MAHA 1st visit

Yesterday me and my friends Alwyn, Qayyum and Rizwan went to the Malaysian Agriculture, Horticulture and Agrotourism Show 2008 held in Mardi grounds just nearby from our place. We went there on the first hour it was opened to public.

From left: Alwyn, Arechong and Qayyum upon arrival at the main gate and tram terminal.

They projected Pak Lah's speech from inside the convention hall but no one's watching.

Nice vegetable pergola

Another view of the vege pergola

"Petola" on the Pergola

Bitter gourd and winter melon (kundur) being planted on the pergola

Salad Column

Rock melon

Beautifully decorated edible garden

Life is Delicate...

Subhanallah!! Just now as I was ready to sleep, my mother came into my room. Her face was grim. She told me that Father had a car accident near Kati in Kuala Kangsar. He was on his way to Gerik to check on his project site. A friend of his was driving the car when the tragedy happened. At first, I couldn't believe what I have heard but after being repeated several times only the reality struck me that it really happened. Alhamdulillah. Thank God that my father only had a minor injury and was quickly sent by his convoy mates to Kuala Kangsar Hospital to get his outpatient treatment. The car driver and his other friend however escaped uninjured but the same fate doesn't happen to the car. Our Toyota Hilux was badly wrecked by the accident (the same thing happened to our Toyota Land Cruiser II 6 years ago but this time its worse).

Why does this thing happen?

Thus it got me thinking.

How vulnerable life is. I dare not to write anymore...

A Perfect Wedding

While this article was written, I just came back from Bukit Subang. Me and my family attended a wedding that I can consider the most perfect wedding that I have attended so far. Compared to grander wedding receptions in Brunei and in KL which I have attended, this one is a little bit moderate in the budget but but the sense of grandeur can still be felt. And because this is a wedding of an officer in the office of the prominent Mufti of Perlis, it gives a glimpse of a wedding reception as guidelined by the Prophet P.B.U.H. himself through his Sunnah - alive with muslim practices in a wedding but doesn't lose the grandness. It got everything that a wedding could have, plus - extra menu that really satisfies the guest ( got laksa penang, curry laksa, satay, including nasi kandar as its main menu) minus - wedding practices that doesn't comply with islamic guidelines (such as bersanding, makan beradat, cake cutting and also a sort of weird tradition where the bride became the model for rented gowns - sometimes up to 7 different fittings being paraded one after another while the guests are eating in the midday sun).

Thus, it makes me wonder what would my wedding be like?...

First...
Insyaallah if God permits, my wedding would be a lovely reception with a not-too-long guest list with a little touch of exclusivity. Maybe it could be held in a garden where beautifully decorated tents are set up within the trees and cleverly placed lights help to bring the atmosphere alive. Possible venues for the reception includes Lake Gardens, Taman Tasik Permaisuri and even the park in front of our house.

Second...
All wedding practices or adats that doesn't comply with Islamic teachings would be given a big NO!. There would be no bersanding, no makan beradat where you have spoon the food into your mouth while crossing hands with your new wife. Men and women would be separated which I see would bring more interaction between guests.

Third...
Since all great weddings that I have attended in the past year were done at night, I think mine would also be done at night (remember about the cleverly placed lights, who would turn the lights on in broad daylight?) It would be done in a formal reception format where the guests will not just come-eat-and chow but would follow the program tentative.

Fourth...
Instead of showing off the newlyweds, other forms of entertainment will be held to make the reception cheerful. I would love to have a drums performance in the middle of the reception and some music that are sampled from the entire world. All would be made within islamic toleration.

Here are my thoughts for now. Hehehehe.....

Forest Destruction at Its Worst

Last weekend, I went on a work trip to Hutan Simpanan Kekal Raja Musa (Raja Musa Permanent Forest Reserve) in Batang Berjuntai, Selangor.

The only thing that is left to remind the people that this area used to be a forest reserve.

A single tree in the middle of nowhere.

A bulldozer

nothingnness

A Message From the Past...

Today, while I was wandering aimlessly in the vast cyberspace, I stumbled upon a video from way back in time. To be exact, from the year 1981. It is actually a music video performed by a hit musical group of that time, Boney M and the song is entitled We Kill the World...




This could be a clear evidence that the effort to save our planet earth has been going on since the 80's or maybe earlier.

Iju, I'm Sorry!!

Humans are created with different set of responsibilities and priorities and these responsibilities and priorities can change in time. There are different levels of responsibilities and our religion, Islam has put a very clear guideline in priortizing on these responsibilities.

In this Al-Hadith Ibn Umar (may God bless his soul) was reported to have said: "What does Allah like the most?". The Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) answered: "performing solat on time". "And then?", asked the man. The Prophet answered:" Doing good to your parents". "And then?", he asked again. The Prophet answered: " Doing Jihad in the path of Allah". [Muttafaq Alaih]

This Hadith clearly put the task of serving ones parents at the second most important priority after serving God Himself and even more important than sacrificing your soul for jihad. This has been repeated many times in various other hadiths. Even our Holy Quran mentioned that we need to prioritize our parents before any other things.

And We have enjoined on man goodness to his parents, and if they contend with you that you should associate (others) with Me, of which you have no knowledge, do not obey them, to Me is your return, so I will inform you of what you did. 29:8 [Surah Al-Ankabut]

(I think this should put this article on track)

I'm Sorry...

its not that I'm avoiding you or I don't want to work with you. Its just that a tremendous amount of responsibility has been put on me and I have to make it work. I know that its been hard on you for your information, its really hard for me too. I am put in a situation where I have to choose whether to help a friend on his responsibility or to help my own dad who had waited every year for times like this so that he could have his own son th help ease his burden.

Unlike other students who had their own scholarships or at least PTPTN to help them get through college, I am fully funded by my dad who had worked very hard every day just to get me through another year of college and I really felt that I had failed him by failing yet another subject in my final exam. I bet that he must've felt very dissapointed by that because like any other investor, he must have wanted to see something good in his years of investment. So, I'm taking this opportunity to make it up to him. Or at least to tell him that I'm worth investing on.

Really sorry...

Since my brother left for PLKN last month, he'd always be expecting me to help him. The two of them has been running the business since my brother was in Form 5. So, this can be considered as my father's time of need and I would feel that I betrayed his hope on me.

Really really sorry...

With this article, I'm really sorry if I, in any manner, betrayed you and my friends, because I think that when a choice had to be made, its better to betray your own friends rather than betraying your own parents.

My SUPER Sweet 22nd Birthday

For my birthday this year, my father bought me the biggest and most expensive present I have ever received in my entire life.

The present may be very expensive , but it can never match the gifts that my parents had given me every day. Although these gifts might be very small and cheap, nothing else in the world is more valuable to me. It is the gift of LOVE so pure, it flows like spring water, crystal clear straight to the heart. Like spring water that has never stopped flowing, their love for me has never died for me from the very moment of my birth, until I'm this old. Without their love, I would not have survived the world. Thank You Mom and Dad for loving me each day!