tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38398743538952922612024-03-14T02:37:50.320+08:00a fleeting stay ... People, places and everything in betweenFAEZAH ISMAILhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503794442682876972noreply@blogger.comBlogger179125truetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839874353895292261.post-39883351642535137172021-05-09T13:33:00.003+08:002021-05-09T13:36:49.356+08:00Dealing with death of a loved one<p>Today marks the end of Rabiaa's mourning period. She had completed four months and 10 days or 130 days of grieving, the stipulated period for expressing sorrow for Muslim widows. </p><p>The death of her husband on Dec 30, 2020 was expected but it still came as a huge shock to her. It was too sudden, she felt. Yet observers would not agree. Her husband became bedridden in mid-November after a collision between his big bike and a car which had come from the opposite direction after taking an illegal turn. </p><p>In addition to being bedridden, Anwar, lost his voice which was the direct result of the brain injury he had suffered after the accident. He was diagnosed with traumatic brain injury.</p><p>How does Rabiaa feel now? The pain is bearable but the memories remain as vivid as ever. She is still unwilling to clear up all of her husband's things and some items remain in their original positions as before he became bound to the bed.</p><p>His belongings connect Rabiaa to Anwar and she basks in the warmth of that recollection.</p><p>The early days of the loss of her husband were extremely painful but she relied on Allah for guidance and comfort, something she has always done throughout her life.</p><p>Her family rallied around and offered to help. She is extremely grateful to her sister and niece.</p><p>Dr Omar Suleiman's series on "For Those Left Behind" opened her eyes and mind to the multiple issues of death and dying. The 15 episodes in these series "explore the roller-coaster of emotions brought about by grief" and the "fast-paced nature of Islamic rituals following death", among other concerns. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZCqfqyLwCk">Click here for the first episode.</a></p><p>Those left behind want to know many things but feel helpless when searching for answers. The series makes a good attempt to respond to the questions Rabiaa and others in a similar situation have been asking.</p><p>She learned from him that one does not "move on" from your departed loved ones. You are supposed to "move forward" with them as in the case of the Prophet (pbuh) with his beloved wife, Khadijah. </p><p>He kept her "alive" by mentioning and praising her and doing things for her. </p><p>Dr Omar Suleiman says: When he sacrificed an animal or a sacrifice came to him he would send a share of it to her friends. He would send gifts to her friends. He would hear the voice of her sister and he would rush because the voice of her sister sounded like her. He always thought about her.</p><p>"The Prophet (pbuh) kept her in his heart through his trials and triumphs. He was always thinking about her, making mention of her and always doing for her. That is moving forward. The Prophet was not crippled by his memory of Khadijah. He was motivated by his memory of Khadijah. He did not mistreat others because of how much he loved Khadijah. He did not fail to show emotion to others because of the emotion he had for Khadijah. </p><p>"Instead he used the expanse that he had because of that time with Khadijah to include others as well. You are not supposed to move on from your loved ones. Move forward with them. </p><p></p><div style="text-align: right;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GBrE7YsUxuU/YJdybH7EYHI/AAAAAAAABcE/K-v4422lFN0WNemkoWqTjMmMeZQY9cvuACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_9848.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GBrE7YsUxuU/YJdybH7EYHI/AAAAAAAABcE/K-v4422lFN0WNemkoWqTjMmMeZQY9cvuACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_9848.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div>"Allah SWT tells us to frequently remember death and nothing causes us to remember death more frequently than the loss of someone close to us. Suddenly now death is being remembered and that is good for your heart and that is attached to the person that you love. When you say 'inna lillahi wainna ilaihi rojiun' (which means, to Allah we belong and to Allah we return), you are not just talking about them, you are talking about yourself as well."<p></p><p>Rabiaa says moving forward with her late husband sounds a great idea. For more on moving forward c<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KI6-5xMFcOg">lick here</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>FAEZAH ISMAILhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503794442682876972noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839874353895292261.post-71297289220782012462019-11-19T10:29:00.000+08:002019-11-19T10:29:34.123+08:00Next stop, Sungkai<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xop-eKG4lZs/Xagkey5oIjI/AAAAAAAABR4/DaSXuVma-aMTJr0xL-elFr7lYQ1s7BoCACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/20191017_113211.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xop-eKG4lZs/Xagkey5oIjI/AAAAAAAABR4/DaSXuVma-aMTJr0xL-elFr7lYQ1s7BoCACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/20191017_113211.jpg" width="398" /></a></div>
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The locomotive joins the failed train</div>
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A routine trip to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuala_Lumpur_Hospital">Kuala Lumpur Hospital</a> for a medical check up turned out to be a nightmare for Rabiaa Dani and her husband.<br />
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Their ticket was for a day train ride to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuala_Lumpur_Sentral_station">KL Sentral</a>, leaving Ipoh railway station at 8.20am, and returning to Ipoh at night. The couple arrived safely at KL Sentral Station and proceeded to the hospital immediately.<br />
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Everything went well at the hospital. They even managed to sneak a shopping trip to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuala_Lumpur_City_Centre">KLCC</a> for a quick look see before returning to KL Sentral for their 7.40pm train back to Ipoh.<br />
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The train (9032), like clockwork, departed at the scheduled time. Both Rabiaa and her husband fell asleep about ten minutes after the train had left KL Sentral station. They woke up shortly before hearing the sound of a heavy object hitting something; the train came to a halt soon after.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Replacement train at Sungkai station</td></tr>
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Their nighmare had begun.<br />
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Rabiaa and her husband later learned that the train had hit a pig which was crossing the track at kilometre 259.00. The impact had damaged the twin tower air dryer pipe and train Captain declared failure at 21.57pm.<br />
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<a href="https://www.ktmb.com.my/">KTM</a> (Keretapi Tanah Melayu or Malayan Railway) had arranged for Loko 29101 ex 155 to pull the stranded train to<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungkai"> Sungkai</a>'s Platform 1 where all passengers would disembark. Another train, Set E203, from <a href="https://www.malaysia-traveller.com/batu-gajah.html">Batu Gajah</a> would be on standby to pick up the helpless passengers and advance to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipoh">Ipoh</a>, the final destination for Train 9032.<br />
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It was a long wait for the locomotive, reaching Sungkai before 12.30am. The replacement train left Sungkai station at 12.34am. Thankfully, passengers could take a toilet break at Sungkai station. It was not possible to use the toilets on the failed train as stewardesses on duty had locked them as soon as they discerned the failure.<br />
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Passengers arrived at Ipoh station before 1.30am. Phew! It's time for a well deserved <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teh_tarik">teh tarik</a> and an opportunity to review what had just happened.<br />
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On the whole, passengers were well behaved with a few demanding for a proper explanation from the stewardesses who tried their best to accommodate their requests.<br />
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Rabiaa and her husband are not likely to forget the nasty incident but it has not lessen their love for trains and train rides. Their next trip to Kuala Lumpur is in December.<br />
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<br />FAEZAH ISMAILhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503794442682876972noreply@blogger.com0Sungkai, Perak, Malaysia3.998924 101.308453.872204 101.1470885 4.125644 101.46981149999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839874353895292261.post-84594039239796932282018-10-05T12:03:00.000+08:002018-11-16T09:39:59.348+08:00Behind the wheel at 60<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-stypdHcp4qk/WvEOt9pbtcI/AAAAAAAABIE/rJ9SMOCKgPwobM50z-DMLKzxGqt2P9r4gCLcBGAs/s1600/20180429_091402.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-stypdHcp4qk/WvEOt9pbtcI/AAAAAAAABIE/rJ9SMOCKgPwobM50z-DMLKzxGqt2P9r4gCLcBGAs/s640/20180429_091402.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Learners performing routine tasks at a driving circuit in Ipoh</td></tr>
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Madam Susila arrives at a driving institute in Ipoh, Perak feeling nervous. This is her first time there. She is 47 years old and a recent widow.<br />
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He husband passed away four months ago in his car during an outing with the family. He was driving through Ipoh town when he suddenly complained of pain in the throat area. He pulled over to one side of a quiet road to take a short rest but went limp soon after.<br />
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Susila called for an ambulance immediately and medical personnel took her husband's body to the hospital.<br />
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The grieving widow and her three sons were left to sort out the affairs of the deceased man. It hit Susila then -- "I don't know how to drive," she recoiled in horror.<br />
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She discussed her concern with the boys and they agreed with her decision to enrol into a driving school. It must be said that Susila had wanted to take up driving as a young bride but her husband discouraged her, saying "I will be the driver in this family".<br />
