DKUK: Larangan berbohong

Berbohong adalah penyakit yang akan lekat melepasi alam barzah hinggalah hari kebangkitan. Kalau penyakit-penyakit lain, semuanya akan lenyap setelah mati, tetapi tidak berbohong. Banyak ayat-ayat alQuran yang menyatakan apabila di hari kiamat, orang-orang yang berdusta akan terus berdusta walaupun mereka tahu tiada gunanya mereka berbohong ketika itu. Salah satu contoh ialah ayat Al An'aam 23-24.

Dalam kehidupan kita seharian, kita sentiasa terdedah kepada "peluang" untuk berbohong. Menyebarkan berita yang kita belum tahu kesahihannya dengan meng"forward"kan emel atau sms adalah satu benda yang dianggap remeh, tapi hakikatnya ini adalah pembohongan. Dengan kecanggihan teknologi, pembohongan akan tersebar "exponentially". Akibatnya, "exponential" jugalah markah pembohongan kita. Begitu juga dalam kita melayani anak-anak, kadang-kadang kita menjanjikan sesuatu tapi tidak kita tunaikan. Ini juga dicatat sebagai pembohongan!

Nampaknya dosa ini remeh, atau "hayyin" tapi ingatilah, dari hadis-hadis nabi, Rasulullah telah menceritakan bagaimana seorang wanita masuk syurga dengan perbuatan yang "remeh" iaitu dengan memberi minum air kepada anjing yang kehausan. Juga seorang wanita dimasukkan ke neraka kerana dosa "hayyin" iaitu mengurung seekor kucing sehingga mati.

Sentiasalah zikrullah, seperti menghayati kebesaran Allah melalui ayat-ayat yang diturunkan dalam al Quran juga "Aayat" iaitu ciptaannya. Seperti merenung pokok cili di laman anda. Di sebelahnya pohon tebu. Bagaimana dari tanah yang sama, persekitaran yang sama, satu pokok boleh pedas dan satu lagi manis, dan tidak pernah bercampur rasa kedua-duanya. Subhanallah! Dengan zikrullah, hati akan menjadi lembut, lantas lidah tidak lagi segan menyebut yang hak dan akan berat untuk berbohong.

Wallahu a'lam.

I Love You

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/schongut/4788510012/

A very red reunion

The participants: Some 26++ year olds

The date: 17th July, 2009

The venue: Bora Ombak . Calm before the storm

The pahtay: Awash in RED and very LOUD





Cupcakes with the new ansarakb81 logo topping that went into the goodie bag - courtsey of a very resourceful member

Mucho gusto and ten-hut for lagu maktab

Catching up

Sepanjang jalan kenangan, yang kita selalu berganding tangan...

Enjoying their winnings from the table games (pails, dewan makan trays, hangers, cloth pins, berus and soap dish were the prizes)



Hushing people for the ringtone of the grand prize winner

Poco-poco into the wee hours

Our friends are already talking about the next reunion planned to take place in four years. Embak is ambivalent about that one; by the time they were doing the poco poco that night, I was already in my house, in bed, pancit!

J & R's 20th wedding anniversary

My friends J & R threw a celebration bash at Carcosa Sri Negara, tonite. My first time there, at the famous, grand old house. It's ideal for a party as it sits quietly atop a hill and you can blast your music with nary a neighbour to complain about it. It's all an all-white themed affair and yours truly bought a dress specially to comply with the theme. Hopefully the dress can be re-used later for umrah or ehem ....

The couple's children performed a series of Micheal Buble's songs confidently; 70's and 80's music was the music of choice and at one time yours truly joined in the YMCA hand dance.


Here's wishing J & R everlasting happiness together.

DKUK - Tahap-tahap iman

Satu point yang Embak dapat hari ni:

Mensyukuri nikmat-nikmat yang Allah Ta'ala beri adalah sifat orang beriman.

