It will be a 'sweeter' hari raya after all

Pics of yester years...

This year 'syawal' celebration won't be any ordinary Aidil fitr. At least it will never be my typical First Day raya celebration. There wont be much hype about it becoz of the followings:

1. No 'Official' open house on the card to look forward.
2. A limitation of local 'kuih raya' and satay to taste for.
3. Children wont be flocking around for duit raya.
4. Low turnout from the regular guest.

hmmm, i wonder if i am all prepared for such new experience?
For sure it will be a small gathering of us. - anak2 shariff omar.

I am looking forward to enjoying the new 'life'. Not that i am anti social or whateva but in the last 20 over years, i have been a loyal servant to my Dad open house on EVERY 1st day Hari raya! (except my study years and of course last year at my in law's). Welcoming guest, offering foods and giving out 'duit raya' was part and parcel of yester-years. It was a great memories indeed but over the years it has become one 'stereotype act' of me - the same old script which u have to go through years after years without fail. (except my study years and of course last year at my in law's, :b)

I never anticipate it will stop so soon. At least not this year. The fact my wifey never had her hand of the excitement on how we celebrate our eid disappointing me a bit.
Never mind. She will have her share in the future, I hope. *grin*

This year syawal will be a new kind of celebration, anyway. It will be more time for 'us' (read: anak2 shariff omar) to spend more quality time together. There will be more time for mohon maaf session with mom and dad. There will be more time also for a family potrait in our dashing baju melayu's and there will be more time to sit down and enjoy our raya meals.

And most important, there will be enough precious time for us in each other's company- PRICELESS ... I could only smile and be grateful. :)

"Rupanya inilah hikmah kurniaan dari tuhanku.. "

Cahaya Syawal Menjelang Lagi

Kemeriahan Syawal sudah mula terasa,
Kini meniti harinya berkunjung tiba,
Merdu lagu aidilfitri mula mengisi tetuang udara,
Disambut siulan anak anak muda menyanyi gembira,
Bersahut sahutan dalam suasana berhari raya

Syahdu pilu mengenangkan yang pergi, datang bersilih ganti,
Walaupun hati telahpun redha menerima ketentuan ilahi,
Buat yang pergi selamanya; hanya sekirim doa buat bekalan akhrawi,
Buat yang pergi sementara; nenda di desa tersenyum ceria,
Gembira tak terkata bertemu anakcucu bersua muka,
Rindu yang berkunjung; kasih pula yang datang menguntum,
Bersyukur; anakcucu tak pernah lupa pada yang tua

Inilah yang dikatakan nikmat kurnia tuhan rab-bi;
Kemakmuran dan kesejahteraan ibu pertiwi,
Ku menadah tangan mohon bersyukur; mengabdi diri,
Semoga Syawal terus menjelma di bumi bertuah ini,
Dengan membawa sejuta harapan dan seribu makna untuk seratus tahun lagi...

Salam Aidilfitri buat semua,
salam taazim

Oppss! I did it again... to cling to power. (Oppss! Saya buat lagi untuk terus berkuasa)

*mode hati kering*

Adoi!
Gua tak paham la, apsal la sengal sangat mamat nih. Orang dah cakap tak nak, tak nak and turun LAH, tak paham2 jugak... Karang kalau sepak kang.. kata kurang ajar pulak... Tapi kalau dah tak sedar diri dok kemaruk kuasa... sekali sekali kena juga lekat lima jari kat muka. Macam mana, ada berani?!

*mode hati dah kembali beriman*

Adalah sesuatu mendukacitakan apabila sekali lagi Badan Perhubungan UMNO negeri membelakangkan

ahli akar umbi dalam menentukan hala tuju kepimpinan UMNO. Pernyataan demi pernyataan dibuat bagi menunjukkan sokongan kepada penjawat Presiden UMNO menggambarkan bahawa kepimpinan UMNO peringkat negeri sendiri sudah tidak yakin dengan demokrasi dalam UMNO. Mereka-mereka ini (read: Pembesar UMNO) merasakan apabila berbuat demikian ahli ahli UMNO akan menjadi pak turut dan kedudukan penjawat Presiden UMNO akan terjamin. Hakikatnya, polemik politik tanahair nyata berubah terkesan daripada PRU 12 tempoh hari.

