Hipster

I have been looking for the right word to describe my definition for this kind of people. It has been awhile until I came across this word in a recent Facebook post. It matches correctly.

The clearest example goes viral on Facebook nowadays. Sejak aku kembali berjinak dengan aktiviti outdoor ni especially hiking, dan aku joined satu group Facebook. Tujuannya nak dapatkan info menarik seperti tempat or lokasi hiking, tapi aku dapat sakit mata instead. The growing numbers of hipster hikers are such an eyesore. 

You can obviously tell the difference between a true hiker from the hipsters. And the mishaps started coming in with accidents, falls, tonnes of rubbish, forest fires and even deaths are common. They are simply ignorance and plain careless. They don't do homework and zero experience, but yet boasting via selfies.

Apa orang buat, depa pun nak buat jugak. Tambah lagi ada mobile phone canggih untuk selfie, post on social medias & mula meraih popular. Orang lepak Starbuck to enjoy the freshly brew caffeine, depa pun nak jugak. Depa tak enjoy pun coffee tu, but main handphone, selfie & post & boast.

Orang amalkan hidup sihat, bagus lah depa sahut kempen tu. So the running industry had a boost from health conscious minded people. Yang baru tersedar dari lamunan beratur beli nasi lemak or roti canai. Maka ramailah yang participate in events. Dan banyaklah running events tumbuh macam kulat. Aku sebut kulat instead of cendawan sebab event ni semua mengenakan bayaran yang mahal. Setakat nak lari 10km tapi kena bayar sampai RM80. Tapi these hipsters tetap setia sebab it is their new living culture, hidup sihat, trendy. Tidak disangkal juga, ada yang berjaya sehingga ke peringkat ultra distance, tapi bila aku tengok muka depa, it is empty in passion. 

Tak payah tipu or cover dengan ribuan 'likes' or gambar-gambar selfie merata dunia hang pi.

Hence, we have a new species and a wide variety of sub-species. From hipster hikers to hipster runners. And ada jugak hipster big bikers. Yang ini ada segelintir yang akhlak habis ke laut. Setakat ni, agak masih kabur nak determine hipster cyclists. So far, it looks genuine.

#passionate

#hipster

#poser

Going Independent

Setelah hampir 18 tahun bekerja makan gaji, akhirnya aku telah membuat keputusan untuk resign dan mengambil langkah yang agak drastik dalam perjalanan hidup 45 tahun ini. Aku decide untuk bekerja sendiri. At this age and with the commitments, it is a risky attempt tapi aku dah tak boleh tahan dengan atmosphere kerja makan gaji yang terkadang tergelincir dari batasan baik dan buruk. Aku ingin memasang niat semula, iaitu mencari rezki yang halal & cukup.

"We will be forever a sovereign democratic and independent state founded upon the principles of liberty and justice and ever seeking the welfare and happiness of its people….”. 

- Tunku Abdul Rahman.

Aku mulakan dengan mengambil cuti tanpa gaji selama sebulan. Just in case, the try out fails, aku boleh masuk pejabat semula. Tapi aku mungkin belajar through laluan yang agak jauh or sukar sebab aku tiada vision yang jelas tentang apa yang aku nak buat. A piece of me nak jadi penulis, another piece of me nak jadi penterjemah. Dunia yang sangat baharu untuk aku dan banyak ragam yang perlu aku pelajari. 

Tapi Allah swt itu Maha mengetahui, sedangkan aku langsung tak pernah terfikir atau find deep inside yang aku ada bakat lain. 

My closest friend was my sister. She supported my idea of quitting my job and try my own. She keeps track of my everyday progress. She keeps on motivating. She outlined every steps for me as guidance.

Betul. Apabila setiap bulan bergaji and suddenly takde fix income for a month, boleh memeningkan. Apatah lagi bulan kedua dan ketiga. The commitments build up and the challenge became stressful. Tapi keputusan tekad aku untuk tidak kembali makan gaji mendorong aku untuk terus bergelumang dengan beban. Aku yakin, it will be temporary. Allah knows best.

That was where aku melipat kali gandakan hubungan aku dengan Allah swt. Setiap saat dalam solat aku really appreciate. Aku betul-betul communicate dengan Dia. Aku hayati every baris bacaan ayat-ayat Al-Quran serta tasbih dan tahmid yang keluar dari bibir ni. 

Dalam aku mencari-cari pendapatan tetap, aku menerima beberapa kerja freelance menterjemah. Aku terjemah abstrak thesis, laporan, SOP dan sebagainya. Tapi income tidak konsisten. Aku ambil sebagai rezki yang halal dan pengalaman sambil membantu mereka yang memerlukan. Niat kena betul.

My sister threw me an idea which I think was feasible. In December she persuaded me to open an intensive class for primary school students. Hence the marketing took place few weeks prior through Facebook, Whatsapp groups etc. 

Alhamdulillah, I survived the two weeks programme. Dan dalam pada itu, aku bertambah yakin dan motivated to start my own tuition class in 2016 as my fix income.

Alhamdulillah, sekarang dah masuk bulan kedua aku menjalankan, mengurus dan mentadbir my own tiny business. It is service oriented. The education industry. Mendidik anak-anak jiran ilmu. Diharapkan berkongsi ilmu ialah antara amal jariah yang terjamin ganjarannya di akhirat kelak.

Ma'a As-Salaama 2013

Tu dia...it means goodbye in Arabic.

