On the contrary, call to Allah is the Righteous action!

30 04 2009

FASCINATING how this video has been produced professionally based on true facts and figures, not to mention almost accurate projections. However, the narrated apprehension and unnecessary Islamophobia is uncalled for, really… :(

May Allah guide all human race to the Righteous Path and may the LIGHT of FAITH shine at the end of a worldly dark tunnel. AMIN! :)

The real call for action is to embrace the Islamic religion of peace, love, kindness and spiritual TRUTH! ;) May peace be on all Muslims globally…

PLK





Let us all stand by each other during difficult crises…

30 04 2009

THE SOUND of music is the most Universal language for humanity:

Above hit song is another of my greatest oldies faves… :)

PLK





^~”Bridge Over Troubled Water”~#

30 04 2009

MY HANDSOME princely son and my sweet angelic daughter just
got their brand new Yamaha electric keyboard today. Both of
them seem like naturals when it comes to playing the piano.

As for their melancholic daddy, I’d be happiest if I could just for
once be able to sing together with my two talented kids on the
keyboards my all-time evergreen favourite tune which had been
made popular by Art Garfunkel and Paul Simon… But little did I know that the late ‘King of Rock’ Elvis Presley had also sung it before:

One of those oldies which almost always makes me cry… :(

And to think that I was only six years old when it was first recorded in 1969! :)

This good old-fashioned song is dedicated to all the girls I’ve loved and still love peace & kindness… ;)

PLK





Swine flu fears grip the world…

26 04 2009

ALHAMDULLILLAH (All praises be to Allah Subhannahu Wataala), Islamic teachings preach the importance of cleanliness. And taking ablution before each daily prayer (obligatory for Muslims to pray five times a day) which involves washing essential parts of the body, particularly starting with both hands is ‘cleanliness is next to Godliness’ in itself. This is the most basic act of cleansing oneself from all kinds of diseases i.e. as a preventative measure from being infected with SARS, Bird Flu, Foot and Mouth disease and now the recent outbreak of Swine Influenza which has killed a number of people in Mexico and elsewhere in the world.

Another good teaching of Islam is the prohibition for all Muslims from eating pork meat, or even to rear pigs. The Swine Flu is believed to have originated from that particular animal and is further spread through human-to-human contact.

My point is with the rapid outbreak of this latest epidemic to hit the global population, the God Almighty seems to be  giving warning signs to  human beings on earth in general and Muslims  in particular to strictly adhere to the teachings of the Islamic  Holy Book, the Al-Quran. I personally admit that I have been neglecting my spiritual duties and responsibilities toward Him lately.

So what better time to start now and pray right away  to seek Allah’s Guide and Protection from this Swine Flu fever… Insya Allah (God Willing).

PLK





Talented Brit wows millions U-Tubes globally!

22 04 2009

GOD must be most kind to Susan Boyle who has made waves over the worldwide broadband via YouTube over the past week or so. (Please click on YouTube screen — embedding disabled by request — to watch her perform… )

When one of my office-mates showed me her class-act performance on YouTube a fortnight ago, I didn’t really bother to take too much notice of it. I was too pre-occupied with work pressures to even watch Susan Boyle’s debut performance on the popular UK TV programme, “Britain’s Got Talent 2009″. Somehow today (albeit workloads) I felt the urge to see for myself what’s so special about this ‘jobless to STARdom’ worldwide fame phenomenon that’s been reported all over the media globally.

And I have to agree with Simon Cowell, her singing was simply and exquisitely “extraordinary”! Without my realising it, tears rolled down my right eye watching the whole episode of natural confidence and exuberance of Susan Boyle backstage, onstage and her offstage emotions at the end of it all… and so had millions all over the Internet world, too, I believe… :)  The unassuming 47-year-old Scottish lass has truly mesmerised her ‘initially cynical’ audience. MAGIC! 

PLK





At long last, a good old English gentleman ‘farts’ some sense!

