Ahmad Nesfu, The Old Malay Fallen Star : Tragedies Beyond The Smiles Of A Jester.

P.Ramlee has always been my favourite idol. His casual comical punchlines are evergreen and one of his loyal guests was the impeccable Ahmad Nesfu, a figure that is hard to be ignored, yet his life isn’t well-known to the Malaysians who are always tickled and keep in awe whenever his characters in P.Ramlee’s movies are being played. For me, I am always curious about him and did try to Google about him a few years ago but prove to no avail. But tonight as I am watching “Nujum Pak Belalang” (Belalang’s Father, The Shaman) film at TV2, Ahmad Nesfu’s character as Sultan Shahrul Nizam reminded me to Google about him and at last, I’ve found something about this incredible actor and I would like to share with my readers out there.

According to Wikipedia, Ahmad Nesfu was a Penang-born (yeay!), specifically at Tanjong Tokong and he was also known as ‘Pak Besar’ (Big Man) for his enormous nose. He was first involved in the industry as a theatre actor (‘bangsawan’) and also well-known as a Bilal (caller-for-prayer) at surau in Onan Road. Not much has been found about him except that it is stated that Ahmad Nesfu did seek shelter at a Japanese Fortress at Labu Road which was said not to be far away from Aminah Mosque in Nanas Road, Geylang Serai. I guess all these locations are in Singapore. My heart really fell for him; it seems like the fallen star died in poverty, ALONE…… *sniff*

He had starred so many movies; most of them were under the directorial belts of P.Ramlee such as :

• “Nujum Pak Belalang’ (Belalang’s Father, The Shaman)
• “Musang Berjanggut” (The Fox With The Goatee)
• “Pendekar Bujang Lapok” (The Old Bachelors Warriors)
• “Antara Dua Darjat” (Between The 2 Worlds)
• “Seniman Bujang Lapok” (The Old Bachelors Actors)
• “Ibu Mertuaku” (My Mother In-Law)
• “Laila Majnun”
• “Siti Muslihat” (Siti Of Trickeries)
• “Tun Fatimah”
• “Nasib Si Labu Labi” (The Fate of Labu & Labi)
• “Tiga Abdul” ( The 3 Abduls)
• “Madu Tiga” (The 3 Wives)

According to information I obtained from various sources via Internet, Ahmad Nesfu is said to be one of P.Ramlee’s best friend (according to Norizan, P.Ramlee’s 2nd wife). This was implied through his involvement in a lot of P. Ramlee’s movies. Although most of his salaries were meagre, but he was a thankful man who always grateful to whatever things that he got. He was said to be a very good Al-Quran reciter and his social life merely revolve in the Ampas Road studio itself. He was unmarried and parent-less and with that meagre salaries, he supported himself until the closure of Ampas Road, the Malay studio cinema. “Puaka” (Devil) was said to be his last film and with that, he had no where to turn to and ceased to be known to the public eyes.

For us the old Malay films aficionados, Ahmad Nesfu is simply a man with comedic features. Even with his simple facial expressions and the way he uttered the dialogues give you sense of ticklish atmosphere and you just feel enlightened with his characters. And it is very sad to finally know that beyond the face that keep us all Malaysians in jovial mood, lies a very tragic ending to the life of a fallen star. May Allah SWT places his soul amongst The Blessed Ones. Al-Fatihah.

Saiyyidatina Aisha R.A., Mother Of The Believers : Setbacks Are Blesses In Disguises (Story Of Honey. Penalty Of Adultery. Tayyammum Against Ablution).

Alhamdulillah, I arrived at this provincial Jitra, Kedah safe and sound albeit the traffic in PLUS highway was congested and vehicles were thronging along the highway. Anyway, it feels good to be welcomed back by the tranquil green pastures of newly-planted paddies. You feel the authentic calmness when you see the vast panorama; and with several white storks flying across the sapphire sky, you know it’s a real Monsoon Dream!

Today, I decided to Qadha’ (‘pay back’) my fasting days which were skipped last year due to the bad Tonsillitis I had. It’s also been ages since I devote myself into reading; so I thought that having a light-reading would be great. Perused my little-library at home and found an old book given by my late Al-Quran guru, Arwah Mak Cik Nen (May Be Peace Upon Her) entitled “Kisah Wanita Islam Terbilang” (Stories of Renowned Moslem Women). It’s nice to be immersed with all these amazing stories which chronicle about perseverances, motivation and filial piety. Anyway, I would like to share about Aisha R.A. – one of Prophet Muhammad’s SAW wife.