By this time, everyone will endure the year-end-fever of recapping what they went through for 365 days. Facebook will be flooded with them. Blogs? Not quite as popular as Facebook. Perhaps lesser crowd & publicity, hence less glamorous. I would just stay in this sleepy hollow talking to myself & whoever remains idolising the blog world. 

Praise to Allah s.w.t., the year passed by in a jiff. Not Ziff. Where is he anyway? I missed his Snail Pace writings. Time has taken the acceleration lane year by year. We grow older faster. Our kids also. By the time we have a sip of coffee on that fine evening, only we realised that we have yet to do a lot of things.

2013 was earlier planned as a year for casual. No major exams for the kids, so it was supposed to be a less stress year. It was indeed, in the house I meant. Alhamdulillah. But the world out there is not. Politics and war and killings are just getting dirtier and inhumanly. Na'uzubillah. May we have His forgiveness & love & protection.

That was global.

My path as a so-called weekend warrior didn't escape the chance of doing the weekend-warrior-stunts. No, I didn't climb any super elevation mountain, nor did I run an ultra distance event. I did not even cycle to the end of the world clocking super human miles. 

I just did the normal routine of cycling on weekends and signing up for some. I pursued the routine of yester-years as part of my istiqomah program. At this age, I don't see any extreme new-things-to-do is feasible. I don't see it can groom my resume, nor can it help me gain...weight? I don't know what to continue...

What I did was gathering some cycling friends with the same broad perspective about "Cycle & Food" and we planned for some cycle trips. That was when we had the chance to cycle to neighbouring Hatyai, the Sumpitan climb and a few other epics while indulging into local food. Most were done on weekends without jeopardising other family commitments. 

My second half of 2013 was a bit dirty. I welcomed the monsoon with my cream-pie Niner by signing up for the PCC Presidential Ride & a few other mountain bike jamborees.

My running went haywire. I took a few steps earlier of the year but it didn't catch any momentum. Now the image of running haunts me, though the itch still remains. Perhaps next year lah.

Aah! Was that a waste of 365 days? Not achieving any personal goals? Boring stuff. Every year doing same thing only.  

...Alhamdulillah. 

Next year? I do have some new ideas besides repeating what is on schedule. One of it is taking up bike touring. The activity is picking up with the growing numbers of bike lovers in the country. Also my growing age tends to see into a more quiet kind of cycling that would perhaps suits my slower pace & peaceful mind. I might write a book for that. Chewah.

Best of both worlds. Touring bike, but too expensive

I should start from the 'beginning'

That should include my attire

And plan my tour...simpang Kodiang ada 3 marhalah lagi der

That's a wrap. Have a blessed 2014!

Segenggam Ilmu

Tatkala dunia sekeliling sibuk berlumba-lumba mengejar impian masing-masing, aku hanya akur dengan kehendak Illahi dalam menatang tanggungjawab yang telah diamanahkan olehNya. Satu tanggungjawab yang di dalamnya mengandungi proses pembelajaran untuk pengalaman baru yang secara dasarnya merupakan titik permulaan untuk cabaran-cabaran yang akan datang.

Lumrah dunia dan lumrah manusia, evolusi hidup perlu dilalui mahu atau tidak. Orang yang disayangi akan lebih membawa pengertian dalam perjalanan hidup kita, lantas mengorek setiap inci komitmen dalam diri ini demi untuk melihat kejayaan.

Sesungguhnya segala ketentuan yang hakiki adalah ketentuan Illahi, namun seperti yang diriwayatkan, kita adalah kita yang kita bentukkan. Kecintaan dari Yang Maha Esa merupakan titik perubahan sama ada ketentuan kita akan menerima anugerahNya atau tidak.

Jiwa kehambaan dan senantiasa redha dalam mencari ilmu Allah digalas dengan penuh cermat agar tidak sekali terlondeh dari pegangan. Tatkala bahu dan tangan terasa lemah, tatkala itu seruan Illahi menyeru kembali agar perjuangan diteruskan demi mencapai ketaqwaan sebenar. Begitulah yang dirasakan hubungan kasih sayang dari Pencipta Yang Maha Penyayang.

Hari-hari yang berlalu diambil sebagai pengajaran. Hari yang ditunggu-tunggu muncul tiba dengan penuh rasa sayu dalam kegembiraan dan kesyukuran. Genangan air mata berkaca seketika, memikirkan kebesaranNya dalam memberi nikmat dan balasan tatkala suasana hingar bingar di institusi. Segunung tahniah dan syabas dari hasil perjuangan yang tidak berbelah bagi.

Jazaakumullahu Khairan Kathira

Allahuakbar 

Genggam bara api biar sampai jadi arang

Dzikir Abu Nawas

Tiada yang lebih indah selain dzikir Abu Nawas yang sentiasa menyentuh jiwa tatkala kita bakal meninggalkan Madrasah Ramadhan.

The Ultimate Journey

Assalamualaikum wbt

Sempat gebang sikit hujung minggu ni since cuti Nuzul al-Quran ni ada kelapangan sikit. Gebang pun tak boleh panjang-panjang macam kuliah Subuh sebab banyak urusan lain jugak yang kita kena kawtim kan.