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Sixty-year-old Salmah had done 10 hours at the same driving institute -- six at the circuit learning all the required steps and four on the road. Since her driving test is due in a week's time, she is busy trying to overcome her weaknesses after signing up for extra hours.<br />
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She is tired but happy with the little progress that she has achieved so far.<br />
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Then it is time for the drive on the main road outside the circuit. She feels apprehensive about this component of her lesson because she is not very confident about driving beyond the safety of the driving school's premises and would like to spend more time on this.<br />
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As she drives along the designated route for learners of the institute, her instructor tells her to change lanes before approaching a traffic light. For some unknown reason ("maybe it was stress", she later concluded), Salmah worked the steering wheel as she would turning a corner.<br />
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Thankfully, nothing happened and she managed to get onto the right lane but she felt traumatised and upset with herself for being negligent. That was very dangerous, said her instructor, who was visibly annoyed with her student. Salmah agreed and remained in a state of shock throughout the rest of the journey back to the school.<br />
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She went home feeling disgusted with her herself and after a heart to heart talk with her husband decided to postpone the test and to take it easy for a while. She is not giving up on her ambition but wants to contemplate on her next move.<br />
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These two learners are examples of women who are taking up driving at a later stage of their lives.<br />
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According to a female driving instructor, many of these golden learners are widows like Susila who feel restrained by their inability to drive after the deaths of their husbands. They cannot rely on their children for transport and it is expensive to take taxis.<br />
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Necessity is their motivation.<br />
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Salmah became alarmed when her husband fainted some months ago and there was no one to take him to the hospital. She made several frantic calls to relatives and friends pleading with them to help her out. Fortunately, her niece was free to take her uncle to the hospital. "I must learn to drive," she told herself then.<br />
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Learning to drive at a later age has its own set of complexities. Driving instructors at the institute are reluctant to train older learners because they are "hard to teach". "They are slow to grasp new skills unlike young adults," says a grumpy female instructor, who refuses to accept learners over 40.<br />
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"They ask too many questions and want to know this and that," complains another.<br />
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It is the same story overseas.<br />
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A foreign driving instructor was quoted as saying in this <a href="https://graziadaily.co.uk/life/opinion/ask-adult-old-learn-drive/">article</a> that "students who started later in life do tend to require more lessons". "Younger people are either still studying or it hasn't been long since they were in education, so their brains are like sponges."<br />
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Statistics are not immediately available but young learners outnumber those over 40 at driving schools throughout Malaysia. Anyone who has been to a local driving institute will tell you that.<br />
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The foreign instructor adds that though the process may take longer than expected, older learners will get there in the end, if they want it badly enough and exercise patience.<br />
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Many agree that being able to drive is a great skill to acquire. Both Susila and Salmah realise that now and they won't quit because their dream is to obtain valid driving licences.<br />
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<br />FAEZAH ISMAILhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503794442682876972noreply@blogger.com0Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia4.597479 101.090105999999994.344243 100.7673825 4.850715 101.41282949999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839874353895292261.post-35106705446724312942018-08-24T12:06:00.000+08:002018-08-24T12:06:59.101+08:00A spot of rural tranquillity in Ipoh<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8TnAkiLAqYA/W39xS2yy-7I/AAAAAAAABKs/gl3E6XPcNTY-rPQ047YnLJp0R9_N6tSXACLcBGAs/s1600/2018-08-23%2B15.33.34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8TnAkiLAqYA/W39xS2yy-7I/AAAAAAAABKs/gl3E6XPcNTY-rPQ047YnLJp0R9_N6tSXACLcBGAs/s640/2018-08-23%2B15.33.34.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Your nerves are frayed and you need a dose of pleasingly rustic ambience without having to leave the city. There is such a spot for you, if you are in Ipoh. All you need to do is head for a block of flats called Kinta Heights in Pekan Lama, Ipoh, Perak, which is next to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinta_River">Kinta River,</a> one of the main branches of the Perak River.<br />
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Unbelievable, as it may seem, there are several nasi kandar outlets and sundry shops in the vicinity, set in the greenery, with a view and a walking path. I suggest that you have lunch at Ramli Nasi Kandar and after that, take a very short walk to the river bank for your rural retreat. You might be motivated to spend 10 minutes or more in total silence and tranquillity. This is the place I go to again and again.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ramli Nasi Kandar is next to the sundry shop</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A short bridge to the river bank </td></tr>
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You will feel irritated by people putting litter on the ground but I refuse to allow that to distract me. There is a 'Do not litter' notice here but some people don't seem to care. If you throw rubbish in your town, you are saying you do not care if it is dirty. Where are the enforcement officers?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Do not litter' sign</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Why do people do this?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Do try this walking path </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This shady tree attracts tired souls</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anglers love it here</td></tr>
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<br />FAEZAH ISMAILhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503794442682876972noreply@blogger.com0117, Jalan Bijih Timah, 31650 Ipoh, Negeri Perak, Malaysia4.5927239 101.078095999999964.0859844 100.43264899999996 5.0994634 101.72354299999996tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839874353895292261.post-9563482803390525492018-06-04T11:01:00.000+08:002018-06-04T11:06:54.043+08:00Searching for Lailatul QadrThe last 10 days of Ramadhan 1439H begin tonight (Monday June 4, 2018)<br />
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I wrote this <a href="http://www.faezahismail.com/2010/08/embracing-last-10-days-of-ramadan.html">post</a> in 2010. I am reposting it to remind myself of the benefits of taking full advantage of the remaining days of this year's Ramadhan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Life for Muslims begins when the sun goes down during the holy month. Muslims are obliged to abstain completely from drinking, eating and sex from sunrise to sunset. Every Muslim is taught to embrace Ramadhan completely by filling the days with acts of worship and charity, besides getting rid of bad thoughts and deeds. The whole month is full of blessings and rewards but the last ten days have a special status as seen in the recommendations and practices of the Prophet (PBUH) and his companions. See video below. <br />
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FAEZAH ISMAILhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503794442682876972noreply@blogger.com0Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia4.597479 101.090105999999994.344243 100.7673825 4.850715 101.41282949999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839874353895292261.post-29614534588540160912018-06-04T10:54:00.001+08:002018-06-04T10:54:42.563+08:00Don't Waste The Last 10 Nights of Ramadan - Mufti Menk | Deen 360<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bpD3J5DFJ6U" width="480"></iframe>FAEZAH ISMAILhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503794442682876972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839874353895292261.post-7666575807104602112018-01-01T00:00:00.000+08:002018-02-14T11:51:08.970+08:00Giving New Year resolutions another chanceIn the spirit of New Year resolutions doing the rounds, I have a story to share. My friend Rabiaa Dani gave up making resolutions a long time ago. She found it hard to keep her promises made at the start of each year. The issue had given her a lot of grief over the years. Frustration ensued when her New Year resolutions went out of the window, often culminating with her beating herself up.<br />
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The first few days were good but she would falter after the first week. She felt bad about her lack of willpower and would feel depressed and unworthy of respect or value. So she decided that she would no longer make them. However, unknown to her, she would review this decision at the end of 2017.<br />
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What happened? Rabiaa and her husband attended a talk by Ustaz Dato' Badli Shah bin Alauddin at Komplex Darul Baraqah in Manjoi, Ipoh, Perak on December 28, 2017. The Ustaz from Pahang is one Rabiaa's favourite preachers and she hardly misses his religious talks on television. This was the first time she had seen him in person and she was looking forward to absorbing the valuable nuggets of wisdom that Ustaz Badli Shah consistently provides at every session. The Ustaz did not disappoint and Rabiaa went away feeling that her life right now was prime time for resolutions, that the decisions she made now would determine the quality of her life in this world and the world hereafter we will all eventually return to. Her husband felt the same way and the pair had lots to talk about on the way home.<br />