Aisha R.A. was the daughter of the Moslem’s first caliph- Abu Bakr As-Siddiq; who also happened to be Prophet Muhammad SAW’s best friend. She was 9 years old when she got married with Prophet Muhammad SAW. This marriage however is perceived as ‘horrifying’ by the modernized sceptical ideas as they perceived that marriage at the tender age of 9 years old is scandalous and abusive; nonetheless, they have forgotten that it was a normal customary amongst the Bedouin communities at that time and also from the point of view of sociology and anthropology, American scholar Colin Turner indicated that children in those days matured faster than in modern west; thus the idea of a 9 years old maiden AT THAT TIME to be consummated into a marriage ISN’T ABNORMAL and  ridiculous to be paedophile-classified. Nonetheless, critics of Islam refuse to acknowledge this and of course, keep bantering on the ‘poor’ character of Prophet Muhammad SAW; due to the pre-conceived loathe and hatred, I say.

Anyway, as one of “Ummul Mukminin” (Mother of The Believers), Aisha R.A. exhibited extraordinary traits; albeit she was not a perfect one. There are so many lessons that can be learned from her life – a mirror to say that even pious soul could sometimes be led astray. We, human are always born with flaws and defects.

As a young girl, Aisha R.A. had outstanding growth in comparison to her peers. Her biological as well as spiritual maturities were not in par with her greenhorn age.  Her intelligences was mesmerizing and her words of wisdom were beyond her childlike features. As a child, Aisha R.A. enjoyed playing with toys and one of the favourite was a winged-horse toy. One day, Prophet Rasulullah SAW passed by and when she saw him, she hide the toy due to her respect towards him. Rasulullah SAW asked her :

“Why did you stop playing  with the toy? Is that a winged-horse? Why it has wings? Isn’t it awkward for a horse to have wings?”

Aisha R.A. valiantly replied :

“O Rasulullah! Why not? Is it not that Prophet Sulaiman (Solomon)’s horse was a winged one?”

Aisha R.A. was undoubtedly someone who still possessed infantile traits despite her biological maturity and vast knowledge. It was said that when a thief stole her things, Aisha R.A. went verbally rampage cursing the thief. To her, Rasulullah SAW merely softly said, “Don’t you be in a sinful way by taking the sins from the bad deed done by others. You are throwing your virtues of righteousness (‘Pahala’) by cursing others.” It was through these indirect lessons that Aisha R.A. began to equipped herself with.

Besides this, there was the incident of framing-to-commit-adultery. Rasulullah SAW went for war against the Mustaliq and Aisha R.A. accompanied him. On the way back to Medina during night time, Aisha needed to ease herself. She went out without acknowledged to anyone because she thought it would only be of short stint. To her horror, a pendant borrowed to her by her sister, Asma’ had lost! Aisha R.A.searched the pendant for a while and when she went back to the camp, the entourage already left without her! She was panicked but remained poised believing that a help would be sent later. The next day, a man named Safwan was scouting the trail of the Moslem entourages. He was the marshal of the entourage; just to make sure that there would be no things left behind. He bumped into Aisha R.A. and helped her.

Upon the arrival to the entourage, some Munafiqs (Moslem pretenders) spread slanders that Aisha R.A. had committed adultery with Safwan! The news spread throughout Medina. Aisha R.A. noticed the changes in Rasulullah SAW as well as her parents. But she didn’t say anything up until Rasulullah SAW hinted to her:

“O, Aisha. If you had committed sin, then do admit and repent to Allah SWT because He is The Most Merciful. But if you are in the righteous position, then Allah SWT will proclaim your innocence.”

Aisha R.A. was flabbergasted and mortified. Her husband, The Chosen One doubted her! She cried to both her parents who happened to be in the same room.

“Father, mother. Please answer! Why do you keep quiet??”

“With Allah SWT, we do not know how to answer!”

Aisha R.A. knew that no one believed her even her parents. She braved herself and said :

“Allah SWT knows what’s right. I do not need to repent to Him for things I did not commit. But even if I am innocent, who will believe me? I am now in the same position as Prophet Yaakub (Jacob), who said that patience is the jewel of virtue.”

Aisha R.A.’s answer was like a lightning struck. At that moment, a revelation came upon Rasulullah SAW (An-Nur “The Light”, Verse 11) declaring that Aisha R.A. was innocent and also punishment for accusers who spread slander revolving adultery upon innocent people.

“Verily! Those who brought forth the slander (against ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) the wife of the Prophet ) are a group among you. Consider it not a bad thing for you. Nay, it is good for you. Unto every man among them will be paid that which he had earned of the sin, and as for him among them who had the greater share therein, his will be a great torment.”

