Three and Three and Three...

THREE NAMES YOU GO BY:

1. 'Umayr (friends and acquiantances)
2. Yeop (Family, close friends and online)
3. 'Umayr Sayfurrahman!!! (Only by my mom; and then I'd know she's mad at something... Add the bin Ainullotfi if she's madder)

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU DON'T LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:

1. ...My laziness...
2. ...My ego...
3. ...Dunno what else...

THREE PARTS OF YOUR HERITAGE:

1. Perakian
2. N-9ian
3. Johorian

THREE THINGS THAT SCARE YOU:

1. Entering neraka
2. Azab kubur
3. Dying in kufr

THREE OF YOUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS:

1. Meals
2. Thoughts
3. Feelings

THREE OF YOUR MOST TREASURED POSSESIONS:

1. My computer
2. My books
3. My heart

THREE THINGS YOU ARE WEARING RIGHT NOW:

1. Black slacks
2. White and blue t-shirt
3. Black Belt (Wuuuhaaa!!)

THREE OF YOUR FAVOURITE BANDS OR MUSICAL ARTISTS:

1. Huh?
2. Hah?
3. Hmm...

I just listen... No favourites... Ulp.. Ade gak ah suke Opick nye lagu.

THREE OF YOUR FAVOURITE SONGS:

1. Sebuah Pertemuan
2. Muhahhidun Ana
3. Biarkan

THREE THINGS YOU WISH YOU HAVE BUT WHICH YOU DO NOT HAVE RIGHT NOW:

1. An incredibly high iman. So I don't get sucked into the smallest traps of temptation. (Lookie, lookie!! FOoOOOoOoOODD! ~NNooooOOOO!!!~)
2. Money!! Heck, it's hard to get things done in this modern world without that. And right now, I'm cold out of it. Hate being tied done by such things.
3. A new computer system, with the most powerful CPU available and an SLI/Crossfire system with more than 2 GB of memory and at least a terabyte of cold hard (okay maybe soft) storage space and an internet connection of more than 5MBps bandwidth and... and... and...

THREE THINGS YOU WANT IN A RELATIONSHIP:

1. LoooOOOOoove.
2. Empathy.
3. NO fighting.
4. Understanding.
5. Devotion to Allah.

Oops... Terlebih jugak. Macam Kakcik.

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS ABOUT THE OPPOSITE SEX THAT APPEAL TO YOU:

1. Definitely the eyes.
2. Hey... Same again dengan sister; smile (agaknyer most people cair ngan other gender's smile kot... Or is it because sumer orang suke tengok smile? Tak kisah ah)
3. Face. Full stop.

THREE OF YOUR FAVOURITE HOBBIES:

1. Reading. Almost anything. Encyclopedias, novels, mangas, comics, papers, articles, reports (sometimes), poems, art, limericks, pantuns, syairs, etc, etc...
2. Games. Multiplayer ones. Single player aren't bad, but nothing beats playing with friends.
3. Clubbing... KRj Clubbing, Iqra' Clubbing, whatever islamic club-ing else there is...

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO BADLY RIGHT NOW:

1. Bertaubat. NOT ber-TAU BUAT!
2. Istikharah... On choices in my life. Hey, before you think I'm getting married, I'll have you know that istikharah isn't only for marriage ok!
3. Finish Rave Master to current chapter.

THREE PLACES YOU WANT TO GO ON VACATION:

1. Aussie. Cos it was my birthplace. I haven't seen it since I waasss... hmm... One and a half?
2. Pulau Tioman. Dunno but I like clear beaches. PLus I LooOOOooOove water. At least when it's cool and refreshing.
3. Some mountain resort. I like the fresh mountain air. Refreshing. But I do hate climbing. Thus the resort.

THREE KIDS' NAMES YOU LIKE:

1. Mus'ab. *wink*
2. Basirul Haq.
3. Abdullah.

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE:

1. Repent. Become a better Muslim.
2. Repent. Become a better Mu'min.
3. Get married, be a good husband.

THREE WAYS THAT YOU ARE STEREOTYPICALLY A WOMAN, WIFE AND MOTHER:

1. I care.
2. I care.
3. I care.

THREE WAYS THAT YOU ARE STEREOTYPICALLY A MAN, HUSBAND AND FATHER:

1. I expect.
2. I expect.
3. I expect.

Tagging these people!!

• Angah. Oit, Kakcik ade tag Angah ke?
• Alang² Angah kene, Byang skali.
• Abdullah Irfan. Hahaha! Aku tau ko slalu gak datang blog aku. Nasib ah!
• Zakri. Ngehehe! Sape lagi kalau tak partner-in-tarbiyyah.

DERUan C2DC R2J (Guess what *that* means!)

Introduction
A few days back I took part in executing DERUan C2DC R2J. Follow the story below. Details of activities will NOT be shared unless specifically asked for by the right people. The reason we're keeping the project a secret is so that those who MIGHT be participants to this program wouldn't know it's details. But like I said, if you introduce yourself and tell me why you need to see this module, I'll pass you the details.

Section One: C2DC - Task Force

Tasks and Responsibilities

Initially me and Zakri were invited as PaLS representatives to represent PaLS in the organizing committee of R2J. As it is, there was not much that we could do due to the lack of manpower during the semester. The only people that we could mobilise were people in JB. And even those already have tons of responsibilities at their respective localilties. R2J had to come second by prioritisation.

We did, however, accept the task of running R2J's Explorace. We changed the name later to C2DC R2J due reasons given if you refer the glossary below.

Envisioning and Initial Conceptualising

Me and Zakri came up with a vision of what the challenge was gonna look like. We basically had three days days to use up, and ideas envisioned from after last year's R2A e-Race. We planned out the route as different as possible to any similar activities ever done previously and within the contraints applied on us.

Constraints and Priorities

Then we had to basically let go of the project for a while. There were many things of more priority at hand to be given focus to such as Xpert '06.

Rallying Manpower

A week before the program was to be run I rallied up the community of ikhwan to get the manpower needed to run this activity. Mainly PaLS. The support I got was, alhamdulillah, more than what we needed. Even some PaLS residing in KL offered their support through whatever means. One such person is Zaid who offered to be the internet guy looking after internet information handling throughout. Thanks dude! It means a lot.

Detailed Planning

On Monday the 18th, I called for a planning meeting. Thus far (with less than a week to go!) we still had nothing but the initial concept and the route. Activities in between; nothing. Clues; nothing. Accommodations; nothing. Anything else; almost nothing.

So as you can see, we had to detail out everything by Monday, and begin execution ASAP. Preferably by the next day. No, even earlier than the next day.

We did two sessions of detailing and clarification on Monday. One at 2:45 pm and another at 10:00 pm. There some confusions regarding akhawat's attendance so there were no akhawat in the detailing meeting. But, they offered to hold some responsibilities anyway.

Finances

We did some rough calculations and came up with rough calculations of the total spendings we would face. It exceeded pakcik²'s expectation. By far. They decided to give us only RM1500 initially and RM1800 at most. Total spendings calculated on the first day was RM2200; a difference of RM400. That grew later to RM2800 after some unforeseen variables entered the equation making the difference RM1000. We had to find other ways to fund the project, or say goodbye to relatively a third of the planned activities.

The Recce Team

Tuesday became the day that all of us strived to lay down the basic groundwork.

One team was sent to recce the route and check up on fares along the way. They were also tasked to make contact with one of the places we planned to accommodate the participants and negotiate prices if necessary.

The recce team did their job wonderfully. But they also brought back bad news. The non-stop rain was causing floods in certain areas of Johor. It could affect all our plans.

Beginning of the Floods

The floods began and some areas of Johor were reported to be cut off. However, according to the recce team our route can still be used. There were areas inaccessible, but where we were going, there were no dangerous floods yet. Mark the word, YET.

Communications and Sponsors

The akhawat team was tasked to contact some ikhwan homes for activities in the challenge. They were also tasked with getting sponsorship from any available source. The deadline: the briefing meeting on Wednesday.

Briefing Meeting

Wednesday was a bright day. It stopped raining at Subh. It gave us hope that the floods would subside. So we carried on with our plans and execution.

The briefing meeting was more for the akhawat than ikhwan. This is due to the confusion for the planning meeting. So they currently knew less than the ikhwan. The briefing was also for updates on current progress on activities detailing and preparation.

Activities were updated and reports given.

For sponsorship the akhawat acquired RM220, topped up by RM500 that me and Salman negotiated through Pak Uteh from SMIH's PIBG. Since we were still deficit by a bit, I tasked upon the committee members to find a certain amount each person. Since there were seventeen members there shouldn't many problems acquiring that amount.

The recce team reported what they have done. They reported the floods.

All the activity planners reported the details of their preparations.

One Fateful Day...

Thursday I received bad news. Very bad news. Segamat was submerged. Since it was one of the destinations in our plans, it had to be taken out of the equation. At least that was what I thought initially.

Then came more news. Kota tinggi; flooded. Kluang; flooded. Muar; bad flooding.

Then more news. Xrek '06, the KRj national camping activity due to be executed at Kuantan was postponed.

I was in a dilemma. To cancel or not to?

After a while, I made the decision to call off the Challenge.

Called Off, Backup Plan?!

Cancellation means informing all the necessary people. So I informed the committee, and began to get them to close down operations. Then, we had to hold an emergency meeting to determine what's next.

The consensus: R2J participants are to be redirected to DERU. Daytime is to be dedicated to DERUan Banjir and nighttime is for us to organize activities for the participants.

We also contacted the sponsors from whom we clarified how we would use the money in light of changes in the plan.

