ZaHanArashi Monogatari

Work hard,minna-san!

2012-01-29T15:49:00.000+08:00

But don't choke yourself on the exam day...

It is Your promises that keep me hoping

2012-01-26T19:30:00.001+08:00

(it is study week, everybody is in exam mood. so, basically everybody might feel stress, homesick, thinking of marriage, death, shopping, eating, wushu(yeah,i'm going to watch wushu tonight.on TV of course). whomever is reading this post, whether you are thinking those stuff or others, you are feeling down or euphoria, I want you to scroll down until the bottom of this page, listen and watch the video of my blog. the lyrics is very touching(if you really understand and feel it), especially the rap part. enjoy & get motivated ^_^ . in case your internet connection is not cooperating, below is the lyrics.)

One God - Zain Bhikha feat Khalil Ismail

To Allah belongs the Universe so beautiful
The planets, stars go floating past obeying his will
To Allah belongs the earth and sky so wonderful
Oh the oceans wide, the mountains high, all the animals
Looking at the sky, so many million miles, over space and time, there is only one God
From a teatop, watch the sun stop, through a dew drop, there is only one God

There is only one God, Praise be to Him
His Love is Eternal, My life is His
There is only One God, Glory be to Him
La Illaha Ill Allah

To Allah belong the Jinn, the Angels and all Man
From fiery fire, purest light and coloured sands
To Allah belong the messengers sent to guide
For every nation those who came, all they tried
To bring back the light, guide through the night, make everything right, there is only one God
Muhammad the last, given the task, peace do we ask, there is only one God

Ar Rahman the compassionate and gracious
Ar Rahim
The Merciful you made the earth spacious
Al Maalik
The King of all spaces
Al Quddus
The Holy who can never be replaced
As Salaam bestower of
peace and tranquility
Al Mu’min
the ultimate
Granter of Security
Ya Allah You are my life
I need You blessin me
Al Muhaymin Protector of Protectors
Al Aziz the Mighty Al Jabbaar the Compeller
Al Mutakabbir Supreme in Greatness so Majestic
made us from clay breathed of His spirit He is ever blessed
Al Khaliq Creator
Al Bari the Maker
Al Mussawir
He is the form shaper
Ya Allah I think of You and I feel safer

Al Ghaffar the Forgiver of the Sinners
Al Qahhar the Subduer the Ender
Al Wahhab the Bestower no one higher
Ar Razzaq the Provider He’s the Greatest He’s the Guider
Al Fattah
the Opener and Judge of Judges
Al alim All-Knowing Your attributes are ongoing
it is Your promises that keep me hoping
we give a few of Allah’s infinite attributes
we say Allah we love You for everything You do
we show appreciation
Repeat that You’re the greatest
To prove we only wish to be in Your good graces

To Allah belongs everything, I call my own
The heart within my body’s home, my very soul
To Allah I pray my every day’s lived in His name
And that I someday will reach the place, where peace prevails

The Zheng He Mission

2012-01-22T00:44:00.000+08:00

Time to challenge ourselves!
Introduce Islam to at least one non-Muslim you meet.
It can be in form of verbal, action, or writing.

Happy becoming Chinese New Year =)

Refreshing

2012-01-15T21:34:00.002+08:00

I’m playing outta position, I feel like I’m missing
The whole point of this game
I’m tired of consuming, this daily illusion
It’s gonna drive me insane
But once in a while the veil gets lifted
And I see the other side
Aint no ticket tape parade waiting by the gate
Unless I work on the inside

We’re so caught up in our homes, our lives, our things
Magazines and television closing all the lids
There’s a whole world out there
Work to be done
C’mon everybody, Come on, Come on
C’mon everybody, Come on, Come on

My family is waiting, but my time is taken
With so many things in my life
So inconsequential, technological ventures
Distractions that mess with my mind
But once in a while I try to resist
O everything coming my way
Gives a feeling inside, makes me realize
I get down on my knees and pray

Lord, Oh Lord
You are Peace, with You is Peace
Oh My Lord, Help me raise my eyes to the sky

(Zain Bhikha - C'mon Everybody)

For past recent week, I had going through my weekdays unproductively.

Bad time management.
Too much food consumption.
Too much TV.
Late bedtime.
Lose temper over simple things.
Bought unnecessary stuffs.
Lack of reading.

But, still Allah s.w.t made some business easier for me, so I wouldn't forget Him.
Thank you Allah.

Which gate are you going to open?

2012-01-08T18:57:00.000+08:00

Roses are red, denture is custom made.

2012-01-04T21:13:00.000+08:00

Funny at the beginning, touching in the middle, and the ending is a bit..speechless.

Teeth - short film

The Talking Mirror

2012-01-03T21:53:00.000+08:00

I was going to extract my patient's tooth. It was a badly carious,broken 26 with three roots. To make it more challenging, the tooth was very firm, and based on the periapical radiograph taken there were well-defined periapical radiolucency, which was diagnosed to be granulomas. I was very nervous, I couldn't think very well. My mind went blank and it didn't synchronized with my hand movement at all. I didn't know what I was doing, but I knew whatever it take, the tooth needed to be taken out. Thanks to local anaesthetic, it did help a lot. At least, my confidence level was elevated a bit.

With that confidence, I retracted the patient's lip to ease my view and access. Then I inserted the couplan subgingivally. Something wasn't right, my dental student instinct whispered. I let the doubt passed by and continued my work. Suddenly, I heard a voice from heaven, "Use your fingers to retract the lip and support the adjacent tooth". If my hand was clean, I would've clapped my forehead, or perhaps slapped my own face. Thanks to my clinic partner. Without her, I might fail to notice the very super-ultra-big mistake I had made and ruin my whole day.

That was what a work partner for, to observe our mistakes that we cannot see it ourselves, and tell us so we can correct it and improve. They are our talking mirror.

The same thing goes in our basic daily life.

There must be times when we tried to ask ourselves, "What I've done wrong?" "Where did it all gone wrong?" "What can I do to make things better?", but we failed to rule out the answer. In the end, we just ignored the truth and without us realizing, the adjacent sound tooth was started to mobile!

Friend is not someone who just see the good in you, but the bad things too. In case we don't have this type of friend, listen to our enemy! =P

Talking about friend, I would like to share a video entitled "Friendship in Islam" by Dr Haleh Banani, a clinical psychologist who like to explain psychology in the light of the Quran (and I like her so much).

With Haleh - Friendship in Islam

Wallahu'alam.

Altitude of Attitude

2012-01-01T11:23:00.000+08:00

What is attitude? wherever we go, whatever we do, people keep saying about attitude.

"Where is your student attitude?" asked a teacher.

"Please change your attitude if you want to stay long in this field." reminded the old-timer.

"You don't have the attitude of a jazz singer." criticized the judge.

Whatever the dictionary say, or what Mr Google found, everyone of us has our very own interpretation of attitude. And we cannot deny how important attitude is in our life. Why? From my observation-based research, if you didn't show the right attitude, you can actually annoyed people around you.

From family, friends, teachers, colleagues, classmates, housemates, roommates, work partner, or even strangers, we must at least once in a lifetime having an attitude problem with them. I'm not talking about them only, but ourselves too. Because I myself had experienced the problem of showing the right attitude. Even with someone I've known for so long.

As a human being, we have our so-called ego. Ego is not necessary a bad thing. It is important for us so we will become a person with a stance and defend it. However, the problems come when we fail to control the ego, and end up hurting others by acting on our bad attitude.

"So what? That is their problem for being so overly sensitive!!!"

Yeah, we can put the blame on other people attitude when there are only one or two against us. But when majority of the community start to have the same problem, maybe it is time for us to reflect on our attitude.(Tips: We can see the obvious sign when people who are usually patience started to become unusually lose their patience to us).

"It is not my fault. Others are treating me like this and like that. I'm just responding based on their action!"

Keep blaming the food for causing our weight to gain. We will never change our dietary habit until we die.

"I know, I'm the baddest person here. All blames are mine to take. All my words and actions are wrong to others. Are you satisfied?!"

Hello, this is not a civil court or what. It is nice to admit our mistake, but do we think that will satisfy others? No way until we change our ATTITUDE.

(Enough with my babbling.)

As a Muslim, it is important for us to show the right attitude to others. Why?

Because we are the best of nations,
we enjoin good and forbid evil,
we must be good example to others, (although people are not expecting us to)
we bring the image of Islam,
we spread the message of Islam,
we must make people to like us,
so people will open the eyes and ears to us,
and our words or actions can reach them,
and then at night, we will remember them in our du'a,
and insyaAllah, one day Allah s.w.t will open their heart to Islam way of life.

Simple right? When we reflect it again, actually, we are not changing our attitude for the sake of others, but for Allah s.w.t, His Prophet s.a.w, and Islam.

I want to share a beautifully written article about Attitude in Islam. credit to the writer, Sister Maryam

Purify our intention, learn the knowledge, and take action. =)

"Attitude is Everything." I know that is a cliche, but at the same time, it is probably one of the truest cliches in my vocabulary and reminds me how important attitude is at every moment of our lives. It is so paramount to live in obedience to Allah, but it is not just the service to others and the code we follow that we must keep in check, it is also the attitude we carry along with all of our actions. It only takes a second to affect a person in a bad or good way, and this may very well depend not on your actions or deeds, but simply upon the attitude you have at that second. If you carry a frown walking into a house where there are guests, they may feel un-welcomed. The frown may only last a few moments, but that will be long enough to leave a bad impression on some hearts. I say attitude and not feelings because unlike feelings that are natural and fluctuate throughout the day and depending on our circumstances, attitude is something we can more easily control.

Even when we may not be feeling happy or at ease at the moment, we can still show a smile on our face or share a few friendly words and kind gestures. Often times, it is simply our attitudes that can influence someone or inspire someone to seek Islam. We need to be aware of that. We can be doing all the rights things in our minds thinking that we are being good examples of Islam to others, but if we are not carrying a positive attitude around with that at all times, we may not be doing as good of a job with our examples as Muslims.

We must remember that we are all connected with each other, we are all part of one large body. We must treat each other as we would like to treat ourselves. What kind of Muslims would we be if we just worried about how one part of our body was but neglected about the body as the whole? We must remember the big picture. Yes we must only answer to Allah, but we must also seek to uplift those around us as we are all a part of each other. It is easy to smile and be friendly all the time we see our dear friends, but we must try to extend this positivity to all people that Allah puts in our path. When we are happy it seems so much easier to extend that, but think about it; a frown or a bad tone of voice or negative body language can so easily make those around you feel uncomfortable even if you are unaware of it. So why would we want to spread negativity?

It is so easy to just show good body language, a warm tone of voice and a smile when we are doing things even if they are things we do not necessarily enjoy doing. Think about everything you do in the day. Maybe you work or go shopping or cook for guests or go to the gym. Any of these places you will run into people and interact with them in one way or another. At the same time however, there are many things that can come up to cause us to feel something negative in our day in these activities. Maybe we get tired, maybe we are sleepy, maybe we are too busy, maybe we have a deadline. In the end, if we wait until we are "in the mood" to show a positive way or attitude towards others, this might not be very often.

No one can say it better than Allah has said it:

"who (the righteous) give to charity during the good times, as well as the bad times. They are suppressors of anger, and pardoners of the people. GOD loves the charitable." (3:134)

As Muslims, we have the added responsibility to show a positive attitude even in these times. We may be tired, but we have enough wisdom as Muslims to realize it does not take much to be kind even when we feel it would be easier to just express how we are really feeling on the inside. Why not use a little bit of energy to inject others with positivity? I know how much of an effect this can have on others because I just have to think about when I am around people who consistently have a good attitude and it is so easy to point out in my mind who they are because they stand out from the rest. And the funny thing is, a positive attitude is not a difficult thing to have at all. It just takes a very little effort to extend to others this courtesy and it is beneficial for your own spiritual and physical health too.

If you are not self-aware of the effect your attitude has on people and on your influence as a Muslim, beware. You may be doing a good job of putting food on the table, giving Zakat, working hard, going to the mosque, praying every day, fasting, being chaste, BUT the power of your attitude behind all you do will determine in the end the true effect of your actions. Having a good attitude shows your concern for those around you before yourself, it shows your reverence for Allah and the strength of your character to hold a smile even when it may not be your day.

Attitude directly affects your friendships, your family, your marriage, your ability to serve Allah, among other very significant issues. So when you are contemplating your life and wondering what you may be doing that is hurting your relationships or your reputation, take a look at how you hold yourself around others at all times. One thing that had helped me in my Christian life to maintain a positive attitude in my life no matter what may be going on at the moment is this verse from the bible:

"Forget not to show love unto strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels being unaware of it."
- Hebrews 13:2

The Qur’an further elaborates on attitude through specifics. For example, often times, we just greet people, and we do not think much of it. But we can show a positive or negative attitude just by how we say hello too. We often get lazy about that, but imagine how refreshing it is when someone greets us in a warm way. In Surah 4:86, Allah said -

"When greeted with a greeting, you shall respond with a better greeting or at least an equal one. GOD reckons all things." (4:86)

And this thoughtful attitude clearly does not only apply to those we like or love. It should be extended with an attitude of hospitality and kindness even to those we could just as easily snub…

"O ye who believe! When ye go abroad in the cause of Allah, investigate carefully, and say not to any one who offers you a salutation: "Thou art not a believer!"..." (4:94)

In conclusion, way may find it hard to extend the extra effort to those who may not like us or who we may not be close to but when encountering them, reflect on this aya and guard it in your heart to remember when the situation comes along -

"Not equal is the good response and the bad response. You shall resort to the nicest possible response. Thus, the one who used to be your enemy, may become your best friend." (41:34)

I wrote this because I also need to remind myself that attitude is everything, and I think ESPECIALLY for Muslims. We can build a mosque, we can do great things for Islam, but one of the greatest things can simply come from the attitude we have towards people we might even just pass by on the street or deal with in a store, or our very own house guests and loved ones. May this inspire you and enrich your life.

~HAPPY NEW YEAR & ATTITUDE ~

Aware of who you are

2011-12-28T22:52:00.003+08:00

Stop asking the tree, be the fruitfull tree!

2011-12-26T22:25:00.001+08:00

"Al-'ilm bila 'amal kasyajar bila thamar" - the only Arabic proverb I had learned at high school that remains in my memory. But did I really take lesson from it?

2 days back, I went to a festival that really fit the proverb. Twin of Faith - twinning of knowledge('ilm) and action('amal). That is the foundation of our faith.

(there was a story behind. Dec 24 was my father's, sister's, and nephew's birthday and the next day was my parents 35th anniversary. so, my family was planning to held a small kenduri. I was in a dilemma because looking at all the speakers and what the festival offered, I wanted to go there so badly. finally, I decided to go to the festival instead of going home. my stance- to choose the one that bring me closer to Allah s.w.t. I hope my family would understand my decision and forgive me. and I pray to Allah s.w.t, whatever rewards He gives me in seeking His blessing, let my family share it too. insyaAllah, amin.)

TWINS OF FAITH

A world where every Muslim is able to live faithfully to their belief, building an exemplary Islamic community that benefits humanity."

That is the vision of the organizer, Mercy Mission and now they are spreading the message to Malaysian. Alhamdulillah, I felt very lucky to be one of the participants. I pray to Allah s.w.t to give me strength to take action on what I have learned and remind me whenever I forgot. Amin.

What difference do you want to make?

2011-12-20T22:41:00.001+08:00

An interesting reminder from Sheikh Yawar Baig.

Ad-Duha 93: 11. And proclaim the Grace of your Rabb.

2011-12-13T21:21:00.000+08:00

Waking up from my bed this morning, I had a lot in my mind. In my solah, I prayed to Allah so many things. Then, as usual I prepared myself for school and had a quick breakfast to revive some energy.

Denture. Denture. Denture. I hope I will not living my entire life reciting this 'dzikir' in my head.

It has become a habit of mine to drink alone, sit in front of my laptop, and read or listen to good stuffs, especially things that can motivate me. Recently, I had found a very good sheikh, Sheikh Yawar Baig whom talks and writings really caught my soul. This morning, I was continuing the next paragraph of his book, A Journey of Faith: My Own Journey which he posted it in his blog. And I found this very interesting story which he shared from his own experience:

"One last story – it was the last day of my Jamat. Forty days had passed. When I started out I used to wonder sometimes how this time would pass. But pass it did and before I knew it. We had returned to the Tabligh Markaz Masjid in Queens the previous night. My brother in law was supposed to pick me up between Dhuhr and Asr. We had just finished Dhuhr and I was thinking of lunch when a thought came into my mind and I said to Allah , “Ya Rabbi, today I want you to feed me. Directly from you. I will make no effort for this and I will not spend any money. And I want to eat biryani.” Having made this dua, I completed my Dhuhr Salah and sat down in a corner of the masjid in Dhikr. When all the people had left and only some of those who had gone in Jamat and the caretakers of the masjid were left, the brother who was in charge of the cooking saw me and said to me, “Please come downstairs and have lunch.” I asked him, ‘What is there for lunch?’ He said, “Roti and mutton curry.” So I told him that I was not hungry and didn’t want any lunch. Inside me I smiled and said to myself, ‘This is not my lunch. I asked Allah for biryani. Not simply for lunch.’ And I continued to sit where I was.

