Thursday, January 29, 2009

Menteri worker

Some Ministers never write back to you when you write to them (tak kira la Menteri BN ke PKR) but my vote goes to YB Dato' Sri Azalina Dato' Othman Said.She reads her letters, you know.God bless this lady. :))

I'm counting as I write to more.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Cuti

Crawled back to Raub to attend my nephew's newborn's cukur rambut.I simply refused to cook.Penat lah.Lagipun I had a bad flu.But much was also catered.Entah apa extra stuffs they cooked.The bubur tasted good.Wanted to sit and learn how they did it (nak cari tukang masak bubur cukur cucu pun susah these days.The cooking technique is different.Bukan main masak je.I managed to interview one nenek.Must write this down.Kalau tak silap she said 5 bungkus tepung beras campur satu tepung pulut.Kapur about the size of your thumb (5 thumbs)...ya..measurement macam ni a bit confusing..some people have bigger thumbs....), santan..aiyoo..I tak ingat sukatan santan dia..someone help! Lepas tu they have a special mould to press the stuff into boiling water (kalau tak silap...I was not in the kitchen to observe the process).

It was a good get together, though.We had two shifts of kenduris.Pagi and petang (for the men).The following day everyone went for a picnic.River picnic.Water was muddy but we found an anak sungai (airnya jernih) and it's amazing how you can have two rivers flowing 2 different directions with different colours of water (satu muddy, satu jernih).Nik lost his glasses cos' he forgot to take them off (too excited jumpa sungai!).Can you imagine he would not allow me to drive the car back to KL? He drove without glasses.I zikir till my tasbih terputus!

Anyway, we had to visit his cousin in Tmn Tun who just lost a nephew in Cherating (he drowned during a family picnic outing).I think the sea in the east coast is not safe to swim in this time of the year.And our kids are not taught swimming at sch (despite us being surrounded by water).When will the Ministry of Education invest money in swimming lessons? (they should start with coastal kids or at least employ fulltime lifesavers.Nik's cousin would have lost all 3 nephews had it not been for two kind foreigners (an Aussie and an Iranian who were strong swimmers).They managed to save 2 of the 3 kids.Dengan izin Allah.
What's so amazing with this family is, there was no remorse.Everyone was so accepting of the tragedy.My American friend who converted to Islam once said, "Muslims die well." Or rather we mourn well.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Dr M's Open Letter and an American's Response to It

Macam selalu, I ketinggalan keretapi tanah melayu (zaman 50s) cos' I just got to read Dr M's open letter to Obama.Shimah Osmond said it came out in a local daily some time ago.Heh.

I circulated the letter (which I received in my email) to some American friends.One came back with a nice response.Iqra'!

I wholeheartedly agree with all of these points with just two caveats;

1) Dr.Mohamad neglected to mention the issue of trade. The U.S. isat the center of the so-called "free trade" agenda which has done more to undermine economies, labor and environmental protections, and the national sovereignty of many so-called "third world" nations than most of the illegal wars the U.S. has waged since the 1800's.

2) Dr. Mohamad says that "democracy does not always work" (for non-western countries) and complains about U.S. attempts to "democratize" them. When has the U.S. ever supported democracy? The U.S. was not founded as a democracy and every democratic reform that has produced today's approximation of democracy has met with stiff resistance. Despite the overwhelming victory in the polls for Barak Obama, had the vote been much closer I am certain that the election would have been manipulated as the last two were. In Ohio alone there were numerous attempts by Republican legislators to deprive likely Democratic voters of their voting rights ( these attempts were overcome by the astute actions of our new state attorney general). Nationally we still have the scourge of "electronic voting machines" which cause our entire election system to be insecure. We know that Obama won the election, but we have no way to verify the actual tally.

