It's juz 'round da corner!

Pejam celik, pejam celik, dah pun nak mid-term exam. Camane ni? Banyak giler x study lagi! Kelas hari-hari sampai petang. Tu belum kira usrah dan meeting lagi. Bile balik bilik, katil & bantal pulak melambai-lambai ditambah pulak dengan badan yang dah kepenatan. Masa ni la nak memanjakan diri, pantang lenguh-lenguh sikit, dah nak baring atas katil. Hmm, kalau macam ni la tiap-tiap hari, alamatnya kantoi la mid-term saya. So, camane nak buat? Nak salahkan kelas, usrah n meeting? Mana boleh salahkan semua tu..bukannya benda2 tu yang membuatkan saya liat nak study..Nak ponteng kelas lagi? Haa..saya dah serik oo. Pikir punya pikir, saya buat satu keputusan:

1- jangan manjakan diri sangat

2- pergi study kat library

3- ingat harapan abah, ingat pesanan ummi, ingat adik2

Sebenarnya setiap orang mempunyai cara yang tersendiri dalam study. Ada orang boleh stay up sampai kul 3 pagi (yang pastinya bukan saya!). Ada orang boleh ponteng kelas & study kat bilik. ada orang die absorb banyak dalam kelas, kemudian bila kat bilik just jeling2 notes camtu je. Segelintirnya pulak kena di push dulu, baru nak gerak.. Haa, yang last ni la saya! Susah betul nak mulakan langkah pertama, ambil masa agak lama untuk motivate diri sendiri..

Kita tak boleh nak kata style nombor satu yang paling berkesan atau style yang paling akhir tu yang paling hampeh. Setiap cara ada kelebihan dan ada kekurangan. Apa yang penting, kita mesti bijak adapt dengan current demand. Then, pandai alter style. Thus, the study style must not be too rigid and what more important is we enjoy what we are doing and the satisfaction is there inside our soul. Other thing to bear in mind is to keep on praying to Allah for our success, now & in the Hereafter. Ask Hm to give what is the BEST to us because only He who knows what His servants do not know.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j269/foifille/clouds_and_a_flow-er.jpg

Teamwork

We haven't really known each other before. If it was not because of the teamwork spirit cultivated in ourself during that induction course at Benum-Hill Eco Resort, we probably are stangers to each other by now. Let's cherish this friendship, forever! (From left:azimah, syazwani, zahirah, mawaddah, ain, hairena, aishah and me)

More Than A Pure Gem

This poem is specially written and dedicated to all my dear friends around the world especially my ex-school mates (SRI ABIM Al-Hikmah, Maahad Muhammadi Perempuan, Darul Quran, IIUM), pen pals and all my online buddies. You are the blessed gifts given to me!


More Than a Pure Gem

Caring
A tacit agreement to help each other
It won’t let you see others suffer
It’s more than compromise and mutual approval
It makes the impossible things possible

Indeed
As a man is known by his actions
True friend is recognized by his sincere intentions
With him you’ll never walk alone
In the darkest place he is the lighting stone

Friend
You inject me with hope and courage
When obstacles arise before my face
To me you always smile and say
“You’ve got nothing to lose, nay!”

You are my happiness when I am in sorrow
You said, “Today’s reality is the hope of tomorrow”
So why I have to put myself low
When so many people care for me and not my foe?

Friendship
The most invaluable ship that I’ve ever owned
The purest gem still can’t be put into comparison
Though land and sea will make us apart soon
The sweet bloom of friendship will keep our hearts sewn

For friends we are now
And friends we will always be
Because forever and ever
You are meant too much to me!

Fight n Flight

Last Friday, I was absent in all lectures - the thing which I have never done before. It was a bad day and I have to admit that the day was worse than the day before and probably the worst of all days. It was just a matter of fight and flight. In biology, fight and flight is one of the phenomena in body homeostasis but now I think that sometimes it is irrelevant to be practiced in normal life. I fought to finish up my practical report which was supposed to be submitted before the Friday ends and at the same time I flied from attending my classes for the whole day. See, how bad I was! The report was successfully sent to my lecturer, Alhamdulillah. However, there was no satisfaction inside of me. I felt very innocent and not comfortable throughout the day till the night came just because I was playing truant by not attending the lecture in the day. Then I realized that I have made a wrong decision for maintaining my own “homeostasis” with a wrong response.

