THINK AGAIN

A reason to smile...

2009-08-21T20:03:00.000-07:00

A smile...sometimes you do not need a reason for it...usually when something that makes you feel good inside you smile...So it was my water sampling trip in a boat...I went sampling till around 6pm where the sun was starting to go down West but the weather was good and the scenery was mesmerizing (SubhanAllah)...it was a day before fasting month start and it struck to me of the days when I was still a boy in 'kampung'...around the primary age...i reminisce the memory of the time back then...as a kid there are lots of activities especially living in a village...bicycle racing, kebun biking (going in n out of ourchards n estates equivalent to mountain biking)...fishing..climbing fruit trees...and all the other stuff..the one that I remembered was when I was playing at Uncle Manap's courtyard with the others...we always played here because his house have a big grassy area...our group also includes some of his kids...from soccer to police and thief to scuffles between us happened here...haha...those were the young days...the group played till 6.30-7 pm...I remembered playing sandal throwing (baling selipar)...a common game played by us though some rules are different from other places....still it was a fun game no matter how you play it...As mentioned we played till the sun was almost down...I live just a few blocks away and the best thing was I always have an alarm when I need to get back...if I did not notice that it was pass my play time the alarm will scream..."Daus...balik!!!!Dah Maghrib!!!" my mom yelled and I ran back to get some babbling...I smiled and without noticing I arrived at the jetty to go home...=)

One love...its not a song...

2009-08-14T19:16:00.000-07:00

Taking this article from a website I just hook up...it has been a while I have not read things that reminds me who I am....what attracted me the most is how this subject was tackled to suite me as a person...so I would like to share it and hope that if ever is a person reading my entries to enjoy the article...you can check out other titles of the the same material at http://www.iluvislam.com/v1/news.php....so here we go....
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Cinta Dan Rindu
www.iluvislam.com
Oleh: Ustaz Pahrol Mohd Juoi
Editor: NuurZaffan

Berbicara tentang rindu dan cinta, tidak dapat lari daripada soal hati dan rasa. Ya, rindu dan cinta letaknya di hati - raja dalam kerajaan diri manusia.

Sabda Rasulullah saw: "Bahawasanya di dalam jasad anak Adam ada seketul daging. Apabila baik daging itu, baiklah seluruh anggotanya. Sebaliknya, jika jahat daging itu, jahatlah seluruh anggotanya. Ketahuilah daging itu ialah hati." Riwayat Al-Bukhari

Ini bermakna, rindu dan cinta yang harus bersemi di hati mestilah rindu dan cinta yang ‘baik'. Barulah hati akan menjadi baik, dan seluruh anggota jadi baik. Tapi jika rindu dan cinta itu ‘jahat' maka jahatlah hati. Akibatnya jahatlah seluruh anggota. Kata orang, "berhati-hatilah menjaga hati." Jangan dibiarkan hati itu penuh dengan rindu dan cinta yang salah... akibatnya terlalu buruk.

Umpama menyerahkan kepimpinan negara kepada seorang yang jahat. Kita tentu tahu apa akibatnya bukan? Pemimpin yang jahat akan melakukan kemungkaran, penzaliman, rasuah dan lain-lain kejahatan yang akan menghancurkan sebuah negara. Maka begitulah hati yang jahat, akan menyebabkan seluruh diri kita terarah kepada kejahatan. Jadi, berhati-hatilah menjaga hati dengan berhati-hati memberi cinta dan rindu.

Sebenarnya, pada siapa kita harus cinta? Pada siapa kita mesti rindu? Mungkin ada diantara kita yang tertanya-tanya. Pada kekasih hati? Atau si dia yang sentiasa diingati. Oh, bukan, bukan... Sebenarnya hati setiap manusia secara fitrahnya mencintai dan merindui Allah. Kenapa dikatakan begitu? Dan benarkah begitu? Baiklah, mari kita fikirkan dan renungkan bersama...

Setiap hati inginkan kasih-sayang, keadilan, kekayaan, keindahan dan lain-lain sifat yang mulia, baik dan sempurna. Tidak ada seorang manusiapun yang tidak inginkan kebaikan, kemuliaan dan kesempurnaan. Ketika dilanda kemiskinan, manusia inginkan kekayaan. Ketika dipinggirkan, kita inginkan kasih-sayang. Ketika dizalimi, kita inginkan keadilan. Baiklah, hakikat itulah bukti yang sebenarnya manusia cinta dan rindukan Tuhan. Justeru, Tuhan sahaja yang memiliki segala-gala yang diingini oleh manusia.

Bukankah Allah memiliki kekayaan yang diingini oleh si miskin? Allah mempunyai kasih sayang yang diidamkan oleh mereka yang terpinggir. Allah Maha Adil dan mampu memberi keadilan yang didambakan oleh yang tertindas. Oleh kerana itulah Tuhan mempunyai nama-nama yang baik (Asmaul Husna), yang menggambarkan keindahan, keadilan, kasih-sayang yang segala sifat kesempurnaan-Nya. Diantara nama-nama Allah itu ialah Al Adil (Yang Maha Adil)? Al Ghani (Maha Kaya)? Ar Rahman (Maha Pengasih)? Dan Ar Rahim (Maha Penyayang)?

Sebutlah... apa sahaja keinginan manusia tentang kebaikan dan kesempurnaan, maka di situ sebenarnya (secara langsung ataupun tidak), manusia sedang merindui dan mencintai Allah. Inilah rasa yang tidak dapat dihapuskan. Selagi manusia punya hati dan perasaan. Rasa bertuhan inilah yang menurut Imam Ghazali, tidak akan dapat dinafikan oleh hati sekalipun kerap dinafikan oleh sifat keegoan manusia.

Inilah benih rindu dan cinta yang telah dibina (‘install') secara fitrah (tabie) dalam diri setiap manusia sejak di alam roh lagi.

Firman Allah: "Bukankah aku ini Tuhanmu? Maka semua (roh manusia) menjawab: ‘Benar, kami (Engkaulah Tuhan kami) menjadi saksi." Al-A'raf : 172

Bahkan, pakar-pakar psikologi manusia juga turut mengakui. Manusia sebenarnya mempunyai keinginan kepada suatu kuasa yang dapat mengatasi segala kekurangan dan kelemahan. Ini memang satu naluri yang semulajadi.