About 15- 20 minutes must have passed when I heard someone calling my name and saying Salaam. I looked up and there was one of the young students who was with us in Jamat. He had spent 10 days and then returned to his home in upstate New York. I was happy to see him and I asked him how he happened to be here because he did not live in Queens.
‘I came to meet you,’ he said.
‘How did you know I would be here?’ I asked him.
‘I didn’t know for sure but I knew that your tour was finishing today and I was hoping I would find you. I don’t know if we will meet again so I didn’t want you to go away without saying salaam to you.’
The he asked me, ‘Have you had lunch?’ I said that I was thinking of it. ‘Then let’s go and have some lunch. My treat,’ he said.
‘Where do you have in mind?’ I asked him.
‘Let’s eat some great biryani. There’s a very nice restaurant just a little way down the road here which does some really nice biryani. I know how much you like biryani and you’ll enjoy it.’ Then he looked at me quizzically and said, ‘You have tears in your eyes?’ I cleared my throat and said, ‘No. No tears.’

Ad-Duha 93: 11. And proclaim the Grace of your Rabb."

Sheikh, not just you alone. I also felt like crying thinking that how long will I take to be like you T_T. That time, my heart spontaneously said, "Ya Allah, today I want you to give me time . Directly from you. So I can continue to invest my denture."

Our schedule was supposed to be very packed today. We will have 1-hour lecture in the morning, followed by a demonstration until afternoon, rest, then clinic until evening and the faculty will be opened back the next morning. No matter how much I wanted or planned, there will be no enough time for me to do my denture work, and every slot seems too important to be skipped.

But, it was not my job to plan actually as I'm not the Planner.

The lecture was shortened to half-an hour.
The demo was to be started next week, not today.
My patient, who promised to come before 3pm had to cancelled the appointment because had a broken down car.

"Minta maaflah Zara, hari ni banyak sangat dugaan. Masalah kereta ni tak settle lagi."
"Oh, takpelah. Lagipun ada satu jam je lagi ni. Mungkin tak sempat nak buat treatment(it was root canal treatment). Nanti saya set kan appointment hari lain."
"Ok. Hari ni banyak sangat dugaan."
"Takpe2. Encik sabar ye."

I hope my last word was a type of treatment too. Not just for my patient, but for me also.

So today, I got the time that I asked so badly from Him. And He gave it directly to me.

Alhamdulillah. Alhamdulillah. Alhamdulillah.

I'm not trying to say that I'm at the same level of Sheikh Yawar Baig. But you know, we can try to be. We can do what he did because we too are His servant. As long as we have faith, He will never ignore us. In fact, He never ever ignore us or leave us alone.

When you have Allah, why depend on coincidence? Why so proud with our own or other people effort?

Wallahu'alam.

Motivation is here

2011-11-13T00:07:00.001+08:00

Somehow, just by looking at this book,

I become motivated to study hard.

(cant wait for the exam to end, going to digest it the whole week!)

*reading & studying statistics book is not bad. but having a 'I don't like skipping pages' habit can be a disadvantage too. @_@

**I really can't stand negative thinking people. if they didn't understand the meaning of being positive, at least understand the Islamic way of life.

***I wish to meet someone who I can share hobby, interest, ideas & thought with, so I will not relapse!

Meskiku rapuh dalam langkah...

2011-10-30T21:58:00.000+08:00

detik waktu terus berjalan
berhias gelap dan terang
suka dan duka tangis dan tawa
tergores bagai lukisan

seribu mimpi berjuta sepi
hadir bagai teman sejati
di antara lelahnya jiwa
dalam resah dan air mata
kupersembahkan kepadaMu
yang terindah dalam hidupku

meski ku rapuh dalam langkah
kadang tak setia kepadaMu
namun cinta dalam jiwa
hanyalah padaMu

maafkanlah bila hati
tak sempurna mencintaiMu
dalam dadaku harap hanya
diriMu yang bertahta

detik waktu terus berlalu
semua berakhir padaMu

Sejak Ramadhan berlalu, agak susah lagi payah untuk istiqamah dalam beramal. Cabaran datang dan pergi, dugaan silih berganti. Bisikan syaitan dan nafsu menguatkan lagi kelalaian daripada mengingatiNya. Saban hari, dengan kesibukan yang dicipta, aku menanti-nanti "Cepatlah masa berlalu, aku tak sabar nak jumpa Ramadhan lagi!". Rimas memang rimas, tapi kenapa aku biarkan diri terus tewas?!

Tiada jalan untuk merentas masa menuju Ramadhan akan datang, atau berpatah balik ke Ramadhan yang lalu. Namun, ada cara untuk merasai kembali nikmatnya. Walau tidak sama, mungkin serupa.

Akhirnya badai yang tak diundang melanda akibat kekhilafan diri sendiri. Nah, ini yang kau mahukan kan? Betapa kasih dan cintanya Allah pada hambaNya, tidak sesaat Dia biarkan kita terus dalam kelalaian dan kesuraman. Sebagai hamba yang lemah, dugaan sebegini lah yang diturunkan Allah sebagai "red flag" dalam kehidupan. Cuma bergantung pada kita, bagaimana untuk menafsir dan menghadapinya. Syukur Tuhan masih melembutkan hati dan akal untuk melihatnya dari sudut positif.

Teringat pada sebuah artikel "Indahnya Hidup Bersama Allah", seindah tajuknya...inilah mehnah yang sering aku cicirkan.

Dahulu, aku pernah berazam untuk mengutamakan pandangan Allah. Tetapi hati ini terlalu rapuh untuk berpegang pada janji. Syukur Dia tidak membiarkan aku hanyut terlalu lama. Setelah pandangan makhluk yang aku dambakan selama ini ditarikNya, barulah aku tersedar. Betapa besarnya cintaNya kepada aku yang hina ni. Betapa 'cemburu'nya Dia tatkala aku berpaling mencari redha yang lain. Tentu saja, tiada 'cemburu' lain di dunia ini mampu menandingi ke'cemburu'an yang Maha Mulia itu. Allahu Akbar!

Terima kasih Allah, kerana memberikan semula nafasku yang hilang. Biarkan Ramadhan berlalu pergi, biarkan Ramadhan jauh lagi, asalkan Engkau sentiasa di sisi, tiada apa yang kuharap lagi, melainkan redhaMu pada diri yang rapuh ini. Amin~

The Call

2011-10-29T07:08:00.001+08:00

When Ibrahim (Peace be upon him) completed the structure of the Ka’bah, Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) commanded him to call the people to Hajj. Ibrahim (Peace be upon him) got confused he said, “O Allah! How shall my voice reach all of those people?” Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) told him that his duty was only to give the call and it was up to Allah to make it reach the people.

Here we have a beautiful productivity lesson; don’t worry about the results/outcome of your effort, rather worry about making the effort and ensuring you do the task to the best of your ability. If Ibrahim (Peace be upon him) saw that the expected outcome of his task is impossible, he would have given up and there would have been no Hajj. But, he relied upon Allah & did his best, he climbed Mount Arafat and called out in his loudest voice, “O People! Verily Allah has prescribed upon you Hajj, so perform Hajj.”

Every human being on earth at that time heard that call and Hajj began since that day. Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) revealed in the Qur’an: “And proclaim the Hajj among mankind. They will come to thee on foot and (mounted) on every camel, lean on account of journeys through deep and distant mountain highways” (Surat Al-Hajj, Ayat 28).

We should never stop ourselves from making the necessary effort to achieve something just because we think the results are impossible to achieve.

Do your part and leave the rest upon Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala).

*credit to Abu Productive from ProductiveMuslim.com for this beautiful lesson =)

There is Yin for every Yang

2011-10-09T23:04:00.003+08:00

Despite all 4Ds that really messed me up,

(Dentistry, Denture, Driving class, & Deadline for report!)

I managed to go through another side of life

which raised my spirit up! =D

Yesterday was my Mak's 57th birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAK!!!!

Sadly, I could only make a call from KL. T_T

(I promise to come back on future weekend, ZETTAI!)

So I can give her a special birthday present-

A MARBLE COAT PAN! ^_^

Last week, I and my sisters accidentally found this stuff at

Japan Goods Fair held by Jusco Mid Valley. Previously, I already watched

a demo about this pan on TV (I thought I only love the smartshop

show when I was a child, but now I still find the show interesting =P )

and I told myself, "In the future, I will make sure that all my pans are marble-coated!"

I hope this pan will suit your new infrared stove, Mak. =)

Actually I'm not the type of person who is really into chocolate,

but I do like sweet food!!!(when it is meant to be sweet)

So, I did some chocolate hunting at

2nd MALAYSIA COCOA & CHOCOLATE DAY 2011.

The purpose of this event was to promote Malaysia cocoa products,

and as a good Malaysian, I was there to support & buy some of the products! =P

Seems like I will spend my next 3 months eating all of this stuffs. T_T

Never mind, chocolate is good for the heart and

I think that I am low-risk for caries(still maintain the caries-free record). =D

Then today, I went to my best buddy's convocation at IIUM.

(this is my first time going to a friend's convo so I was so excited!)

CONGRATULATIONS Ainul for obtaining your first degree in architecture!

By the way, going to a convocation is one of a good way to get your motivation back.

Observing the wide smile and bright eyes of graduates,

even the hugs, kisses, and tears of their parents,

made me wanted to cry too. T_T

By the way,

there are still lot of things to be looked forward

in my 'Yin & Yang' journey.

-Big Bad Wolf Book Sale which is happening along this week!

-I'm coming home..I'm coming home next weekend!

-FPg Family Day on another weekend, perhaps????

-Study trip to Thailand, my first abroad trip ever(excluding Singapore),

so it will be my first flight experience too! >.<

-Islamic Book Expo & Shamisen tour which will be held in the same week of my study trip.... =(

-and here comes again, Japan Charity Bazaar 2011 in November!!!!
-almost forgot, another book fair of the year...MPH Carnival in December!yeay!

and finally,

there is a lecture that has made me look forward my Monday ^_^

(the afternoon session only, I'm sorry but I'll look forward the morning session

only when the morning class is cancelled).

And a lot of books waiting for me to read them. =0

Lagi-lagi Sejarah!

2011-09-21T01:05:00.001+08:00

Tak sampai sebulan yang lepas kita telah menyambut ulangtahun kemerdekaan negara. Tak sampai seminggu lepas juga kita telah menikmati cuti khas sempena Hari Malaysia.

Sebelum itu juga, hampir seluruh lapisan masyarakat Malaysia(mungkin ada yang tak ambil kisah) 'dipanaskan' dengan fenomena sejarah yang diputarbelitkan. Apa yang diputarbelit, siapa tukang putarbelit, tak perlulah diungkit lagi. Tak perlu menunding jari orang itu buta sejarah, orang ini tak pergi sekolah. Tanyalah diri sendiri, apakah aku mengambil iktibar daripada sejarah atau sekadar menghafalnya?

Ibrah daripada fenomena tersebut, isu sejarah mendapat perhatian dan liputan luas(lebih daripada sebelum ini)! Setiap hari, kolum-kolum di surat khabar, tayangan di kaca TV, banyak memperkatakan tentang sejarah. Ada juga beberapa pihak telah mengusulkan kepada Kementerian Pendidikan agar beberapa fakta sejarah dalam buku sejarah sekolah dikaji dan dinilai semula(ternyata bukanlah 'fakta' yang menimbulkan fenomena sebelum ini). Ahli-ahli sejarah negara yang tak senang duduk turut sama membantu memecahkan kekeliruan orang ramai berkaitan sejarah.

Pelajaran terpenting bagi saya, konsep dualisme memang tak boleh diguna pakai. Jadi sila fikir di luar kotak dan berpihaklah pada pihak yang benar walaupun pihak tersebut adalah diri anda sendiri. Tapi jangan sampai jadi egotisme!

Sejarah membentuk bangsa. Sejarah turut membentuk semangat bangsa. Tak percaya?

Mari kita tengok satu contoh yang mudah.

Masa sekolah dulu, kita belajar mengenai tokoh-tokoh pejuang di Tanah Melayu. Salah seorangnya adalah Tok Janggut yang kita sayangi.

Ini adalah petikan daripada buku teks sejarah Tingkatan 5:

Sekali baca, teks ini menceritakan bahawa Tok Janggut menentang British kerana tidak setuju dengan sistem cukai. Kemudian fikiran kita terus-menerus 'diracuni' oleh cerita tuntutan keduniaan Tok Janggut yang telah menyerang Pasir Puteh dan menjadi Perdana Menterinya.

Sedangkan satu-satunya sejarah Tok Janggut yang harus diungkai di sini adalah "Mendapat pendidikan agama di Makkah." yang mana akan membawa kita kepada perkaitan perjuangan sebenar Tok Janggut di Kelantan dengan kerajaan Turki Uthmaniyyah!
(Lihat pula teks tentang Dato' Bahaman di atasnya. Semuanya fakta semata-mata yang sesuai untuk dijadikan soalan objektif SPM.)

Kembali kepada semangat kita sekarang.

Baru-baru ini, kita digemparkan dengan 'propaganda' bahawa setiap tambah nilai kredit pra-bayar telefon bimbit akan dicaj cukai sebanyak 6%. Ramai orang menentang, membantah, membenci, mengutuk habis-habisan cukai tersebut. Jika anda salah seorang daripadanya, tahniah kerana anda telah mempunyai sebahagian daripada semangat Tok Janggut dan tokoh-tokoh lain yang telah anda pelajari di sekolah!

Tetapi kita harus sedar, sampai bila kita mahu dikawal oleh pihak tertentu dengan cukai, duit, dan jawatan semata-mata(yang barangkali adalah hasil tuaian cerita-cerita perjuangan tokoh-tokoh tanah air dalam sumber sejarah tulisan sarjana barat). Ada banyak lagi perjuangan yang belum selesai, yang harus diperjuangkan dengan semangat yang barangkali dapat dibakar melalui iktibar sejarah yang diwariskan oleh para pejuang Islam sebelum kita.

Wallahu'alam.

Siapa Kaum-kaum yg Pupus?

2011-09-13T00:22:00.000+08:00

"Bukankah telah datang kepada mereka berita orang- orang yang terdahulu daripada mereka, iaitu kaum Nabi Nuh, dan `Aad, dan Thamud, dan kaum Nabi Ibrahim, dan penduduk negeri Madyan serta negeri-negeri yang telah dibinasakan? (Semuanya) telah datang kepada mereka Rasul-Rasul mereka dengan membawa keterangan yang jelas nyata, (lalu mereka mendustakannya dan Tuhan pula membinasakan mereka) Allah tidak sekali-kali menganiaya mereka, tetapi merekalah yang menganiaya diri sendiri." (Surah at-Taubah 9:70)

1.   Kaum Nabi Nuh a.s yang ditimpa banjir besar kerana mempersekutukan Allah s.w.t.

"Dan sesungguhnya Kami telah mengutus Nuh kepada kaumnya, maka ia tinggal di antara mereka seribu tahun kurang lima puluh tahun. Maka mereka ditimpa banjir besar, dan mereka adalah orang-orang zalim." (Surah al-'Ankabut 29:14)

2.   Kaum 'Ad yang dimusnahkan oleh angin ribut kencang kerana bertindak zalim terhadap seruan Nabi Hud a.s yang menyeru mereka agar menyembah Allah s.w.t.

"Adapun 'Ad (kaum Nabi Hud), maka mereka telah dibinasakan dengan angin ribut yang kencang, yang melampau kencangnya, - Yang diarahkannya menyerang mereka tujuh malam lapan hari terus-menerus; (kalaulah engkau menyaksikannya) maka engkau akan melihat kaum itu bergelimpangan mati, seolah-olah mereka: batang-batang pohon kurma yang (tumbang dan) lompang. Dengan yang demikian, dapatkah engkau melihat lagi sisa-sisa mereka (yang masih hidup)? (Surah al-Haqqah 69:6-8)

3.   Kaum Thamud yang mendustakan peringatan dan amaran Nabi Salleh a.s dan dibinasakan oleh satu letusan suara yang menggempakan bumi.