Petikan beberapa perkongsian berikut ni dari Ustadz Hanif Ghazali yang mai kat surau kami tanggal 27-Julai 2012 yang lalu. That would be circa 6-Ramadhan 1433 Hijrah. Ustadz ni punya memori memang tersangat aku kagum. Perhaps dia guna Core2 duo kot.

Dia merakamkan segala tarikh-tarikh kemenangan Islam sejak dari 1 Hijrah lagi sampai ke zaman ini. Paling koman pun yang aku boleh recall, ada dekat 20 lebih tarikh dan peristiwa yang beliau kongsikan. Hampir 10 minit jugak lah dia kasi perabih sejarah tu dengan tarikh dan sedikit ringkasan sejarah tersebut.

Jadi dapat dikupaskan bahawa Islam memang hebat zaman terdahulu especially zaman kepimpinan Rasullullah saw serta zaman khalifah-khalifah yang terkemudiannya. Hebat tak hebatnya mereka tu, hampir kesemua peperangan besar mereka peroleh kemenangan di bulan Ramadhan. Dalam menjalani ibadah berpuasa pun, mereka bukan sahaja mampu mengangkat pedang untuk berjuang, malah siap menang lagi. Ni bukan pi Olimpik siap boleh keluar statement qadha puasa sebab nak mengharumkan nama Negara beb. Mana ada hukum macam tu kecuali untuk mereka yang benar-benar sakit atau musafir untuk ke jalan Allah swt.

Sampaikan satu peperangan yang menarik perhatian aku, ustadz bercerita, kaum Yahudi siap tak nak berperang dengan tentera Islam di bulan Ramadhan sebab takut kalah. Sama ada mereka akan cuba habiskan perang tu sebelum sampai Ramadhan atau siap boleh pospon lepas Ramadhan. Sampai begitu sekali kehebatan umat Islam dulu. Allahuakbar.

Aku dapat simpulkan sendiri, keyakinan mereka dengan Allah swt yang tak berbelah bagi itulah kunci untuk kemenangan para sahabat tatkala itu. Subhanallah.

Lantas ustadz memanggil kita untuk merebut peluang di bulan yang teramat mulia ini untuk bermuhasobah. Mengenang kemungkaran yang telah kita lakukan selama 30 or 40 tahun kita hidup di dunia Allah swt ini. Tatkala inilah peluang yang terbuka luas Allah swt beri peluang atau buka pintu taubat untuk kita. Rugi sangatlah kalau kita tak grab the chance. Dah 30 hingga 40 tahun kita ni lara/lagha sangat dengan keduniaan. Dan pernahkah kita terfikir Allah swt yang maha pengasih & penyayang itu sentiasa memberi kita peluang untuk mengejar ketaqwaan dah 30-40 tahun jugak? Kalau 30-40 tahun kita masih lagi menganggap Ramadhan itu hanya berpuasa sebagai adat, maka sebaiknya lah kita timbal semula ideology tersebut. Jangan kita teruskan amalan sekadar ikutan semata-mata. Ambil lah peluang kolej Ramadhan ini sebagai  training ground untuk kita mengejar the ultimate marathon.

Seperti yang aku janjikan sebelum ini, ustadz menyentuh tentang malam seribu bulan iaitu malam Lailatul Qadr. Malam pengampunan yang ultimate dan di mana Allah swt akan limpahkan rezeki kepada umatNya yang beriman. Ustadz bagi tips macam mana kita nak kecapi peluang tersebut. Formulanya agak mudah tapi memang memerlukan komitmen & keikhlasan yang ultimate.

Solat berjemaah waktu Maghrib

Solat berjemaah waktu Isya’

Solat berjemaah waktu Subuh

Kalau dapat kawtim yang tiga ni, InsyaAllah aku rasa kita juga tiada masalah untuk menunaikan solat-solat sunat tengah malam yang lain seperti tahajjud, taubat, hajat & solat sunat tasbih. Yang sunat inilah sebagai pelengkap di mana Allah swt senantiasa akan kagum dengan umatNya yang sanggup meninggalkan keenakan tilam & bantal yang empuk hanya untuk memperhambakan diri untukNya.

Ini bukan gebang kosong beb. Ini janji Allah swt yang telah tertulis di dalam Qalamullah. Janji Allah swt yang tidak akan dimungkiriNya.

Tapi jangan juga kita menyesali kerana tidak merebut peluang ini sebab terdapat beberapa golongan yang Allah swt tidak akan ampunkan dosa mereka walaupun para Malaikat cuba untuk mengaminkan doa mereka. Antara golongan tersebut ialah:

Mereka yang mensyirikkan Allah

Mereka yang menabur fitnah

Mereka yang melakukan dosa besar di bulan Ramadhan seperti minum arak

Mereka yang melakukan dosa secara terang-terangan di bulan Ramadhan seperti membuka aurat

Mereka yang memutuskan silaturrahim. Kalau ada yang masih bermasam muka dengan sahabat tu, elok lah sangat pi mohon ampun & maaf. Apatah lagi kalau punca bermasam muka tu semata-mata sebab dunia.

Mereka yang menderhakai ibu bapa mereka. Jangan tunggu raya baru nak mohon ampun & maaf. Sekarang ni elok pi buat teruih.

