Don't tell my mom part 1

*Warning, long post ahead.

Yes, the title is right, what I am about to tell you, please don't tell my mom. Though none of you knows her anyway..hahaha.. I will tell her personally later when she comes to KL this weekend :P

It was April, and I was stressed for some reason, and so happened Air Asia have yet one of those deal, and guess what, I booked a returned ticket for myself to BANDUNG in Dec!!! Me, myself and I. I did not even considered to ask another single soul to go with me. As the months gone by, I slowly looked up online, what so great about Bandung (save the shopping aside). Come November, the month flew very quickly. Things has been hectic at work with one thing came up after another, and next thing I know, it D-7!! I have not even secured a hotel booking. I was looking for few options and has been in contact with few places, but seems like they are all fully booked by now. One of the contacts gave me another options and alhamdulillah they still have available room. I didn't even bother to look up any further, and confirmed my booking right ahead.

Few days before the trip, I was tied up at work (who isn't?) and on the Thursday (1st) and Friday (2nd) we have the long awaited departments away day at Gopeng. My flight scheduled to depart from LCCT on Friday 7.15pm. So there I was cracking my head, how do I get to LCCT from Gopeng, the chartered bus only left Gopeng at 2pm, straight to PD. So I decided to give the second day activity a miss. So here's what my time looks like on Friday.

1100H : took from Gopeng to KL (jam somehow along the highway, only reached KL around 2pm)
1415H : board a bus to LCCT at the newly renovated Puduraya 
1600H : reached LCCT, took my own sweet time to have late lunch while waiting for the flight
1930H : board the flight (yes, as usual delayed Air Asia flight)
2100H : reach Bandung (local time, Malaysian time is + 1 hour)

The thing is, I didn't even printed the guesthouse contact no, I just remembered its name, and what if they forgot to pick me up? I did not bring my laptop, my phone is not 'smart', so there is no way I can access the net if at all I need to upon arrival. Better yet, all those things that I looked up online, all those places that I wanted to go, remain as a list in my laptop....yes , I totally forgot to print out my plan.

So there I was, in the plane, with a bleak vacation plan...serve me right!! Maybe if I had told my mom, none of this would have happened.. :P Oohh ya, at this point, only some people in the office knew that I am going to Bandung alone (plus my 2 sisters, I warned them not to tell mom yet, as sometimes she worries about nothing).

So okay, to cut the story short, the driver from the guesthouse did picked me up and I arrived safely in Bandung. I was suprised to find out that the guesthouse is actually in the middle of a pesantren!!

3rd Dec 2011

When I looked up for places to see in Bandung, this one caught my attention, Observatorium Bosscha. Maybe because I was partly interested in looking up the skies in the dark night trying to find the stars (don't ask me about constellation, I have no clue!!) . I hired a driver to send me to this observatory and we got there at 0800H. The visits starts at 0900H, so I killed time by having some walk around the area. Like any other observatory, it is situated at higher ground, and at this altitude and weather, the surroundings are just breathtaking!!

radio tower not for radio station, staffs quarters, and the main structure that keeps the giant telescope

The visit starts with a brief explanation by this lovely undergrad student of Institute Teknologi Bandung, as the observatory is a research center managed by the university. Later we were brought to the main telescope, another student took over and explained about how it functions. This is apparently the largest telescope in South East Asia, to date. Thailand is in progress of constructing a bigger one now.

I must say its a worth visit and such a pity that not many promotions are done to attract more outside tourist to the observatory. All the visitors are local people and from what I gather from the 'satpam' @ pak guard, only a handful of Malaysian visitors make a stop at this observatory, and they are mainly students.

The visit finishes around 1100H and I asked the driver to drop me at Gedung Merdeka for a little walk around the town. When we reached there, they are closed for lunch and without wasting any time, I find my way to Pasar Baru. I didn't plan for a mega shopping spree, but I do bought some stuffs there. I dare not took out my camera at the market, security reasons..hehehe...

From Pasar Baru, I was asking around on how to get back to the guesthouse. So in the end I took a 'beca' that cost me RP 20,000 (I know it was way overpriced, but I considered it as sedekah anyway) and the beca driver finds me an 'angkot' that goes straight to Geger Kalong, the district where I stayed. 'Angkot' is actually a modified van that could take up to 15 passengers at one time. The fares ranges from RP 1,500 to RP 4,000 depending on destination. They have specific route, and I think its the most cost effective mode of transportation. On the roadside, there is all sorts of people doing all sorts of things to make a living. At any traffic lights, the 'angkot' will be approached by either junk food sellers or 'pengamen'. 'Pengamen' is their version of street performer, except that they did not just stay put at one place, they roam around the street. This guy actually sang quite well. When the lights turned green, he will hand out a cup, and depending on the passengers, we can choose to pay, but from what I see, they seldom gets anything.