" Dan wahai kaumku! Ini adalah unta betina dari Allah untuk kamu sebagai tanda (mukjizat) yang membuktikan kebenaranku. Oleh itu, biarkanlah dia mencari makan di bumi Allah dan janganlah kamu menyentuhnya dengan sesuatu yang menyakitinya, (kalau kamu menyakitinya) maka kamu akan ditimpa azab seksa yang dekat masa datangnya".
Mereka kemudiannya menyembelih unta itu, lalu berkatalah Nabi Soleh kepada mereka: Bersenang-senanglah kamu di tempat masing-masing selama tiga hari; tempoh yang demikian itu, ialah suatu janji yang tidak dapat didustakan".
Maka ketika datang azab kami, kami selamatkan Soleh beserta umatnya yang beriman, dengan rahmat dari Kami, dan Kami selamatkan mereka dari azab serta kehinaan hari itu. Sesungguhnya Tuhanmu, Dia lah Yang Maha Kuat, lagi Maha Kuasa.
Dan orang-orang yang zalim itu, dibinasakan oleh satu letusan suara yang menggempakan bumi, lalu menjadilah mereka mayat-mayat yang tersungkur di tempat tinggal masing-masing. (Mereka punah-ranah) seolah-olah mereka tidak pernah tinggal di situ. Ketahuilah! Sesungguhnya kaum Thamud itu kufurkan Tuhan mereka. Ketahuilah! Sesungguhnya kebinasaanlah akhirnya bagi kaum Thamud." (Surah Hud 11:64-68)

4. Kaum yang menganut agama politeistik pada zaman Nabi Ibrahim a.s.

"Bukanlah Nabi Ibrahim itu seorang pemeluk ugama Yahudi, dan bukanlah ia seorang pemeluk ugama Kristian, tetapi ia seorang yang tetap di atas dasar Tauhid sebagai seorang Muslim (yang taat dan berserah bulat-bulat kepada Allah), dan ia pula bukanlah dari orang-orang musyrik. Sesungguhnya orang-orang yang hampir sekali kepada Nabi Ibrahim (dan berhak mewarisi ugamanya) ialah orang-orang yang mengikutinya dan juga Nabi (Muhammad) ini serta orang-orang yang beriman (umatnya - umat Islam). Dan (ingatlah), Allah ialah Pelindung dan Penolong sekalian orang-orang yang beriman" (Surah 'Ali Imran 3:67-68)

5. Kaum Nabi Lut a.s yang dilingkupkan bandarnya dengan angin ribut & hujan batu kerana mengamalkan liwat.

"(Demikian juga) kaum Nabi Lut telah mendustakan peringatan dan amaran (yang disampaikan oleh Rasulnya). Sesungguhnya Kami telah menghantarkan kepada mereka angin ribut yang menghujani mereka dengan batu, kecuali keluarga Nabi Lut, Kami selamatkan mereka (dengan menyuruh mereka keluar dari situ) pada waktu jauh malam, Sebagai limpah kurnia dari Kami. Demikianlah kami membalas orang-orang yang bersyukur. Dan demi sesungguhnya! Nabi Lut telah memberi amaran kepada mereka mengenai azab seksa Kami; dalam pada itu, mereka tetap mendustakan amaran-amaran itu." (Surah al-Qamar 54:33-36)

6. Kaum Madyan yang mendustakan Nabi Syu'aib.

"Dan berkatalah pula Ketua-ketua yang kafir dari kaum Nabi Syuaib (kepada orang ramai): "Sesungguhnya jika kamu mengikut Syuaib nescaya kamu dengan perbuatan yang demikian menjadilah orang-orang yang rugi". Maka mereka dibinasakan oleh gempa, lalu menjadilah mereka mayat-mayat yang tersungkur di tempat masing-masing. Orang-orang yang mendustakan Nabi Syuaib (punah-ranah) seolah-olah mereka tidak pernah mendiami negeri itu. Orang-orang yang mendustakan Nabi Syuaib, merekalah orang-orang yang rugi." (Surah al-A'raf 7:90-92)

7. Firaun yang dilemaskan kerana mengaku dirinya Tuhan dan menolak seruan Nabi Musa a.s dan saudaranya, Nabi Harun a.s.

Dan Kami bawakan Bani Israil ke seberang Laut Merah, lalu dikejar oleh Firaun dan tenteranya, dengan tujuan melakukan kezaliman dan pencerobohan, sehingga apabila Firaun hampir tenggelam berkatalah ia (pada saat yang genting itu): "Aku percaya, bahawa tiada Tuhan melainkan yang dipercayai oleh Bani Israil, dan aku adalah dari orang-orang yang berserah diri (menurut perintah)". (Allah berfirman): "Adakah sekarang (baharu engkau beriman), padahal sesungguhnya engkau dari dahulu telah kufur derhaka, dan engkau telahpun menjadi dari orang-orang yang melakukan kerosakan?. "Maka pada hari ini, Kami biarkan engkau (hai Firaun) terlepas dengan badanmu (yang tidak bernyawa, daripada ditelan laut), untuk menjadi tanda bagi orang-orang yang di belakangmu (supaya mereka mengambil itibar). Dan (ingatlah) sesungguhnya kebanyakan manusia lalai daripada (memerhati dan memikirkan) tanda-tanda kekuasaan Kami!".(Surah Yunus 10:90-92)

8.   Kaum Saba yang dibinasakan oleh banjir besar (Banjir Arim).

"Demi sesungguhnya, adalah bagi penduduk negeri Saba', satu tanda (yang membuktikan kemurahan Allah) yang terdapat di tempat tinggal mereka, iaitu: dua kumpulan kebun (yang luas lagi subur), yang terletak di sebelah kanan dan di sebelah kiri (kampung mereka). (Lalu dikatakan kepada mereka): "Makanlah dari rezeki pemberian Tuhan kamu dan bersyukurlah kepadaNya; (negeri kamu ini adalah) negeri yang baik (aman dan makmur), dan (Tuhan kamu adalah) Tuhan yang Maha Pengampun!. Maka mereka berpaling ingkar, lalu Kami hantarkan kepada mereka banjir yang membinasakan, dan Kami gantikan dua kumpulan kebun mereka (yang subur) itu dengan dua kumpulan kebun yang berisi dengan pohon-pohon yang pahit buahnya, dan pohon-pohon yang jarang berbuah, serta sedikit pohon-pohon bidara" (Surah Saba' 34:15-16)

Seusai habis membaca buku ini, seorang sahabat berkongi sebuah video dengan saya. Pada awal video ini, ditunjukkan 2 garis masa sejarah peradaban manusia, satu yang dipelajari di sekolah sejak sekian lama, dan satu lagi berdasarkan al-Quran. Tontonlah dan renungkan sendiri apa kesannya terhadap cara kita berfikir kita selama ini.

Wallahu'alam.

It started with a gadget

2011-09-07T01:06:00.006+08:00

Who said high-tech gadgets are bad for children &
they should play outside,sweat themselves to interact with each others?

Maybe the Atok Fish behind is the one who might feel a bit lonely...~

Winner or Loser?

2011-08-29T23:15:00.004+08:00

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri =)

Ask yourself,

what did you get from the last Ramadhan?

do you deserve to celebrate the winning day on 1st Syawal,
or do you still loosing yourself to syaitan & nafsu?

& Selamat Hari Kemerdekaan Malaysia ke-54.

Psoriasis Friends 2 +Treatment in Trial

2011-08-23T14:48:00.006+08:00

Recently, I've met 4 psoriasis friends : 2 are my former schoolmates, another 2 are seeking for my advices through FB. It is good to have link among psoriasis community as we can share our experiences, treatments (and cost), and give moral support. Reminding others to be patience and take the condition as a test & kifarah from Allah s.w.t is just like reminding my very own self too. Besides, with my medical knowledge I could help them to understand their condition better in simpler way.

InsyaAllah one day I wish to register myself into Psoriasis Association of Malaysia and attend the grand meeting held for the members so I could learn more about people & psoriasis.

While fighting with exams and stress about 3 months ago, actually I was trying another type of shampoo which is popular among psoriasis community. It is called Polytar.

As it was named, this shampoo basically contains coal tar. There are many positive feedbacks from people who use the shampoo to relief symptoms of psoriasis. The price is affordable and it can be found at most pharmacies. But it doesn't have a nice smell, you may need to rewash your hair with another shampoo if you really bothered by it. As usual, the result may vary among people, so don't be sad or give up if it didn't work on you (just like me, that's why this post come out this late!) =D .

Just now, I've bought a new shampoo. The active ingredient is ketoconazole, an antifungal agent which has direct anti-inflammatory effect too.

So far, my comments: affordable price, nice smell, small bottle, to be used twice a week.

I'll tell the result after 4 weeks from now. At the same time, I'm still using Xian Lin.

(Perhaps this is the last shampoo I'll try if it didn't work. I'll try to look for Stieprox and stick with it '-_-)

By the way, I've found my wooden comb back! =)

Ramadhan Mode

2011-08-03T16:25:00.002+08:00

Wish all of us a blessed Ramadhan.
Now is the time for our challenge to change begin.
Will we ever reach the taqwa which seems so close but so far away?

Countless blessings

2011-07-27T03:37:00.000+08:00

My mother thought the time has come for labour that afternoon. She was very sure as it was the fifth. As usual, my father sent her to government hospital in the middle of city.

In government hospital, they won't allow the mother to enter the ward until it is the 'perfect time' for the baby to be delivered. So my mother just waited with patience outside the ward.

Few hours later, the nurse called my mother's name. My mother entered the ward with smile. The doctor on duty checked for the opening. To her surprise, the opening was already adequate. She asked my mother, "Tak ada rasa sakit ke?". With smile still on her face, she nodded. "Peliknya orang macam awak ni, sakit pun boleh senyum lagi." said the doctor.

I guess the baby has live her life the same way too. Although her smile is not as sweet and prominent as her mother, she sure is very good in keeping things to herself only.

It is already 21 years. Alhamdulillah.

Today is not just the day I was born, but also the day my mother had delivered me with all her love and energy, and the day my father smiled the very wide smile for the bless he was given.

Thank you Mak & Ayah. I will try my best not to make your efforts this 21 years go into waste. InsyaAllah.

While reading a magazine last night, I came across a phrase :

"Jika jasa manusia tidak sanggup kita khianati,

mengapa nikmat Allah yang begitu banyak kita dustai?"

Time to refresh, reflect, and remind myself again how much He has give me, from the moment my soul was blown to me while I was in my mother's womb, and up until now He never stopped to show His ultimate love.

Thank you Allah. I pray to be among those who never stopped to seek for your blessings. Amin~.

Pemikiran Mendahului Zaman

2011-07-20T02:03:00.000+08:00

Sebuah biografi oleh Abdullah Abdul Kadir atau Munshi Abdullah(1796-1854).
Selesai dikarang pada 1845 dan diterbitkan kali pertama pada 1849.
Versi di atas telah dimudahkan bahasanya namun masih mengekalkan
isi kandungan juga gaya bahasa dan susunan ayat.

Apa yang sangat menarik, buku ini menggambarkan keadaan Melaka dan Singapura, juga kehidupan masyarakat Melayu, dan bangsa-bangsa lain ketika itu termasuk orang putih. Disaat masyarakat setempat enggan menuntut ilmu baru, Munshi Abdullah yang berkebolehan membaca dan menulis bergaul dan saling bertukar pengetahuan dengan bangsa orang putih, terutama dalam bidang bahasa.Biarpun ada yang memanggilnya kafir, Munshi Abdullah tidak peduli, bahkan berasa kesal dengan sikap bangsanya sendiri yang enggan belajar walaupun bahasa sendiri.Sebaliknya, bangsa-bangsa luar yang sibuk mengumpul penemuan dan ilmu di bumi Melayu. Di akhir penulisan, beliau menyimpulkan ada dua sebab utama bangsa Melayu terus dilingkungi kemunduran ketika itu: Pertama, kerabat diraja. Rakyat tidak berani melakukan lebih daripada apa yang raja mereka buat. Ketamakan raja juga menyebabkan beberapa tanah bangsa tergadai di tangan penjajah dengan mudah. Kedua, kepercayaan kepada benda-benda tahyul dan mistik. Kesalnya, hal ini masih kekal sehingga hari ini.

Filem berdasarkan kisah benar mengenai Haji Ahmad Dahlan, pengasas Muhammadiyah, sebuah organisasi di Indonesia yang memperjuangkan aspek sosial dan pendidikan masyarakat berteraskan al-Quran dan Sunnah. Sekembalinya Haji Ahmad Dahlan dari pengajian di Mekah, beliau ingin membawa perubahan kepada masyarakat Islam setempat yang masih dibayangi amalan-amalan khurafat dan adat-adat yang diwarisi daripada agama Hindu. Beliau juga mendapati kiblat di masjid-masjid, termasuk masjid besar tidak seragam dan tidak menghala ke arah Ka'bah di Mekah. Namun usaha untuk menjalankan dakwahnya tidak pernah mudah kerana kebanyakan kiyai yang lebih tua tidak bersetuju dengannya. Dia juga digelar Kiyai Kafir. Haji Ahmad Dahlan tidak berputus asa, malah mendirikan sekolah pondoknya sendiri dan mengajar anak-anak fakir. Sekali lagi dia dipanggil kafir oleh penduduk apabila menggunakan kerusi,meja dan mengajar bahasa Belanda di sekolah. Terlalu banyak pengajaran yang boleh difikirkan daripada filem yang cukup menyentuh ini.

Bagi mendalami lebih lanjut gerakan-gerakan Islam lain di Indonesia, termasuk Muhammadiyah bolehlah cuba membaca buku tulisan Dr Hafidzi Mohd Noor. Meskipun berjiran, sesungguhnya senario di Indonesia amat berlainan sekali dengan perjuangan kemerdekaan di tanah air kita.

Ini adalah kisah Malaysia. Barangkali, beliau adalah orang yang paling mengenali Malaysia dan Melayu. Ketepikan soal 'politik' sebentar, baca dan ambil pengajaran yang ada. Bermula dari zaman kanak-kanak, zaman sekolah, zaman perang, zaman universiti, zaman doktor, zaman politik dan pemerintahan, sehinggalah zaman bersara, setiap bab ditulis dengan menyeluruh dan pengajaran untuk difikirkan di akhir kisah. Tuhan tidak mengaturkan insan bernama Mahathir Mohamad belajar di universiti tempatan dalam bidang perubatan tanpa sebab(beliau sebenarnya bercita-cita melanjutkan pelajaran di London dalam bidang undang-undang). Sesungguhnya Malaysia amat bertuah kerana pernah memiliki seorang doktor sebagai perdana menteri.

Pelajarilah sejarah, bukan semata-mata menghafal nama dan tarikh,
sebaliknya memikirkan pengajaran yang ada.
Sejarah boleh berulang dan diulang, tidak kira sejarah yang baik mahupun yang buruk.
Oleh itu, ulanglah yang baik itu.

Aduan itu Emas!

2011-07-15T01:05:00.000+08:00

Mamoru Takagi bekerja di jabatan khidmat pelanggan Syarikat Alat Tulis Akebono. Setiap hari, dia perlu menjawab banyak panggilan telefon daripada pengguna. Kebanyakan panggilan tersebut terdiri daripada aduan.

"Kenapa bekas tulisan masih ada walaupun dah padam guna pemadam syarikat kamu!"

"Jari saya jadi kotor bila nak tukar ubat pensil baru!"

Seperti biasa Takagi akan meminta maaf dan berterima kasih kepada pembuat aduan. Kadang-kala dia perlu keluar untuk meminta maaf secara bersemuka. Setiap patah perkataan dicatat ke dalam laporan beserta rancangan penambahbaikan.

Takagi menempuh hari-harinya dengan penuh kesabaran. Selalu juga dia merungut kerana kebanyakan aduan tidak munasabah. Dia tidak faham kenapa aduan yang merepek dan remeh-temeh itu perlu dilayan. Sesetengah aduan bukanlah berpunca daripada alat tulis, sebaliknya salah pengguna sendiri!

Suatu hari, Takagi menerima aduan daripada seorang wanita tua yang mengatakan bahawa lubang telinganya terluka ketika membersihkannya dengan penutup pen. Sewaktu diminta menyiapkan laporan, Takagi bergurau dengan ketua jabatannya, Encik Samejima.

Encik Samejima hanya tersenyum. Itulah prinsip yang cuba dipupuk pada pekerja bawahannya.

"Things can be triggered by complaints.
A minor complaint may lead to a hit merchandise.
Customers' opinions are a mountain of gold.
We should cherish them."

(Babak diatas adalah antara sedutan drama "Marumo no Okite" dengan sedikit pengubahsuaian)

Idea yang baru tidak datang begitu saja. Lebih-lebih lagi sesuatu yang berguna kepada masyarakat. Begitulah terlahirnya sebuah inovasi dan improvisasi. Daripada aduan dan masalah ramai. Dengan adanya aduan-aduan tersebut, dapatlah penciptaan atau penambahbaikan dilakukan dengan sepatutnya. Itulah tugas Nobita, memaksa Doraemon mengeluarkan alat baru untuk menyelesaikan masalahnya. Begitu juga Kiteretsu yang tidak jemu merekacipta sesuatu bagi membantu orang sekelilingnya.

