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| Thursday, 7-Aug-2008 14:00 |
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Life has Become Hectic Once Again
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It's already 6 weeks into the new semester.
The second intakes just came to register last week.
Life has become hectic once again.
Between 3 classes and supervising teaching practicum students, there are other administrative duty and training to attend.
I'll be attending two courses next week. The second part of PBL course will begin on Saturday for two days and The photography course will begin in Tuesday for three days.
So, this week I decided to get TESL student teaching practicum observation and evaluation under way. I had made a courtesy call to the school before and met the school's headmaster and went for the first observation about a month ago. So, this was my second observation.
One of the FP members is in this class...http://syafiqakram.fotopages.com/
 Hello Shafiq!
That day, they had a lesson on pronunciation. Their teacher, Mohd Zulfadhli Zailani had divided them into groups and present a tongue twister to the whole class.
It seemed like they enjoyed the lesson and I'm glad to see my supervise had master the art of class control.
Here are more photos on that day.
Before I left, we managed to take a group photos 
Also, I had 2 replacement classes conducted at night. Poor Jr was left at home for most of the time this week. Here are 2 shots from one of class... group 3
I took Jr out for a drive during the evening before my 2nd night class heading no where but somehow ended up at the stadium on the eve of Terengganu and Kedah game.
mmm... Weird! I noticed this weird leaf when I parked the car by Block A ... I wonder what caused it!
Have a good weekend ye all! 
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| Saturday, 2-Aug-2008 17:57 |
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Sunset at Tok Jembal Beach
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Tok Wer passed away last Saturday.
We heard about it when Bat was at the hospital.
We went to pay our respect to Tok Wer's family on Friday.
Since Jr's milk is out, we went out again after dropping Tokki and Tok Ibu at the gate.
I didn't think many shop would be open since it was Friday. Going to Giant or Mydin doesn't make sense since the price at Giant is more expensive and there is no guarantee that Mydin would have the kind of milk that Jr is taking.
Thus, I decided to try out looking for the milk at Sri Manja... sure enough, they have it and we bought 2 packs.
There was still day light so we headed to Tok Jembal beach. Actually, I had a hard time turning right at the junction from Sri Manja thus, I turn left since that was much easier and when I took right going to the golf course, I decided to drive ahead to the beach.
We had deep fried breaded fish and calamari with tea.
Jr didn't want to wait and finished the food because he wanted to go to the beach.
It was really fun for him since there were many boats that he could climbed into ...
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| Wednesday, 30-Jul-2008 04:05 |
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Jr's Another Close Call
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Bat still feels weak but insists on going to look for durians at the kebun.
It is not far from home, just about 500 meters away. Still, we don't trust him to go there alone by himself on the motorbike. I drove him there. Ibu and Jr came along.
When we arrived, Abang Sein (second cousin) was there already helping to gather the durians. He chatted with Ibu while I keep an eye on Jr while capturing the moods of the surrounding at sunset.
Then, I paid attention to the topics that Ibu and Abang Sein were talking about but before long, it seems suddenly it became so quite.... no sounds of Jr's voices to be heard.
When I turned around, Jr was no where to be seen....
Ibu, Abang Sein and I began calling for Jr's name but there was no response.
I imagined the worst... perhaps Jr had fallen down into the ditch and drown, God forbid!
The ditch or the waterway dig long ago to channel water for irrigation purposes especially for paddy cultivation are now no longer serve it's purpose as no paddy has been cultivated in the area for the past two decades. It is about 8 feet wide and the water is about 5 feet deep.
We kept calling Jr's name, still no sound. I was looking into the ditch as there were ripples on surface of the water but Jr was throwing small stones into the water before and judging from the size of the ripples, it couldn't be cause by someone as big as Jr if had fallen right into the water.
When I looked into the bushes at the edge of the water, only then I see the grey t-shirt and pants Jr was wearing but I did not see his face. It seemed that Jr was grabbing hold of the tiny branches at the water edge. Strangely, Jr did not make a sound.