I didn't dare to take his photo face to face... :D

I went back, dropped the stuffs and went out again. This time to a shopping mall, Istana Plaza, I was only looking to draw some cash since I have spent most of my rupiah at Pasar Baru :P Somehow I was carried away and stepped into music store. After choosing few DVD, upon making the payment, I was short of cash!! I quickly ran to the nearest ATM, and guess what, my transaction was rejected!! I still have some RM, and I was trying to find a money changer, and none was available nearby. At last I have to split the payment between cash and debit card.

After that minor crisis, I board onto an 'angkot' and went back. That night, I was doing quite a detail calculation to make sure I still have enough cash to pay the guesthouse, and to go back...hahaha....

Will I have enough cash? what do I do next? stay tuneeddd........ ;)

Selamat siang ibu-ibu..!!! ;)

Assalamualaikum.....

Lama deh nga ketemu. Coba tebak aku di mana sekarang? Ya bener, aku lagi libur, tapi ini hari terakhirnya kok. Ntar lagi juga pulang, lagi nungguin check in di bandara ni. Aku tu udah 2 hari kurang lebih di sini. Da dulu ya ibu-ibu, sampai ketemu saat aku tiba di Malaysia ;)

Do'ain aku selamat ya!! :D

Salam sayang,
~jeet

Tolong Saya...& Salam Maal Hijrah ;)

I have been attending this usrah and for me though we have some differences, we still get along well and I learnt a lot from them too. There is this one kakak at work, Kak K, she has been asking me to join her usrah for quite some time, but since her timing never suits mine, I passed. Last two weeks, so happened she asked one more time and I said yes, based from what she said, they will discussing some ayat from the Holy Quran, nothing more. For me, anything associated with new knowledge, am up for it. She also asked some of our colleagues, but I don’t know whether they can make it or not.

So off I went to her house, expecting no less than 5 people (because from what she said last time she asked quite a lot of people to attend as well). When I got to her house, there is one man, herself and her husband. And to my ‘horror’ surprise, her husband was the one to lead the usrah, fine, I’ll hear what this is all about. He started off with Bismillah (just Bismillah, nothing more, not even Al-Fatihah…) . After asking a little a bit about myself, he started. One of his opening statements caused me to be uncomfortable immediately. He was saying that teaching or sharing anything in the Quran is not an exclusive right to certain people. I said to myself, sure it is….you could not just take any teaching or sharing of the Quran from any Tom Dick and Harry. Someone must have at least a certain level of knowledge to be able to share and dwell on the details of the ayat in the Quran. That is why we refer to ulama’.

And my discomfort did not stop there, let me briefly share some:

He reads all the translation and start on discussing the ayat. Jumping from one ayat to another to make his point. His discussion points are merely from the translation, pure translation, he did not refers to any of the tafseer by Ibn Kathir, or Qurtubi, or any other renowned ulama’. He read some of the ayat in Arabic and I can tell that he did not know Arabic, he may memorize some of the ayat, but he definitely did not know the Arabic language, and to me this is the priority no 1 for anyone to start discussing and making a point from any verse in the Quran. If the person did not have the knowledge, at least refers to the tafseer. And it is a sin to interpret the ayat based on the translation only, not backed by any tafseer and any hadith, even if we are right, it is still a sin, refer to one of my post in Surah Yusuf. I used to do it sometime back, and I admit I was wrong.

When he jumps from one ayat to another, he uses the terms like 2:185 , at first I was lost, then I got it, Its Surah Al-Baqarah, ayat 185. I mean, which ulama’ that I know refers to ayat like that, by numbers? Not even recognizing from which Surah it was, NONE!!! I was a bit pissed, I may be wrong, but why does majority of ulama’ never refer to ayat by numbers? Beats me, I don’t know the real valid reasons, but the only people that refers to all these verses by numbers are Christian, that I know. Furthermore, he could not even pronounce Surah Al-Waqi’ah properly; his pronunciation was ‘Wakiah’. There is a difference between ‘qaf’ and ‘kaf’. The makhraj are way different. I know I am picking on small things, but doesn’t different pronunciation leads to different meaning?

Oh ya, one more thing, throughout the whole discussion I felt like I was being put on the spot, any ayat, any further discussion, he keeps on asking for my feedback, every single time. The other guy just sat there in silence and as if he is just an observer. If we were all there to learn, then why is he picking on me? Asking whether I understood, what do I think, yada yada… At the end of the session, I felt as if I was lured into some kind of cult, they want me to believe what he was trying to prove (all the jumping of ayat tells me that). I may be over thinking, or over reacted, but that is how I felt. They did not say anything but the way the whole session went on makes me think so.

The close the session with ‘Alhamdulillah’. Just that, not even the whole sentence, no tasbih kifarah, no Surah Al-‘Asr. I felt that was odd. All the ustaz in Madrasah Al-Hijrah and many other tazkirah session that I have been to never failed to do both of the above.

