leads to the University,
The familiar earache I felt,
That only the treacherous route could caused,
Brings fresh tears,
That I was trying so hard to hold…

Finally I arrived,
Lo and behold,
I am back again…
To the start of where,
All the memoirs are created.

The air undoubtedly is colder,
Its iciness seeped through my skin,
But I mind that not in the least,
For it is the distinct quality of the place.

I wandered around the Uni,
As far as my feet would allow me,
Each step reminded me,
Of the past events that it held.

I wanted to scream my heart out,
To let others know how I feel,
But with dignity I hold back,
And my heart full of praises,
To the Lord that made this feasible.

The bustles in the Parade,
The quacking sound of the ducks,
The calmness of the lake,
The shine bouncing off the Library glass…
Another familiar sight,
Another pang of memories.

Hello again, then I said,
To this place that too,
Has earned a special place in my heart,
Then, now… and for time to come.

Alhamdulillah

Farewell

The crowd is overwhelming,
The emotions are too much,
Sadness I could feel,
Deep inside me.

I could feel they're being pulled,
From their firmly-rooted place,
Slowly but definitely,
Inch by inch,
Creeping on… to let,
The emotions get illuminated,
For tears to flood my face.

But strong I have to be,
At trying times like this,
Strength to go on,
So they won’t see me weakening,
Else it’ll be hard,
For them and for me.

Thus this façade I put on,
A masquerade of delight,
And a smile I plastered,
Goodbyes are said,
Respects to elders are given,
With leaden heart I left,
The pool of smiling faces.

Adieu I whispered,
Silently so they won’t hear,
To this place that I …
Called home.

In contrast to the normal warning, you definitely can try this at home!

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahhi wabarakatuh

I caught a glimpse of the sky today. It was blue. A real nice shade of blue. In contrast to that, pure whiteness of the clouds too I can see. And only by looking at that, I feel amazed. I am still amazed! I remembered quickly that all those are in favours of Allah, for ‘tis Him who made it so. Masya Allah : )

I lowered my gaze. Beholding my sight is the greenness of lush tree tops. Is it not a wonder to us that, though the sun shining so brightly that its intensity could burn, but the leaves and the grass, despite the dazzling shine, still maintain their life even though its water content could evaporate, leaving them dry and lifeless? Such were the intricate yet absolute arrangement that has been drawn by our Lord… in order that we may live in this world comfortably.

Having said that, I wanted to share this piece of commentary that I stumbled upon. It’s interesting that he/she wrote it in response to the saying:

"A picture speaks a thousand words…”

Ada pepatah mengatakan: “Satu gambar itu dapat mengkompilasikan seribu kata-kata…” Benarkah itu? Aku mengambil maksud pepatah itu sebagai cabaran; jika ia benar… seribu kata itu tidak akan datang dengan begitu mudah. Lalu aku mengambil keputusan untuk mencoba melakarkan suatu gambaran yang sangat klise dengan mengunakan bahasa demi menyahut kebenaran pepatah itu. Izinkan aku mengorak kata-kata terhadap pandangan ku ke atas gambar ini. Sekeping gambar yang menunjukkan waktu senja di tepi pantai.

Aku melihat persisiran pantai yang bermandikan warna langit. Indahnya pemandangan yang mencuri penglihatan ku. Dapat aku bayangkan… bunyi angin yang menderu, menyebabkan ketenangan laut berkocak, lalu ombak tercipta. Lantaran itu, air laut terdorong hingga ke persisiran pantai, membasahi pasir-pasir yang kering sebelum kembali semula ke dasar laut. Itulah rutin pasang surutnya air di tepi pantai. Kerana olesan air dipermukaan pasir yang tersusun rapi disebelah laut, menyebabkan refleksi warna langit terjadi… mencipta suatu visual yang memukau.

Aku melihat warna kuning, jingga, ungu... warna awan saling bertukar ganti dengan setiap kadar yang bergerak dengan aksi turunnya bebola jingga yang seawalnya terang menghias siang. Bebola matahari. Turunnya di waktu senja, menurut titah Tuhannya, bagi memberi ruang kepada malam untuk melabuhkan tirainya, agar bulan bisa menyinar, agar bintang bisa memagari bentangan langit yang luas. Namun warna langit tetap dengan birunya yang mendamaikan. Sebentar cuma sebelum bertukar menjadi pekatnya hitam… menandakan tibanya malam. Waktu yang diperintahkan untuk datang setiap hari bagi memberi kesempatan kepada manusia untuk melempiaskan lelah, bagi merehatkan otot-otot yang bekerja keras disiang hari. Ah, alangkah indahnya percaturan alam yang dimainkan oleh Sang Pencipta.

