Hahaha, I know the title sounds funny but hey, what can I do? :)
A long line of regrets go to those of you not here to see me in the flesh. I hope we'll see one another soon enough.
Truth be told, I miss you guys like hell. Gone were the times we would play futsal while cramping the tiny space we had with God-knows-how-many people played each evening. Gone were the days we would run through the desert others call field laughing ourselves shitless while chasing ball. Gone were the days when the whole world went off after the Friday prayers - where the compound seemed ghostly and no sound permeates the halls of knowledge.
I miss those days...
What I would give to experience it just once more. To feel the sleepiness creeping up on my body. To sing and shout at the top of our lungs in the dead of night. To live with vampires and werewolves and ghouls of the night. To be in the company of friends all through till morning. And then to look at others' faces - tired and worn, barely able to muster the slightest of focus, and then to blur out of focus. All the while nodding in unison. There but absent.
What I would give to walk those corridors I grew up to love. Where we ran and played at night. Where we learned and mingled in the day. Where memories - sweet, sour, salty and bitter - were made and buried. How I long for the day we would all stand together as one. Day, come fast. Let me smile again. Put that hair back where it came from. And then split us as you will, only for the cycle to begin anew. Until one day. The day we follow in the footsteps of our one friend who has gone with the wind.
Footsteps dug into the sands. They disappear just as fast as they appear. An ever-present subject, always behind us. Imitating our every moment, each step of the way. Morning. Noon. Then evening comes bringing with it the orange tinge of sunset. There he is! Our friend! Leading us into the sunset. Shifting from the solid person he is into a silhouette of black into a tiny speck of dot. At last, night.
Night..Night...Night...
Showing posts with label world. Show all posts
Showing posts with label world. Show all posts
10 July 2011
16 April 2011
Of Young and Old
Hmmm...who's fault is it? When the young turn against their old? Been there, done that. Looking at it from my eyes, I see myself on the right side. But then again, I am a teen. Teens think they're right, they think they're right, we think we're right.
The old ones think they're right, they think they're right, we think we're right.
But then again, looking at it through brand new lenses, I saw no right nor wrong. Just is. The problem with us lies in ourselves. We were born human, we are human, and we will be human for the rest of our short lives. Egos aside, I trust we'll make progress. To respect the old has always been a teaching but respect must be earned, it can't ever be forced. To love the young has always been a teaching but love must be earned, it can't ever be forced.
Too late it is too change, but a little bit too early it is. Time will reveal all, for now I lay in the dark - an egg of a predator lying in wait, growing, waiting for the day I grow to eat the world and consume it. Whole.
21 March 2011
The past, the present, the future
Science & technology has been a major piece of our lives. It has been with us since the ancient Arabs, Egyptians, Greeks & Romans. Since then, what was two totally separate things had merged into one. Today, the boundaries separating science & technology are fading ever thinner and with it they bring together an era of ideas, innovation, creations & endless possibilities that is limited only by how far we dare imagine.
One day, it may be possible for us to witness the most out-of-this-world ideas transform from mere ideas into vivid reality. And that one day might just be today!
Look around you! Presently we have been witness to the birth of robots programmed to help human beings from doing the simplest thing like household chores to aiding men in the heaviest task of building mega-structures that touch the sky. These achievements that most seem to not see is huge in a way that just a mere decade before, such stories of success are unheard of. Indeed, the accomplishment of the field of sci-tech is not to be looked down upon.
From the discoveries of cures to diseases to the role they play in helping to satisfy the worlds' need for food, science & technology has helped us in many ways. Science has greatly increased our knowledge regarding the world we live in while technology has granted us the means to do with this world what we need. Individually they are good but together, they are great!
However, great or not, they are mere tools entrusted into the hands of humankind. And true to their reputation, mankind will always do wrong with the tools handed to them. Time and again, we humans have proven incapable of listening to reason, of learning from past mistakes and of seeing the truth even if it was smack dab in front of our eyes.
Blind though you may be, know of this you must. There exists a group of people that abandon their duties, neglect this power and knowledge we call science & the tool we have come to name as technology...