Section 2: DERUan!!

First day

We all arrived in the morning and got the first assignment; packing relief packages. The participants all cooperated to pack the relief packages. They categorised the clothing and set aside the food stuff.

At about twelve, we moved to assigned places. Mine was Sekolah Batu 10.

At the school we met some of the banjir victim families. One makcik was very passionate about sharing her experience. She told us how high the flood was. She told us of the day she had to evacuate. She told us of salvaging stuff.

After the Jumaah prayers, we went to Kg Maju Jaya. About five cars went. We were delegated to about five different houses; each with their own story to tell. I was assigned to Bro Zul's house. We did some cleaning and angkat² furniture. There was a whole lot of furniture to clean and a maybe a few wardrobes of clothing too. By the time we had to go back, not everything was done. But we had to go anyway. It made me feel kinda guilty.

That night, we organized some games for the C2DC participants. There was Build The Tallest Tower, Faulty Mime Phone and Play Your Character. All with rationalizations based on C2DC objectives.

Then it was Saturday.

Second Day

We were delegated into two teams. One small team went to settle things at Ust Umar's and Ust Qamarul's homes which were both affected. And the rest went to Maju Jaya to finish off the tasks there.

I went to Maju Jaya. First to Makcik Odah's home, then I went to Bro Zul's. At both places we had to wash clothing. We became washing machines that day. Haha!

That night we played Cashflow. The game of management, leadership and quick decision making. I so loved the atmosphere of the game at the time. A satisfactory havoc, with a definite feel of something getting done.

Third Day

The third day marked the day where we only did DERU work for half a day. Until 3:00 pm to be exact. The reason for this was that we wanted to give more time for the participants to clean up and rest in the afternoon, because we were going to get them to arrive at Pej JIM by maghrib so that they can go back earlier that night. Previously the night activities began after 'Isya' and finished at 11.00 pm. But this day we wanted to get them back to their accommodations by 10.00 pm. This is so that they can get enough rest for the next day's activities.

Like I said before it was only half a day. Yet it was by far the most tiring. Why it was the most tiring was that it was the only place where we had to clean up unwashed mud from the buildings. Added to that was the excruciatingly "exquisite" smell emanating from the rooms of a certain kilang kerepek that we had to clean. Since the smell arose from somewhere close to what we thought were the toilets and the mud looking pretty weird... we tried not to think of the origins of that mud.

After the kilang kerepek, we had to clean the next door lot. Our task was to take out the wardrobe that had fallen down, and was hindering cleaning operations. So at that moment, me and Ubai and a few others became Temporary Vandals who were Vandalising Under Control. Haha! We absolutely wrecked the wardrobe between us.

Then after that, we cleaned up the surau. THAT was a real havoc. The guys all played with mud, getting it all (ok maybe not all, but MOST) of the mud out of the surau space. And doing that took the cooperation of the whole lot of ikhwan. The akhawat cleaned up the surau's little stuff, like plates, cups, dulangs and the like.

When that was done, we officialized the surau by being the first to solat there after the banjir.

The night activities began with Maghrib prayers. Then they had a bit of tadzkirah. After that the debate began.

The question for the C2DC Debate was "70% of pelajar lepasan Hidayah lari dari tarbiyyah, kenapa salah siapa?" Or the english version "70% of Hidayah graduants run away from tarbiyyah, why whose fault?"

It was a debate with four sides who were The Individuals, The Teachers, The Pal and PaLS and The Parents. The Individuals were the graduants themselves, The Teachers were the teachers of Hidayah, The Pal and PaLS were peers and the senior alumni of Hidayah and The Parents were the graduants' parents.

The winners? No one really... It was a debate intended for them to speak out. To challenge points; to challenge current views. It was a debate intended for us to see how they think. To see how tentatively they walk the path of blame or if they walk the path of forgiveness.

Fourth Day

It began with the C2DC Race. Yup. There was a race after all. A decision made by us the day before based on feedback by the participants. Adaptation and preparation began the day before and ended the morning it was to start.

The race was fun. At least we enjoyed it. And participants seemed to enjoy it. There were many games and activities designed to meet our initial objectives. To complete what has not been completed through the activities so far.

The afternoon's activity was a Cooking Competition. The four teams had to compete with each other to cook the best dish. They had to work together to achieve this task. Unfortunately, I didn't get to taste the end product, but the guys who did mentioned that there were all sorts of flavours.

That night we did the rationalization for the program. Then we closed it off.

Closure

To all those who offered your support, I can only give you all my thanks for your support and appreciation of this project. Thank you all and may Allah reward you for your efforts with the handsome rewards of akhirah.

I'd like to personally thank these people:

1. Zakri, for your ideas and vigour to help out even in your busyness.
   
2. Zaid O, for offering to handle the internet info, even though it was cancelled later.
   
3. Suhaib K, for attending a meeting. Takziah to you too for your atuk's death. Innaa lilLahi wainna ilayhi raji'un.
4. Salman H, for your clues and directing the inpromptu Race.
   
5. Ubai, for your quirky quotes that made us laugh and smile.
   
6. Hafiz Bai, for your adamance in keeping your promise to join us even if you were tranferred to KL.
7. Majeed, for coming here from Sarawak just so the participants can guess your name.
   
8. Salman AR, for your ideas that kick started an inspiration in Salman H for one of the clues.
   
9. Nazihah, for volunteering early on for this project and getting lotsa things done.
   
10. Abidah, for your offer of accommodation for the akhawat participants and the use of your dad's car.
    
11. Nusaibah, for helping drive the participants around and washing the chicken for cooking.
    
12. 'Ammar, for covering me and being my tag team partner handling this project. Thanks bro!
    
13. Muhammad, for being the ever busy transportation dude.
    
14. Zayd S, for offering your quotes of "MH" and the food.
    
15. Hafiz A, for driving fast to get to food to us and for getting fined for parking when you were getting us our food.
    
16. Fathi, for your cool games. Some of which I have never seen.
    
17. Maimunah, for offering the use of your car for the akhawat. Takziah to you too for your atuk's death. Innaa lilLahi wainna ilayhi raji'un.
    
18. Shakirah, for attending the briefing meeting, even though you couldn't help.
19. 'Esam, for opening the Pej JIM very early.
    
20. Asyraf A, for the handling the tools and equipment and for posing in the camera.
    
21. Munawwar, for being cool with sharing your manja name. You also did a good job of handling activities.
22. Zahid, for handling peralatan with Asyraf and for the cool miming activity.
    
23. Hafizul Amin, for helping out with the inpromptu race clues.
    
24. Syahir, for offering your help even though you didn't foresee the banjir at home.
    
25. Amin M, for offering to help out after Xrek '06 was cancelled. I'm sorry we didn't follow up on your offer dude to the banjir and the hectic tranformation of the program.
    
26. Nabihah H, for helping out a lot with akhawat stuff.
    
27. Nisreen, for being the cool treasurer who was amanah in handling our money.

I hope I haven't left out anyone. There were so many, I had to take time to remember. If I did, just mention them to me and I'll add them here.

The Glossary

C2DC: C2-D Challenge is a sub-program of the main R2J program. It was initially planned as a race covering a significant area of Johor. Its purpose was to provide a physical and practical edge in the application of key moral values. (back)

DERU: Stands for Disaster and Emergency Response Unit. See here for more.(back)

DERUan Banjir: This is a label to refer to the work done over the weekend to relieve the flood victims by DERU JIM. DERUan C2DC is the volunteer work by the R2J participants in line with the backup plan for C2DC.(back)

Explorace: A TV show hosted on Malaysia's TV3 and sponsored by MAS and some other companies. The name is sometimes used to describe activities in the form of a race that entails a physical challenge throughout. I hate this name for any of our programs. For one, it is someone else's brainchild; thus it is unoriginal. For another, it tends to lead to confusion when participants interact with the community.(back)

PaLS: PaLS is an acronym for Persatuan Alumni SMIH which is the alumni body for the Hidayah Islamic Secondary School (SMIH). The same word is also used to refer to any of its members.(back)

R2A: The pioneer four month long post-spm training project. See R2J for details.(back)

R2J: Road 2 Jawa is the Johorian equivalent to MH-i (Madrasatul Hayah). R2J is the second R2 project whereby the preceding one was called R2A with the "A" standing for Aceh. It entails a four month long program segregated by modules run in portions throughout. 1 month of skill training, 1 month of international kembara, 2 months of entrepreneurial projects and integrated tarbiyyah activities.(back)

MS Firefox?!

Ever heard of Microsoft Firefox? Clicking on that link will get you to a parody website.

Quite humorous... Heh!

Hikayat Berita

I was prompted to write this as an email. Now I'm compelled to put this here. Haha!

---

Alkisahnya wujudlah seorang pemuda yang berpesiaran di alam yang dinamakan WWW. Arakian terjadilah pemuda ini punyai sebuah rumah di internet, terjadilah juga rumahnya beralamat yeop.mayuru@gmail.com. Maka oleh takdir yang dikehendaki yang Maha Kuasa ketika dirinya pulang dari berpesiaran, pulang ke tempatnya yang sederhana sekali terserampaklah beliau dengan utusan dari sebuah negeri WWW yang bernama Friendster.

Maka seraya berkata pemuda itu, "Apakah hendaknya hajat tuan hamba ke mari? Tempat hamba bukan mewah; bahkan sederhana sekali."

"Hamba di utuskan ke sini untuk menyampaikan berita kepada tuan hamba; bahawasanya Hari Lahir salah seorang sahabat tuan hamba adalah pada hari ini."