Na’uzubillah. Moga dijauhkan kita dari tergolong dalam golongan-golongan ini. Kalau kita masih atau pernah terjebak atau melakukan kemungkaran ini, rebutlah peluang bulan yang penuh kebesaran ini untuk bertaubat. Nak tau cara bertaubat, boleh mula dari sekarang untuk mencari ilmu taubat itu sendiri. Cara paling mudah untuk kita berjinak-jinak dengan pendekatan taubat, pi attend majlis Qiamullail yang dianjurkan di mana-mana surau dan masjid berdekatan. Sure ada punya, especially bila dah dekat-dekat nak habis Ramadhan ni.

Kalau kita boleh menyalurkan tenaga & komitmen untuk habiskan marathon, ultra marathon, powerman, ironman, swim marathon, jalan kaki 12 jam, kayuh beribu-ribu kilometer, raja bukit ka, aku rasa paling koman sejam setengah kita menurunkan martabat kita untuk sujud kepada Allah swt di Qiamullail pasti boleh. Pencapaian keduniaan dengan medal dan PB yang kita banggakan sangat tu, takde gunanya kalau kita masih tak kembali kepada jalan Allah swt, iaitu jalan yang menuju kepada kejayaan hakiki iaitu syurga Allah swt. Ini pesanan untuk diri aku, untuk keluargaku dan juga untuk sahabat-sahabatku.

“Sesungguhnya Kami menurunkan al-Qur’an pada malam al-Qadar, tahukah engkau apakah malam al-Qadar itu? Malam al-Qadar itu lebih baik dari seribu bulan. Pada malam itu turunlah malaikat-malaikat dan Jibril dengan izin Rabb mereka (untuk mengatur) segala urusan. Malam itu penuh kesejahteraan sehingga terbit fajar.”

(al-Qadar, 97: 1-5)

Sharing is caring

Alhamdullillah segala puji-pujian, Tuhan  yang memelihara & mentadbir sekelian alam. Syukur ke hadrat Illahi kita telah melepasi fasa pertama bulan berkat Ramadhan. Semoga kita mendapat rahmat Allah yang diutuskan melalui malaikat-malaikat yang senantiasa berdoa untuk orang-orang yang beriman.

Aku mohon ampun & maaf di atas segala kekhilafan dalam meninggalkan blog untuk berkongsi bersama ilmu-ilmu Allah swt yang saban hari kami di surau tidak putus-putus terima dari ustadz-ustadz. Sehingga malam ini aku terpanggil untuk berbicara tentang tanggungjawab kita menyampaikan ilmu-ilmu (peringatan) ini untuk panduan kita mengejar ketaqwaan. Terutama di bulan yang penuh barakah ini.

Surah al-A’la

[8]Dan Kami tetap memberi kemudahan kepadamu untuk (melaksanakan segala perkara) Ugama yang mudah diterima oleh akal yang sihat. [9]Oleh itu berilah peringatan (kepada umat manusia dengan ajaran Al-Quran), kalau-kalau peringatan itu berguna (dan sudah tentu berguna); [10]Kerana orang yang takut (melanggar perintah Allah) akan menerima peringatan itu; [11]Dan (sebaliknya) orang yang sangat celaka akan menjauhinya, [12]Dia lah orang yang akan menderita bakaran neraka yang amat besar (azab seksanya),

Kuliah subuh weekend yang lalu kami didatangkan dengan Ustadz Badrul Hisham, yang sememangnya terkenal dengan kehebatannya bertutur mengenai ilmu Allah swt. Beliau cuba membawa kami dalam mengupas isi kandungan dan matlamat setiap amalan kita di bulan Ramadhan. Ini adalah semata-mata sebagai peringatan buat kita bahawa sesungguhnya ibadah berpuasa itu adalah rukun dan bukan adat.

Ustadz cuba mengupas rahsia ilmu Allah swt tentang puasa & sekaligus cuba mengkaitkan dengan segala ibadah lain dalam rukun Iman kita. Bahkan ustadz menggalakkan kita mengenali ilmu ibadah ini & difardhukan kita untuk senantiasa berilmu dalam mengerjakan ibadah. Ilmu akan membawa kita kepada kefahaman tentang apa yang kita buat & bukan semata-mata ikutan kerana dengan sekadar ikut-ikutan, kita belum tentu mendapat keredhaan Allah swt. Sesungguhnya dengan ilmu itu, ibadah kita akan lebih bermakna mudah-mudahan akan membawa kita kepada keimanan yang ultimate.

Ustadz menyentuh tentang ibadah solat. Sesungguhnya ibadah ini difardhukan untuk kita sebagai bekalan dunia. Kita saban hari mendengar solat itu tiang agama. Benar. Tanpa tiang-tiang ini, kita akan mudah alpa dengan arus dunia yang semakin hebat melalaikan kita. Fardhu bermakna wajib. Itulah hisab pertama yang akan dipersoalkan di hari perhitungan kelak. Bahawasanya dengan kekuatan yang Allah swt kurniakan untuk kita, Istiqomah yang kita kejar kerana resam kita di dunia ini sentiasa gagal dengan isitiqomah. Maka semoga kita lebih berilmu dalam mengerja rukun pertama ini. Hadiri lah majlis-majlis ilmu, banyakkan bertanya dan tatapi lah buku-buku panduan agama.

