catatan seorang pengembara

Ku Hannah Damia Binti Ku Mohd Amir

2011-01-27T04:37:00.000-08:00

27/01/2011
4.19 pagi
Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah Alor Setar, Kedah.
2.48 kg.
Selamat datang ke dunia...

Ulasan Buku: The Kite Runner

2010-12-07T18:15:00.000-08:00

Baru-baru ini saya telah berkesempatan untuk membaca sebuah novel yang boleh dianggap hebat dan menarik. Novel ini ditulis oleh Khaled Hosseini seorang anak jati Afghanistan yang sekarang ini menetap di California, Amerika Syarikat.Novel ini mengisahkan seorang anak yang membesar di sebuah rumah di kawasan Kabul, Afghanistan.

http://www.hazara.net/taliban/genocide/mazar/mazar.html

http://www.hazara.net/forum/gallery/historical/historical.html

http://www.hazara.net/taliban/taliban.html

http://www.hazara.net/forum/forum.html

Selamat Bercuti...

2010-11-19T05:34:00.000-08:00

Persidangan Kebangsaan Guru Cemerlang Kali Ke 8 Tahun 2010

2010-10-01T09:10:00.000-07:00

Menghimpunkan Guru-guru Inovatif Melalui Perkongsian Ilmu dan Permuafakatan Dengan Pelbagai Pihak.

Antara Tajuk Kertas Kerja Yang Di Bentangkan:

1. Historical and Sociological Dimensions In South Korea's Education: Lessons for Malaysia's Education.
Dr. Lee Seung Chun. Universiti Utara Malaysia.

Pesanan malaikat Jibril a.s kepada Nabi Muhammad s.a.w

2010-08-25T08:35:00.000-07:00

Pesanan malaikat Jibril a.s kepada Nabi Muhammad s.a.w.

hiduplah kamu sesukamu,
tapi sesungguhnya engkau pasti akan mati.

berbuatlah sesukamu
sesungguhnya engkau pasti dibalas menurut perbuatanmu.

cintailah siapa sahaja yang engkau kehendaki,
tapi sesungguhnya engkau pasti berpisah dengannya.

ketahuilah bahawa...

kemuliaan seorang mukmin itu kerana solat malamnya

dan

kehebatannya kerana tidak bergantung kepada sesama manusia.

(Hadith Riwayat al-hakim dan abu na'im)

Effective communication (communicate effectively when you talk to yourself)

2010-06-15T09:04:00.000-07:00

Effective Communication
(communicate effectively when you talk to yourself)

Starting from today, let us communicate effectively by adopting the following guidelines:

1. I do my BEST to expect the best from myself and get the best result in my life!
(Do or do not. there is no try. And if you do something, do your best.)

2. I Break my Limits.
(We are control by imaginary limits. Break free from your mental chains and expand your potential.)

3. I do it better and better and better ...
(Have the attitude of improving everything you are doing and your life will be excitingly different always.)

4. I Believe in myself that I can succeed.
(Begin to change by trusting in yourself)

5. I control my Energy and it's always Highhh!
(Be aware of your energy level. Sit, stand or move your body to ensure your high energy.)

6. If you can do it, so can I, the difference is in my mind.
(Don't be jealous of people's achievement or just envy their success. You can also do it.)

7. I teach myself to watch the things I am doing.

(Observe your own actions and attitude. Is it excellent or negative behaviour?)

8. I have the ability to FOCUS
(Power Concentration is having the ability to focus on what you are doing or thinking without it wandering away.)

9. It's okay to make mistake. I learn from my mistakes.
(All learning requires you to take risks and new challenges. Making mistake is part of learning. Learning from mistakes creates wisdom)

10. I am ready to response to life's challenges & opportunities.
(To move forward you have to make changes in your life. Response positively.)

11. The Power rest in me that I can choose to create my life, the way I want it to be.
(Some people are afraid of success. Decide to win. It's easier and more rewarding.)

12. I always focus on my strengths and improve my weaknesses.
(Weakness are only underdeveloped talents and abilities. Use your strengths to improve your weakness.)

