Food We Steal

Once I read an interview article with a billionaire who is homeless (he hotel-hops). He ate lunch over the interview and said "I'm sorry, I'm going to do something rude. May I steal a fries?" before reaching over and stole a fries from the reporter's plate.

I don't do that. I don't announce. I just reach over and steal my sister's food. Because omelette is too awesome to wait another second.

That guy, he's a polite one. One we could describe as a guy who has the ability to remain polite in the most enticing situation. He will make a good hostage negotiator.

Me, I'm more of a Steve McGarrette kind of person. I don't wait for a warrant, I take out a knife right away. That's why I think Traumatology is a good field for me. Haha.

Nasihat Yang Membuatkan Hati Bergetar

Tempoh hari saya mengacau seorang senior saya dan memandangkan beliau sedang membaca, beliau dengan rela hati berkongsi apa yang dibacanya. (Baca: terpaksa layan)

Senior: Ciri-ciri nasihat yang memberi kesan pada hati dan sifat pemberi nasihat yang berjaya.

Me: Ape dia?

Senior: Kalau ciri nasihat tu, ada empat:
1) Pemilihan tajuk
2) Gaya bahasa
3) Elakkan nasihat yang panjang
4) Pemilihan waktu

Bagi saya, empat ciri ini sangat lojik dan boleh difahami walaupun tanpa syarahan kecuali yang pertama. Maka saya menggali lebih dalam.

Me: Ape maksud pemilihan tajuk?

Senior: Tajuk tu dia memberi manfaat kepada dunia dan agamanya. Dan sesuai dengan apa yang diperlukan oleh kehidupan dia mengikut waqi' (situasi) setempat.

Nak bagi nasihat senang je. Semua orang boleh. Yang susah adalah supaya nasihat itu terkesan pada hati sasaran kita, menyentuh keinsafannya seterusnya terbukti dengan berlaku perubahan pada amalnya. Nasihat yang meningkatkan ketaqwaan kita dan seterusnya mendekatkan kita kepada Allah. Yang ni yang susah dan bukan semua orang mampu mencapai tahap ini.

Kita biasanya bahasakan nasihat yang berkesan ini adalah nasihat yang basah. Membasahkan hati yang kering termumia, membasahkan dan menyuburkan iman sehingga mekar.

Daripada empat ciri ni, bagi saya ia menunjukkan kepada satu poin paling utama iaitu sejauh mana pemberi nasihat itu mengenali penerima nasihat itu. Tajuk apa yang diperlukan olehnya untuk dinasihati. Gaya bahasa apa yang sesuai dengan dia; skema, rock, puitis. keibuan, sempoi? Apakah definisi panjang bagi penerima nasihat itu dan akhir sekali, adakah dia sedang PMS pada masa saya beria nak nasihatkan dia. Haha.

Dan semestinya, samada dia terkesan atau tidak itu Allah yang tentukan. Hati itu milik Allah. Tetapi kita berusaha dengan terbaik menyusun strategi agar kita boleh kata kepada Tuhan kita bahawasanya "Aku dah cuba yang terbaik."

Sebagaimana Allah berfirman dalam Surah Al-Qasas ayat 56,

Sesungguhnya engkau (wahai Muhammad) tidak berkuasa memberi hidayah petunjuk kepada sesiapa yang engkau kasihi (supaya ia menerima Islam), tetapi Allah jualah yang berkuasa memberi hidayah petunjuk kepada sesiapa yang dikehendakiNya (menurut undang-undang peraturanNya); dan Dia lah jua yang lebih mengetahui akan orang-orang yang (ada persediaan untuk) mendapat hidayah petunjuk (kepada memeluk Islam).

Seterusnya sambung kacau senior.

Me: Sifat pemberi nasihat yang berjaya pula?

Senior:
1) Beriman dengan kata-katanya dan terkesan dengannya
2) Mempunyai hati yang suci daripada kekotoran. Kata-katanya keluar daripada hati yang benar
3) Selari kata-kata dan perbuatannya.

Saya terasa dilempang. Ibarat Lord Death menghentak kepala saya dengan Death Chop.

Nombor satu dan tiga itu berjalan seiring. Beriman itu bermaksud:
1) meyakini dengan hati,
2) terluah dari lidahnya
3) dan diterjemahkan dalam perbuatannya.

All Or None Law. Kesemua tiga dan bukanlah salah satu. Meyakini dengan hati bahawasanya Nasi Ayam Mok Noh adalah kerutuk ayam paling sedap di dunia tidak menjadikan kita beriman dengan fakta itu. Kita wajib menyebarkan kepada orang ramai (omputih sebut spread the word) dan sendiri kena makan Nasi Ayam Mok Noh.

Cukup tiga-tiga, baru benar kita beriman. Ni baru hal remeh seperti nasi, belum sebut pasal hal serius seperti penyebaran fahaman terhadap hakikat kita sebagai seorang Muslim. Lagi la.

Pertolongan Allah akan membawa kepada kejayaan dan ada sangat banyak faktor yang membawa kepada pertolongan Allah tu. Antara yang terpenting, kondisi hati kita samada benar-benar suci daripada kekotoran dan hanya dilimpahi cahaya keimanan. Hati yang ikhlas kerana Allah dan tidak punyai agenda tersembunyi.

Betul la kan. Kalau nak kata-kata terkesan kepada hatinya dan terbuah dalam amalnya, mestilah daripada hati yang sudah terkesan dan amal yang sudah terbuah.

Senior: Sama-sama cek. So boleh apply terus. Ni la rahsia kehebatan nasihat nabi dan sahabat. Awal hadith tu, dia cakap nasihat nabi ini membuatkan hati mereka bergetar dan air mata mengalir.