So after that very uncomfortable session, I kind of avoided Kak K in office. I was thinking, if she did not say anything I will let it slide. But last two days, I received an SMS from her. She was asking when we can have the second session. I am contemplating on whether or not to voice out my concern. There is one case Kak Y share with us via email some selawat to add on to our daily zikr, but she (Kak K) lashed back at Kak Y asking her why we have to refer to the rest, whereas the Al-Quran is complete? Something is not right here. No doubt, Quran is the most complete guide that we Muslims are blessed with, but let’s be real; we are not living in the same age as Rasulullah, or even the sahabah. We didn’t even know Arabic language, the grammar, the asbabun nuzul (why the ayat was revealed) and later the details that complement the ayat. We can get all that completed by referring to Hadith, Sunnah and many other great masterpieces written by ulama’ all across the world. A colleague also mentioned there is a lot of ayat mutashabihat in the Quran, so we could not just take the translation at the face value. I see Kak K will have some difficulties in accepting what I am going to say. What should I do?

I think in a way I am responsible to explain to her why at least I think what they are doing now is not quite right. But for now I need to gather my thoughts properly, so that she will not misunderstand. Help me….  

p/s: sebelum terlambat, Salam Maal Hijrah 1433H. Moga tahun ini ibadat kita makin bertambah dari tahun sebelumnya, amin….

Perempuan Berkalung Sorban

Indeed another Indon movie review, a story of how certain individuals that claimed to uphold Islam and yet failed to acknowledge the fundamental of Islam. This story is about a girl, born and raised in the middle of 'pesantren' run by her orthodox father who treats women no more than somebody that her is job is waiting for the husband's hand and foot. Though girls were sent to classes, they were not allowed to think at all.

The story shows how a woman suffers to break from the cycle, its also about love, and later the fight to make the 'pesantren' a better place.

This movie should be shown to celebrate women's fight for justice, equality for all. We did not asked to be leaders all of the time, but we asked to be treated fairly and with respect. I was blessed to be brought up in an environment that allows me to do almost anything. So it was painful to watch the injustice to women, and these people use Islam to justify their action, even though its just a movie.

I could not stop myself from watching Indon movies, I really longed for another Yasmin in Malaysia, Erma Fatima still fell short :(

An Epic Journey part 5

Assalamualaikum wbt.

Continuation from last part, this part will explain about types of dreams.

True dreams can be classified as requiring :	An interpretation due to obscurity of the symbolism in the dream or because of the ignorance of the dreamer
	No interpretation because of the clarity of the dream or because of the obvious meaning of the symbols
Only the prophets….	…knew with certainty that their dreams were true before the dream was realized. All other people have to wait for the dream to come true in reality to realize that the dream was true

1b) Divine Dreams : Good Pleasant Dreams

Al-Bukhari reports:	Abu Said al Khudri (RA) narrated that he heard the Prophet (SAW) say, “if anyone of you has a dream that he likes, then it is from Allah. He should thank Allah for it and narrate it to others.’ [Al-Bukhari, vol 9, p.114]
The Prophet SAW refer to good dreams….	…as an aspect of prophecy that will remain among mankind until the Last day. Al-Tirmidhi records that Anas b. Malik (RA) related that the Prophet said,  “Indeed, risalah [messengership] and nabuwwah [prophethood] have ended, so there will be no messenger or prophet after me.” He (Anas) said: The people found it difficult to bear, so the prophet added, “except glad tidings.” They asked, “O Messenger of Allah, what are glad tidings?” He replied, “The dream of a Muslim. It is one of the parts of prophethood.” [al-Tirmidhi, 1853]
	The prophet specified the dream of a Muslim which is a part of prophethood is a good dream, “Nothing is left of prophethood except glad tidings, ” They asked, “What are glad tidings?” He replied, “Good dreams.” [al-Bukhari]

Principles regarding good dreams

1.       Good dreams are from Allah (SWT)

2.       Good dreams may be shared with others in the same way as good news is shared. However, the prophet (SAW) explain to us that we should not share good dreams with everyone.