A minority of people, in their unconfined passion to find the promises of knowledge & discovery has misused and abused the key to this world. In their unyielding spirit to find something new, they have come to destroy what is dear. In their passion to find one that is abstract, they have abandoned that which is concrete.
Dire though the situation may be, not all of us belong to that group. The awareness to save instead of to harm, to protect instead of to attack, to salvage instead of to destroy is on the rise. This battle of the sciences - both good and evil - are taking a heavy toll on our planet but at the very least, a sliver of chance is shining at the end of the tunnel.
As for what the future holds for these two, no man knows. But the signs are clear that they are here to stay in the long run.
In the past, present and future, science and technology has always, is still, and will always play a pivotal role in shaping, charting our destiny. Like all tools, they can help or hinder. All there is to remember is that when a gun is the weapon of death, the wielder pays the price for murder. The gun roams free. No matter who we are, unless you are a gun, a tool is only a tool. It is only as good or bad as the man holding it.
One day, it may be possible for us to witness the most out-of-this-world ideas transform from mere ideas into vivid reality. And that one day might just be today!
Look around you! Presently we have been witness to the birth of robots programmed to help human beings from doing the simplest thing like household chores to aiding men in the heaviest task of building mega-structures that touch the sky. These achievements that most seem to not see is huge in a way that just a mere decade before, such stories of success are unheard of. Indeed, the accomplishment of the field of sci-tech is not to be looked down upon.
From the discoveries of cures to diseases to the role they play in helping to satisfy the worlds' need for food, science & technology has helped us in many ways. Science has greatly increased our knowledge regarding the world we live in while technology has granted us the means to do with this world what we need. Individually they are good but together, they are great!
However, great or not, they are mere tools entrusted into the hands of humankind. And true to their reputation, mankind will always do wrong with the tools handed to them. Time and again, we humans have proven incapable of listening to reason, of learning from past mistakes and of seeing the truth even if it was smack dab in front of our eyes.
Blind though you may be, know of this you must. There exists a group of people that abandon their duties, neglect this power and knowledge we call science & the tool we have come to name as technology...
A minority of people, in their unconfined passion to find the promises of knowledge & discovery has misused and abused the key to this world. In their unyielding spirit to find something new, they have come to destroy what is dear. In their passion to find one that is abstract, they have abandoned that which is concrete.
Dire though the situation may be, not all of us belong to that group. The awareness to save instead of to harm, to protect instead of to attack, to salvage instead of to destroy is on the rise. This battle of the sciences - both good and evil - are taking a heavy toll on our planet but at the very least, a sliver of chance is shining at the end of the tunnel.
As for what the future holds for these two, no man knows. But the signs are clear that they are here to stay in the long run.
In the past, present and future, science and technology has always, is still, and will always play a pivotal role in shaping, charting our destiny. Like all tools, they can help or hinder. All there is to remember is that when a gun is the weapon of death, the wielder pays the price for murder. The gun roams free. No matter who we are, unless you are a gun, a tool is only a tool. It is only as good or bad as the man holding it.
16 March 2011
Sebab Musabab Tanah Bergerak & Tamadun Bergolak
Assalamualaikum y'all ! Salam sejahtera & salam pertemuan!
Okay, dlm entry sebelum ni aku ada bercerita tentang muzik & kuasanya. Dalam entry itu jugaklah aku ada memberi hint about teori aku berkenaan isu di Middle East. So, keeping to my word, aku akan elaborate lagi idea aku itu.
Untuk memahami pandangan aku, korang perlu teliti dulu kata-kata seorang tokoh Islam yang hebat bernama Ali bin Abi Talib. Beliau pernah menjawab kepada para sahabat apabila dipersoal mengenai maksiat. Katanya : "Jangan kau lihat betapa kecilnya maksiat yang hendak dilaksanakan, sebaliknya lihatlah betapa besar & agung zat Tuhan yang hendak dilakukan kepada-Nya maksiat itu."
Now, ape kaitan kata-kata imam Ali dengan situasi di Libya, Bahrain, Mesir dan Tanah Arab secara amnya?? Jawapannya terdapat dalam surah al-Jin. Dalam surah ini, Allah merakamkan perihal jin. Diceritakan kepada kita bagaimana jin-jin setelah mendengar 'al-huda' telah mengakui kebesaran Tuhan yang maha esa.