13. My happy and good moments are my vitamins for living.
(Remember and treasure joyful and proud moments in your life. Think of your failures and bad experiences and you become that.)

Blue Ocean Strategy (BOS)

2010-05-22T02:00:00.000-07:00

Blue Ocean Strategy

Kita hidup dalam persekitaran yang semakin berubah dan pengetahuan kita harus seiring dengan perubahan semasa untuk kekal relevan dalam pekerjaan yang kita laksanakan.

Tiada perjalanan yang mudah, tiada persahabatan yang hanya dipenuhi oleh gelak ketawa tetapi kita semua merasa teruja setiap hari dalam perjalanan yang kita lalui kerana kita menyedari bahawa kita dalam misi untuk belajar dan meningkatkan pencapaian diri.

Realitinya hidup kita tidak pernah sama sepanjang masa dan sejarah telah membuktikan bahawa kita selalu tersilap membuat pertimbangan dalam keupayaan kita untuk mencipta perkara baru yang memberi kebaikan dan mencipta semula perkara sedia ada untuk menjadikannya lebih baik dan boleh dinikmati oleh semua.

Blue ocean (lautan biru) mewakili semua industri yang belum wujud hari ini.

Ia dikenali sebagai ruang pemasaran yang belum diketahui, penciptaan permintaan dan peluang utnuk pertumbuhan yang menguntungkan.

Dalam blue ocean, persaingan adalah tidak relevan sebab peraturan permainan belum ditentukan.

Value innovation (inovasi nilai) memfokuskan kepada menjadikan pesaing tidak releven dengan mencipta lonjakan dalam nilai kepada para pembeli dan organisasi anda yang seterusnya membuka ruang pasaran baru dan tidak ditandingi.

Ia berlaku hanya dalam keadaan di mana inovasi organisasi diiringi oleh kedudukan prasarana, harga dan kos.

Menunjukkan cara membentuk semula batasan-batasan pasaran

Memfokuskan kepada gambaran yang besar

Melangkaui permintaan sedia ada

Mendapatkan urutan strategi yang betul

Mengatasi halangan organisasi

Membina pelaksanaan menjadi strategi.

The Starbucks experience : 5 principles for turning ordinary into extraordinary

1. make it your own (buat macam hak sendiri)

2.everything matters (semua perkara penting)

3.surprise and delight (mengejutkan dan menyenangkan)

4.embrace resistance (terbuka terhadap kritikan)

5. leave your mark (tinggalkan jejak anda (penanda aras) )

Bagaimana Starbucks Coffee mengembangkan bisnesnya

Jika kita melihat kembali kepada batasan-batasan konvensional persaingan yang dipaparkan oleh W.Chan Kim dan Renee Mauborgne (Blue Ocean Strategy):

Path 1 : across alternative industries
Path 2 : across strategic groups within industries
Path 3 : across the chain of buyers
Path 4 : across complementary product and service offerings
Path 5 : across functional or emotional appeal to buyers
Path 6 : across time

Menempatkan Starbucks Coffee pada path 5: across functional or emotional appeal to buyers sebagai perusahaan yang dengan gemilang mengubah perniagaan kedai kopi sebagai komoditi menjadi daya tarik emosional bagi para pelanggannya. Dengan layanan terbaik, persekitaran kedai kopi yang nyaman serta “sentuhan” khas Starbucks lainnya sehingga menjadikan harga kopi sebagai komoditi (biji kopi) yang berharga berkali ganda tingginya dan mampu dibayar oleh para pelanggannya.