The saying of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. indeed goes right, as he said that the good deeds are those which make you feel calm and serene while the evils are those which make your heart uncomfortable and miserable. Oh, no, I have done an evil! O Allah, please forgive me for all the mistakes I have made. Thank you Allah for giving me the chance to realize my own my mistake and prevent me from being that bad. I really am ashamed of myself. I’ve finally got a moral value: hard work means prosperity, only a fool idles away his time. I was a fool last week for idling away my time and did the work in the last minute but the thing won’t be the same in the future, Insya Allah. I’ll work hard smartly to gain prosperity; prosperity in this world and Hereafter, Ameen.

Same Language

Realizing it or not, all people smile in the same language  The language which is very complicated to be described since this language has its own soul. In fact, this inner soul will be automatically expressed without any instruction. If it is instructed, then the soul of the smile is no longer real and natural. Normal people can easily distinguish between a real smile which comes directly from a sincere heart and the fake smile which is forced out. Therefore, we are encouraged to always be in positive state so that we can have a trouble-free mind and soul. Smile might be the most relevant icon to that tranquility state of mind. The nearest example is our prophet Muhammad s.a.w., the most serene person with lovely characters and promotes smiling as the alms. As Muslims, this Islamic teaching should be practiced daily and be preached to others.

Smile
The simplest appreciable alms
Given to people with open arms
It lightens the wry face
Soothes and gives you ease
Seeing it would dump your sadness
Without it the world is in darkness

Smile to the challenge
It will give you a gut
To work it out, you start your pace
For it you will always fight

Smile to the world
Your hurt will heal
Down goes the trouble
Up to the hill you will feel

Go, go away my misery
Because now I am a smiley! 

(1.25 a.m., February 2006, C2.7, Mahallat Az-Zahrawi, IIUM Kuantan)

Finally, it's all over

Alhamdulillah, akhirnya selesai sudah attachment di retail pharmacy yg diwajibkan selama 6 minggu. Sekali fikir, fuhhh, lega sebab dah habis! Dua kali fikir.. alamak, report tak siap lagi! Apapun, banyak pengalaman diperolehi sewaktu bertugas di sana. Yang baiknya, dapat ubah tabiat buruk suka tidur lepas subuh. Kena bangun awal untuk pergi kerja, kalau tidak, bersiap sedialah untuk menyertai perarakan terpanjang di jalan raya! Bukannya bos marah pun kalau datang lambat. Dia sendiri, jam 11 baru masuk ofis (itulah salah satu sikap yg patut kita jauhi sebagai seorang pemimpin) tapi tak bestla sebab punch card akan dicop merah dan kita pun macam tak berdisiplin pulak. Malu dengan kakak-kakak staf lain woo..

Warga farmasi yang kerja di sini (Muslim Pharmacy Sdn.Bhd.) semuanya perempuan, jadi lebih memudahkan sesi pembelajaran sepanjang berada di situ. Nak bergerak ke sana ke mari pun tak kekok. Yang seronoknya, siap boleh tidur beramai-ramai lagi dalam bilik stor pada waktu rehat. Bilik stor tu tempat simpan stok ubat-ubat yang agak banyak..tapi kemas dan bersih. Makan dan solat pun kat situ hinggakan telekung pun lekat bau ubat. Tak perasan pada mulanya tapi sedar pasal perkara tu bila dah sampai kat rumah. Yela, duduk kat sana seharian, hidung ni dah lali dengan segala jenis bau bahan kimia.