21 04 2009

THE author of a good old British blog — http://crabbyoldfart.wordpress.com — Donald Mills, wrote:

“The problem with young people today is that they are sex crazed.

When I was a boy, sex was like playing catch with your dad after dinner. Something you were promised and looked forward to, but which was never likely to actually happen.

In my day, sex was functional, perfunctory and something you were ashamed of. We had one position and it didn’t have a name. None of this acrobatic upside-down flip-around-on-your-head with a harness, head of lettuce and store bought erection nonsense. You didn’t need to stretch beforehand for Christ’s sake.

I didn’t have sex until three years after my marriage. And even then it was unintentional. Just rolled over at an opportune moment and it was done.

But these kids today, they’re at it before they’re out of grade school. Humping each other like a bunch of mongrel dogs in perpetual heat and then boasting about it on the MySpace and YouTube. It’s demeaning, degrading and it gets my goat.

And don’t for a minute think this is just “sour grapes.” It’s not. This is a serious problem.

If someone doesn’t put a stop to this pimply rutting spree there will be dire consequences. How soon will it be before these horny monsters get bored with mounting each other and start looking for new kinds of kicks? Before you know it, teens will be humping lamp posts, mail boxes, outdoor sprinklers and unsuspecting seniors out for an innocent Sunday stroll. It will be anarchy of the most perverted kind.

They’re sex crazed. That’s what’s wrong with young people today.”

I don’t know how much worse is a similar social problem in Brunei Darussalam right now. Looking at the rising number of unwed pregnancies and abandoned innocent newly-born babies in recent years, things as they happened, are not rosy going fast forward into the future so-called civilized world? One medical Social Worker friend said it’s as worse! :(

PLK





Desperately seeking jobs… :(

18 04 2009

A COUPLE of postings I saw recently in some popular bloggers’ chat-boxes asked if there were jobs available for them.. most probably the chatters making such enquiries in open public domains are young and fresh school-leavers.

Last Friday, a friend was asking me if I could help his son with only ‘O’ Levels to look for a job. Over the years, I’ve met many unemployed Bruneians seeking jobs which seem endlessly futile for a large majority  of them.  Local Labour statistics put the jobless figures at around 7 thousand at present. I doubt if it’s really an accurate figure, given that there are hundreds more of the unemployed who do not bother to register with the Labour Job Centre (particularly those between the ages of 35 and 55).

Just the other day, I read in the local daily newspaper about a jobless 52-year-old Bruneian man charged with theft! :( Last Sunday’s Borneo Bulletin reported that an unemployed 40-year-old Bruneian guy had been charged with illegal possession of a home-made shotgun which he and his partner-in-crime made themselves! (These unemployed locals are capable of doing anything out of desperation!). Another easy bucks way out for them is in the menacing drug trade. More and more Bruneians have been brought to courts (not in Brunei but outside of the country) for illegal drug peddling or smuggling. It can indeed be a vicious cycle of circumstances to be in, being unemployed, that is.

His Majesty’s Government has done much to try and solve the unemployment problem but the government can only do so much (*sigh*). Since most of the jobless are Bruneian Malay Muslims, another better alternative for the jobless is to enhance their spiritual belief in order to strengthen their “Akidah” or “Iman” (Islamic Faith).

I think the “Pusat Dakwah” Centre of the Religious Affairs Ministry in close cooperation with the Labour Department of the Home Affairs Ministry as well as the Social Welfare Department of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports should try and look at the viability of introducing both motivational and religious courses for the unemployed. It would at least address the issue of hopelessness or low self-esteem problems being faced by these jobless people.

Having said that, a strong faith in Islam could possibly deter the unemployed from committing any sinful actions which may pose dire consequences to their future. In the meantime, drastic measures to stem the growing problem of unemployment in this country is urgently called for (actually, it was highlighted during the recent LegCo). I see no point in blaming job-seekers of being choosy because not all of them are… they earnestly want to put in more efforts to look for decent jobs, no matter what the workscope entails, be it in the Civil Service or the Private Sector i.e. SME firms, etc. I don’t know why can’t these hundreds of jobless Bruneians be rounded up and be guided to form a Cooperative or something so that they can try to be independent minding their own business? United in strength in numbers and multi-skillings, they could form as simple as grass-cutting enterprise or even a small construction company building private homes or doing menial renovation work, etc.