Jadi jangan hairanlah apabila kita melihat sesuatu produk atau perkhidmatan berkembang dengan pantasnya. Contoh yang paling ketara perkembangan teknologi. Belum habis demam edisi terdahulu, edisi terbaru produk sudah keluar di pasaran. Produk yang kita guna hari ini, mungkin sudah ketinggalan zaman pada bulan depan.

Bagi pengeluar, penambahbaikan adalah perlu bagi mendahului pasaran. Produk yang memenuhi kehendak pengguna pasti akan laris. Dari sudut lain pula, persaingan sihat dapat dilihat apabila masing-masing berlumba-lumba membuat kajian bagi menghasilkan teknologi terbaru, sekaligus menggalakkan pembangunan teknologi.

Kepentingan mementingkan aduan ramai bukan setakat untuk kepentingan ekonomi dan pembangunan saja. Malah dari segi sosial juga apabila ia menyelesaikan masalah dan memberi kebaikan kepada orang ramai. Lihat saja pembangunan di kota suci Mekah sekarang. Setiap tahun, pasti ada pembaharuan dan penambahbaikan bagi memudahkan urusan beribu-ribu umat Islam yang berkunjung untuk menunaikan ibadah haji dan 'umrah. Hal ini mungkin tidak akan berlaku dengan cepat jika tidak dilihat dari sudut jemaah sendiri.

Namun, tidak semua orang suka mengadu, apalagi mendengar aduan. Di sesetengah tempat, budaya mengadu adalah tidak bagus. Lebih baik sabar dan terima saja semua. Kalau mengadu pun, tak akan dilayan! Kalau dilayan, nanti jadi manja pula.

Apabila anak-anak mengadu kepada kedua orang tuanya, akan dibalas:
"Kami dulu lagi teruk. Ini tak ada, itu tak ada."

Apabila murid-murid mengadu kepada gurunya, akan dibalas:
"Awak semua ni manja betul!Saya dulu lagi teruk!"

Apabila pekerja-pekerja mengadu kepada majikannya, akan dibalas:
"Kau ingat syarikat ni bapak kau punya!Potong gaji baru tau!"

Apabila rakyat mengadu kepada pemerintahnya, akan dibalas:
"Ah, ini semua propaganda pihak yang cuba menjatuhkan kerajaan semata-mata!"

Nampaknya mentaliti kelas ketiga tidak mengenal pangkat dan usia. Akibatnya, seiring dengan kepesatan pembangunan yang tidak perlu, masalah juga bertambah. Apabila rugi, menuding jari pada orang lain pun tak guna. Minda kreatif, kritis, dan inovatif sukar dipupuk kerana fikiran sudah lesu, sudah terbantut akibat terlalu 'redha' dengan segala kemudahan dan masalah di depan mata.

Akhir kata, dengar dan nilailah setiap aduan orang lain. Kita punya akal, jadi gunakanlah ia sebaiknya untuk menentukan sama ada aduan tersebut relevan atau tidak. Walaupun tidak dapat menghasilkan sesuatu yang baru, cukuplah sekadar menyelesaikan masalah yang ada. Sesungguhnya meringankan kesusahan orang lain itu juga adalah ibadah.

Jika kita tidak puas hati dengan sesuatu, luahkanlah kepada saluran yang sepatutnya dengan niat agar orang lain tidak mengalami nasib kurang baik seperti kita, bukan niat untuk menjatuhkan.

Sebelum mengadu kepada manusia, mengadulah kepada Allah s.w.t dahulu kerana Dia Maha Mendengar dan tidak akan mengecewakan hambaNya.

Dan Tuhan kamu berfirman: "Berdoalah kamu kepada-Ku nescaya Aku perkenankan doa permohonan kamu. Sesungguhnya orang-orang yang sombong takbur daripada beribadat dan berdoa kepada-Ku, akan masuk neraka jahannam dalam keadaan hina." (Surah Ghafir: 60).

Sedangkan Allah yang Maha Berkuasa pun tidak sombong mendengar aduan hambaNya, apalagi kita hamba yang hina.
Sedangkan Nabi Muhammad s.a.w yang sangat sibuk dengan peranannya sebagai Nabi, Rasul, pemimpin, bapa, suami dan sahabat pun sudi meluangkan masa mendengar masalah ummatnya, apalagi kita manusia biasa yang sering lalai dan leka.

Wallahu'alam.

ZaHanArashi

When position is not just a number.

2011-07-13T15:18:00.000+08:00

(I'm not really obsessed with this, but this one is really funny & make sense.)

Below is a combination of clips from Japanese drama 'Propose Kyoudai'.
(credit to Heiwa Fansub or the video & subs)

This drama is a love comedy that follows 4 very different types of guys who grew up in a very normal household, a first child, a middle child, a youngest child, and an only chid. This drama portrays the transformation of the guys as they meet someone and begin to realize their own weaknesses and their strengths, and are able to find true happiness.

The most interesting parts are when their childhood lives are described.
Check this out!

*the funniest part for me is middle child's "i'm not the true child of this family". I think most people used to have that thought when they were small =P .

Bruxism Attack

2011-07-12T03:07:00.000+08:00

Not a single night that I slept without clenching my teeth.

Shall I get my first restoration?

There's no way I would let it to happen.

Xian Lin - the cheaper alternative

2011-07-11T14:46:00.000+08:00

Before I decided to meet dermatologist, I already did some effort to cure my scalp condition. I was helped by many people. My father introduced many types of topical medication(mostly traditional made). My sister bought a herbal tea and cream from HPA(which I only used the cream,there's no way I would drink that tea!). My sister-in-law suggested vitamin C drink for me. Thanks to all of them for supporting me. But now, we learned that the best way is seeing the right specialist.

Among all medications, there is one topical cream which works on treating my psoriasis(at least on the non-hairy areas). It is called Xian Lin cream. My father got it from a Chinese pharmacy nearby our neighbourhood. The first time I used this cream was about 2 years ago.

The main composition is Tolnaftate, a wide spectrum antifungal. But I think it is not the Tolnatate that really solved the problem of white scales and itchiness, because when I used Tolnaftate of another brand, it didn't work (it was hard to find Xian Lin at another pharmacy). Maybe its natural formulas which solve the symptoms :

- Radix Astragali
- Fructus Tritici Levi
- Fructus Jufubae
- Radix Oryzae Glutznosae
- Concha Ostreae

All of the above are traditional Chinese herbs (in fact, Xian Lin is manufactured in Taiwan). Although most of them deal with qi (which I don't really understand), it just work!

So, if you are looking for an alternative that is effective but cheap, maybe you can try this small miracle called Xian Lin cream. =)

(Right now I'm using this medication. It seems like i need to buy a lot of stocks before i go back to college).

PINTAR & BERSIH

2011-07-05T01:02:00.000+08:00

Suatu hari yang normal, saya berjalan-jalan di sebuah pusat membeli-belah di ibu negara. Tiba-tiba perut rasa memulas dan saya terus menuju ke tandas berdekatan. Di dalam tandas agak ramai orang, namun kebanyakan mereka sedang berhias di depan cermin, jadi ada beberapa tandas yang kosong. Saya menolak daun pintu tandas yang paling terperosok di hujung. Oh tidak, tiada kepala paip! Tandas bersebelahan, oh sama juga! Setelah memerhati tandas yang ketiga barulah saya faham. Rekaan tandas-tandas di sini sengaja dibuat tanpa paip air. Memikirkan 'kebahayaan' tersebut, serta-merta perut saya baik semula. Tak sanggup menggadaikan prinsip kebersihan yang sudah dipraktikkan selama ni!

Ini mengingatkan saya pada suatu sindrom yang telah dibincangkan oleh Dr Mehmet Oz, pakar bedah yang menjadi tetamu tetap rancangan Oprah dalam segmen "Ask Dr Oz". Sindrom tersebut adalah "Safe-toilet Syndrome" atau STS. Ia berlaku apabila seseorang tidak membuang air dengan kekerapan yang normal ketika berada jauh dari rumahnya (berjalan-jalan,makan angin).

"What happens is you go out on the road, and you get into an environment that's not as safe," he says. "Humans, in order to go to the bathroom, have to allow their autonomic system—the autopilot of our body—to go into relax mode. It's the only way that you can go to the bathroom. … So when you leave the comfort of your home, you get into an uncomfortable situation where you just don't ever relax."

Two other factors can contribute to vacation constipation—lack of fiber in your diet and not drinking enough water. "That one-two punch really stops you up," he says. If you're traveling to another time zone, a confused body clock might also be to blame.

-Dr Mehmet Oz, The Oprah Winfrey Show, 1 Jan 2006

Sindrom STS bukanlah sesuatu yang jarang berlaku. Sebut saja tandas awam Malaysia, memang serta-merta rasa nak selamatkan diri daripadanya. Tidak kira di sekolah, kawasan rehat & rawat, pusat beli-belah, malah di masjid sekalipun tidak dijaga dengan baik. Ada orang salahkan pengguna, pengguna salahkan tukang cuci, tukang cuci salahkan bahagian penyelenggaraan. Akhirnya masing-masing lepas tangan. Maka wujudlah tandas awam yang boleh menyebabkan penyakit sembelit dan batu karang!

Baru-baru ini saya menonton sebuah dokudrama, "Begin Japanology" yang memaparkan perkembangan & pembangunan negara Jepun dalam pelbagai aspek. Episod kali ini ialah mengenai tandas. Di Jepun, selaras dengan pembangunan teknologinya, tandas yang dilengkapi dengan pelbagai fungsi lain bukanlah sesuatu yang baru. Apa yang menarik, pemanfaatan teknologi ke atas rekaan tandas dilakukan untuk mengatasi masalah kebersihan, pembersihan, pembaziran air, juga perasaan malu masyarakat Jepun ketika menggunakan tandas. Dan kesungguhan mereka mengekalkan kebersihan tandas melalui rekaannya sebenarnya telah wujud sejak zaman tandas tradisional Jepun lagi!

Malangnya, rakyat Malaysia lebih suka berhabis duit memiliki telefon bimbit pintar berbanding tandas yang pintar. Barangkali mereka menganggap ia suatu pelaburan yang tidak menguntungkan dan membazir.

Sistem tandas negara-negara di bawah pemerintahan Islam dahulu sudah tentu tidak kurang hebatnya memandangkan kebersihan adalah sesuatu yang asas dan dituntut dalam Islam. Mungkin saya perlu buat lebih ulangkaji agar dapat dikongsi, insyaAllah.

Jika dipanggil seluruh rakyat Malaysia untuk operasi bersihkan tandas awam, agaknya ramai tak yang akan menyahut seruan dengan semangat waja, terutamanya orang kita?

Kebersihan zahir dan batin, dua-dua sama penting dan saling mempengaruhi. Kalau zahir tak bersih, batin apatah lagi. Kalau batin saja bersih, tapi zahir tidak tak ada gunanya juga.

Wallahu'alam.

ZaHanArashi.

The Hyper- Problem

2011-06-30T00:00:00.000+08:00

A condition is considered rare until it occurs in your family. So is a disease or syndrome.

My 15-year-old youngest sister, Aisyah is diagnosed to have hyperthyroidism. She has most of the symptoms & signs :
-proptosis/exophthalmos(the main reason that brought us to clinic), lid retraction, lid lag,
-palpitation,
-tremor,
-increase of appetite,
-absence of menstruation,
-on palpation, the doctor had found a 2mm x 3mm diffuse goiter
(which I failed to feel it).

The blood test also showed that the free T4 &T3 levels are abnormally higher(very high) than normal.

She is given Carbimazole, an anti-thyroid drugs and Propanolol to reduce the palpitation.

Aisyah is going to sit for PMR this year, yet she needs to skip school several times to attend clinical appointments, do blood tests and take ultrasounds of the goiter. Since she is living at hostel now, just hope that she will not skip her medications because it is the only choice she has to get better.

(While sleeping, she cannot close her eyes properly. If you want to watch & study how the eyeballs move while sleeping, she is the perfect subject. The eyes appear like she is not sleeping while she actually did. It is not good as the eyeballs can dry and prone to infection.)

Going to government clinic is one thing, waiting, queuing, many different counters, patients crowding, but if to be compared with a lot of money spent on private hospital, it is worth waiting with patience and hoping that your number will appear on the screen next!

A favour to ask, please pray for my sister's health & wellness.
Years from now, she will face another hyper- & auto-immune challenge, scalp psoriasis just like me.
May Allah bless her with patience & make her life easier in the future, Amin~.

Be Responsible!

2011-06-26T23:16:00.000+08:00

My semester break this time is quite fascinating. I always have job to do, responsible to hold, books to read, series to follow, things to study, and more importantly, time & energy to consume.

Last week, I was given responsible to take care of my grandfather, specifically to change the dressing on his ulcerated foot.

My grandfather, we call him Atok Ayah or simply Atok, has diabetes. So, the ulcer has been there for quite a long time and it worsen each day as he refused to be treated by more painful procedure at clinic.

First time I saw the ulcer, I thought it was very awful. I never handled this thing before, so I just stick with some principles that I knew. As long as it is bleeding, painful, no cellulitis, no other discharges, there's a chance for it to get better.

Day by day, I got used to it. I knew what I was going to do and Atok seemed to cooperate my treatment. Every morning, as soon as I arrived he was already there, on his couch waiting for me. Besides changing the dressing, I also rubbed his body with wet cloth, gave him massage, and make sure he took his food and medication. It was a new experience for me.

In year 1999-2000, I remember watching how my mother took care of her bedridden mother-in-law at our house until the end. Despite having responsible as a wife & mother, there was never a day I heard her complaining. She just did it as it was a routine for her. My mother is always a role model for me to be a good daughter and daughter-in-law.

Somehow, our relationship was more to nurse-patient than granddaughter-grandfather because Atok didn't recognize me. It was amazing to watch him eat fried mee and roti canai without any single tooth in his mouth! But sure, he only ate a bit and for an 86-year-old old man here, what he needs is more than food or drink.

He needs attention. He needs someone to care for him. He needs someone to be by his side, although that person is just sleeping (yeah,sometimes I fell asleep.the house was just too quiet). But for some reasons, I cannot stay there all the time and he doesn't want to leave his house to stay with us. I just hope that others will come to keep Atok cheer up.

This is our big family. Actually it is bigger than this. But is quantity enough to justify happiness?

I've got some lesson here. Responsible. We are not made to live on the earth with single responsibility. We also cannot choose which responsible we prefer than others. Everyone of us is a child, sister/brother, husband/wife, mother/father, student, teacher, worker and any other things which Allah s.w.t had given us. These are our 'amanah'.

Some people tend to use responsible they have as excuses to avoid other responsible. It can be understood if it was to relief worldly burden which was beyond one capacity, but to abandon your parents for another reasons, that was out of Islamic teaching.

"And your Lord has decreed that you not worship except Him, and to parents, good treatment. Whether one or both of them reach old age [while] with you, say not to them [so much as], "uff," and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word. And lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy and say, "My Lord, have mercy upon them as they brought me up [when I was] small."

“Dan Tuhanmu sudah perintahkan, supaya engkau tidak menyembahkan melainkan kepadaNya semata-mata dan hendaklah engkau berbuat baik kepada ibu bapa. Jika salah seorang daripada keduanya, atau kedua-duanya sekali, sampai kepada usia tua dalam jagaan dan peliharaanmu, maka janganlah engkau berkata kepada mereka (sebarang perkataan kasar), sekalipun perkataan ‘uuh’ dan janganlah engkau menengking mereka, tetapi ucapkanlah kepada mereka perkataan mulia (yang bersopan santun). Dan hendaklah engkau merendah diri kepada keduanya kerana belas kasihan dan kasih sayangmu dan doakanlah (untuk mereka, dengan berkata): “Wahai Tuhanku, cucurilah rahmat kepada mereka berdua seperti mereka mencurahkan kasih sayangnya memelihara dan mendidikku ketika kecil.”

(Surah al-Israk 17: 23-24).

Everytime you are immersed in your business or worldly affair, just remember how busy our prophet, Muhammad s.a.w was, but still he got time for his family, children and us, his future ummah.

Back to my grandfather's foot, Alhamdulillah the condition is getting better. It was the feeling of a doctor seeing her patient getting well, everytime I opened the dressing. I pray that it will heal soon, and Atok will have someone by his side for good. Amin~.

Wallahu'alam.

I'm wondering what's on his mind

2011-06-23T00:09:00.000+08:00

Just now, I watched 'Laskar Pelangi' movie on TV.
Although it was the last 30 minutes part,
I watched it with someone special...

...my father.

Meet Mr Incredible

2011-06-19T19:09:00.000+08:00

When I was small, young & naive, I had a thought that my father was the most fierce person in the world. His sour face, loud voice, rough big hands, curly hair, everything about him was scary for me. If we bought snacks, we would eat it secretly from him. We didn't like to play outside from our house's gate because it was tiring to run back home whenever we saw his car. Seeing elder siblings got scolded by him was a routine. Sometimes, I got scolded too and to stop my cry he would take me into the bathroom and pour water on me. Our holiday trip can be counted by one hand. I hope one day I could run from this hell-like house.