I pleaded Abang Sein to jump into the ditch to fetch Jr as I was scared to jump in. Only then, Jr began to make a slow and gasping sound as though he could not breath. I guessed, Jr was so shocked that he couldn't make a sound or a move. Once standing up on his own feet on the ground, Jr's body began shaking uncontrolably and crying.
I just hug him close to calm him down. He looked up and said "Aman swimming".
If Abang Sein wasn't there, I had to jump into the ditch myself. Abang Sein had difficulty getting back up as it's quite a tall bank in that area. I'm so thankful that he was there to help.
Luckily, we had a long sleeve T-shirt and long pants for a change of clothes and extra diaper in the car. Besides wet and dirty clothes and sandy dirt in his hair, Jr was okay. He even went close to the edge of the ditch again trying to retrace his toy. I had to grab him and bring him to the car while he was protesting to get his "my favourite toy!"... He kept repeating "my favourite toy!" "my favourite toy!" "my favourite toy!"
We waited for Bat in the car for the rest of the time.
Now, there is no way I would bring him there anymore.
When I was a child, I used to imagine to build my own home at the site one day! Ahhh.... the view is nice... plenty of space but the ditch...that is a different story...
| Quote: |
When I scrutinized these photos, it is evident that Jr's feet were dry still. But his hair was full of sand and his shirt was wet in the front and back. Since I did see his little hand hanging onto the tiny branches, I came to a conclusion that probably he skidded down the bank and his feet got tangled up the root and his hand got hold of another tiny branch.
The time lapse between the last photo I took before I turned around and the one of him standing up before he started to quiver was only 1 minute and 52 seconds. It must have been more than a minute to jump into the water, get hold of him and try to get him up the bank. Thus, it only took a few seconds from the time I turned my back to him, took a few step closer to Ibu when Jr skidded down into the ditch.
My father said "Gerhoh dah banyak kali tapi ajal belum sampai" thinking of the many times where Jr had misadventures.
Alhamdulillah Rabb Al'alamen 'ala Kulli Haal! Whom He protected can never be harmed but if it is meant to be, none can save us from it.
SubhanAllah, Wal Hamdulillah, Wa La Ilaha illa Allah, Huwa Allahu Akhbar!
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| Sunday, 27-Jul-2008 08:41 |
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Get Well Soon
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Tok Ibu woke me up about 4 am last Wednesday night saying that Bat was very sick. Bat was throwing up for the past 2 hours and experiencing intense abdominal pain. He frequented the toilet as well.
When asked if Bat wanted me to take him to the hospital, to my surprise, he was agreeable. Before this, he always refused to be taken to the hospital.
Bat insisted on going to 'kebun durian' first to get rid of poisonous bait for wild boars before sunrise for he did not want the neighbour's chickens to die from eating it. Quite unthinkable but it was the truth, I drove Bat to the 'kebun' at 4:20 in the morning. Carrying a torch light, Bat went straight to the place where he left it. If he thought that I would be able to find it, probably I would have gone with Ibu to throw it away. Bat had it hidden under some dried leaves at the far end of the lot.
By the time we reached home, it was about Fajr time, thus Bat went for a shower and so did I.
When I was doing wudhu for solat as the morning call to prayer is on the air, Ibu was panicly pounding on my door telling me that Bat was shivering uncontrollably on the floor upstairs. I ran upstairs and help to dried up his body with a towel and helped him into a shirt, a jacket to keep warm and socks. He had taken a cold shower!
After a quick solat, I drove Bat to the emergency at HSNZ.
With history of high blood pressure and diabetes, he was sent straight into semi-critical triage room. I was asked to wait outside at the doctors were busy dealing with a patient referred to by the nurse as "nak mati" or near dead patient. Yes, as I walked in, they were busy trying to revive a patient's heart beat.
I waited and waited but no words. But then, I had someone talking with me as she was waiting for her husband. By 7:30 am still, there was no word on Bat's condition.
I began sms-ing by head of department and my students to inform them that I had to cancel both classes, the one at 8 and 11 am.
