Hiatus

Assalamualaikum and good day to all.


Always, it is not easy for me to create a post. One single post demands a lot of my time and energy. Often I spend several hours just to write an article in this blog, believe it or not. Because I don't want to write without a focus, or just rant about myself or my personal life. If you interprete this blog as my personal blog where I pour my emotions and thoughts freely, you're not quite right. I write more for other people than myself. Buktinya?? I have my own personal diary. Written, ok, not another secret blog. So don't bother to google it okay (haha).


So tonight, when I have the same awkward feeling where I want to write something but not quite sure what to write and where to start, I clicked on the links at my Archive, dated more than a year ago where I started to write in blogspot. Those articles were written during my internship time, and I think I write better those days compared to now. The issues are good, the elaborations are sharp and personal. At least, that's what I think. And I love to reread my previous posts for self-evaluation and improvements.


Here is one of my all-time-favourite article, written by myself : http://norshahira.blogspot.com/2006/08/my-recent-passion.html

The natural way of writing back then, keeps me going on in this blog world no matter what (need to explain, I'm a self-motivated kind of person. So this is not so weird..) The feeling is mutual, like it was written by somebody else. But the most precious thing is the comment left by my anonymous reader :


At 5:09 AM, salsabila
go ahead sister.. people will say what they want to say.. we cant stop them unless by themselves. rite? for sake of islam and the blessing of Allah, write in English so as in Malay - contribute something fo Islam.. u have the strength.. :)


This comment really inspires me. Thanks so much.
I'm pretty sure this blog will be on hiatus for a while, so please bear with me.
I'm in a transition phase, so have to adjust here and there. I will share more with all of you when I got the chance.

Until then.

Books Review

I've been wanting to do this for so long but just recently I've got the chance.

You see, one of my all time favourite hobby is to read, and I do read almost all kind of books and reading materials available. I read the daily newspapers, my Mom's magazines and even my bro's football mags and his pile of fiction books collection. But I'm very selective when I am the one whom buying. The books that I would buy myself must worth every cents of my money (or at least, that's what I believe). Recently, my passion are simple literature, political, provocative and controversial non-fictions, civilization histories, self-development fictions and everything in between.

The above is my recent collection for the past few weeks. Yes you might see some quite `heavy' books judging by their titles but I assure you, those are very good books and they are not as complicated as you might thought. But after all, your choice of books always depends on your personal preference right?

The above book must be very familiar especially for the MPH, Popular or other huge book stores' regulars. Yes there is another one in the collection, the Khalid Al-Walid. I've got it though but I've misplaced it somewhere, nonetheless that means I basically have the entire collection. These biographies are very exciting with simple words, structured sentences and basic Bahasa Melayu usage in the writing, that made the wonders of constant page-turning like you are reading the commercial fiction books! Seriously, if you want a good sirah books that do not make you sleepy after 5 minutes, these are the good choices. You will understand better about Perang Muktah, Perang Tabuk, Perang Hunain, the details on how Salahudin Ayubi succeed Jerusalem and Tariq Ziyad succeed Cordova and the whole Spain. Without a doubt, these books are absolute must-have for sirah lovers.

Not all books that I bought meet my expectation though. Like the above book by Randa Abdel-Fattah, I'm hoping to buy a controversial fiction like her first one, `Do My Head Looks Big in This?' which referred to the conflict experienced by a young modern Muslim girl when she wants to wear a hijab (headscarf). But this one, really disappoint me. It even similarly written like a chick lit book which I used to read during my tender age. The conflict is about a young girl who have two personalities at home and at school, that she tried to keep her Muslim identity as a secret so that she won't become a discrimination victim and referred as `uncool' by her peers. I just don't like the story because I think it doesn't portray Islam in the best way. It may confuse the young reader on perspective towards Islam. Dah la buku tu mahal. Haha tak kesah la.

Despite its cute cover, this is another provocative and controversial book, but honestly it was quite fun. When I read this book, it doesn't mean I totally agree with the author. I just love to know and understand about other people's perspective on certain issues, although I'm never agree with her point of view. This book talks about liberal-view (is it the right term?) on the Muslim practice on Malaysia, by Malaysians. But seriously, you must equipped yourself with good, sufficient understanding of Islam first before you actually read it. Try to consult reliable ustaz, Muslim scholars, or pious, truthful individuals first and open up your mind before you read the book. Really, with it refers to Quranic verses and hadith every now and then,which might be translated differently from what you actually know, you might be confused yourself at the end of the day. However, I might recommend you to have discussions with other people regarding the book so you won't be self-absorbed in your own understanding. I did that too :)

Ok these are the books that I recently read, I even haven't finish halfway of each. Yes, my way of reading is to read fiction and non-fiction book side-by-side so that when I bored with one, I can turn to another. If you think `Tautan Hati' is the normal Alaf 21's alike novels, you are totally wrong. Try it first, then you will know what I mean ;) As for the `May 13', it comprised real documents taken in the secret chamber (that keeps confidential documents) in London, and unbiased writing on what actually happen then. Just can't wait to finish it.