Apart from these significant commotions in Islam pertaining Aisha R.A., the “Story Of Honey” also play important red-letter event. There is various alternative versions to the incident but all rendition involved Aisha R.A. and Rasulullah SAW’s wives.  The most famous would be that Aisha R.A. and Hafsa R.A. conspired with each other to stop Rasulullah SAW from spending too much time at Ummu Salamah R.A’s house because she was given a skin filled with honey and Rasulullah SAW loved savouring the sweet honey. Both Aisha R.A. and Hafsa R.A. conspired to tell Rasulullah SAW that his mouth smelt of bad breath because of the honey. Rasulullah SAW believed it was true when both his wives told him and swore that He won’t be savouring the honey no more. Upon the incident, a revelation (Al-Tahreem “Prohibition”, Verse 1) was bestowed:

“O you Prophet, why do you prohibit what GOD has made lawful for you, just to please your wives? GOD is Forgiver, Merciful.”

The following verses asked both Aisha R.A. and Hafsa R.A. to repent for their misdemeanour. Rasulullah SAW felt so sad and avoided his wife for a month. In this period, the wives learned their lesson and humbled themselves with harmony. 

Aisha R.A.’s life was indeed full with events. It was also because of the incident where she had asked the Moslem entourage to stop because her pendant had lost again that Moslems are given alternative to replace Ablution with Tayammum; if there is no source of water found. It was in a vast desert and Subuh prayer was approaching but there was no water source to be found. The entourage members began to put blame on Aisha R.A. and with that, a revelation descended (Al-Maidah “The Table Spread”, Verse 6) that Moslems can use clean dust and debris as Tayammum to replace water for ablution. Amazing, Subhanallah!

These show that even the pious soul can sometimes be goaded into Negativity. And sometimes, setback comes as bless in disguise. And this is a lesson to be learned from the life of Aisha R.A., one of the Mother of The Believers.

Style Of Jolie : Atelier Versace. Michael Kors. Ferragamo. Jenny Packham.

She is a person with the perfect Gemini qualities. She embodies the real essence of duality. She explores her own world with diplomacy and delicacy. Not only she’s an A-list Hollywood royalty, she does good things around the world via her UNHCR role and spread compassion to those who need it them most.

Chocolate Atelier Versace. At Cannes 2011 for Pitt’s “The Tree Of Life” premiere.

But what makes me so relate to her is because of her unpredictability and boldness. She admits that she has BDSM fetish and she collects knives and used to aspire to become a mortician when she was a child. She is also a self-professed bisexual and she doesn’t reject the idea of appreciating both male and female lovers. These honesties were perceived as ‘dark’ by mainstream ideas when merely they were simply her own siphoning. But as the time pass by, with all the loves and stability she gains in her life, the ‘beast’ inside is soften and she now graduates into a more sensible, caring and intellectual lady. 

Black Michael Kors at “Kungfu Panda 2” premiere at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, Hollywood, California.

Flow-wy cream Ferragamo at “Kungfu Panda 2” photocall at Cannes 2011.

These days, Angie is crowned as the most-photographed Hollywood star. Her red carpet entrances are wildly anticipated; either for her film premieres; or partner Pitt’s. She switches her chameleon sense instantaneously. She can just wear a simple veil in Pakistan or Afghanistan & then fits into fashion designers haute coutures! I guess she takes this as part of her job and to play with people’s enthusiasm towards her; so that she can address all the charity causes near to her heart by using her stardom status.

Grecian-regal-like one shoulder Jenny Packham at “The Tree Of Life” premiere, Los Angeles County Museum Of Art.

We all have our own dark desires. We have an alter-ego that is hardly expected from our usual persona. I do. I am not that innocent. With my innocent facade as a childlike, it’s inevitable for people to affiliate me with naivety and dainty. But, I am rebel with a cause. I speak my mind in a slithery way. After all, I describe myself as a Subtle Knife.

“My soul is like 2 sides of coins. One side is the “NurKasih” side. The other side is “S&M” side. There are times when I am feeling like a little angel with halo and piety as my wings; there are times when I feel like whipping ice creams and licking the sharpest point of knives.” – Shahrill Ramli.

Silver Screens & Thanksgiving :”Nurkasih” & “Pirates Of Caribbean 4 : On Stranger Tides”. Circumcision & Token Of Appreciation.