Tahap yang lebih tinggi dari itu ialah orang yang tenang menerima musibah Allah.

Yang lebih tinggi dari itu ialah orang yang mensyukuri musibah Allah. Can you imagine? Seseorang yang Allah uji dengan kanser, mengatakan "Alhamdulillah, aku bersyukur di atas ujian kanser ini ya Allah!" Amat sukar sekali, tapi itulah darjat yang lebih baik.

It doesn't have to be big trials like cancer; everyday conflicts like having to face arrogant, rat-sized brain, long-winded people or having to deal with a child's or an infantile spouse's tantrums is Allah's ways of testing us.

Allah help us all.

Mad Men - The Cast

Embak baru jumpa gambar antara barisan pelakun utama siri Mad Men yang karikatur Embak menempek sebelum ini.

Entah kenapa Embak dah tak teruja nak mengikuti House M.D. musim ke-6. Agaknya Embak jenis yang kalau dah jumpa cintan baru, yang lama ditinggalkan. Patutlah dot dot dot.

Maisara's 7th Birthday

Maisara visited us on the weekend of 1st May as she always does running towards the table calender exclaiming "dah bulan Mei kan?" Birthday adik 30 Mei! So last Saturday, shy a day of the 30th, we celebrated her birthday at her nenek and atuk's house bringing another awesome-looking cake.


Last year, it was Dora.



In 2008, it was Snow White.

DKUK - Pujian

Embak akan cuba kongsi satu dua point yang Embak dapat dari kuliah Ustaz Kariman yang Embak tanda dengan tajuk DKUK - "Dari Kuliah Ustaz Kariman".

Kami baru sahaja nak masuk surah Al An'Aam Ayat 1 yang dimulai dengan ungkapan Alhamdulillah....yang bermaksud segala puji-pujian bagi Allah. Di dalam al Quran ada 5 surah yang dimulai dengan ungkapan ini iaitu Al Fatihah (S1), Al An'Aam (S6), Kahfi (S18), Saba' (S34) dan Al Fathir (S35).

Kita manusia tidak digalakkan memuji selain siapa/apa yang Allah puji contohnya Nabi Muhammad S.A.W. Kerana puji-pujian boleh menaikkan riak atau rasa ajub -- penyakit-penyakit hati yang amat halus.

Bagaimana jika kita dipuji? Umpamanya "Cantiknya awak! Putihnya awak!". Kita jawab "MashaAllah- quwwataillabillah". Itu adalah ketentuannya dan tiada kekuatan/kelebihan melainkan dari Allah. Tanamkan syukur di atas anugerah Allah dan tambahkan tawadduk.

Bagaimana nak memotivasikan anak kalau tak memuji? Contohnya sekiranya anak itu cemerlang dalam peperiksaan; katakan itu adalah ganjaran yang Allah berikan di atas usaha gigih. Jangan dipuji, awak pandai, cerdas etc. Semuanya itu atas kehendak Allah.

Allah giveth and Allah taketh. Jangan hanyut atau leka dalam kejayaan, dan jangan berputus asa jika ditimpa musibah.

Kalau otrang memuji, cantiknya baju awak! Tak payahlah kata MasyaAllah, sebab yang dipuji baju, bukan tuannya :D

Dari Dapur Embak - Asam Tumis Taugeh

Bila kawan Embak beritahu masak asam tumis taugeh besar sedap, Embak terasa pelik. Biasanya Embak goreng dengan tauhu je.

So Embak try le. Masak macam asam tumis biasa, cuma tambah ikan bilis, tumbuk kasar-kasar sikit. Embak suka buang ekor taugeh besar ni. Jangan taugeh biasa; memang Embak surrender.Teringat masa kecik-kecik dulu. Emak Embak selalu bagi Embak sebesen taugeh. Duduklah Embak menyiang ekor taugeh sampai kecut-kecut tangan dibuatnya.