Lantas aku teringat kepada sepotong dzikir harian, yang mengulas tentang pertukarannya siang kepada malam. Ianya suatu aksi menunjukkan kekuasaan Sang Khaliq, bagi mengingati umat manusia yang kian lalai dibuai dunia:

“Sesungguhnya Engkau Maha Kuasa atas segala sesuatu. Engkau masukkan malam kedalam siang dan Engkau masukkan siang kedalam malam.” (Ali Imran)

Indahnya kata-kata Allah... tiada yang bisa mengalahkannya. Walau dengan sepotong ayat sekalipun, aku terpegun namun tiada kata dapat ku lakarkan bagi mendefininasikan perasaan ku. Rasa itu lahir dari batin, tidak terungkapkan secara zahirnya. Mungkin kerana itu lah juga pepatah itu wujud.

Aku pikir aku bisa menulis seribu patah perkataan. Namun, kerana wujudnya batasan bahasa yang sedikit cuma aku ketahui bagi mengambarkannya... aku gagal. Lalu aku akur bahawa sememangnya... “Satu gambar itu lebih banyak berkata…” Andaian ku salah dan pepatah itu benar.

A. Mohamad - (Jumlah kata: 383)

_____

So, can you write a thousand words worth trying to describe a picture? It isn’t easy I tell you (because I’ve tried and failed too! :S But it’s worth the effort) and I think so should you :D

This festive season...

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahhi wabarakatuh...

This greeting is a little late but nevertheless, I - on the behalf of the ex-six-thornbankers - would like to wish you a very happy lebaran! So:

Selamat Hari Raya

Salam Idul Fitri

Eid Mubarak

Taqabballahu Minna wa Minkum

Mohon maaf atas segala silap langkah dan kata yang pernah kami lakukan sepanjang persahabatan kami, sama ada disenghajakan mahupun tidak disenghajakan C:

p.s: Was about to put in a picture of us celebrating raya in 6 Thornbanks but due to some unforeseen circumstances, I could not post it in :|

Jaga Hati, Jaga Imaan,

Jaga Diri, Jaga Perbatasan

Nukilanku tentang cinta...

Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahhi wabarakatuh.

Coretan hari ini saya mulakan dengan kalimah Basmalah, "Bismillahhir Rahmaannir Rahmeen" agar kesempurnaan yang terupaya dapat dikecapi.

Para pembaca sekalian, mungkin anda semua berasa hairan mengapakah saya mengunakan Bahasa Melayu baku bagi coretan ini. Akan tetapi, tidakkah anda sekalian berasa hairan akan mengapakah kita sering menggunakan Bahasa Inggeris padahal ianya bukanlah bahasa rasmi kita. Mengapakah kita berasa kekok sekiranya nukilan hati mahupun coretan seharian kita diceritakan menggunakan bahasa ini? Mungkinkah kerana Bahasa Inggeris itu terlalu mudah bagi kita, atau pun kita sudah terbiasa dengan Bahasa Melayu Brunei kita sehinggakan kita tidak memikir akan adanya keperluan berbahasa begini?

Lantas saya ingin mencuba bagi coretan hari ini walaupun saya akui ianya agak sukar untuk dilaksanakan. Sudah acap kali punat ‘backspace’ ditekan bagi menghapuskan ayat-ayat yang secara tidak langsung tertulis didalam Bahasa Inggeris. Namun usaha ini saya teruskan juga, kerana saya yakin bahawasanya saya akan dapat membuahkan sebuah karya didalam Bahasa Melayu. Tidakkah kita sewajarnya berasa malu sekiranya sebagai anak melayu kita tidak dapat menulis didalam bahasa melayu yang tertib? Iaitu bukanlah bahasa melayu yang songsang mahupun dengan menggunakan bahasa kasar sekalipun.

Tetapi itu bukanlah topik utama bagi coretan hari ini. Ingin saya perdebatkan tentang cinta pada kali ini. Definisi cinta... apakah itu?

Ianya berbeza bagi tiap manusia. Namun yang pasti, ianya dipersetujui bahawa cinta adalah suatu emosi yang membuahkan rasa afeksi ataupun kasih diantara sesama makhluk mahupun kebendaan. Bagi saya pula, cinta adalah suatu perasaan yang tidak mungkin dapat digambarkan secara menyeluruh melalui kata-kata, waima oleh sang pujangga melalui bait-bait puitis yang indah. Mengetahui cinta adalah merasai cinta. Lalu, adakah anda pernah bercinta?