But the reasons to stay were stronger.

We were not allowed to buy our own snack because there were a lot of food at home.
We didn't have to play outside because we have many siblings, toys, and wide area within our house.
We got scolded so we wouldn't repeat the same mistake again and be more discipline.
I was so lucky for not getting hit or other punishment that bring pain to my body.
We seldom went to holiday trip because my father was working hard for our future and on his day-off, he would bring us to his hometown, visiting relatives and grandmother.

At the end of the day, he who in the past was scared
now is loved by everyone in the house.

Thanks for teaching us so many important values of life,
thanks for providing us what we need instead of what we want,
thanks for giving us chance to decide what we want to do in life,
thanks for reminding us whenever we went wrong,
thanks for taking care of us even we are old enough to take care of ourselves,
thanks for loving us so much and showing it on the right way,
thanks for being our 'hero in disguise'! =D

You may not be my first love,
but you are my everlasting love. ;)

More Than Just A Comb

2011-06-15T17:12:00.000+08:00

Having a scalp psoriasis, combing for me is more than just to keep my hair neat. When I comb, it also helps in relieving the itchiness, eliminating the dandruff, reducing hair fall, and keeping my scalp in the most comfortable condition as I could.

2 years ago, I accidentally entered "Carpenter Tan", a small shop lot at Berjaya Times Square which the wooden crafts there had really got me enchanted. One of their products which I had bought was a white horn hair comb. The price was almost RM30, but with my condition I thought it was really worth buying. Here is the picture - White Horn Hair Comb.

Up until 2 weeks ago, the comb was one of my most valuable stuffs.

What I like about this comb are the rounded and smooth tips of its teeth. While combing, I had no problem to make the comb in contact with my scalp anymore. It just slipped softly on the psoriatic areas and made it less painful.

According to the Carpenter Tan people, this comb can be used to massage our scalp and improve the blood circulation. Although I didn't really follow the massaging instruction given, I thought this comb was a very great help for me in managing my scalp psoriasis. (of course, the condition didn't improve, but at least it gave me a comfortable feeling.)

But now, the comb is lost somewhere in my sister's house. =(
I can't wait to get a new one as I'm living without proper medication right now.

Gilakah Kuasa?

2011-06-12T15:23:00.000+08:00

Saya suka menonton drama Jepun. Tapi tak bermakna saya nak jadi orang Jepun.

Semasa zaman penjajahan Jepun di Tanah Melayu dulu, antara Disember 1941 hingga September 1945, keluarga nenek belah emak saya pernah disoal siasat tentera Jepun. Sejak dari hari itu, mereka sekeluarga mengenakan 'bedak arang' di muka supaya tak disalah anggap sebagai orang Cina.

Selepas Jeneral Itakagi menyerahkan pedangnya kepada Leftenan Jeneral Messery pada Februari 1946, Komunis pula mengkhianati Inggeris untuk menyebarkan ideologi mereka di Tanah Melayu. Jika mereka masih berleluasa seperti dulu, peluru tentera Komunis buatan Amerika Syarikat tentu sudah tembus di dada saya, kerana suka menonton drama Jepun.

Ada satu drama Jepun yang pada saya sangat menarik. Tajuknya "Iryu" atau "Team Medical Dragon". Namanya saja sudah tahu cerita pasal bidang perubatan. Tetapi, bukan teknik pembedahan jantung Batista yang mengujakan saya, apatah lagi tangan magis sang hero, Dr Asada Ryutaro. Sebaliknya watak Dr Katou Akira.

Dr Akira adalah seorang profesor madya yang sedang berusaha menulis tesis mengenai teknik Batista bagi mengejar gelaran profesor. Sesetengah babak menunjukkan Dr Akira seperti mementingkan diri sendiri, seperti terdesak untuk mengejar gelaran. Pada penghujung cerita, penyebab desakan Dr Akira terungkai. Memang Dr Akira terdesak mahu jadi profesor, kerana dengan gelaran tersebut dia boleh merebut jawatan pengarah hospital daripada Prof. Noguchi Keno yang tak berhati perut, yang lebih mementingkan prestij hospital berbanding kebajikan pesakit. Dr Akira bercita-cita untuk mengubah polisi tersebut dan berusaha untuk mendapat kuasa dengan cara yang sepatutnya.

Dr Akira benar-benar telah menyedarkan saya. Sejak daripada hari itu, saya menanam kepercayaan dalam diri saya bahawa pentingnya untuk kita mengejar kekuasaan. Apabila kita berkuasa, macam-macam perubahan kita boleh buat. Bukan bermakna orang tak berkuasa tak boleh membawa perubahan, tetapi dengan adanya kuasa, proses pelaksanaan akan menjadi lebih mudah dan cepat.

Abu Sa’id al-Khudri r.a meriwayatkan, Nabi SAW bersabda yang bermaksud: Sesiapa di antara kamu melihat sesuatu kejahatan, maka hendaklah ia mengubahnya dengan tangannya, sekiranya tidak sanggup hendaklah dengan lisannya dan sekiranya tidak sanggup hendaklah dengan hatinya. Yang demikian itu (mengingkarkan dengan hati) adalah selemah-lemah iman. (riwayat Muslim )

'Tangan' yang dimaksudkan oleh baginda Rasulullah s.a.w adalah kekuasaan! Sejak zaman baginda, perluasan kuasa menjadi salah satu cara untuk menyebarkan agama Islam. Apabila hendak berdakwah ke sesuatu negara, pemerintah negara atau raja yang berkuasa disasar untuk didakwahkan dahulu. Pemilik-pemilik empayar Islam selepas itu juga berusaha untuk meluaskan kuasa mereka agar dapat membebaskan rakyat daripada cengkaman pemimpin yang zalim. Kepentingan berkuasa juga turut disedari empayar bukan Islam yang lain dan mereka berlumba-lumba untuk meluaskan kekuasaan, tetapi dengan agenda yang tersendiri.

Ada orang menolak untuk jadi pemimpin. Tugas pemimpin memang berat. Mereka takut tak dapat berlaku adil, nanti kena soal di akhirat kelak. Tapi, bila kepimpinan yang ada berlaku zalim, mereka merungut. Dengan harapan rungutan itu akan didengar, walaupun mereka sedar betapa pemimpin yang zalim itu telinganya sudah torek, hatinya sudah keras. Akhirnya mereka terus-terusan dizalimi, dan hanya mampu berdoa. Tiada usaha untuk menjadi berkuasa atau sekurang-kurangnya, melahirkan bakal pemimpin yang adil. Adakah rakyat biasa atau orang bawahan tidak akan disoal oleh Tuhan kelak?

Tidak semua orang mampu untuk meraih kuasa. Oleh itu, mereka memilih kuasa yang tidak kurang hebat pengaruhnya, kuasa lidah. Bercakap juga perlu ada kredibiliti supaya didengari. Bukan skor A+ dalam subjek Bahasa Melayu SPM, tapi dengan pendidikan dan pengalaman. Timbalah ilmu setingginya, carilah pengalaman seluasnya. Dengan ilmu, dapatlah kita berbicara dengan gaya penuh hikmah. Atas dasar dalil-dalil naqli dan 'aqli, dari akal dan hati yang mencari keredhaan Tuhan. Dengan izinNya, dapat menusuk hati dan akal yang mendengarnya. Bukan cakap kosong atau cakap 'copy-paste'. Walaupun benar, hanya terasa seperti angin lalu.

Ramai orang sekarang memilih yang jalan yang ketiga. Mengingkar dalam hati. Kadang-kadang terlepas juga di status Facebook, di forum-forum maya, mahupun di dalam blog (macam saya sekarang ni). Kalau dibaca sesi perbincangan golongan ini, 95% daripadanya hanyalah selaran, kutukan, dan kata-kata benci yang amat sangat semata-mata. Idea atau inisiatif kepada penyelesaian masalah jarang sekali dibahaskan, jauh sekali strategi pelaksanaan. Sedangkan ia adalah selemah-lemah iman. Jika betul diri mengejar akhirat, kenapa tidak rebut peluang untuk menaik taraf iman dengan cara ini?

Tidak kurang juga yang percaya kuasa majoriti, kuasa rakyat, mahupun kuasa pengguna. Demonstrasi jalanan, rusuhan, pemboikotan, petisyen dijalankan dengan harapan dapat menyedarkan orang atasan. Kadang-kadang ia berhasil juga. Namun cara ini ada limitasi. Kalau tak kena tempat dan masa, orang awam yang tak bersalah turut terkesan dengan kerugian. Tak semua perkara dapat diselesaikan melalui kuasa majoriti. Sejarah telah menunjukkan, Rusuhan Natrah yang dianggap antara rusuhan terbesar itu pun tak mampu menyelamatkan akidah seorang remaja perempuan berusia 13 tahun. Bukan nekad rusuhan umat Islam ketika itu yang hendak dipersoalkan, sebaliknya kita perlu ambil pengajaran bahawa betapa beruntungnya jika ketika itu kuasa undang-undang di tangan orang yang sepatutnya!

Sewaktu menjalani ujian lisan subjek Behavioural Science & Oral Health lebih kurang sebulan lepas, tiba-tiba saya disoal pemeriksa mengenai tiga badan utama dalam sistem pemerintahan Malaysia. Katanya untuk melihat kesedaran politikal saya. Beliau juga menekankan kepentingan mengetahui badan-badan tersebut, termasuk ahli-ahli dan bidang kuasa masing-masing. Kenapa? Kerana badan-badan inilah yang berkuasa menentukan jatuh-bangun negara kita sekarang!

Ahli-ahli badan perundangan atau legislatif berkuasa menggubal undang-undang dan membela suara rakyat. Badan pentadbiran yang memiliki kuasa eksekutif pula menggubal dan menjalankan dasar-dasar negara. Badan yang ketiga, badan kehakiman atau judisiari bebas daripada pengaruh politik agar dapat berlaku adil. Jadi, jika mahu ubah undang-undang atau mahu membela rakyat, masuklah badan legislatif. Ada idea bernas untuk selamatkan negara? Realisasikan dasar tersebut dengan kuasa eksekutif! Jika bersungguh-sungguh mahu tegakkan keadilan, jadilah antara mereka yang berkuasa di badan kehakiman.

Tetapi jika kita tak mahu atau tak mampu, jangan risau. Ada satu lagi kuasa yang penting iaitu kuasa sebagai pengundi! Kuasa ini lebih berhasil berbanding cara pelaksanaan kuasa majoriti yang lain. Walaupun sebagai pengundi saja, perlu untuk kita tahu di mana letaknya pemimpin yang kita undi dan juga bidang kuasa mereka. Kemudian, barulah idea-idea bernas kita sebagai rakyat dapat disalurkan di tempat yang betul dan kalau ada rezeki akan dilaksanakan.

Kekuasaan bukan terhad kepada sistem politik saja, malah termasuk juga menguasai bidang-bidang lain seperti ekonomi, pendidikan, perubatan, penyiaran, dan banyak lagi. Kalau kita berkuasa dalam setiap bidang tersebut, mudah bagi kita untuk mengubah kemungkaran kepada kemakrufan. Sudah tentu, jalan menuju kekuasaan mengambil masa dan tenaga. Tetapi merungut dan berkerut dahi selalu lebih membazir tenaga dan mempercepatkan proses penuaan berlaku!

Akhir kata, bagaimana berkuasanya manusia itu sekalipun, ingatlah bahawa ada yang lebih berkuasa. Sesungguhnya Allah s.w.t Maha Berkuasa. Dengan pegangan inilah umat Islam, tidak kira umur, pangkat, jantina, hatta warna kulit sekalipun, mampu jadi berkuasa di depan kuasa lain yang zalim. Itulah sebaik-baik jihad. Allahuakbar!

(Tiada niat politik di sini. Cuma mahu mengajak diri sendiri dan semua orang mengubah pemikiran tipikal kita. Tatkala kita asyik merungut, bangsa lain sudah menguasai macam-macam perkara. Jangan mengharap pemimpin yang adil akan 'turun dari langit'. Jadilah pemimpin itu. Tidak salah menjadi idealis, kerana Sultan Muhammad al-Fateh adalah contoh idealis Muslim yang berjaya.)

"Kamu (Wahai umat Muhammad) adalah sebaik-baik umat yang dilahirkan bagi (faedah) umat manusia, (kerana) kamu menyuruh berbuat segala perkara yang baik dan melarang daripada segala perkara yang salah (buruk dan keji), serta kamu pula beriman kepada Allah (dengan sebenar-benar iman)." (Surah Ali Imran 2:10)

Marilah berusaha menjadi umat yang dimaksudkan di atas.

Wallahu'alam.

ZaHanArashi.

Bahasa SMS - Singkat, Mudah tapi Salah!

2011-06-09T16:06:00.000+08:00

Salah apabila digunakan dalam urusan rasmi atau formal.

Penularan penggunaan bahasa SMS atau sistem pesanan ringkas bukan perkara baru. Baru-baru ni ia dibangkitkan lagi sebagai paparan muka hadapan sebuah akhbar tempatan. Kali ini, isu yang ditekankan ialah penggunaan singkatan SMS yang semakin lama semakin menjadi-jadi dalam peperiksaan penulisan di sekolah, juga penulisan tesis oleh pelajar di peringkat universiti. Hal ini begitu merisaukan banyak pihak kerana ia mampu menjejaskan pola bahasa singkatan dalam Bahasa Melayu yang telah ditetapkan oleh Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka(DBP), selain boleh menjejaskan bahasa itu sendiri! Seperti biasa, persoalan-persoalan seperti salah siapa, apakah tindakan badan bertanggungjawab, dan apakah nasib generasi akan datang menjadi perbincangan hangat sebagai respon pembaca yang prihatin.

Sebagai seorang pengguna SMS dan kadang-kadang bersembang di laman sosial, tak dinafikan bahawa penggunaan singkatan sering menjadi pilihan utama. Lebih-lebih lagi bila berinteraksi dengan rakan-rakan segenerasi, lebih mudah, jimat masa, dan berkesan dalam menyampaikan ayat beserta emosi. Walau bagaimanapun, sikap konservatif dalam berbahasa tu perlu ada juga. Ada sesetengah singkatan yang tak biasa digunakan kurang difahami dan menyebabkan salah faham. Lebih-lebih lagi antara dua orang yang berlainan loghat! Contohnya, seorang kawan yang berasal dari utara menghantar SMS ini:

"mpa dh mkn?"

Dua ayat yang hujung tu fahamlah, tapi yang depan tu? "mpa"? Bangunan MPAJ ke? Puas memerah otak, rupa-rupanya maksud beliau adalah "ampa" atau "kau".

Ini pula mesej dari orang pantai timur:

"x dop."

TAK NAK HIDUP KE?

Orang selatan, walaupun boleh berbangga dengan penggunaan Bahasa Melayu asli yang meluas juga tak terlepas daripada menggunakan bahasa SMS yang melampau. Kadang-kadang, rasa geram juga bila baca SMS yang sengaja menukar ejaan, bukan tujuan untuk menyingkatkan, tetapi lebih kepada nak merosakkan!

"Hri ni ak x kejer la."

kejer = 5 huruf , kerja = 5 huruf juga!

"Ko x kejer jugak?"

Ni lagi kelakar sebab ada tambahan huruf dalam perkataan "juga".

Yang ni pula terlalu konservatif, mungkin terlalu banyak menonton filem P.Ramlee :

"che adek pekaba?"

Semua ini contoh semata-mata. Tiada niat mengehadkan atau menghukum sesiapa. Setiap orang ada budaya dan cara masing-masing yang menjadi identiti unik mereka. Itu wajar dihormati. Namun bahasa adalah tanda penyatuan. Kalau bahasa yang digunakan pun tak sama(dan boleh menyebabkan salah faham), jangan pelik lah kalau persefahaman tidak tercapai.

Oleh itu, seruan kepada rakan-rakan sekalian, marilah kita menggunakan Bahasa Melayu yang betul, penekanan di sini - dari segi ejaan dalam penulisan. Secara jujurnya, amat kagum bila membaca penulisan-penulisan yang ditulis dengan skema bahasa yang betul, tak kiralah bercetak atau di laman maya. Siapa kata menulis dengan bahasa skema tak boleh buat ayat sedap, tak menarik bila dibaca? Cubalah baca karya-karya ahli sastera negara(yang diiktiraf), gaya bahasa dan penceritaan mereka berada di landasan skema bahasa yang betul tetapi masih mencerminkan budaya serta masyarakat setempat, dan itulah sebenarnya yang meletakkan nilai karya mereka pada tahap yang tinggi.