MARKAH UJIAN LEJAR 5 IDRIS AL-MAAD

2010-05-22T01:28:00.000-07:00

MARKAH UJIAN LEJAR 5 IDRIS AL-MAAD

1. FAUZAN BIN MOHAMMAD 10/10
2. MOHD SHUKRI BIN DAUD 10/10
3. AHMAD MAHFUDZ BIN ABDULLAH 10/10
4. MOHD MUSLIM BIN ISA 10/10
5. MOHAMMAD FADLAN AINON BIN MOHD FADZY 10/10
6. MOHAMAD NAJMI BIN ISMAIL 10/10
7. MUHAMMAD ABQARI 9.5/10
8. AMMAR BIN MOHD FISUL 9.5/10
9. ARIEF MUSA 9.5/10
10.MUHD SYAUQI BIN ISANUDDIN 9/10
11.MOHAMAD FATHULLAH BIN AZIZAN 9/10
12.MOHAMAD FATHURAHMAN BIN AZIZAN 9/10
13.MOHAMAD SAUFFI BIN SUID 8.5/10
14.HAZAMIL FARZAN BIN MUSTAPA 8.5/10
15.KHAIRUL AFIFI BIN ROSLI 7.5/10
16.MUHAMMAD NASEEM BIN HJ. MOHD RODZI 7/10

Wan Aishah married

2010-05-12T07:21:00.000-07:00

LANGKAWI: Wan Aishah Nawawi, the seventh-generation descendant of the legendary Mahsuri, is here on the island, which was once home of her famous ancestor.

The 23-year-old returned to the island in conjunction with her wedding reception for her relatives scheduled to be held today.(24 April 2010)

Wan Aishah married 27-year-old tourism industry entrepreneur Alee Tongyun at her hometown in Phuket last month.

"It is good to be back. My husband and I can't wait to meet our relatives here on the island.

"We are also excited for the coming wedding reception."

The newly-wed couple, who were accompanied by 49 relatives and friends from their hometown, arrived at the Kuah jetty at 3.30pm on Thursday.

Among those who joined the entourage were her father Nawawi Wan Hashim, 46, her mother Sumaini Yaji, 46, and her 72-year-old grandfather Wan Hashim Wan Hussain.

Wan Aishah said she would not apply for a Malaysian citizenship and would continue to stay in her hometown at Kampung Kemala in Phuket.

"I love the island. It is beautiful. However, I would continue to stay in my hometown with my husband and my family."

On the wedding reception here, the couple would attend a feast at Kota Mahsuri in the afternoon.

Another reception would be held in the evening at Tourism Complex in Kuah.

She made the headlines when she and seven other Mahsuri descendants from the fifth and seventh generations set foot on the island 10 years ago.

It was said that her return would mark the lifting of a curse on the island.

According to legend, Mahsuri cursed the island with bad luck for seven generations after she was executed for alleged adultery.

Cerpen: Siti Maisara

2010-03-28T09:02:00.000-07:00

Alexandria, Egypt.
Alexandria, Egypt.

Bukit Keteri, Perlis, Malaysia.

Tanggal 13 mac 2006.

Aku tersedar seakan dari lena yang panjang, jam di dinding bilik hotel regency iskandariah menunjukkan pukul 2.15 pagi . suasana sungguh sepi hanya kedengaran sesekali tiupan angin kencang yang menghempas kaca jendela di bilik hotel ditingkat tujuh yang mengadap ke lautan Mediterranean yang luas terbentang itu. Rasa sejuk menggigil ke seluruh tubuh, aku melihat di sebelah ku isteriku sedang nyenyak tidur dan sesekali bunyi dengkurannya mencuit hatiku, manakala di katil satu lagi dapat ku amati putera-puteraku adel, ijat dan afif juga sedang enak di buai mimpi indah. Aku tersenyum sendirian sebagai tanda kesyukuran kepada Allah yang maha esa kerana telah memberikan aku sebuah keluarga yang cukup membahagiakan hatiku dan kesyukuran ini juga aku panjatkan kerana azamku untuk membawa ahli-ahli keluargaku melawat bumi Mesir tempat isteriku belajar (Universiti Al-Azhar) terlaksana sudah.