May 2011 has already surpasses half way and like always, I make full use of my weekend with endless social events. But on Saturday 21st May, Kak Ida has something came up so she asked me to replace her in the Additional Class for Year 6 pupils. So, I went to school for 10.30 A.M. slot (6 Active) and tentatively, 11.30 A.M. for 6 Dynamic. After done with 6 Active, Kak Halina came and said if I were to still proceed with 6 Dynamic because she thought she would be taking over the class. Well, for me, I have no qualm on letting go the class; so, VOILA; my weekend commences at 11.30 A.M.!! (,”)

On Saturday, went karaoke-ing and played bowling (as usual, I am sucks in bowling but who cares? I love the game, hahahaha!) at The Mines and then proceeded with “Nur Kasih”. I was quite in full enthusiasm as I love the concept of “Nur Kasih” drama which embodies the Heart of Islam. Furthermore, the combination from both husband and wife; Khabir Bhatia & Mirra Mustaffa always produce extraordinary masterpiece; in terms of cinematography or concepts. Nonetheless, sadly to say that the film fails way down from my expectation! The plot was draggy and monotonous; TOO INFUSED with unnecessary tear-jerking scenes (I got nauseated with that, I am sorry).

However, I got fixated with the Jordan scene; particularly the scene at Petra; albeit it was a brief scene and also the dialogues which are saturated with pious messages. Insya ALLAH, I dream to go there one day, Petra, Jordan with people I love and treasure most (,”). Anyway, I have to say that it was a disappointing unravelling of this “Nur Kasih” saga by Mirra Mustaffa; I prefer the drama than the movie – and as for the OST theme song; they should just stick to the original one sung by “Yassin” or if they want to use a female voice to sing the theme song, Siti Nurhaliza would be the perfect market for Islamic-oriented song! Sorry, but it’s just frustrating.

On Sunday, it was supposed to be Zaheed’s circumcision ‘doa selamat’ (Thanksgiving) – a pupil of mine who lived nearby who will undergo the Islamic circumcision procession in this upcoming school holiday; so a thanksgiving was held prior to the ritual. But I had another plan so  have to skip that. However, managed to give him some ‘token of appreciation’ before I fled (Hahahaha!). To the nearby Genting Highlands just to savour the cool breeze as opposed to the immense scorching heat at the downhill. It was quite refreshing, I say.

Caught “Pirates Of Carribean 4 : On Stranger Tides” at Genting via 3D and I’ve to say, it was all WORTHY! Johny Depp was brilliant as Captain Jack Sparrow; as witty and sly as always; and newcomer to the franchise; Penelope Cruz exudes sexiness as latina pirate, Angelica who happened to be Sparrow’s former lover and daughter of Blackbeard; an uncouth pirate! Cameo appearance with supermodel Gemma Ward is cast as Tamara, queen of the men-eating mermaids and Geoffrey Rush was good as Captain Barbossa– he added wits in his character.

Hans Zimmer, as always; gave the best music composition and you will never lose when you hire an Academy Award winner to do you film composition, eh? So, I guess the film; sans Mr Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley does not jeopardise the franchise- the only important character to be remain – JACK SPARROW! (,”). I enjoyed the CGIs as well as the cinematography and the plot- amazing! I give 4.5 stars outta 5!

Tomorrow, the pupils will be having their Mid-Year Exam. Good luck, my pupils- 5 Gallant (my beloved class); 4 Flexible and 4 Brilliant. I pray for the best.

Anyway, I just opened my Teachers’ Day presents and I am so touched by them; especially of those given by my pupils who are not from well-to-do families; but the excitement to lavish their teachers with their tokens of appreciations are just so overwhelming. I appreciate that immensely- the clocks, the prayer mat, the Yassin plaque (no doubt taken from the house’s decoration because of its broken frame), flowers, ceramics, frames, fluorescent paraphernalia, etc. Thanks my pupils. I love all of you. Sincerely.

The Oaths & Promises Of Malaysian Teachers : 2011 Teachers’ Day @ SK Serendah (My 2nd Year – A Merry Time In Sombre Days).

Although the world recognizes 5th October as the World Teachers’ Day, Malaysia picks 16th May as its own Teachers’ Day to commemorate the induction of “Razak Report” (Penyata Razak) which has ever since commenced as the basis for the Malaysian education policies. With 2011 as my 2nd year in SK Serendah, the celebration is generally a sombre one due to the plights and problems faced by some of my colleagues – mystical ailment, diabetes operation, pneumonia-esque symptom, chronic viral-and-heart malfunction, suffering from gallstones and the latest is said to be an incident of wandering-or-lost-into-thin-air; nonetheless, the atmosphere is embroidered with merriness, just to light up everyone’s spirit and not be led astray by the dull negative energies.

