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Tuesday, August 31, 2004

what is independence?

today newspaper...


Music. Sports. Concerts. National Service. These are but some of the factors that unite our teenagers. ANITA ANANDARAJAH writes.

INDEPENDENCE was fought for with a passion to create a future for the young, free from foreign rule. Almost five decades down the road and two generations later, today's teens celebrate the events of past years. While they have no inkling of the significance Merdeka held for their parents and grandparents, they do know that freedom is a precious commodity and will continue to celebrate it.

* Funky freedom
Nothing spells freedom like a rock concert. And what better place to host big-name concerts over the past year but Stadium Merdeka. Tickets were snapped up for the Linkin Park, Ah Mei, Alan Tam and Hacken Lee, Mariah Carey and Incubus concerts. At the recent Hoobastank concert in Bukit Kiara, KL, thousands of people head banged and screamed to their hearts' content, and the riot police were nowhere in sight.

Don't forget the Rainforest World Music Festival in Sarawak in July, which attracted more than 10,000 people and musicians from India, Zimbabwe, Japan, Britain, Brazil, Italy, New Zealand and Indonesia. It signified freedom to perform across borders. Of course there are still restrictions, like no ciggie-sponsored events , but you know what? We still have concerts. We can (almost) wear anything we want. We can walk around in the dead of the night and more often than not, we'll be fine.

* Servicing nationals Then there was National Service, a mega-project by the Ministry of Defence to instil national pride in 85,000 18-year-olds. After many an SMS and scouring of dailies to check whether they had been recruited, married women, teens, single mothers and mechanics came together to prove that it was possible for different races to work together. However, despite free rent and food for three months, 4,269 failed to show up. But for the more than 80,000 who did make it to the 42 camps across the country, it was an experience to cherish. Teething problems of inefficient bus services at pick-up points, poor food quality and incomplete campsites aside, many shed tears on the last day of camp as they returned to their homes.

* Striking gold
Watching our athletes battling it out in the international sports arena is a surefire way to bring a nation together. The Vietnam SEA Games in December saw Malaysia bringing home 44 golds, a feat made possible by young stars like Durratun Nashihin Rosli, who reaped three golds in rhythmic gymnastics, and Lim Keng Liat, also three golds for swimming.

Thanks to a sound economy and generous sponsors, today's Olympics team members were assured tickets, sponsored uniforms and accommodation at the Games venue in Athens, a far cry from Malaya's first Olympics foray in Melbourne in 1956. Back then, our athletes had to raise funds for their own tickets and sports equipment.

* Examining education Let's take a look at exams. In the 1940s, many young people's education was disrupted when the Japanese invaded Malaya. Young people were forced to work to support their families. Education was a luxury.

Last year, 6,500 students scored straight As in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia, almost double the number of the previous year. Today, some schools can produce 95 per cent pass rates, and scholarships abound for students who demonstrate well-rounded abilities.

True, there are still niggling queries about meritocracy and entry into local universities, but opportunities in vocational schools and private colleges are aplenty.


* Uniting through song
The strongest force to unite Malaysians across the board may arguably be reality shows Akademi Fantasia and Malaysian Idol. The former just completed its second season. Twelve singers in AF were selected from thousands of hopefuls and made to live in one bungalow over 10 weeks, There, they were taught to fine-tune their singing and presentation skills. The selection rounds across the country for Malaysian Idol demonstrated one thing: that Malaysians, meanwhile, were united through music. The true magic about reality shows is its pull on all Malaysians. Message boards, chat rooms and mamak stall conversations were dominated by "But he can't sing." As a show of solidarity, 2.65 million SMSes were sent out on the final day, to vote for the favourite contestant (first place winner 23-year-old Zahid Baharuddin who secured 28 per cent of the votes).

* Standing out
Independent movies have been making their mark slowly but surely, and the past couple of years have seen some of the more controversial ones coming out of the closet, like Osman Ali's Bukak Api and Malaikat di Jendela. These movies, which touch on taboo issues such as transsexualism, prostitution and gay relationships, have been playing to full houses at private screenings.



New Strait Times 31st August 2004

Have we gain independence yet? One question that I used to ponder whenever 31st August came every year…..

One definition of the word independence that I got from the dictionary was “Freedom from control or influence of another or others”…have we achieved that?

To be frank, I think we have not gain our independence yet…true is that 47 years ago, we being liberated from the British but is that we called being independent is? Have we gained the ultimate freedom and are there any forces that haven’t influence us all?

We say we are independent but then our ultimate life dream is just to become as rich as possible and to gain as much money and property as possible.

We say we are independent but then we tend to follow our own desires to some extent cross the barrier of our own religion. We used to watch “Akademi Fantasia, Malaysian Idol” and spend time yet money going to concert. We say we are independent but always in our heart praise so high the Western society. We follow their steps and proudly told others that we have civilized…

We say we are independent but then we used to value all matters by money and how those matters can bring us benefit in this world.