By 8.15 a.m. I could not wait anymore. I have been having back pain as well as painful and frequent urination problems. Sitting on those hard chair was killing my back. So, I walked in after I saw the coffin being wheeled out.
It turned out that Bat was moved to observation room 8 from room 6 and he was fast asleep.
I left my contact number to the nurse on duty who wrote it on top of the admission chart to call me and inform me of any changes.
I went for breakfast but had a change of heart. Instead, I drove to the doctor's office for blood sugar test, pain killer, antibiotic and MC. By then, I was walking with one hand pressing on my waist. The ultrasound showed no abnormality in kidney size or no gallstone bladder can be seen but my urine was not chocolate but cloudy and a bit dark. The doctor diagnosed that I had UTI and to be back for repeat urine sample in a week. In the mean time, the pain killer helped a whole lot. Somehow, my fasting glucose level was only 5.7. I expected it to be higher since I've been on an eating binge, not to mention, 2-3 durians for 3 times a day, once before leaving to work in the morning, then after coming home from work and lastly before bedtime. I have been eating a lot of durians really!
It was almost 10:30 am after I had breakfast and when I got back to the hospital, I discovered that Bat was warded in 7CD.
That was then when I SMS all my brothers and sisters. Those nearby came on the same day, those further away came the day after and later. Those the furtherest of all were with us in their prayers. 
In Bat's case, Doc suspected UTI too. Those spoilt durians could be the culprit. But in Bat's case, the ultrasound also revealed some gallstone bladder in the size of 0.1 - 0.2 cm.
Bat was discharged from ward 8A today at noon.
Now, he has an appointment at SOPP clinic on the 14th, the hospital will call for an x-ray appointment in 2 weeks time and to see a doctor at the clinic after 2 months besides 2 weeks supply of pain killer and a solution to be added to his drink to help vaporised the gallstone bladder.
Guess what? Bat was already at kebun durian by the time I got back from work around 5pm today. After solatul Asr, Ibu, Bat, Jr and I went to kebun durian too.
and Jr had another mishaps while we were there
But that is another story that warrants it's own entry!
All the photos below were captured on Sunday as all were going back home.
| Quote: | | TOK WERE passed away around 4 pm on Saturday and was buried at 10 on Sunday morning |
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| Saturday, 26-Jul-2008 15:03 |
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Bunga Nasi Kerabu
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For months, my youngest brother whom we fondly call Adik has been urging me to capture his 'Bunga Nasi Kerabu' . I t is also known as 'Bunga Telan'. Perhaps you may know it by a different name.
Besides it's striking shade of purple blue, this flower is used exclusively for the blue colouring of 'nasi kerabu'. In terms of it's function, this flower reminds me of the saffron flower which is popular by it's saffron colour. By the way, the word 'telan' is really a shade of blue. Ever heard of someone calling for something in 'biru telan'?
So, this entry is dedicated to my brother, Adik!
Here is your 'bunga nasi kerabu'
Enjoy!
Sorry! I took a few shots but somehow I don't like the composition and the one I like comes out blurry!
| Quote: | ARKIB : 26/07/2008
Nik Aziz ajak UMNO tubuh parti baru satukan orang Melayu
26/07/2008 7:12pm
MACHANG 27 Julai — Mursyidul Am PAS Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat hari ini mencadangkan supaya UMNO dan parti itu dibubarkan dengan menubuhkan sebuah parti baru berlandaskan Islam bagi menyatukan orang Melayu dan sebagai tempat berlindung kepada semua pihak termasuk bukan Islam.
Beliau berkata Islam menepati semua matlamat perjuangan termasuk politik dan perlu dijadikan asas kepada perjuangan mana-mana parti politik yang inginkan kepada perjuangan sebenar.
“UMNO bubar PAS pun bubar, tubuh parti lain dengan syarat berdasarkan kepada Islam,” katanya kepada pemberita selepas merasmikan Muktamar Dewan Ulama Pas Kelantan ke-37 di sini, hari ini.