Internationally the U.S. has typically intervened to PREVENT democracies from talking root, and has supported dictatorial regimes more often than not. The false pretense of "spreading democracy" , as in the case of Iraq, Grenada, Nicaragua and Panama has been a thinly veiled ruse for establishing client regimes. Perhaps Dr Mohamed finds it difficult to understand why even progressive-minded Americans have such difficulty imagining a successful or desirable form of governance that is not based on (real) democracy (the ultimate progression of which, in my view would preclude Capitalism). It is ingrained in our consciousness because it is something we have struggled for for generations and have yet to truly achieve. E

E was responding to this:

Open Letter to Barack Hussein Obama President-elect of the United States of America
ByDr. Mahathir Mohamad
on January 1, 2009 3:59 AM

Dear Mr. President,

I did not vote for you in the Presidential Election because I am Malaysian.But I consider myself one of your constituents because what you do or say will affect me and my country as well.I welcome your promise to change. Certainly your country, the United States of America need a lot of changes.That is because America and Americans have become the best hated people in the world. Even Europeans dislike your arrogance. Yet you were once admired and liked because you freed a lot of countries from conquest and subjugation.It is the custom on New Year's day for people to make resolutions. You must have listed your good resolutions already. But may I politely suggest that you also resolve to do the following in pursuit of Change.

1) Stop killing people. The United States is too fond of killing people in order to achieve its objectives. You call it war, but today's wars are not about professional soldiers fighting and killing each other. It is about killing people, ordinary innocent people by the hundreds of thousands. Whole countries will be devastated.War is primitive, the cavemen's way of dealing with a problem. Stop your arms build up and your planning for future wars.

2) Stop indiscriminate support of Israeli killers with your money and your weapons. The planes and the bombs killing the people of Gaza are from you.

3) Stop applying sanctions against countries which cannot do the same against you.In Iraq your sanctions killed 500,000 children through depriving them of medicine and food. Others were born deformed.What have you achieved with this cruelty? Nothing except the hatred of the victims and right-thinking people.

4) Stop your scientists and researchers from inventing new and more diabolical weapons to kill more people more efficiently.

5) Stop your arms manufacturers from producing them. Stop your sales of arms to the world. It is blood money that you earn. It is un-Christian.

6) Stop trying to democratize all the countries of the world. Democracy may work for the United States but it does not always work for other countries.Don't kill people because they are not democratic. Your crusade to democratize countries has killed more people than the authoritarian Governments which you overthrew. And you have not succeeded anyway.

7) Stop the casinos which you call financial institutions. Stop hedge funds, derivatives and currency trading. Stop banks from lending non-existent money by the billions.Regulate and supervise your banks. Jail the miscreants who made profits from abusing the system.

8) Sign the Kyoto Protocol and other international agreements.

9) Show respect for the United Nations.I have many other resolutions for change which I think you should consider and undertake.But I think you have enough on your plate for this 2009th year of the Christian Era.If you can do only a few of what I suggest you will be remembered by the world as a great leader. Then the United States will again be the most admired nation. Your embassies will be able to take down the high fences and razor-wire coils that surround them.May I wish you a Happy New Year and a great Presidency.

Sincerely,
Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad
(Former Prime Minister of Malaysia )

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Obama's inaugural address

happy family


My daughter and I stayed up to watch the address live on CNN (but I was antara tidur and tidak.Gal saw it to the 'doa' bit which I missed.She said it was so hilarious even Obama ketawa hensem).


But I heard what Obama said and I had problem with this bit:


To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.


Re-read the one marked in red.Who are the leaders meant here? It cannot be Bush or Ehud Olmert cos' they don't blame their society's ills on the West..so maksud dia siapa? Kitalah in the East...pemimpin2 Islam? Pemimpin2 third world countries? Tun Mahathir? Mugabe? Hassan Ahmad Al Bashir? Saddam? Mahmoud Ahmednijad?


I'd say kurang ajar budak hitam ni!

Tapi dia tetap hensem bergaya.Am glad si hudoh yang sekor lagi tu dah out.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Muslim brothers are more feared than Israelis/Americans (penetrating the region)?

