Reflection; MEKAR Sydney 2016

Hi there. It's my fourth day of spring break and here I am in my room. Hm, I sent the lab report and had lunch at 4 pm just now and was reading the Down Under book when I suddenly remembered that I have to jot down what I learnt from the conferences I've attended during last weekend, MEKAR and Twins of Faith. So, since I've attended MEKAR on Saturday, we'll talk about it first alright? Cool. 

The theme for this year is 'Let the faith blooms'. For me, the theme is bit vague because of ignorance, yes, my ignorance, I did not register the theme in my head before attending the one-day conference. So when I was there the whole time, I had no idea what to expect and I could not figure out the theme even at the end of the conference. Now that I had to write this up, I saw the picture on the booklet and it all make sense now. Lame Sab lame. 

Anyway, the speakers for this conference are Ustaz Zamri Zanuldin and Yatt Hamzah. Both of them are from Malaysia, they came all the way to share a bit of the knowledge which I admired. Yes, maybe some of you said they hang out around in Sydney, but really, the day before the conference, they had to prepare for it and the next day, they flew back to Malaysia. I thought that could be hectic but they did it anyway, may Allah bless them, say Amiin. 

A gift from Ar-Rahman - Ustaz Zamri 

The conference was divided in three sections. The morning session was with Ustaz Zamri. His slot was titled 'A gift from Ar-Rahman'. Thankful that he did communicate with the audience, I was a bit sleepy at the start. There's a lot of activities that requires our attention and participation which indirectly prohibits the audience from falling sleep, kudos to Ustaz Zamri on that! 

He started of saying Allah is the source of the rizq. He reminded that the rizq that is attached to the worldly matter would disappear if we try to seek for it. He also said, rather than seeking the rizq, it is way better for us to invite the rizq in our life. How to do it because sometimes, inviting alone isn't enough? So, we have to try harder by increasing our invitations. We can increase our invitations by increasing these practices: 

• Congregational prayer in the masjids (for male) 
• Praying at early times 
• Dhuha prayer, Witir prayer 
• Fasting on Monday and Thursday 
• Tahajjud prayer 
• Sadaqah, giving charity 

Before I continue, allow me to continue writing in Malay for the next part because the notes that I wrote is in Malay. I am afraid that the meaning would get lost in translation. 

Jadi, antara benda yang perlu kita sedar adalah banyaknya nikmat yang Allah berikan pada kita. Ustaz berkongsi kisah tentang Rasulullah dan Aisyah. 

5 cara untuk menjadi hamba yang bersyukur.

1. Hilangkan tuhan-tuhan melainkan Allah 

• Hilangkan semua tuhan lain seperti makan, tidur, handphone, ego. 
• Rasulullah bersabda, "Allah yang mentarbiyyah aku dan Dia adalah sebaik-baik pendidik." - Hadis 
• Rasulullah sentiasa berhubung dengan Allah s.w.t., baginda tak pernah mengadu kepada manusia tentang sebarang perkara. 
• Antara tanda orang itu dah berjaya kurangkan tuhan selain Allah, adalah apabila dia mampu mendengar dengan empati, banyak menerima dan dia tak banyak argue.

2. Kuasa mengalahkan diri sendiri 

• Berhenti 'bangau'-ing. - Refer lagu 'Bangau Oh Bangau' 
• Ingat yang kita yang pilih semua benda yang berlaku dalam hidup kita. 
• Bertanggungjawab dengan pilihan kita, jangan salahkan orang lain tapi salahkan diri sendiri. 

• Bila kita mampu menyalahkan diri sendiri, kita akan ada satu kesedaran yang kita perlu berbuat sesuatu untuk memperbetulkan kesalahan kita. 
• Orang yang mampu menyalahkan diri sendiri, dia jadi seorang yang tidak banyak mengeluh dan complaint. Dia juga sedar yang ada benda yang dia boleh kawal dan tidak boleh kawal. Benda yang boleh dikawal adalah pilihan, tindakan dan persepsi diri sendiri. Jadi, orang itu fokus dalam mengawal benda-benda itu. Contoh benda yang tidak boleh dikawal adalah cinta, result exam, persekitaran, cuaca etc. 
• Kesimpulannya, jadi orang yang proaktif; tak banyak complaint, tak mem-'bangau' 

