Have I Ever Been Confused?

First and foremost, I am a Muslim and a Malay. Although I have my own political views, I am not affiliated to nor associated with any political party. I am not anti-Malay or anti-Islam. Nor am I pro-Christian.

For the past few days, everybody has been busy discussing about the usage of the word Allah - with Muslims and people of other faiths have continued to lock horns over the issue. My opinion on this, is that we should not waste anymore time fighting over a word.

This issue is now being exploited to the utmost by UMNO, PAS and many others. The Government is having its hands full trying to handle it in order to maintain social harmony. For me, there are more important things for them to do than embroil in this controversy. To all the Muslims politicians who seek to grab headlines for all the wrong reasons (sodomy, corruption, illegal second marriage, etc), I think they should be encouraged to strive to quell the multitude of problems our country is facing before its negative influence affected Muslims. As Muslim leaders, I also believe that they must exemplify high morals and behavior amongst the people so as to show the greatness of Islam.

However, I think we are equally responsible for overcoming the social and economic issues that Muslims are facing today rather than worrying on the usage of word Allah by others. Many will agree with me that basically, religious foundation must be instilled at a very young age. The home is of course the best place to start with. What Muslim parents should do is to give their children a foundation of good religious education. Live a life of integrity, truthfulness and moral clarity – that what parents should do. That is the core of a parent's duties and responsibilities in educating their children - by being a good example to them. Children being children are receptive and pure at heart to whatever teachings that cross their bow. Of course the real world is not perfect. But if our children are brought up with good values, they will withstand peer and social influences that may be contrary to their religious and family values.

Muslims with strong foundation will not be confused if a priest uses the word Allah and easily converted to Christianity. Muslims with strong foundation will not allow themselves to be influenced by negative foreign cultures that are clearly inappropriate and against the teachings of Islam. If Muslims at least follow the basic teachings of Islam, I believe that we could be a good and well-balanced person.

Have you ever been unsure of your religious identity? Would you have doubt on your religious faith after reading The Herald? Should we worry on the fate of Muslims because of a magazine which has a circulation of only 13,000 copies, a readership of 50,000 and is not available from the news-stands?

So in all fairness, let us share the word Allah with others and may Allah give us the Muslims all the wisdom.

A Tragedy that Brought Us Together

If asked to name my first impression of my neighbours before 6 December 2008, unhesitatingly it would be that most of them are 'sombong'. 6 December 2008 is a day residents of Bukit Antarabangsa will never forget - that was the day the landslide at Bukit Antarabangsa happened. But for me, one greatest thing came out of the landslide tragedy - it brought the neighbours and I together.

And for the first time after over 7 years staying at Sinaran Ukay Residence, Yazid and I had our neighbours over for breakfast yesterday. There were over 50 people (adults & kids) at my house yesterday morning - enjoying each others' company celebrating the end of Syawal. It was an amazing experience because before the tragedy we don't even speak to our neighbours in the elevators, let alone invade their homes!!

Even though Yazid & I slept for only 2 hours yesterday, the thought of having our friends come over for breakfast at our home made the hours of toiling in the kitchen feel more than worth it. Actually yesterday, the food was secondary when you got to spend times with good company.

As the decision to organise the breakfast get-together was made at a very short notice and with the fact that my maid is still not back from Indonesia, we shortlisted the original invitation list to only very close neighbours. However both of us admitted that it should not be the way next year as Hari Raya open house should be the occasion when we showcase the unique inter-ethnic diversity in Malaysia.

The landslide tragedy really opened up opportunities for us to open up with one another. I also realised that my neighbours and I are human beings trying to share space together in this small neighbourhood. What I also know is that Islam urges kind and considerate treatment towards our neighbours. I am also sure that all religions place great emphasis on the solidarity of families, neighbours and the wider community.

Therefore we should spare our neighbours our harsh tongue and watch each others' boundaries. Respect, tolerance, generous and forgiveness - these are the qualities that should be shown to our neighbours. If you posses these real qualities, it demonstrates to people the standard of your moral values and positive manners.

To all my neighbours, I look forward to many more fine years ahead.

My 2 Cents on Permatang Pasir

"BN To Study Causes of Defeat in Permatang Pasir - Najib"

"Pengundi Permatang Pasir Tidak Mahukan Perubahan - Muhyiddin"

These are the 2 headlines on TheStarOnline and Bernama.com today.

One of the reasons mentioned by both our PM and DPM was character assassination by PAS. Come on!! Please don't talk about character assassination when BN all along has been using this tactic to gain political power. Everybody in politics will jump at the opportunity to ruin the reputations of their opponents on hearing an integrity/moral issue. Dr. M, Nik Aziz, Anwar Ibrahim, Hadi Awang, Khalid Ibrahim, Khir Toyo - the dirty game is played by both sides. DAP is another matter because that is one of their core values set by Lim Kit Siang & Karpal Singh.

I don't need time like Najib to study why BN failed again. For me the major mistake which BN did was to choose Rohaizat as the candidate. Rohaizat was a very poor choice of candidate - it conveyed to the voters the impression that BN is full of corrupt leaders. Don't tell me that BN didn't cover the bases - vet the candidate's background!! How could BN choose somebody who was guilty of abusing funds entrusted to him (as indicated by the BAR Council) for the rakyat to vote. So instead of speaking on changes/developments that BN could bring to Permatang Pasir during the campaign period, the BN campaigners had to vigorously defending Rohaizat. To BN's campaign strategists - what a 'brilliant' campaign strategy!!