Nik Abdul Aziz yang juga Menteri Besar Kelantan berkata UMNO tidak ada sebab untuk menolak dasar Islam yang dicadangkan oleh PAS melalui parti itu kerana Islam milik semua kaum termasuk bukan Melayu di negara ini.
“Kalau tidak kena dengan Islam di mana-mana, cuba beritahu dan kalau UMNO itu benar dan tidak bertentangan dengan agama cuba beritahu,” katanya ketika mengulas kenyataan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi yang membayangkan kemungkinan diadakan kerjasama politik dengan PAS suatu masa nanti.
Nik Abdul Aziz berkata dengan cara demikian ia dapat mengembalikan kekuatan Islam di negara ini di samping merapatkan hubungan antara kaum termasuk bukan Islam.
“Islam untuk semua kaum, bukan untuk orang Melayu sahaja atau Cina, India dan Orang Putih, semua perlu bersatu di bawah Islam,” katanya.
— BERNAMA |
This piece of news brings me hope! There is lots of truth in what Tok Guru has uttered. Indeed, Islam is for all humanity throughout the ages. But if a new party can be formed to unite UMNO and PAS members and all other ethnic Muslims in Malaysia is a different question all together. Bu, it is worth pondering upon. Muslims unites and all others prosper too!!!
La! Lalalalala... Lalalalalalalalaa! O! La La!
| Quote: | MACHANG, July 26 (Bernama) -- PAS Spiritual Leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat Saturday proposed the dissolution of both PAS and Umno and the setting up of a new Islam-based political party to unite the Malays and enable Islam to be the protective umbrella for all the people, including non-Muslims.
He said Islam fulfilled the objectives of all endeavours, including political struggle, and should form the basis of political parties seeking to uphold the true political struggle.
"Umno should dissolve, PAS should also dissolve. Set up another party on condition that it is based on Islam," he told reporters after opening the 37th "Muktamar" (meeting) of Kelantan PAS "Dewan Ulama" (Assembly of Muslim Scholars), here.
Nik Abdul Aziz, who is the Kelantan menteri besar, said there was no reason for Umno to reject the Islamic policies proposed by PAS because Islam stood for all the communities, including the non-Malays, in the country.
"Islam is for all the communities, not just the Malays ... the Chinese, Indians and Orang Putih (westerners) ... they have to be united under the umbrella of Islam," he said.
Islam would thus be able to regain strength in the country while forging closer links among the communities, including non-Muslims, he said.
-- BERNAMA |
Another piece on the same issue.
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| Friday, 25-Jul-2008 12:09 |
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Contrails
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I rushed home early one day with the intention of taking Jr out to the playground.
We went to the Waterfront.
It has been raining during the evening lately and the western sky is usually covered with thick cumulus clouds thus not much of the beautiful sunset can be seen. 
Something beautiful did happen though... contrails !!!
Contrails or vapour trails are condensation trails and Artificial clouds made by the exhaust of aircraft engines or wingtip vortices which precipitate a stream of tiny ice crystals in moist, frigid upper air. However, vapour trails or contrails generated by engine exhaust are inevitably linked with typical fuel combustion pollutants.
The jet also looked shiny reflecting the rays of the setting sun.
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| Thursday, 24-Jul-2008 18:22 |
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Jr and Golf
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As a baby, he used to watch golf on the golf channel with his papa.
Then, he had his first plastic golf set. He loved to play with it but since he used it to beat Widad from time time, so Tokki hid it away. Unfortunately, when Tokki put it away, it would be away for good since even Tokki don't remember where he kept it.
After 2 sets, I refused to buy him anymore golf set, until I saw a metal driver that is... but that too was gone with the taxi driver at KLIA. It was left in the trunk... but I'm sure that pakcik taxi driver has his own small boy at home ... kira sedekah ajer ler!
Then, there are his trips to Uncle Sam's and Auntie Bib's house with his papa. With Uncle Sam old stick and plenty of multicoloured golf balls lying around on the green, Jr had a ball every time he managed a hit.
Last year, he could barely hit the ball. Frustrated, he always ended up pushing the ball by the end of the stick.... we had a good laugh at that. That was how determined he was at hitting the golf ball.