Boleh juga suatu afeksi yang berlebihan boleh disalah ertikan sebagai cinta. Walhal mungkin saja ianya adalah perasaan simpati atau kasih mahupun empati. Manusia itu dilalaikan lalu dibisikkan bahawasanya yang dirasainya itu adalah cinta. Lalu seseorang akan mengaku dirinya sedang dilamun cinta. Alangkah bodohnya manusia, terperangkap dengan hasutan halus itu!

Mungkin perihal cinta sudah tidak begitu dipersoalkan lagi. Mungkin kerana ianya ada dimerata untuk dilihat lantas manusia tidak memikirkannya dengan lebih mendalam. Jika cinta yang disanjung manusia melalui bisikan itu agung, maka mengapakah masih ada perpisahan? Mengapakah masih ada perkelahian antara sesama manusia kerananya? Mengapakah harus ada hati yang terluka, perasaan yang terhuris dan jiwa yang tersiksa sehinggakan seseorang itu boleh melalukan perkara ekstrim yang amat dibenci oleh Allah? Mungkinkah cinta itu adalah sebuah mainan perasaan? Lalu, wajarkah ia merupakan cinta yang sebenar?

Cinta sebenar. Saya bukanlah seorang penulis yang bijak menyusun kata-kata lantas dapat melakar perasan itu. Seperti yang saya katakan, ianya tidak dapat didefinasikan secara menyeluruh walaupun saya pernah merasainya. Ya, saya pernah merasainya... Seketika itu. Anda mungkin bertanya, apakah yang terjadi dengannya sekarang? Ianya masih ada, namun didalam kesamaran yang sedikit menutup. Akan tetapi saya sedang berusaha menyingkap langsir yang menutup itu agar sinarnya tetap bersemarak hingga menusuk hingga ke kalbu yang dalam.

Cinta sebenar adalah cinta yang tiada penghujungnya. Ianya kekal abadi; hakiki. Tidak pernah akan luntur walau maut memisahkan. Ianya akan membuatkan seseorang itu sentiasa berada didalam ketenangan, merasa selamat walau didalam keadaan yang sukar sekalipun. Tiada hati yang terluka, tiada duka yang tercipta. Rintihan perit tiada kedengaran, tangisan lara tidak terluahkan. Ujian yang datang adalah tanda kasih sayang. Kerana keyakinan terhadap cinta hakiki itu sangat utuh sehinggakan keraguan tidak bisa menembusi. Sehingga duka adalah suka, sehingga musibah adalah hadiah. Sehingga tangisan yang wujud hanyalah kerana perasaan syukur yang tidak terhingga kerana berjaya memilikinya, walau hanya sekelumit perasaan yang terdetik. Cinta hakiki itu ialah cinta kepada Sang Khaliq. Cinta yang tiada kondisi, cinta yang bukan berunsur materialistik.

Pepatah Inggris ada mengatakan: “When poverty knocks at the door, love flies out of a window.” Atau didalam Bahasa Melayunya: “Apabila kesusahan atau kemiskinan mengetuk pintu, cinta lari melalui tingkap.”

Cinta mainan. Berkali sudah terdengar atau terbaca cerita tentang kemiskinan yang melanda seseorang itu dapat menlenyapkan perasaan cinta yang ada. Menjadikan suka itu duka, menjadikan cinta itu benci. Lalu ketidakstabilan keadaan memaksa terjadinya perpisahan. Betulkah ia paksa? Ataupun perpisahan itu adalah suatu yang direlakan dalam situasi ini? Lantas apa terjadi dengan cinta itu?

Cinta hakiki. Kemiskinan yang melanda bukan pula dianggap keperitan. Ungkapan ‘Alhamdulillah’ pula sering terucapkan. Seseorang itu akan merasa lebih dekat kepada Sang Khaliq. Mungkinkah kerana seseorang itu tiada tempat lain untuk mengadu? Mungkin… namun yang pasti, dia akan sentiasa berada didalam ayunan asmara yang sebenar. Zikrullahnya itu lebih baik dari ketidakpuasan hati. Cintanya pula semakin mendalam.

Antara cinta mainan dan hakiki. Antara pepatah Inggeris, cinta yang lari dan cinta yang semakin mendalam. Mampukah anda memikirkan yang mana lebih baik untuk mu?

Walau luntasan pendapat yang tidak seberapa ini dikatakan dengan bait-bait yang tidak begitu sempurna, namun saya harap akan dapat membuka minda dan hati para pembaca. Mungkin diri ini merasa kekok dengan Bahasa Melayu lantas karya ini tidak begitu memberangsangkan. Segala kebaikkan datangnya dari Allah, segala kekurangan itu berasal dari diri ini juga.