Other books might take a few days or months or years for me to finish, Like Faisal Tehrani's `Tuhan Manusia' that needs a very sharp mind before you can actually consume what he's trying to convey. While `Pengembaraan Ibn Battuta' is the direct translation version of Ross E. Dunn's English version, I think you can imagine how complicated the sentence structure and everything. And there are several others that I haven't even finish, I just hope I can finish those as soon as I can. Nevertheless, I love reading good books. This is one of the most practical way for us to open up our mind and increase our knowledge that eventually will enhance our ability of thinking and maturity of actions.

So people, let's read ;)

P/S : You won't be a nerd just because you like reading, right Hazel? Haha

23!

Assalamualaikum and hye to all.

Today, I am officially two-three! Terasa tua pulak



Thanks to all for the wishes, messages (erm, via friendster, SMS, third party or any other means), gifts, cakes, treats and prayers. Although celebrating birthday is quite unusual for me, lovely thoughts from friends and loved ones always cheer me up and make my day. Today's outing was fun too! Thanks a million ;)

THE DONUT REVIEW

(this is not so important, so you can skip this if you feel like it)
On other different note during the same day, we walked from KLCC to Pavillion just for these:

We were just so curious on other people's testimonials on this particular doughnut. Is it so so so delicious that made everyone queue-up all the time(as seen on tv, magazines and other people's blogs) ? First impression really captured us, although we went NOT during meal hours/school holiday/weekends/public holiday, the queue still and always exists. Oh extremely curious.


However,bak kata pepatah, curiousity kills the cat. Hazel even asked the kakak kaunter `Which are the best selling doughnuts?', but the kakak kaunter herself could not make up her mind and pointed at various doughnuts. OR simply because she malas nak layan kitorang kot.

Later on, we take turns and tasted each and every doughnuts, and commented on them. Someone insisted us to record our comments so some of us won't forget to put those in our review.Lastly, our honest opinions concluded as "OK la, kelebihannya adalah donut dia lembut la tapi takde la sedap sangat, agak manis la jugak.Kiranya takde la craving sampai nak beli lagi dan lagi". Maybe sebab kami high expectation sangat kot. One good suggestion from us is for them to come out with original and simple doughnut, without any filings or decorations, just simply plain. I'm pretty sure they will attract more crowd. No offense, okay, J-Co Donut lovers ;)

OK I'm done with my doughnut review, now you guys punye turn plak, Hazel and Jasa. Oh Hazel already made her review. Jasa tengok la, if she's not busy with her Project Runway (ahahaa I'm so jealous!!). Look out for their blogs ok people.

Hey let the birthday girl have fun today ok? Hehe thanks ;)

New Year

Assalamualaikum dan selamat sejahtera,

Salam Tahun Baru 1429.

Tahun baru ni ada beberapa perkara yang diharapkan akan berlaku (insya Allah) seperti berikut:

1.Akan mula kerja
2.Akan dapat gaji pertama
3.Akan mula kumpul duit untuk tukar the most significant liability
4.Akan belanja beberapa orang yang terpaksa dibelanja (hehe)
5.Akan mengamalkan pemakanan sihat (oats, workouts, more fruits, etc..)
6.Akan berbelanja secara bijak
7.Akan membuat kerja-kerja berfaedah untuk orang lain
8.Akan kerja dengan rajin dan ikhlas
9.Akan meningkatkan pengetahuan dan menambah amalan praktikal
10.Akan merancang masa depan yang cemerlang (ayat skema tak ingat..)

OK sekian.

Argh malasnya nak start kerja! Rasa cam tak bersedia je.

Oh sebelum start kerja for good mari kita membuat reunions and meet-ups dengan kawan-kawan lama (Ci, bila nak qada' belanja aku ni?! Lain kali suruh bakal-bakal doktor tu je yang fix pastu kita follow je plan diorang.huhu) sebelum kita hanya akan berjumpa (most probably) pada hari kahwin masing-masing sahaja.Oh no, I actually hoped that we'd see each other more often ;(

200th post : Crossroads in Life

View from Eiffel Tower

Dulu waktu sekolah rendah, saya bercita-cita nak jadi cikgu.

Bila masuk sekolah menengah, up sikit, nak jadi pensyarah pulak.

Lepas PMR, tiba-tiba rasa nak jadi doktor. Jadi ambil kelas sains tulen.

Lepas SPM, dapat pula scholarship yang boleh tahan, masuk universiti untuk jadi engineer.

Dah habis belajar, kena pilih pulak, nak jadi engineer dalam bidang electronics/hardware devices ke nak join O&G field?

Consider minat ke, nak yang banyak cabaran ke, atau tertakluk kepada external factor(s)? (ehem)

Mana lagi nak buat master? (konon la.Eh tapi kalau nak buat pun, later or part time la, not for the time being ;)

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*Bila di universiti, baru perasan saya tak sesuai jadi doktor sebab cuak tengok darah. Kesian tengok orang kena operate, sakit.Takut salah bedah kang, naya je.
*Bila di universiti, baru perasan saya tak berapa sesuai jadi pensyarah, sebab macam malas sikit buat research (kurang kesabaran) dan kadang-kadang susah nak terangkan konsep sesuatu. Yang simple, basic boleh la.