Prof Dr Ramachandran dari California University misalnya, telah menemui ‘Titik Tuhan' - ‘God Spot' dalam sistem otak manusia yang sentiasa mencari makna kehidupan - asal-usulnya, apa maksud kedatangannya ke dunia, dan ke mana akan pergi selepas mati. Dan di hujung semua persoalan itu pasti manusia akan menemui kewujudan Tuhan. Inilah hakikatnya pencarian dan kembara manusia. Inilah asas segala kerinduan dan cinta!

Jadi sedarlah. Apabila hati kita resah dan gelisah inginkan pembelaan, hakikatnya pada ketika itu hati kita sedang merindui yang Maha Adil. Ketika kasih-sayang terputus atau cinta terkandas, kita inginkan sambungan... maka ketika itu sebenarnya kita sedang merindui Ar Rahman dan Ar Rahim (Allah Yang Maha Pengasih dan Penyayang). Ketika bersalah, kita merintih inginkan keampunan dan kemaafan, maka pada saat itu kita sebenarnya merindui Al Ghafar (Pengampun) dan mencintai Al Latif (Maha Lembut).

Semua keinginan itu hanya akan dapat dipenuhi apabila manusia merapatkan dirinya kepada Allah. Allah yang punya segala-galanya itu. Allah sentiasa mahu dan mampu memberi apa yang diinginkan oleh setiap manusia.

Firman Allah: "Dan Tuhan kamu berfirman: Berdoalah kepada-Ku nescaya Aku akan perkenankan. Sesungguhnya orang yang sombong takbur daripada beribadat dan berdoa kepada-Ku, akan dimasukkan neraka Jahanam dalam keadaan hina." Al-Mukmin : 60

Menerusi nama-nama Allah yang baik inilah seharusnya kita merintih, merayu dan memohon kepada Allah.

Firman Allah: "Allah memiliki Asmaa' ulHusna, maka memohonlah kepadaNya dengan menyebut nama-nama yang baik itu..." Al A'raaf : 180

Manusia hakikatnya tidak punya apa-apa yang diingini oleh manusia lain. Mereka mungkin mahu memberi, tetapi tidak mampu. Ada pula yang mampu memberi tetapi tidak mahu melakukannya. Mungkin hartawan punya harta, tetapi dia tidak punya sifat pemurah. Mugkin ada si miskin punya hati yang pemurah, tetapi tidak memiliki harta yang dipinta oleh si miskin yang lain. Tegasnya, manusia tidak sempurna. Hanya Tuhan yang mempunyai segala apa yang diinginkan oleh seluruh manusia.

Ya, ditegaskan sekali lagi bahawa keinginan manusia kepada satu kuasa yang Maha sempurna ini adalah lanjutan daripada ‘perkenalan' dan ‘percintaan' manusia dengan Allah di Alam Roh lagi (yakni alam sebelum alam dunia ini) . Bukankah sejak di alam roh lagi manusia telah mengetahui dan mengakui akan kewujudan dan keagungan Allah.

Firman Allah: "Bukankah aku ini Tuhanmu? Maka semua (roh manusia) menjawab: ‘Benar, kami (Engkaulah Tuhan kami) menjadi saksi." Al-A'raf : 172

Itulah pertanyaan Allah sekaligus keakuran roh manusia atas pertanyaan itu. Ya, ketika itu semua roh manusia telah mengenali Allah. Bukan itu sahaja, bahkan roh manusia telah mengakui Allah sebagai pemilik, pentadbir dan pengatur alam ini. Inilah yang dimaksudkan cintakan Allah itu adalah fitrah setiap hati. Tetapi soalnya, mampukah cinta itu terus suci dan abadi di dalam hati setiap manusia?

Sungguhpun begitu, perkenalan dan percintaan manusia dengan Allah di alam roh itu kerap tercemar. Sebaik sahaja lahir ke alam dunia, manusia yang dulunya begitu mengenali dan mencintai Allah mula dipisahkan daripada kecintaan dan kerinduannya itu. Yang sejati luntur, yang ilusi muncul. Perkenalan dengan Allah mula dicemari. Manusia mula dipisahkan dari Tuhan. Dan amat malang, kerapkali yang memisahkan anak-anak daripada Allah ialah ibu-bapa anak-anak itu sendiri.

"Setiap anak-anak dilahirkan putih bersih, kedua orang tuanyalah yang akan menjadikannya Yahudi, Majusi atau Nasrani."

Justeru, untuk mengelakkan agar cinta yang suci itu tidak terus dikotori... maka awal-awal lagi apabila seorang bayi dilahirkan, dia terlebih dahulu diazankan dan diiqamatkan. Inilah usaha awal untuk meneruskan perkenalan bayi itu dengan Allah. Tidak cukup sekadar itu sahaja, malah para ibu-bapa juga wajib mengenalkan kepada anak-anak mereka segala sifat kesempurnaan Allah secara mudah tetapi konsisten.

Sabda Rasululah: "Awal-awal agama ialah mengenal Allah."

Alangkah indahnya jika semua itu berjalan lancar. Sejak kecil lagi putik cinta dan rindu Allah itu tumbuh, berbunga dan akhirnya berbuah apabila menjelang dewasa. Malangnya, ramai anak tidak diperkenalkan kepada Allah oleh ibu-bapanya. Sebaliknya, didedahkan kepada unsur-unsur yang melindungi kebesaran Allah. Seringkali, didikan, ajaran, malah lagu, filem, bahan bacaan yang didedahkan kepada anak-anak menggugat perkenalannya dengan Allah.

Akibatnya, kerinduan dan kecintaan yang sedia ada di alam roh itu tidak bersambung, bahkan tercemar. Cinta terputus di tengah jalan. Setiap manusia memiliki hanya satu hati, tidak dua, tidak tiga. Bila cinta Allah dicemari, cinta yang lain datang mengganti. Dua cinta tidak akan berkumpul di dalam satu hati. Hanya satu cinta akan bertakhta di dalam satu jiwa. Bila cinta Allah terpinggir maka terpinggir jugalah segala kebaikan dan kesuciannya. Maka yang tumbuh selepas itu ialah cinta selain Allah seiring suburnya segala kejahatan dan kekejiannya!