Peringkat kedua dari solat ini, ustadz memanggil kita untuk mengenal pengertian berpuasa itu sendiri. Tentang rahmat Allah swt. Apa itu rahmat? Contoh yang paling nyata di fasa pertama ialah tak lain tak bukan dengan fenomena kehadiran yang besar dari umat Islam ke masjid-masjid dan surau. Allah swt telah menurunkan rahmat ke dunia dengan menyentuh hati setiap di antara kita di setiap pelusuk dunia untuk sama-sama ke masjid mengerjakan ibadah solat berjemaah. Itu lah di antara fenomena rahmat Allah yang sangat aku kagum. Pernahkah kita terfikir? Berjuta umat mengejar rahmat ini kerana peluang ini hanya didatangkan kepada kita hanya di bulan Ramadhan. Sesungguhnya Allah swt telah berjanji bahawa setiap amalan di bulan besar ini akan dibalas dengan ganjaran yang berlipat kali ganda. Itu janji Allah. Janji yang telah dinyatakan di dalam kalammullah, al-Quranulkarim.

Fasa kedua Ramadhan juga dikenali dengan fasa pengampunan atau maghfirah. Namun pengertian pengampunan tidak akan hadir tanpa rasa penyesalan di atas segala kemungkaran yang selama ini kita lakukan. Berbalik kepada rahmat yang kita kecapi di fasa pertama, beserta dengan kesedaran iman & istiqomah, maka kesedaran di atas dosa-dosa yang lalu akan kita rasai. Di saat dan ketika inilah kita akan bermunajad memohon pengampunanNya dengan rasa penuh penyesalan. Alat atau tools yang paling popular untuk kita terus memperhambakan diri ini adalah melalui Zikrullah. Zikir membantu kita sentiasa mengingati Allah. Setiap lafaz dibibir perlu penghayatan yang mendalam sehingga hati kita tersentuh dengan zikir tersebut. Lebih banyak kita berzikir, lebih sentiasa kita mengingati Allah, sekaligus kita akan terus memohon keampunan & meninggalkan segala kemungkaran.

Fasa ketiga. Fasa yang sering kali kita dengar sebagai fasa pembebasan dari api neraka. Di mana inilah sefaham aku sebagai matlamat kita hidup di bumi Allah. Bumi yang Allah pinjamkan untuk kita sebagai khalifah bagi mentadbir kehidupan kita sendiri, keluarga malah persekitaran kita. Segalanya adalah untuk dunia yang ultimate iaitu kehidupan di hari akhirat. Syurga. Itu yang kita mahukan. Sesungguhnya terdapat 4 jenis umat yang akan sentiasa dirindui syurga (1) Orang yang sentiasa membaca al-Quran. (2) Orang yang sentiasa menjaga pertuturannya. (3) Orang yang memberi makan kepada orang yang lapar. (4) Orang yang berpuasa di bulan Ramadhan.

Kita boleh kupas sendiri pengertian 4 jenis orang ini sesungguhnya ia nampak mudah untuk kita kecapi tapi tanpa ilmu, tanpa keimanan, tanpa istiqomah dan kesedaran sangat mudah juga untuk kita leka & melepaskan peluang yang Allah janjikan ini. Bahkan kita tambah lagi dengan kemungkaran.

Dalam kita mengejar keberkatan Ramadhan, jangan sekali-kali kita lupa dengan tanggungjawab lain kita sebagai umat Islam. Perkara-perkara yang paling asas seperti menjaga aurat. Ramai di kalangan kita yang semakin mengambil mudah dengan tanggungjawab ini. Bahkan sudah menjadi lumrah mencampur aduk kan ibadah dengan keingkaran menutup aurat. Kita berpuasa, kita bersolat tapi kita juga masih tidak menjaga aurat kita. Perkara paling asas ini perlu diperingatkan dari peringkat awal iaitu di peringkat organisasi keluarga sendiri. Ayah & suami selaku ketua keluarga adalah dipertanggungjawabkan untuk membimbing ahli keluarga tentang ini. Bahkan ingat mengingati juga perlu ada istiqomah dalam kita sama-sama menuju genggaman ketaqwaan.

Sesungguhnya apa yang buruk datangnya dari aku dan yang baik hanya dari Allah swt. Cukup setakat ini yang sempat aku kongsi bersama ilmu Allah swt dengan bantuan ustadz melalui tazkirah-tazkirah yang mampu aku catatkan.

Di 10 malam terakhir Ramadhan akan berlakunya malam Lailatu Qadr. Mudah-mudahan kita bersedia untuknya kerana belum tentu kita akan bertemu Ramadhan yang akan datang. Rebutlah peluang. Semoga dengan kekuatan yang Allah kurniakan, aku akan cuba kongsi bersama kehebatan malam tersebut. Allahuakbar. Amin.

Window

With this tiny window left of Syaaban, I hope it is not too late to wish Ed-Mubarak to all Muslims. May we get the best of Barakah & Rahmat from Allah swt in this great month. And may we pray from this tiny window, it will open up to a wider perspective of beautiful Islam for all of us.

Allah swt may have given us another chance to meet Ramadhan again this year. Praise to Allah for the health and opportunity.

I was on a roller coaster ride for the past few weeks. The central nerve system crashed at the very last moment prior to Ipoh Century Ride. Though, mentally I was in a lower anticipation of the ride, a small residue of spirit rode away with friends completing the distance. Truth be told, I was not so disappointed from the absence. Only Allah swt knows what is best for me.