*Bila di universiti, saya struggle untuk belajar perkara yang saya tak berapa minat demi untuk dapat good grades dan grad on time (good grades ke? Huhu tak de la sangat pun). Tapi apa pun, lepas belajar 5 tahun, saya akui ada juga perkara-perkara yang saya minat dalam course ni.

*Bila di universiti juga, saya mula kenal strength and weaknesses saya dan sedang berusaha untuk improve for the better.

---

Well for me, life is all about making decisions, no matter right or wrong, as long as you have faith in yourself, try your best in everything you do and believe that everything always happen for some reasons, with Allah's will every decision will be the right one.

*Ye, solat istikharah dan doa secara constant juga sangat membantu!

ISA and its perspective

I watched some hot coverage on the topic 'ISA dan perspektifnya' during last night's prime time news in TV3. The reporter asked a few professionals and political big shots about this matter, in short they were to give their opinions on the relevancy of ISA practice in our country. This issue was debated heatedly, especially when there were big issues happened. The most recent one is the Hindraf case. Or else, it fades away together with the unattended sorrow and pain of the detainees and their families in Kamunting, Perak.

Just a few months ago when Mr Malik Hussin won RM 2.5 million over the government for his wrongful detention and torture under the Internal Security Act (ISA), the nation had opened their eyes wide. That ISA is NOT NECESSARILY RIGHT. The ISA is no small issue to be neglected or just to be discussed only at a place and at a time, it's actually the lives of people who were never get into trial, and never are really proven guilty that we talk about. The ironic (but expected) fact that majority of the detainees are `coincidentally' the opposition political parties members which made the situation inconveniently understandable. As far as we know the authority never had the slightest intention to terminate, or at least review the ISA act as demanded by the thoughtful rakyat who care.

And now the ISA issue is a hit of the town again due to the Hindraf chaos. I think I not need to highlight again how bizarre the case is, where 31 Hindraf supporters were said to be charged of attempting murder, and days later, they were free to go. Next, it was the leaders turn, perhaps their fate is much worse. Five of them were detained in ISA. And in this case, ISA seems to be the best solution `for the sake of the country'.

Last night, when our beloved TPM was asked to comment on the latest Washington's critics on the Hindraf case, he eventually snapped back and said something like this "So can Washington actually explain their act on the detainees of Guantanamo? If they can, then we would response to their critics". OK, a safe yet heroic answer by our TPM but for me, it does not explain anything. Infact, I've been wondering, was it that hard in Kamunting that it is vaguely compared to the Guantanamo?

Whatever it is, I would like to highlight Raja Nazrin's response in this matter :

Q: The Internal Security Act (ISA), where a person could be detained if he is seen as a threat to public order and national security, has been seen as one of the measures the government could resort to. Your comment?

A: I hope it is used very sparingly, if at all, and only when there is a genuine threat to national security. It should never be used to stifle dissent.

I couldn't disagree more with his opinion. However to violate the human's rights and loose definition of a possible ISA victims such as "he has acted or is about to act or is likely to act in any manner prejudicial to the security of Malaysia or any part thereof or to maintenance of essential services therein or to the economic life thereof." as we can see in the paragraph below is just too much, don't you think?

Malaysia's Internal Security Act (ISA) is a preventive detention law originally enacted in the early 1960s during a national state of emergency as a temporary measure to fight a communist rebellion. Under Section 73 (1) of the ISA, police may detain any person for up to 60 days, without warrant or trial and without access to legal counsel, on suspicion that "he has acted or is about to act or is likely to act in any manner prejudicial to the security of Malaysia or any part thereof or to maintenance of essential services therein or to the economic life thereof." After 60 days, the Minister of Home Affairs can then extend the period of detention without trial for up to two years, without submitting any evidence for review by the courts, by issuing a detention order, which is renewable indefinitely.

(the paragraph is referred here)

If there are concrete reasons for the ISA to occur by any means, can someone prove it to me and make me understand, please? I'm just a little too confused here, like most of everybody else.

"Saya Orangnya"

The prime time news last night and the newspaper headlines today had said it all.
The man in the DVD had spoken.
Thus, it is expected that the high commision of MCA and also the country leaders would ask the man to leave for good, although the man says "I'm sorry, but I'm not resigning" (NST front page, 2 January 2007).
Prof Emeritus Datuk Dr Khoo Kay Kim and Syed Hamid Albar (just mentioned a few names) thought he should go too, but UMNO Labis thought his heroic act for admitting the truth was worth more than his unforgivable sin (or in other words, they would support him through ups and downs, which also means he can still be their leader no matter what he'd done! Are they blind or what?)
What a pathetic way to start a new year with the election is just around the corner. Is this really a brutal coincidence, or what political strategy are they up to this time?

Let YOU, ME and the MALAYSIANS be the judge.
(I certainly don't need this kind of person as my leader. Do you?)