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Ustaz Badli Shah began his talk by urging Muslim listeners to emulate the determination of animals to survive despite daunting circumstances. He gave the example of migratory birds whose survival instincts have astonished scientists and researchers. Why do they endure hardship to travel thousands of kilometres to warmer places when winter arrives. This <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23331180-500-this-bird-has-flown-unravelling-the-mysteries-of-bird-migration/">article</a> offers "fresh insight into why and how they do it." Malaysians must be like the migratory birds, said Ustaz Badli Shah. Malaysians need to develop coping skills to facilitate their resilience to personal and professional upheaval now and in the future.<br />
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Birds do not kill themselves when the going is rough; why should humans feel that <a href="http://www.malaysiandigest.com/frontpage/282-main-tile/690777-an-average-of-2000-people-die-from-suicide-each-year-see-how-you-can-play-a-role-in-preventing-it.html">ending their lives</a> is the only solution to their problems. If plan A does not work there is always plan B, C, D, E until Z. Why stop at C? When you hit a snag, turn to God the Almighty for help. Make <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dua">dua</a>, recite <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhikr">zikir </a>(remembrance), read the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quran">Quran</a> and do not miss the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salah">obligatory prayers.</a><br />
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"If you do not get what you like, like what you get," said Ustaz Badli Shah. "Do not give up easily when attempts at improving yourself <a href="https://www.positivityblog.com/failure-quotes/">fail</a>." Rabiaa felt that the Ustaz was talking directly at her when he said this. An optimist will have a better chance of overcoming adversity than a pessimist.<br />
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Try not to judge yourself harshly and underestimate your capabilities. Each individual has talents unique to herself or himself. Focus on these talents or keistimewaan (strengths) as you find ways to overcome your troubles.<br />
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The elderly also have a special place in Ustaz Badli Shah's talk. It would foolish to ignore or dismiss the contributions of seniors, he reminded listeners, many of whom were golden agers. Younger members of the audience heard that retirees have an important role to play in their lives -- personal and professional -- and they would do well to remember this. No one is too old to change nor to make contributions to society and country. History has many stories of people who achieve success at a relatively late stage.</div>
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As this is the time of the year for resolutions perhaps a decision to reevaluate our relationship with our Creator would be a good start to 2018. We need to seek forgiveness from Him for all our transgressions. We also need to reassess our <i>ibadah</i> (acts of worship) to ascertain if we have truly done our best. Have we also performed well at the workplace? Do we cheat our superiors by being dishonest?<br />
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There is also the issue of our relationship with family, extended family, friends and neighbours. How are we doing in this department? Last but not least, let us introduce non-Muslims to the beauty of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam">Islam</a>.<br />
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We can all benefit from a certain amount of seclusion for contemplation and introspection. Rabiaa is ready to keep her resolutions. How about you?<br />
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Happy New Year!<br />
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<br />FAEZAH ISMAILhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503794442682876972noreply@blogger.com0Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia4.597479 101.090105999999994.344243 100.7673825 4.850715 101.41282949999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839874353895292261.post-23595323145840045512017-10-14T16:28:00.000+08:002017-10-14T16:28:55.398+08:00Earning your second chancePeople rarely get second chances. When we make a serious mistake we seldom get an opportunity for a do-over. Those we have hurt will remember our transgressions for a long time. Maybe forever.<br />
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Published accounts remind us of the agony of former prisoners and rehabilitated drug addicts who are denied jobs, housing and other services on account of past convictions. They want desperately to clear their records of past crimes however minor these might seem. They want to take a path towards a new start that will help them improve their circumstances.<br />
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Quite simply, they need a second chance. They want to have a shot at a normal life.<br />
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But there are conditions attached to the privilege of being bestowed a second chance. Offenders must take full responsibility for their actions and honestly regret what they have done.<br />
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Islam's concept of <i>taubat </i>(repentance)<i> </i>states that wrongdoers must demonstrate sincere remorse, sorrow and guilt, promise not to repeat their mistakes and do good deeds as Allah has instructed.<br />
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Against that backdrop, should Malaysian society give the bogus dentist in Malacca -- who practised dentistry after watching YouTube tutorials -- a second chance?<br />
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The Sessions Court in Melaka had slapped a fine of RM70,000 on Nur Farahanis Ezatty Adli on Sept 29, 2017 for running an unregistered private dental clinic, an offence under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998 which carries a maximum fine of RM300,000 or maximum jail of six years or both upon conviction.<br />
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However, she was released from prison after serving only six days out of her six-month jail term for failing to pay the fine, thanks to supporters who had raised enough money to settle the penalty.<br />
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What are we to make of the fundraising campaign mounted by supporters including well known NGOs to keep Nur Farahanis out of jail?<br />
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Obviously, they believe she does not need to serve her prison sentence. Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia's lead activist<a href="https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2017/10/287864/ngos-and-public-settle-fine-woman-fined-rm70000-running-unregistered"> Datuk Nadzim Johan</a> had said that Nur Farahanis, 20, was an intelligent woman who was merely helping to fix simple braces on her friends based on what she had learned from Youtube.<br />
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He was quoted as saying that "we need to help her and we also believe that there are some good reasons for us to help her".<br />
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"I do not want to say that the charge was unfair. We feel that we should try to help someone who is trying to free herself from poverty and challenges of life," he said.<br />
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The Muslim consumer body felt that she should be given another chance since she was still young and had no prior convictions.<br />
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It later clarified its<a href="https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2017/10/289226/it-wasnt-us-ppim-denies-it-helped-raise-funds-get-youtube-dentist-out"> position </a>on the issue.<br />
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It is hard to imagine giving cheats and others of a similar ilk a new lease on life but psychologists say forgiveness is fundamental to human relationships. Yet we find it hard to make allowances for offenders and give them breaks to make up for past wrongs.<br />
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In the case of the bogus dentist the task is made harder by her <a href="http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/10/11/fake-dentist-gave-herself-away-womans-report-on-patients-who-failed-to-pay-tips-off-health-dept/">unrepentant behaviour,</a> if media reports are anything to go by. There is a suggestion that her actions were <a href="http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/10/11/doc-bogus-dentists-behaviour-not-normal/">"not normal".</a><br />
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This is a serious matter that we should reflect on carefully. Quacks attract vulnerable and ill-informed patients by offering cut-rate prices for inferior dental care.<br />
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The authorities must do more to prevent people from falling for the lies and deceit of quack dentistry, medicine and pseudoscience.<br />
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<br />FAEZAH ISMAILhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503794442682876972noreply@blogger.com0Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia4.597479 101.090105999999994.344243 100.7673825 4.850715 101.41282949999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839874353895292261.post-50233678479750426702017-09-19T23:44:00.000+08:002017-09-20T22:37:05.463+08:00Feeling of gloom and doom after the Keramat tahfiz firePolice say they have solved the fatal tahfiz school fire case following the arrests of seven teenagers connected with the deaths of 23 people including learners as young as six years old at the Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah tahfiz centre on September 16, 2017. The suspects had allegedly set fire to the tahfiz centre in Jalan Keramat Hujung, Kuala Lumpur after a name-calling incident between them and some pupils of the school. Apparently they had used two cooking gas cylinders and an accelerator to set the three-storey building on fire early Thursday morning.<br />
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Police are investigating the case as murder and causing mischief by fire. Police had picked up the suspects between 6.30pm Friday and 2.30am Saturday at different locations in Datuk Keramat, thanks to leads from CCTV recordings and initial forensic evidence that suggested foul play.<br />