“tut, tut,tut, tut” lamunanku terhenti seketika, bunyi jeritan telefon bimbitku benar-benar menyentak lamunanku yang indah. Aku bingkas mencapainya dan terus meletakkan ke corong telinga kananku, “ hello, assalamualaikum” ujar ku ringkas.. “ waalaikum salam, cikgu rosli ke ni” balas suara itu. Aku seakan kenal suara itu, suara yang mengisi hari-hari pentingku di kelas 6 atas di sekolah menengah bukit keteri. “ ya, saya” balasku. “cikgu, saya maisara, dari mata ayer, saya nak beritahu “ ujarnya. “Oh kamu maisara, cikgu di iskandariah ni, tengah bercuti bersama keluarga” “ saya tau cikgu, sir husni yang bagi tau saya yang cikgu pergi bercuti ke mesir waktu ni,” balasnya lagi. “ cikgu bukan apa, takut mahal pulak caj telefon kamu tu kerana jarak kita jauh” balasku membuat perhitungan dari segi kos. “tak pa cikgu, saya nak ucapkan terima kasih pada cikgu kerana telah memberi dorongan kepada saya sehingga saya Berjaya mendapat keputusan yang baik dalam stpm 2005 yang baru diumumkan hari ini, saya dapat 3.49 cikgu”…..”oh tahniah maisara, memang cikgu dah agak yang kamu dan aree akan mendapat keputusan yang sebaik ini” ujarku lagi …” saya juga dapat keputusan A cikgu dalam mata pelajaran pengajian perniagaan”…”ohhh, kamu dah tambah kegembiraan cikgu, tahniah sekali lagi, tunggulah cikgu balik nanti , cikgu akan panggil kamu ke sekolah untuk terima hadiah yang cikgu dah janjikan”..tambahku lagi.. “hehehe..tak pa lah cikgu, yang penting cikgu dah mendidik saya, tapi kan cikgu saya hanya dapat A tolak untuk kertas 1 manakala untuk kertas 2 saya hanya dapat B tambah”….balasnya…”tak pa lah, maisarah, kan cikgu dah janji pada kamu semua, kalau dapat A tolak pun cikgu nak bagi hadiah juga iaitu RM50 seorang” ujarku sambil memberikannya keyakinan…”kalau macam tu tak pa lah cikgu, bila cikgu nak balik” balas kinmaisara… “tunggulah cikgu ke sekolah, cikgu akan telefon nanti” “saya minta diri dulu ya cikgu, assalamualaikum” akhir kata dari maisara “waalaikum salam” balasku.

Pada saat itu aku merasakan mahu saja aku mengejutkan isteriku yang sedang enak diulit mimpi itu bagi menceritakan berita gembira ini , tapi atas pertimbangan akan keletihan dia menjaga anak-anak disepanjang program lawatan yang agak padat di sebelah siang tadi menyebabkan aku mendiam kan diri….aku bingkas bangun dan menuju ke jendela, suasana musim sejuk tiba-tiba saja bertukar panas dan membakar semangatku, ku lihat di kejauahan laut mediteranean begitu tenang sekali dengan sesekali kedengaran desiran ombak dan bunyi deruman kenderaan yang memecahkan kesyahduan malam. “Yes, yes, yes, aku dah Berjaya mengubah seorang manusia” ujarku secara bermonolog…perjuanganku sebagai guru harus diteruskan….

18 Mac 2006.

aku tersedar dari tidur, lantas ku capai telefon bimbit dan kulihat waktu sudah menunjukkan jam 6.15 pagi, ohhh dah masuk waktu solat subuh ni, keluhku agak keletihan kerana mengalami fenomena jetlag sebaik pulang dari bumi Mesir yang menyaksikan pelbagai sejarah manusia dari peristiwa nabi Yusuf dan Zulaikha dan pembukaan bandarraya iskandariah oleh Alexander The Great pada tahun 331 sebelum masihi. Sudah 2 malam kami sekeluarga pulang ke Malaysia, namun aku dan keluargaku masih tak boleh memejamkan mata sebelum jam 3.00 pagi…mungkin juga keletihan kami bertambah dengan jadual penerbangan yang agak rencam pesawat Gulf Air yang membawa kami pulang yang singgah di Bahrain, Muscat, Bangkok dan Kuala Lumpur sebelum menaiki penerbangan domestic terakhir ke Alor Setar.