(There’s no end to this)

PLK





Observant Ranoadidas.com on security lax

7 04 2009

BRUNEI’S No 1 Social blogger-cum-journo/photographer, Rano Iskandar, was spot on when he posted about his junket-trip to the recent Sepang F1 Grand Prix in Malaysia: “..However, we managed to access to the upper level since the security was pretty lax. The other side of the grandstand even less security check points at the gate after a few laps of the race. So any Tom Dick and Harry can actually enter the grandstand without a pass.”

I suppose the security factor would be a cap in the feather for neighbouring-rival host of F1 international race, Singapore, aside from its most successful debut to have come up with the ‘Night Formula One Grand Prix Race’ last year. However, the Mas Selamat saga (the Houdini of escapee Indonesian terrorist from a Singapore prison who’s still at large) is still very much the sticking issue in the supposedly-tight security system on the island-republic! ;)

I once tried and tested the much-appraised and highly-regarded Singaporean security plausibility in 2003. While attending a business exhibition, which was held on the Fourth Floor of the Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre, I purposely left my heavy baggage (having arrived straight from a midnight express train journey from Kuala Lumpur that morning) under an unattended counter in the Ground Floor lobby. Then I rushed up the escalator to attend the Official Opening and subsequent free breakfast, just in the nick of time! :)

Having filled my empty stomach (after a long, tiring 10-hour train trip just to save from a costly one-night stay in a Singaporean hotel!), I then walked about the exhibition venue and trade booths for a good two hours. I almost forgot my left baggage on the ground floor! What reminded me of it was when I saw that the complimentary left baggage storage area, specially prepared for participants, was actually located in one corner of the exhibition floor venue.

I quickly took the lift down to the Ground Floor to retrieve my baggage and lo and behold! Guess who had been frantically watching over my big bulky travelling bag? You guessed it… a couple of security guards with guns on their waists. So after some apologies and excuses, excuses, I was left the hook with a yellow card-like warning only. But come to think of it, within that 2-hour time-frame, anything could’ve happened (if I had been a terrorist, that is!).

Speaking of Security lax, I strongly recommend the three or four key ‘Homeland Security’ governmental agencies involved in border controls to tighten up their acts to cover lots of flaws and obvious ’screw-loose loopholes’.

A case in point is the Sungai Tujoh border crossing between Belait (Brunei Darussalam) and Miri (Malaysia). Any ‘terrorist’ could always come in and out, entering and exiting without any passport at all. How so, you may ask?

Let me just try to walk the Internal Security Department; Immigration Department; Customs and Excise and the Royal Brunei Police Force respectively through this STEP by STEP passport-less travel to and from Brunei – Miri and back:

1. Share a car with at least two other people

2. Be the driver until the car almost reach Brunei Customs Check-point in Sungai Tujuh

3. Get out of the car and let a new driver take over the wheel

4. Walk in haste (as if in toilet-bound desperation and exasperation!) toward the Public Loo past both Customs booth and Immigration counter in casual manner

5. Once you are in the Mens’ Room, wait till the car has passed through Immigration and voila! Re-enter the car at your own risk… no passport chop, no less! :(

6. And likewise in the Malaysian side of the border, a passenger could simply get off the car and just walk toward the Customs’ counter without the Malaysian Immigration staff knowing it or even aware of my existence! :(

7. Pretend that you’re waiting for Customs formalities to be completed but sit and wait for car to pass through the Immigration booth (again no need to stamp passport!) :(

8. After some R & R in Miri Resort City, back to the same old routine and almost identical steps on how to go in and out of the country through passport-less travel (illegally, of course). So there, you have it, my free security consultancy! ;) I really could be the James Bond of Brunei, couldn’t I? :P

The fact remains, security standards in Brunei Darussalam are still pretty much ‘laissez-faire’ and there are lots of room for improvement! (Of course, for ordinary folks like us — the less security hassle, the better).