Apa yang saya boleh respek dengan staf-staf di sini ialah mereka sangat mesra alam. Sesiapa sahaja yang masuk ke kedai pasti akan disapa dengan mesra dan seringkali diselitkan dengan lawak jenaka. Bukan setakat dengan regular customer, tapi pak cik posmen & sales representatives pun kena sakat. Itulah pelaris jualan di sini di samping harga ubat yang berpatutan dan kedudukannya yang strategik. Jadi, kalau sesiapa yang mahu membuka bisnes sendiri, kena guna tips-tips tersebut, baru laku jualan kita! Bos dan staf-staf farmasi ni tak begitu strict sangat dalam semua keadaan, sempoi je sbnarnye. Masa ada customer datang, mereka kerja dengan serius, entertain pelanggan sebaik-baiknya. Tapi kadang-kadang tu bila dah bosan sangat sebab tunggu customer, seorang pun tak datang-datang dan “kawad dan tawaf” pun dah dilakukan beberapa kali mengelilingi rak-rak & kaunter preskripsi, mulalah tangan menggatal tekan remote control, tengok jugak tv! Tak pun, baca novel or paper.

Ada juga cerita-cerita lawak yang boleh dikongsi. Percaya tak kalau saya kata, ada je orang datang nak beli mentol lampu, selipar jepun, dan..rokok? rupa-rupanya masyarakat kita ni tak tau sangat apa itu farmasi dan apa yang boleh didapati di kedai farmasi. Ada ke tanya ada jual rokok tak? Ubat berhenti rokok adala..Mentol lampu, selipar jepun? Isk isk isk, sedih, sedih..ingat ni kedai runcit ke? Sebenarnya tak boleh nak salahkan diorang jugak sebab kalau sekali pandang pintu depan farmasi ni tanpa tengok signboard, memang orang akan anggap ni kedai runcit. Kenapa taknya, kat depan diletak 2 peti minuman dalam tin, peti aiskrim, coklat, kekacang dan gula-gula…tak ke macam kedai runcit? Jadi, shop layout tu penting kalau nak set up kedai ye..

Agak lama jugalah masa yang saya perlukan untuk mengingati nama-nama ubat, kegunaannya dan kedudukannya di rak mana di dalam farmasi tu. Alhamdulillah, alah bisa tegal biasa, akhirnya banyak jugalah skil yang dapat dikuasai dengan pertolongan Allah dan bantuan daripada Kak Nor (farmasis@bos), Kak Dah, Kak Na, Kak Sue (pembantu farmasi) dan Kak Yus (kerani akaun). Walaupun kebanyakan daripada mereka hanya belajar setakat SPM dan tak pernah masuk u, tapi itu bukan alasannya untuk kita tidak hormati mereka. Pengalaman mereka dalam bidang komuniti farmasi sangat jauh lebih banyak berbanding saya yang masih mentah dalam bidang ini. Semangat mereka untuk survive sangat tinggi. Untung orang yang berusaha ya! Saya kira ini adalah satu cabaran kepada para penganggur siswazah kita yang terhormat..hehehe

A Spoiled Mood

Yesterday, my family and I went to Irama Beach, Bachok, 15 minutes drive from our home. I was very sure that the seashore would be crowded with peoples from all walks of life since it was weekend. Yeah, it was such a perfect time to relax your mind and be with family members and friends, away from the work loads. Just by seeing the waves which come and go, sitting on the white sandy beach under the shade of the casuarinas trees…you’ll find that this is the magic place which you’re looking for, ever since.

However, I was very shocked once we arrived there. My sister asked me, “Why the sea is getting nearer to the road?” That was the reality. We did not have to go that far to watch the sea now. At one side, it was good since we can save our time walking from the car park to the shore but I myself did not think the benefit outweighed the disadvantages. Hahaha, did the saline water eat up the seashore and because of the salinity and its hungriness it also wanted to crunch the main road too? I saw no efforts done by the authorities to solve this serious problem and conserve our vital natural heritage.

That was not the only shock or stun that happened to me that evening. To my astonishment, with every step which I made there, my feet kissed varieties of unique things, new and rotten…rubbish! Rubbish was everywhere. It really spoiled my mood and I do not walked along the beach as usual when I came here. Instead, I just sat at the playground, watching my younger sisters and brothers playing there happily and listening to their laughter and giggles which filled the surrounding air. At that moment, while biting and munching some fish and crab nuggets, I was thinking, why people were littering the beautiful place and how to prevent the recurrence.