hari ini merupakan hari yang indah buatku, aku mahu menemui seorang pelajar yang telah mencapai kejaayaan yang ku anggap cemerlang dan paling manis dalam sejarah aku bertugas sebagai guru pengajian perniagaan di kelas 6 atas dan sepanjang aku menjadi setiausaha peperiksaan stpm yang bermula pada tahun 2003. Siti maisarah binti Ismil, aku ingat namanya, aku juga mengenali watak dan perwatakannya. Seorang gadis manis berkulit sawo matang dan sesekali apabila bercakap selalu saja dengan nada yang bersemangat dan sering juga menguji kesabaranku sebagai gurunya ketika aku mendidiknya di tingkatan 4 dan 5 bestari dalam mata pelajaran yang paling tidak digemarinya iaitu Prinsip Perakaunan.

7 Ogos 2003

“cikgu, saya tak suka prinsip akaun” tegasnya…aku tersenyum tawar….dalam hatiku berkata…lancang sungguh budak ini berkata-kata, belum pernah dalam sejarah kerjayaku sebagai seorang guru sejak bulan disember 1990 diuji dengan kata-kata begitu. Aku menahan perasaanku sambil berpura-pura senyum lalu berkata “ermm, kenapa kamu tak suka mata pelajaran ini?” ujarkan meminta penjelasannya…”cikgu, saya tak suka prinsip akaun kerana mata pelajaran ini melibatkan angka-angka dan pengiraan” getusnya…”oh, begitu, ermm sebenarnya kamu harus focus dan cuba untuk memahami mata palajaran ini, kerana pencapaian kamu dalam pmr telah membolehkan kamu terpilih untuk masuk ke kelas cikgu” “oleh kerana waktu pepeksaan spm dah makin hampir, cikgu nak nasihatkan kamu supaya cuba memupuk minat dan kalau kamu ada apa-apa masalah, segeralah berjumpa dengan cikgu” ujarku sebagai nasihat “ermm, baiklah cikgu, saya akan cuba walaupun saya tak la minat sangat dengan angka-angka ni” balasnya ringkas sambil tangan kanannya menyentuh telinganya seakan tidak mahu membenarkan aku meneruskan kata-kata lagi. Aku tersenyum dan beredar ke meja pelajar yang lain untuk menyemak kerja-kerja bertulis yang mereka sedang jalankan. Kubiarkan maisara membuat penelitian terhadap kebenaran kata-kataku.

Sepanjang aku menjalankan tugasku sebagai guru, segala peristiwa pahit dan manis telah kukunyah dan k u telan. Namun begitu aku tabahkan hati menempuh segala rintangan dan halangan. Aku masih ingat kata-kata kata-kata Hamka “ jika hari ini hujan berterusan , maka janganlah berdukacita kerana mungkin esok hujan akan berhenti dan sinar mentari akan memancar indah “. Aku sedar bahawa tiada satupun yang kekal , dan baik dan buruk sesuatu kejadian itu adalah terletak pada penilaian seseorang individu itu sendiri. Masih terngiang-ngiang ditelingaku lirik lagu lama “the end of the world “ nyanyian kumpulan Carpenters..yang berbunyi…

Why does the sun go on shining?

Why does the sea rush to shore?

Don't they know it's the end of the world
`cause you don't love me anymore?

Why do the birds go on singing?

Why do the stars glow above?

Don't they know it's the end of the world?

It ended when I lost your love.

I wake up in the morning and I wonder

why ev'rything's the same as it was.

I can't understand, no I can't understand,

how life goes on the way it does!

Why does my heart go on beating?

Why do these eyes of mine cry?

Don't they know it's the end of the world?

It ended when you said good-bye.