Recovery took ages for this old module. I was mentally weak with only enough memory to run the task of an employee. Not even a gigabyte. Being so tight with work schedule, I have only a handful of mind left for the remaining task and chores for the family. Not a single glimpse of thought was managed for my love of cycling. The evening was only spent following what remains from the stages of Tour de France. If I fell asleep with only 10 km to finish, the morning shall be spent watching the race highlights. However, the spirit of it was not as high as before. Adding to the calamity, I found more favorite riders abandoning the tour, be it due to injuries from crashes or from failing doping tests.

Allah almighty. He gave me strength to recover just in time for Ramadhan. From the burnt out spirit of cycling and the flu, I was re-fresh for Ramadhan. As a human, the building blocks of Rejab & Syaaban went pass me in a brief. I pray that I have the strength for the powerful Ramadhan challenge.

Allow me to shed some light from tonight’s message of tazkirah.

In this early chapter of the holy month, we were reminded to be prepared for it. We are being given this chance, this year. We should cherish the moment in full swing and take advantage of  the capital given by Allah swt for the investment.

1.    Aqidah. It is a strong word. We should embrace the definition. We should look back and recuperate our beliefs and faith. Make it stronger. Put it deep into our hearts that Allah swt is the only God & Muhammad s.a.w. is his messenger. Faith in the science of al-Quran. Faith in Malaikat. Faith in the afterlife. And even in Qada’ & Qadar. How far have we embrace the Rukun of Iman?

2.    Knowledge. Grab this chance to go deeper into the knowledge of Islam. Start from the simplest things of wudhu’ and solat. Or even our perspective of aurat. An even the meaning of salawat is a very strong insight. Or even we may need to define ourselves to the task of Tarawih. Knowledge brings us closer to being Taqwa, as we do not want our sacrifices goes down the drain without knowing the right knowledge.

3.  Physical. Stay healthy and strong. No it’s not for the races and challenges after Ramadhan that we so looked forward to. Not the KOM. Not Powerman. Not even for that 10K race a week after Aidilfitri. We need the stamina to embrace the 30 days with plans and workout schedule for Ramadhan. Tarawih, Tadarus, Tahajjud, Hajat, Dhuha, Tafsir, Tazkirah. This is one great building block.

4.    Focus. Ramadhan comes only once in a year. Chasing the glories of PBs and podiums or even logging dailymiles for the rest of the 11 months had to make way. This is the true and reality of the eternal life. We might want to consider cutting down time spent on day works and workouts. Go moderate. Forget about those hill repeats for a moment. Cut down on those training talks. The amount of amal is so small compared to the life that we chase on this surface of earth. How do we justify that? Are we prepared to answer for the judgment day? Allahu akbar. The almighty and nothing comes close to Him. Not even the 20k carbon frames, or the 15k Lightweight wheels.

It is still not too late. We are provided with the chance. Again. For this year. Some souls were not. They have returned to the Creator. Last year’s Ramadhan was their last. We? We don’t have the slightest idea of what awaits around the corner. We might not be able to see Aidilfitri after all. Or even that race we have signed for. Hence, this window is our chance.

These may sound so harsh for some but I’m just shedding some lights of the importance of the true fight that we should be thinking of. May Allah swt have mercy on us and give us strength to fight our place for the ‘podium’. Amin.  :]

Blitz Coverage

Waited patiently for the light to turn green in mid-day, exposed to the ultra-V and fume. Clock ticking and sweat started responding to the humidity. A black seven series Bimmer turned into a junction. Big car. Small driver. A mid-age guy in an executive suit, tucked lazily behind the wheel enjoying the smell from his burning European dashboard. I think he'll freeze to death if he don't share the car aircon with somebody soon. 

Another car tried squeezing from the far left lane. Taking advantage of it's miniature sleek design, it swerves, making a screeching sound from the friction between the tyres and it's mudflaps. My eyebrows raised seeing the full laden Viva. A huge lady driver with four kids and another lady passenger seated at the back, huge too. So, that's where the scientific friction formula came from. And of course the aircon was full blast. Noticeable from the flying compact disc hanging from the rear view mirror.

Blitz

Blitz Coverage

She sits by the table almost every evening. So focused. So delicate. So fragile. Yet she holds the bold and mature look. Without a second of regret. Upon reaching home from religious class, that is her routine. She sacrifice her evening play with friends. The carnage of cry and laughter beyond the door are now handled with wisdom. With only a laptop as company and loads of Youtube music videos, that's the way she stays concentrated. The challenge is big. At least for her. Her first one. The task is no where easy, nothing compares to the last five years. The anticipation is high. 

Blitz

It's always cooling on this side of The Valley in the evening. Klang Valley, famous for its tropical thunderstorm and flash floods, always entertains fellow motorists on their peak hour rushing for home. Here, the season is always felt like autumn. OK. I lied. I never had any chance to feel autumn breeze. The cool breeze blown from the hectic city cools off our night, simply refreshing, catering our night chauffeuring to classes and a simple glass of 'teh tarik' with fellow knights of the square table.

Bzzzt...

The age seems taxing. Those yesterdays of weekdays' workouts weigh a tonne to do it, left alone to complete a simple playlist on the trainer. Run? None in the playbook so far. By the time reaching home, it was just enough fuel to freshen up for the duty at hand in the coming hours. The remaining energy are kept aside, just enough to accumulate to invest for the weekend workout.