Bagaimanakah caranyanya membersihkan semula hati yang telah dicemari dan diracuni? Cukupkah hanya dengan ucapan dan penyesalan? Ya, usaha untuk membersihkan hati adalah usaha yang sukar. Tetapi hanya itulah satu-satunya jalan. Tidak ada jalan mudah untuk mendapat cinta itu semula. Setiap cinta menagih pengorbanan. Begitulah jua cinta Allah.

Sabda Rasulullah: "Iman itu bukanlah angan-angan, bukan pula ucapan, tetapi sesuatu yang menetap di dalam dada, lalu dibuktikan dengan perbuatan."

Perjuangan itu pahit, kerana syurga itu manis. Kecintaan kepada Allah terlalu mahal. Bayangkan untuk mendapat cinta seorang wanita yang rupawan, jejaka yang hartawan, putera yang bangsawan, itupun sudah terlalu sukar, maka apatah lagi untuk mendapat cinta Allah zat yang Maha Agung dan Maha Sempurna itu.

Siapa tidak inginkan kecantikan, harta, nama dan kuasa? Semua itu mahal harganya. Namun semua itu tidak ada nilainya jika dibandingkan dengan cinta Allah - sumber segala kekayaan, kecantikan, kuasa dan keagungan. Cintakan gadis yang cantik, kecantikan akan luntur. Cintakan harta yang banyak, harta akan musnah atau ditinggalkan. Cinta pada kuasa, suatu hari pasti dijatuhkan atau berakhir dengan kematian.

Namun cinta Allah, adalah cinta yang hakiki, sejati dan abadi. Keindahan Pencipta (Khalik) tidak akan dapat ditandingi oleh ciptaannya (makhluk). Keagungan, kekuasaan dan kekayaan Allah akan kekal abadi selamanya. Bila kekasih di kalangan manusia sudah berpaling, maka sedarilah bahawa Allah tetap melihat dengan pandangan rahmat-Nya. Apabila kita mencintai Allah, kita hakikatnya akan memiliki segala-galanya. Inilah cinta yang tidak akan terpisah oleh kejauhan, kematian dan kemiskinan. Sebaliknya bila kita kehilangan cinta Allah, kita sebenarnya telah kehilangan segala-galanya.

Sekiranya kita telah disukai oleh seorang raja, maka anda akan turut disukai oleh pelayan-pelayannya, dikurniakan pangkat, dijamin makan-minum, bebas di bergerak di istananya dan macam-macam lagi kurniaannya. Maka begitulah sekiranya seorang yang mencintai Allah. Para malaikat akan menjaganya. Orang-orang soleh turut mendoakannya. Rezkinya akan dipenuhi dengan segala kecukupan dan keberkatan. Apa nak dihairankan? Bukankah ‘talian hayat' kekasih-kekasih Allah ini sentiasa terhubung kepada satu kuasa yang tiada tolok bandingnya!

Hadis Qudsi: Allah swt berfirman: "Aku menurut sangkaan hamba kepada-Ku, dan Aku bersamanya apabila dia ingat kepada-Ku. Jika dia ingat kepada-Ku dan dalam dirinya maka Aku mengingatnya dalam diri-Ku. Jika dia ingat kepada-Ku dalam kelompok orang-orang yang lebih baik dari kelompok mereka. Jika dia mendekat kepada-Ku sejengkal maka Aku mendekat kepadanya sehasta. Jika dia mendekat kepada-Ku sehasta maka Aku mendekat kepadanya sedepa. Jika dia datang kepada-Ku dengan berjalan maka Aku datang kepadanya dengan berlari-lari kecil. (Sahih Bukhari)

Namun begitu, seperti yang ditegaskan sebelumnya, cinta Allah yang begitu agung dan suci, pasti ada tagihannya. Jalan mencintai Allah tidak semudah yang disangkakan. Sudah adat, setiap yang mahal, sukar mendapatkannya. Bandingannya seperti pasir dengan permata. Pasir, murah harganya... kerana ia boleh dicari di merata-rata. Sebaliknya, permata begitu tinggi nilainya, maka perlu menyelam ke dasar lautan untuk mendapatkannya.

Tidak ada kesukaran, tidak ada ganjaran. Begitulah jua dengan cinta Allah yang hakikatnya jauh lebih tinggi nilainya daripada intan atau permata. Justeru, pasti ada ‘harga' atau mahar yang mahal terpaksa dibayar untuk mendapatkannya.

Untuk mendapat cinta Allah kita perlu berkorban. Cinta dan pengorbanan sudah sinonim dan tidak sekali-kali dapat dipisahkan. Kita perlu membayar harga cinta itu dengan segala yang ada pada kita - masa, tenaga, harta bahkan nyawa. Namun apa yang lebih penting bukanlah masa, tenaga atau sesuatu yang berbentuk lahiriah. Itu cuma lambang sahaja. Yang lebih penting ialah hati di sebalik pengorbanan itu.

Lihat sahaja hati yang dimiliki oleh Habil berbanding Qabil dalam pengorbanannya untuk Allah. Hati yang bersih akan mengorbankan sesuatu yang terbaik untuk Allah. Lalu kerana ketulusan hatinya, Habil mengorbankan hasil ternakannya yang terbaik untuk Allah. Manakala Qabil pula menyerahkan hasil pertanian yang kurang bermutu untuk membuktikan cintanya yang tidak seberapa. Lalu ini menjadi sebab, Allah menolak pengorbanan Qabil, sebaliknya menerima pengorbanan Habil.

Kita bagaimana? Sudahkah kita mengorbankan segala yang terbaik hasil dorongan hati yang baik? Ke manakah kita luangkan masa, usia, tenaga, harta kita yang terbaik? Untuk kebaikan yang disuruh oleh Allah atau ke arah kejahatan yang dilarang-Nya? Tepuk dada tanyalah hati, apakah ada cinta yang mendalam di dalam hati itu?