Inilah antara lagu yang selalu aku mainkan ketika aku bersendirian dikamar sepi sebagai seorang guru bujang ketika mengajar di sekolah menengah kuala bakung di kedah dan ketika mengendalikan program perkhemahan kelab bimbingan dan kaunseling ketika aku menjadi kaunselor selama 2 tahun di situ. Pengalaman banyak mengajar aku supaya bijak menilai situasi dan selalu bertindak dengan pantas bagi menangani segala permasalah hidup khasnya yang berkait dengan tugasku sebagai seorang guru yang selalu berdepan dengan kerenah pentadbir, rakan-rakan guru yang tidak memahami dan juga pelajar yang masih belum menemui celik akal bagi melaksanakan tugasan menurut hala tuju yang sepatutnya. Meskipun begitu,aku membuat kesimpulan bahawa dengan apa yang kulalui selama tempoh hampir 10 tahun di sekolah menengah bukit keteri ini sebagai suatu tempat yang tepat yang cukup membantuku menjalankan tugas mendidik anak bangsa dengan kerjasama yang erat dari rakan-rakan sekerja yang menahami, kakitangan pejabat yang mesra dan suka menolong dan juga para pentadbir yang sangat memahami tugas dan tanggungjawab masing-masing.

Aku juga sedar bahawa dalam menjalani kehidupan, aku tidak seharusnya tunduk pada tekanan dan tafsiran orang lain terhadap apa yang aku harus lakukan. Maklumat dan pengetahuan adalah penting akan tetapi seseorang guru itu harus punya jatidiri dan memahami dirinya sendiri sebelum ia dapat memahami orang lain di sekelilingnya. Inilah hikmahnya aku mendekati bidang psikologi dan kaunseling sebagai bidang minor semasa aku masih menuntut di Universiti Sains Malaysia, Pulau Pinang. Pada waktu rakan-rakanku sibuk menimang anak, aku pula Berjaya menimang segulung ijazah dengan pengkhususan dalam bidang perakaunan. Aku tersenyum sendirian, aku puas dengan pencapaian ini.

Kehadiran maisara di kelasku benar-benar menguji kesabaranku. Jika semua pelajar lelaki yang nakal pun dapat kutakluki hati mereka, namun dengan maisara aku macam seorang doctor yang sibuk membuat penilaian terhadap pesakitnya. Tak tahu apa yang patut ku lakukan untuk menjerat hatinya untuk meminati mata pelajaran yang ku ajar. Aku teringat pesan seorang ustaz semasa aku masih dibangku sekolah, katanya “rosli, kamu mungkin dapat memilih apa yang kamu nak makan dan minum dengan izin Allah SWT, akan tetapi kamu terpaksa menerima segala pakej yang dibekalkan kepada kamu ketika menjadi seorang pemimpin” jelasnya secara bersahaja. Aku termanggu sendirian dan aku sedar bahawa kata-kata itu memang benar malah ia mencakupi persoalan yang lebih luas iaitu pelajar yang kuhadapi di dalam kelas dan juga sebuah rumah tangga yang aku bertindak sebagai pemimpinnya.

28 julai 2005

Hari itu keputusan Muet pertengahan tahun diumumkan. Jam 9.10 pagi aku Bersama dengan sahabatku husni iaitu guru muet di tingkatan enam atas berkereta ke jabatan pelajaran negeri perlis. Sesampainya di sana aku terus menuju ke kaunter hadapan unit peperiksaan jpn perlis untuk mengambil keputusan peperiksaan muet yang diletakkan dalam satu sampul besar yang memerlukan aku menandatanganinya . Aku mencapai sampul sambil diperhatikan oleh encik Isa sebagai pegawai meja di unit berkenaan, dari jarak 2 meter husni memerhatikan gelagatku seakan hilang kesabarannya untuk mengetahui pencapaian anak didiknya yang sangat dikasihinya…sebaik saja sampul dibuka, aku dan husni terpaku seketika kemudian kami seakan bersorak kegembiraan apabila melihat pelajar kami yang bernama Siti Maisara binti Ismil Berjaya mendapat Band 4 dan diikuti oleh 3 orang lagi mendapat band 3 dan selebihnya band 2 dan band 1. Aku terus mengucapkan tahniah kepada husni. Kebolehannya berbahasa inggeris dan bahasa tamil benar-benar menarik hatiku. Selepas itu kami beredar ke sebuah kedai untuk membuat 5 salinan keputusan peperiksaan berkenaan sebelum menyerahkannya kepada para pelajar di sekolah selepas jam 10.00 pagi.