PLK





Mrs G gets my “Wife of the Year” VOTE! Lucky Hubby GEMBO!

2 04 2009

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WHILE I’m still on the subject of the exemplary great Muslimah wife, I can really relate to a recent nightmarish real life threatening experience of a humble blogger-photographer on the West Side of the country (http://gembo-gembo.blogspot.com/). What touched me the most in still recuperating Gembo’s blogspot journal was the mere mention of how his beloved, devoted wife stood by her man-hero throughout his comatose ordeal! Subhannallah!

“My beloved wife (Mrs G) has been my rock during the whole episode being with me throughout: Sleeping on the floor at the ICU waiting room & being my personal nurse at the general wards, cleaning me up, feeding me, read to me, often waking up in the middle of the night to give my drinks and medications, with all her love and care. That loving care really helped with my recovery. Did I also mention that she had to make that critical decision to transfer me to RIPAS hospital on the first day? It was a big decision to make and I am really grateful that she did that, otherwise…”

WOW! Now, the above picture tells a thousand stories and such real-life LOVE STORY beats the hell of any crappy box-office movie ever produced by Hollywood and Bollywood put together, man! ;) Gembo’s account even far outlived the famous Indonesian film, “Ayat-Ayat Cinta” by a long, long shot… and how every concerned member of his Community (caring relatives, workmates and social circle friends) had prayed so hard for his miraculous recovery! ALHAMDULLILLAH! (All praises only be to ALLAH Subhannahu Wataala) May God Bless You All, Guys in Seria/KB, AMIN!

Reading between the lines, one can only take in the gist of God the Almighty’s supreme reasons for all that’s happened to any of His creatures. At the end of the day, it could only mean a sheer  ‘Blessing in Disguise’… :) BE STRONG AND HAVE FAITH, GEMBO!

PLK





Interesting Q & A in Malay about sins of a Muslim wife…

1 04 2009

A Malaysian Muslimah Parliamentary Secretary, Datuk Dr Mashitah Ibrahim, who’s also a Columnist in a Malaysian Daily paper, was replying to a question by a woman reader:

“Suami sibuk kerja, isteri curang

SOALAN (BINGUNG)
SAYA berkahwin 10 tahun dan ada empat anak. Namun pada 2007, saya keluar rumah yang disediakan suami dan kini hidup berpisah. Kini saya tinggal bersama ibu bapa saya. Bagaimanapun, kami belum bercerai.

Antara sebab saya berpisah dengannya:

  1. Suami kurang memberi perhatian kepada saya sejak kami berkahwin kerana sibuk mencari rezeki. Sebelum ini beliau bekerja makan gaji dan pada 2004 dia mula menceburkan diri dalam perniagaan.

Beliau juga sering meminjam duit saya untuk membuat modal pusingan. Nasib kami baik kerana saya bekerja dan sering membantunya. Saya tertekan dengan perbuatan suami sehingga memakinya dan minta cerai. Namun dia enggan dan memujuk saya dengan alasan dia melakukannya demi masa depan keluarga.

  1. Disebabkan perkara di atas, saya berlaku curang terhadapnya. Saya mengaku sayangkan teman lelaki baru saya yang lebih muda lima tahun dan bergelar suami orang. Dia memahami masalah yang saya hadapi.

Alasan saya meninggalkan rumah yang disediakan suami ialah supaya sentiasa dapat berjumpa teman lelaki. Akhirnya suami mengetahui kecurangan saya melalui beberapa keping gambar saya berpelukan dengan teman lelaki.

Dia masih bersabar dan cuba memujuk saya. Ibu bapa saya juga sentiasa memujuk saya supaya kembali kepada suami.

  1. Akibat hubungan ini, isteri teman lelaki saya mengamuk sehingga berlaku perceraian. Suami saya memarahi kami sehingga menampar saya.