Sedangkan al-jin pun sedar bahawa tiada satupun tempat langsung - biar di langit mahupun di bumi untuk mereka lari dari azab Allah sekiranya mereka melakukan maksiat. Jin berkomunikasi & direkod dlm Quran : Kami (langit, bumi serta seluruh isinya) dalam genggaman Tuhan.
Mengikut tafsiran & kajian ulama' ayat ini menerangkan satu sifat - sifat yang mana jin telah dijadikan satu contoh buat manusia. Tak pelikkah? Korang mesti selalu dengar orang cakap : Sebaik-baik jin itu sejahat-jahat manusia & vice versa kan? Tapi kenapa Quran berkata ada situasi yang sebaliknya? Tidakkah pelik bahawa orang yang dahulunya disembah telahpun bertaubat tetapi yang menyembah masih belum bertaubat? Analoginya begini : bayangkan Ayah Pin sewaktu pengikut-pengikutnya sedang sujud pada dia, tiba-tiba mengaku & bertaubat lalu terus bersyahadah.
Ayah Pin : Aku Islam skang...selama nie aku poyo je... saje terasa nak jadi tuhan, kn? So, hah, ape lagi? Udah-udahlah sembah aku. Kang aku bajet jambu lak... *tersengih-sengih
Anak Pin : *Bagai orang tak paham bahasa terus sujud pada org yg dh terang-terang mengaku berdusta.
Bodoh tak manusia ini? Inilah dia manusia yang cover diri baik habis dengan mengeluarkan kata-kata " I lebih baik dari jin kot...kira okay la tu der!" & juga makhluk yang berakal tapi tak menggunakan akal - mereka lagi teruk dari haiwan peliharaan.
Satu lagi kisah untuk y'all. Kali ini about Khalifah Umar al-Khatab. Setiap kali Saidina Umar selesai solat, sahabat melihat benda yang pelik terjadi. Sewaktu memberi salam Umar akan menangis kemudian ketawa. Selesai solat. Salam ke kanan, dia menangis. Kemudian salam ke kiri, dia ketawa. Para sahabat pelik wal ajaib. Gila ke ape? Lalu mereka bertanya. (Baikkan orang dulu? Tak membuat konklusi & speculation sewenang-wenangnya tentang sesuatu perkara. Tak tahu bertanya bukannya touch-up memvavi vuta. Result SPM anak siapaa laaa yang kate keluar 14Mac? Banyak dosa dia tanggung sebar dusta...nauzubillah).
Sahabat : Wahai khalifah Allah, kenapa apabila kau memberi salam ke kanan kau mengangis dan apabila kau memberi salam ke kiri kau ketawa?
Saidina Umar : *Tersenyum mendengar pertanyaan itu. 'Kamu nak tahukah? Kenapa? Pelik?'
Sahabat : Ya, kami ingin tahu kerana agak pelik. Orang lain salam ke kanan melihat (membayang) syurga dan salam ke kiri melihat (membayang) neraka. Kenapa pula kau melihat syurga sedih tapi melihat neraka gembira wahai khalifah?
*Cerita ini dipendekkan untuk cut entry yang aku rasa dah cukup panjang. Untuk dialog penuh sebelum Umar finally jawab pertanyaan, sila cari sendiri.
Saidina Umar : Setiap kali aku memberi salam ke kanan, aku teringat hidup aku sebelum Islam. (*Dengan sebak) Aku teringat anak perempuan aku yang aku tanam hidup-hidup kerana risau nama aku dihina oleh kafir yang lain. Sedangkan dalam Islam anak itu suci dan perempuan itu suci.
Sahabat : Owh, begitu...Jadi, kenapa pula salam ke kiri kau ketawa?
Saidina Umar : Setiap kali aku memberi salam ke kiri, aku teringat hidup aku sebelum Islam. (*Dengan tersenyum) Aku teringat aku sering pergi ke pasar. Kemudian aku membeli kurma yang paling baik, paling mahal di pasar. Sesampai di rumah, aku menyusun biji-biji kurma itu membentuk sesuatu. Lalu aku sembah tuhan yang aku sendiri cipta itu. Selesai aku sembah, aku terasa lapar. Aku makan tuhan aku. Sedangkan dalam Islam bagaimana hendak aku makan Tuhan...