Eat Them While They're Hot

I promise myself to write this hnder five minutes so yeah omg its one minute already okay go

You know I have two chicks right. Kicap and soya. I want to eat them. They're currently in their Day 18 under my care. I will be leaving egypt in 8 days so I need to think what to do with them now.

I was thinking of eating them by then that makes them Day 26 under my care but before I make mistakes, better Google for wisdom.

I found a country poultry farmer (ah that's penternak ayam kampung if the english sounds so weird) and he wrote that ayam kampung sedap dan harum dagingnya bile umur dia 5 bulan.

5 months and by that time the chicken has a weight of 1-2kg.

Erk. I can take care of them come September and by then they'll be 3 months. But who's going to look after kicap and soya while I'm back in Malaysia this two months?

Hmm. Ah times up. Bye. Please pray for Egypt and us!

PTD triggered by metal dragons

Sometimes when I hear the annoying noise of choppers flying over my head, my mind will wander to that sickening military lock-down that led to Malaysian refugees flocking to DMAK for an indefinite time during Revolution 2011

DMAK chapter really was the worst. Circumstances needed me to stay calm and optimist. Media called from Malaysia and they asked me to answer telephone interview because I was level-headed and will not scream hysterically. Practiced dance steps with the girls once, hung out with the crew once to plan out what to cover for the association's website. We never got around to do anything, but it was comforting to imagine life goes on as usual.

Which translated to basically being a hypocrite. Other than that I spent my time on the roof, waiting for the storm to pass. All strength went to making sure no one saw the liquidifying effect of uncertainties to my internal organs. My parents were worried enough without seeing me actually losing my head. I wasn't eating unless pointed out by others. And that was the first time I asked dad to give me a call.

And to go through that again.. please no.

Today more choppers seem to be making their patrol. I needed to blast off the volume of my MP3 player. And wish they'd invest in some noiseless stealth helicopters.

#PrayForEgypt

Eyecargo

When I arrived in front of the exam hall, I greeted my friends.

"Hi guys."

"Didn't you sleep last night?"

"Huh?"

Now where did that came from?

Truth was I slept four hours last night and even managed an hour of rolling around semi-consciously before I really had to get up, alhamdulillah for that.

Then it occurred to me. Perhaps sleep deprivation had etched its mark on me and I could never get the refreshed look back on my face despite the enough sleep I got the night before. They call it eyebag, but mine probably is a cargo. Haha. (Geddit?)

Despite the sleep, I was still beyond sleepy during the exam. Even the Post-Exam Coma was as troublesome as always. But still, I'm always so sleepy. Hmm.

Where has all the keberkatan gone to?

Feeling refreshed is a gift from God. You can sleep an hour at night and still have the strength to get through the day. Strength and refreshment all come from God and He can grant it to any of His deserving servants.

And it shows on your face. Notice how we feel calm at just looking at someone's face? It's their iman lighting them up, a manifestation of their piety.

I'm lacking piety, maybe. Huh.

I am angry because they hurt our brothers and all I could do is pray for them and stop making sins.

The title should explain this. Proceed at own risk.

30 June. Some punks in Egypt staged a rebel against the democratically elected President on the account that he is a hypocrite and Egypt is crumbling under his one year regime. So they decided to throw a Rebel at Tahrir Square, pay thugs to kill his peaceful supporters and burn and loot the Muslim Brotherhood headquarter. Gave him a 48-hour memo to resign and then.. I dunno, what's next?

It is so confusing. I can't brain this stupidity.

First they ousted Mubarak and toppled his 30 years regime of corruption and hogging the country's wealth to his cronies that left the people desperate for their freedom.

And alhamdulillah, the people had spoken and the people had won.

They then democratically elected a new president and the world welcomed Dr. Morsy and the changes he brought.

That's when hidden trouble started to see light.

Imagine if we left the mice to breed havoc and excrete everywhere in our house for a whole month of 30 days. Is it possible for me to get the stink and mould off the wall in just one day?

Alone? No. It is our house, our responsibility. Be and make the changes you want to see.

One day? Hell. Where would we even begin?

And the mice were still in the house, wrecking havoc as we cleaned and effing cleaned. Damn those mice.

It's only one year. We saw in the news Dr. Morsy invited the oppositions to sit and talk and cooperate together for a better Egypt with him but did they accept?

He did one thing, and the punks unravel it. And those average Egyptians who cared more of what food to eat more than they care what food their unborn grand-grandchildren will eat took everything fed to them.

Blame Morsy for the blackouts and never asking why there was shortage in the first place. Blame Morsy for the rubbish in the street and never asking why themselves not stop littering everywhere. Blame Morsy for the prices going up and never asking what have they contributed to the economy besides the violence they brew and slamming Morsy about it.

Some kid could be dying out there and his uneducated parents would probably blame Morsy, too.

Sick.

Because they can't see twenty, ten years ahead. Not even five! They can't see the impact they can have on this world beyond the cocoon Mubarak's sheeping-the-people regime had imprinted onto them. 30 years of making people stupid and living only for themselves. And it is wishful thinking that I hope these people will change. That rotten generation needs to be wiped out for real changes to happen.

They don't want to be taught how to fish. They want fish in front of them, scaled and cooked to scrumptious perfection, stat. They had eaten to'miyyah all their years with Mubarak and now that Mubarak's gone, they expect grilled chicken and kofta for every meal of the day.

Congratulations Mubarak. And pity those who fell prey to him. May God grant you wisdom to the right path.

And for the thinking people, those who stand up for what's right for the country and the future.. May God forever be merciful on you.