Gaza agreement eludes Arab leaders (taken from http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/01/200912094318555996.html)

Arab leaders have failed to agree on a specific mechanism to support reconstruction in Gaza following Israel's offensive there, despite vowing to provide Gazans with "all forms of support".
Disagreements over how aid should be chanelled to Palestinians blighted the Arab ministers' meeting, held on the sidelines of an Arab economic summit in Kuwait, on Tuesday.
"We have not reached a conclusion because of time constraints and some positions," Hoshyar Zebari, Iraq's foreign minister, told Kuwait Television, without giving details.
"Under these circumstances, it is supposed that all should make concessions for the sake of Arab reconciliation ... Efforts are still being made to hammer out a united position," he said.
Faisal al-Meqdad, the Syrian deputy foreign minister, said: "Realistically speaking, there are differences among Arab brothers."
Arab leaders have pledged $2bn to help reconstruct the Gaza Strip after a three week Israeli offensive that devastated the territory's infrastructure, left 1,300 Palestinians dead, and thousands more displaced.
But there have been disagreements over how the aid will find its way into Gaza, with countries including Saudi Arabia concerned about giving funds directly to Hamas, which currently administers the Gaza Strip.
Rifts over Israel
"They [the Arab leaders] decided to confine themselves in a general statement to postpone differences," Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra reported from Kuwait.
"Saudis and Egyptians are very sceptical of [giving money to] Hamas for one reason," he said.
"They think Syria and Iran are using Hamas to destabilise the region and provide the Iranians for an opportunity to further penetrate the Arab region."
The question of how to respond to the Israeli offensive has divided Arab nations, with some nations calling for strong action while others prefer a softer approach.
At the Kuwait summit, Syria and Qatar held Kuwaiti-mediated discussions with Saudi Arabia and Egypt in an attempt to heal the rift.
While Qatar and Syria favour a firm stance on Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia have said that the conflict has its roots in the alleged interference of Iran.
Shaky ceasefire
At a special meeting in Doha, the Qatari capital, last week Arab countries were urged to review their ties with Israel and to suspend a 2002 Arab peace initiative.
But Arab foreign ministers prepared a different set of resolutions for approval on Tuesday, including a pledge of support for Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president whose Fatah movement controls only the West Bank.
Arab leaders have also called for a framework to be set up to cement a shaky ceasefire, called separately by both Israel and Gaza on Sunday.
At least 17 Arab heads of state were attending the two-day economic talks in Kuwait while senior representatives stood in for the other five member states of the Arab League.
The summit itself was focused on accelerating economic integration among Arab states and confront the fallout of the global financial crisis.
The summit's final session was delayed by the disagreement over the Arab response to Israel.

Monday, January 19, 2009

After so many deaths....

...this news is a comfort:

King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia pledged on Monday to donate one billion dollars towards the reconstruction of the Palestinian coastal territory, which has faced deadly attacks by Israeli forces since December 27.
"On behalf of the Saudi people, I declare the donation of one billion dollars for programmes to rebuild Gaza," he said at the opening session of the summit on Monday.
"We have to overcome Arab political differences that led to a division in the Arab ranks which can be exploited by those who want to achieve their regional ambitions," he said. (taken from http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/01/200911951538123422.html)

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Tomorrow, at Bangsar Sports Complex (Jln Terasek 3)


COMPLETE
COALITION OF MALAYSIAN NGOS AGAINST
PERSECUTION OF PALESTINIANS

'SAVE THE PALESTINIANS' CAMPAIGN
SUNDAY, 18TH JANUARY, 2009

PROGRAM

10.00 AM MY LIFE IN GAZA & MY LIFE AS A REFUGEE
by Dr. Abdraheem and Dr. Maan
Palestinians currently in Kuala Lumpur

10.30 AM WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN – PALESTINE MEDICAL RELIEF
by Dr. Musa Mohd Nordin, President, FIMA

10.45 AM THE PALESTINIAN TRAGEDY AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE IN THE STRUGGLE FOR A JUST WORLD
by Dr. Chandra Muzaffar, President, JUST