Sesampainya kami di sekolah, aku membawa keputusan tersebut untuk menemui pengetua dan menyampaikan berita gembira itu. Kulihat wajah pengetua tersenyum riang sama seperti wajah husni sebagai guru yang mengajar muet sambil meneliti senarai keputusan berkenaan.”Tahniah, kepada cikgu rosli dan cikgu husni dan semua guru tingkatan enam “ ujar cikgu Ahmad yang tidak banyak bicaranya itu. “Terima kasih cikgu “ balasku ringkas. Aku terus keluar dari pejabat dan aku menyerahkan keputusan itu kepada husni untuk menyampaikan keputusan muet pertengahan tahun kepada para pelajar 6 atas yang kelihatan tidak sabar-sabar dan berdebar-debar untuk melihat pencapaian mereka dan setia menanti sejak sekian lama di hadapan bilik peperiksaan di tingkat bawah bersebelahan bilik kaunseling .

8 Ogos 2005

“ada tujuh tabiat orang yang berkesan menurut Steven R. Covey dalam bukunya yang bertajuk “the seven habit of highly effective people”…kuliahku dihadapan 19 orang pelajar di tingkatan enam atas. Hari ini aku mengajar mereka mengenai bab terakhir dalam mata pelajaran pengajian perniagaan kertas 1 iaitu kemahiran pengurusan. Para pelajar kelihatan menulis sesuatu dibuku catatan masing-masing. “para pelajar sekelian, apakah tabiat yang pertama?” soalanku secara terbuka . Seorang pelajar berbangsa thai mengangkat mukanya seperti ada keyakinan untuk menjawab . aku terus memintanya menjawab “ Ya, aree”…”sifat proaktif cikgu” “ betultu” ujarku….”baiklah, siapa yang boleh memberikan maksud proaktif”…” bagaimana dengan kamu,maisara”….aku memandang tepat kea rah maisara yang duduk dibaris ke dua di tepi tingkap . Maisara yang seakan terkejut dari lamunan mimpi yang panjang itu agak tersengih-sengih dan meminta aku mengulang soalan….”minta ulang soalan cikgu” ujarnya seakan kehairanan…aku membiarkan dia tanpa membuat sebarang ulasan dan aku menyebut sekali lagi “ apa maksud proaktif?” dia bangun lantas seperti cuba mengingat akan mentera yang bakal dibacakan…”proaktif maksudnya membuat sesuatu yang difikirkan perlu dan patut tanpa perlu diarah oleh sesiapapun” jawabnya dengan penuh keyakinan dan kelihatan matanya yang terus memandang tepat dan tajam kea rah ku…”bagus maisara, tepat sekali kelas maksudnya”…ujarku sambil memujinya. “kamu boleh duduk maisara, cikgu kagum dengan perubahan sikap kamu”