We say we are independent but then …. The list goes on…

We say we are independent but have not we realized that we have been controlled by materialism, our own emotion and the greatest of all…we have been invaded by our own desire…

So what independence meant actually?

The ultimate independence for one human being that can be achieved is to become the true servant of the Almighty God, The Most Merciful, and The Most Powerful Allah. For weakling human to become independent in actual sense is to respect and become the servant of His Creator. That is the ultimate freedom that we can gain as only The Creator know what is best for His Creations. Yet there are so many become too ignorant and remember not that he was and is the creation of The Creator.

Wallahuallam…

Sunday, August 29, 2004

all praise to Allah

alhamdulillah...

thanks to God that have gave me the light of islam n iman...

thanks to God that still bless upon me despite my outnumbered sins and mistakes towards Him...

thanks to God that still show me mercy upon me...

thanks to Allah that still gave me life and breath of fresh air on this world...

"O Lord! Forgave me for my past, preesent and future wrongdoings..."

Thursday, August 26, 2004

the iman therapy

today, i was quite stressed due to the heavy burden of HMB assignment, lecture materials which i have not covered yet, and the time which seems to me was not enough although i have used up to the most as possible ...

then, i contemplated on myself..have i used the time wisely, i mean, was the quantity i used portraying the quality that i shoud be achieving?

deep inside my mind, suddenly, i realised one important thing that keep escaping from my mind in the past...what are the purpose of us in this world....what are our responsibility as a muslim...


to succeed in this world, we need blessing and peace or happiness..even we are given wealth, we may perhaps could not reach happiness. sometime, people are happy even they are deep in adversity..how is that possible?

we ought to remember that everything in this world belong to the Almighty God and to He we prayed for anything. thus, to find happiness, prayed to HIM and if God will, we will gain what we ask for...

later in the day, after prayer....i read some verse of Quran and without realising, i gain calm and happiness that i seek for...without realising, i have strengthened my iman with Allah and without conscious thought, my heart became calm in which previously full with anxiety and stress...

just a reminder for me and to you, whenever you're in doubt, seek Allah for help..and insya-Allah, He will give the matter that we ask for as long we follow the true islam..

wallahuallam

Tuesday, August 24, 2004

final list

this is final list for birthday wishers...

farhana, su, aliya, nini, cheme, faiz, tan cheng, ashikin,

end...

Monday, August 23, 2004

Reaching yet another milestone…but have I improved?

Today is my 21st birthday, another milestone in my life that continues to visit me every year without any hesitation nor boredom. From a small, know-less and mad boy to now, perhaps knowledgeable, deep in contemplation and perhaps regretting of the past….have I improved?

Many mistakes and sins I have committed and many hearts have been broken due to me. Many times, I have went to the wrong path and many times, I have repented….but have I improved?

There were times when I was drowned in the ocean of darkness. There were times when I was hopeless and confused in continuous fight against the merciless waves and wind of evil. There were times when I managed to stay afloat despite the ferociousness and turbulence of the hurricane of devil. Then again, there were times when the weakness of myself getting hold on me and unconsciously, I was drowned and taken lots of salty sea water while almost choking to the death.

Today, after 21 years of struggle and concerted effort… I still managed to stay afloat for now.

Many times I have prayed to the Almighty Allah seeking for help and guidance while floating through this vast, enormous and gigantic ocean of darkness. I hope someone will found me and rescued me from the filthy sea water that has long entrapped me.

There was a castle to which the door is locked,
There was a door to which I have found no key,
There was a key to which was hidden from me….
Now, there is a guard who have shown me the hidden place of the key,
Now, I have start to find this key,
The journey continues…

Saturday, August 21, 2004


my new mobile Posted by Hello

Friday, August 20, 2004

today, new history was created.

the first time had a true quiet lecture after Mr Graham Parslow asked the students to keep quite and respect others, be it lecturers, students or guest. i guess it was good for all of us as we have the right to remain silent (hmm, sounds familiar) during the lecture and respect others.

as ethics told us, the benificience and non-maleficience sometimes outweight one's autonomy in talking to others during lecture(wink)

ok..that's for now

Wednesday, August 18, 2004

second ICM off-campus

the visit to austin hospital prove to be fruitful today compare to the last time i visited it a fortnight ago. this time, we managed to interview the real patient for the first time in our journey as future doctor of tomorrow.

there many mistakes that my partner and I made, but i think it is alright to learn from mistakes that we made, so that in the future we can improve on.

during the discussion after that, i learn many new things and quite interesting too. i learned the effective way to communicate and simultaneously doing the abdominal examination...the tutor was so great that he gave lots of insight and profound technique on being a good doctor.

