Dari Allah kita Datang......

Pagi, hari Ahad, 24 Januari, saya, isteri dan anak bongsu mengambil keputusan untuk ke Melaka, melawat anak lelaki saya Ahmad Afiq yang sedang buat "praktikal" dengan tukang gunting rambut di kampong kami. Saya tahu Afiq dah mula boring sebab tak dapat main futsal setiap petang seperti di Kelana Jaya; tak ada handphone untuk bergayut dan tidak ada Astro untuk tengok Chelsea.

Selepas sarapan kami tiga beranak bertolak tanpa sebarang tekanan masa. Sesampai kami di kampong, Afiq sedang main playstation (nasib baik ada permainan ini untuk beliau menghabiskan masa). Selepas minum dan bercerita sedikit sebanyak, kami pun keluar. Makcik pun ikut sebab nak beli barang dapor. Anak2 adik saya pun mengikut juga. Sepupu2 Afiq yang berumur 7 dan 10 tahun nampaknya telah menjadi "pengikut setia" beliau.

Kami kembali kerumah sekitar pukul 3:00 petang. Cuaca sangat panas (Makcik cakap dah lama tak hujan di kampong). Saya bercadang untuk tidor sejenak sebelum kembali ke Kuala Lumpur. Tetapi belum sempat tidor, isteri saya menerima sms dari adik beliau di KL mengatakan ibu saudara mereka di Singapura telah kembali ke Rahmatullah selepas zohor. Dah lama juga kami tidak melawat beliau.

Isteri saya ingin melawat jenazah di Singapura. Dari Melaka perjalanan ke Singapura akan mengambil masa tidak lebih dari 3 jam. Tetapi kami tidak membawa pasport, jadi terpaksa pulang ke KL dulu. Setelah menyerahkan handphone kepada Afiq dan memberi sedikit duit untuk top-up, kami terus kembali ke KL sekitar pukul 5:00 petang. Saya bercadang untuk memandu ke JB dan mengambil teksi ke Singapura. Kakak ipar yang tinggal di Melaka mengambil keputusan untuk naik kapal terbang bersama suami dan anak mereka.

Selepas makan malam dan solat Isyak saya cuba melelapkan mata buat persiapan untuk memandu. Isteri mengejutkan saya pukul 12:00 malam. Kami bertolak pada jam 12:35 malam dari Kelana Jaya dan sampai di JB pada pukul 3:45 pagi. Selepas berehat seketika dan minum pagi kami menaiki teksi untuk ke Singapura sebelum pukul 6:00 pagi. Causeway telah mula sesak dengan motosikal dan bas kilang membawa pekerja Malaysia ke Singapura.

Kami tiba di Kembangan Singapura lebih kurang 10 minit sebelum pukul 7:00 pagi. Tiada orang di rumah kecuali sepupu isteri saya, isteri dan anak bongsu beliau dan pembantu rumah mereka. Kami pun mula membaca ayat-ayat Quran yang termampu. Sekitar pukul 8:00 pagi wakil dari MUIS (Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura) tiba untuk menguruskan jenazah. Cuma dua orang yang datang, seorang lelaki pembawa van jenazah yang lengkap dengan keranda dan tempat mandi jenazah dan seorang wanita yang akan memandikan jenazah.


Isteri saya dan beberapa wanita lain membantu memandikan jenazah. Sementara itu saya sempat melelapkan mata diatas kerusi. Kaum keluarga dan jiran-jiran mula datang, tetapi tak ramai. Maklumlah di Singapura tidak ramai orang Melayu. Arwah makcik isteri saya cuma seorang di Singapura (adik beradik beliau dan saudara terdekat masih di Sumatera). Beliau pula cuma mempunyai seorang anak (sepupu isteri saya). jadi saudara-mara cuma di sebelah isteri beliau dan sepupu yang datang dari Malaysia.

Pengurusan jenazah sungguh efisien. Pada pukul 9:15 pagi semuanya telah selesai dan sedia untuk disolatkan. Pemandu van jenazah rupanya adalah Imam dari MUIS yang akan menjadi Imam. Semua yang hadir menyertai solat jenazah. Untuk ke tanah perkuburan, telah disediakan bas (saya tidak bertanya siapa yang menyediakan bas tersebut). Saya menaiki bas untuk melihat cara pengkebumian walaupun mata mengantuk. Saya dimaklumkan perjalan untuk ke satu-satunya tanah perkuburan di Singapura akan memakan masa lebih kurang 45 minit. Diatas bas saya sempat melelapkan mata sekali lagi.