11.15 AM ADDRESS BY CHAIRMAN OF COMPLETE EN. ADNAN MOHD TAHIR

11.30 AM YAB TUN DR. MAHATHIR MOHAMMAD

12.30 PM OFFICIAL LAUNCH AND START OF KLANG VALLEY UNDER SIEGE
Performances by Khalifah Model School and Tree Theatre Group

1.00 PM BREAK

1.30 PM PALESTINE FROM THE ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE
by Dr. Hafidzi, M Noor, Director PACE

2.00 PM A CHRISTIAN RESPONSE TO THE PALESTINIAN TRAGEDY
Mr. Goh Keat Peng, Executive Secretary, MCCBCHST (Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism & Taoism

2.30 PM PALESTINIANS – WORLD'S LARGEST GROUP OF REFUGEES
by Lia Syed, Executive Director, MSRI

3.00 PM HAMAS – TERRORISTS OR FREEDOM FIGHTERS?
Professor Nazari Ismail, University Malaya

3.30 PM HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE GENDER DIMENSION IN THE STRUGGLE OF THE PALESTINIAN
by Dr. Irene Fernendez, TENAGANITA

4.00 PM PERSONAL ACCOUNT OF LIFE IN THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
by Palestinians from West Bank currently living in Kuala Lumpur (to be confirmed)

4.30PM SLIDE PRESENTATION* On site will be exhibitions, documentaries screening, FAQ corner.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Our way is no way

I deal with many people and organisations becos' of the nature of my job.Just an observation.Why is it orang kita ni kalau bercakap berdolak daleh? (tak kira lah bangsa apa pun) Kejap boleh, kejap tak boleh.I'm a very straightforward person.No means no.Yes means mengotakan kata. It's better to get a No and move on with life then a maybe and a year later it's a no.

As you can see, I am not a very patient person (cos' the job has to be delivered on time.And well).

You'll see differences when you deal with international companies.Senanglah.No means No (and you don't have to be rude when you say No).Yes means we will support you all the way, unconditionally.

Anyway, colleagues sibuk nak tulis surat kat Obama. I emailed the White House semalam.Saja nak buang masa. Kalau tukang cuci virus baca, ada juga yang baca, kan? :))

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Birthday bash

she knows how to enjoy a cupcake :)

Mom gave me a bouquet of roses

this orphan on the wheelchair is blind

Mahmud is from Gaza.He said they don't have a word for 'clown' in Gaza sebab memang tak wujud (hidup yang sentiasa tragis.His cousin died on day 2, kena bom dgn si jahanam Israel)

Pinko menyakat budak-budak

ini tuan2 dan puan2 jari berinai saya (inai sponsored by Datin Z, cupcakes by Kay, cincin suami beli kat Muscat)



Ali (tukang baca doa stail masjid Makkah yang dibawa khas dari Central Africa) bagi hadiah dia buat sendiri,.Kata Z, dia buat 5 jam.Nama Allah disebut 8 kali dalam bentuk bintang.Takbir!

Dia sungguh berbakat.Kalau baca doa, orang bergulung2 menangis sedih

cake sedap (Nikko Hotel)

clown terlindung pulak (the boys in the bground/Missing:Swabry.Balik Kenya to nikah)

Datuk N and kembar Siti Nurhaliza (we share same bday)

with orphan gals

gals at the orphanage




I turn er...26 today. Doa on sms yang paling disukai ialah:

Ya Allah Ya Rahman, berkatilah umur sahabat ku ini dengan limpah rahmat dan kasih sayangMu.Beri ganjaran di dunia dan akhirat ke atas kebaikannya, lindungilah dia dan keluarganya dari kejahatan dan kezaliman dan pimpinlah dia di jalan yang Engkau redhoi.Perkenankanlah permohonan ini.

The family and I celebrated my bday at an orphanage in the afternoon.Some pics.

To Datin Z who gave me inai kuku from Makkah, thanks! Beauty products memang saya suka.Hahaha.