Rasulullah SAW bersabda: "Sesungguhnya ALLAH tidak melihat gambaran lahir amalan kamu dan rupa kamu tapi ALLAH melihat hati kamu". Riwayat Muslim

Pengabdian kita kepada Tuhan adalah bukti cinta kepada-nya. Pepatah Arab mengatakan:
"Setiap orang menjadi hamba kepada apa yang dicintanya."

Maksudnya, pengabdian adalah umpama ‘hadiah' yang kita ingin berikan kepada Allah sebagai bukti cinta kita. Ia mesti didorong oleh hati yang bersih. Tidak dicemari riyak dan syirik. Maha suci Allah daripada dipersekutukan oleh hamba-Nya dengan sesuatu. Jika amal itu dicemari oleh kekotoran hati - riyak (syirik kecil), sifat menunjuk-nunjuk, syirik besar - mempersekutukan Allah) maka amalan itu tidak bernilai walaupun ia seluas lautan atau setinggi gunung.

Sebaliknya, jika hati seseorang itu ikhlas, amalnya yang sekecil manapun akan menjadi besar dan bernilai di sisi Allah. Insya-Allah, ‘hadiah' itu akan diterima oleh Allah.

Firman Allah: "Barang siapa yang ingin menemui Tuhannya, hendaklah dia beramal soleh dan tidak mempersekutukan Allah dengan amalannya itu." Surah Al-Kahfi: 110

Hakikatnya Allah Maha Kaya dan DIA tidak mengkehendaki apa jua manfaat daripada hamba-hamba-Nya sekalipun amalan dan kebaikan yang mereka lakukan. Maha Suci Allah daripada bersifat miskin - punya keinginan untuk mendapat manfaat daripada para hamba-Nya. Amalan dan kebaikan yang dilakukan oleh manusia bukan untuk Allah tetapi manfaat itu kembali kepada manusia semula.

Bila kita solat misalnya, solat itu manfaatnya akan dirasai oleh kita juga. Firman Allah:
"Sesungguhnya sembahyang itu akan mencegah daripada kemungkaran dan kejahatan." Surah Al-Ankabut: 45

Ya, solat akan menyebabkan kita terhalang daripada melakukan kejahatan dan kemungkaran. Itulah manfaat solat. Itu amat berguna kepada diri manusia. Manusia yang baik akan dikasihi oleh manusia lain. Hidup yang selamat daripada kemungkaran dan kejahatan, adalah hidup yang tenang, aman dan bahagia.

Begitu juga apabila Allah menyuruh kita melakukan sesuatu atau melarang kita melakukannya, itu adalah kerana Allah ingin berikan kebaikan kepada kita bukan untuk-Nya. Inilah rasionalnya di sebalik pengharaman riba, arak, zina, pergaulan bebas, pendedahan aurat dan lain-lain. Susah atau senangnya untuk manusia bukan untuk Allah. Tegasnya, jika patuh, manfaatnya untuk manusia. Jika engkar, mudaratnya juga untuk manusia.

Namun, walau sesukar mana sekalipun kita berusaha menghampirkan diri kepada Allah, kita akan merasa mudah jika Allah sendiri memberi bantuan-Nya. Jika Allah sudah permudahkan, walaupun seberat mana sekalipun, kita akan mampu mengatasinya. Allah akan permudahkan kita dengan mengurniakan sifat sabar, istiqamah, syukur dan redha kepada-Nya. Lihatlah sejarah perjuangan para Rasul dan nabi serta sahabat-sahabat Rasulullah... kita akan tertanya-tanya mengapa mereka sanggup menderita, tersiksa bahkan terkorban nyawa untuk mendapat cinta Allah?

Renungilah betapa Sumayyah rela mengorbankan nyawanya. Begitu juga Mus'ab bin Umair, Hanzalah, Jaafar bin Abi Talib, Abdullah ibnu Rawahah... mereka semuanya telah syahid di jalan Allah. Apakah itu susah buat mereka? Mereka sangat menghayati apa yang pernah disabdakan oleh Rasulullah SAW:

"Jagalah Allah, nescaya engkau akan temukan DIA di hadapanmu. Kenalilah Allah ketika dalam keadaan lapang nescaya DIA akan mengenalmu dalam keadaan sempit. Ketahuilah segala sesuatu yang luput daripadamu tidak akan menimpamu dan sesuatu yang menimpamu tidak akan dapat luput darimu. Ketahuilah bahawa kemenangan itu menyertai kesabaran, kelapangan itu menyertai kesempitan dan kemudahan itu menyertai kesukaran." Riwayat Ahmad, Hakim, Thabrani, Ibnu Sunni, Ajiri dan Dhiya'agal

Mereka sesungguhnya merasa bahagia dalam mengharungi penderitaan, merasa mulia dengan mengorbankan nyawa. Ini semua mudah buat mereka kerana Allah telah melembutkan hati-hati mereka. Benarlah bila hendak seribu daya, bila mahu sejuta cara. Kemahuan dan keinginan mereka itu hakikat didorong oleh Allah. Untuk itu, mintalah simpati dari Allah untuk memudahkan kita mendekatkan diri kepada-Nya.

Bagaimana memohon simpati daripada Allah? Tidak lain dengan cara berdoa kepada-Nya. Doa itu adalah senjata orang mukmin. Maksudnya, doa ialah alat atau ubat yang paling mustajab dan mujarab untuk mendapat hati yang lunak dengan Allah. Namun harus diingat, doa bukanlah usaha ‘pemberitahuan' kehendak-kehendak kita kepada Allah ( kerana tanpa diberitahupun Allah sedia mengetahui), namun doa hakikatnya usaha ‘penyerahan' diri kita kepada-Nya.

Orang yang berdoa ialah orang yang mengakui segala sifat kehambaannya di hadapan kekuasaan Allah. Apakah sifat-sifat kehambaan itu? Antaranya, rasa lemah, hina, jahil, miskin, berdosa, hodoh dan segala sifat-sifat kekurangan. Berdoa ertinya kita menyerah pasrah kepada Allah. Kita nafikan segala kelebihan diri. Yang kita akui hanya sifat keagungan dan kebesaran Allah. Lalu kita inginkan hanya bantuan-Nya. Kita tagihkan simpati, kasihan dan keampunan-Nya sahaja.