Akhir sekali, bayangkanlah jika ada orang berbangsa asing yang ingin belajar Bahasa Melayu, lalu dengan takdir Tuhan tiba di penulisan kita yang Bahasa Melayu nya macam-macam. Sudahlah tak faham dengan singkatan yang tak wujud dalam kamus, ditambah pula dengan ejaan yang sukar disebut secara lisan. Belum kira lagi susunan ayat versi sarikata DVD cetak rompak. Kasihan mereka, nak menuntut ilmu, tertuntut yang salah pula. Kasihan lagi nasib orang kita, sudah tahu yang betul mahu dirosakkan pula.

-ZaHanArashi-

No Truth Is Ugly

2011-06-09T00:32:00.000+08:00

"This principle expresses the concept that professionals have a duty to be honest and trustworthy in their dealings with people. Under this principle, the dentist's primary obligations include respecting the position of trust inherent in the dentist-patient relationship, communicating truthfully and without deception, and maintaining intellectual integrity."

SECTION 5 — Principle: Veracity ("truthfulness")

American Dental Association

From the Holy Quran :

“O you who believe! Be afraid of Allah, and be with those who are true (in words and deeds).” (Surah at-Taubah 9: 119)

“Indeed, the Muslim men and Muslim women, the believing men and believing women, the obedient men and obedient women, the truthful men and truthful women, the patient men and patient women, the humble men and humble women, the charitable men and charitable women, the fasting men and fasting women, the men who guard their private parts and the women who do so, and the men who remember Allah often and the women who do so - for them Allah has prepared forgiveness and a great reward.” (Surah al-Ahzab 33: 35)

Our Prophet Muhammad s.a.w was well-known with his siddiq(veracious) characteristic and being called al-Amin (the Honest). He is no doubt a good example for us to follow, as he also enjoined us to be like him! =)

Hasan bin 'Ali (May Allah be pleased with them) said: I remember (these words) from Messenger of Allah (PBUH): "Give up what is doubtful to you for that which is not doubtful; for truth is peace of mind and falsehood is doubt".[At-Tirmidhi].

Commentary: This Hadith leads us to the conclusion that one must always avoid doubtful things so that he does not do anything unlawful.

Abu Sufyan (May Allah be pleased with him) reported, in course of his detailed narration about Heraclius when the latter questioned him about the teachings of the Prophet (PBUH) He said that: He (PBUH) told (us): "Worship Allah Alone and do not associate a thing with Him; and give up all that your ancestors said. "He also commands us to perform Salat (prayers), to speak the truth, to observe modesty and to strengthen the ties of kinship.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Speak the truth although the truth is bitter, because it is not the bitterness that we should fear of, or the relieving lies that we should be happy with, but the one and only goal in our life – the pleasure of Allah s.w.t in everything that we do in our life.

Wallahu’alam.

A Just Dentist

2011-06-07T20:51:00.000+08:00

The principle of justice or fairness demands a dentist to be fair in dealings with everybody including patients, colleagues, and society. A Muslim dentist is like an ‘imam’ or leader to society in providing dental care. So, patients whom seek for dental care are under their dentist responsibility. It is important for every dentist to be a ‘just dentist’, treat all patients fairly and equally according to their needs, without prejudice or discrimination.

Allah tells us that He commands His servant to be just, i.e., fair and moderate, and that He encourages kindness and good treatment. As He says:

“Verily, Allah orders justice and kindness, and giving (help) to the relatives, and He forbids immoral sins, and evil and tyranny. He admonishes you, so that perhaps you may take heed.” (Surah an-Nahl 16:90)

“..and be equitable. Verily! Allah loves those who are the equitable.” (Surah al-Hujurat 49:9)

We could say that the dentist-society relationship is more or less like the ruler-society relationship. Why? Check back the social contract between us and society and think about the rights and responsible which dental practitioners are given.

Being just, is not easy. That is why just people will have special position on the Judgement Day.

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (PBUH) said, "Seven are (the persons) whom Allah will give protection with His Shade* on the Day when there will be no shade except His Shade (i.e., on the Day of Resurrection), and they are: A just ruler; a youth who grew up with the worship of Allah; a person whose heart is attached to the mosque; two persons who love and meet each other and depart from each other for the sake of Allah; a man whom a beautiful and high ranking woman seduces (for illicit relation), but he (rejects this offer by saying): 'I fear Allah'; a person who gives a charity and conceals it (to such an extent) that the left hand might not know what the right has given; and a person who remembers Allah in solitude and his eyes well up."
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

* The Shade of Allah to which this Hadith refers to is the shade of His Throne.

'Abdullah bin 'Amr bin Al-'as (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "The just will be seated upon pulpits of light." Those who are fair with regards to their judgement and their family and those who are under them." [Muslim]

Commentary: How will be the likeness of the pulpits of light? Although we are not aware of their reality, yet we are supposed to have faith in them. We must also believe that these people (just rulers) will be under the shade of the Throne or the Divine mercy, while people will be drenched in their sweat depending on their deeds. The Hadith throws light on the excellence of justice and the high rank of those who do justice.

Everyone is in the justice league because everything is needed to be treated with just and fairness.

An Extraordinary Journey:Understanding The Little Caliphs

2011-06-06T20:35:00.000+08:00

Narrated Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him),

Allah’s Messenger kissed Al-Hasan ibn `Ali while Al-Aqra` ibn Habis At-Tamim was sitting with him . Al-Aqra` said, “I have ten children and have never kissed one of them.” The Prophet cast a look at him and said, “Whoever is not merciful to others will not be treated mercifully.” (Al-Bukhari)

I was away last week to help my sister taking care of her four sons at their house (the nanny was having days-off, her husband had to attend 3-days-course). Living with these boys, if I were their nanny, perhaps I already gave up my job. But this Mak Uteh, never failed to smile because she wants to love the children just like what Prophet Muhammad s.a.w had done. =)

Away from my laptop, can't read book peacefully, the children for sure owned the TV. I couldn't let myself 'empty' like this. There must be something to do. Yes, there are always something.

Observing their behaviour. Different ages, different needs, different abilities, different position, I had quite good subjects there. Thanks to them, I had learned a lot on children behaviour and how to manage them(especially by distraction & reinforcement methods). From my observations and experiments, I could classify their behaviour based on their ages and position in siblings. Hope that my experience with them will be useful when I encounter some paediatric patients like them (of course, family background & children development need to be considered) and insyaAllah, my future children. =)

Besides that, I also had helped Syafiq to brush his badly carious teeth, which was not an easy thing to do. So, have a little understanding to parents if they couldn't do it effectively.

Syafiq is attending pre-school, so when one of his lower central incisor exfoliated(another one is already gone) he felt very sad and suddenly his self-esteem was down. He scared that others will laugh at his teeth, which for him is like an old-man teeth. It was my job to persuade and convince him that when he grow up, new teeth will erupt and replace his old teeth. Glad that this boy actually has unexpectedly high self-esteem in front of others(he seems to forget about his teeth after that) even without my words. '-_-

One night, Syafiq wanted to see me brush my teeth before we went to bed. After I had done my brushing, he said, "MAK UTEH, I THINK YOU ARE A FABULOUS GIRL!". It was not about me being fabulous, but it was the word 'fabulous' from a 5-year-old boy that had made me startled.

Beneficence Nonmaleficence vs Amar Ma'ruf Nahi Munkar

2011-05-28T15:23:00.000+08:00

A dentist is obliged to act for the benefit of patients and community, and protect them from being harmed, whether it is by him/her or other means.

In Islamic principles, we call this amar ma’ruf nahi munkar (enjoining good & forbidding evil). The concept is more than beneficence(do good) and nonmaleficence(do no harm), as Muslims are not just demanded to avoid from doing harmful things, but must forbid it from happening too. These basic principles are mentioned many times in al-Quran and Hadith to show that it cannot be separated from Muslims’ everyday life.

“Let there arise out of you a group of people inviting to all that is good (Islam), enjoining Al-Ma`ruf (all that Islam orders) and forbidding Al-Munkar (all that Islam has forbidden). And it is they who are the successful.” (Surah Ali Imran 3: 104)

(who don’t want to be the successful as mentioned above?)

“You are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allah. If only the People of the Scripture had believed, it would have been better for them. Among them are believers, but most of them are defiantly disobedient.” (Surah Ali Imran 3: 110)

“The believers, men and women, are supporters of one another; they enjoin good, and forbid evil; they perform the Salah, and give the Zakah, and obey Allah and His Messenger. Allah will have His mercy on them. Surely, Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise.” (Surah at-Taubah 9: 71)

(Moreover, dentists are supporters of their patients in improving oral hygiene and healthy lifestyle)

Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Whoever amongst you sees an evil, he must change it with his hand; if he is unable to do so, then with his tongue; and if he is unable to do so, then with his heart; and that is the weakest form of Faith".
[Muslim].

This Hadith contains a very important prescription to prevent the Muslim society from all things which are forbidden in Islam. So long as Muslims adhered to it and ceaselessly and fearlessly performed their obligation of enjoining the right and forbidding the wrong, their society was largely safe from many evils and sins.

Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (PBUH) said, "Beware of sitting on roads (ways)." The people said: "We have but them as sitting places." Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "If you have to sit there, then observe the rights of the way". They asked, "What are the rights of the way?" He (PBUH) said, "To lower your gaze (on seeing what is illegal to look at), and (removal of harmful objects), returning greetings, enjoining good and forbidding wrong". [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Prophet Muhammad s.a.w also had mentioned that removing harmful things is considered as charity!

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Every day the sun rises charity (Sadaqah) is due on every joint of a person: you administer justice between two men is a charity; and assisting a man to mount his beast, or helping him load his luggage on it is a charity; and a good word is a charity; and every step that you take (towards the mosque) for Salat (prayer) is a charity and removing harmful things from the road is a charity".
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

In Muslim, it is reported on the authority of 'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) that Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Everyone of the children of Adam has been created with three hundred and sixty joints; so he who declares the Glory of Allah (i.e., saying Allahu Akbar), praises Allah (i.e., Al-hamdu lillah), declares Allah to be One (i.e., La ilaha illallah), glorifies Allah, and seeks forgiveness from Allah (i.e., Astaghfirullah), and removes stone, or thorn, or bone from people's path, and enjoins good and forbids evil, to the number of those three hundred and sixty, will walk that day having rescued himself from Hell".

This Hadith also tells that even a person who does not have the capacity to pay Sadaqah (charity, alms, propitiatory offerings, etc.) can also pay it in the manner prescribed above and earn its reward. Moreover, he can also pay alms for the joints in his body.

So, to all Muslim dentists or dentist-to-be (including me), let’s reflect our behaviour and have the amar ma’ruf nahi munkar mindset because we are obliged to do so. When we are doing something, to patients and community (clinical treatment, consultation, improving knowledge in dentistry, maintaining clinical competency, community service etc.), do it with all our heart because of Allah s.w.t. InsyaAllah, He will get us rewarded if it was not in this world, it will in afterlife. Amiin.

Wallahu’alam.

Respecting Patient Autonomy Through Musyawwarah

2011-05-27T14:28:00.000+08:00

A dentist has a duty to treat patients according to their needs within the bounds of syari’ah and accepted treatment. It is necessary for the dentist to involve patients in the making of their own treatment decisions. This can be done through musyawwarah or mutual consultation.

“So by mercy from Allah , [O Muhammad], you were lenient with them. And if you had been rude [in speech] and harsh in heart, they would have disbanded from about you. So pardon them and ask forgiveness for them and consult them in the matter. And when you have decided, then rely upon Allah. Indeed, Allah loves those who rely [upon Him].” (Surah ali-Imran 3: 159)

(‘the matter’ here refers to worldly affairs such as war, family)

This verse told us about several characteristics of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w, which are very suitable to be followed and practiced by a dentist while consulting patient.

Be lenient, talk with patients gently on what they need because being rude and harsh will make patients hate dentist more (this will affect their oral hygiene too!). Pardon them for what they did wrong and pray for Allah forgiveness. As a result, the dentist can consult patients with open heart. All information regarding the treatment options and plans are needed to be told without anything hidden. Then, through musyawwarah between dentist and patient, mutual understanding and decision can be made, relying on Allah s.w.t for the result.

The need of mutual consultation is mentioned in another verse too :

“And those who have responded to their lord and established prayer and whose affair is [determined by] consultation among themselves, and from what We have provided them, they spend.” (Surah Ash-Shuraa 42: 38)

Respecting patient autonomy also includes protecting patient’s confidentiality, that are patient’s privacy and records. Patient’s records, behaviour, verbal or written records are considered as amanah or trust to the dentist. A trust is nothing but to be kept safe and protected.

“the best one you can hire is the strong and the trustworthy." (Surah al-Qasas 28: 26)

From this verse, it was told that Prophet Syu’aib a.s had set a standard for a good worker, that he must be strong and trustworthy, whom was Prophet Musa a.s.

Abu Hurairah (May Allah bepleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "There are three signs of a hypocrite(munafiq): When he speaks, he lies; when he makes a promise, he breaks it; and when he is trusted, he betrays his trust."
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Another narration adds the words: 'Even if he observes fasts, performs Salat and asserts that he is a Muslim".

(Na’uzubillahi min zalik…)

Protecting patient’s fault also is very much an excellent ethic Prophet Muhammad s.a.w had told us to do :

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (PBUH) said, "Allah will cover up on the Day of Resurrection the defects (faults) of the one who covers up the faults of the others in this world".
[Muslim].

Covering up the shortcomings and faults of people is an excellent manner. That is why this quality is very much liked by Almighty Allah. On the Day of Resurrection, Allah will give a matching reward to that man who has such a quality, which means that Allah will forgive his sins and will not call him to account for his sins. If at all He will do so, He will not do it publicly so that he is not embarrassed before others. Then Allah may forgive him or send him to Hell for a short while.

In some cases, we are allowed to breach patient’s confidentiality and of course, Islam has provided the conditions too. InsyaAllah, I will post it in another chapter.

Wallahu’alam.

[My references : Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Riyadh as-Saliheen, American Dental Association]

Principles of Ethics in Dentistry: The Framework

2011-05-26T19:49:00.000+08:00

In the name of Allah the Most Gracious and the Most Merciful

O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is the best [way] and best in result. (Surah an-Nisa' 4:59)

If we wanted to talk about Islamic ethics, there are a lot to be talked about. Because Islam itself is Ad-Deen, a way of life. So, it is an ethical religion which demands its followers to do and be good. As mentioned previously, by behaving ethically a Muslim shows his faith in Allah s.w.t. The ways are all written in al-Quran and was shown and told by the last Messenger, Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.

So, for my study, I'll use the same framework I had learned in lecture room, that are the Principles of Ethics and Code of Professional Conducts which were set by American Dental Association. It comprises of 5 principles : patient autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, justice, and veracity. I believe that these principles had been set to promote higher standard of behaviour among dentist and to act as a guide in circumstances which ethics are to be questioned. It is a good things and helpful too (that is why it was chosen to be taught to us).

But as a Muslim, I also believe, strongly believe that all of these principles were already told in al-Quran and Hadith more than 1000 years ago. The standard behaviour for Muslims had been set and we must follow it with all our might, and it is for nothing except to seek the pleasure of Allah s.w.t.

And I pray to Allah s.w.t to keep guiding me throughout my study, and keep my heart and niah(intention) to do this just to seek His pleasure. Amiin.

Ethics: Islamic vs Secular

2011-05-25T20:00:00.000+08:00

As a Muslim student, who study at Islamic university, surrounded by Muslim-only students, and taught by Muslim lecturer, I always wonder - why we weren't taught on behavioural science, professionalism & ethical from Islamic point of view? why our references were secularist-made not al-Quran & Sunnah-based? there is nothing wrong if we studied the secular one and took it as a knowledge, but why not emphasized more on Islamic teachings?

Perhaps they considered that as part of the Islamic Study's job, or they just wanted to give us homework. Rather than waiting, let's do the homework.

As I'm not really good in writing a summary or review, I'll recommend articles to be read. Of course I'll read it first, and if I found it useful, I'll attach the link here to respect the copyright of the author and publisher (plus, the articles might be too long for this blog).

Here is an interesting article on Islamic ethics - Why Islamic Ethics? by Dr Khalid Zaheer.
Although the article emphasizes on ethics in business, the practices are still relevant for dentistry and other fields of study. Besides that, I think the article was written and arranged in a good manner. It started with explanation on 'Why Study Ethics?(for those who thinks studying ethics is waste of time), followed by 'Why Islamic Ethics?', 'Why Should an Individual be Ethical?', 'What is Ethical & What is Not?', and lastly 'Why Prophethood?'.

For more information about Dr Khalid Zaheer, kindly go to this site - http://www.khalidzaheer.com/ . His moderateness is shown by his brilliant writings.

There is also another good article on Principles of Islamic Ethics. But the author is unknown.