Sambung balik pasal pandangan ulama' tadi...mereka (ulama' okay bukan Anak Pin or Cucu Pin) berpendapat orang yang mencapi tahap iman seperti para jin ini, tidak kira di maaana jua dia berada sifatnya pasti sama. PASTI! La syakku bihi.
Pendek kata...sekiranya ketua-ketua negara dipilih dari kalangan jin, maka amanlah dunia. Dan sekiranya rakyat Malaysia mengundi parti jin, maka majulah Malaysia...tapi tidak logik untuk kita diperintah oleh jin kerana manusia yang lebih sepadan & manusia jugalah yang telah dipertanggungjawabkan menjadi khalifah di muka bumi ini. Konklusinya, kalau tidak mahu jin jadi wakil rakyat, pilihlah orang yang hampir-hampir sifatnya dengan para jin yang baik-baik lebih baik dari manusia, okay? Confirm aman damai sejahtera sentosa dunia sampai akhir zaman~
P/S: Tidak semua jin itu baik. Tidak semua manusia itu baik. Pandai-pandailah menilai sendiri.
Okay, dlm entry sebelum ni aku ada bercerita tentang muzik & kuasanya. Dalam entry itu jugaklah aku ada memberi hint about teori aku berkenaan isu di Middle East. So, keeping to my word, aku akan elaborate lagi idea aku itu.
Untuk memahami pandangan aku, korang perlu teliti dulu kata-kata seorang tokoh Islam yang hebat bernama Ali bin Abi Talib. Beliau pernah menjawab kepada para sahabat apabila dipersoal mengenai maksiat. Katanya : "Jangan kau lihat betapa kecilnya maksiat yang hendak dilaksanakan, sebaliknya lihatlah betapa besar & agung zat Tuhan yang hendak dilakukan kepada-Nya maksiat itu."
Now, ape kaitan kata-kata imam Ali dengan situasi di Libya, Bahrain, Mesir dan Tanah Arab secara amnya?? Jawapannya terdapat dalam surah al-Jin. Dalam surah ini, Allah merakamkan perihal jin. Diceritakan kepada kita bagaimana jin-jin setelah mendengar 'al-huda' telah mengakui kebesaran Tuhan yang maha esa.
Sedangkan al-jin pun sedar bahawa tiada satupun tempat langsung - biar di langit mahupun di bumi untuk mereka lari dari azab Allah sekiranya mereka melakukan maksiat. Jin berkomunikasi & direkod dlm Quran : Kami (langit, bumi serta seluruh isinya) dalam genggaman Tuhan.
Mengikut tafsiran & kajian ulama' ayat ini menerangkan satu sifat - sifat yang mana jin telah dijadikan satu contoh buat manusia. Tak pelikkah? Korang mesti selalu dengar orang cakap : Sebaik-baik jin itu sejahat-jahat manusia & vice versa kan? Tapi kenapa Quran berkata ada situasi yang sebaliknya? Tidakkah pelik bahawa orang yang dahulunya disembah telahpun bertaubat tetapi yang menyembah masih belum bertaubat? Analoginya begini : bayangkan Ayah Pin sewaktu pengikut-pengikutnya sedang sujud pada dia, tiba-tiba mengaku & bertaubat lalu terus bersyahadah.
Ayah Pin : Aku Islam skang...selama nie aku poyo je... saje terasa nak jadi tuhan, kn? So, hah, ape lagi? Udah-udahlah sembah aku. Kang aku bajet jambu lak... *tersengih-sengih
Anak Pin : *Bagai orang tak paham bahasa terus sujud pada org yg dh terang-terang mengaku berdusta.
Bodoh tak manusia ini? Inilah dia manusia yang cover diri baik habis dengan mengeluarkan kata-kata " I lebih baik dari jin kot...kira okay la tu der!" & juga makhluk yang berakal tapi tak menggunakan akal - mereka lagi teruk dari haiwan peliharaan.