Training my NFS

Assalamu'alaikum warahmatullahhi wabarakatuh.

How have you been doing? Any progress with the training? :)

In the last post, I was talking about training oneself with a deed or committing oneself to a deed or deeds so that by the end of Ramadhan, hopefully insyaAllah it will become a habit. Ameen.

So I decided to train myself with patience. Oh yes! How trying it has been. But Alhamdulillah, it kinda works somehow. You know that we are not born with it (another brilliant note pointed out by that friend of mine :D ). Imagine a baby. If the baby wants something, really really want it, then the baby will try to get our attention in order that we satisfy its want. If however we are unable to give the baby the attention that it seeks, well what do you think the baby will do? The baby will cry lah. Like, really loud and annoying at an earsplitting tone that you just want to shut the baby up and eventually do what it wants. God, babies do know how to manipulate us. Tsk tsk.

Anyway, so basically, you see… babies don’t have patience. Therefore, it is not something that we are born with; rather it is something that is developed within us as we grow.

You know, there a hadith relating imaan and patience:

“As-sabru minal imaan.”

“Patience is half of imaan.”

So if we could get to train our self with patience, insyaAllah our imaan will eventually rose. Could it also be true the other way round, though? InsyaAllah, wallahu’alam.

But anyway, how do you train yourself with patience? Well, there is lots of way to achieve this. It depends on where you want to inflict the patience; be it in your daily routines, your favourite chores or your habits etc. Me? I choose driving. Why? Well here it goes:

I kind of have an affliction. It’s called NFS – need for speed. It happens whenever I’m driving (apparently, duh!). I don’t know why I have the need but I know that I could not stand driving oh-so s-l-o-w-l-y! Or so I thought, hehe.

So because of this NFS condition that I have, I decided… hey, let’s try it on that! After all, driving too fast is never good and since I ‘could not stand’ it, I shall have to suffer and drive s-l-o-w because I want to be a patient person. And so it began.

I remind myself at all times to drive at moderate speed. Not too slow but again, not as fast as I would normally have. Especially if I am not in a hurry to catch something important. So one day I was driving (duh!). And automatically my foot slammed on the accelerator. Seeing as no car is behind me (therefore no pressure!) and quite a few cars in front of me, I said to myself to slow down a bit. Okay, so I lift my foot off the accelerator – just a bit! But at least I’m progressing. I am fighting my nafs (i.e. nfs) and training myself to be more patient. Whee!

And that went on for quite a while. Few days later, I managed to not have to lift my foot of the accelerator because… I am used to not driving that fast anymore. (Uh, are you bored by now? You should be! :p). But I am still driving at moderate speed. I don’t know if my moderate is somebody’s fast but at least it’s moderate to me. Progress.

And just yesterday, I was driving quite slowly. I even managed to stay on the left lane without having too much of an urge to go to the right lane; all the way from my house to the city centre and then to my grandma’s house. The distance is saying something and I am controlling it! Double whee! Or it could be because it’s raining that day haha, lol. No lah, after a while the rain stopped and I am still driving quite slowly *grins*

So! Have I mastered patience? Well, it’s not a one-off job. It’s a constant thing. Not on just one main action/habit but we need to apply it in our everyday routine. The driving adventure is just an example. Hehe.

Again, it differs with a person. What do you want to train yourself to this Ramadhan? :D

Jaga Diri, Jaga Imaan, Jaga Hati

Wahai diri itu & ini

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim

Wahai hati

Susahkah dikau

untuk ikhlas kerana Allah?

Baja apa yang engkau mahu aku letakkan ya..?

Wahai mata

Susahkan dikau untuk menundukkan pandanganmu?

Kau tak takut nikmat mata itu ditarik balik?

Atau perlu kau jalan sambil kau ditutup?

Tak bersyukurkah dikau oleh nikmatNya?

Wahai mulut

Susahkah dikau untuk berkata perkara yang baik?

Susahkah dikau untuk memberi sokongan kepada yang lain?

Susahkah dikau untuk berzikir membesarkan Ilahi?

Susahkah dikau untuk membaca ayat-ayatNya?

Perlukah aku menggunakan controller untuk mengawalmu?

Atau adakah perlu aku letak cili untuk menenangkanmu?

Wahai kumbang

Lemah sangatkah dikau dek tewas kepada bunga?

kepada bunga yang bertopengkan syaitan?

Susahkah dikau untuk menutup pusat sehingga patella kau?

Kau bilang kau kuat

Kau bilang kau hebat

Kau bilang kau macho

Namun adakah kau kuat untuk mengawal nafsu kau?