Abu Qatadah heard the prophet say, “Good dreams are from Allah, so if anyone of you sees that which he likes, he should not disclose it to anyone but whom he loves. [Muslim]

2) Satanic Dreams

Bad dreams are….	…a consequence of evil jinns interfering in our dreaming state, Just as evil jinns can introduce evil thoughts into the human mind while we are awake, so they are able to do so while we sleep.
Muslim reports:	Abu Salamah said, “I used to see dreams which caused me to shiver, but I did not cover myself with a cloak, [this continues to happen] until I met Abu Qatadah and told him about it. He quoted the prophet saying, “A good dream comes from Allah and a bad dream from the devil. So when one of you sees a dream which he does not like he should spit on his left side and seek refuge from Allah from its evil; then it will not harm him.”
Satanic dreams may create sadness	The prophet said, “There are 3 types of dreams; a righteous dream that is glad tidings from Allah; the dreams that causes sadness is from Shaytan; and a dream that is from the ramblings of one’s own mind.”
	In relation to Shaytan’s desire to create sadness among humans, Allah says; Private conversation is only from Shaytan’s that he may grieve those who have believed, but he will not harm them at all except by the permission of Allah, and upon Allah let the believers rely. [ Surah al-Mujadilah, 58:10]

Principles and steps one should take in relation to bad dreams

All dreams with evil contents are from Shaytan and no interpretation of them should be sought.

1.       One who experience satanic dreams should spit 3 times and seek refuge in Allah SWT 3 times. Jabir RA narrated that the Prophet SAW said “ if any of you sees in a dream something he dislikes, he should spit thrice to his left, seek refuge with Allah from Shaytan thrice, and change the side in which he is lying [i.e turn over].” [Muslim]

The following supplication may be said for protection. ’Amr b. Shu’ayb narrates via his grandfather  that Allah’s Messenger used to teach them the following words for protection against panic (due to nightmare) : “ I seek refuge in the perfect word of Allah from His anger, the evil of His servants, and from the evil suggestions of the devils and their presence.” [Sunan Abu Dawud, 3884: Muwatta’ Imam Malik, 1710]

2.       It is also recommended to get up and pray 2 raka’at or more of voluntary prayer. Abu Hurayrah said that he heard the Prophet says, “There are 3 types of dreams; ramblings of the mind, frightening thoughts from Shaytan, and glad tidings from Allah. So if anyone of you sees a dream which he does not like, he should stand up and offer prayer.”

3.       A Satanic dream should not be divulged to others. Abu Sa’id al-Khudri narrated that the Prophet SAW said, “if any of you has a dream that he likes, then it is from Allah. He should thank Allah for it and narrate it to others. If he has a dream that he dislikes, then it is from Shaytan. He should seek refuge with Allah from its evil, and he should not mention it to anybody; then it will not harm him.” [Al-Bukhari]

Jabir related that a Bedouin once came to the Prophet and said, “O Messenger of Allah, I saw in my sleep that I was beheaded, after which my head rolled away and I was running after it.” The Prophet replied, “Do not tell people about the games Shaytan plays with you in your sleep.” Jabir also said: “I later heard the Prophet say in sermon, ‘None of you should ever relate the games Shaytan plays on you in your dreams.’.”[Muslim]

3) Human Cognitive Thoughts: Mental Reflection

Dreams of the human mind’s working….	Is usually a succession of images, thoughts, sounds, or emotions passing through the mind during their sleep from their waking experience, past or present, imaginary or real. In Sunan b. Majah there is a report that ’Awf b. Malik quoted the Prophet a saying, “Indeed there are 3 types of dreams: horrors from Shaytan to make the children of Adam sad; that which is important to a person when he is awake, so he sees it in his dreams; and that which is one of forty-sixth parts of prophethood.”
	Such dreams are meaningless; they are neither glad tiding from Allah nor evil suggestions from Shaytan. They are merely mental reflection, and as such a product of the brain.
	One does not need to seek interpretations for such dreams
	Such dreams should be considered a blessing from Allah

Dreams and istikharah: a common misconception. Istikharah is to calm ourselves towards making a decision. The guide will not necessarily be given via dreams.

Wallahu a'lam...

Rantings...kayu?

Z   : What keeps you awake at night?
Me: ?
Z   : What keeps you awake at night? I mean about work?
Me: Oo...(I ponders for like 2 seconds..)
Z   : Meaning our plant is safe then, we don't have to do anything!!
Me: Ooohhh no, you cannot equate my confidence to sleep at night with the plant condition. I have this ability to isolate myself. Once I got home, that's it, I shut down everything about work :P
We just laugh it offs :D

*Portugal will have to go through the play off rounds facing Bosnia for Euro 2012 qualifiers (again!!) Bosnia managed to hold them to a draw last World Cup qualifiers. And I bet they will pose quite a threat to Portugal this time around, why these guys never learned, why can't they qualify in the first round...why?? of why??


Pardon the ramblings, blowing off some steam... ;)

Farewell Amoi~~

Another one will abandon the nest. This time someone really close. We started about the same time, but she'll be off to where her husband is right now.

We (the young ones) used to make time and go out for movies in S2. Always the case that we will have at least 5 movie buddies to go along. She was also almost the constant in the group. This week is her last and as part of her farewell, we went out for movie last nite, we watched Real Steel!! Highly recommended :)

We will miss her definitely, so long my friend, till we meet again :D

disclaimer: I did not make the montage, I was just the song advisor :P