Satu lagi kisah untuk y'all. Kali ini about Khalifah Umar al-Khatab. Setiap kali Saidina Umar selesai solat, sahabat melihat benda yang pelik terjadi. Sewaktu memberi salam Umar akan menangis kemudian ketawa. Selesai solat. Salam ke kanan, dia menangis. Kemudian salam ke kiri, dia ketawa. Para sahabat pelik wal ajaib. Gila ke ape? Lalu mereka bertanya. (Baikkan orang dulu? Tak membuat konklusi & speculation sewenang-wenangnya tentang sesuatu perkara. Tak tahu bertanya bukannya touch-up memvavi vuta. Result SPM anak siapaa laaa yang kate keluar 14Mac? Banyak dosa dia tanggung sebar dusta...nauzubillah).
Sahabat : Wahai khalifah Allah, kenapa apabila kau memberi salam ke kanan kau mengangis dan apabila kau memberi salam ke kiri kau ketawa?
Saidina Umar : *Tersenyum mendengar pertanyaan itu. 'Kamu nak tahukah? Kenapa? Pelik?'
Sahabat : Ya, kami ingin tahu kerana agak pelik. Orang lain salam ke kanan melihat (membayang) syurga dan salam ke kiri melihat (membayang) neraka. Kenapa pula kau melihat syurga sedih tapi melihat neraka gembira wahai khalifah?
*Cerita ini dipendekkan untuk cut entry yang aku rasa dah cukup panjang. Untuk dialog penuh sebelum Umar finally jawab pertanyaan, sila cari sendiri.
Saidina Umar : Setiap kali aku memberi salam ke kanan, aku teringat hidup aku sebelum Islam. (*Dengan sebak) Aku teringat anak perempuan aku yang aku tanam hidup-hidup kerana risau nama aku dihina oleh kafir yang lain. Sedangkan dalam Islam anak itu suci dan perempuan itu suci.
Sahabat : Owh, begitu...Jadi, kenapa pula salam ke kiri kau ketawa?
Saidina Umar : Setiap kali aku memberi salam ke kiri, aku teringat hidup aku sebelum Islam. (*Dengan tersenyum) Aku teringat aku sering pergi ke pasar. Kemudian aku membeli kurma yang paling baik, paling mahal di pasar. Sesampai di rumah, aku menyusun biji-biji kurma itu membentuk sesuatu. Lalu aku sembah tuhan yang aku sendiri cipta itu. Selesai aku sembah, aku terasa lapar. Aku makan tuhan aku. Sedangkan dalam Islam bagaimana hendak aku makan Tuhan...
Sambung balik pasal pandangan ulama' tadi...mereka (ulama' okay bukan Anak Pin or Cucu Pin) berpendapat orang yang mencapi tahap iman seperti para jin ini, tidak kira di maaana jua dia berada sifatnya pasti sama. PASTI! La syakku bihi.
- Dalam Masjidil Haram di hadapan Kaabah mahupun di Las Vegas
- Di percutian mahupun di tempat kerja
- Di padang bola mahupun di dalam bilik (dalam bilik??)
- Di khalayak ramai mahupun sewaktu seorang diri
- Walhal di arena politik mahupun dalam rumahtangga....
Pendek kata...sekiranya ketua-ketua negara dipilih dari kalangan jin, maka amanlah dunia. Dan sekiranya rakyat Malaysia mengundi parti jin, maka majulah Malaysia...tapi tidak logik untuk kita diperintah oleh jin kerana manusia yang lebih sepadan & manusia jugalah yang telah dipertanggungjawabkan menjadi khalifah di muka bumi ini. Konklusinya, kalau tidak mahu jin jadi wakil rakyat, pilihlah orang yang hampir-hampir sifatnya dengan para jin yang baik-baik lebih baik dari manusia, okay? Confirm aman damai sejahtera sentosa dunia sampai akhir zaman~
P/S: Tidak semua jin itu baik. Tidak semua manusia itu baik. Pandai-pandailah menilai sendiri.
15 March 2011
The Power of Music
Ever wondered why music is such an important aspect of our lives? From kids to adults, east to west, it seems that this form of entertainment never fails to inspire, awe and capture us. Ranging from an array of genres - rock, pop-rock, country, electronic, blues, classical, R&B, soul, rap and hip-hop just to name a few - there is sure to be a type of music that hits your spot.