It seems like the new PM has also not learned anything from the bitter lessons learned the hard way by the previous PM. As for me, I don't really have much faith in our politicians, be it the oppositions or BN. Our country is indeed in grief and mortal danger in the hands of these SHALLOW MINDED, INTELLECTUALLY-CHALLENGED and CORRUPTED people.

My advice to Najib - "Character counts!! In Malaysia's political scenario today, it counts more than the politicians' IQs."

God Might Have Different Plan For Us

Just seeing so many people passing away in these few months (neighbour, relatives, public figures, schoolmates, etc) make me realised that each day that we live is a gift from God. None of us should take that gift for granted.

I am as guilty as anyone (maybe the most). I'm sure that the list of other things that we take for granted in our lives is long, if we were to list them down - health, family, friends,etc. Suppose one morning you never wake up, do all those people that matters to you know that you love them? Tell your husband, wife, children, parents, brothers, sisters & friends that you love them at every opportunity you get. Make a special effort to show what they mean to you. It doesn't have to be time consuming - a phone call, an email, a birthday wish, a small gift, an SMS, etc

God might have a different plan for us so don't take for granted what we have in life today. Love, family, health & friends are to be cherished. Just in case, I LOVE YOU ALL!!

And to all my Muslim friends, wishing you all a blessed Ramadhan - filled with prayers, thankfulness, joy and may the blessings of Allah shower on all of you. Mintak maaf kalau ada silap & salah, terkasar bahasa atau tersinggung perasaan.

'Now Everyone Can Fly' - Albeit Not On Time....

If all of you are not already aware, AirAsia services are sucks to the maximum. Of course I don't expect 5-star services from AirAsia but lowering cost should not imply lowering standards. I could write a book on those horrible experiences I had flying with AirAsia.

At the moment, I am really annoyed with AirAsia. Not once, but several instances of my flights with AirAsia had been delayed. From my experience, rarely do the planes take off on time. AirAsia is definitely not reliable - if you are travelling for business meeting, be ready to apologise to your clients.

It is not fair that AirAsia has the right to delay/cancel flights at short notice or without notice but passengers are not refunded. What about the other costs incurred by the passengers as a result of AirAsia’s inefficiency? Is this not a case of unethical operating procedures? If you want to change your travel itinerary less than 48 hours, too bad - you buy a new ticket. But sometimes it's not our fault that we need to revise our trip because AirAsia reschedules its flights less than 48 hours. Can AirAsia say that if their passengers are unhappy over their flight cancellation/delays, their airfares can be refunded? There must also be a liability factor for a service provider that change its flight schedules to its whim and fancy.

As a customer, I feel cheated and I think that we must exercise our legal rights against such unfair business practises. I will call upon the regulatory bodies/consumer associations to check the rampant abuse of customers by AirAsia. They seem to be trampling on consumer rights and are taking everyone for a ride.

No doubt that since AirAsia started its operations, it has been giving MAS serious competition. This kind of competition is healthy for Malaysians as we get better rates. With cheaper air travel, more budget travellers like me can get the opportunity to explore a lot of exotic places which are previously limited by expensive air travel.

However, Tony Fernandez is so engrossed with his plans to capture the world that he forgets to tell his team to do the basics right - get the passengers to their destinations on time - every time!! Oh!! Another area which Tony has overlooked is the communications skills of his employees. Some of the flight & ground crew can't even speak English correctly, which is very embarrassing for a global player like AirAsia.

I am just a poor passenger writing this after my flight to Bangkok was rescheduled 2 days ago. I have no option but will still be travelling with AirAsia until March 2010.

Cyber Kids

I'm not sure about other parents but I'm fighting for my kids' attention and losing out to technology. The computer, iPods, mobile phones, playstations are a constant companion for most of our children across Malaysia.

Even though I have a 'contract' with each of them, it is sometimes still difficult to get everybody to join in the family activity or even to watch a movie together at home. Further more my eldest son has shown signs that he is not happy with my controlling manner. I expect my kids to abide by the 'contract' - break the 'contract' and all the gadgets are switched off.

And for me, I would rather have them outside the house with some physical activities to enjoy e.g at the swimming pool, at the gym or at the football field instead of safely tuck in their bedroom with the computer. With social networking sites, blogs, chat rooms, online gaming and much more, the internet is actually like an open window to a dangerous world if we don't know how to manage our kids' computer usage.

I read in a magazine recently that computers can seriously threaten a child's psychological development - it can lure children to the world they are not equipped to handle - if a child is communicating one way, that is, through the keyboard, their brain cells will wither and die.

Whatever it is, at the moment, I have to take control of the gadgets - it's not a right, it's a privilege! It's also a dilemma for me hahaha. Tips anyone?

Yasmin Ahmad - Gone Too Soon

I don’t know Yasmin Ahmad personally but I admire her works and I really feel the loss. Actually, Malaysia has lost one great personality with brilliant talents. Her beautiful films and advertisements amazed me. She was like a bright light to our film industry.

Just as there will never be another P.Ramlee, there will never be anyone comparable to Yasmin Ahmad.

Her creativity will surely be missed!!

Al-fatihah.