Maka terfikirlah pemuda itu akan tarikh hari yang ceria itu; 14/12/2006. Dan seraya teringatlah jua pemuda tersebut kepada Hari Lahir salah seorang kerabatnya. Arakian terseyumlah beliau dan berterima kasih kepada utusan yang membawa dua berita gembira walaupun tidak diketahuinya.

Beliau menjamu utusan tersebut dari negeri Friendster dan melayannya sehingga tiba waktu kepulangannya. Maka berkatalah pemuda, "Tuan Hamba. Ingin hamba khabarkan bahawa tuan hamba bukan sahaja membawa SATU berita gembira, bahkan DUA."

Maka hairanlah utusan tersebut, "Mengapa tuan hamba berkata demikian?"

"Tuan hamba telah mengingatkan hamba pada hari lahir salah seorang dari kerabat hamba."

Maka terseyumlah Sang Utusan seraya bertanya, "Apakah hamba dibenarkan mengetahui siapa gerangan kerabat tersebut?"

Sang Pemuda hanya tersenyum, "Andainya tuan hamba bijaksana... Cubalah bertekaan dengan hamba. Maka apakah tuan hamba beroleh jawapannya?"

Ok... Guess who I meant. Answer next time aight!

Xpert Chronicles: Day Four

Woke up. Fell asleep again. Arrgh!! So hard to keep awake! Consequence of last night's meeting til three. Gotta get some rest.

Woke up again. Went and washed and freshened up. Prayed Subh. Went to the Baiduri Hall. Pak Long and the other Paks were there. Apparently the participants also failed to wake early.

After some Picit² Urut² and some Berbual², Pak Anjang did In-Team.

In-Team
Task: express feelings and pent-up emotions to friends. Apologise for all wrongs and mistakes you did and forgive all wrongs and mistakes that friends did.

Did In-Team. Phased out. Nothing much registered of the morning besides the fact that these guys did In-Team.

Then we had breakfast.

Breakfast

Breakfasted with Nasi Lemak. Sambal was not adequate. But to heck with that. Was hungry; so just ate.

Photo Shoot

Forgot to mention. Last night; had photo shoot. All state reps had to pose and have the group photos taken. A few last ones on day four. Morning of day four.

Jurnal XPERT
Task: make a multimedia presentation based on videos and pictures you've taken over the four XPERT days to chronicle your journey from there to here.

The kids presented what they did over the four days. Some were creative. Some were... well... traditional. Rather liked what KL did for their multimedia.

Fell asleep during the last part of this activity. Couldn't hold back any longer. The fatigue was getting to me.

Suddenly it was over. Even Pak Anjang's summary. But hey, what the heck, guess we already knew the points from the last night's meeting.

XPERT Convo

After four days of grueling work, these kids can finally graduate out of the XPERT classroom. The four days have been cool. Enjoyed time as their facilitator. Especially the Perak and Selangor teams. Maybe they didn't go all they way according to my standards, but hey, who's to say they haven't made progress?

Congratulations to KL for acquiring the XPERT champion title and to PerTan for being the first runner-up.

Congratulations also to ikhwan Negeri Sembilan for their inspiring performance (even though Pak Anjang says otherwise) and akhawat Johor for theirs in Akademi Realiti.

Congratulations to Pahang for being chosen by Abu Nuha to win the game even though they did not come. Haha!

Congratulations and jazakumullahu khairan kathira to all fellow facilitators and the XPERT committee for pulling off one heck of a first-timer. You guys are the greatest.

Thanks and jazakumullahu khairan kathira to all pepakcik who helped support the programme. Whether for transportation, finance, accomodations or locality support. Thank you all.

Thanks and jazakumullahu khairan kathira to anyone and everyone who has ever had anything to do with this programme at all. Thank you all and may Allah bless us all with his rahmah; here and in the hereafter...


The End...

Xpert Chronicles: Day Three

Woke up. Looked at the time. 3:00 am. Slept again.

Woke up again. Looked at the time again. 4:00 am. Rose up and freshened self. Then started waking everyone else.

Started th qiyamullail at 4:30 am. Led the first solat tahajjud. Then let Mawardi continue. Everyone did 2 tahajjud prayers, 1 hajat prayer, 1 taubah prayer and a three-rakaat witir prayer.

Then did some zikr.

Went out at approximately the same time and ironed rather moist clothing (consequences of yesterday).

Did Subh Prayers. Pakcik Roslan led the jama'ah. He read the a significant lot of the surah ar-Rahman. Divided for two rakaats.

Then the Xpert participants; Zair and Maheer specifically conducted the Hai Hai Bai Bai activity.

Hai Hai Bai Bai
Task: do a "perpisahan" ceremony for the local teenagers. Make sure they become friends that is kept in contact later.

The groups combined to execute this last activity together.

They made the local teens group up in circles. Then all shook hands and embraced in farewell. Supposed it was so anyway...

Then Mak Cu gave a speech. "Alhamdulillah syukur kita kepada Allah.... To the end of her speech..."

After that, everyine went to eat.

Journey
Left for the bus station at approximately 7:15 am. Dropped the two group facilitators at the bus station and proceeded to Ulu Tiram.

Dropped by Al-Azhar for breakfast. Had the normal roti canai ration.

Continued on our way to Tiram Indah Village. Stopped at the Simpang Renggam side stop for some rest. Too drowsy to drive. Had to sleep.

Arrived at Tiram Indah Village at approximately 10:30 am. A welcoming committee of Pak Long, Kak Fidah, Insyirah and two Terengganu pengiring waited. Haha! At least it seemed like they were waiting. For us; maybe not.

Had lunch then prayed full Zuhr. Had a reason for this. All participants were to engage in the activities which include doing 'Asar at a field. So no Jama' Qasar. The facilitators also have to oblige.

Then it was time for the next activity; MP 3.

MP 3
Task: to complete the trek and any tasks on the way. Main mission and sub-missions must all be completed.

Was tasked to look after the war games section.

Location: The Stream.
Weapons: Flour-Filled Water-Inflated Balloons. And Mud.

Entered the river for initial reconnaisance. Checked out the depth and current. Also determined strategic ambush locations. Went through once then once again. Then gave the go for participant entry with stationed safety marshalls at intervals.

Briefed the first team to enter. Then entered the water. Then moved to attack position.

Then the firefight started. Many tactics were used to attack the participants. The balloon bombs weren't much use in the water and they were very limited, so we had to resort to secondary weapons stock; mud. From the riverbank.

Every team after the initial few got volleyed by the ambush team. They were also special cases. Among others; Pak Long, for being in the way and compromising our positions (Pak Long jangan marah ye! Heh!); Kak Fidah and Kak Mus, for going into the water at a bad time (sorry Kak Fidah! Bile tengah excited susah nak kawal, heh!), the pengiring who also went into the water, for not being distinguishable from the participants.

When it was all over, dipped ourselves in the water for wudhu and clean up. Then Solat in the field and back to camp.

Took a few different routes going back. Have now discovered new areas previously unexplored.

Self Service

Ate. Showered. Prayed. Rested. Prayed again. Time for Akademi Realiti.

Akademi Realiti
Task: do any sort of presentation in the form of permissible entertainment.

Watched the kids act and sing. Weren't really satisfied with most. Mostly due to lack of originality or even plain authenticity. The kids seem to be trying too hard to please the jury.

The facilitators did an act. Intoned a poem woven with songs in between. See below:

Dari Terengganu dan juga Kelantan
Dari Utara hingga ke Selatan
Masing-masing dengan semangat watan
Untuk menunjukkan yang mereka ni jagoan

Yang datang tu bukan tua2 belaka
tetapi anak2 yang muda remaja

Lagu: Remaja (UNIC)
Remaja
Ingatlah masa depanmu
Janganlah kau terleka diusia remaja

Peserta yang hadir bukan calang2
mereka nie hebat bukan kepalang
4 hari nie bersama malam dan siang
yang akan sentiasa hidup untuk berjuang

Lagu: Selamat Berjuang (Brothers)
Selamat berjuang sahabatku
Semoga Allah berkatimu
Kenangan indah bersamamu
Takkan kubiar ia berlalu

Mereka datang nie semua sehati
sanggup hidup dan juga semati
tetapi boleh ke dipegang pada janji
untuk jadi teman sejati

Lagu: Teman Sejati (Brothers)
Selama ini
Ku mencari-cari
Teman yang sejati
Buat menemani
Perjuangan suci

Datang mereka bukan sebarangan
bukan juga datang dengan angan-angan
bukan juga tanggungjawab yang ringan
tetapi penuh dengan satu perjuangan

Lagu: Satu Perjuangan (Brothers)
Dengan satu perjuangan
Satu arah tujuan
Di bawah rahmat Yang Esa
Kita melangkah... Seiringan
Satu perjuangan

Perjuangan perlukan pengorbanan yang nekad
yang mungkin berlaku setiap dekad
dan boleh berlaku pada setiap saat
tetapi mereka semua datang dengan satu tekad

Lagu: Satu Tekad (UNIC)
Berikan aku pedoman
Arah mana jalan kejayaan
Timur utara juga selatan
'Tau arah mentari terbenam

Itulah dia doa dari kami
semuga akan sentiasa kekal abadi
dulu, kini dan hingga akhirnya nanti
muga hidup kita sentiasa Allah berkati.

Lagu: Allahu (Raihan)
Allahu, Allahu, Allahu...
Allahu, Allahu, Allahu...

Tamatpun dah...

Lagu: Alhamdulillah (Raihan)
Alhamdulillah pujian bagi Allah,
Subhanallah maha suci Allah,
Allahuakbar Allah maha besar,
Segala puji hanya bagi Allah...