Saya minta dia menceraikan saya, tetapi dia enggan. Sejak kejadian itu, suami tidak memujuk saya lagi. Saya juga kini dalam proses memohon tuntutan fasakh.

Adakah saya dikategorikan sebagai isteri nusyuz atau suami saya yang nusyuz, kerana suami mengabaikan saya selama 10 tahun? Orang mengatakan saya isteri nusyuz kerana keluar rumah.

Kini hidup saya tertekan, apabila saya mengetahui ada ketumbuhan di rahim saya. Saya perlu dibedah. Saya juga kini menghadapi asma.

Saya juga dapat tahu perniagaan suami saya semakin maju dan dia kini bahagia dengan hidupnya. Manakala anak di bawah jagaan saya lebih mesra dengan suami.

Diri saya dan teman lelaki saya pula hidup susah. Adakah ini balasan Allah atau kebetulan saja?

Adakah benar taubat dan amalan saya seperti sembahyang, beribadah pada malam hari, puasa, bersedekah, membaca al-Quran tidak akan diterima Allah sehingga mendapat pengampunan daripada suami?

Benarkah isteri nusyuz tidak perlu disembahyangkan jenazahnya? Jika berlaku perceraian, adakah Allah SWT akan menerima taubat dan amalan bekas isteri yang tidak diampunkan dosa oleh bekas suami.

Jika suami meninggal dunia tanpa mengampunkan isterinya, apa akan berlaku kepada si isteri? Hidup saya kini tidak menentu, hati tidak tenteram, seolah-olah saya berserah pada takdir. Apa saya harus lakukan?

BINGUNG
Johor Bahru

JAWAPAN: (YB DATUK DR MASHITAH)
Hidup puan sebenarnya hilang arah dan panduan serta jauh daripada Allah SWT. Saya ingin jawab persoalan pertama mengenai siapa sebenarnya nusyuz atau derhaka. Pada hemat saya, puan perlu faham apa itu nusyuz. Seorang isteri adalah nusyuz bila dia keluar rumah tanpa izin suami.

Puan bukan sekadar keluar rumah tanpa izin, tetapi melakukan dosa besar apabila bersikap curang terhadap suami dengan mencari lelaki lain.

Suami puan pasti berasa sungguh tercabar apabila melihat gambar isterinya berpelukan dengan lelaki lain, namun dia masih sayangkan puan, masih memujuk puan dan tidak menceraikan puan.

Dalam hal ini saya tidak nampak tuntutan fasakh apa yang puan hendak failkan kerana kesalahan itu pada puan dan bukan suami.

Punca perselisihan ini sebenarnya ialah diri puan yang dahagakan kasih sayang dan perhatian suami. Suami pula dalam keadaan mahu memulakan perniagaan dan perlu memberi tumpuan pada perniagaan. Justeru, perhatiannya beralih pada perniagaan dan sedikit mengabaikan puan.

Cara terbaik sekarang ialah balik ke pangkal jalan sebelum terlambat. Puan masih isteri yang sah pada suami. Pergi padanya dan mohon ampun atas segala keterlanjuran. Baliklah pada suami, kecuali jika dia sendiri menolak puan. Mohon ampun dan bertaubat pada Allah SWT atas segala dosa yang pernah dilakukan.

Segala musibah yang puan terima adalah ujian Allah SWT untuk memberi keinsafan. Ibadat seorang isteri umpama tergantung dan tidak sampai pada Allah SWT jika dia derhaka pada suami.

Tiada pula hukum mengatakan sampai jenazahnya tidak disolatkan. Apapun Allah itu Maha Pengampun dan Maha Menerima Taubat. Justeru, bertaubatlah pada-Nya.”

Ain’t easy to be a good, faithful, obedient and trustworthy wife but much more difficult to be a husband with dignity!

Also great tips on how to be a good Muslim wife by the Yang Berhormat Pehin Mufti: www.brunet.bn/gov/mufti/alhadaf/dis98/h_ciri.htm.

PLK