Adakah kau hebat untuk beribadah kepada Dia?

Adakah kau macho disisiNya??

Adakah kau sempoi disisiNya??

Oh kumbang,

sedarlah bahawa diri kita hanyalah seekor kumbang kecil..

Tak layak untuk mengambil sebiji epal di atas pohon itu..

Wahai bunga

Susahkah dikau untuk mengenakan pakaian yang bisa menutup maruahmu?

Susahkah dikau untuk istiqamah dalam pakaianmu?

oh wahai bunga

susahkah dikau untuk mengawal suaramu,perilakumu,tingkah lakumu

kau sedar yang kau diibaratkan seperti buah epal yang berada di atas pohon yang tinggi..

sungguh mahal hargamu..

tak terbeli maruahmu oleh sesiapa pun termasuklah jika si pembeli menggunakan mata wang Pound Sterling!

wahai bunga

apakah kau lupa

apakah kau sombong

apakah kau bangga dengan kecantikanmu?

kau bangga dengan mekarmu?

kau bangga dengan bentuk tubuhmu yang menawan?

semua itu milik Dia, milik Dia, milik ALLAH yang Maha Esa

Dia bagi kamu pinjam seketika didunia ini

Jangan menyesal pabila pinjaman itu ditarik semula!

Wahai kumbang dan Wahai bunga

Siapa kamu untuk berpegangan selagi tiada ikatan yang halal??

Siapa kamu untuk bergurau senda cuit sana cuit sini selagi tiada ikatan yang halal??

Siapa kamu untuk suap menyuap makan diantara satu sama lain selagi tiada ikatan yang halal??

Siapakau bunga? Siapa kau untuk panggil kumbang itu sebagai...? siapa kau?

Siapa kau..?

Jika betul si bunga sayang kepada si kumbang, usah bergelumang dengan dosa bertahun-tahun!

Binalah mahligai yang dikau impikan itu kerana itu lebih baik bagimu.

Marilah ketani berlumba-lumba untuk melakukan kebaikan. Fastabiqul khairats!

Peace & Du'a

Aku.

Not-so-much-of-a-fairytale!

Once upon a time, a group of girls decided to be away from their home. Thus, they planned a trip. Of the many occasions during their trip, one was very much fresh in their minds.

The girls crafted their way through the throng; glancing sides to sides, sighing wonder at the sight they feasted upon. It was their maiden trip to the huge mall. For some anyway.

They've been there for nearly an hour, but nothing catches their eyes really. Turning about a corner upon visiting a shoe shop, a booth was strategically set up to attract the eyes of unwary shoppers as the rounded the corner. Such was the advertising skill, cunningly latching their prey. The girls... not an exception. The gadgets displayed made them stopped, arrested in track at the beauty of the technology. The offer made to them caused their hearts to sway towards acceptance. Should I, should I not?

The salespersons, sensing a win-situation, fervently relates to them the features, trying his/her best to persuade them into buying. Hearts fluttered indecisively.

One has made firm in her choice. She has been giving the gadget coveting glances; impatient to have it all for herself, to hold it with her hands knowing it was hers. The other two inclined to follow her; the other two, alas, not so.

In the end?

Let's just say, it was a lucky day for the salespersons when the girls paused at their booth. Now, three delighted hearts are content with their own.

And they all live happily ever after :)

7 JUTA SEDUNIA!

Assalamualaikum!

Sebenarnya nada plan kan update this blog until habis our own assessment. Assessment being: exams, essays and any kind of writing that has a deadline to it, etc... you get the picture, right?Sigh, anyway... iatah, sekalinya (sorry ah, becerita tah ku sekajap nah) :P

Sekalinya... aku ani boring wah. Aku check lah blog ani mana tau ada new update magically appear *winks*... sekalinya nada. So, sedih tah ko ni? No! Andang jua aku expect nada pasal kami sibuk. Sekalinya kan... I was about to click the 'X' button, kan tutup the window... tapi aku masih mau jua scroll ke bawah. So aku scroll lah kan. Sekalinya... *look at the 'keen readers' "

Guilty tia aku pasal inda update. Hence this.