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It is tempting to believe that the case has been cleared up, but in reality many factors promise to complicate the issue. The Keramat tahfiz tragedy is the latest in a series of fires that had hit religious institutions in the past two years, according to fire department statistics, quoted by <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/09/malaysia-police-arrest-7-boys-deadly-school-fire-170916220639280.html">ALJAZEERA</a>. Of the 1,083 fires that were recorded during this period, 211 were burned to the ground. The worst incident took place in 1989 when 27 female students at a religious school in Kedah died after fire destroyed the school and eight wooden hostels.<br />
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Predictably, the most recent incident has renewed calls for better regulation of religious schools which are mostly privately run. They come under the purview of state religious authorities and not the education ministry. Apparently there are more than 500 registered tahfiz schools in Malaysia but many more could be operating without licences.<br />
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The question is, have things improved over the last two years? As it often happens in Malaysia, there would be angry hue and cry for action when disasters strike but it would be business as usual after a week or two. If remedial efforts had been initiated to tackle the tahfiz school situation then people don't know about it.<br />
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It is disturbing to learn that the suspects -- all school dropouts between the ages of 11 and 18 -- showed no remorse, according to a <a href="https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2017/09/280810/no-remorse-teenagers-nabbed-over-keramat-tahfiz-school-fire-sources">New Straits Times report</a>. Six of the seven suspects had tested positive for drugs. Two of them had been detained before, one on charges of vehicle theft, another for rioting. They were said to be on drugs when they started the fire. Reportedly, they are children of immigrants living in the Datuk Keramat area. Notwithstanding their crime, these suspects are as much victims as the tahfiz pupils who had perished in the fire. They need help to recover from the mess that they are in now.<br />
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One of the most frequently asked questions about them was, where were their parents when they embarked on their dastardly deed? Why were they allowed to roam the streets during the hours when most normal kids would be sleeping? But are we prepared to assist them? Do we even care about their well-being? Quiet introspection can be extremely valuable at this stage.<br />
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Did anyone ever imagine that Malaysian kids would resort to arson to exact revenge for a perceived wrongdoing? And why is this alarming aggressive behaviour surfacing now? Boys and girls today also have a hard time showing respect for authority, responding to simple instructions and completing tasks, among other things. They seem to be falling further and further behind.<br />
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We cannot say we have resolved the Keramat fire disaster until we address all the issues that had led to the blaze. A calamity of this magnitude should be one of those defining moments in Malaysia's progress but do we have what it takes to bring both quality and commitment to the cause of keeping our children safe?<br />
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<br />FAEZAH ISMAILhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503794442682876972noreply@blogger.com0Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia4.597479 101.090105999999994.344243 100.7673825 4.850715 101.41282949999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839874353895292261.post-19577041697807800142017-09-15T09:45:00.001+08:002017-09-15T09:45:50.719+08:00Keramat tahfiz tragedy: Call to listen to reasonThe tragic deaths of more than 20 pupils and teachers at a religious school in Datuk Keramat, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia have evoked anger in many Malaysians. They lost their lives in a fire which had gutted the top floor of Pusat Tahfiz Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah on Jalan Keramat Ujung in the early hours of September 14, 2017.<br />
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As is the case with other disasters, social media was quick to share videos and photos which many said had infringed on the privacy and dignity of victims and their families. Urgent pleas to exercise restraint seemed to have fallen on deaf ears. Sadly, many do not reason entirely from facts and this is part of the way the world works now. The question is, what is the best way to deal with this situation?<br />
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That is why I am grateful for this <a href="https://www.themalaysianinsight.com/bahasa/s/14684/">article </a>.<br />
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FAEZAH ISMAILhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503794442682876972noreply@blogger.com0Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia4.597479 101.090105999999994.344243 100.7673825 4.850715 101.41282949999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839874353895292261.post-6718146697057765452017-01-27T16:16:00.001+08:002017-01-28T09:03:46.243+08:00Lunar New Year trend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two weeks of merry-making to usher in the year of the Rooster. Picture by Jehan Mohd.</td></tr>
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Bloomberg's <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-01-23/-12-000-trips-abroad-replace-chinese-new-year-treks-to-grandma-s">piece </a>on young Chinese celebrating the Lunar New Year outside China for shopping and sightseeing resonates with the actions of some Malaysians who belong to different ethnic groups. The article describes the trend among some Chinese notably the younger adults, who eschew the traditional pilgrimage back to their hometowns, preferring to spend their seven-day festive break, also known as Spring Festival, exploring the world rather than feeling miserable at home. This will allow them to "bypass the mobs, clogged roads and subways, lousy customer services as well as boredom" -- features, the Bloomberg article says, "mark holidays at home". Their favourite destinations are Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia and "outbound travel for the holiday break is expected to top a record six million passengers". "Rising incomes and an expanding network of international flights" are driving the craze among the young Chinese.<br />
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Statistics are not immediately available but anecdotal evidence suggests that young Malaysians and not so young ones will also be doing the same thing. Carina, a seamstress based in <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com.my/Tourism-g298298-Ipoh_Kinta_District_Perak-Vacations.html">Ipoh</a>, will be spending a quiet new year in her hometown for a variety of reasons. But this was not the case in previous years. The hardworking dressmaker always looks forward to Chinese New Year because this is the time she takes a long break usually two or three weeks to travel overseas with her family. Going away on vacation with the family is a worth while experience, and a great way to "chill out" or de-stress, she says.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-udkbTKI-rMg/WIvnRIPkhLI/AAAAAAAABFU/QXEXguWLyRofiDg2nG-dyEziB7IhPXSEQCLcB/s1600/IMG-20170127-WA0014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-udkbTKI-rMg/WIvnRIPkhLI/AAAAAAAABFU/QXEXguWLyRofiDg2nG-dyEziB7IhPXSEQCLcB/s320/IMG-20170127-WA0014.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yee sang, a New Year delicacy enjoyed in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Picture by Jehan Mohd.</td></tr>
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The Chinese are not the only ones who want to escape the strictness of tradition at home. The other ethnic groups in Malaysia do it too. A growing number of Malay Muslims find it appealing to observe <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eid_al-Fitr">Hari Raya Aidil Fitri</a>, the festival that follows the end of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramadan">Ramadan</a>, away from Malaysia. It is not a new phenomenon but the movement is gaining more and more adherents. Some want to avoid the tedium of reunions with quarrelsome relatives while those who have lost their parents and other loved ones cannot cope with the pain of going back to an empty family home. It appears that their enthusiasm for <a href="http://www.faezahismail.com/search/label/BALIK%20KAMPUNG">"balik kampung"</a> has disappeared following the demise of the anchors in their lives. They appear to have embraced the new tradition, finding enjoyment in new experiences and different environments.<br />
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However, the practice has come in for criticism from purists who feel rituals associated with festivals such as the Lunar New Year and Hari Raya Aidil Fitri must not be tampered with. A re-connection with the ancestral homes and extended family is the essence of these celebrations, they say. According to Bloomberg, more than 414 million Chinese will leave their adopted homes in Shenzhen, Beijing or overseas to re-establish ties with their ancestral dwellings in China for this year's Spring Festival celebration which is from Jan 27 to Feb 2.<br />
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Happy Lunar New Year to those celebrating and enjoy the long weekend to the others.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chinese living overseas head home to welcome the New Year with their families. Picture by Jehan Mohd.</td></tr>
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<br />FAEZAH ISMAILhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503794442682876972noreply@blogger.com1Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia4.597479 101.090105999999994.344243 100.7673825 4.850715 101.41282949999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839874353895292261.post-22298769532494506052016-11-25T10:42:00.000+08:002016-11-25T10:47:41.793+08:00When trees become a nuisance<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mango trees dot the streets of residential areas in Malaysia. </td></tr>
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I read recently that living in a neighbourhood with trees lining the streets has benefits that are not easily understood.<br />