The morning started with morning assembly where pupils from both sessions; morning and afternoon came together; so you can imagine how it must have been to have more than 1,500 pupils thronging the school frontal compound! After a series of professional and personal speeches (From the Minister of Education, Headmaster, etc), the prefects cheered out their Teachers’ Day wish and distributed cards to each of the teachers they elected. So happened that dear Aisyah Abu Bakar, the 5 Active pupil who also one of the Choral Speaking Team of which I trained was the one who got my name- it was a little bit touching and at the same time hilarious to read what she wrote :

“Cikgu terima kasih. Cikgu adalah cikgu paling sempoi. Walau tegas di sekolah, tetapi di Facebook, sir suka bergurau. Sir, terima kasih kerana telah memberikan sokongan di SKKKB2 untuk jadi pemenang. walau hanya tempat ke-2, tetapi saya gembira sangat. Kalau Sir nak tau, masa saya balik dari SKKKB2, saya buat sekali lagi persembahan di rumah dalam bilik saya. TERIMA KASIH CIKGU.”

You know, being a teacher brings so much satisfaction. Gifts and materials are not what we are devouring upon. Even the slightest and simplest gesture of appreciation shown by pupils brings so much joy to us. I am sure all teachers would have agree with me. And as for me, since my class is 5 Gallant and most of the pupils from the last class are from ‘not-well-to-do’ families, I understand their financial statuses. But what really touches me was that some of the pupils who are not that rich, made an effort to present with gifts and some even bought from the book store just to show that they also had something to give to me! Overwhelming, I say.

After that, all of us went into The Great Hall and had Yassin recital- to seek solace and blessing from Allah SWT; just to alleviate the pain and sufferings shouldered by some of my colleagues. This year is definitely not really a fun year with all of these setbacks and fiascos; but I believe Allah SWT works in the most mysterious way that we, human are helpless to fathom into.

Next, we proceeded to the Game event. For this section, Kak Aireen (the main MC for Teachers’ Day this year) has asked my help to anchor the session. The game was dubbed as “Telur Tembelang” game – something like The Poisonous Ball (‘Bola Beracun’) game. Teachers would make a big circle and an egg would be passed from one teachers to another teachers. Music would be played and when the music stopped, the one with the egg would have to come to the middle of the circle (to me, actually) and then picked the penalties inside a special vase! The penalties were quite fun actually;

• some teachers needed to chant a Syair;
• some teachers needed to sing a duet;
• some teachers needed to collect 10 shillings of 5 cents;
• some teachers needed to sing the school anthem;
• and some teachers needed to find 7 colleagues starting with the pre-fix name “Nor”.

We also had the prize-exchanging ceremony between colleagues; It’s God’s destiny that I GOT my own Headmaster for the prize-exchanging ceremony- which happens prior to the ‘case’; hahahhaa! One thing I can sum up my Headmaster in terms of dealing with the recent “Choral-Speaking-In-The-Blog-And-School” fiasco; he is an open minded and rationale Headmaster. This case is also an eye-opener for me for revelations beyond; my heart just pray for the best and hope the goodness and kindness that he shows will bring good energies to his life. I sincerely do. I am always a person full with empathies. I put myself in other people’s shoes. Hopefully, he’ll appreciate the ‘not-that-expensive’ token of appreciation from me; the one I got for my Headmaster is suitable for a boss; just like what I got for my ex-Deputy CEO in the bank last time. So, it means that two of my bosses; one from the Corporate world, and the other from the Government Civilian world received the very same type of gifts, eh? (,”)

With interlude events like Birthday Gifts Ceremony (for teachers born in January till May), appreciation speech by Kak Zahidaton (our ex-clerk) and cake-cutting ceremony as well as luncheon sponsored by Kak Long, we called the day off.

On whole, I can conclude that this year Teachers’ Day is a sombre one yet there is a light of merriness amidst the mundane gloom around. Alhamdulillah to Allah SWT for everything and I pray that the burdens shouldered by my colleagues would be alleviated somehow and that their sufferings will be enlighten; Insya Allah (,”).  Below is the theme song for all teachers in Malaysia, proclaiming our oaths to educate the Malaysian youngsters into well-groomed adults; in terms of intelligences as well as etiquettes wise. Singing this song makes me feel so fumed up with fiery flames and spirit!

Kami guru Malaysia
Berikrar dan berjanji
Mendidik dan memimpin
Putra putri negara kita

Pada Seri Paduka
Kami tumpahkan setia
Rukun Negara kita
Panduan hidup kami semua

Di bidang pembangunan
Kami tetap bersama
Membantu, membina
Negara yang tercinta

Amanah yang diberi
Kami tak persiakan
Apa yang kami janji
Tunai tetap kami tunaikan

Luxurious Weekend Seafood Sanctuary @ Bagan Lalang, Sepang Gold Coast.