Saya percaya perkara 'jiwa kacau' ini tak mungkin akan berlaku sekiranya penjawat Presiden UMNO boleh memikir secara rasional mahupun spiritual bahawa tampuk kuasa adalah ujian dari Allah untuk hamba Nya. Apabila ujian telah gagal maka akan datang 'kuasa' dari Allah jua dalam bentuk suara ahli akar umbi menolak kepimpinan yang 'kaput' Maka bermula lah usaha seperti ini dan ini demi menarik pembesar2 UMNO untuk kembali bekerja untuk bos no 1. (dan mungkin bos no 2)

Ingatlah! UMNO adalah parti perjuangan bangsa bukan perjuangan pembesar mana2. Marilah kita semua kembali kepada perjuangan yang asal. Bak kata empunya diri;
"Bekerja bersama saya (jika saya masih layak), bukan bekerja untuk saya (demi kepentingan peribadi saya)".

Ironiknya: Antara 13 ketua bahagian PP yang hadir kedapatan 2,3 pimpinan bahagian yang tiada ; Bayan Baru, Bukit Gelugor dan Tasek Gelugor. Lebih dikesalkan, Ketua Bahagian Bukit Bendera yang sekarang digantung keahlian juga berada padahal adalah menjadi kesalahan ahli yang digantung berada di dalam mesyuarat. Pelik tetapi itulah hakikat Badan Perhubungan UMNO PP.
Sekali lagi ditegaskan bahawa prinsip badan perhubungan UMNO PP ini tidak boleh dipegang selaras dengan usul yang telah dibawa UMNO Cawangan Pokok Machang

Rangkuman Cerita in One go - part ii

“Verily, We have sent it (this Qur’an) down in the Night of Al-Qadr (Decree). And what will make you know what the Night of Al-Qadr (Decree) is? The Night of Al-Qadr (Decree) is better than a thousand months (i.e. 83 years and 4 months). Therein descend the angels and the Ruh [Jibril (Gabriel)] by Allah’s Permission with all Decrees. (All that night), there is peace (and goodness from Allah to His believing slaves) until the appearance of dawn.” [Surah al-Qadr, 97:1-5]

The last 10 days of Ramadhan is a blessing for all ummah. I prayed all of us will be blessed with the night of all night. Insya Allah.

On Sports;

Great comeback makes Arsenal goes top in EPL; for now.

The young lads showed their composure to regain a one goal deficit and won the games with 3. It was even sweeter that this was our 2nd win on the road and against our bogey team, Bolton. Gunners have overcomed physical and psycho battle against two most physical team- Bolton and Blackburn and we managed to score 7 goals between them. woww.

This is a very very champion quality! 12 pts in 5 games and now we are leading the pack; at least for now. Go Gunners!!!

Pic Sun : Brendtner reaction after the 2nd goal

Pic AP: One of many goals for Denilson, keep up mate!

On Social life;

A get together with few old flame friends

last friday was a great occasion together. Bunch of us -class of 96 MCKK were reunited for our annual breaking fast. It was not the case of having the best food indeed the food was devilicious!but to be together for a day and enjoying each other company was mesmerising. Almost 40 of us (including wifeys and kids were there). I was given the honoured as the unofficial host (self- proclaimed) and even manage to get the others to get some kurma supply by force selling. Lucky my batchmate was generous enough to SBB ( support bumi business).

The rest of the day was filled with great conversation. From politics, changing new cars and getting new lenses were amongst the topic. It was fun to see everyone evolved from such ordinary school boys to great men in their respective fields and I indeed feel bless to get to know these people who would one day shake the nations like the other before us - (as you could hardly notice, the kingmakers of Malaysia politics nowadays are mostly budak koleq, :b)

Pic from Adiq's and Boney's

Bangun Lah, bangun Lah dari tidur

Wahai 'orang orang yang tidur' di dalam selimut @ 31 MPs
bangun Lah! Tunjukkan diri mu kalau kamu benar2 adalah pemimpin.

Sudah sudah lah dengan mainan politik dangkal akal yang memualkan.
Ini bukan masa utk tunjuk siapa lebih wira antara semua. Ini adalah masa untuk melawat luka yang semakin berdarah.