Muhasabah/Rationalization: The Facilitators

God knows that the meeting was a havoc. It was great in a way. All of us had lots of things to share. Some more than others. There were also issues brought up that were unforeseen before. It was good to share the experience after being isolated for sometime at each of our respective locations.

After the meeting... Slept. How I waited for the moment.

Continued in Day Four's Chronicles.

Xpert Chronicles: Day Two

Woke up. Felt lazy to actually rise up from the place where I slept. Daym hard.

After a while of Pak Cu's "jenguk²", rose up and went straight into the toilet. Spent 15 minutes settling everything from cleaning up to waste disposal.

Prayed Subuh. Jama'ah. Then ma'thurat (almost forgot again, but reminded by the kids, shamed again). A bit of tadzkirah for them on Do'a Rabitah.

Let them off to settle themselves personally and hygienically.

Waited for akhawat to arrive. Then passed the document containing the next few tasks for them. Akrab Persahabatan, Teman Sejati, Kau Sahabat Kau Teman and Hai Hai Bai Bai.

Akrab Persahabatan
Task: plan for the afternoon task (Teman Sejati). Stage of planning and initial preparation. Objective: activity planning procedures.

Told them to start discussion straight away. So they did. For a while. Then breakfast arrived.

Called for a facilitator meeting at the same time. So whilst we discussed they ate.

After that, we ate and they discussed until 9:00 am.

9:00 am: called them for a briefing on the basics of the program. Mostly they had to create/design activities with resources we provide.

Then they started to work on their project. Discussions, discussions and discussions.

Lunch was delicious. Munawwar said to mention so. It was ayam percik and veges and rice and a few other lauk.

Teman Sejati
Task: execute activities to get to know the local teenage community. Try to get them to follow the activities and ibadah through the night.

Got to the Surau early. Went early. Arrived early. Approximate time of arrival: 2:25 pm.

Since there was no one of the execution committee there yet; went and reconnoitred the entrance points for the ascent to the Bukit Soga peak. Fellow facilitators were rather beguilled by the fact that the formal entrance to "Hutan Lipur Bukit Soga" was in the midst of a housing area. Already expected such. Was like that when first came.

Second arrival at surau shows arrival just at the right time. Met with Bro Farhan again. But he couldn't stay long; had to go back to work.

The program began after a while. At the minute of this writing, introductions are being held. Taaruf seems to be going fine between the Xpert participants and the locals. Registration yields 36 local teens. Congratulates the participants in own mind.

Went and had a general look at the progress of the Xpert Participants at handling an activity. Impression so far: a lot to be improved. Taaruf was still a bit "kaku". Had to help them out a bit.

The teams divided the day's activities between them. Perak took the night's activities. Selangor took the afternoon's.

Selangor already had to modify and improvise their plans. The weather did not seem good enough for absolute outdoor activities.

The kids played "Goreng Pisang". Watched them for a bit. Up to one point it had come to the word "korban". The receiving team returned "korban orang"!! Imagine that! Haha! Another one was the word "mana". The receiving team returned "mana mana"! Hilarious!

It turned out that the team for the outdoor activity went on with their original plan. Aaaaand whole contingent got caught in the rain. Great. really great. Got wet. Most wet.

Then they made another decision. They further decided to go on with the plan. Reasoning: now that everyone's already wet, might as well.

They did 'Asar prayers at the entrance to the forest. In the rain. Woah... Super woah. Then they continued the original plan for the obstacle course.

Approximately 5:10 pm; ordered the ones who have finished to return to the surau. No use being kept wet when you can already get dry.

Returned to the surau. Got dry. Then after a while, ate some snacks provided by the local pakcik/makcik community (guessing).

And then it was time for the next activity: Kau Sahabat Kau Teman.

Kau Sahabat Kau Teman
Task: i'tikaf at a masjid, tadzkirah after maghrib or 'isya'. Discuss clues for 3rd Day and strategies for getting there quickest.

Settled down at the surau. Oh... It was a surau. Not a masjid.

Ate dinner. Socialized with the kids. Got to know them beter.

Did Maghrib Prayers. Jama'ah. Of course.

Watched the kids group up. Three groups. Broke the Selangor group (now without tasks but to help the Perak team). Hannan gave a briefing for the kids on the night's program.

Then they tadarrused. "Bismillahi r-Rahmaani r-Rahiim... to the end of the reading."

Prepared for 'Isya' after that. In the front saf when suddenly the Maghrib Imam passed the mic to us. Oops.

Opened the next activity block with 3S and the Kasih Sayang terminology attribution. Then passed on the mic to Hannan for the next activity.

Forum Perdana. Have heard that it's gonna be a bit different. The moderator was Maheer; the panels were Faris, his twin Fais, Meor Azim and Aiman.

Then came the moment everyone was waiting for. The games. They conducted the game 5 cent, 10 cent for the kids. Watched them at it. The kids had fun. The Xpert participants had fun. Until they rationalized it. Apparently it was a simulation of valuing another person. And they made it as if the kids were valuing their friends as ONLY 10 cents or 5 cents. And if they don't need the cents, they'll kick out their friends.

Then the program for the day came to an end.



Hai Hai Bai Bai continued on Day Three's Chronicles.

Xpert Chronicles: Day One

Woke up. Felt tired, maybe due to last night's late bedtime. Late due to tag-making. Got ready; packed the bag. Was thinking quite unclearly.

Scrambled frantically to meet the time limit. Deadline 7:30 am at rendezvous point. Arrived at 7:50. Good thing fuel sufficed.

Topped up fuel. Exchanged important Xpert material with Kak Fida. Acquired Xpert program package. Gave the tags in return.

Zoomed all the way to the BP Bus Station. Arrived at 9:35 am. Immediately went to meet Perak participants. Kinda took them by surprise. Introduction with bewildered faces on them.

Gave first task. 3 Abduls.

3 Abduls
Task: sell prepared items brought along for total amount RM300 at least. Points given on strategic planning, marketing tactics and group mobilization.

Left them after Selangor group arrived and briefed. Headed straight to next destination: Masjid in Parit Raja near BSN. Zuki accompanied.

Arrival at the time of Zuhr. Straightaway did prayers; jama'ed and qasared. Then tried to rest in waiting. Felt superbly drowsy. Drifted to sleep soon as I laid my head on the floor.

2:30 pm. Received report from both teams. Apparently both on the way, on the same bus.

Waited still more. Stomach cried to be filled.

Met Mak Cu. Just briefing Makcik when participants arrived; time 3:15 pm. God knows how long time seemed before that moment.

Debriefed them. Then straight away briefed for next activity: Pak Belalang.

Pak Belalang
Task: to visit and help out with the day's chores at the homes of selected poor people. Or any other chores for that matter.

Drove team Perak guys to Nenek Rahimah's home. First impression: very poor. Single small wooden house. Estimate about 3 rooms; living room, bedroom and kitchen.

Greetings exchanged. Team Perak seems a bit frozen. Probably since it's their first time exposed to such in adequacy. Decided to briefly join in. The participants seemed to need somebody to begin. Began the interaction while helping Amin to initiate activity. Tackled Bro Zaidi (i think?) whilst Amin tackled Nenek Rahimah and her foster daughter.

Went out again to join Pak Cu. Decided against dominating the scene. The kids needed to actually DO to acquire experince.

Outside, "Sembang-sembanged" with Pak Cu for a while then gave the marker for the guys to leave in a little more time.

Went back to say farewell to the hosts.

When back in the car, questioned; might say interogated the participants to see how much the learnt or extracted from the hosts. Rather satisfactory. Evident progress.

Went to Pak Cu's and settled down. After settling down, briefed participants on Musang Berjanggut.

Musang Berjanggut
Task: cook something based on ingredients provided. Plan the process, delegate the tasks. New objective: do simultaneous with Tadzkirah; measure to tackled time shortage problem.

Initial activity seemed like a flurry of going-ons. Participants took turns between doing tasks and freshening up. They also collaborated between the groups. Suddenly after a while it seemed like only a few are cooking and planning the Tadzkirah.

Maghrib prayers. Unfortunately forgot to do ma'thurat. Shamed for failing to initiate.

Stopped for a while for tadzkirah (see below).

They laid the food down for the guests. The esteemed teenage guests. And few facilitators. The plan was let the guests eat first. This is due to the fact that the curry was not going to finish cooking before 9:00 pm. And the guests could not stay too long. Joined in. Purpose: to "raikan tetamu".

Later on after the guests have gone back and the curry has finished cooking the participants laid down the food for themselves. Watched as they did so. Could not join in due to having a full stomach. Treated

it with drinks anyway.

After they finished eating; continued for the nest activity: Rationalization for Day One.

Rationalization (Day One)
Collective sharing of experiences and emotions. A bit of pointers and highlights on management, public speaking and socializing. Basically that is all.

Continued in Day Two's Chronicles.

Cute!! My Ex-Naqib's Son

Daym... You'd never hear the end of that. A guy saying "Cuuute!!"?!

Here's why:

This here is Marwan. Marwan... Meet everyone else.

"Assalamu'alaykum everyone... I'm a bit shy..."

Created or Evolved?

I just read these 2 articles:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/11/27/id_blighty/
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/09/26/evolution_in_court/

You know what my first thought was?
That evolutionists are hypocrites.

They claim that the Theory of Creation is UNSCIENTIFIC (yes... exactly their term) because it is not testable. Well... If you look at evolution, then you can see that it's not testable. That's why it remains a THEORY. Because it is NOT PROVEN. And it isn't proven because there are NO methods by which to TEST whether or not evolution is the process through which we came to be.