Lavishing ourselves with seafood has become sort of a ritual for my sister and I. Once in a while during weekend (if I happen to be in Putrajaya); when so happen that we have extra-bucks, or perhaps if we just feel like doing it, we’ll just treat ourselves with sumptuous seafood especially at our seafood sanctuary, Bagan Lalang near Sepang Gold Coast. Well, no wonder I am a cherub now, aite? Hehehee…I just like my new fat, don’t you?

So, on Saturday May 14th, sets of roasted “siakap”, fried-with-flour calamari, “kailan masak sambal belacan”, crabs-cooked-with-chilli-sauce, and of course the usual “pepahat” and cockles to feast on coming right at’cha! Hahahahhaa…like usual, finger and lips smacking! Alhamdulillah.

This Monday will mark my 2nd year celebrating The Teachers’ Day. It will be, however a sombre one as token of respect to some of our fellow colleagues who are experiencing tough time in their lives. Nonetheless, the biggest day in our teaching calendar shall be a red-letter day for us all. Can’t wait y’all! (,”)

Song For The Sombre Heart : Prayers From A Loyal Friend – Exodus Through The Rain (“California King Bed”).

At this juncture of my life, I feel truly blessed. I have all the loves I could ever craving for; from my family and from the dearest ones. Alhamdulillah is all I can say now. But I am an empathic person. My heart is sad when I see friends who are kind to me are struggling with turbulence or suffering or suffocating with difficulties or whatever mishaps around. As a human, it is my nature to wish happiness in everyone I hold my heart close to. I pray that my friend will get through this rain and be bold to move on. The complexity of life is a mystery for fickle mind like us. God works in the most mysterious way that we could not fathom. It’s hard; but once you cross this Exodus, you will cherish and think- Perhaps, this is the best. For all.

Coincidentally, so happen that the ex-Californian Governor, Hollywood-turned-politican Arnold Schwarzenegger is splitting from 25 years long-time wife, a Kennedy-related Maria Shriver after all the ups and downs. And I just found out that Rihanna’s latest single entitled “California King Bed” is a mellow song about separation. Beautiful video with reddish hue complimenting the striking redhead Rihanna dons these days; this is a song to mark the mellow phase.

All I can offer are advices and prayers. I am a loyal friend and I don’t desert people who never desert me when I am in my lowest pit of my life. I am there to hold you up, my friend. Sigh… *Sad*

Getaway Under The Scorching Sun Of Port Dickson & Bandar Di Hilir, Malacca : (The Army Museum| Seafood @ ‘Sari Rhasa’| Independence Declaration Museum| Portuguese’s A Famosa| St.Paul Chapel & St. Francis Xavier Statue| Malaccan Islamic Museum| Taming Sari Tower| Malay & Islamic World Museum @ Bastion House | Dataran Pahlawan)

With May 2011 stretching out, the social calendar is all red-lettered with professional and personal plans. On Saturday, 7th May, the school has called all the class teachers to act as facilitators for pupils in “Kem Bestari Solat”. Teachers were to guide pupils on the prayers act and recitals as well as few Surah (Al-Baiyinnah, Al-Qadr, Al-A’laq, etc) and also the likes of Tayammum and Takbir/Iqamah bits. I was a bit intimidated because I am not an Ustaz- of course, as a Moslem these are essence in our prayers; but the idea of conveying/imparting knowledge to the younger generation on things that you are not being certified/recognize could be pretty intimidating. Still, Alhamdulillah with all my prior knowledge in Islamic Studies and what my late Tok Guru, Arwah Mak Cik Nen taught me, I nailed the responsibility quite well- foreseeing the kids performing Wudhuk (ablution) and all were an addition to the canvas of my teaching career, I say.

Around 3.00 O’clock, pushed off to Port Dickson and the journey was a smooth-flowing. Went to the Army Museum but unfortunately, it was too late already (exceeding 5.30 P.M. which was the closing time), so just roamed around its compound. Still, the ensemble of military machineries and armoured fighting vehicles were amazing. There were cenotaphs erected at the front part of the museum to commemorate/remember the warriors who fought for our country, Malaysia. Had dinner at a seafood restaurant called “Sari Rhasa”, situated at Jalan Pantai near the Mayang Sari Hotel. The food there was alright; the fried calamari was a lot better than other restaurants; but still cannot compete to Bagan Lalang’s! Still, I enjoyed the “Sweet Sour” Kerapu, Kailan and all. Yummy! I love seafood! No wonder I’ve grown cherubic fat these days, eh? (,”)

Then, on Sunday, proceeded to The Historical City of Malacca! As a historical freak, you could tell how excited I am for this second visit to Malacca. I love the city, with its clean road and the hybrid style between traditional and modern elements. Who knows I may apply to transfer to Malacca as my next school after Serendah, aite? I totally could envision myself living there! Well, the first destination was definitely to witness the replica of The Malaccan Sultanate Palace! Prior to coming to Malacca, I didn’t make any study about the location so it was like a gambling going there without knowing the real location. Asked the local people and they said it was at Bandar Di Hilir. Little did I know that Bandar Di Hilir is the Malacca City and the historical monuments were all located side by side! Hahahaha!