Now, he is getting better at hitting the ball 
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| Tuesday, 22-Jul-2008 09:17 |
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Who Is It?
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| Quote: | Sodomy II: Who stands to gain the most?
Ken | Jul 22, 08 4:16pm
In the court of the rakyat, Anwar Ibrahim is not guilty of Sodomy II, and neither was he guilty of Sodomy I. He was initially found guilty of Sodomy I (that ‘judgment’ later reversed) in the most convoluted and illogical judicial process facilitated and engineered by top policemen, prosecutors and judges who were anything but the respected and responsible public servants for law and order and justice in a democratic country.
Today, we are on the verge of witnessing a repeat of that most shameful process in Malaysia's history. The question is why would anyone want to do this? Surely, Saiful (aged 13 during Sodomy I) knows the gravity, implications and consequences of his allegations against Anwar.
Assuming that Saiful has actually been sodomised, what does he gain by lodging a report? He says that he been sodomised eight times by Anwar, in which case he should have lodged a police report immediately after the first incident if he were the innocent law-abiding citizen that he (or rather various powerful interested parties are trying to portray on his behalf) is trying to portray.
On the basis of his own report and confession, Saiful now faces the possibility of being jailed for willingly engaging in sodomy (as Anwar's adopted brother was found guilty of and jailed for in Sodomy I) if his allegations against Anwar are ‘proven’. Furthermore, Saiful will now be the target of ridicule and harassment about his manhood and sexual preference. No young man will be able to live normally with such shame and accompanying torment and ridicule.
In fact, it is a well-known fact that genuine rape victims in general do not report the crime, and male victims in particular are more inclined not to report sodomisation because of the greater shame and implications regarding their manhood. Furthermore, Saiful's allegations against Anwar are so flimsy that unless the Sodomy I process is repeated, Anwar will not be found guilty.
Given these facts, Saiful could be getting a huge reward for alleging that Anwar had sodomised him, a reward which adequately compensates for the stigma and guilt associated with being a partner willing or unwilling in several acts of sodomy The question is who is offering such a handsome reward? Who is so rich and powerful to be able to make an offer which Saiful cannot refuse? Or, more correctly, who stands to gain most from Sodomy II?
The popular arguments on the Net and in the coffee-shops point to Najib. Najib met Saiful on the day after the alleged sodomy. Saiful has access to Najib's aide. The allegation against Anwar has diverted the attention of the public from the revelations made by Private Investigator P Balasubramaniam about Najib in his first statutory declaration. Saiful's allegation has also put Anwar on the defensive and thwarted his plans to challenge the BN government for power by September.
All these suggest that Najib has much to gain from Sodomy II. The reality is that Najib is also a victim of Sodomy II. In the eyes of the public, Najib is not only involved in the Altanuya case but is also masterminding a conspiracy against Anwar. These perceptions will have serious consequences and will most surely weaken Najib's case to be the next PM. The way that Najib has responded to the sodomy allegation against Anwar suggests an individual who is blundering - not a mastermind who has crafted the whole thing, from positioning Saiful in PKR to getting him to accuse Anwar of sodomy. In conclusion, Najib does not stand to gain from Sodomy II .
As for Abdullah Ahamd Badawi, the people punished him on March 8 for his poor performance as PM. His popularity is at an all time low - the high petrol/diesel prices, high food prices, inflation, crime, etc. Sodomy II has added a major political crisis which Abdullah is ill-equipped to handle, even if he is inclined to do so at this time. Either way he will be a loser.
If Anwar is found ‘guilty’ of Sodomy II, the people will hold Abdullah resposible for victimising Anwar, and Abdullah may have to exit well before the declared 2010 deadline. If Anwar is found innocent, that would strengthen Anwar, enabling him to challenge BN and hasten Abdullah's exit. If Sodomy II drags on, there will be serious public unrest and this would also pose a major challenge for Abdullah. Thus, Abdullah is also a victim of Sodomy II.