Basically, from these articles we can learn that in Islam, we, Muslims behave ethically as our declaration of faith in Allah s.w.t or Imaan. We are inspired to do something just to seek the pleasure of Allah s.w.t and get rewarded in the Hereafter. Our references are al-Quran & Hadith, our best role model is Prophet Muhammad s.w.t. These are what makes Islamic ethics different than the secular one, and more strong, sensible and permanent to be followed.

I'm reviewing another sources and will update soon. I hope with this little homework, our behaviour, cognitive and decision making will be more ethical in Islamic ways. Not just in dentistry, but also in everyday life.

(before this, someone said to me that Behavioural Science & Community Dentistry is more suitable for me. I always thought those field are for people who don't like to involve in clinical stuffs, and I felt offended because I was not so good in the clinic. But now, I'm considering to study in both field as there are among the important fields which Islamic leaders and scholars from the past had learned. And also, in the future there is a need to improve the syllabus with Islamic teachings. Let's spread the Islamic values all over the world. We can make a change! =)

Professionalism in Islam

2011-05-25T16:33:00.000+08:00

Islam calls for professionalism says scholar

JEDDAH: Islamic teachings emphasize the importance of professionalism, and Muslims should carry out their activities in a planned and professional manner, said Nabeel Al-Azami, HR adviser to Ford Motor Company in London.

Honesty and trustworthiness are the first quality of a successful professional, he said quoting a study on prominent business leaders. He added that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was known as Al-Ameen (trustworthy) and that this was one of the main reasons for his success.

Al-Azami made this comment while delivering a lecture on Islam and Professionalism organized by Al-Islam Group here recently. He urged Islamic movements to induct more professionals into their leadership in order to run them efficiently.

He advised Muslim organizations not to waste their time worrying about the huge obstacles they face. Instead they should think about how to overcome such challenges and make their surroundings favorable, he said.

Every Muslim should think what he or she can contribute to the progress of the Ummah. We Muslims should be agents of change in our societies. We should have a plan for future and work hard to realize it, he added.

Keeping time and following traffic regulations are some of the features of a decent and disciplined society. The GMT is now elaborated as Generous Muslim Time, he said, ridiculing Muslims for failure in time management.

Earlier, Abdul Mateen Osmani, director of Al-Islam Group, briefed the audience on the history and achievements of his organization in Islamic propagation. Mustafa Khan welcomed the guests. Those who wish to acquire DVDs of the presentation can do so by contacting 0508604182.

source:

http://www.a1saudiarabia.com/islam-calls-for-professionalism-says-scholar/

Love Lesson

2011-05-19T07:06:00.000+08:00

And [yet], among the people are those who take other than Allah as equals [to Him]. They love them as they [should] love Allah . But those who believe are stronger in love for Allah . And if only they who have wronged would consider [that] when they see the punishment, [they will be certain] that all power belongs to Allah and that Allah is severe in punishment. [al-Baqarah 2:165]

If you wanted to learn to love someone,

learn to love Allah s.w.t first,

then love Prophet Muhammad s.a.w and his sunnah,

and love people around you because of Islam.

This book, I really recommend it for everyone out there,
regardless of what your relationship status are.
If you are still trying to find the truth of love, or confused by love,
or you don't have anyone to really guide you in this matter of love,
try to read this book.

Because I was once lost too,
with nobody beside to tell/remind me what is right, what is wrong,
Alhamdulillah, I found this inspiring and useful book,
which used al-Quran & al-Hadith as guidance,
and I would like to share the good of it with others.

After reading this book,
promote/pass it to your family, friends, or even strangers.

Hope that our search for true love will always be in His bless.
InsyaAllah, the happiness is always there. Amin~

p/s: Thanks Azza for lending me money to buy this book. Hope that we'll meet again someday so I can pay you back. InsyaAllah. May Allah bless you always =)

My Teachers are Awesome!

2011-05-16T17:17:00.000+08:00

Teachers are like parents

one of the best way to make them happy & proud is :
visit and tell them
"Thank you teachers, I've become someone now!" =)

Today, I and my elder sister,Am had visited our beloved teachers at our former school, Sekolah Kebangsaan Ulu Tiram(SKUT). It was very enjoyable moment because we were not only got the chance to thank our teachers, but also felt the excitement of teacher's day celebration! (which of course, very different from what I had during secondary school).

My awesome teachers :

Teacher Zainab(my homeroom teacher when I was in 1 Mawar 1997)
& Teacher Parames (she taught me when I joined English choir during standard 6 2001).

Cikgu Azhari(my Bahasa Melayu teacher when I was in 5 Kenanga 2000,
also Am's homeroom teacher in 5 Tanjung 1999),
Puan Kadishah(she never taught me,but I remember her),
Cikgu Siti Molyati(taught me Pendidikan Muzik in 1999 if I'm not mistaken)
Puan Norhasliza(she taught me something, perhaps Pendidikan Jasmani, but I do remember her)

Cikgu Hazni, our favourite Kemahiran Hidup teacher.
You are still sporting & funny like before, cikgu!

And other teachers that we had met
(but didn't have chance to take picture =(...)
-Cikgu Khairol Bariah, Cikgu Som, Cikgu Norhayati, Madam Katijah, Cikgu Suzana, Cikgu Ainon, Cikgu Rizal, Cikgu Zahrol, Cikgu Mujahid, & Cikgu Razak.

I'm glad that some of my teachers are still teaching at SKUT.
Although not all of them remember me,
I want them to know that they were once part of my life journey,
and because of what they had taught me before,
I've become what I am today.

My teachers are awesome,
may Allah s.w.t bless them,
and give them good health and wellness,
so the present and future generation
will get what I had got before.
Amin~

Happy Teacher's Day =D

(If u met your teacher, don't be afraid to greet his/her.
It doesn't matter if the teacher still remember you or not,
or the things you were taught are small or big,
even the teacher had only made you say "Assalamualaikum, cikgu",
greet, thank and pray for your teacher.
Making other people happy will bring happiness back to us.)

Today is also the date when CT and my niece, Emilia Ayu@Amy were born.
Happy birthday girls!

CT,
you were born in teacher's day,
hope one day you'll become an awesome teacher!

Amy,
obey your teacher as long as it leads you to a good way,
and be a good & smart girl!
You are my Shineeing niece =)

I Remember

2011-05-14T06:28:00.000+08:00

I remember...
The way you glanced at me, yes I remember
I remember...
When we caught a shooting star, yes I remember
I remember..
All the things that we shared, and the promise we made, just you and I
I remember..
All the laughter we shared, all the wishes we made, upon the roof at dawn

It was all started back in 1999, when the students' sit in my class class were arranged according to their ranking from mid year examination. Both of us shared the same top rank, and we sat together for the first time at the front row, opposite to each other. Started on that day, our friendship kept blooming and growing stronger.

We were never been parted, always in the same class until we finished primary school. I was so happy when both of us passed the PTS examination, and she was the reason why I had decided to skip from Standard 3 to Standard 5.

Laughing, smiling, studying, gossiping, dreaming...she was the only best friends I had that time who shared the same thoughts as mine. Again, I was so happy because both of us managed to get the best result for our UPSR.

Then, we walked on our own different paths, she moved from our hometown, and the last time I met her was during Aidilfitri in 2002/2003. Thanks to technology, we met again although I wasn't sure if things would be the same.

Yesterday was the only chance that we had to reunite. So, on Thursday I had became the first person in my class to keep all belongings in common house and rush back to hometown. I was so determined and didn't care about the mess!

Alhamdulillah, yesterday we had met. Our voices are different, we are far more mature than before, I am wearing spectacles, she is always taller than me...

but the reasons why we were best friends, the similarities that we once had, we still share it until now...being positive & independent...i just realized why I like her so much back then!

Thanks Mira,
hope that our friendship will last until the end,
BEST FRIENDS FOREVER! =D

Don't Forget About the Price Tag

2011-05-10T17:36:00.000+08:00

Ayah always has he own way to motivate us. This is one of my favourite :

(I couldn't remember the time line, but it was between after I had finished SPM until before I admitted into dental faculty)

Everytime my brother got his monthly paycheck, a letter from bank will be sent to our house, as a proof that the money was already banked-in.

And everytime my father open the letter, he will show me the amount written on it.

(an Ivy League graduate, working at private oil & gas company, I leave it to your imagination how much the paycheck is)

"See how much your brother got?
But in order to get this, you know how hard he had worked on his study."

I just nodded & smiled at him =)

My father wasn't trying to make me work hard for money. I understand his intention.
As a middle child, I've seen how my parents, brothers & sisters went through the processes.
And it have made me realize - money doesn't solve everything, but it does solve many things.

I didn't let go off my dreams for no reason. And I won't regret it. I don't care if my father didn't even think about me right now because he already had another six in his head.

But I know, he wouldn't do that. =D

Tear is clear, Blood is red

2011-05-10T02:51:00.000+08:00

I was quite an active child - at least, when nobody saw me.
I liked to imagine things, I lived in my own world - yes, because nobody saw me.

One fine day, I imagined jumping from one island to another island. That islands were actually carpets at my house. I was so happy jumping and didn't realize there was a big stone ahead. Guess what was that stone? A glass coffee table. STRIKES! The stone kissed my forehead.

It was very painful, so painful that my tears were shedding. The first thing that crossed my mind was, "I can't let anybody sees me crying. They'll for sure laugh at me!". Ignoring the pain, I lie down on the couch and covered my face with small pillow. Pretending to sleep - I was such a genius!

I didn't know how long, but it was not too long before one of my siblings came and wondered, "Why on earth did this girl sleep on this time?". That person pulled the pillow away from my face and shouted "Oh no, BLOOD!!!The pillow case is smeared with blood!".

I was rushed to nearby clinic.

Different people have different reasons why they don't want to be looked weak by others (although they are weak). That's just a nature - for those who live depending on their own comfort. It is not that they don't have feelings, they are just hiding it, without realizing they are already bled.

The end of my story, I got stitches on my forehead and the scar is still visible until now.
But, the dream of 'jumping to another island' will never stop. =)

(somehow it is useless to make people understand us, so I never did it in the first place. Don't get me wrong, I am not in trouble now. don't know why I'm telling this story.

perhaps because I feel bad seeing others acting as if they were the weakest victim in the world. come on people, you're the one who victimized yourself. wake up because you're stronger than you knew you are!)

and of course, Allah s.w.t is the Strongest. mutter less, pray more. =)

Thank you,Mak!

2011-05-08T07:35:00.000+08:00

Thank you Mak,
for telling me how smart I'm when I was little,
I'll tell this to every child I meet,
so they'll believe in their own abilities.

Thank you Mak,
for making me believe how beautiful I'm,
I'll tell the same thing to every girl and woman out there,
so they'll become more beautiful in their own way.

Thank you Mak,
for showing me that being a housewife is amusing & not tiring,
cooking, housekeeping, cleaning, raising children,
I'll never love it if it wasn't you the one who proved it.

Happy Mak's day...
sorry for not being there, beside you,
on this special day.

I know, and always believe,
that you always remembers me in your du'a.

InsyaAllah, I'll be home soon,
to be your best listener & helper,
wait for me, Mak!

Dermato Anxiety

2011-05-07T23:22:00.000+08:00

Location : Dermatologist clinic in the middle of city.

Nurse : Ya?

Me: Saya nak beli ubat?

Nurse : Boleh tengok kad?

Me : (Giving the card)

Nurse : Ubat untuk apa ya?

Me : Psoriasis.

Nurse : Ni kena jumpa doktor dulu lah. Dah lama sangat tak datang.

Me : Oh, ye ke?

Nurse : Nak jumpa doktor tak?

Me : Hmmm...tak apalah.

Going back with heavy heart.

Now I understand why some people have dental anxiety. '-_-
(+ I didn't think my money could make it if I walked into the consultation room) =(

Congratulations! 2

2011-05-06T12:20:00.000+08:00

Again,
congratulations sis!

She is quite in a dilemma now (me too).

But, dilemma means there are still choices,right?

I want her to know,
whichever path she'll choose,
I am always here to support her =)

Go!Go!Sis! =D

Second Chances

2011-05-05T07:00:00.000+08:00

Year 2004 - A day when I received my PMR result was not a pleasant memory for me.
Among all subjects, I got B grade for the unexpected one, Islamic Education. (I got B for Arabic language too, but I knew my ability). That really did not make me happy, I was restless and kept asking why?what did I do wrong?should I check my result back? Yes, maybe I should check it back because I believed that I deserved more than that. The idea came to my father's ear, and this was what he said;

"If you really think you are better and you can do it,
prove it in your SPM!"

Thanks Ayah for challenging me, and taught me this one important principle.

It doesn't matter what you have got or did. Learn the lesson, move on to what is awaiting in front of you, work hard, keep improving, and show if you really worth what you think you are! =)

[I didn't really did well in my General Surgery paper and that really freaks me out. So, I told myself that I will do my best for the Long Case & Short Case Clinical Examination because it was my last chance to show that I actually can do it, and I need to obtain as much marks as I can to cover the paper. More importantly, don't stop asking from Allah s.w.t, believe in Him, and walk into the ward with tawakkal, smile & shine =) ]

Lament of the Quran

2011-05-01T19:11:00.000+08:00

As an ornament do they adorn me,
Yet they keep me and sometimes kiss me.
In their celebtrations they recite me.
In disputes they swear by me.

On shelves do they securely keep me
Till another celebration or dispute, when they need me.

Yes, they read and memorized me,
Yet only an ornament am I.

My message lies neglected, my treasure untouched,
The field lies bare, where blossomed once true glory.

Wrong is the the treatment that I receive
So much to give have I, but none is there to perceive.

~by Mahirul Qadri.

Credit to Dato' Shahnon Ahmad for sharing this poem in his book, "Kembara Seorang Hamba". If you understand and have your heart touched by this piece, let's reflect ourselves and try to treat Quran in a way that we're supposed to do. InsyaAllah, it's never too late to make a change =) .

A Dreamer's Story

2011-04-30T15:09:00.002+08:00

Everyone has unique stories...stories which can move people.

These are Andrea Hirata's.

In Laskar Pelangi, I like the scene where adult Ikal, the main character meets his old friend, Lintang, whom dropped school years ago because he needed to support his siblings after his father dead. Lintang, the brainiest student in his class, although didn't manage to pursue his dream, never stopped his belief in education as he wanted his children to have the chance that he didn't have.

Because this scene, made me teary as I remember a story...

Yunos & Yusof were good friends. People might think they were twins: they born in the same year, their names were about the same, they shared the same father's name, they came from the same village, in fact Yunos is the uncle & Yusof is the nephew.

Besides all the similarities, they shared another one, both of them were top students at school. Just like any other bright children during that time, they also have dreams to climb the hill higher, pursue their study as far as they can. They dreamed about walking out from their current life and live the better one. The only key they believed was education.

After fighting so hard, they managed to finish school & passed with flying colours. They were very happy. Unfortunately, happiness chose only one of them. At school, the scholarship to continue study at boarding school was limited for one student only. Yusof was destined to be the chosen one, Yunos could feel that his bright future would slip out of his hand.

Coming from a low economic big family, with brothers and sisters whom have their own problems, Yunos tried to hold on with school. However, after about 3 years without support, he dropped and began his money-making life at Singapore.

Although he left education behind, he never lost his belief that with education people will not being left behind. He hope that his children might understand this, and he promise to do anything he can so they will have the chance that he never got. (oh no, my tear glands are stimulated now T_T).

This is Sang Pemimpi,
a continuation of Ikal's big dreams.

Ikal promises not to make his father sad and cry. The only way to make him proud and happy is by getting his name called among the earliest person to receive their child's report card (the name is called according to result ranking). His father is the big inspiration for him to pursue his dream higher and higher. He is my heroic father, he thinks.

Page flipped, another story told....

Yuhasnor was at his father's village, visiting his grandmother. He liked to study and explore things especially books. While searching for something interesting to be read, he found another valuable thing. An old report card. A very old one. With curiosity, he opened it. The results were excellent! He wondered who was the owner of such impressive grades. To his surprise, that person was his father. Ever since then, he admired his father so much and promised to continue his father's dreams by achieving what he didn't have chance to.

I believe that Allah s.w.t has arranged it beautifully.

Thanks for these two inspiring people in my life...
Seriously, without them, I will end up dreaming but going nowhere.

To my father,
you are always the best hero of my life,
InsyaAllah,
your daughter will make you smile wider one fine day. =)

To my brother,
thanks for being there before me,
I'm glad to have you as my role model, ever since I learned that you are my brother.
Nobody in our siblings could love our parents more than you do. =D

To everybody out there,
don't stop believing that there is blessing in disguise.
Have faith in Allah s.w.t,
believe in yourself, pursue your dream, don't ever doubt it.

"Bersyukurlah pada yang Maha Kuasa
Hargailah orang-orang yang menyayangimu
yang selalu ada setia di sisimu
Siapapun jangan kau pernah sakiti
Dalam pencarian jati dirimu
dan semua yang kau impikan
Tegarlah sang pemimpi!"
-Gigi, Sang Pemimpi-

Congratulations!