then, after the tutorial ends, for the first time, i used different transportation on the way back to uni. since Austin was in between zone 1 and 2, it was quite a way back to go to uni...but amazingly, the bus ride only took 20 minutes comparing to the train that sometimes can took up to 40 minutes. perhaps the road was clear at that moment.

throughout the journey, i noticed the beautiful scenery of melbourne suburb such as heidelberg, ivanhoe, clifton hill and i even manage to get a glimpse of Yarra river.
it was quite breathtaking too coz the scenery was quite new to me.

ok, that's for today.

stimulation....

today, was another day of lectures that end until 4.15 pm...what was interesting today is to know that the women tend to have difficulty in losing their fat on thigh and hip and men tend to have abdominal fat....the only way women can lose fat on their thigh and hip was by breastfeeding, i guess all woman should marry earlier and get children ;)

then, in the evening, there was another lecture on HMB but today, i guess it was quite interesting. it was about mental disorder disease and we even had one x-patient who have recovered from her depression or schizophrenia..it was intelectually stimulating to know how she was depressed initially and how does she recover from her syndrome...

what was stimulating for me was to note that the so-called western modern lifestyle has lead to many cases of psychological disorders..this just another proof of what the detrimental effect of human life without the guidance from the Almighty Allah.


without the guide from Quran and sunnah, this is what will happened to mankind. they will become astray and blind yet deaf to their own misleading perception and thought.


017.097 وَمَنْ يَهْدِ اللَّهُ فَهُوَ الْمُهْتَدِ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَنْ تَجِدَ لَهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءَ مِنْ دُونِهِ وَنَحْشُرُهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عَلَى وُجُوهِهِمْ عُمْيًا وَبُكْمًا وَصُمًّا مَأْوَاهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ كُلَّمَا خَبَتْ زِدْنَاهُمْ سَعِيرًا

017.097 It is he whom Allah guides, that is on true Guidance; but he whom He leaves astray - for such wilt thou find no protector besides Him. On the Day of Judgment We shall gather, them together, prone on their faces, blind, dumb, and deaf: their abode will be Hell: every time it shows abatement, We shall increase from them the fierceness of the Fire.Al-Qur'an, 017.097 (Al-Isra [Isra, The Night Journey, Children of Israel])

"O Lord! Forgive me for my past, present and future mistakes. Give me the strength to practise the true islam and guide me always to the true path. Leave me not in doubt and cloud of sins. O Lord! I'm weak and always fall to the tongue of devil, forgive me O Lord of the Most Merciful! "

Monday, August 16, 2004

cruel method, good intention...does it justified?

today, another new week started...and this week is all about diabetes type II which is due to insulin resistance factor...
the first lecture today is about the brain regulation on fuel metabolism...what was shocking throughout the lect was the way the scientist in 60's do their experiment...they want to find out the cause of obesity and as usual they have to test the poor little mice..
one experiment, they do symbiosis between two mice in which they tied up both mice circulation and let the mice live together in that condition...just cannnot imagine of being peel off the skin and then being sown up together, vessel by vessel, just in the sake of science...
another experiment, the scientist even try to inject some substances directly to the brain of those little pity mice...i wonder how many mice died due to those experimetn...i guess for the sake of science, we ought to consider the fate of another God's creation..
by the way....i would like to offer my tribute to those mice that have sacrificed their own body for the sake of too-ignorant, too-selfish, deceived mankind ;)

Sunday, August 15, 2004

second post

looking through the sand glass

alhamdulillah, after couple of hours editing the template and keep on changing it again and again, i guess this is template that i will use for the time being...until i have time to create a new template from scratch.

anyway, i have managed to finish all the reader for HMB and HS for this week...and again i am bit confused and blurred by the reader...there were too many grey areas to be comprehend and too much weak confounded concepts in the readers...

i guess the psychology is too much subjective indeed and do not have strong base in their own field.

ok, got to study now...

wassalam

akhirnya, my own personal blog

ini sebenarnya bukan kali pertama memasuki dunia blog..cuma dulu buat blog untuk koleksi tazkirah

setelah berfikir panjang, rasanya nak buat personal blog pula...

kenapa?...hmmm, mungkin sebagai terapi untuk diri sendir dan sebagai bahan rujukan untuk dikaji (hehe, maksudnya nanti, boleh lah kaji diri sendiri kalau2 ada terbuat salah kepada orang lain ker ;) and jadikan titik tolak dalam melalui ranjau-ranjau kehidupan... )

lagi pun, kehidupan ini kadang-kala agak stressful, so by doing this blog, perhaps it is one of the ways of me to release and cope with the hectic study (by the way, isn't medic student is synonymous with stress? ;)

oklah, cukup setakat ni dulu..lagi pun laptop baru jer reformat buat kali kedua dalam tahun nih ( penat tuh, nak kena reinstall mcm2 program :(

wallahuallam