So just how old is music? Well, the thing is : no one knows for sure. Our ancestors surely did not relax to Alesana ( if you can call that relaxing) nor did they listen to Linkin Park. And I'm pretty damn sure they did not scream to Bieber's name. Back to the topic, whatever it is they did listen to, the point here is they did listen to something. (Don't ask me what music they fancy. I'm not that good in history).
Now going back to the present, the trend of music is not showing any signs of slowing down. In fact, the industry is growing like crazy!! You don't get to hear a music long enough on the radio before a new song kicks it out of the charts!
And the internet! This once alien technology has invaded the homes, phones, offices, iPhones, iPads, all those iThings and our minds to become an evermore important tool for artists, songwriters, producers etc. It certainly is not helping me keep up with the overwhelming information that seems impossible to fit in a space that doesn't even exist. Imagine the abundance of data stored in just one laptop, multiply that by about 'How many people in the world have laptops, eh?' and there you have it! (I can't help but to wonder how many gigabytes of data there is in this world...)
Well, like I said, the music industry is crazy... and I can't help but to wonder when the next MySpace artists is going to emerge.
We've all heard of internet-born artist but now we are seeing the birth of a new kind of artist : yes, they are made famous by the internet but the words that come out isn't really from a type or genre that we are used to.
Read this:
At 6.30 p.m on Feb 15, as thousands of people gathered to protest against their ruler at a busy intersection in Manama, the capital of the small island nation of Bahrain, you could just about hear over the general hubbub the anthem of the young people who have shaken regimes from North Africa to the Arabian Gulf. It wasn't a verse from the Quran. It wasn't a traditional tune from the region. It was rap.
The "Rais Lebled" is an echo of the hymn of the Jasmine Revolution that shot down Zine el Abidine Ben Ali in Tunisia from his 'throne'. The same lines came out of the demonstrators in Cairo who toppled Hosni Mubarak. Now, it had come to Bahrain.
The interesting thing is far from being happy tunes, the lines of this song carried messages of rage and frustration at being oppressed and being kept in poverty. Using music as a vessel to bring over a message that would have otherwise been hard to get through is not a new trend. A lot of artists have used music to make a statement. Michael Jackson's Heal The World featured children living in strife. Other figures had also used music as a means to promote social aspects like environmental issues, cancer, human rights, peace, poverty, HIV/AIDS etc. Some have touched on religion and beliefs.
But what makes this year's message so loud that it rang through from east to west and back is the intensity and passion that goes with it. Never before has a voice shouted this loud. Never before has a voice be heard on this scale. And (correct me if I'm wrong) the rage and anger is spreading like hellfire. Soon, this uncivilized form of uprising will infect and destroy us. One by one we will fall. One by one we will die.
Well, certainly the solution is there, if you know where to look... From my point of view, this unrest is an unnecessary source of commotion. Seriously, do you need to burn down stuff and shoot people just to clarify a point? Hell, no.
I have my own reason to believe why and how this situation started which I will write in my next post. (I just realized I've been astray for some time now. How did I go from music to Bahrain??)
Personally I love music. The ones that carry meaning that is. I truly believe that music should be kept safe from the hazards of war and aggression. Music can relate to people without them really understanding the lyrics. It's like when you listen to a piece in a foreign language - though you may not know exactly what the song's about, you'll still have a vague idea of what it means and it won't stop you from dancing to the beat. That is exactly what is happening all across the Middle East. Someone writes a dangerous piece and those listening dances to the beat. (And the beat is not really a peaceful one but it's still catchy - in the sense that even housewives are taking up arms).
Simply said everybody should refrain from putting into songs anything that can upset, cause anger or attack others. These days, people turn to music whenever they feel hatred or anger but far from using the healing powers of music (crying, head-banging, singing-at-the-top-of-my-voice all work fine with me) , they turn to it as a tool to fume their feelings in wrong way. And more often than not, it turns bad (hurts others physically or kills) and escalates to become something that is far too huge to stop. While most people (myself included) love to say things like 'I can't live without music', some people (may God bless them) 'can't live because of music' - they died.
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