Hanya dengan mengaku lemah di hadapan Allah kita akan memperolehi kekuatan. Hanya dengan mengaku miskin di hadapan Allah kita akan dikayaka-Nya. Tegasnya, hanya dengan merasai segala sifat kehambaan barulah kita akan mendapat kekuatan, kemuliaan dan kelebihan dalam mengharungi hidup yang penuh cabaran ini.

Bila Allah telah hadiahkan kasih dan rindu-Nya kepada kita, kita akan merasa kebahagiaan dan ketenangan yang tiada taranya lagi. Dalam apa jua keadaan kita akan mendapat ketenagan. Susah, kita sabar. Senang, kita syukur. Kita bersalah, mudah meminta maaf. Jika orang meminta maaf, kita sedia dan rela pula memaafkan. Alangkah bahagianya punya keikhlasan hati yang sebegini?

Itulah hakikatnya syukur - pada lidah, hati dan amalan. Syukur dengan lidah, mengucapkan tahmid (pujian) kepada Allah. Syukur dengan hati, merasakan segala nikmat hakikatnya daripada Allah bukan daripada usaha atau ikhktiar diri kita. Tadbir kita tidak punya apa-apa kesan berbanding takdir Allah. Dan akhirnya syukur dengan tindakan, yakni menggunakan segala nikmat daripada Allah selaras dengan tujuan Allah mengurniakan nikmat itu.

Jika Allah berikan harta, kita gunakan ke arah kebaikan dan kebajikan. Jika diberi ilmu, kita mengajar orang lain. Diberi kuasa, kita memimpin dengan adil dan saksama! Syukur itulah tujuan utama kita dikurniakan nikmat. Ertinya, kita kembalikan nikmat kepada yang Empunya nikmat (Allah).

Climate Change: A natural cycle a stone throw away

2009-08-04T19:27:00.000-07:00

At the moment this post is being written I am actually in a work group producing a book about climate change within my organization. Enough about that, I want to talk about how I feel about climate change.

As we know, the natural greenhouse gasses that support our Earth as a thermostat enables the existence of life. Plants, animals and natural processes rely on the temperature to be in a suitable range for activities like photosynthesis, enzyme activity, climatic events and others to operate to support the web of life on Earth. These events also faces extremes in some instances during the history of the planet. Extreme weather conditions let out by many uncontrollable factors explained by scientists have led to the world as we know it today. During the prehistoric days, we were told that our planet was covered with ice, then when the ice melts it fills all the puddles and gaps turning into oceans, rivers, lakes and surrounding the elevated land areas forming continents and islands. These changes are due to the rising of global temperature. The event eventually changes the face of the earth and the livelihood on it as well being transitioned from the reptilians in the form or gigantic dinosaurs to present day where only fossils remains and the world are left with what it has today.

The cause of such change on earth may not only was caused by the elevation of global temperature. It came to my mind that Earth is just a small dot within the universe and like the tide being affected by the gravitational pull with the moon, galactic events also may have contributed to what have happened on earth before. Recently I read that the solar eclipse can caused the tectonic plates on Earth to move more actively resulting to tremors and Earth quakes. All this are due to the gravitational pull from these entities. It struck my mind that probably during those millions of years there are such events when all the other planets was also contributing to the makeover of the earth. During this life time we had seen a few astronomical events involving planets and stars within the orbit of Earth. With active seismic activities and temperature rise, the Earth we know it might have started from the gasses just like the giant planets of the solar systems. This is only my opinion and maybe not valid.

The Smiling moon event in 2008 (Moon, Venus (left) and Jupiter (right))

Back to the original topic of climate change. Now, human knowledge have come to the point that what may have caused the prehistoric days to been wipe out from the face of the planet being revealed today. Scientific studies have shown that the events are beginning to rise again and the concern today is can we as humans survive. Like a spin of the wheel, these events are actually coming back again but now humans are actually stepping on the accelerator for such events to happen. In truth we never had the mechanism to stop this uncontrollable event but we can only make preparations and slow down the activities that is contributing this accelerated speed.

What did humans do in accelerating climate change? What comes in mind will always be the burning of fossil fuels. We burn our gasoline for transport, electricity and other purposes. From such burning we emit the residuals from burning mainly carbon dioxide (CO2), a natural greenhouse gas. But by human activity we add up more to the planet thus elevate the temperature on Earth. The sinks for CO2 are water bodies where it dissolves into the ocean and the other natural mechanism is the plant photosynthesis where it produces the life sustaining oxygen (O2). But now, these 2 ways of sinks are being exhausted. Oceans may have reach the saturation point while trees are either being logged or forests being cleared for other human purposes. Scientists even predicted that human have pass the breaking point to stop climate change from happening. We are now in a race to slow down our activities and prepare for the scenarios to come from this event. Actions currently being done right now are finding substitutes for fossil fuels, negotiating new commitments to global commitments to reduce GHG emissions, awareness to lessen our impact by changing simple old practices to be more sustainable and also more R&D for reduction and adaptation measures in this issue.

The issue of climate change have been foreseen late in the in the 20th century. The Kyoto Protocol have been rectified by parties concerned with how much damage the world would be if uncontrollable anthropogenic emissions may cause the alteration of climatic events. Thus this protocol is to bide parties with commitments to ensure that we may avoid or reduce the impact from climate change. The group rectifying the agreements are countries mainly of 2 groups, the developed nations (Annex 1 Countries) and the developing nations (Non-annex countries). The Annex 1 group are bound to strict commitments due to the historical footprint of carbon done by them especially during the Industrial Age. The commitments are not only in just reducing how much they emit but also providing support for the Non-annex 1 countries in reducing their emission.These Non-annex 1 group are not bound to commitments but are encouraged to reduce their own emission. There are lots of things in the Kyoto Protocol but what I mentioned are the main idea in having the agreement and what they want to achieve.

As climate change is being negotiated again after the commitment period ends, there are a lot of things being tabled so that the world can progress for the better in the future. The developed and the developing world are fighting their necks so that their views are heard in the negotiations. As our country is in the developing group, what we can hope is that the negotiations will not cause our ambitions to halt. The developed will surely would want to impose countries like us to small commitments even if it is small. I hope what ever happens it won't cause more suffering for us in the developing world while the developed still live as they are. It won't be fair but all we can do now is voice our concerns accordingly and hope for the best.