Between KakLong & me, it's our tune of the week frequenting extra classes every night

Give the disabled, pedestrians and cyclists priority

I came across this article from a Facebook wall which could help keep the awareness. It's good that our mainstream newspaper have a coverage like this. KOSMO reported as well, but sadly misleading readers with their highlights about the victim's bike price. What are they thinking? I guess it's about time that motorists have a 101 lesson about road ethics.

20 March 2012

Road rules must protect cyclists

By Fauziah Ismail |fauziah@nst.com.my

Give the disabled, pedestrians and cyclists priority

Cyclists are entitled to share the roads with other motorists.
My kids' friends cycle to school.
There's no dedicated bike lanes. God have a mercy on them

ON a fellowship at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom back in 1998, I was given a bicycle. It helped me a lot as Norton House at Wolfson College, where I was staying, was quite a distance from the university library or my supervisor's office in the city.

But I stopped cycling after a near brush with death. I was cycling to the university library when a van, to avoid a collision with another vehicle, swerved onto the bicycle lane I was on. I managed to get off the bicycle and jumped aside in time to avoid the van.

Cyclists do not pay road tax and are not licensed, but they have the right, like other vehicle users, to use the road and be shown courtesy and care by other road users.

There are now about one billion bicycles worldwide, twice as many as cars. The global bicycle market was US$60 billion (RM183 billion) last year. Some 130 million bicycles are sold every year globally.

A study has shown that bicycles are an efficient and effective mode of transportation that provides numerous benefits compared with motor vehicles. Besides exercise, it is an alternative to the use of fossil fuels, with no air or noise pollution, much reduced traffic congestion, easier parking, greater manoeuvrability, and access to both roads and paths.

The advantages are less financial cost to the user as well as society as there is negligible damage to roads. However, a cyclist is not protected in crashes, particularly with motor vehicles, and there is longer travel time (except in densely populated areas), vulnerability to weather conditions, difficulty in transporting passengers, and skill and fitness are required.

That notwithstanding, there is a growing interest in cycling in Malaysia the past year or so. Azizulhasni "Pocketman" Awang brought the sport into the limelight last year after winning World Championship medals in cycling.

The advent of the foldable bicycle also saw an increase in the number of people taking to the roads. On weekends, you can find residents' associations or cycling groups organising events and rides. I have friends living in Taman Tun Dr Ismail going for rides in Putrajaya on Saturday mornings.

But is it safe to cycle on our roads? Last January, national cyclist Mariana Mohamad suffered multiple fractures to her ribs and forearm after a Perodua Kancil swerved into her and other cyclists during their simulation exercise.

On Sunday, cyclist Rafizi Hamdan was killed in a hit-and-run accident involving a Proton Saga. He was among the thousands of cycling enthusiasts who frequent the back roads heading out of the city on weekends.

And they are at the mercy of the motorists while on the road.

In Malaysia, there are no regulations protecting cyclists, unlike, for example, in the UK and Australia. In the UK, there is a highway code which covers bicycles while in Australia, there are special road rules for cyclists. In California, there is a section in the Department of Motor Vehicles' driver handbook on sharing the road.

In Amsterdam, cyclists and pedestrians have legal priority over cars in many urban areas. It was in the 1970s, when confronted with spiralling oil prices, that the Dutch government invested 10 per cent of its budget on cycling -- a massive amount of money at that time but one that has reaped dividends as it has since established the Netherlands as the cycling capital of the world.

There must be a comprehensive campaign to make cycling safe here. The authorities may want to consider a road user hierarchy here, where the disabled, pedestrians and cyclists are given priority. We may need to change the culture of our roads by ensuring that vehicles give way to cyclists and pedestrians at all times. They are part of the normal traffic flow and are entitled to share the road with other drivers.

Or, the authorities may want to look into designating areas where people would feel safe and happy to cycle.

I may just take up an offer by my Taman Tun Dr Ismail friend to cycle again, but only when I am convinced that the roads are safe for cyclists.

Share what?

After mishaps upon mishaps (counted 4 so far) especially the ones that happened to our fellow friends who share the common passion for sports, we are stuck with a very big question mark - What are the appropriate measures taken to lessen or prevent it from happening again?

Whatever sports we take up, there are of course risks. Risk of being strike by lightning if you're playing golf. Chased and bitten by dogs or snatch thieves while running. Or simply the risks of injuries from over exertion while training or racing. To me, yes to me, the worse could happen is getting killed by a fellow motorist.

Where does the future leads?

I am just another typical Malaysian who rides a motorbike to work, trying to earn a living, raise kids, live life to the fullest on weekends, etc. My perspective towards Malaysian motorists, especially Klang Valley, sadly said, are just another selfish ignorance soul. Yes, I understand that you are stucked in bad traffic everyday on weekdays, hence you don't need to tell the whole world that you earn the empty road on weekends. Tuning out loud the car audio, using the mobile phone for texting or making or receiving calls, or revving your weekend collectors' race machines are just the dumbest things to get oneself getting the 'killer' status. You might never know, that someday or any minute, you or me or anybody might kill or get killed by our own selfishness.

Good idea?

We are not morphs or insects that got smudged on your car bumpers or windscreen. We are fathers, mothers, employees, employers, sons, daughters, teachers or another government servants. We are not fugitives nor criminals that litter your roads. We don't ask a lot of you, just a mere 2 meters away would just do us fine and of course a bit of your RESPECT. And don't harass or irritate us with your honks because that would just reflects another chapter of your selfishness.