3. Menerima hukum kesengajaan 

• Kesengajaan = kehendak Allah 
• Dalil yang dikemukakan oleh Ustz adalah drp ayat di bawah; 

• Ustaz memberi penerangan yang perkataan 'telah ditetapkan' yang menunjukkan ianya telah ditakdirkan. 
• Semua benda yang berlaku telah ditulis sebelum ini. Tapi menerima hukum kesengajaan tidak bermakna kita tak perlu berusaha langsung. 
• Ingat yang ada hikmat/rahmat disebalik musibah. Ada kebaikannya, mungkin bukan sekarang tapi sentiasa ada. Ustaz ada share 9 hikmah daripada perkara yang berlaku kepada kita, antaranya; untuk menaikkan darjat, untuk menghapuskan dosa/untuk mengambil pengajaran dan untuk azab kepada hamba yang ingkar. 
• Kisah sirah Rasulullah yang berkaitan adalah semasa Perjanjian Hudaibiyyah. Perjanjian yang disangka berat sebelah namun sebenarnya banyak kebaikannya kepada pihak orang Islam. 
• Sebab Allah bagi apa yang kita perlu, bukannya apa yang kita mahu. 

4. Syukur 

• Bila seseorang tu bersyukur -> menghargai -> menyayangi -> positif/baik. 
• Cara untuk bersyukur; amalkan sujud syukur, senaraikan benda yang anda syukuri, cuba bayangkan kalau benda yang ada tu sebenarnya 'tak ada', ataupun kaitkan dengan pengalaman lama yang lebih buruk. 
• Bila kita bersyukur, kita akan jadi lebih positif dan tidak banyak complaint. 

5. Beri ekstra 

• Banyakkan sedekah. 
• Berilah ekstra kerana dengan memberi lebih akan memberi anda lebih banyak. 
• Adakah terhad kepada duit semata-mata? Tidak, boleh juga kepada komitmen, masa dan tenaga. 

Ustaz kata, item 1-3 adalah elemen untuk menjadi seorang hamba. Elemen 4 & 5 adalah elemen untuk menjadi hamba yang bersyukur. Jadi pentingnya untuk menjadi hamba yang bersyukur dan janganlah menjadi hamba yang berlagak sebab semua perkara berlaku dengan kehendak Allah sahaja. Ustaz juga ada ingatkan, pemilik hati itu Allah, maka berdoalah kepada Allah. 

I want to continue writing for the second section of MEKAR featuring Yatt Hamzah and third, which is the forum but I think this post is getting way too lengthy. And I have to apologise because I have neither notes nor any recording for the other two sections. Lastly, I really hope that there is in any way, you'll get benefited from this post, if Allah wills. 

Write again soon. 

Take care.

We are just too choosy, maybe

Hello there :D 

Alhamdulillah, my OneNote is now working again and you should see my face when I got it working again! I almost jump of excitement *maybe I did clapped my hand slowly and giggled without voice* when I managed to see my drafts again. Prolly you are wondering why I didn't just jump around like I always do when I am excited, because well, I was in the library. Most of the people were studying so have to respect them hihi.

Anyway, I scrolled through my notes there and I found this one particular draft dated; 26th May 2016. So I shared them here, something I wrote down there sort of tickle my head.

*******

Hello :) 

At the moment, I am waiting for my cold drip coffee. Well, it usually will take up to 12 hours but I've altered the process a little bit and I think that it might be finished in couple of hours. Meanwhile, I can process my video for the presentation this Monday. Since I am currently in the mood of explaining my project, so here it goes; 

I have to pair up with someone and I chose Amanda, since we both from Sunway so quite convenient to pair up with your friend. We are required to make a project using Arduino Due, bluetooth or wifi and we need to come up with an embedded system. So, we decided to make an automatic cold drip coffee maker! Yes, people, an AUTOMATIC cold drip coffee maker (Auto CDCM)! So, what is so automatic about this maker? What does it do? Well, this Auto CDCM actually would do most of the job for you, it'll be able to brew your coffee while maintaining the ideal temperature! So, you just have to press start and when the conditions are not ideal, it'll stop brewing and will ask for your attention, so you can quickly fix it up and start it again. After a few hours, voila! You'll have your cold drip coffee ready to be served the next morning! >.< 

Okay, that's most probably what I will be crapping in my video presentation. Anyway, since I am already here, I wanted to share a reflection with you. Random much? Haha, what will it be though? 