Lamanya tak datang sini :)

2009-07-17T09:38:00.001-07:00

Lama gila tak datang tengok blog aku ni...haha...so much have happened since the last time I posted something...haih...most recognizable I am now engaged...hmmm...plan kawin January 2010...cuak gak coz byk lagi yg belum buat...bila pikir2 takut gak coz byk tggjawab kene pikul...dah jadi 'kepala bapa' family sendiri...huhu...

Rasanya hari ni aku just nak share pasal diri aku...maybe kawan2 aku tau aku ni macamne tapi ini apa yg aku perasan perangai dari 1 person view(macam main counter strike lak)....anyways...aku ni anak 1st so byklah pantang larang dari kecik sampai aku kuar sekolah...tu tak leh,..ni tak leh...rotan sana...rotan sini..bukan aku kata aku sedih tapi aku syukur sbb tanpa tu semua tak tau la kat mana aku sekarang...tq mak ayah...then aku teringat bab aku masa sek kat hostel time menengah...time aku ragging biasa jer...ni sek agama ni...haih...time tu aku igt lagi...batch aku ni kira keras la...form 1 jer ada yg dah kene belasah...point aku rasa mmg bodoh betul senior2 aku...tak hapal ma'surat(ni yg macam yassin baca lepas asar or subuh)...haih...tah diorg pun hafal ke tak...solat pun daam bilik nak sound yang kecik...adoi ai...aku terlepas time ni...respek kat member aku yg tabah dan sabar hadapai 'dugaan'...aku pun dapat gak jadi punching bag tapi lambat sbb aku kene time aku form3...haih..point aku lagi macam bodoh...senior mana yg tak puas hati dgn aku pasal main bola boleh suruh kawan2 dia wat latihan tomoi kat aku....tah r...bukan aku nak share aku ni power kene belasah tapi nak share how i did not told my parents pasal semua ni...

Kalau ada yang tau aku ni sapa....you guys mesti tau my dad orang api(fireman) while mak aku keje jadi cleaner jer kat (dr bank ke tandas awam ke bank)...sian family aku...tu yg bila dapat masuk asrama berkobar2 nak tolong family...so termasuklah aku kat sekolah hostel....aku selalu dapat rm30/mnth jer dari family aku...aku redha & syukur...dewan makan ada apa lagi nak...walaupun kekadang jeles gak member2 beli itu ini aku sedar aku ni kat takuk mana jer...so biarlah....time aku kat sek agama ni aku low profile jer time kelas...tapi bila kat padang aku lepas geram r...haha...tu yg kene bantai tu...haih...

so aku pun form 3...suatu malam tu aku kene panggil gi dorm apa tah tak igt tapi kul 1pagi...1st aku kene merangkak mcm askar bawah katil2 double deck...macam training askar sbb ada route dia...tujuan dia sbb brother2 nak hilangkan ngantuk aku....then mula la sesi latihan tomoi diorng...haih...teruk gak...masa kene tu tak de la sampai menjerit...aku terima dengan gaya macho(semput gak kene tubuk direct kat dada)...senyap jer...tapi yg aku tak leh lupa sampai sekarang double kick beranda katil sebab tu la yg last aku dpt before diorg end training...haha...kelaka lak igt balik...bila balik bilik aku terhutang budi kat kawan aku ni...nama dia Azmi...dia yg urut aku especially belakang yg teruk dgn dada aku...then dia kata la kat aku "tau ko marah semua,bykkan baca surah Alam nasrah...lama2 sejuk hati ko tu". So aku pun ikut...betul kata dia... sebab tu aku sampai la sekarang ni xde lak nak mengamuk2...nak marah orang pun jarang sekali...aku tak tergerak pun nak bgtau mak ayah sebab wat nyusah jer aku ni nanti...xpela...maybe itu pengajaran hidup aku...masalah manusia ni boleh settle...cuma antra sabar dengan tak jer...kalau buntu jarang2 sekali aku kongsi dgn kawan coz aku ni pun bukan reti sembang tu yg aku rasa aku ni tak de best friend(haih)...so cara aku satu jer....nangis la kat sejadah tu....tapi serious esok lusa tenang...

so pengajarannya....kita manusia tak lari dari masalah...kita bukan perfect so Allah uji kita....setiap ujian yang Tuhan bagi kat kita tu tandanya dia sayang kat kita dan tahu yang kita ni mmg boleh hadapinya....so kene guna akal yang waras untuk hadapi semua ini sebab itu jer yang bezakan kita dari makhluk2 lain...bak kata pepatah...lu pikirla sendiri....chow

(my 1st time writing sh** on my blog...)

If I could shout....

2009-01-23T02:38:00.000-08:00

I could not explain why I am not feeling well right now. My chest feels like it is being punched. I breath but the air coming in is as if in minutes amounts. Is it because of the interview I had just now.i had doubts for going there but I just want to give it a shot. It is very disappointing that the panels especially the head really sucks. Questions made to kill a candidate. I assume that my chance have come from 50% down to a nil. If only I knew about this a few weeks earlier rather than knowing it yesterday, I might have been much more prepared. Non the less I just put my hopes to HIM for HE knows what is best for me. If I fail this post I still have perseverance to try again and wake get up standing again.

The beating kept coming on my chest though I have already know a reason for it. It might also be caused by the consequence I have befallen to myself due to going to the interview. I know that my boss won't like me going and leaving on such a day where my dept. have a meeting. It is as if welcoming a massacre after the holidays. I know I am always being hounded by my boss here and there every time she is in office making my life miserable that I made myself clear this is not where I belong and there must be a place for me to go other than here. That is why I went to this interview in the first place. Honestly I really like and love knowing that my current job is something that is really interesting. But what is making me sad is that my boss never support me but just demand this and that without thinking and telling me what should I do especially when I'm at lost with the task given. Some things are also beyond what I am capable of doing and that makes me feel very angry because I really do think she knows my CV all to well.