It looks like that Anwar, Najib and Abdullah are all victims of Sodomy II in one way or another. So who is behind Sodomy II? Who will benefit from Sodomy II? Someone who will lose most if Anwar comes into power. Someone who will go to any extent to prevent Anwar's rise. Someone who no longer accepts Najib as a potential PM. Someone who wants instability in Malaysia. Someone who wants to topple Abdullah.
Someone who cannot accept the rise of the opposition. Someone who does not agree with the new direction that Malaysia is taking in matters such as the judiciary and law and order. Someone whose buddies (cronies) are badly affected by government actions such as termination of mega-projects. Someone who wants to prevent probe and investigation into government misdeeds and mal-practices of the past. Someone who wants to continue the legacy of the past.
Someone who is fully schooled in sodomy matters from Sodomy I. Someone who has strong allies in the government, especially the home ministry, police and AG chambers. Someone who is unscrupulous. Someone who will go any extent to get what he wants. Someone who is extremely rich and powerful. Someone who has finally readied an heir. So, who is behind Sodomy II? A Machiavellian par excellence.
Who is it?
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KJ, to save the day said a singing banker who is laughing all the way to the bank's vault. The game of chess orchestrated by the dead general is going strong. A good Samaritan indeed! A Clever camouflage indeed.
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| Sunday, 20-Jul-2008 04:11 |
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Weekend Diary
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I SESSI MAKAN DURIAN
Peserta: Bat, Ibu, Adik, KLong, Jr, En Aniq.
II SESSI PERGI KEBUN DURIAN
After walking around looking for durians, Jr was tired and ready to munch on the biscuits he had carried along.
While papa went looking for more durians ... Jr and I were having our photo shot session ... takut pacat, armed with ridsect but still scared to walk on those grass...
So, is the Jr Remp It Session:
Then, Jr began his "Momma, let's go home chants". He was so glad to see his papa finally emerged from the bushes...
Collage of the trip to kebun durian. As far as I can remember, Bat used to plant paddy here. Then, there were a few years that we use the plot to plant vegetables. Slowly, Bat started to plant duku and durian.... Now, there are more durian trees than duku, so I called this lot, kebun durian.
III SESSI PERGI BUKIT BADING
In the afternoon, we went to Bukit Bading.
Jr had fun climbing the rambutan tree... can climbed up but don't know how to climb down...
Here is a portrait shot of Tokki ....
We had lunch there. After lunch, we were just resting.
Jr shot those photos of mama n papa and of mama alone.
Then we were shooting favourite subject around the house, fruits and flowers
The last one is... the top view of bebe pineapple. never knew it can be so colourful
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| Friday, 18-Jul-2008 22:08 |
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Uhuk Uhuk Uhuk
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Our fireflyz flight to Penang was cancelled.
Jr won.
When asked if he wanted to go on a plane ride, he kept saying no.
But, there were weddings to attend, one of Mok Yah, the next door neighbour's son and another of Bat's cousin, Ghazali whose house we've never been to. Bat had a good time sharing stories with many cousins whom he grew up with.
These are photos of Bat captured a few weeks ago when he was getting ready to go to the graveyard to read the last part of the qur'aan. The family of the deceased came and asked Bat to recite the whole (khatam) qur'an for the deceased.
I discovered this practice when I was 6 years old. Bat's mother, my grandmother had just passed away and I realised that Bat would be gone in the morning after breakfast and be back by lunch.
When asked about his whereabout, he explained that he had gone to read qu'aan by his mother's grave... It was mind boggling at first. What do you expect from a 6 year old?
The next day, I was asked to bring some food to Bat to the graveyard.
I did query why wasn't I asked to do it before and the answer I got was that Bat had been fasting for the days that was completing the reciting the whole qur'aan and dedidated the ward of all those fasting and qur'anic recital for his mother.
I understood that part as a good deed from a righteous children do get passed on to their parents.
But, when you asked and pay someone else to do it on your behalf, does the reward for the good deed get passed on to the deceased?
In all, every deed is but by intention, and I'm no muslim scholar. Some time this matter is quite clear in my mind but sometime I'm just lost for word of reason.
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