Yang Menang akan jadi Arang, Yang Kalah akan jadi Abu

tertarik untuk berkongsi pendapat seorang rakan blogger dari indonesia - Amazing Grace

"Semoga yang menang tetap jadi arang dan yang kalah bisa terima kenyataan jadi abu :D. Semoga setiap calon pemimpin bisa memberi contoh bahwa kekalahan itu bukan berarti tidak mendukung program kerja yang menang"

If this what you want, there you have it

Datuk Ahmad Ismail has been in the limelight the past 2 weeks. The controversy surrounding him in fact is not the first. He was the same person as the President of Sepaktakraw Malaysia who drew attention back then when the whole sepak takraw team withdrawn from Korat Games at the 11th hour. Interestingly, that was not much hype as it involved a MALAYSIAN team completely and somehow Sepak takraw has partly received as everybody's game not anymore a 'traditional and purist Malays sports'.

The latest controversy for this Bukit Bendera UMNO Head Division came down during one of his campaign speeches in Permatang Pauh by election. Whether he said it intentionally or 'a slip of tongue' in his context of "pendatang Cina pre Independence", it was quoted by one of Chinese Media two days later and created an uproar amongst the Chinese. Worst, his was pictured as a racist himself. From there on, all hell's gate brake loose and it was history. Dato Ahmad Ismail himself later was punished by UMNO -serving a 3 years suspension.

I don't want to indulge any further in this issue and we have seen consequences of such statement not only him, the BN component and worst, to the Malay.

Personally, i have to say this to him.

"Datuk, if you claiming yourself a fighter, you have to be brave and fight for yourself. Don't get others to be involved around you as it will look bad to other UMNO leaders. The fact that you mentioned in your press conference that all 13 Penang UMNO leaders are behind you shows some disperancies as I noticed not all UMNO Penang leader agree with your statement. Please don't make things difficult to save your ass because that is not a fighter's act!

Having said that, as you have received your punishment and you could accept it with open heart makes you are a true gentleman. Believing you have done nothing wrong and convince that the paper has misquoted you shown you are a man with principle - a rather missing element in other 'flip-flopping' Malay leaders nowadays.

At least you have the balls to say it rather than politicise it. For that you earn my respect. I hope you will be more careful with your word in the future and how I wish what you said the other day can be prolong in this context;

"...the Malays are pendatang too, but we come a bit earlier than the Chinese and Indian thus claim this beloved country, Tanah Melayu. Since we have considered ourself the tuan of this Tanah , dont you think we deserved to have a lil' bit of privilege? Is not that the others cannot gain interest from the tuan's privilege? In fact the others have been getting more than us but what we are requesting as the Tuan Tanah is some respect. We own this space and we are willing to share with others too!"

I believe all of us can lives with each other as long as we can respect our limitation and space on certain issues. I hope we could work towards maintaining Malaysian harmony and unity formula

ahlan wa sahlan ya Ramadhan

Ya Allah ya tuhan ku
Di keheningan pagi yang murni ini
Aku merafak sujud ke hadrat Mu
Bersyukur di atas kurniaan Engkau, Ya Allah
Atas kesempatan menghirup nikmat Ramadhan
Untuk ke sekian kalinya lagi

Ya Allah ya tuhan ku
Aku ini insan kerdil
Menagih rahmat dan hidayah dari Mu
Dalam keinsafan atas dosa dosa lalu
Agar diketemukan bagi ku, Ya Allah
Makrifat dan Syafaat Ramadhan
Sebuah cahaya yang akan menerangi kegelapan

Ya Allah ya tuhan ku
Nikmat Mu di bumi bertuah ini
Begitu zahir lagi terserlah
Ramadhan Mu penuh dgn manisan
Cukup meriah buat hamba-hamba Mu, Ya Allah
Hingga terkadang ada yang terlupa
Ada lagi insan yang kelaparan dan dihimpit kesempitan
Maka Kau datangkan Ramadhan
sebagai peringatan serta pedoman

Ya Allah ya tuhan ku
Ku tadahkan tangan tanda kesyukuran
Ku mohon doa seribu keampunan
Semoga ku diberkati sepanjang perjalanan
menikmati Ramadhan Mu kali ini
untuk menjadi insan
untuk menguatkan pegangan
untuk mengenal erti kepayahan
kerana akhirnya
kesudahannya Kau janjikan kebaikan
dengan inayah Mu, Ya Allah

Allah humma salimna Ramadhan
Wa salim Ramadhan na lana.

05 Ramadhan 1429H