Looking at my life now. I am grateful to have a job right now. The current economic recession is really hitting this part of the world where the stock exchange is below 1k points. But there is in me that would like to seek a career that when I come to office I am happy at work. I miss having the same tenacity which was there during my last 2 years as an undergrad. Every time i come to faculty I am aware that there are tasks I need to finish off and took me a lot of researching and paper work to submit all the assignments etc. I miss those times that made me very sad when I reminisce those wonderful memories. I would also want my career to be built on that fuel. To work with passion an knowing the belief that I am in charcge and know what I am looking for none the less having someone to guide me especially when I need a few pointers not criticism which is discouraging that I get.

As I type this post along, the pounding have slowly reside but I know it still exist. I will be aware that the room for me to improve and search for other opportunities are there as long as I seek for it and make note for the mistakes during taking the cut in front of the panels. I will make sure my next interview will be a success and am certain in due time I will have a career built upon ideals that are already resides in me.

Forgiving

2008-12-24T19:58:00.000-08:00

"When you give up vengeance, make sure you are not giving up on justice. The line between the two is faint, unsteady, and fine...Vengeance is our own pleasure of seeing someone who hurt us getting it back and then some. Justice, on the other hand, is secure when someone pays a fair penalty for wronging another even if the injured person takes no pleasure in the transaction. Vengeance is personal satisfaction. Justice is moral accounting...Human forgiveness does not do away with human justice."
______________________________________________________________________________

Is it hard to ask for forgiveness?? I know that I did the same mistakes over and over again...what should I do for there is no alarm signaling me that I am forgetting to text her or call her...It seem that certain things I may tend to forget not absolutely but for I also have my own time to spend with others...It does not mean that I forget the people that matters most but need to allocate some time for other especially friends...this is what connections means especially after some years of not meeting each other...I don' see myself as a person that is very forgiving...but I tend to let things go easily when someone made a mistake to me....when they apologize I let them go and nowadays I don't even care bringing the matter up when in a quarrel...I know what I want from others but if they can't give what we hoped them to even after many times of hoping we build up the tolerance that binds us together...in good or bad situations not only faced by the pair but also each other that we want as much want to help who we love or at least make ourselves available for them with a condition that they share their problems...Another item in comes up...sharing...haih...I am actually tired of typing here...so the bottom line is forgiving for a person unites many things...from there we understand others either we are the one doing the mistake or being hurt from it...humans are imperfect that made us forgive and tolerate espeially our loved ones because they matter...and for everything we do we want to share our life with them especially the good times but we must also share the bad one so that they understand and do not feel thay are being left out in their lives.

Selfish and Selfless

2008-07-04T06:15:00.000-07:00

Every person has their own desire and passion. What drives them to the top of their game and make them who they are makes us wonder why can't we be like them. It is a wish that even I myself would want to live the life of someone else. Then I thought, why should I since this life is my own and I drive my life the way I see fit I should be happy the way I am. Do I? Just a point to ponder.

I read a lot in the net esp the dirty politics and the ever brilliance of the Former Premier in his blog. But other than that as usual Sciencedirect is the main website and Google the search engine. What a drag. I came across an article when I was recharging for something, it is about being selfless and selfish. Both of this terms define all of us in what we do.

I read the article on this commenting on relationships. It said that when we are committed to a relationship we tend to be selfish towards the person we are with. The article said that this is the main cause of tension in any relationship. Not that being selfish is not acceptable in any relationship, balancing it up with selfless makes the continuum in balance. Being selfless in the other hand simply meant that putting personal interest second compared to others. By making our partner happy by our efforts,sacrifices etc comes first compared to our own satisfaction is a measure of being selfless. Though being all selfless and all selfish is not a good thing since there are pros and cons to both. Getting a balance of both really need a lot of give and take from the relationship. For instance, overly selfish causes tension and leads to fight and a bad situation in the end. While an all out selfless realtionship will make one side felt deceived by the relationship that tends to just make only one side happy without complementing the other. This is just the extracts of what I read.

I admit that getting the best in my own relationship is hard but I try my best to get this balance as well. I just hope where my relationship is going will take me where I want rather than the other way around. Selfless-selfish character also applies for other means in life. Since I am an environmental graduate, burning less fuel (less driving) actually shows that we r being selfless by reducing our own carbon footprint. It is always better to be selfless rather than selfish the way the world is moving right now. That is another story for another time.

Concerns

2008-06-17T08:27:00.000-07:00

I have been keeping things to myself lately...Not that I do not have people around me to help me out only that I feel that it is better for me not to worry other people of my problems except for their own. It is sad to see as time passes it feels that there is a lot of loneliness in my heart right now. I may well have a job that any environmental graduate would want but I just don't have the heart to push the pedal. I may have found the person that I would want to spend my entire life with but it seems the distance is taking its toll. Lastly my country may seem to be rich and prosperous but everyday I see the people around me have to work hard just to make ends meet. Huh...what a sad chapter this time around...I could only try,wish and pray that the spark of being a person that does not now when to quit and quick to learn will kick back in ASAP. I could only hope that when she returns that all off this issues will resolve and finally I pray that my country will again rise to its feet again so that the people living within it will deserve what every human would want in a lifetime...happiness and prosperity.

Black Jewel

2008-05-07T05:16:00.000-07:00

It have been a while since I came here. Nowadays I am a bit busy with my work. FYI, i just started as a research officer in a gov research institute. I just wish that the post I am in is a permanent but sadly it is a contractual a basis post. As a researcher so surely I have a project or two to carry on. I might be lucky since what I got is actually a hot topic right now through out the world, and guess what, it is on global warming.

The project I am in is looking at carbon sequestration. If you don't know what that is Google it okay. In my part of the project, there are a lot off aspects I will be looking in. But for the time being I am busy collecting water samples and methane gas samples from a peat swamp forest. Why PSF you say???FYI the PSF is a very dynamic ecosystem which supports carbon sequestration in it's environment. PSF is very unique with the normal flooding of soil that makes it swamp but compared to other swamps, PSF water is acidic and tea color. More to that, PSF emits CO2 and CH4, greenhouse gases that comes from the soil that is high in carbon biomass that makes it peat. Peat degrades into soil eventually that comes from plant litter and decomposition happens in 2 ways. It is either aerobic or anaerobic. So what is the difference? As i mentioned CO2 and CH4 is emitted from the soil. During the monsoon season where PSF is flooded with water, CH4 is emitted with much greater concentration to the atmosphere (anaerobic decomposition). Mean while, during the less flooded times causes much higher aerobic decomposing happens and this increases the rate of CO2 emissions to the atmosphere. If you are wondering, CH4 is 23 times more damaging than CO2 in respect to green house effect.