Read this:
http://www.harunyahya.com/evolution_specialpreface.php

That's actually a book. The Evolution Deceit by Harun Yahya. You can download the PDF. You can also read it online. You could also buy the hardcopy book if you want.

This disproves a lot of the claims of evolutionists. It also proves the impossibility of evolution.

---

My Ramblings on Evolution

Many people take evolution for granted because in their 'rational' minds, they cannot accept a power that rules over every single particle in the universe. It would mean an acceptance of power greater than man. THAT would not be acceptable.

Remember, men have limited memory. Men can only remember what is recorded in documents of all sorts and whatever they go through in their lifespan. Even the most intelligent of men cannot remember what is not recorded or not etched in their memory. What men do not remember... is the unknown. Men fear the unknown. Now THAT would be unacceptable.

So some men create a THEORY as to their origins. So as not to be insecure of their identities. Oh, they were told by Allah of where they came from alright:

"12. Man we did create from a quintessence (of clay); 13. Then we placed Him As (A drop of) sperm In a place of rest, firmly fixed; 14. Then we made the sperm into a clot of congealed blood; then of that clot we made a (foetus) lump; then we made out of that lump bones and clothed the bones with flesh; then we developed out of it another creature. so Blessed be Allah, the best to create!" (al-Mu'minuun:12-14)

But they cannot believe the scriptures... because those are from some "UNKNOWN HIGHER POWER". Which would be UNACCEPTABLE.

No... Not even when the Allah honours man with his status as khalifah (vicegerent):

"Behold, Thy Lord said to the angels: 'I will create a vicegerent on earth.' They said: 'Wilt Thou place therein one who will make mischief therein and shed blood?- whilst we do celebrate Thy praises and glorify Thy holy (name)?' He said: 'I know what ye know not.' " (al-Baqarah:30)

So driven by disbelief they ponder based on some little animals. Remains of animals. Fossils of those long past. They made guesses. With nothing to confirm that he was wrong, he takes it for granted. He sees not that there was nothing to confirm he was right. Well... Humans are only humans. To be wrong... Now THAT would be unacceptable.

Then after some time... With pride he declares, "Our ancestors were... Apes!" Oh that would be true, but only for the Bani Israil:

"And well ye knew those amongst you (Bani Israil) who transgressed In the matter of the Sabbath: we said to them: 'Be ye apes, despised and rejected.' " (al-Baqarah:65).

Now to me and the Muslims... Having apes for ancestors? THAT would be unacceptable.

Email Paranoia... Email, Email, Email...

Yup.... Like the title says.

I do NOT like chain mail. REALLY dislike. If I get any... Tup, tup, shut eyes... Open eyes. DELETED!

I do NOT like emails that give focus on "CONSPIRACY", oh pardon me, "ALLEGED CONSPIRACY". What with the Christian Cross on the roof of KUSTEM, Cross shaped pens, Allah's name allegedly printed on plastic cups, Allah's name allegedly printed on slipper soles... Aaaand many more.

I do NOT like forwarded emails. Especially if they were forwarded without thinking. ESPECIALLY when that already is true, the senders don't even know how to get rid of the annoying previous senders header. Yup... Exactly what it is. AN-NOY-ING!

I do NOT like rubbish email. The ones that when you read 'em, makes you gag. Ok, so maybe not gag. But enough to make you loath them anyway.

I do NOT like emails that were written as if you were writing a phone text message. What's the freakin' use of the QWERTY keyboard then?!? It's not even the Multiple-Key Keypad where you might have to type a number a few times to get what you want.



But... I don't know la... The seasons are changing. You know what it's called, E-MAIL. So it's easy to forward without thought. So it's easy to write garbage mail... Hey... It's not even expensive... Why SHOULD you labor to write... At one time in the past... If you want to send mail... At least you have to spend a few cents... And that's if the destination's relatively close, if you're mailing far away?? Probably it'll consume your Ringgits, dollars... So you write with FULL grammar and punctuation. You write the sentences BEAUTIFULLY... PEEEERRRGH... It WOULD be a GOOD READ. (Even though sometimes it also be good laughs).

But NOW... Nowadays people are lazier... Lazier to write, lazier to read... Yeah. You type and type... A few words and fatigue takes you... You don't even want to look at the keyboeard anymore. Yeah... It's tiring to actually THINK, isn't it? Yeah... It's understandable. There's a bunch of world problems to worry about. So why bother with emailing properly?!

WAKE UP!!!

If there's a lot to worry about... Don't forward useless email. Those that do not increase your Iman. Those that do not sharpen your mind. Those that are of no use but to stuff my inbox!

If there's a lot to worry about... Write properly. At least get the punctuations right. The capitals, the upper cases, the lower cases. A period here, a comma there. If even this you do not do... Then add another problem of the world: "LANGUAGE DISAPPEARS FROM THE MINDS OF THE YOUTH".

If there's a lot to worry about... Write about the observation on actual problems! Problems that thereaten the Iman! If choose not to write about problems, then write on how to solve them... Share your experiences! Don't write on something like "Cross Shaped Pen?!", or "Cross on KUSTEM's Roof?!", or... or... others, a lot of others, that are more ignorant... These articles... increase your amal? These articles... increase your iman? Many a but speculation... Fitnah is everywhere. Prejudice is everywhere.

If there's a lot to worry about... Why don't we look for sources of knowledge? The first; al-Qur'an. The second; as-Sunnah. The third; ijma'... and so on... Why do not verify the origins of news?? Why do we forward emails because we fear the "CHAIN LETTER" azab?! Where is your mind that Allah has gifted? Where is the soul that can the ? Where? Where?



He who is not satisfied with the attitude of people,
He who is not satisfied with his lowly self,
He who is frustrated with the laziness of the Ummah to think and comprehend...
He is I...

'Umayr Sayfurrahman bin Ainullotfi
Student,
Computer Science (Software Engineering).

My Grandfather

I tried thinking of catchy titles for this entry... But no... NOthing came to mind.

Anyhow, in case anyone did not know yet, my grandfather met his last hour on Monday (13/11/2006). Probable cause: massive heart attack. At least that's what mom said based on the evidence.

That was the day of my second final paper. That was the day I was intending to celebrate being able to actually fill in more than 90% of the answers on that paper.

Lemme reiterate the events according to my POV. Here goes:

13 Nov 2006
1945:
I was at a friend's room when I got a call from my father asking me when's my next paper.

My feelings... Bewildered.

My guess... Something urgent came up.

Preparing to listen seriously, I buckled myself for any possibility that came to mind. The last time it was this serious was when my moyang died. I gave my answer, "On Friday. Why?"

"Atuk collapsed just now. Seems serious. We going back to kampung. Byang's staying, you?" my dad said. I do not remember exactly what he said, but the gist of it is all there I guess. All dialogue included are all approximations.

"Staying..." I replied. Well. I got an exam coming. And it's one of my critical subjects. maybe I didn't even want to believe the seriousness of the situation. Still, I thought, I had to be pragmatic. My brother also needs support on this end of Malaysia for his exams.

"OK. So later we'll be going. I'll keep you updated on Atuk's condition." Abah replied and hung up.

I kept to myself for a moment. Pondering the situation. I decided to stay for a while at my friends room.

Then Abah called again trying to arrange things here and for the team going back to kampung. And he said "Come home la Yeop. Easier to arrange things."

With that, I immediately went back.

2015:
Arrived home. Joined them for dinner. Then discussions started.

The original plan was as I said, for everyone but me and my bro Byang to go back to Ipoh. So we arranged it likewise. Then in the middle of dinner, Tok Polis (one of my father's uncles), called and advised for ALL of us going back, the situation seems really serious. So my father decided that we're all going back.

We finished dinner; prepared for travel. A long night's travel.

2145:
We took off. I drove the Merce; Angah drove the Iswara. The travel plan:

Destination: Ipoh, Perak
Detours: 1. Pick Mom up at Seremban (she had to attend a course), 2. Pick Mak Usu up at UPM

2200+:
Some along the stretch of the Johor PLUS, Tok Polis called again. He confirmed that Atuk has now passed away.

Innaa lillahi wainnaa ilayhi raji'uun...

2330+:
Arrived at Seremban, Allson Klana resort.

Pick Mom up. Driver & Co-driver shuffling.

Merce: Abah and Mom
Iswara: Angah and Yeop

14 Nov 2006
0100+:
Arrived at Serdang. Picked up Mak Usu. Abah's bongsu sister who's only 4 years older than I am (more like a sister to me than an aunt).

0200-0430:
Continued travels.

Stopped here and there for snacks, rest and toilet breaks.

0500:
Arrival at the destination.

We entered Atuk's house and we saw his body laid on his bed in the living room. It's kinda shocking. He looked so peaceful that might've only been sleeping.

Imagine the mix of emotions.

I guess there was a tiny bit of hope left that I began to wonder maybe he's only sleeping. Maybe there's a rise and fall of breathing still. But in the same moment... There was also acceptance. Acceptance that he was in this world no longer. There was a need to console Opah. There was a need to be her support, to be my father's support, to be my aunts' support; to be my family's support.

0600:
Subuh...

Determining that I couldn't do anything as yet. I prayed then slept.

0800:
My siblings woke me up. Got breakfast. Saw people coming in. All kinds of relatives and friends. Helped out here and there whenever I could. In my mind; I'm definitely going to solatkan Atuk.

0900-1130:
Waited for RM Nazrin. Atuk was a close friend at the istana. So RM Nazrin wanted to show his respect and give his condolences.