Flavour taugeh besar tu yang buat masakan ni lain dari yang lain. Cubalah. Sedap! Sebagai variasi, cuba juga masak asam pedas sawi asin. Yang ni memang dah tradisi di rumah kami.

Semangat Baru

Embak dah beli kamera baru. Jadi Embak bolehlah start blogging balik. Kamera lama tu masih baik lagi tapi chargernya hilang. Nak beli charger baru, mahal harganya. Yang "3rd party" punya pun sudah berharga RM100. Jadi Embak beli kamera baru yang pakai charger/bateri yang sama; jadi kamera Embak yang lama masih boleh digunakan lagi. Solution yang mahal tetapi Embak rasa berbaloi. Hmm, kamera yang lama tu Embak nak bagi kat siapa ya? Kena yang dekat dengan Embak, supaya kalau dia nak caj bateri, boleh pakai charger Embak yang baru.

Embak sebenarnya nak post resipi masakan, Jadi, kalau tak ada gambar, manalah menarik artikel Embak kan?

Terkini

Alahai, maaf le lama tak cerita-ceriti. Siang tadi Embak jumpa kawan Embak, Liza yang baru balik makan angin di Frisco. Dia beli kiriman Embak i.e Fritos chips. Terimakasih buat Liza; moga Allah murahkan rezeki awak. Embak gumbira kunyah Fritos chips yang rangup, tapi kena hati-hati sebab simen gigi geraham Embak sudah rapuh. Moga tak pecah menanti temujanji dengan dentist Khamis ni.

Kerana Embak masih demam Mad Men dan kemaruk menunggu Season 4, Embak merayau-rayau di cyberspace, terjumpa laman "MadMen Yourself" dan hasilnya ialah karikatur di atas. Konon-kononnya Embak berada di pejabat Sterling Cooper di tahun 60-an.

(Interlude: Ada satu hari tu, Embak dengar drama radio di Bernama Radio, pelakon tu sebut 60-an bukan enampuluhan tapi enampuluh-an. Ini mesti produk zaman Bahasa Baku!)

Apa lagi ye? O tadi Embak mengalami pengalaman pertama di Puspakom. Efisyen betul mereka. Lorong ekspresnya mengambil masa lebih kurang sejam sahaja. Mungkin hari ni kurang kereta yang diperiksa. Embak takjub tengok gambar kereta-kereta yang gagal pemeriksaan. Ada ke patut badan kereta dua potong dipateri sahaja! Sesangat bahaya!

Ehem, nampak sangat hari ni Embak kurang kerja rasmi. Selain daripada 3 panggilan telefon nak set appointment, Embak buat "errands" peribadi. Awas Embak! Awak bukan makan gaji -- pikir-pikirlah sendiri.

Sambal Tahi Minyak

Bahan-bahannya

Tahi minyak (dari sekilo santan)

4 sudu cili kering dikisar

5 biji bawang merah dikisar

1 inci kunyit hidup dikisar

20 biji belimbing buluh dihiris

5 helai daun kunyit dihiris
segenggam ikan bilis

2 keping asam gelugor

garam dan gula secukup rasa

Gaulkan semua bahan dan jerang di atas api sederhana sehingga masak. Sedap dimakan dengan nasi panas dan ikan kering goreng. Em emm.

Mad about Mad Men

Between my last post and now, I have watched and rewatched all 3 seasons of Mad Men, a series that have won 3 consecutive Globe awards and an Emmy but are yet to be shown on any channel in our country. In the centre of the drama is this character Don Draper, a top executive in an Ad agency in Madison Avenue (the term Mad Men was coined by the admen on Madison Avenue). Here's an excerpt from an article that appeared in Vanity Fair about this character and the actor, Jon Hamm.

Jon Hamm and January Jones in a fashion photo shoot.