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A Canadian <a href="http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2015/08/25/plant-a-tree-improve-your-health-editorial.html">study</a> has found that people who live on a tree-lined block are less likely to report conditions such as high-blood pressure, obesity, heart disease and diabetes.<br />
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Maybe it is the cleaner air (thanks to the trees) that makes people want to go out and about or it could be due to the "poetry-inspiring aesthetic beauty" of trees that motivate people to want take care of their health.<br />
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I completely agree with the above.<br />
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But my friend's current problem with a neighbour whose passion is planting trees makes me wonder if Malaysians have gone overboard in responding to the call to plant trees around their homes.<br />
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Rabiaa Dani is upset that the neighbour did not ask her permission to plant a mango tree in a space enough for one tree on her side of the kerb. He had pulled out the palm tree she had planted earlier replacing it with the mango tree, a favourite among Malaysians.<br />
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That was nine years ago. She didn't speak to him about it then because she did not want to create problems.<br />
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But the tree had grown to a point where the roots are likely to snake their way into her small garden and possibly damage that part of the wall surrounding it. Also people with bad intentions could use the branches stretching outside the wall to climb into her yard and do mischief.<br />
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Additionally, it is close to an electrical pole. Another potential hazard.<br />
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She told the neighbour, after much thought, that she was going to cut down the tree. At first he agreed but went back on his word and "reminded" her that she had given his wife permission years ago to plant it. Rabiaa vehemently denied making such an agreement and forcefully told the woman so.<br />
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Rabiaa is going ahead with her resolution to get rid of the tree because of the dangers it would pose, as noted above.<br />
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They say time heals griefs and quarrels and she would be grateful if this could happen sooner rather than later.<br />
<br />FAEZAH ISMAILhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503794442682876972noreply@blogger.com0Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia4.597479 101.090105999999994.344243 100.7673825 4.850715 101.41282949999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839874353895292261.post-32151087791948563472016-06-06T15:38:00.001+08:002016-06-06T15:47:33.486+08:00Ramadan is not just about colourful bazaars<a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/06/world-muslims-mark-beginning-ramadan-160605181916237.html">Ramadan </a>bazaars sprout up like mushrooms during the fasting month. They seem to get bigger and busier with each passing year. It will be no different this year.<br />
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipoh">Ipoh, the capital city of Perak,</a> is gearing itself to be the best state in Malaysia in terms of providing Ramadan bazaars to Muslims in the city. Apparently, the Ipoh City Council will provide "five-star services" to visitors and traders at some Ramadan bazaars in the city in a project known as the<i> Ibu</i> <i>Bazar Ramadan</i> or Mother of all Ramadan Bazaars.<br />
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Five areas -- Perak Stadium, Medan Gopeng, Taman Perpaduan, Taman Tasek Indera and Taman Desa Aman -- will launch the experiment today, the first day of fasting.<br />
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There will be a special marquee for donation seekers and tithe collectors, in addition to the colourful spread of local favourites in stalls dotting the premises of these bazaars. Prayer spaces for women and men complete with ablution facilities are also available. In other words, the Council wants to make these Ramadan food centres in Ipoh the most talked about in Malaysia.<br />
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I have no quarrel with the Council's plan. Indeed, Ramadan bazaars have become a major feature of the fasting month in all states throughout Malaysia that draw visitors to local events specially set up for the holy month and give us the opportunity to explain our culture.<br />
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However, Muslims need to remind each other that the month of Ramadan is more about renewing oneself spiritually to face the challenges of the future on Earth and preparing for life after death than making plans to visit the various bazaars.<br />
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Many appear to focus on preparation to greet the month of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shawwal">Syawal</a> including making cakes and cookies, cleaning the house, buying new curtains and furniture as well as shopping for new clothes for the whole family.<br />
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We tend to overlook the significance of Ramadan which offers us extraordinary possibilities to engage in activities -- fasting, paying zakat and night prayers, among others -- that will enhance our connection with Allah SWT. Are we prepared to make Ramadan this year better than last year's? We must try hard to achieve that goal,<br />
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Ramadan Kareem to Muslim readers of this blog!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bazaars appear suddenly and in large numbers during Ramadan in Malaysia</td></tr>
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<br />FAEZAH ISMAILhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503794442682876972noreply@blogger.com0Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia4.597479 101.090105999999994.344243 100.7673825 4.850715 101.41282949999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839874353895292261.post-7308990999485372492016-01-01T07:37:00.000+08:002016-01-01T07:37:42.295+08:00Welcome 2016!<br />
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<b>We could never learn to be brave and patient if there were only joy in the world -</b>- <i>Helen Keller</i><br />
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On that note the author of this blog, a fleeting stay, would like to wish readers a Happy New Year.<br />
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May 2016 be a great year for all of us.<br />
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<br />FAEZAH ISMAILhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503794442682876972noreply@blogger.com0Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia3.139003 101.686854999999922.885326 101.36413149999993 3.3926800000000004 102.00957849999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839874353895292261.post-85391889266990502752015-12-25T15:49:00.000+08:002015-12-25T15:55:06.745+08:00Searching for halal in Japan<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OxyW4U-aqe0/VnycxhlK2wI/AAAAAAAABB4/BJryVTffU3Y/s1600/IMG-20151225-WA0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OxyW4U-aqe0/VnycxhlK2wI/AAAAAAAABB4/BJryVTffU3Y/s400/IMG-20151225-WA0002.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Morning rush hour in Shinjuku. More halal facilities in Japan now.</td></tr>
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Japan is becoming <a href="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/11/12/national/japan-tries-to-tap-growing-muslim-tourist-market/#.VnyfFvl97IX">Muslim friendly</a> as I discovered during my visit to the Land of the Rising Sun in November to attend the 30th anniversary of<a href="http://www.iatssforum.jp/en/"> IATSS Forum</a> in Suzuka.<br />
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Prayer rooms at airports and halal eateries in Tokyo make it easy for Muslim visitors to enjoy their stay there. This wasn't the case when I was there 10 years ago.<br />
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I would love to see prayer rooms in departmental stores and more <a href="http://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Trends/Japan-Inc.-goes-halal">halal cafes</a> but the existing <a href="http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2302.html">basic </a>facilities will do for now.<br />
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My visit to Japan last month reinforced my conviction that one can practice Islam anywhere.<br />
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My search for halal began when our group landed at <a href="http://www.centrair.jp/en/">Nagoya Airport</a> around 7.30 am mid-November.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance to the Gandhi, a halal restaurant. I was happy to find it.</td></tr>
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Our bus to Suzuka Circuit Hotel, our home for the next four days, would only arrive at 3 pm, which meant we had several hours to savour the cosy airport.<br />
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As I surveyed my immediate surroundings at the airport my eyes took me to a signboard which displayed the surau or prayer room sign.<br />
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It was a relief to find somewhere to pray.<br />
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I could perform zohor and asar prayers (prayer times were early since it was autumn in Japan then) after all.<br />
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The prayer room was located discreetly at the rear end of the arrival hall next to the airport's office. It was divided into two sections: male and female.<br />
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It did not have an area for ablution like the type at suraus in Malaysia but that was not a problem because the facility is available at the restroom next to the prayer room.<br />
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I thanked Allah for this convenience and began to look forward to my stay in Japan.<br />
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There is no prayer room at Suzuka Circuit Hotel but it is available at the IATSS Forum building, a five-minute walk away.<br />
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After Suzuka, my IATSS Forum friends and I proceeded to Tokyo for a three-day stay.<br />