Anyway, it was really amazing to witness the magnificent palace mirroring to the one that was assumed to be erected in the glorious of Malaccan Sultanate. I am so bedazzled with the structures and what I could find inside the palace. There were dioramas, pictures and artefacts depicting the glorious era of Malaccan Sultanate; for example like the Tun Kudu diorama which tells about the sacrifice made by Tun Kudu (refer to my previous entry on the 3 Tuns); the diaorama on Hang Tuah & Hang Jebat; and many more!

Besides the Palace, there is Independence Declaration Museum which exhibits a lot of pre-Independence relics, articles and histories during the occupation of the colonies- Portuguese, Dutch, Japanese and during the dark era of Communists. I think it’s a place that every Malaysians should go, just to witness how our forefathers fought for our rights!

Next, moved to the A Famosa, a fortress built by Portuguese in 1511, the year when Portuguese first invaded Malacca. The only remaining remnant was the gate, namely Porta de Santiago. It was a Halelujjah and Eureka moment for me because all my life I’ve been dreaming of going there and always envy people who would take photograph there! Last year, my school did organize a trip to Malacca; unfortunately A Famosa wasn’t in the list! Shit, ain’t it? Hahahaha!

Up the nearest hill at the rear part of A Famosa is the St. Paul Church which is located on the hill of St. Paul. The chapel houses a few ruins engraving Latin chants and I found it very enthralling. There was a statue of St.Francis Xavier erected facing the panorama towards the sea and the wind blew gently there. It was a surreal feeling and I felt as if I was in Portuguese or Macau, at least! The statue had lost one of its arm – I remembered that it was because of bomb during colonial occupation but an information from Wikipedia tells that it was because of a casuarina tree fell on it.

Next, trailed down a small staircase carved down the hill and reached the Malacca Islamic Museum which houses some precious Islamic relics like Sword of Zulfakar- which was said to be a sword used by Prophet Muhammad SAW.

Then, moved to Taming Sari Tower but had to wait approximately around 45 minutes because the air-conds were out of service! Patience pays to the ones who wait; Alhamdulillah, finally had the chance to witness Malacca from birds view! It was breathtaking and you can imagine how the old Malaccan people witnessed the arrival of Portuguese and the Dutch colonials from afar…. Amazing! 

Proceeded to Malay & Islamic Museum ( formerly Bastion House, an administration building by the British colony) which houses beautiful China porcelains and relics (like the replica of the famous China Terracota Clay Army and famous paintings) as well as the histories and the relics from Malay Archipelago.

Had a peekaboo at the nearby Dataran Pahlawan Mall and also the famous Malacca trishaw! Then, make way off from Malacca to Serendah, Hulu Selangor! On whole, it was a fun weekend getaway, man! 

Scaffolding English Via MBMMBI / Dramas Unfold : Hollywood & Government Civilians.

The 2nd phase of MBMMBI course was done spanning from 3rd of May until 5th of May 2011 at Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Bahasa Antarabangsa- the same as the 1st phase on April. This time around, meeting familiar face of new friends and garnering new knowledge on Reading Skill have been great opportunity and experiences. I also decided to stay at the institute rather than going back-and-fro to Serendah, Hulu Selangor. With that, I managed to have a longer sleeping time;without having to wake up as early as 5.10 A.M. and push off to KL at 6.10 A.M.!

A lot of carefree and sweet moment happened. For example, when we were about to enrol ourselves for the hostel, the clerk who was ‘so ever friendly- too friendly I guess’  lavished us with mystical stories that were quite creepy especially because the facades were old and you know, old places come with ‘old stories’! Put that aside, the 3-days stay was cosy and comfortable.

On Wednesday night, we went to watch “Thor” at Midvalley. Looks like Kenneth Branagh, the actor-who-now-turns-into-director has managed to persuade strings of Hollywood A-listers to join his maiden silver screen directorial debut. With the likes of Sir Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman, Rene Russo, Idris Elba and many more, this movie is commercial-bedazzling; and newcomer Aussie leading man, Chris Hemworth injects the suaveness to the character although he was more or less simply grunts and parades machismo ego as the arrogant protagonist. Great CGIs and strong musical score arrangement; 3.5 stars outta 5 stars for “Thor”, I say!