As this matter is being studied by me, Malaysia as a country blessed with PSF needs to protect this space. There have been news that a lot of forest such as this in Malaysia have been opened up for development. It is a sad thing since this type of forest is very rare and can only be found in a country with a clime such as my own. The main culprit for deforestation at this moment can be seen as agriculture and more specific the uprising of lore oil palms. As the race to convert fossil gas to biofuel, 3rd world nations are in a race to make the raw ingredient of this new black gold. Malaysia is also one of them, but previous studies shown that PSF is an environment very good carbon storage. It keep the carbon in its peat rather than being in the form of gases that heats up the world even further. There are also some work being done to promote these countries with PSF not to ruin this environment by givng them initiatives to their effort to protect it. In meaning that the country will gain carbon credit (money) for saving these type of forest.

There is more to say about biofuel that is making havoc to the world today. If you noticed that food is getting much more expensive and such insecurity for the whole world is very worrying and have you guessed the source of this problem yet. In my opinion it is from the race tio produce biofuel. Anyway, I leave it to that then. Hope what I wrote was informative and if there is anything more interesting facts about the environment I'll be sure to add more. Cheers

A new beginning...

2008-03-13T03:52:00.000-07:00

As the 12th General Elections passed, the results was a surprise to all. As Malaysians showed that they all are fed up with the play acting by their old former leaders by using the power given to them every 5 year term. A lot of people speculate of many aspects of how the former government lost power to 4 other states and did not gain 2/3 majority in parliament, the real aspect was the "rakyat" is now no longer be fooled with. Issues concerning them was not made relevant for too long that they have exhausted of waiting for change.
From the elections the message was clear that the "rakyat" now wants change and hope those that have gained power do not misuse what have been given to them. All what is ask of them is to fulfill the promises made and govern this country not of their own but of the people that made it work. Do not forget that the people below them was there to put them in the lavish offices there are in today. Walk the talk and make no mistake that Malaysia will react again if no improvement of what is hoped for ever comes.
As for myself, I am proud to be in this country now that I realize that in its 50 year of history this tide of change has finally shown up. Realistic and optimistic, good things will come for this country. But to get there all must work their way to what goal or dream they have. The fallen can always rise up again in this country shown by groups losing in their field (Proton, MAS etc) now coming back stronger than ever before. If we don't get carried away of what we have, we will always achieve better things and finally gain those of our wildest dreams.
Kudos to those who wish to change and make an effort to do so. Even if stumble in getting where we want to go, get up and learn from it so that we won't come back hitting the ground on our face again.

2008-03-05T05:15:00.000-08:00

I care not what others think of what I do, but I care very much
about what I think of what I do. That is character!

Theodore Roosevelt

~IRRITATING~

2008-03-05T04:25:00.000-08:00

It has been 1 month plus that I had finished my first job as a trainee executive. It is very irritating to still not getting a new job for more than a month ever since getting the post as a full time BUM. I am very fortunate to get a job right after my studies and in my field. But since January, I had tried to get a new job. The search almost ended when the place that I dreamed of working called me that my name has been recommended. I did not understand what that meant at first. Not until I was told that in that situation I was actually 80% certain of the post. The 20% that is still missing is actually the approval from the top boss to give the green light not only to me but also some other few candidates. The news was given to me more than 2 weeks ago. Now it is March and I just can't sit down and wait no more.

I was actually planning to start my new job in March. But still here I am waiting for an offer letter for a post. This month I went to an interview like I did in February for a post as an environmental scientist. The interview went well but a question from the manager interviewing struck me in the head. He just asked me "From the CV and how you answer why are you still do not have a job?". I answer him as I could but in truth I actually got a job but due to my unquestioned loyalty to work in my dream company made me turned down a no 53 company in the FORTUNE 100 listed company. I did not know is this just myself confidence that I know what I will end up to be or just I am a dis fortunate to let all the opportunities coming my way just fly by in my consciousness.

Other than this chance, I did threw out a chance to be a lecturer. This happen when I was working for my old employer. My former lecturer actually called me to ask whether I was interested for a tutorship. There is 2 types as I knew that was given either full time which includes doing your masters for free while earning a government based salary and a part time. It was sad that I got the wrong message across for she was actually offering me the full time. Kinda sad to hear the truth when I was told of what she wanted to offer me 2 weeks later that was eventually too late since a new candidate has taken the chance. Still I believe that was just not I was planned by Him to be in right now.

It is March, on the 29th of February I went for an interview for a gov forest research institute. I was lucky for getting friends that gave me my CV for the post of research officer there. When I went there, I was like always doing alright in the interview. I was a bit sad to hear that the post is contractual basis since they only offer permanent posts for master's holders only. The research will be based on water quality for peat swamp forest. Water I like but needing to go to the wild made me a bit unease for it has been sometime I have not gone nature seeking. But I am prepared for any challenges though. Other than that, there is a climate change project to be taken care off when I am more stable later in the post. That was what they told me off the job scope. Then came the 1st working day off March, and to my surprise this facility actually gave me a job. But due to paper work I have to wait for the 2nd call or the offer letter to be sent to me. Still I am waiting right now.

Though I may call that I am no longer a full time BUM, I am still dissatisfied for not starting work right now. I can just say that I will work to which ever employer that wants me to come to work first since I have two posts waiting with one an 80% secured job and the other post is paper work pending position. My funds is getting pretty low right now indicating that I might even be fasting a lot to survive. But I am sure the cloudy days are going to end soon and as I did the impossible during my studies I know where I will headed and hopefully I can make it in time. I just want to get things prepared before SHE comes back and for now I can just hope and pray for the best.

2008-02-23T01:00:00.000-08:00

The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing - Albert Einstein

2008-02-22T00:54:00.001-08:00

It is not the fact of liberty but the way in which liberty is exercised that ultimately determines whether liberty itself survives. "Dorothy Thompson"