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We had booked rooms at the <a href="http://shinjuku.washington-hotels.jp/">Shinjuku Washington Hotel </a>which was familiar to us because this was the hotel we had spent a few nights during the final leg of our IATSS Forum training stint many years ago.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vegetarian set.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pdD0KW44VqQ/Vnyef5TB32I/AAAAAAAABCU/dWrNG-aa1jo/s1600/IMG-20151119-00678.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pdD0KW44VqQ/Vnyef5TB32I/AAAAAAAABCU/dWrNG-aa1jo/s320/IMG-20151119-00678.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chicken curry with rice.</td></tr>
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There was no common surau at the hotel but I discovered a halal food restaurant -- <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com.my/Restaurant_Review-g1066457-d6697395-Reviews-Gandhi-Shinjuku_Tokyo_Tokyo_Prefecture_Kanto.html">Gandhi</a> -- at the basement of the hotel complex.<br />
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I had most of my meals here. I noticed many Japanese executives enjoying dishes such as nan, tandoori and rice with various types of curry, among others.<br />
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I also found a halal food kiosk nearby, run by the same people -- Muslims from the sub-continent -- who manage Gandhi.<br />
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A young Moroccan woman, who works at Shinjuku Washington Hotel, approached me at the lobby in the morning just before we boarded the bus to Narita Airport.<br />
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"Let me know if you want help finding halal food," she offered,<br />
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"Urghh ... it is too late, I am leaving now," I sighed.<br />
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The prayer room at Narita Airport, like the one at Nagoya Airport, was located at the arrival hall.<br />
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On the way home, I sat next to a Petronas staff who is based in Yokohama. He was going back to Kuala Lumpur for a short break.<br />
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He confirmed my observations about Japan becoming more sensitive to the needs of Muslim travellers.<br />
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He told me that some shopping centres in Yokohama would oblige requests from Malaysian Muslim students for a small space for prayer.<br />
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Indeed, other Malaysians I encountered during my stay in Suzuka said the same thing.<br />
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Some Muslims who enjoy Japan say they are heartened by these positive developments taking place there.<br />
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In Sha Allah, I will be back.<br />
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<br />FAEZAH ISMAILhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503794442682876972noreply@blogger.com0Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia4.597479 101.090105999999994.344243 100.7673825 4.850715 101.41282949999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839874353895292261.post-16723227711993563852014-12-31T16:42:00.015+08:002021-05-12T09:09:37.038+08:00My year at The Rakyat Post<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-992f8bf8-9f69-23d2-2e8f-d6e38c3af00d" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Dec 31, 2014, the last day of the year and the end of my one year stint at </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.therakyatpost.com/">The Rakyat Post</a> , </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">an online news portal.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Educational is the best way to sum up my year at </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Rakyat Post.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Leaving your comfort zone is intimidating at first; it has a steep learning curve. But now I wish I had done it sooner and the whole exercise reaffirms my motto: “learn, learn, learn”.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Einstein was spot on when he said, “Learning is not a product of schooling but the lifelong attempt to acquire it”.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When I left the<a href="http://www.nst.com.my/"> </a></span><a href="http://www.nst.com.my/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">New Straits Times</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> to join </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Rakyat Post</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> on Jan 3, 2014, I didn’t know what to expect.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Nelson Fernandez, also known as Mohd Ridzwan Abdullah, had invited me to join him at the website this time last year.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nelson Fernandez at his office at The Rakyat Post</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">He was charged with assembling a team to provide content for the portal. And I am glad I said yes.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Switching from traditional journalism to online journalism is challenging, as anyone who had made that transition will tell you.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Editorial content is disseminated by way of the internet as opposed to publishing through print or broadcast.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Think immediately, at once, suddenly, straight away, right now … the list goes on.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VIc_ozoVEhs/VKPC6Mes1ZI/AAAAAAAAA7w/4u1RXR4eYeI/s1600/azreen.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VIc_ozoVEhs/VKPC6Mes1ZI/AAAAAAAAA7w/4u1RXR4eYeI/s1600/azreen.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Azah Azreen is a designer at The Rakyat Post</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Daunting turned into heartening as confidence set in and the job made easier through consistent practice.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And I am leaving today. My decision to depart from </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Rakyat Post </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">is in response to an deep desire to try something new but that is another story.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The best part of my experience at the portal has been exploring my creative possibilities and learning and working together with a group of hard-working and dedicated journalists, new and experienced.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We were siblings on a boat in the deep sea and strength and comfort came from a shared desire to survive.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Survive we did and much more.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V6d15G71_qI/VKPDXLdA4NI/AAAAAAAAA74/gg2YkVUTVQU/s1600/kesalaM.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V6d15G71_qI/VKPDXLdA4NI/AAAAAAAAA74/gg2YkVUTVQU/s1600/kesalaM.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kesala is one of the uploaders at The Rakyat Post</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">That </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Rakyat Post</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> was the <a href="http://www.therakyatpost.com/news/2014/12/23/thank-trp-readers/">13th most visited local website</a> on desktop computers and the third most visited local website on smartphones for the month of October 2014 was testimony to the fact that hard work, resilience and optimism are essential ingredients of success.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">TRP staff deserve all the praises heaped on them.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Rakyat Post </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">is entering a new phase of its existence and quiet introspection can be extremely valuable. It is time to ponder on the next steps to take.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6gNFhnwwNLc/VKPD5b_3W6I/AAAAAAAAA8A/rOBW8W4I254/s1600/tanM.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6gNFhnwwNLc/VKPD5b_3W6I/AAAAAAAAA8A/rOBW8W4I254/s1600/tanM.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sub-editor Tan Kok Tong is one of the pioneers at The Rakyat Post</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Thank you very much </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Rakyat Post.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I leave you with this quote: "At times, our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us." </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Albert Schweitzer</span></div>
<div><br /></div><div><br /></div>This post was first published on Wednesday, Dec 31, 2014 (16.42).<br />
<br />FAEZAH ISMAILhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503794442682876972noreply@blogger.com2Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia3.139003 101.686854999999922.885326 101.36413149999993 3.3926800000000004 102.00957849999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839874353895292261.post-69814254349356443012014-07-01T10:30:00.003+08:002014-07-01T10:30:57.273+08:00Eat right during Ramadan<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y-2lO9xt27w/U7Ic-a4gUyI/AAAAAAAAA6I/DbPTcdYAXmw/s1600/1260340115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y-2lO9xt27w/U7Ic-a4gUyI/AAAAAAAAA6I/DbPTcdYAXmw/s1600/1260340115.jpg" height="210" width="320" /></a></div>
If you want to know about staying healthy during Ramadan, <i>The Rakyat Post </i>has a piece on how to achieve that while fasting. Click <a href="http://www.therakyatpost.com/lifestyle/2014/07/01/five-tips-staying-healthy-fasting/">here</a>. Image courtesy of <span class="irc_dsh"><a class="irc_hl irc_hol" data-ved="0CAQQjB0" href="http://gulfnews.com/in-focus/ramadan/ramadan-health-tips-fasting-comfortably-1.1207723"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr">gulfnews.com</span></a></span><span class="irc_dsh irc_msc"><a class="irc_hl irc_msl" data-ved="0CAYQhxw" href="https://www.google.com.my/search?q=tips+for+a+healthy+ramadan&client=firefox-a&hs=a&sa=X&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=sb&biw=1366&bih=657&tbm=isch&tbs=simg:CAQSlgEJi20ZZf3zrLQagQELELCMpwgaeAo6CAISFOUS6BLEEpEXzReNDYwN9Q2CH5IXGiD1IgjmRk0HFgJ5U5-Dy3_1bHZvefKPq3DLRCCMHsbDLqwo6CAISFOUS6BLEEpEXzReNDYwN9Q2CH5IXGiD1IgjmRk0HFgJ5U5-Dy3_1bHZvefKPq3DLRCCMHsbDLqwwhBG1nbBKz3DM"><span class="irc_idim"></span></a></span><br />