Tanah perkuburan luas dan begitu teratur sekali. Terdapat tanah perkuburan Cina, Islam dan Kristian. Ruang kubur telah tersedia. Semuanya dibuat dengan konkrit kecuali di bahagian bawah dimana di buat liang untuk diletakkan jenazah. Oleh sebab saiz konkrik standard, maka ia kelihatan begitu teratur. Ruang yang telah siap ditutup dengan penutup konkrit juga yang hanya boleh diangkat dengan mesen pengorek. Ia juga agak luas dan memudahkan kerja-kerja meletak jenazah didalam liang. Setelah jenazah diletak didalam liang dan ditutup sedikit tanah ia ditutup dengan papan sebelum mesen pengorek diguna untuk memasukkan tanah. Kerja-kerja dapat disiapkan dalam masa 30 minit. Imam yang sama membaca talqin dan doa. Kami pun bersurai selepas itu. Perjalanan balik mengambil masa yang sama.


Sampai dirumah diadakan bacaan tahlil ringkas. Para hadirin kemudianya dihidangkan dengan nasi bungkus yang dibeli dengan harga SD3.50 satu. Nasinya cukup banyak, lauk ayam, sayur dan telor. Saya pun membuat persiapan untuk kembali ke Malaysia. Saya tidak mahu terperangkap didalam jam apabila para pekerja balik dari kerja petang nati. Setiba di JB saya menghabiskan sedikit masa disana. Satu perkara yang saya nampak ialah ramai rakyat Johor "berkabong" atas kemangkatan Sultan Johor dengan memakai songkok yang berlilit kain putih dan sebagainya.


Selepas makan malam, kami meninggalkan JB pada pukul 8:30 malam dan sampai di Kelana Jaya pada pukul 12:30 tengah malam. Jadi, saya telah meninggalkan Kelana Jaya untuk ke Singapura dan kembali semula dalam masa 24 jam dengan tidor kurang dari 2 jam sahaja.

Sekarang telah hilang satu motivasi untuk kami ke Singapura. AlFatihah buat Mak Ani. Semoga rohnya ditempatkan bersama roh orang-orang yang soleh.

The King is Gone

Sultan Johor (I do not know his full name) passed away last night at age 77. I wonder why the royals always take names that are more than a mouthful when they assume their throne. I guess it adds to the grandeur of their positions. But lets hope that they remember that when they meet their Maker they are just the same as you and me, their names not withstanding. The only difference is how they live their life.

As usual I would not like to comment on someone who is already gone but lets say that this Sultan of ours is "colourful" to say the least.

Sebagai seorang Muslim marilah kita baca Al-Fatihah dan jika ditakdirkan ada keberkatan atas bacaan kita di sisi Allah swt, kita sedekahkan lah pahala tersebut kepada beliau. Semoga Allah swt memaafkan kita semua atas segala kesalahan kita.

Capitalism rears its ugly head in BPL

My favourite team since my childhood, Man United, lost to its City neighbours in the first leg of the Carling Cup semi final afew days ago. Man Utd would normally treat a Carling Cup tie, even one that will reward the winner with a Wembley visit, with less priority than a league match. But in this occasion, because the opponent is a resurgent neighbour, the manager fielded his best team.

Therefore the lost was a huge disappointment. I must say the referee had a big say in both goals that Tevez scored. The first was through a highly suspect penalty (since the foul was committed outside the penalty area) and the second from a corner which should not have been awarded (since the ball did not touch a United player before going out). The only consolation is there is another 90 minutes to play for in Old Trafford next week.

But what I want to point out is not the performance of my team but how the BPL is facing a financial crisis arising out of mounting debts taken by owners of the clubs. While there have been rich owners who have put in a great deal of their own money into clubs like Chelsea and Manchester City, there have equally been owners (mostly Americans) who have leveraged their clubs towards bankruptcy. These clubs include my beloved United and Liverpool.

It cannot be imagined that after selling its star player, Ronaldo, for a world record fee, it is not able to buy players at a time when it had injuries to its whole backline forcing the team to play with 3 midfielders in defence in one game. Initially, I thought it was because the manager felt he has enough good players in the squad waiting to make a come back but now I believe the real reason is they need to show a decent profit to attract new funds to keep the owners afloat. They are now asking the players to buy the new bonds that will be issued.

Sheez, these Americans. After destroying the world economy through its junk bonds and sub prime loans now they trying to destroy the English football clubs.

Lawak Bodoh

(New Straits Times ) - The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has directed its officers to gather more evidence into an allegation of abuse of power by the Kelantan Menteri Besar Incorporated (PMBK) over a purchase of six cakes valued about RM3,900.

MACC deputy chief commissioner (operations) Datuk Shukri Abdull said the commission had opened an investigation paper into the case recently but needed more information about the purchase.

"We have referred the IP back to the state MACC so that they can gather more information," he said yesterday.

He was commenting on the allegation on Sunday by Kelantan opposition leader Datuk Md Alwi Che Ahmad, who had called on the MACC to investigate PMBK for purchase of the cakes during the last Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

++++++++++++++++++

Frankly, I don't know what to feel - happy, sad, angry, surprised or whatever.