2011-04-28T18:58:00.000+08:00

I would like to congratulate my younger sister, CT
for being offered to Melaka Matriculation College! =D

But I know she has another plan for her future,
(our plan actually,well, I'm quite a supportive sister =P)
so let's wait for UPU result to come out first.

Hope she'll always be in Allah s.w.t guidance in deciding
her very own future...Amin~

We, who are already in our track,
let's do our best to pursue our dreams!
But at the same time,
it's never too late or wrong to plan another new, better one, right?
=)

What should you do when something does go wrong?

2011-04-26T23:38:00.000+08:00

recognize it and accept it
be honest and open
be objective, factually accurate, but sensitive
investigate as necessary
make the earliest reasonable efforts at correction
involve experts early if necessary
tell your defence organization if it could become a legal matter

(Source: Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery-An objective-based textbook by Jonathan Pedlar & John W.Frame, Chapter 4:Extraction of Teeth, Complications of Extraction: Recognition, Avoidance & Treatment, page 40)

Well, I guess those processes are not limited to be applied only when a dentist extracted the wrong tooth. As an adult, that's how we should handle our problems, right? =D

Raise Your Spirit!

2011-04-25T20:39:00.000+08:00

Whenever I feel nervous to speak out loud,
whenever I feel confuse and don't know how to start,
whenever I start to doubt my own ability,
whenever I feel like craving in loneliness,
whenever my stomach growling (eh,does this count?)
whenever I cannot see any shadows of hope

.........

Have Allah s.w.t in your heart, always..have faith in Him
and He'll take you to the happiness you never think of! =)

thanks to my younger sister, Siti Khadijah/CT for this beautiful & meaningful bookmark!

(simple tips: if you love someone, a line of positive phrase,
or perhaps just a single word
is enough to show how much you love that person and sure,
it'll be the most priceless treasure!)

Happy World Book Day!

2011-04-23T14:55:00.000+08:00

"Books : World Without Borders"

..i like this year theme of International Book Fair KL.

something for my mother,

hope this will help you in your Quranic lesson =)

For the little caliphs,

as Mak Uteh promised, a Jawi book for Syafiq's belated birthday present.
(another one is for Adam, I know what will happen if I bought only one =D )

Mine,

don't have the courage to unwrap...wait until the exam finished!

this is my semester break's homework

When I came across this book, I told myself,
"I won't ask for any other books if I owned this".
And I bought it xD

Lastly, for my dear Azza...

now you can sit for your exam and do your thesis with relief and smile.
There is surprise for you inside Syud's book, I save it for your blog. =D

(sorry, couldn't find Faisal Tehrani's book with Batu Bersurat on the cover,
or did you mean batu giling = Ketupat Cinta?)

By the way, I've met some of JS writers(I'm not their fan though)
...Imaen, Noor Suraya, Syud..they are all very cute & kind...
(Azza, please jealous =P )
maybe I should try to read their books someday later.

Ok, it seems like I need to celebrate World Book Day with another books..

...time to focus..and work hard! ^_^

There is always something to be cherished

2011-04-18T18:41:00.000+08:00

[Today is the first day of professional exam. No matter how, I couldn't lie to myself, it is quite stressful and I'm still fighting with my emotion and sanity. However, what is the point of spreading the negative thought here? It is as pathetic as telling my patient that "I'm so tired and stressful so I don't want to treat you today.". Well, somehow we need to bear with it right. And another thing is, this is positive zone! =D ]

Today is my sister's birthday. It is her 31st.

Happy Birthday, Kak An! =D

A daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother, a teacher,

she can do all kind of house works, she can cook almost everything,
she know how to turn a house to home, she has sense of style,
she can walk and talk with confidence, she is very tough and brave,
she know how to make money, how to enjoy herself,
she has what it takes to be called 'Beautiful'.

More importantly,
she has four cute and good boys whom will always love her as their Mama.

Aqil, Arif, Adam, & Syafiq

May Allah Bless You Always (perhaps,with a girl next time =) InsyaAllah)

(p/s: I'll surpass you for this! but of course, I need to pass this year professional exam, and the next two years exams until I graduate. Time to work hard!)

when u r about to feel down...

2011-04-16T22:11:00.000+08:00

this song was previously performed by Suara Firdaus, and was written by one of the members, Mohd. Fairuz (unbelievably, is my brother-in-law now). credit to him for writing such an inspiring song! =D

Reasons to be Strong~

2011-04-12T20:20:00.000+08:00

all the best '-_-

Living with Psoriasis : Treatment

2011-04-12T07:19:00.000+08:00

If u have scalp psoriasis and still seeking for better, effective treatment, then I would like to share my experience with u. This treatment regime was prescribed by the dermatologist I've met. The clinic, Klinik Pakar Kulit Dr Mohd Noh is located at Jalan TAR KL. Dr Noh is very kind and fatherly, ^_^. He even explains to patients what is going on and gives what is best for them.

(p/s: There is no cure for psoriasis yet, but at least we can relief the symptoms)

Early in the morning, wash your hair with this medicated shampoo.

Name of product : Stieprox 1.5% w/w Shampoo

Qualitative & quantitative composition : Ciclopirox Olamine 1.5% w/w (broad spectrum antifungal and anti-inflammatory agent).

Pharmaceutical form : Shampoo. Clear, straw to light-orange coloured, viscous shampoo.(smell good too)

Indications: For the treatment of scalp disorders such as dandruff and seborrhoeic dermatitis. (it also helps to wash away dandruff, and makes ur hair soft & shiny...better than using commercial shampoos)

2. Next, apply this medication on affected area.

Name of product : Elomet Mometasone Furoate Lotion Scalp

Qualitative & quantitative composition : Mometasone Furoate 0.1%w/w (topical corticosteroids)

Pharmaceutical form : Clear, flowable liquid. (not lotion-type, as it is named)

Indications : Relief of the inflammatory & pruritus.

3. Before u go to bed, apply another medication on affected areas so u can have a quality sleep.

Name of product : Xamiol 50 microgram/g + 0.5 mg/g gel

Qualitative & quantitative compositions : One gram of gel contains 50 microgram of calcipotriol (Vitamin D analogue) and 0.5 mg of betamethasone dipropionate (anti-inflammatory, antipruritic, vasoconstrictive and immunosuppresive).

Pharmaceutical form : Clear gel.

Indications : Topical treatment of scalp psoriasis.

Well, this is what effective for me, with condition I must apply it everyday and be compliant. Not to to forget, anti-inflammatory pill which is quite effective too. More importantly, maintain self and environmental hygiene, wash ur hair scalp everyday, take a healthy diet, reduce stress, and be happy!

Good luck! ^_^

Freedom that wasn't free

2011-04-09T17:37:00.000+08:00

I have a lot of reasons to shed my tears(many times) while reading this book....
Most of the main characters have gone, the case was solved, all that left are history...
but this history should never be forgotten but told to generations by generations.

There are a lot of lessons and issues to be thought of - from individual, family until community level, or shall I say, Ummah.

During that era, around early 50s, nationalism among local people was so strong. More importantly, what had made them strong were not just because Malay and Tanah Melayu, but Islam too, which was the main priority. Because of this reasons, they fought for Natrah, for the future of the Muslim girl, whom loved her foster mother and husband very much.

Islam was already within Natrah's heart. By the time she was sent to a church, she was very confused, and that was the most painful moment for her. I pity her so much. She was thirteen that time and there were a lot of things about Islam she needed to learn, so the attachment of Islam in her heart will grow stronger. Then, after she was sent back to her biological family, she became far away from Islam due to changes of environment. From that moment, her life were filled with sadness and gloominess.

From this story, I've learned many things. From historical side, of course you will be surprised by a lot of historical facts which cannot be found in any syllabus of history text book at school. Another thing is attachment of Islam to ourselves, our belief in Islam, or in the simple words, Iman. When I was the same age as teenage Natrah, I was sent to religious school, I had chances to learn & practice Islamic teaching, I was very grateful and thankful for that. And up until now, I still can do it again, with more supportive environment.

That reminded me of two books I had read before, from the Granada trilogy by Radwa Ashour.

The setting was around late 14th to early 15th century. While Granada was invaded by Castile soldiers, local people, who were mainly Arabs and Muslim were forced to convert their lifestyle, belief, and religion to Christianity! However, there were some of families(including the main characters) that still try to be Muslims and Arabs inside their home, even they can perform prayers at night only.

To think about that situation, we as a Malaysian Muslim, should be grateful, and should be more careful to maintain and protect our authority as a Muslim. Let's pray for freedom to all Muslims in the world. Amin.

p/s: Just after reading this books, I really want to visit Alhambra one day. InsyaAllah!

Brick walls, thanks for being there!

2011-03-28T00:17:00.000+08:00

credit to Randy Pausch - The Last Lecture

First, I've watched the short version of the lecture on Oprah Winfrey Show about some years ago. I found that this Randy Pausch guy were very super positive thinking person. He was a good parent, good leader, good teammate, and good dream achiever! Not just because the fact that he had pancreatic cancer and still can live a tough life, but he was born and grew up that way. In a simple word, that was him from the beginning.

Last month, I came across the book version of the lecture at MPH. Regardless of my almost-penniless state, I bought that book.

"Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" - that was the title of the lecture. While reading this, I wondered what were my childhood dreams? Have I achieved it? Are there anything left from the list waiting to be achieved? Actually, until now I'm still trying to figure it out.

Another lesson is about enabling the dreams of others, which can be enjoyable too. That is what I'm doing now, helping my younger sister, who just received her SPM result and will soon further her study in university level. As I cannot enable my own dreams before, I am helping her to make a wise choice for her future, hope that she'll be happy and enjoy every moment in her life.

The best chapter of this lecture, for me is 'Pouring Soda in the Backseat'. Ever since I heard this story from his lecture on Oprah, I try my best not to get mad at small children over stuffs made by human, and get to appreciate them better.

Lastly, the same words that had made me teary, both in lecture and book :

"The talk wasn't just for those in room. It was for my kids."-Randy Pausch.

We Were Once Proud Muslim Children

2011-03-22T19:20:00.000+08:00

When I was three, I welcomed my first younger sister. Her name is very special and beautiful. Siti Khadijah. Not just because it begins with Siti, it was the name of our beloved prophet, Muhammad(saw)'s wife. I was a proud sister.

My father's name is Md Yunos. A name of a prophet. My mother told me the story of "Nabi Yunus(as) & Ikan Nun". It became one of my favourite story. Especially when I learned that my mother used to du'a the same du'a that Nabi Yunus(as) used when he tried to get out from the fish, everytime she delivered her baby. I was a proud daughter.

Ever since I knew my real name is Zahrah and it is an Arabic name that has a meaning 'flower', I was so proud and hope that I could bloom beautifully like a flower.

I always watched my mother solat at home. Sometimes she asked me to follow her quietly from her back. Although I did it in my gown, I told almost everyone in my house that day "I had solat!".

In my family, there was a rule during Ramadhan - no fasting, no feast. So. if I didn't fast, I cannot enjoy the Maghrib feast and had to be alone in living room. I tried my best to keep(everyone believe that I'm) fasting until Maghrib. It was like winning a big war if I succeeded.

I was five when my father had an idea of sending me and my sister to Quranic lesson. We went to our neighbour' house. We call him Pak Janggut. There, we started with Muqaddam. With other neighbours' children, all of us competed among ourselves, who was the most advance in learning Muqaddam. Every night, we tried to be the earliest persons to arrive as first come first served. Learning how to read Quran was very exciting.

My grandfather just came back from 'umrah. Among all souvenirs, there was one souvenir from him to me which I treasured the most - a scarf. It has flowery & geometrical pattern, colourful and shining. I loved that scarf very much. Although people(siblings/relatives) made fun of me by saying things like "Macam Sally si Janda Joran","Ustazah!Ustazah", I was a tough scarf wearer.

I was about to begin my kindergarten. My father asked me, which kindergarten I wanted to go. With confident I said, "TASKI" - Taman Asuhan Kanak-kanak Islam. It was because some of my friends at Pak Janggut's house went there. They were such a good influences.

Unfortunately, it was too late to register in TASKI. There were fully occupied. My father decided to send me to a religious school in our neighbourhood. I was still happy because it was an Islamic school.

Then the day for celebration of Maulidurrasul came. All students of my school joined the 'perarakan'. With high-spirited voice, we said the selawat along our journey. Not just the prophet, parents must be happy too if they saw the face of their children during that day.

We were young,energetic and decent,

we were proud when we did our obligation to Allah,
we were proud to say our love to the prophet,
we didn't care what others say about us,
we were what the adults should pay attention and preserve,
we were proud Muslim children!

Shall we change the 'were' to 'are',
and see our young selves in children nowadays?

^_^

photo of my nephew, Muhammad Akmal Syafiq,5 learning an Iqra'.
today is his birthday -happy birthday dear,mak uteh will always love u!
(we love each other, believe it! =P)

Psoriasis Friend

2011-03-18T19:22:00.000+08:00

Today, there was a patient in our clinic who has psoriasis. She is a little younger than me. Although I didn't have a chance to meet her(she is my friend's patient, and I had my own patient to be handled), I hope that one day we'll be destined to see each other, and have a heart-to-heart moment together(cewah!).

Having a disease/syndrome/something out of normality, we always wanting people surround us, or at least someone near to understand our feelings and condition(even the slightest one). However, sometimes thing never turn out as what we had expected. Maybe people just pretend to understand/never wanted to understand/they really don't understand. We'll be so sad, everything is wrong, and our quality of life is ruined-by our own mood. So, we need to go out and change the plan.

Meet people who are just like you, because only them will sincerely say "We understand how you feel right now,". Support each other because by doing that you are supporting yourself too.

More importantly, keep praying to Allah s.w.t to lend us some strength,
knowing that we are so weak,
and pray that our next generations will live a better life than us.
Amin. ^_^

No Matter What Psoriasis Say

2011-03-15T19:01:00.000+08:00

Psoriasis is a common skin condition that causes skin redness and irritation. Most people with psoriasis have thick, red skin with flaky, silver-white patches called scales.The condition cannot be spread to others.Psoriasis seems to be passed down through families. Doctors think it probably occurs when the body's immune system mistakes healthy cells for dangerous substances.Skin cells grow deep in the skin and normally rise to the surface about once a month. In persons with psoriasis, this process is too fast (about 2 weeks instead of 4 weeks) and dead skin cells build up on the skin's surface.

Looking back my past eight years,I'm quiet surprise(and grateful) to think how I manage to live a normal life with psoriasis. People surround me, they might not realize it. How I fought the pruritus(it was not easy,especially while wearing scarf,but I'm glad that I'm wearing it), with heavy dandruff everywhere(sorry for the mess!!!). Sometimes it was bled(over-scratching perhaps,scratching can be so enjoyable).

Because now, it seems like I can't 'live' in a day without washing my scalp with stieprox shampoo, massage it with mometasone fluorate gel. Before I go to my clinical session, taking oral anti-inflammatory tablet is a must(imagine this situation-I'm wearing gloves,treating a dental patients or just being assistant,suddenly the pruritus come...fighting itchiness is more painful than pain itself).At night,if I left my scalp without applying another topical anti-inflammatory gel, I'm finished!

My dermatologist, Dr Noh, while inspecting me said, "Alhamdulillah, the psoriasis does not affect any other area.".

Everytime I recall the statement, it reminds me that my condition can be considered as mild.I can't imagine having it on most parts of body.It must be harder for people with such severe psoriasis.Much harder if they don't know about their condition and couldn't find or afford any treatments to reduce symptoms.

So, although I have scalp psoriasis(that can be overcome if I had money,good medicines never cheap), nail psoriasis(in my world,who cares about nail aesthetic?), and only my left knee has started to show symptoms(it freaks me out,honestly), I will never ever make it as an excuse for not being happy or feel stress, and I'll get out of my room more often =D.

Something 'Bout Dentistry

2011-03-15T05:44:00.000+08:00

Dentistry is the branch of medicine that is involved in the study, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, disorders and conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area and the adjacent and associated structures and their impact on the human body.

To be honest, ever since I was in my 1st year at Dental Faculty, I never thought that this course or field has its own beauty. Some of dental lecturers always said "One day you will discover the beauty of dentistry.", SO WHAT??!!

But now, being in clinical year, I started to understand.

As a dentist, we do our work for people,

on that people themselves.

We prevent & treat diseases, restore functions, improve aesthetic,

and bring back their smile ^_^

That is the meaning of dentistry that I had learnt in classroom long time ago,

(which I never care and simply forget it).

Turning Over a New Leaf

2011-03-03T23:13:00.000+08:00

Assalamualaikum...

here i am, once again

same person, different looking blog

ask me why, the answer is simple

I'M TURNING OVER A NEW LEAF

...

coming soon =)