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Betrayal

My next short story would be on this theme.What I recently experienced will be hard to express (no, it's not my husband cheating on me) but a question that continues to play in my mind is this: what does it take to be a good person? To be consistently good?

I cried on my prayer mat, reflecting.The lesson I learnt was that we cannot depend or hope that a fellow human being will solve problems of the world no matter how good he/she seems to be.No matter how committed a Muslim (this is the saddest part). I met a new friend.I thought this person was the hope of the ummah.Future leader (not politically).Bla bla bla.

Then something happened which made me feel betrayed.It hurt so much to feel betrayed.Now I know the feelings of wives whose husbands secretly took another.Or the feelings of husbands when wives went astray.Kelam rasa dunia.Trust is very important to me.I'm sure to everyone too.

It's hard to reason out why man falls (by this I mean woman too) esp. good man (and good woman).I should go back to lessons learnt from Shakespearean tragedies.The plays will tell you that it's wrong to be too ambitious, revengeful, vain, envious dan semua dosa2 besar itu. Material world, right? Lust? Teringat cerita seorang wanita sufi: sekiranya disebabkan aku orang berdosa, ambil lah mata ini oh Tuhan (I speak as a woman not me per se.My story isn't an autobiography.I did not lead to any man's fall except perhaps my own husband's.Hahaha)

Tapi ramai men fell becos' of women, right? (and I guess vice versa). I fear the same had or would happen to this dear friend I just met.I pray dia akan selamat dari hambatan syaitan.

Anyway, the events I'm coordinating this year is slowly shaping up (one is slower than the other.Dah lah econ situation pun slow.May God help me!)

Saturday, January 03, 2009

We still throb!

Got this in the mail:

A Palestine Awareness Day is planned for Sunday, 18th January, 2009.

Please tell others about this & come in droves.

This is the least we should do.

Details of meeting:

Date: Monday, 5th January, 2009
Time: 8.30 pm
Place: Songket Room, 1st Floor, Damansara Specialist Hospital
Agenda: Meeting for Palestinian Awareness Day

RSVP: Azra - email or 016 209 4500


and this in another:

Subject: Gaza Crisis: Diary of An Islamic Relief staff in Gaza: Part 6th

Salam,

Islamic Relief aid worker in Gaza,Mr.Hatem Shurrab continues to tell the his stories inside Gaza.In the sixth instalment of his diary, he says the humanitarian situation in Gaza is becoming increasingly desperate.

You can read and bookmark the link here:

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://news.bbc.co.uk%2F1%2Fhi%2Fworld%2Fmiddle_east%2F7802295.stm

To donate, please visit: http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.irm.org.my
--------------------

Thursday, January 01, 2009

Gaza Part 2

http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/2008/12/20081230122143645275.html

Gaza

Sometimes I feel Malaysians have stopped feeling.Are we so ignorant of what's happening beyond our shores? You watch local TVs, read local papers, you see nothing! Friends in Australia, USA, UK are all rallying against Isareli's mindless attacks on Gaza.I thought of friends, former students in Gaza.Hidup lagi kaa, mati dah kaa. I feel for those who find their way to Malaysia to lead a normal life..attend university, find a decent job to live like privileged you and I.


I burn inside as Gaza burns.Don't you?

So people, if there's any room in your heart, please give generously to a Gazan cause.The hospital authority in Gaza was saying they cut off electricity, medical supplies are low etc. Can you imagine the kind of hatred (or fear) Israelis have for this defenseless other? War criminal Bush attacked HAMAS for the rockets they fired.And that would all the world see.HAMAS fired rockets to Israel.They will forget who started the occupation/attack.The propaganda of Western media is too strong for any civil/rational mind.

I hope you'd find alternative news here http://english.aljazeera.net/

I hold all my new year celebrations in respect of innocents who died in Israeli's unlawful attacks on Gaza.

For Muslims, mari kita solat hajat supaya penjenayah perang mati dalam keadaan hina.This is my anger writing.