So we waited. During that time, the amount of people coming accumulated. By 1130, the porch was full of people. God knows who they were. I didn't recognize many of them as family members; so I guessed they were the Dato's and orang besars.

1130:
RM Nazrin arrived. He prayed for Atuk and offered condolences to Opah and Abah as the family representatives.

Then he went.

And suddenly there was a lot less people. That's one of the things that ticked me off actually. Where most of these people here for my grandfather? Or just because the RM came? Allah knows... Nevertheless, it still ticked me off.

1145:
Atuk's bathing. I did not take part. Abah did though. I prepared for the Jenazah Prayer.

1230:
Prayed the Jenazah Prayer for Atuk. I realised that there was really nothing much I could do about his death. The only thing is to pray, pray and pray. So I prayed.

Allahumma ghfir lijaddiy, warhamhu, wa'aafihi, wa'fu 'anhu. Allahumma ghfir lahu, warhamhu, wa'aafihi, wa'fu 'anhu. Allahumma ghfir lahu, warhamhu, wa'aafihi, wa'fu 'anhu. Allahumma ghfir lahu, warhamhu, wa'aafihi, wa'fu 'anhu...

1245:
Abah made a speech as the only son of my grandfather. He mentioned the normal things; tuntutan hutang and whatnot. Then he mentioned Atuk. He mentioned the fact that Atuk brought him up. He mentioned the fact that Atuk was well respected by those who knew him. He mentioned Atuk with never a lack of stories/experiences to tell...

I cried... This was the only time I ever cried when we went back. I did not cry when we received news of his death. I did not cry when I saw his body. I did not cry lifting him up for bathing. I did not cry praying for him. But the tears were too sorrowful to hold back then. So I let it go...

1300:
Went to the Masjid. Did the Zuhr Solah. Did the Jenazah Prayer again. Prayed for Atuk again and again.

1400:
Went to the graveyard. Went through the talkin.

Then we went back to Atuk's house.

===============

I guess the main events ended then. It was sudden. And it did happen at a critical time. With our exams and all.

BUT it did teach us some lessons.

1. The age old lesson that death may come at a time not pondered. Yet this lesson always forgotten by most and many.
   
2. Death may come in any way unexpected. Yet another lesson always forgotten; blown away by pleasure and fun.
3. Death is not a thing to be feared. The weakness of the ummah is due to al-wahn. Love of adDunya; fear of death.
   
4. It's OK to be sad. BUT never to utterly lose self-control over things that we may never control.
5. Fateful events should be taken in stride. Such things should never slow your pace in life. Face it. Overcome it.
   

Plans, Ambitions, Aspirations... But Short-Term?

Here's what I'm gotta do in the next weeks (I think... And God willing):

1. Start to REALLY think about PSM I & II. Maybe convert one of my projects towards that end.
   
2. Prepare exams (3 left as of now).
3. Prepare software framework.
4. Prepare software requirements specification doc.
5. Take exams (like above; 3 left).
6. Plan for certain "travel programs" (hehe! top secret). Two to be exact.
   
7. Plan PPMT.
   
8. Go to man a showcase on KRj.
9. Go to one sister's wedding.
   
10. Execute the "travel programs" mentioned above.
11. Execute PPMT.
    
12. Extort some free Iqra' members to go to a HEP program *laughs deviously at this*.
    
13. Facilitate with R2J proceedings.
    
14. Facilitate KRj activities.
15. Register next semester subjects.
    
16. Finish of ONE software design and implementation.
    
17. Finish a few more books. Hopefully some 'ilmiyyah ones.

Oh God!! What IS this?? I am so gonna kill meself with this list... Don't take it literally!!

Salam dan Maaf

Assalamu'alaykum warahmatullah...

Suatu ketika sedang ana bertaip² di komputer yang tak seberapa nih tetibe terfikir...

Aku nih... confirm ke dapat hidup lagi lepas nih? Aku nih... Macaaaam la dalam taip-menaip nih akan terus berpeluang bernafas... Terus berpeluang menggerakkan jari-jemari nih... Dapat terus berpeluang untuk melaksanakan semua apa yang terdapat dalam kepala nih....

Sesampainye fikiran tuh kat ana... Teringat...

Aku nih... Mulut aku bukannye baik sangat... Lelagi la jari nih... Mudah je nak kutuk orang kengkadang tuh. Tak kiralah... Sebut ke... Tak sebut ke... Tulis ke... Tak tulis ke... Ntah le ek... Pesaaaalla macam tak sedar diri jugak nih. Kalau terkene sakit... Kalau buat kalau buat kat orang, "Padan muka dia!" pulak... Isy... Isy... Ape aku nak jadi nih...

Terus menerus imbasan...

Aku nih... Macam confirm je leh masuk syurga. Dah ler amal tak tentu... Berterabur... Selalu menangguh... Ntahle. Kenapa nih?? Ya Allah!! Kenapa dengan aku nih?? Apakah takde sikit pun harapanku terhadap redhaMu?

Aku nih... Berangan amalan dah power... Perkara lagha masih lagi teruskan...

Aku nih... Berangan dah cukup da'wah. Tengok orang lain; JAAAUUUUUH lagi hebat! Sombong sangat... Keras sangat ke hati nih?? Ya Alllaaaaah! Lembutkanlah hati dan jiwaku ya ALLAH!

Terdetik pula...

Eh... Lama dah rupanya aku tak memohon ampun. Tak kiralah... Memohon ampun dari Allah lama tak buat. Mohon ampun dari keluarga pun lama gak. Kengkawan... LAAAAAAGIIlah.

Oleh itu....

Seandainya hidup ni ditakdirkan tidak melebihi saat ini di dunia. Ikhwan dan akhawatku seIslam... Maafkan ana, 'Umayr Sayfurrahman, atas apa silap yang pernah ana lakukan... Atas apa terkasar bahasa. Atas semua yang terlepas kata. Atas tanggungjawab yang terlepas. Atas semua kesalahan dan kesilapan. Maafkanlah.... Maafkanlah... Maafkanlah setulus hati...


'Umayr Sayfurrahman bin Ainullotfi
Student,
Computer Science (Software Engineering)

My Siblings And I

I was rummaging in my father's website when I found these. Cute aren't we? Heheh!

Link to Computer Jokes

Here y'are. If they ain't no fun then I don't got nuthin' to do with it.

adDu'a for Pakcik Norkhair

My parents just came back from the hospital from visiting Pakcik. We received news tadi at around about after 'isya' and a bit more that he collapsed sometime after maghrib. He's in a state of coma and according to my mom on the level of 8/15. Cause is unknown. Strokes might be possible but not confirmed as yet.

Pakcik is one of my best friends' father and also my father's friend. We've known him and his family since I was very small. He's a jovial guy who can relate to any person regardless of age.

Everyone especially those who know him, please, please, please pray for him. May Allah help him regain health. Your du'as would probably count, especially in this month of Ramadhan.

Issues of Statement and Source?

Here's a statement I got from an email:

What can we eat nowadays?


Dear OREO Luvers,

For those who can't read Mandarin, here is the translated version
of the article attached below:

OREO CONTAINING TRANS FAT BRINGS DAMAGES TO HEALTH

An attorney from California filed a lawsuit against Krafts,
stating that OREO produced by the company not only causes damages in
health, but also dishonestly promote their products; requesting the company to
halt the sales of OREO in the market.

OREO contains hydrogenated oil or Trans fats, to prolong the
storage of the biscuit, but at the mean time increase the consumption of
BAD CHOLESTEROL, increasing the possibility of diabetes and heart disease.

INCREASE IN CONSUMPTION OF CHOLESTEROL

Although the research on Trans Fats affecting health has not been
concluded, the national institute of science research states that any
amount of Trans Fats consumed is not safe.

So far... THE BAN is UNCONFIRMED. They have only filed a lawsuit... Whether or not the lawsuit is passed is another story. And even that is only in California. Not the US as a whole or even Europe.

Edit: The BAN LAWSUIT has BEEN DROPPED. See edit details.

Here's a quote:

Oreo cookies should be banned from sale to children in California, according to a lawsuit filed by a San Francisco attorney who claims that trans fat -- the stuff that makes the chocolate cookies crisp and their filling creamy -- is so dangerous children shouldn't eat it.

Taken from this page (from site www.sfgate.com)

Alternative source:
http://edition.cnn.com/2003/LAW/05/14/oreo.suit/index.html

Why Ban Trans Fat (Oreo Case):
http://www.bantransfats.com/theoreocase.html


Those are the sources found. Ok. My point is not that you can't distribute news like this. Only do it with the correct statement AND with the right source. Distribution of news/stories that are incorrect/unfounded/baseless/gossips are what makes the Ummah's knowledge foundation weak. In goes on and on... Old mysticism not fully dispelled and new ones appear already.

The other thing is the need for us to verify news before passing it on to others. This is on the basis of guarding what is right. This is also on the basis of NOT spreading lies.

Allahua'lam...

Edit details: Yup it has been dropped. But it's true that it's only in California and not in all US and Europe. The article mentioned in the alternative source mentions it.

Edit 2: Ya Allah... I keep finding inconsistencies here. Sheesh. Amendments made.

PIcs at Kolam Air

I turned up some more things in my comp. Here's another KRj thingy... This was a motivation program at Sekolah Kolam Air, BP. That's about all the task force at the time. I also remember that we (guys only!) slept at my mum's temporary house right across the road. She worked in HBP for about a year and a bit last year. And at the time she wasn't using it, so it was empty and waiting to be filled by us... Hahaha!