Maybe I should feel happy because, the fact that the highest anti-corruption body in the country find it appropriate to get its Deputy Chief Commissioner (must be someone very important to carry that title) to announce that the august body has opened an investigation on the purchase of cakes for Hari Raya Aidilfitri. It just shows that our beloved country is almost free of corruption so much so that its anti-corruption body need to investigate this otherwise inconsequent transaction. In fact it is in line with the previous investigations of money spent by an EXCO in Selangor (more than RM2,000) to buy flags for Merdeka Day celebrations. Another similar case involves the purchase of cows by the Selangor MB to give to the poor in conjunction with Hari Raya Korban.

[Sorry, did I hear someone say, corruption is still corruption even if the amount involved is small? That is why we should go after the small fry so as not to encourage them to become big sharks when they will become immune to prosecution]

Maybe I should feel sad because I also hear of major questionable transactions such as the commissions for the purchase of submarines, helicopters, flight training services, construction of MATRADE building, naval boats, PKFZ and so on and here we have the Anti Corruption Commission investigate a state government agency buying cakes for Hari Raya.

Maybe I should feel angry because they are taking us for fools. I think they expect us to applaud them for taking their anti-corruption jobs seriously.

Should I feel surprised? No. I stopped feeling surprised a long time ago. These people can take us for a ride, seemingly with our consent.

Whatever, I have no more faith in these people. I pray that Allah swt show us the true and straight path. Ameen.

An accident

My daughters went out for a meeting with their cousins in Subang Jaya. Me, wife and Afiq were at home. Around 2:15pm I decided to go out for something to eat and also go to the bookstore to look for some books.

We returned home at about 4:00pm and to our surprise saw a car which had just been driven into the electrical pole right in front of our house. My wife's first reaction was about her flower pots but I was relieved that the car did not ram into my wife's car which was parked in the vicinity. I was also glad that the electrical pole managed to withstand the knock. If not we will be in total darkness for the night.


We went out of our car and spoke to some of the neighbours who are still around. Apparently the car was driven by one of the residents staying on our road (7/14). The car looked bad, he must have been driving at quite a speed but I wonder how he can do that in such a congested road. Apparently his wife who is sitting in the front passenger's seat was hurt and had to be sent to the hospital. To make it worse she is pregnant. Hopefully nothing bad will befall on the family, especially the unborn child.

The Irrelevant Judge Moves On

The Irrelevant Judge passed away today, I read in the blogs. I cannot help but noticed that almost all the comments written had nothing good to say about him. I have always prayed that when I leave this world to meet my Maker, most of those who had the opportunity to know me will have something good to say or think about me. Even if they see no reason to wish me well in the after world they will not find a reason to wish me hell either.

I would like to refrain from making any comments about the Irrelevant Judge upon his demise as I do not have first hand information about the man. However, from what little that I read about his judgments, I can understand the strong feelings people have against him. He will find out soon enough that nothing is now irrelevant as far as his Maker is concerned.

Maybe we should sympathise with his family that he left behind because they have to live with his past deeds. But then again.....maybe we should rub it in so that it will be a good example for the others.

Its a new Decade

Its 2010, a new decade. A year seems too short, before we realized it its over so I would like to write about a decade instead. Just imagine if we talk about our resolutions for the decade instead of for the year, maybe its more achievable.

I stopped making resolutions many years ago when I realized I always failed even in the most modest of hopes. So rather than feel dismayed at the end of the year when its confirmed that I have failed yet again, its better if I stop making them all together.

Even so, I still have hopes that I would like to achieve. But it seems that I am thinking more of the after world than the present. And these need not be written down as KPIs as they concerned matters of the heart and my relationship with the Creator. My success or failure is determined by Him and Him alone. No superior to review or appraise at the end of the year.

HAPPY NEW DECADE EVERYONE

Hani is 13

Its the last day of the last year of the first decade of the 21st century. I hope I got that right. I was on leave from work as I wanted to attend a function in the school where I'm a PTA Committee member, the Orientation Day for new students. The function only ended about noon. Later in the day I had to run some errands including sending my MPV for servicing to prepare for trip to Kepala Batas to send Aizat over the weekend,



Our youngest child, Nurhani celebrates her 13th birthday today. She is a grown up girl now. She'll be in Form Two soon. I can't wait for her to complete her schooling so that I can stop getting involved in the PTA. I think I've been involved in one way or another for the last 15 years. It must be time for me to take a break.


Hani has been very active in her first year in secondary school. She could have been a prefect had she wanted to but she preferred to be a Librarian and getting involved with trying to save the environment. Now she wants to be an "environmentalist", whatever that is. I hope by the time she completed school, an environmentalist will be able to survive in this world.


For some time I've promised Hani that I will treat her to dinner which would include one of the best mushroom soups that I know of for her birthday. So off we went to Kokopelli after maghrib. Yhe eatery is just near my office and I know the owner quiet well.


The place was full, being New Year Eve. Luckily, we managed to get a place for six as we were quiet early. It seemed everyone enjoyed their food. We went straight home after dinner as my wife has not been too well for the past few days because of her asthma attack.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HANI.