Bath inda snow lagi. B-O-ring! Sama... cuba tah Yen Sushi ani dapat delivery. Or Jamuna or Eastern Eye! We need real food guys! Awu... kami selama ani keep on munching on Pringles and Thorntons chocolates, and... um, apalagi.... Um.. apa apa lah! Pokoknya, we need REAL, SOLID, MOUTH-WATERING-FINGER-LICKING-GOOD type of food. Well, dapat pulang ke kadainya... TAPI, kami malas jalan. Pasal sajuk. And kami takut tegelincir. As Ka Reefah implied, karang mikin surut bukit Thornbank atu, pasal kmi tegelincir di sana balik2. *blush*. Bulih, patut nya kesiankan kami lah Ka Reefah, BUKAN BUKIT! :D

Anyway, yeah. Even though the icy condition made us slip and slide and (dare I say it?) fall... We still want the snow! Please, snow, please... listen to our pleading voices. Let you come down and whiten the streets. Let you fall so we can be away from our books. (evil laughs!) So come down already, in any manner you choose! Snow dusts kah, flecks kah, or even better, thick drops! Like, um... (sorry for being technical, but I've always wanted to see this!) a sphere of 2cm in diameter? Is it too much to ask? Huh? Huh?

Aha. So, you see? Where all these readings has got me to?

Actually, that wasn't really the point of this entry. I know I said I'm writing this pasal kesian to the readers, which means, nothing specific to write about, but ada sebenarnya kan ku cakapkan wah... Sekajap ah... let me recall. Snow ni punya pasal... balum turun... ish!

Um, ah!! Nah, aku ingat sudah.... Atu kami ada new phrase. Its:

"7 JUTA SEDUNIA" :)

Scene: Suka barang.
Line: Waaaahhh, lawa jua.... aku suka. Berabis!! 7 JUTA SEDUNIA lawanya!

Scene: Sasak.
Line: Eh, Eastern Eye ani, cuba tah ada delivery! Boring 7 JUTA SEDUNIA!

Geddit? Haha. We use them all the time... Or sometimes, pakai 7 JUTA saja, or SEDUNIA saja. But for maximum impact, combine both lah. Baru power... 7 JUTA SEDUNIA! HAHA. See what I mean?

Anyway, yeah. Pokoknya aku kan becerita pasal our new phrase ani lah ah. Tapi ada tia the snow factor masuk and the delivery dilemma that we're having.

Happy using our phrase!

The BIG 31st.

Salam kepada pembaca setia 6 Thornbanks, harap diampunkan kerana telah lama menghilang entah kemana, di kala ini kami sedang menikmati suasana akhir tahun bak bulan yang menanti akan masanya untuk menyinarkan dirinya. Oh! Sungguh indah sekali ciptaan yang Maha kuasa, seharusnya kita semua bersyukur kehadrat Ilahi dengan lahirnya ciptaan malam, yang dimasukkan kedalam siang, untuk memberi kerehatan kepada manusia dan Dialah juga yang memasukkan siang kepada malam. Kita bertafakkur sejenak, adakah kita benar benar sedar akan semuanya ini? Pernahkan kita terfikir bahawa Allah menciptakan kesemuanya ini untuk kesenangan kita semata2 untuk beribadah kepadaNya? Subanallah.



So...........! um, the big 31st huh?



So what have we done so far this year? Let's recall, shall we?




We start off with our very own housemate's surprise B'day party! Dearest Amal turned big 21!


No, she didn't have Bertie as her present. But a book recipe instead! Big thanks to the very suave looking Indian gentleman, the big boss himself! But he looked very similar to this man *trying to search for his picture...
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Oh, just save it for later!
Toodles!
Will continue, InsyaAllah.
Jgn beulah, yes?

Sincerely yours,
AiMaWaMal.

Kisah cinta ku... (heh!)

Salam readers!

So I found this somewhere; reference stated below (sadang2 tah reference ani! Urgh :P) For the sake of (a little) light reading, enjoy it! [This source has no connection what-so-ever with any of the Thornbanker's real feelings; if there is so, be informed that it is purely coincidental] Hehe

Oh, did I mentioned it's going to be in Malay? :)

Teman bertanya kepadaku akan siapakah cintaku?
Di ketika itu, hatiku terdetik mengingati mu.
Entah mengapa namamu muncul dipikiran.
Lalu aku tersenyum.
Temanku semakin binggung.
Namun aku bertanya kembali,
"Apakah itu yang dinamakan cinta?"


Cinta, bagiku tiada definisi yang mencengkam.
Ianya suatu perasaan yang tiba di lubuk hati,
tika hati dilanda badai rindu.
Definisi cinta tidak lengkap,
jika diungkapkan oleh mereka yang belum merasainya.
Lantas, siapalah aku untuk menggambarkannya.


Aku mengenalmu dari kecilku.
Aku membesar bersama mu.
Dalam kerianganku bersama temanku,
Engkau selalu berada bersamaku.
Waktu lapangku... ku isikan bersamamu.
Alangkah indahnya...