Me! This pic was taken for the introduction session "Knowing Me Knowing You." Been a looooong time since I seen this one. Heh! How'd I look? *smirks like the pic*

The First Trip To Taman Negara Endau-Rompin

I looked through my Picasa picture albums and look what I found!

This was the time when the KRj team went to Endau-Rompin National Park to do a bit of 'recce'-ing. KRj didn't actually get to hold any activities here though. But the effort wasn't wasted. Other groups took up the challenge to camp there after our pioneering mission. I also went there eventually for camping with some friends.

Find me in stripes! Have fun!

The Blue Dome

Hey, hey... Here's the Famous UTM Blue Dome. Nope... It ain't no sport stadium... Rather the opposite; it's a MASJID!


And here's the pic again enhanced...

Are you a LEADER? The quiz taken...

I just took a quiz for the Co-Q Leadrship Leadership class.

Wow... Been a long time since I had to write THAT much. Hahah~!






What?
You thought this entry was a quiz on leadership?

Naaaaah~! =Þ

To DO... Or NOT to do?

I got this offer...

To build an online system for national access. Kinda cool. But I don't have no teammates to do it with yet.

So... Question: Should I ACCEPT? Or NOT?

Tarbiyyah Fii Ramadhan?

Hmm...
Think, think, think...

What is it?
Ramadhan is a madrasah...
One for reassembling and recollecting your faith and fikrah.

Rebuild your faith.


BuuuUUT... It only works if you want it to.

Now the question...
DO YOU WANT IT TO?

Lalalala! PSM WOohOo!

PSM Journal: Dropped for this semester... Now I can focus on other things!

Ramadhan journal: Darn, a week after and I'm lagging?! Darn again... Maybe it was better if had to walk...
...
...
On second thoughts...

Sketch it? Sketch what? SketchUp!

Yup. SketchUp is Google's 3D design software.

My take on it so far...

1. It's simple
2. It's easy
3. It's cool

Only... I can't the heck get my hands on the freaking pro version! But only the trials... HUaaaa!! *tears welling up in eyes as Yeop looks at the price tag* Crazy price!!

Edit: Here's where to find out what it's about...

Uh-Oh...

My second lil'-est sister just said she was gonna post more stuff on lil'-baby-me!

*Sirens blaring*RED ALERT!!! RED ALERT!!! *Sirens still blaring*


"Yeop Mayuru: An Interest In Life" Newsanchor: The latest news we received was that "wArdAtuZzArQaa'-bLueRose" is gonna post up more stories on 'Umayr-When-He-Was-A-Tot. This could be dee-ZAST-rous! So before anything happens, we encourage to apply full filtering on any information disclosed on the said site. That's all for now. We'll be updating you later on the matter.

RM 350 Bike

What do you get fer that much money?

Hmm... Here's what you get:

1. Disc brakes (front)
2. Suspension systems (front & back)
3. 18 gear levels
   
4. Gear transmission that's integrated into the handlebar

Listening Journal: Right now listening to Best Nasyids - beginnings of Nasyidul Kataib

Ramadhan Journal: Hah! Got to 4.5 now. Trying to add 1 more to the 3. Still at 16 and 2 + 1.

Journals

Listening Journal: Right now listening to Surah² Hafazan - Currently Surah asSaff

Ramadhan Journal: Still 3.5. However 2 smooth is now kinda 3. Yes! Kept "down by 16" at bay! Aaaand I got 2 + 1 added in! Yay! Allahuakbar!!

PSM Journal: Heck... Didn't know it was this hard to focus on this sucka... I gotta finish this by Friday! Work hard, 'Umayr! *ties a bandana written "work, work, work!" to forehead*

Anything-Else Journal: Transportation sucks. Gotta start off like an hour at least before class. Then walk the few KM that would take me but 10 minutes by car!! Heck... That hour takes into account

1. Walking outside to Sri Pulai,
   
2. Waiting for Bus to Tmn U,
3. Waiting for Bus to UTM,
   
4. Walking to the faculty...
5. ...
6. ...
7. ...

Okay, so 5, 6, 7 are irrelevant but all that *looks at list* still would take more than an hour. An hour is the BEST scenario!

Before, I found it too troublesome so since I don't like waiting, I just walked all the friggin' way to UTM. And MAAAAN I don't wanna think of doing it everyday...

Mebbe I should just go getta bike... Hmmm... *eyeing the RM 350 bike with brake discs, suspension systems and cool gearing system*


Bike is just gambar hiasan.

Wonder, Wonder; Wondereth Away

Wonder why I'm not bothering to write more'n a few stingy lines?

The answers:

1. I don't want to
2. I don't feel like it
3. I don't wanna with you
4. Suits me fine
   

And if it bothers you, find another blog to read.

p/s: Oh yeah, I finished few whole sets of stories.

p/ss: Ramadhan Journal -Up to 3.5 now. Plus 2 smooth. Oh... Also down by 16 (darn).

Final Year; Almost Final Year

This year should be my final year here at UTM.

Unfortunately, I have to extend my stay.

ARRGH! PSM sucks... God, help me with this task.

Yeop The Tot

My cheeky lil' sister put a picture of Me-The-Baby on her blog.

Reflect and See

Yesterday - Pondering and reflection.
Today morning - Boredom and confusion.
Today afternoon - relaxation and a bit of elation.
Now - darn where will i find me?!

Pain of Thought

I have to settle my Literature Review. It's a pain. It's a pain to think about.

Lost and Spirit

I lost me... I will find me!!!

OMG! Still Many?!

Yeah!! Still many people that I haven't added to my friend list!!

Oh God... I gotta find some time...

Sorry youse all... I'll try later.

Birth And Death

This is a poem I made for some people's birthdays.
Dunno if I got the english right though... Wanted it to be somewhat classic. Heh!
Enjoy!

---------------
A year passeth hence,
That meaneth a year less...
A year less to live,
Yet a year more of life lived.

Reflect thy soul in the memories...
Taketh from it lessons
With which thou may liveth truer and better.
Thus liveth true to thy principles,
Thou then shalt be content to thy heart.

For thus...
Art wisheth thou good birthday,
For that it bringeth meaning to.

First Malay??

Hey! i just noticed!
My last post was my first in Malay!

*allows myself to bask in a rather profound sense of discovery*

Cinta... Benarkah Cinta Ini?

Cinta...
Kerap dicari di mana jua,
Terdorong kegersangan di jiwa manusia.
Tergalak dek kekosongan diri yang melopong hampa,
Tanpa iman tanpa agama.

Apakah benar cinta yang dicari?
Dikait cinta dengan nafsu durjana?
Diikat cinta dengan kepesongan dunia?
Dinama cinta pabila kegirangan terasa...
...lantaran perbuatan yang asasnya dosa?

Namun cinta sebenar yang perlu dicari...
Cinta pada Allah yang tak kunjung mati...
Cinta hakiki yang kekal abadi...
Cinta yang tak kenal noda atau kotoran diri...
Cinta pada ilah yang padaNya kita Abdi...
Cinta ikhlas padaNya yang tulus suci...
Berapa ramaikah berjaya mencari?
Berapa jiwakah mampu menghayati?

Hanya padaNya kita kembali...
Cinta lainnya kan kian pergi...
Meninggalkan diri ini...
Melayar sepi,
Di pelabuhan ukhrawi...
Yang tidak mampu manusia kembali...

Kembalilah manusia, kepada Allahu Rabbiy...

Slow But Sure Steps

Assalamu'alaykum warahmatullah...

The past three weeks has been a very hectic period for me... Here's a summarised inventory:

1. Send me bro off to register in UTM
   
2. Register current semester subjects
3. Pay late regitration compound
   
4. Think of PPKI (Program Pengenalan Kelab Iqra')
5. Think of Microsoft certificates for the CL AJKs
   
6. Find out about change of naqib
   
7. Do PPKI (week long)
8. Roadshow for PPKI
   
9. Think of final year project topic
10. Get really interested in ANNs
11. Think of new mad'u
12. Design Microsoft Certs
    
13. Start thinking on Laylu Iqra'
    
14. Got final year project topic rejected
15. Get serabut thinking some more about the topic
16. Do some research on viable topics
17. Got serabut some more
18. Read a few books
19. Send Microsoft Certs for verification and printing
    
20. Absorb whole volumes of info on all sorta things
21. Get interested in lectures
22. Do Software Quality quiz (very open-ended Qs)
23. Get new FYP topic (like it very much)
    
24. Study/research new topic: Application of Artificial Neural Networks for Writer Identification
25. Settle MS CL finance tie ups
    
26. Go for first usrah with new naqib
27. Go to Gunung Pulai
28. Go to Parit Raja
29. Get things done for Laylu Iqra'
30. Be The Pres for Laylu Iqra'
    
31. Research FYP topic summore

And that's only those I could remember... There're prolly a whole host more. Aaaand that's basically it. Things I shoulda blogged about but did not. Maybe I'll be abit more rajin next time. But until then...

Wassalam

Back From Camp; 1001 Feelings And Reflections

I just got back from camp. Back from 'reprogramming' myself. Back from going out wild in the outdoors. Back from stepping outside my safe haven of computers and comfy chairs. And back home like a fisherman's ship that returns to the harbor after harvesting the riches of the ocean.

I have always treasured experience. Never mind what sort of experience. Oh, there are some that I dislike. Those I do not look for. Yet if they come, I will accept and make it part of 'programming' myself as adDa'ie and a mu'min. In relation to that I now know I will cherish the memories and lessons learnt in the past week of struggling to better myself.

The past holiday I have oft found myself in a state of declining fluctuation. Constantly going up and down between high and low points of iman. And even in that state, the high points tend to get lower as time moves on. I became immersed at a point in a state of confused depression.