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<br />FAEZAH ISMAILhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503794442682876972noreply@blogger.com0Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia3.139003 101.686854999999922.885326 101.36413149999993 3.3926800000000004 102.00957849999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839874353895292261.post-86235589748830018372014-06-28T16:51:00.000+08:002014-06-28T16:51:32.789+08:00Muslims observe Ramadan 2014<span style="font-size: large;">It has been a year since my last post. It is time to be active again. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Muslims across the world will observe the holy fasting month of Ramadan this weekend: for Malaysia, fasting begins tomorrow. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The ninth month of the Islamic calender is special to all Muslims including me. <span style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif";"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri Light","sans-serif";"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I invite readers of this blog to get to know Muslims during this holy month.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here are the links to previous <a href="http://www.faezahismail.com/search/label/RAMADAN">postings</a> on Ramadan.</span><br />
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FAEZAH ISMAILhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503794442682876972noreply@blogger.com0Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia3.139003 101.686854999999922.885326 101.36413149999993 3.3926800000000004 102.00957849999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839874353895292261.post-83052093903009675052014-03-25T12:50:00.001+08:002014-03-25T12:50:55.657+08:00The real meaning of patience<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />FAEZAH ISMAILhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503794442682876972noreply@blogger.com0Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia3.139003 101.686854999999922.885326 101.36413149999993 3.3926800000000004 102.00957849999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839874353895292261.post-1809967159694652762013-05-04T12:29:00.000+08:002013-05-04T12:29:03.705+08:00Politics, bloody politics<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<i>Guest blogger and journalist Jehan Mohd mourns the loss of sense and sensibility in the days leading up to what is turning out to be Malaysia's biggest general elections yet</i>.</div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HbB25WaHUVc/UYSDtLVb_2I/AAAAAAAAA3E/4b6wq4_9o-E/s1600/P5030141-002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HbB25WaHUVc/UYSDtLVb_2I/AAAAAAAAA3E/4b6wq4_9o-E/s320/P5030141-002.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The circus is back in town, nope, sorry, it's just the latest general elections around the corner.</td></tr>
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Where have all my
cat videos and baby pictures gone, or rather, what has happened to all my
friends whose cat video and baby picture posts used to fill my Facebook (or,
simply FB) wall?</div>
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</div>
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Instead of the
varied interests and quirks that make them individual people, they seem to have been overwhelmingly swept up in election fever.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Granted the
build-up to this general election has been incredible — people have been
anticipating an announcement of the dissolution of parliament leading to the event
since last year.</div>
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<br /></div>
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When parliament
was dissolved last month, suddenly everyone (or at least the ones who load
status updates regularly) was talking about the elections.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lMTLlwQkzJM/UYSGMAPV6yI/AAAAAAAAA3k/A4xmmMfgr14/s320/P5030151-001.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Election fever is here and it's all anyone is talking about these days —can't wait for things to go back to normal.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
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While at first,
it was interesting to see my friends become vocal about political issues, this
quickly turned into something ugly.</div>
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</div>
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For someone who
hardly has a life outside of the online social networking site, this is an
issue.</div>
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<br /></div>
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People might call
this (my dependence on FB) sad and pathetic, I call it practical; eating out
and socialising is costly — and, in some cases, dangerous — these days.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>There seems to be
an increase in criminal activity during this period — I personally know two
people who were victims of snatch theft and an attempted burglary and heard or read of several other cases including two involving guns — and this is
probably because the police force is being kept extra busy escorting
politicians to and from their daily constituency walkabouts and ensuring the <i>ceramahs
</i>(rallies, speeches, discussions — whatever best describes them) run smoothly.</div>
<br /><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Politicians and
party followers taking potshots at each other, that's normal.
What's not is the sight of my usually peaceful friends suddenly in
combat mode.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
My FB newsfeed is
filled with posts supporting the Opposition and beating on the ruling (or
incumbent, am confused as to the right term to use here) Government — basically
Pakatan Rakyat (PR) versus Barisan Nasional (BN).</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I’m an apolitical
person — never been interested in politics and, frankly, don’t see why I should
be. Only time I find them useful is during the days running up to elections when potholed roads miraculously get repaved in double time and dirty, clogged drains get cleared quickly and littered streets are cleaned up on a daily basis. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It could be
because I was born and raised in a country (not Malaysia; if you’re in tune with
what happens in this region, you’ll be able to figure it out) where it doesn’t make a difference whether or not you vote — the ruling
government is essentially one man and his family and they have never lost a single
election since independence as any real political threats to their rule are
sued for all their worth or sent to prison without trial.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The only time I
ever felt vaguely interested in politics and the elections was during my days as a college
student at an institution in Malaysia. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It was during the
1998-1999 period when then Deputy Prime Minister now Opposition leader, Anwar
Ibrahim, was caught up in the now infamous sodomy trial and the general
elections were held in late 1999. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I remember how
the newspapers chronicled every lurid detail arising from the sodomy trial (Bill
Clinton and Monica Lewisky had THAT blue dress, Anwar Ibrahim had THAT
mattress).</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I also recall how
the streets were filled with colourful banners, pennants and flags of the
different political parties contesting during that general election — it made
for quite a colourful and carnival-esque atmosphere.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LOC8S9_oqUk/UYSBZXubzlI/AAAAAAAAA2g/UF-YnMF42U8/s1600/WP_000735.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LOC8S9_oqUk/UYSBZXubzlI/AAAAAAAAA2g/UF-YnMF42U8/s320/WP_000735.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Festive mini flags — not any of the warring political factions' colours but it is an implied affiliation to a certain party that has resorted to cute gestures such as this.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
That was the
first time I had seen such a thing — my homeland had never been decked out so
festively for the elections (perhaps because it is usually only one party — the
ruling one — running for all the seats).</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
But that interest
in politics and the elections was then and it was short-lived.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Working in a mainstream
newspaper for close to 10 years now, I know of all sorts of crap that happens
behind the scenes that do not (and cannot because all the mainstream media are
in some way or other owned by the ruling government — for the ignoramuses who
are complaining about why the mainstream papers are so pro-BN and anti-PR, that’s
your reason; for that matter, all media would bow to their owners be they the government
or private businessmen so take whatever you read with a pinch of salt, everyone
has their own agenda) get reported in the paper — and it’s affirmed my belief
that politics is a bunch of bull.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OnRrtvUr3IU/UYSFXxGG5fI/AAAAAAAAA3Y/yrXQlTCMN7E/s320/P5030144-001.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How many flags does it take to get a point across — Lembah Pantai folks will definitely not have any trouble knowing which symbol is for which party; I just pity the independent fella who doesn't have any flags or pennants.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
This brings me
back to the present day where Malaysia will go to the polls to decide the fate
of the country tomorrow.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
While I feel that
the current administration is an overbearing bully and not that bright or clear
of the concept of elected officials’ responsibility to the country’s people
rather than to their own greedy ambitions, I do not believe that the Opposition
is the panacea to Malaysia’s woes either — and anyone who thinks so are only
fooling themselves.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So many friends
have turned to promoting the Opposition and spreading whatever “news” the
Opposition generates as truth without necessarily looking at the bigger picture
(or even, gasp, the fact that they would lie to get ahead just as the current
government lies to do the same).</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It’s become cool
to beat on the ruling government — the Opposition is like Barack Obama,
bringing in a sea of change; it even has cute mascots and gimmicks such as colourful
little pennants they call “flowers” to appeal to the young and first-time
voters and appear more innocent and martyr-like than they are.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-30KOewSou6Y/UYSBoNbdsRI/AAAAAAAAA2o/tIpoKMktkHc/s320/WP_000736.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parti Keadilan<u> </u>Rakyat (PKR), a component of the Opposition coalition, hit PR (public relations, though, coincidentally, the same initials as their coalition) gold with this idea — "flowers" planted by the residents rather than politicians. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