Namun, itulah sekilas gambaran hidupku.
Tahun meningkat, aku kian menjauh darimu.
Di suatu saat, adakalanya aku merasa
sepertinya aku meninggalkan mu.
Di dalam keghairahanku mengejar dunia,
Engkau seakan hilang dari mindaku.
Dunia ku capai... tetapi cinta ku... ?


Gembiranya aku bertemu mu kembali.
Akan ku peluk engkau, sekiranya bisa ku lakukan.
Pertemuanku akan mu... membuatku tenang.
Hidupku... bagai lebih bermakna.
Ku jalani hari ku sebaik mungkin;
Seperti mana yang engkau lakukan sebelum ku.


Jauhnya engkau dari ku...
Aku tahu betapa dekatnya engkau dihatiku.


Rindu....
Kepadamu, datang lagi.

Ref: N.Tarip, Thoughts

R-Ac!

Apa tu nah ertinya?

Pfft! I'm bored, like, serious-ley! I want this for dinner again. Even if it's the same thing two days in a row :( It was good bah! The very good...

Look, look kamu...si Amal happy :D

Kan kan... whaddit I say?

"Hmm, apa baik kan dimakan ahh?"

"Eyh, mana tia bento ku ani. Payah jua menu baru ani :P"

"Excuse me, can I have Aborigine salad?" HAHA.

Talk about being a carnivore :P:P Sorry Ka Reefah!

I told you it was good!

Word of the day: Jaga JANTUNG (*winks*) and jaga diri.
Assalamualaikum! :)

A Day In

HO - MY - GOD!

I know riighht! It's been a while. 2 words though: we're busy. Enough said. :P (Well, technically it's 3 words but, whatever! *pei ru's tone* hehe)

"Right. And sooo.. that's what they always say... "
"Hey! It's true."

Well, the two thornbankers are still battling with their Technical Review, one with a quiz/test this Monday and the other one with a work proposal for next year. And moi? Well... who knows which one of those Thornbankers am I, right?

Teeheehee. And so... news! Today we're having our second let's-do-work-in-the-living-room-session! :P And to show you how 'rajin' we are, (cheh! rajin kah last minute? :P) let's take a peek at what had happened to our living room:

Let's take a close up on those stacks of books! (Spot the cough drops :D *ahuk ahuk*)

And in the midst of all these academic writings... ada orang melipat baju! :O hehehe

To cap the day, we went somewhere for dinner. But I'm too lazy to post up the pictures. Nanti tah! :)

Till then, Assalamualaikum. Take care!

Achhoo! *Alhamdulillah*

And so it begins. Again. Yes, the flu-cold season is here! NOOOOO! Note to cough/cold/nose-blocked/sore-throat/etc: Just so you know, you are not welcome okay! We don’t need you!

Let’s ponder. Where does this flu-thingy came from?

‘Dari bacteria.’
‘Eh manada, salah tu kau ah, virus kali ah!’
‘Boo, lagi tah salah. Dari Allah lah.’
'Eh, napa diam? Kalah kamu kah?’

‘Sabar, sabar. Napa pulang dari Allah? Flu ani bagi tani sakit jua...’
‘Sekalinya mesti yang baik saja datang dari Allah? Kalau Allah andang kan bagi tani ujian, kalau Allah kan liat cana tani react on what He had given us, inda dapat kn?’

So, the winner?

Yes, everything is from Allah. But why? Iatah soalan yang paling mahal ni. Maybe… it’s a reminder for us. How?

For me, in the current state of workload and end-of-semester-is-approaching-and-holiday-is-starting-soon mood, obviously I tend to work hard. Literally! [Sampai pengsan…? Haha] Which equals to improper meals, lots of junk food, sleep-late-wake-up-early, ahir balik rumah, etc…

So how is this a reminder again? Ertinya… Sadang-sadang tah makan junk food, balik awal so that tidur awal so that cukup tidur! Oh, and dapat makan proper meal. So that when all those are done, inda lagi damam, inda lagi sore throat, inda lagi batuk, inda lagi sneeze, inda ja? Jaaa!

See! Sakit ani nikmat dari Allah jua… Supaya tani dapat rehat from all the hectic-ness around us. It’s up to a person to think and twist about the subject to find out what is the hidden message behind everything that has happened. I am sure there is one, or more! If you just spend a little bit more time on it, InsyaAllah you'll find it. :)

Assalamualaikum

This one is for you!

Assalamualaikum readers. Uh, no this is not for all if you even though it says so in the title. Heh. Sorry. Rather, this one is for JOR!

Yes, you Jormasnidah Jormasie aka Miss Lisa Bentley! Haha.