After the exhausting 3 days-course, a drama unfolds! So happened that a ‘representative’ of the school where I took my Choral Speaking team (I can’t possibly state out the name of the school again because it could be used as another token to spark some belligerent argument! Geez!) found out about my blog and they were furious with my ‘lamenting’ on the insufficient MC of the day. Initially, I thought it was more of a blog-retaliation but turned out that the MC called my English Panel and to the extend that the Headmistress complaint to my Headmaster about it. All was ‘claimed’ to be an outsource of a person in PPD Hulu Selangor who somehow stumbled into my blog. Awww….a loyal scouter, I say. Fortunately, I have very open-minded, rationale and very professional GPK 1 and English Panel sisters. They understood that the siphoning wasn’t a personal attack but a mere reflection of a participant from the event.

As for me, I do find this thing quite an eye-opener as well as hilarious. Eye-opener to the what it feels like to work with seasoned Government civilian counterparts; hilarious to know the efforts taken just to convey their anger! Well, perhaps right after this, I will be a prime target if the Head accompanies my Head in our school functions and everything; but hey, I am not in the faulty side! God knows that and if the person in question intends to follow suits the Black Mark in the heart, God SWT will protect me; and I don’t quit either. Bring it on! Hahahaha!

Well, life as a Government civilian. Hearsays, authorities-exhibitionist and antiquated minds are in abundance; but let us squash that into smithereens and bring the new working etiquette into the Government line and culture. Hopefully. (,”)

Be professional when threading into personal. A subtleness can emerges into aggressive defensiveness. IF the envelope is being kept pushed and pushed. So, let it go. 

Death Of A Vagabond Vigilant : Osama bin Laden (Terrorist Or Revolutionist?).

The world is quite taken aback with the claim that the most-wanted man by the US intelligences, Osama bin Laden is dead ( proven by DNA test comparison) – an attack led by US forces and claimed 4 innocent lives. The attack was done illegally without the consent nor notification to Pakistan; who happened to be the country where the late Osama bin Laden was found to be hiding. The world receives this news in mixed reactions; some are overjoyed as they believe that Laden was the culprit behind the 9/11 devastating attack on World Trade Centre; some are sadden by the demise of a great person who defied the ‘dictatorship of Ruler of The World’; some are angry with the way US conduct the mission by violating the rights and the laws of a sovereignty (Pakistan); and some are determined and adamant that all about Laden’s death is merely a hoax by America!

As for me personally, I reject the idea of terrorism. But is Osama bin Laden a terrorist for me? No. For me, he was merely a man who defies and retaliates the injustice fiasco that are happening in the world. Was the intention sacred? YES; but was the method practised by Laden respectable? NO! The idea of bombing the World Trade Centre was unacceptable as it involved thousands of innocent lives; all because of revenge. And with that, Islam has been painted with negative remarks and vulgar accusations by those who are fool about the religion and too blinded to seek the truth! They simply generalized Laden’s action as what Moslems would normally do as ‘Jihad’; which is totally stupid assumption!

Therefore, how would the tension and conflict between the secular world and the Islam world to be alleviated? What about Israel who keeps persecuting the Palestinians? Seems like Palestinian lives aren’t precious as everyday we hear killings and more killings of the Palestinians; yet the world choose to deafen its ears. Of course, these stand to ‘cleanse’ the Palestinians are not shared by all Jews; there are peace-loving Jews under the token of humanity; example like Academy Award winner, Natalie Portman who is a Jew herself; although she regards Israel as her homeland, she opposes the act of violating the rights of Palestinians– while attending the famous Harvard, she wrote a letter to Harvard Crimson criticizing the actions of Israeli towards Palestinians entitled “Israeli Diversity Shown Even Among Leaders” (for full article, refer to : http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2002/4/17/israeli-diversity-shown-even-among-leaders/)

Israelis and Arabs are historically cousins. Until we accept the fact that we are constituents of the same family, we will blunder in believing that a loss for one “side”—or, as Chaudhry names it, a “color”—is not a loss for all human kind.

Outrageous and untrue finger-pointing is a childish tactic that disregards the responsibility of all parties involved, including Europe, the Arab nations and the United States, along with Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

Above all, what I want to siphon out- get rid of the hatred and prejudices. Bring back humanity, compassion and unity amongst us; despite the variants of skin-colours and faiths.