Soon, I came up with a single solution. Parents! From my observation, when their little kids throw away the food wrappers or drinking bottles just like that on the ground, most of the parents only look at their children, just like that too. No advices came out from their mouths, no “pick that up and throw it into the rubbish bin over there”. The only words which came out was like this, “don’t worry; cleaners will pick them up, babe”. Phew, so that was the cleaners’ job. This was absolutely ridiculous! I did not think that the cleaners will able to do their jobs since my eyes could not find any one of them since the first second we arrived at this place. So?

So, start the righteous deeds with ourselves. Then, we teach our family members and friends the correct things informally. We’ve got nothing to loose if we advice each others because we are enjoining the goods and forbid the evils. Aha, indirect advice may work better. Just pick up the rubbish and asked your bro and sis to put them in their correct place. It doesn’t matter if they aren’t following our words but at least we have done our part. At least, we are not the reason why the Earth is no more a safe place to stay. We must remember what God has told us in Al-Quran Al-Kareem, Surah Al-Ruum, verse 41 which mean:

“Mischief has appeared on land and sea because of (the meed) that the hands of men have earned, that God may gave them a taste of some of their deeds: in order that they may turn back (from Evil)”

Muslim for Life

Now…If we don't change society
Then we are part of the cause
on the Day of Judgment
We are going to standin front of Allah
There will be no excuses
For being useless

Without Islam in our lives
Our lives are fruitless
Leaving behind all things
taking nothing but our deeds
On the last day
it will betoo late to repent
We will be accountable

For every minute & cent
that we spent
Islamicly intact
My brothers got my back
Shaitan can't attack
because were always in a pack
M-U-S-L-I-M
MUSLIM 4 LIFE
& WE WILL NEVER GIVE IN
WE STAND UP AND SPEAK OUT
AGAINST THOSE WHO OPPRESS
WE TAKE ISLAM &WE TAKE NO LESS

Prophet showed us
how to be a statesman
a father, a leaderAmir of jihad
a husband, a judge
and a friend

A messenger
that Allah has send
that's the example
that we content
He culturedThe Sahabas personalities
Built Islamic mentalities
gave them

To Be or Not To Be

I remember, once upon a time before my father died and I was at the high school, I kept asking daddy, why on earth, did he buy acres of land in that remote area. For me, it was just uneconomical and wasting of money. It was better for him to keep the money in the saving account for the future use. Besides, there would be no one to look after the lands since they were very far away from our home and everybody was busy with their own works. Moreover, there were no human beings living there, as they were the real jungle. Dad said there was a small beautiful waterfall in our land but he also managed to find the footprints of elephants and tigers! How come they will give benefit to us? Daddy’s answer was simple; now, you might not know what they are for but I’m sure you’ll know the advantages later on.

Now, I realize how stupid I was to ask that silly question. Instead, I’m thankful to daddy for giving me an idea to think about. Yes, he was absolutely right. Land is one of the most invaluable things given by God on this world as a form of responsibility towards human beings. Because of land, some people became the lords and those without it became the slaves. Because of land, a country fight with another – the latest example is between Korea and Japan and the ‘evergreen’ intifada in Palestine in fighting Jews – since it is the symbol of power and domination. Argumentation between members of the family and blood shedding has become the endemic just for the ownership of a piece of land. If it is not because of the land enriched with the petroleum and minerals, Iraq may not be invaded.

The price for an area on the surface of earth which is called a land is getting higher and higher day by day. Only those who have the true conscience to cultivate the nature wisely will get the extra bonus. We have to be aware that the lands are not our real properties. They are God’s. We came down on earth and the land is long ago laid before us and we’ll be leaving the world with the land behind us (even those who claims that he is the most powerful can’t stop the death, right?). And later in the Hereafter, God will give the real reward to those who take good care after His Properties as ordered by Him. At this moment, as everybody knows, there would be no turning back and the earth won’t be recreated.

Just ask ourselves, are we grateful enough with all our belongings and use them properly? Do we appreciate the things in front of us or just take them for granted? Have we carried out our responsibilities or still doing nothing good in this mortal life? We may say, I will or not yet but for me, the answer is one of the two matters: to be or not to be.
(picture above: my family and i with 2 of our land employees - the lady with blue dress and the man behind at their house)