There are a few
reasons why I trust the Opposition as much as I do the ruling Government (which
is about as far as I can throw an elephant).</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
One is that the
Opposition is a loose coalition put together for convenience after the last general
election in 2008 — just so they can say that they control five (now four)
states together rather than a hotchpotch of seats here and there — and each
component in it has very different philosophies and goals.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Another is that
they, like the ruling Government, are in no short supply of corrupted people in
their ranks.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
But the main reason I do not believe that PR would
be any different from BN is because they are politicians — and ALL POLITICIANS
LIE.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And in Malaysia,
where the politicians seem to take office because it is a lucrative business
(not talking about their salaries but all the under the table income they would
get from people who want things from them), it just comes down to whose pocket
you want to line — one bunch of idiots or another bunch of morons.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Okay, I admit
there might be some good folks in or are running for public office but,
frankly, the system will ensure they do things even they would be ashamed to
admit to themselves (and this is not just in Malaysia but in every single
country in the world).</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I do not
understand my friends who believe that these guys will bring about change just
because they say they would — I think one of the first things they would do if
they win the elections is fight about who will be the Prime Minister (two of
the component party presidents have already staked their claim to that position
should PR win in previous reports). </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I do have some
friends who see the cracks in both sides as I do.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
As a friend of
mine puts it: “Stop succumbing to peer pressure just because it’s cool to vote
for Pakatan.”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
She intends to
vote for the ruling government because in her constituency, the Opposition candidate
is a person from the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), whose vision is a “more
Islamic” country than we already are (I won’t go into the details of what they
do, you can check it out for yourself) — which is why it is important to
consider the individual candidate, not the party.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I find it
insulting when friends say that just because you are voting for the ruling
government that you are a drone or you are a racist — voting, like religion, is
a personal choice. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I wish they would
wake up and see that just because someone sees things differently from them it
does not make them a bad person. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mrHcd6nUito/UYR-f96UJII/AAAAAAAAA2Q/MsJrvytf1rM/s1600/candy+crush.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mrHcd6nUito/UYR-f96UJII/AAAAAAAAA2Q/MsJrvytf1rM/s320/candy+crush.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Diabolical Candy Crush that defies its own logic but is oddly comforting in a sea of angry voices.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
In all the
ugliness that has come out in the past month since the dissolution of parliament,
I have resorted to something I haven’t done in a long time — I caved in to peer pressure and
started playing Candy Crush, a most diabolical of games that defies its own
logic.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Tomorrow will be
an interesting day as we go to the polls — and I vote for the first time ever —
but I will be so happy for things to go back to normal and for my friends to go
back to the varied interests that make them individuals.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And I would be bloody glad to not have both political parties spam my phone with text messages and recorded voice messages about who to vote for —I'll make up my own damned mind about it, thank you very much. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Au1rY98SfFQ/UYSCCnDzEEI/AAAAAAAAA24/-RokiN0ZU74/s320/P5030125.JPG" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Political paraphernalia is nothing compared to the wrath of Mother Nature — previous days' stormy weather's handiwork is evident even when the sun comes out again. <u><br /></u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
FAEZAH ISMAILhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503794442682876972noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839874353895292261.post-13634355446757088822013-05-03T15:11:00.001+08:002013-05-03T15:11:31.496+08:00Victims of racism"You Aboriginal people, you don't exist in this country, you don't even have tickets." Who said this?<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
</div>
It is a case of the pot calling the kettle black. This <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/theatre/taxi-drivers-bar-aboriginal-actors-20130502-2iu42.html">link</a> was posted by Distinguished Professor Shamsul Amri Baharuddin on an online forum. FAEZAH ISMAILhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503794442682876972noreply@blogger.com0Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia3.139003 101.686854999999922.885326 101.36413149999993 3.3926800000000004 102.00957849999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839874353895292261.post-65184052419186793352013-05-01T11:01:00.000+08:002013-05-01T11:01:35.246+08:00More me-time, please<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sU6t9Wa51J4/UYCEbwKLkII/AAAAAAAAA10/r-xDQ8boT1I/s1600/lang11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sU6t9Wa51J4/UYCEbwKLkII/AAAAAAAAA10/r-xDQ8boT1I/s400/lang11.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
As this is Labour Day, I want to reflect on a four-day week scenario. The shorter week with Fridays an extra day off will mean more me-time for me. I want the extra hours for myself to do something for my own enjoyment: read a book, visit the shops or catch a movie and enjoy an ice cream.<br />
<br />
I find it difficult to do these things now because of the five-day week, from 10.00 to 18.00 or longer. The weekends are usually reserved for maintaining contact with family members. Working shorter hours would be a dream come true for me. Is that a viable proposition? This<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2013/feb/22/four-day-week-less-is-more"> article</a> argues the need for a four-day work week.<br />
<br />
Enjoy your holiday. <br />
<br />
For Labour Day history click on the following:<br />
<br />
* <a href="http://publicholidays.com.au/labour-day/">Annual public holiday </a><br />
<br />
* <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_Day">Wikipedia</a><br />
<br />FAEZAH ISMAILhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503794442682876972noreply@blogger.com0Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia3.139003 101.686854999999922.885326 101.36413149999993 3.3926800000000004 102.00957849999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839874353895292261.post-31649747959373538612013-04-30T11:03:00.001+08:002013-04-30T11:06:04.908+08:00Misbehaving teachersExperts say parents are a child's primary role models but teachers are equally influential. Sadly, educators tainted with scandal have cast a shadow over people's high expectations of the teaching profession long before this <a href="http://www.edvantage.com.sg/edvantage/news/news/1761628/Korean_teacher_beats_student_and_starts_touching_himself.html">website</a> began posting reports of misbehaving instructors. There must be some way to improve the situation.FAEZAH ISMAILhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503794442682876972noreply@blogger.com0Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia3.139003 101.686854999999922.885326 101.36413149999993 3.3926800000000004 102.00957849999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839874353895292261.post-49702410751715663082013-04-24T15:33:00.000+08:002013-04-24T15:35:05.096+08:00The young ones ...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PE9D-QVydgM/UXd_0pCOtnI/AAAAAAAAA1g/wPGkHSWcBgs/s1600/youngones.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="460" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PE9D-QVydgM/UXd_0pCOtnI/AAAAAAAAA1g/wPGkHSWcBgs/s640/youngones.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
It is reasonable to assume that Malaysians are familiar with these individuals who were aspiring politicians in their younger days. Today they often court controversy; there's never a dull moment when they open their mouths. "I am not young enough to know everything," says the great cynic Oscar Wilde with heavy sarcasm. Did these political figures think they knew everything when these photos were taken? Malaysia has the answers.This photographic montage is courtesy of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CuriCuriWangMalaysia">Curi-Curi Wang Malaysia. </a>FAEZAH ISMAILhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503794442682876972noreply@blogger.com0Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia3.1319197 101.684058899999972.8782427 101.36133539999997 3.3855967000000002 102.00678239999996tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839874353895292261.post-51173960869170704392013-04-23T14:46:00.000+08:002013-04-23T14:52:12.335+08:00Call 'to break wind' gentlyI saw the following article on Facebook. Is this for real or a satire on existing sentiments?<br />
<br />
An Islamic city council in the Indonesian province of Aceh, which follows Sharia, has banned female citizens from passing gas. Sayyid Yahia, mayor of the city, told media that a ban was needed, as
farting does not go well with the Islamic values of modesty. “Muslim
women are not allowed to fart with sound, it’s against Islamic
teachings,” he said.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, the Indonesian Feminists Association
told local media they will attempt to block the smelly law as they
deem it discriminatory.<br />
<br />
Click<a href="https://themuslimissue.wordpress.com/2013/04/15/islamic-city-council-bans-female-flatulence-in-indonesia/"> here </a>for the full story. FAEZAH ISMAILhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10503794442682876972noreply@blogger.com0Aceh, Indonesia4.695135 96.749399300000050.64324449999999977 91.585825300000053 8.7470255 101.91297330000005