Anyway, I know you've been very very curious about this, so I'm writing just to let you know, I am to meet my "boyfriend" soon! (cheh) :P :P

Helpful? I guess not. Keep guessing Jor :)

We love you!

xoxo
Thornbank girls

Stepping in to the puddle!

Salam readers.

What is it with rain and Bath? Seriously, I do wonder. Is it because Bath is named as such that we have rainy days for weeks? FYI, Bath rained everyday this week so far. Without exception! I suppose, andangnya kali sudah kana plan macam ani so that everytime kami ke uni, kami pakai payung and/or waterproof boots, so that inda sia-sia kami bali payung and the boots, so that kami inda kana masukkan dalam kategori membazir... kah? *Shrugs*

Tapi Syukur Alhamdulillah, ada hujan. Mun panas berabis, ngalih saja bayar extra cost for air-con. Atleast kalau hujan, makin banyak air di dunia. Inda ja? Jaaa! Manada... water cycle fixed kali ahh. Mun hujan banyak pun, inda jua increase the amount of water di dunia ani. :)

Did you know that, water made up 70% of the Earth surface? And of this 70% of water coverage, 97.5% of it is in ocean form. Massive banar! And actually, the amount of water available for us is just 2.5%. Kesian tani... And remember, this is out of 70%, not 100%. Calculate tia, lagi tah sikit the amount...

So okay, let's take the small percentage of water that's available for us. I.e. to be shared between all creation of Allah; human beings, animals, plants, etc. And let's call this... x%. So with this x% of water, basically we can have the commodity for a hot soak in the bathtub, wash our clothes so that we'll smell nice (p.s. ikut brand detergent lah jua ni ah :P), feed ourselves, dapat buat pasta or indomie and cucur pisang... etc.

If we were to delve deeper, x% of water (or less lah ah since tani sudah pakai some of this amount for all the commodities above) can encompass the manufacturing industry, such that the effect is what we are having and enjoying at the moment. Buat baju and coats for winter season, buat stokin thermal, buat Robinson (random pasal atm, aku taisliur Robinson hehe), apalagi.. manufacture of plastic for bottles or file utk simpan notes or bags or laptop or iPod/iTouch or (paham lah sudah ni ahh! Inda lagi ku tefikir apa :P) Pokoknya, macam-macam lah tani dapat, untuk tani enjoy!

My point is? I do have a point to say!

With just this x% of water, we gained a lot of worldly pleasures. Lavish lifestyle (for some), exquisite food supply, better quality of living conditions, semua lah.

But it's funny that, despite all these things that has been bestowed for us as a rahmat, we are too arrogant to even say thank you to the One providing us with all these nikmat. Is it really that hard, to stop and think for a while, where did we get all these things? Surely, all the nikmat didn't just come out of thin air, right? Is it really hard to say, at the very least, Syukur Alhamdulillah?

Having said that, let's reflect at this hadith:

"By Allah, this world (is so insignificant in comparison) to the Hereafter that if one of you should dip his finger in the ocean and then he should see as to what has stuck to it……" (Sahih Muslim)

So now, let's see. What is it that'll stuck (i.e. cling) to your finger when you dip it in the ocean? Jangan pulang cari ocean banar... air dalam cawan pun boleh kalau kan experiment :) Aku saja lah yang cuba. Boleh pulang kamu cuba jua, but then kalau ku tunggu answer everyone, inda bejalan ni post ah *winks*

Anyway, what clings on our fingertip is JUST a droplet of water. And from the hadith, this one drop of water is DUNYA - all these nikmat we've got to thank for, all the blissful things we enjoyed so far. And in comparison with the rest of the ocean, which is what's there in the Hereafter i.e. Jannah, Subhanallah, this amount is very very very small.

And this very very very small amount equals to the nikmat we get from the x% of water PLUS all the other nikmat that we get from air, fauna, flora, the changing of day and night, etc.

MasyaAllah. And to think, we seldom even say Thank You Allah for everything we've got. Did we, in our daily life, stop and have a look around, look at what this world i.e. dunya has got to offer - be it the mall or people or food or scenic environment - and say, "Wow, everything is created by Allah" or "Syukur Alhamdulillah" or "Thank You Allah for everything, All Praises is For You?"

Inda kan? Ok, bagi chan lah, ada lah ah, kadang-kadang. Tapi what do we usually say? "Waah! Lawa jua..." OR "Siuk ehh, basar shopping mall nya ah!" Inda ja?

So, let's pause and ponder about this.

Maybe I have not deliver this as good as it should have been, maybe you're not affected by these rhetorical words written here, but for what it's worth, all the good things come from Allah and others are from me.

:)
Assalamualaikum!