Monday, February 16, 2009

No news is not good news

I have kept myself busy in my own ways.The usual ways.Dining out with foreign guests, theatre, movies (at home, with my gal and Nik).Sometimes it's like not enough, huh? Takkan kerjanya makan tidur.And we had a one day seminar on Msian Lit in English.Why did I feel it played like an old record.I told Zul I needed new interest/s.I rasa byk benda kita buat ni superficial.Mengikut-ngikut telunjuk orang lain who had been there before us.I don't find any joy repeating what had been said or done before.Orang cakap pasal body, kita pun sibuk nak cakap pasal body (why not soul? why not mind?)

I experimented with writing science fiction last nite. A few more pages and it's done. I have not enjoyed my own stories for so long.Hahah.Penulis bermusim. Azian told me my story 'Teh di Bukit Tinggi' is included in DBP anthology (I won consolation prize.Dengar cerita ada orang voted it top 3 tapi ada yang lain kata ah..cerita ni biasa je.Whatever.It's all about taste masing-masing, kan?)

I loved the exchange between veteran writers Prof Muhd Haji Salleh and Wong Phui Nam at the seminar.Wong kata English writing macam terpinggir dan dia macam kecewa sebab takda recognition from authorities.But Prof Muhd kata don't write for those sectors but for those who care/who read.Macamanapun mesti ada yang akan baca.Biar sedikit.

Nice.

7 comments:

Pishaposh said...

Salam Dr. Faridah.

Tertarik dgn statement:
"I don't find any joy repeating what had been said or done before.Orang cakap pasal body, kita pun sibuk nak cakap pasal body (why not soul? why not mind?)"

-- Saya rasa, sebab utamanya, bila kita nak buat sesuatu yang baru, maka ada org2 yang *tut* ni akan kata ... eh, benda tu tak de orang buat lagi .. susah tau nanti ... Depa tak tau ka, bila tak dak orang buat, kita kena la cuba buat ... ibarat kata Toni Morrison tu .. If there is a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, you must be the one to write it -- harap relevan la ye quote tu di sini!

"But Prof Muhd kata don't write for those sectors but for those who care/who read.Macamanapun mesti ada yang akan baca.Biar sedikit."
-- ini hanya applicable untuk mereka yang menulis dengan penuh kecintaan sejati sahaja. Sangat utopian ... haha.

Bye!

Faridah said...

Hi Fisha,

Thank you for understanding the issue.Betul kata you.The trend in some unis in the West is: don't teach what your students can google on the net.Tapi IIUM has been doing that.Itu sebab Islamic Finance sekarang dah mengetop.Dulu masa kita mula2 letak dalam syllabus kita,semua orang kata nak ke mana dgn syllabus begini.Sapa nak buat Islamic Banks, etc.Lepas tu kita wajibkan Bahasa Arab kpd semua orang.Ada juga makbapak yang komplen why? why? Tapi tengok today...budak2 yang tau Bahasa Arab ni lah yang pergi ke Wall Street, World Bank (sebelum ia jatuh merudum)dan menjadi financial leaders everywhere.

I think kita tak perlu takut buat sesuatu yang original.

Faridah said...

oh by the way, did you read pasal conference 'tertutup' yang dianjurkan oleh Sisters in Islam (dirasmikan oleh Shahrizat)I find it funny.They claim they want to embrace ijtihad tapi they picked and chose their particpants (my friends yang tak sehaluan pemikiran were barred from participating) so ijtihad ke hapa? And they say they fight for justice.Tapi justice in Islam is for all BUKAN for women sahaja.Ini maksud I kita ni superficial.Terikut2 framework Barat.tehy need that kinda feminism sebab memang betul ada inequality.Jantan depa jahat dari jantan kita.

Yang I pelik, participants ni melalak2 pasal female genital mutilation and honour killing as though kalau sebut Islam, women, ini je lah masalah besarnya.Walhal masalah ni tribal dan bukan global.Why bring it to KL? I'm not saying don't raise it at all but I feel there are REAL issues which apply to most nations worth melalak about: like empowering women to be Presidents and Prime Ministers or even increasing more no. of women in Parliament kaa Dewan Rakyat kaa.Or issue lelaki tak bayar nafkah or lelaki not given equal rights after divorce (sic) di samping isu2 yang melibatkan wanita teraniaya.Kalau nak justice for family issues, kena la libatkan kedua2 pihak, kan? Tak semua wanita baik or semua lelaki jahat.

MBI said...

Dr. Faridah, I sokong apa you cakap tentang pembelaan wanita teraniaya atau yang turut sahaja 'fatwa adat' rekaan sang suami atau lelaki tak berbudi sehingga hidup derita atau jadi mangsa kejam sang lelaki.... Ini patut diperjuangkan. Situasi ini sebenarnya amat dasyat sehingga anak-anak menderita.

Faridah said...

Salam MBI,

Saya sgt gembira kalau ada kaum lelaki yang memahami keperluan membela kaum wanita.Kata bekas Prof saya (orang Melayu) kita telah semakin hilang sifat gentleman sebegini (itu sebab byk sgt penganiayaan terhadap kaum wanita)

Terima kasih di atas komen.

Pishaposh said...

Salam Dr. Faridah:

Pasal the conference tu, sorry, tak dengar apa pun. Tp, lately dalam paper bersepah cerita pasal MUSAWAH yg SII buat tu ... - towards eliminating gender discrimination.

Semalam bila baca Mingguan Malaysia, saya jadi macam lost - apa sebenar yg org ini cuba advocate kita? Equality yg bagaimana?

Nak suruh all Muslim states follow Turkey dalam Family law - semuanya equal? - kalau camtu, amek je la civil law tu ... equal [kalau nak sgt la kan ... cam Madonna - bercerai, laki dia jadi duda kaya raya camtu saja ...] - I just couldn't understand what they are fighting for ...

Kalau fighting for equality utk rights memandu, right to education cam kat Mesir nun, saya faham ... tp kalau rights dalam nak jd imam, nak jadi pemimpin ... Islam sgt clear ...

Ohhh ... please enlighten me!

Faridah said...

Ha'ah...nak jadi rebels tak kena cause.

But sometimes non-Muslim pun cekap memikir.Pernah satu hari golongan macam ni kena tegur oleh one non-Muslim scholar.At the end of the4 day, kalau bercakap takda/tak cukup ilmu, orang akan tau juga.