Firecrackers vs. Azan

Tiba je time Raya Cina, pasti terdengar rungutan pasal bunga api dan mercun, selalunya dari golongan Melayu (Muslim) kita ni lah. Memekak je time orang nak masuk tido- gitu le lebih kurang general opinion yang ada. Tapi kita kena akui, Raya Cina setahun sekali. Bising yang mengganggu tido tu pun biasanya hingga takat hari ke 15 Raya Cina aje.

Saya ingin highlightkan di sini satu perkara yang sering dilupai orang kita adalah time Aidilfitri pun ada gak main bunga api dan mercun (kadang-kadang Aidiladha sekali). Dan lagi satu perkara yang kita lupakan atau mungkin kita tak sedar ialah mengenai Azan, terutamanya time Subuh.

Saya sendiri pun tak perasan perkara ni kerana sebagai seorang Muslim, Azan tu sesuatu yang indah dan biasa. Langsung tiada perasaan terganggu ketika mendengarnya malah jiwa lebih tenang. Namun berdasarkan satu perbualan that I overheard among non-Muslims, diorang menganggapnya sebagai suatu gangguan, especially kalau rumah diorang kebetulan berdekatan surau atau masjid.

Pasti kita sebagai Muslim terasa tercabar dengan statement begini sebab Azan adalah hak kita dalam beragama, tapi cuba kita renung sejenak. Kalau mereka boleh tolerate Azan (terutamanya time Subuh yang sering mereka dakwa menyebabkan tido mereka terganggu) tiap-tiap hari, mengapa kita tak boleh tolerate bunyi bising keraian mereka yang datang sekali setahun itu? In fact, we should be able to accept it better than them sebab kita Muslim. Kita ada konsep sabar dan konsep menghormati jiran. Mengapa perlu merungut? Saya betul-betul kurang faham…

Awang Vampiro

This sketch was inspired by Book II Chapter 8 of Nizam Zakaria's latest online novel 'Awang Vampiro'. It potrays Awang holding a secespita confronting his former companion Kasturi@Damak who is in the process of killing the blind vampire Tiresias. The image of Damak and Tiresias are reflected off the blade of Awang's secespita. Very shoddy sketch but it's my first after 2 years of hibernation..

Ri and the never ending projects...

My e-kawan Isman pointed out to me how outdated my blog is. This is an old problem with me. I have the ambition to write but lack the discipline to keep at it. How I envy all the other bloggers who’ve managed to keep their own sites (and even some other people's sites) alive with their thoughts and comments from time to time, ever current and always exciting.

In fact, this problem extends to almost every part of my life. Most of my personal projects are currently on hold, be it writing or creating artwork (I haven’t even made a single decent sketch for the past 2 years!!!) or learning (Anything! I actually have piano and guitar lessons as well as Japanese classes on the back burner), just because I simply can’t inspire myself to continue with whatever it is that needs doing.

You can imagine how bad this attitude is when you consider the state of my bedroom. It is in a perpetual state of being redecorated. Half of the room is almost immaculate, while the other half is still in boxes or in piles waiting to be rearranged in their proper places. This has gone on since May of 2002.

However, I promise myself that I shall find the will to continue with whatever I had planned and will plan because these are things that I truly love and enjoy. So wish me luck!

Eh, aku pun nak blog pasal tsunami gak...

Kawanku melaporkan bahawa ada insan-insan dari kem-kem tertentu, apabila memperkatakan tentang Tragedi Tsunami, mencebik bibir seraya berkata,

“Tempat-tempat tu kan banyak maksiat, padan le diturunkan bala…”

And the statement was announced with a slightly superior air, seolah-olah maksiat yang berlaku kat sana tu takde kena mengena dengan orang yang berkata-kata tu.

Ingatlah wahai insan, seruan bagi kita ummat Islam adalah ‘Amar ma’ruf, nahi munkar’. Sebelum berkata sedemikian rupa, cuba le muhasabah diri sikit. Ada tak usaha kita untuk menegah mana-mana maksiat yang berlaku sekeliling kita?

Saya percaya, jarang-jarang sekali kita menzahirkannya bukan? Kebanyakan masa kita hanya tak setuju dalam hati je dan kadang-kadang, rasa tak setuju tu pun takde hatta sekelumit pun. Saya tau sebab saya sendiri mengalaminya.

Jika tsunami melanda disebabkan banyak berlaku dosa, maka salahlah juga mereka yang sibuk mengumpul pahala tetapi tidak sudi mengotorkan tangan demi menegah dosa.

Oleh itu, apabila bencana berlaku, beristighfarlah banyak-banyak dan ambillah peringatan. Itu lebih baik daripada kita memperkatakan perkara yang bukan hak kita untuk membicarakan.

Wassalam daripada Ustaz Ri untuk hari ini… Muahahahaha!

Pak Lang in memory...

As I sit here tonight, replying to my emails, my mind brings back memories of a very good friend whom I call Pak Lang. I guess the atmosphere is very similar to that night we first ‘met’.

It was the night before Aidilfitri (I wonder why I’m currently having a lot of Raya stories in mind?). Back then, Pak Lang was doing his masters in UK. He stumbled upon my advertisement at an international email penpal website and, feeling lonely on a Raya night I guess, decided to reply. It was the beginning of a close email friendship. For almost 2 years, over the vast expanses of the internet, we shared our joys and supported each each other through life’s turbulences.

During our entire friendship, we’ve only met twice. The first time was because he personally wanted to pass me an invitation to his wedding. The second time was at the wedding itself. In fact, I actually went to help out at the wedding from the day before. It’s weird considering that I don’t know his family all that well but I guess that’s just the kind of person I am. It also helped that his family was very welcoming and sporting about the whole thing.

Unfortunately, we’ve now almost completely lost touch with each other. The last contact I had from him was an SMS wishing me a happy Aidilfitri this year and there was no further answer to my reply. It’s a sad but very understandable fact that between your work and your family, there is little time for anything else. However, I do wish that this friendship could have endured for as long as we both lived…