Excerpt begins:
Don Draper was the trickiest role to cast, since the actor would have to not only be credible as a man who essentially lies for a living—and doubles down on those lies at home—but also, as the lead, command sympathy. With extensive television experience on shows such as Providence, The Division, and CSI: Miami but no lead credits, Hamm read for the part early on and survived several further auditions.

But according to Alan Taylor, a Sopranos director who directed the Mad Men pilot and was involved in the casting, Weiner and he held off committing to Hamm because of a “reverse prejudice” about the actor’s good looks. “I think Matt and I, coming off Sopranos, both had a kind of bias because we had a wonderful experience with Jim Gandolfini, and there is a kind of superiority that goes along with that kind of casting—you know, Look, we’re not casting a movie star, we’re casting a great actor.”

But Weiner and Taylor kept coming back to Hamm. “It was a wonderful turning point when we put him through the process of hair and makeup,” Taylor said, “and the first time we saw him with his haircut and his suit, all the women in the office kind of wilted and fainted when he walked by. He was this wonderful icon of maleness, and it took us almost that long to catch up to the fact that it was perfect to cast sort of the perfect male in this part, because what we were doing [in the show] was basically deconstructing that. I mean, that’s just one layer of what he brought.

Obviously the other thing that made us go back to him again and again was this wonderful sadness and lost quality in his eyes. It’s a rare quality for someone who’s a strapping leading man.” That was something Weiner had picked up on right away. In his recollection he settled on Hamm the first time he saw him: “He was the only person I saw that I felt had this old-fashioned masculinity that reminded me a little of James Garner, or William Holden, or the other movie stars that I loved who were Boy Scouts.”

There was something more: According to a recent profile of Hamm in GQ, after the actor read for Mad Men for the first time, Weiner turned to the casting agent and declared, “That man was not raised by his parents.” Which was true: Hamm’s mother had died when he was 10; he had been mostly raised by a grandmother and had a difficult relationship with his father, who himself died when Hamm was 20. Weiner’s observation was not only perceptive—and a little odd—but also relevant: Don’s backstory, which dribbled out across the first season, has him orphaned at a young age. (Hamm dryly told me that the parallel with his own childhood was “serendipitous.”)

In Weiner’s view, Hamm’s upbringing contributed not only to the vulnerability he brings to the role but also the wit, an underappreciated current in Hamm’s performance. “The most valuable thing on television and everywhere is when you find someone who is physically attractive and funny,” Weiner said. “It’s very unusual. At least that’s the common conception among people who cast for a living. Barbara Miller”—the late casting director who had ER, Friends, and The West Wing to her credit—“is often quoted as saying, ‘God doesn’t give with both hands.’ You’re attractive or you’re funny. And I would say to the casting people, ‘Where’s the funny, good-looking person?’ And they’re like, ‘Everyone who’s beautiful and funny is already in the movies.’ And then you find someone who basically has some kind of deprivation that has made it so they don’t even know how attractive they are.”

Hamm certainly doesn’t play up the James Garner–William Holden thing. When I met him for an interview he had a thick carpet of hobo stubble on his face and a greasy St. Louis Blues cap pulled down low on his forehead. Lisa Albert told me that the first day she and the other writers met him he was so casually dressed, even by the unexacting standards of a TV production office, they thought he was delivering lunch. (Related observation: people in L.A. are accustomed to incredibly handsome delivery boys.)

According to the actor, it took him a while to calibrate his performance. “Don is a character who can easily skew into, I think, something way more dark and menacing and mean than maybe what is necessary,” he told me. “I think you definitely want some of that, but it’s a fine line. I would always sort of push for making it a little lighter, and Matt would push for making it obsidian blackness, and Alan Taylor was kind of, I’d say, the middle ground. And I think we found the right balance.” Excerpt ends.

I believe one who doesn't watch these series will not relate to any of the above, so try watch an episode. I bet you would return for more. The whole cast save for one was not familiar to me; Jon Hamm included. But his acting and that of January Jones have garnered them nominations in their respective best actor/actress category.