**drumrolls** 

Okay, tak payah drumrolls, but I'm just thinking how we often claimed that nobody listen, but actually deep inside we are just being too choosy. 

I am not talking about anyone else, I am talking about me here. I have that feeling also from time to time. Sometimes, I want THAT person to ask me how I was doing, how my life has been, I want THAT person to care for me, to talk to me. But in fact, at that moment, there has always been somebody that's there for me. I've noticed a friend posting on social media saying nobody cares but in fact, I always check up on her, from time to time. Maybe not all the time, but I checked up on her and every time I did that, she'll say everything is fine. Then it get quite frustrating to see that post you know, as if the fact that you cared, didn’t matter so in one way or another, the fact is that; you, didn’t matter. (or maybe I should give my friend the benefit of doubt here) 

I wanted to write about my personal experience but what had happened, it was beyond my control and I regret every inch of it. Maybe some other time, I'll share them with you. 

So are we choosy? Maybe yes, maybe not. We all get to choose, that’s our right and nobody can take it from us except God. It just that the fact that we claimed about it publicly make people hurt sometimes. True; you might tell me that the post was not directed to me, it was directed to someone else but how can I know that? If that post is so vague, how can I know where that post is being pointed to? So tell me, it is good to let out your thoughts, your worries, your overwhelming pressure on places where everyone can access? Where everyone will read and analyse and judge you? 

Where am I getting with this post actually? Haha, I don't know. It just that sometimes, when we want to post something on social media, blogs, Instagram or whatever else, maybe we can give a thought whether it would hurt people. It is hard to ensure nobody was offended but at least you try. Don't go too much of posting your picture with a friend with a caption "best-est friend ever" while actually the one who's been listening to your rants is someone else and you've been telling that person that nobody else cares. We don't want to hurt people that cared. 

Careful with what we said, careful also with what we post and careful with what we wish. We never know how wonderful this life can be :) 

Till then. Goodnight.

Into The Wild (2007)

Hello there.

I am browsing through my notes in my small diary to find something to talk about during Kutu Buku Sesh tomorrow and apparently I haven’t read a lot these days and I don’t really jotted down what I read so yeah. When tomorrow comes, we’ll see how it goes. On the other hand, I just realised that there are a lot of movies I’ve watched recently *don’t judged me haha* but it was worth it. Most of it taught me something, in some way, perhaps?

Into the Wild (2007)
I decided to watch this film because it is about a guy who had enough of his life and wanted to go travel in the Alaskan forest somewhere. He dumped all his worldly possession and left everything before starting his journey. There’s this part where he left his car and burn his money. Who in the world do that? Well, metaphorically, a smoker does that but that’s metaphorical. Anyway, this film is based on a true story which make it more touching and interesting.

“Watching this film gives me a sad depressing feeling, probably because he is a smart guy and he’s real. The pain that he has to go through is too much.”
That, I wrote in my notebook. Why I said the pain was too much? Watch the film, you’ll get it. Towards the end of the film, you’ll get suffocated with the details. Though, Christopher does emphasise about how he like living a life without money. It makes him less worry or something like that. I don’t really understand how he felt but assuming from what was portrayed in the film, I think he don’t get why his parents aren’t happy despite having a lot of money and being successful in life. He feels empty and that’s why he wanted to go out for a solo trip to find himself, to find something worth it.

Amazing people he met along the journey. I was truly touched with that part when he met that old man that allows him to stay at his home and let him use the laundry. How that old man don’t want to let him go to Alaska and wanting to adopt him. How he almost cried letting this young boy go. This story was real and it shows that out of sincere kindness, people can build relationships.

I also liked that fact that this guy has integrity and he likes to read. He reads a lot, like really a lot. And he wrote, which make it more thrilling to watch. It was a sad movie, be prepared mentally if you want to watch it. To end my review about this film, here’s what he wrote before the film ended,

“Happiness only real when shared.”