I had a few projects to get done, and yet due to this depression, I was taking a lot of time. Conflicts were building up inside. A building friction between the urgent sense of need to get things done and another feeling of need to get away and let go.

Until last week... A whole week and a day of rethinking; restructuring thoughts and filters and rebuilding whole again my iman.

In the past years... I have always tried to get away from such kinds of programs. I have always felt sufficient. Felt an arrogance that blocked me from seeing that nothing is ever sufficient in building iman. You can never have sufficient iman. You can never have sufficient things that drive you to Allah. You must always try for more. Yet... I felt that way.

Somehow this year that feeling escaped me. Maybe the urgent need to reform myself opened my eyes to see what was right. Maybe I did something I thought was small and inconsequential but helped me in a way to gain Allah's Hidayah. But whatever it is... This year I felt a certain relief and happiness to be able to join the whole camp. The whole length of it. Even the nights.

The first part of the camp were indoor activities, which had the guys camping at my old home. The house that I now refer to as The Old House at Desa. Or simply The Old House. There were about 8-10 people most of the time there. And the great thing was that the internet was also still there. Therefore I could also go about my Iqra' obligations to communicate to the others (who were not there) without having to leave the programme much.

The whole week passed with a kind of tranquility. In contrast, it was also quite fun. In that, I mean the getting together and doing all this together between brothers of the same faith who accept and understand the same path. We sometimes joked around. We ta'arufed more with each other. Getting to know each better than before. We also got to know the habits of each other. Said in Malay: kami berukhuwwah bersama.

The last part of the week was an outdoor camp. The destination not told to us even on the morning of departure to wherever it is. The reason: we had to go find the camp spot ourselves. The first activity module happened to be something like an explorative journey/treasure hunt. Something like the reality shows 'The Amazing Race' or Malaysia's 'Explorace' without the fancy prizes and the competition.

We had to go and find certain checkpoints located all over the state of Johor. And then there were tasks at each of these checkpoints. We were tested on our PR abilities, our creativity, our guts, our financial management, our street wisdom, our knowledge and I believe whole array more of other things. A fun experience. And a one to spark reflection and pondering. You know how I was ranting on The Importance of Da'wah Fardiyyah before? Well, at the time we were forced to apply the first part of it; approaching the mad'u. So it was like I said... A very reflective experience.

When we arrived at Teluk Gorek, Mersing (yes, the final destination was Mersing), we set up camp, prepared dinner, solat Maghrib and 'Isya' (jama'-ed), had the lessons-learnt section for the day's activity and commenced on to the night activity: Penghayatan Malam. For those of you who do not know me, I am a facilitator of KRj Johor, and I gone through a range of Penghayatan Malam modules. Yet I have never experienced Penghayatan Malam as such that I went through that night. I can only say that much.

The next day brought the most tiring activity of all: Orienteering And Jungle Trekking. Man did I really find out how unfit I was... The only consolation I had, was that my team was a jovial and light mooded one. Nothing like the serious and win-oriented teams some people tend to form. All the way through jungle and sea and hill we went together without a trace of enmity and friction. I have been in teams before doing the same kinda thing but without the light mood. It was like a team from hell. Waiting to explode on a wrong remark. So I was very glad that my team was very much the opposite.

Everyone in our team gave their cooperation in finding our way to the orienteering checkpoints. Everyone balanced each other's spirits. Everyone contributed ideas. Everyone helped search for clues that we had to find. Everyone offered knowledge. Everyone offered their comprehension. It was all very well that we all managed to enjoy the trek through the fatigue of climbing the hill. It was all well that we managed to endure the trip and gain success in the end.

When we came back to camp, there was ample time to rest and regain part of our spent energy. We had come back much earlier than was expected by the organizers. Something like 5-6 hours or so earlier (with the exception of 2 groups both of which had their own casualties). We spent that time relaxing and taking a dip the the sea. And we also spent it replenishing our depleted energy resources.

That night the organizers got something going for the guys. Initially I thought it was gonna some night jungle trek. I wasn't so fascinated with the idea, what with already having dried myself and not having gotten over the fatigue from the day's toil. But when it was mentioned that there was gonna be a kind of war game, I became excited and suddenly I felt rejuvenated. I was always fascinated of the tactics and strategies in warfare. They always relate to life in certain ways. The concepts, the principles, the philosophies, the application. All of it reflects the wisdom in which we handle our lives.

Maybe that is also why I have also been a fan of Counter Strike (the computer game) since stepping out of school. Yet playing Counter-Strike gives only a virtual experience. There is not much room for feeling for yourself the thrill of pitting your intelligence and courage against that of your enemy in person. There In the war game however, you can include yourself in the experience and there exists a thrill of a certain amount in betting yourself in the game. If you lose, you lose. And if you die, you die.

The best part of the war game though is devising a strategy and putting in in action. You can only imagine the great feeling you get when you pull off something you planned yourself. We played two rounds. The details can be viewed here.

The next day, we were given a crisis situation. Heck, what else to follow up war games?

We were all blindfolded. Pushed into 4 separate vehicles. 2 ikhwah vehicles and 2 akhawat. Then we were sent to unknown locations. When we arrived (approximately at 8:45 am), we were told to take off the blindfolds. We then received a piece of paper containing requirements to get us out of crisis. The requirements are as below, and to be done by 12 pm:

• 1/2 kg of fish
• Some batteries
• 2 bungkus of nasi dagang
  
• Transportation back to camp is on your own
  

Now THAT got our brains storming. We pondered these requirements a while. Myself, i was kinda expecting something like this. I saw and heard some hints the day and night before and then I have heard this kinda activity from a coursemate of mine in UTM. So I wasn't really surprised.

Not long after, the other group arrived. The immediate action was to combine forces. We were in essence still two teams as the task required that we fulfil it in two teams. But then there never was a prohibition of cooperation. So we coordinated our efforts.

It so happened that the other team's requirements were also the same as ours with the exception of the batteries. They had to find a roll of film in its place. So we decide that our group would go and find fishes (1 kg for 2 teams) and batteries, and the other would go for 4 nasi dagang and film. On top of that, we all had to try and collect money for the bus ride.

We split up looking for chances of gaining funds and money plus chances of acquiring the required items at the cheapest price or none. Our group went towards the market and explored the shops while the other stayed and explored the bus station area.

We found out that one kind of fish cost only RM2 per kg. And with rough estimates, we came to the conclusion that the cheapest kind of batteries would cost approximately the same. So we now have our targets.

Our first job was acquired at a roadside gerai. The owner was very courteous and pleasant. When we said we needed to get money, he gave us something to do, and paid in advance. All we had to do was to sort out the garbage pile so as the area behind his gerai would not be so messy and the garbage would easily be picked up by the garbage disposal. He also offered free drinks for us all. From him, we acquired about RM8.

During that time, we sent Fared to go meet up with the other team at the arranged time (10 am). Fared returned and reported that the other guys had acquired their items. He also said that getting derma was a more feasible way of getting money in such a short time. He also reported that the bus to the junction to Tanjung Resang cost RM2. Besides that, he also bought the fish with the advance money. We finished up at the gerai and went straight to looking for more prospects of getting money.

After that, we continued on looking for other chances. Me and Khubaib went from shop to shop asking for any small donation. Not many were willing to spare even 1 or 2 ringgit. Until we arrived at this rather muslim shop. It was also at that shop that we decided to change tactics. We explained fully who we were, what we were doing, and asked for a job. And if he could not offer us any or direct us to someplace that can offer any, we hoped that he could offer a bit of a donation. A ringgit or two would do. So he said that he knew not any jobs offered around there, and he'll just donate a few ringgit. The few he gave was RM10, which was a substantial amount for us. May Allah bless him and murahkan rezekinya.

Then we went to meet the others for the second meeting at 10.30 am. We then split our group. I went with Ihsan to wherever his group was. The others went to find more donations and get the batteries. I went to split the fish and the nasi dagang.

When I met up with the rest of the others, I was frankly surprised at their situation. They were lounging relaxedly at this small gerai chatting with the owner and just finishing up their cold Milo drinks and lunch. My first impression was that they had acquired so much money that they could get all that. I was wrong. As soon as I stepped in into the gerai the owner immediately told me to sit and she'll make a drink for me. She did. And she also provided some food for me to eat. I was flabbergasted. I never expected this kind of courtesy! Besides I was rather ashamed to eat out of her daily source of income (which was food - she sells 'em). So I tried to take the least costly lauk.

I guess when my teammates arrived they got the same impression as I had when I arrived. The owner, Makcik Kamisah (if I heard right), took no time to usher them to sit down and provide them the same as what she provided to us who came before. And as I was, they were flabbergasted.

Then it came time to leave. We said thanks and went on the bus. On the bus, all of us got a discount, because the other group had helped to clean the bus companies front area. It was no meager discount though. They something like 25% off. So instead of RM2 per person, we paid only RM1.50 per person. I was like... Wow.

After all that, we can only pray for the well-being of each and everyone who lent their hand and helped us. Makcik Kamisah, Makcik Zainab (another makcik the other group befriended), the bro who gave us something to do and paid in advance, the kind shop owner who donated the RM10. May Allah bless them all. May Allah provide them with a place in His paradise.

Supercamp taught me a lot of things. It also reminded me a lot of things I had forgotten. And besides that, it helped renew my resolve. Islam is the solution for mankind. And as adDa'ie, I must open the idea to others. This I hold now with resolve and I pray that Allah will give me strength to hold on to that resolve.

Allahua'lam...