Hello Mr. Government. What are you guys doing when life are taken by another sick soul? 40 years of surviving Malaysia, the trend is to wait until someone dies then only a tiny idea would crop up. But that would be it, and it will be scraped away when a better news appear about a corrupt politician. But the clock is ticking and the statistic keeps rising. When can we have a bigger campaign for sharing lanes & educate respects? America have done it. Australia as well. Even Jakarta. Better still, Penang have their voices put across the lanes.

Wouldn't this be nice if we have this at Jalan Loke Yew?

If you are too busy strategizing on maintaining your seat in the next election, please take a few seconds scouting around that cycling is taking up the centre stage in our country. Almost every weekend we have cycling events all over the place. Don't you notice? And you think that cycling or running or whatever sports are just another cheapo stuff compared to getting Arabs to shop here?

Have a Sunday off from motorised vehicles into the city. Perhaps closing all roads would be ridiculous but selected roads would be good enough. You don't need to close the whole three lanes of your beautifully engineered road, we just need one lane. No need for the whole day, because we'll be busy with our families in the afternoon. You don't need to appoint a syarikat adik beradik road contractor to pave another lane for us, you just need road paintings. Perhaps these are raw ideas but hey! You smart guys sent Malaysians to the moon, right? Why not a simple bike lane hinder your creativity?

This could be another good action

You've started le Tour de Langkawi to put us in the eyes of the world, why not maintaining the perspective? What else you want to compete in the race when the mentality and heart are at risk of being corrupted by the rate of development?

At the end of it, if you don't want to spend a cent, we just need RESPECT. That's all. Isn't that what everybody needs? Duhh...

Genting Peres...soon

UPSR & FTAAA XC

UPSR

The awaited weekend was halted when Yasmin came back from school on Friday with a notice about UPSR briefing for parents. This is mandatory, considering she's the first family member to sit for a major exam. It will be the benchmark for the rest of us. It will prove how good parents perform in meeting current national academic demands. Wait till you read the rest of it. Scary! And cycling plan had to take a rain cheque...

The yearly Larian Integrasi was also held the same day. This time it was not opened for parents, hence I left my running shoes at home. Nak jugak tu! Hahaha. OK, no run for me until the archilles tendonitis is gone. Say, until February? 

Parents were placed in the assembly hall. The new school principal, a lady, with lots of experience I presumed, started giving speech about UPSR. It gave me the chill when she started tabling the statistics. It got scarier when the PIBG Chairman started sharing his views about the current school performance and what is expected for the coming years. The scariest of em' all was when the Head of UPSR Committee (can you believe that? They have a task force for that!) started tabling out the school programs for the kids. The exam will be in September, and you can expect the tempo will start rising as we approach February. That will be only seven months. And you can start feeling that there won't be the luxurious of time in the world to be wasted.

I remained cool (on the outside of course) and kept it to myself, for not wanting to trickle any premature panic in the family, especially mom. Though I sensed a mild hysteric sensation around her, I presumed she's also having some deep thoughts about the strategy.

For the moment, we'll just follow what is laid out for us. Yasmin will do her best attending primary school in the morning and KAFA class in the afternoon. Kumon will continue as usual, that should help with her free time and ditch Facebooking. Extra classes at school will be on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights and on Saturday morning. One tuition only on Thursday. No more Quran classes on weekdays' nights but will have to be with yours truly on sempat-or tak sempat basis. That's about it I guess. Six out of seven days a week is about nice. Sunday is for chilling. InsyaAllah, the best will be upon us all.

FTAAA Cross Country

Though Amir ran the Larian Integrasi at school on Saturday, he was still determined to run the FTAAA Cross Country on Sunday. He was excited about it. I had to put aside any cycling plan (again...sigh...again...) after 'asking' him for 20 times about the run. Attempt melambung anak sendiri pun jadik. Hehe. The orang kampung convoy fled off for Padang Merbok at 6.30 a.m. that morning with Det, Naufal (his kid) and Nizam. Macam biasa, konvoi superbike berkapasiti kecik.

The usual crowd from Tibi Run it seemed. Just enough the size to be manageable. Most of are the regulars, I can call hardcores. You can tell from the exposed quads and calves from the 3 inch running short. These guys really meant business. Going for the limited medals. Then there were the school kids, who came in by buses! Five bucks per entry for them, you won't loose a cent. Makan roti sardin kat Pelita pun dah RM5.90.

On top of the syok-sendiri emcee who was mostly talking about country's running prospects (I don't quite understand his point actually), the categories were flagged off 10 minutes apart. Syah dropped in for a 'bidan terjun' bib. Det, Nizam and Ray ran their first Junior Veteran race. And for my Amir, his first 2012 official run. I was side lined by my injury, hence I stood there as supporter and shutterbug.

Joyfully everyone managed to secure cups of Milo while appreciating the piece of medal. Or should it be the other way round? Securing medal while appreciating Milo?

Amir missed the medal quota but got himself a finisher certificate. As usual, they won't bother about the piece of paper. But I'll make sure it will be on his wall of achievement. Kasi decorate bilik sikit selain gambor Transformers tu.

Young athletes...start to get bored after the run

Roti canai, roti telur, roti tisu...bab makan sama je macam ayah

Juniors, Junior Vets and Power Bidan Terjun

Lovely (Pic by Aini Kasim

Aku pakai skirt labuh eh? (Pic by Aini Kasim)