Sambil berjalan menghampiri mejanya aku berkata “ cikgu nak ucapkan tahniah kerana kamu mendapat Band 4 dalam peperiksaan muet pertengahan tahun pada minggu lepas” “terima kasih cikgu, saya juga tak menyangka yang saya akan mendapat keputusan sebegitu, “ ujarnya…”bukan senang nak dapat band 4 tu maisara, cikgu harap kamu lebih focus pada mata pelajaran kamu dan cikgu harap kamu akan dapat menunjukkan peningkatan dalam keputusan peperiksaan percubaan stpm pada bulan ogos nanti dan seterusnya” …”ya cikgu, saya juga berharap supaya cikgu membantu saya untuk Berjaya mendapat keputusan yang baik sebab saya memang nak masuk universiti pada tahun depan” tambahnya. “ baguslah begitu, sebagai guru cikgu akan bantu kamu sebaik mungkin tapi apa-apapun semuanya bergantung kepada usaha dan semangat kamu sendiri, cikgu masih ingat lagi masa kamu di tingkatan 5, kamu tak minat pelajaran cikgu sebab kamu kata kamu tak minat angka, tapi sekarang ini dah berubah, dalam mata pelajaran pengajian perniagaan ini lebih kepada fakta dan kalau kamu tak minat pada soalan pengiraan, kamu boleh pilih soalan lain”…ujarku panjang lebar..”ya , cikgu, keputusan muet baru-baru ini benar-benar mengubah saya, mulai hari saya mendapat keputusan itu, saya jadi berubah dan saya sekarang benar-benar nak berusaha supaya dapat gred 3.00 ke atas untuk dapat masuk universiti bagi kursus tesl” balasnya lagi..aku seakan tidak percaya , badanku seakan terkaku seketika, pelajar yang selama ini banyak mencuri masa jagaku untuk memikirkan gelagatnya dah berubah hanya kerana sehelai kertas yang tercatat “band 4”…syukur Alhamdulillah bisik hati kecilku…maisara telah berubah, dia benar-benar dah berubah dan celik akal. Dia tahu arah tujuannya selepas ini.”Insyaallah maisara, cikgu akan membantu kamu” ujarku ringkas dan mulai beredar ke hadapan kelas, “terima kasih, cikgu” ringkas sekali balasnnya dengan senyuman manis terukir dibibirnya.

15 februari 2008

Aku berada di kantin sekolah, seperti biasa sambil menghabiskan makanan yang terhidang di pinggan aku mengambil masa membelek naskah akhbar bersaiz kecil yang dilanggan oleh pengusaha kantin. “tak ada berita ilmiah langsung akhbar macam ini” ujarku secara bermonolog…dalam hatiku berkata macam mana rakyat Malaysia nak ilmiah kalau semua bahan bacaan yang mereka gemari hanya sekadar memuatkan bahan politik berebut kuasa, tahyul, sensasi dan gossip saja…ini pun percuma kalau kat rumah tak mahu aku membacanya…

“Assalamualaikum, cikgu” terdengar satu suara wanita..dari bahagian hadapan kantin yang biasanya menjadi tempat makan pekerja wanita sambil membicarakan soal-soal pendidikan anak-anak, resepi masakan ciptaan dan inovasi sendiri sehinggalah masalah pelajar di dalam kelas. “ Waalaikum salam” balasku spontan sambil menoleh kearah belakang….”oh maisara, bila kamu balik cuti” balasku sambil berjalan menuju ke arahnya. Dia tersenyum lantas menceritakan tentang pencapaiannya yang Berjaya mendapat anugerah senarai dekan sambil mengeluarkan slip keputusannya yang terakhir semasa di Universiti Malaya dan dengan bangganya menunjukkan kepadaku sebagai satu bukti kebenaran kata-katanya.Katanya dia dalam cuti dan akan kembali ke universti untuk tempoh satu tahun lagi sebelum menamatkan pengajian. Tujuan dia datang ke sekolah ialah kerana nak menemui guru-guru yang mengajarnya sebelum ini untuk mengucapkan terima kasih atas sumbangan mereka. Aku ingin membelanjanya makan, tapi dia seperti keberatan menerimanya lalu aku mengambil wang sebanyak RM10 dan kuhukurkan kepadanya bingkas mengeluarkan rm10 sebagai tanda ingatan dari seorang guru yang amat kagum atas perubahan sikap dan pencapaian yang amat membanggakan dari seorang pelajar yang tidak punya haluan yang jelas semasa ditingkatan 4 dan 5 berubah menjadi pelajar yang gigih dalam tempoh 4 bulan terakhir sebelum peperiksaan sebenar STPM 2005 bermula. Siapa sangka seorang pelajar dari sebuah sekolah harian biasa seperti ini mampu menyaingi dan berdiri sama tinggi dengan para pelajar dari seluruh pelusuk tanah air yang berhempas pulas bagi mendapatkan segulung ijazah sebagai passport untuk kehidupan yang baik pada masa hadapan.Inilah antara kenangan paling manis buat aku dan rakan-rakan di sekolah menengah bukit keteri seperti dyamim, badrul hisham, jamilaton, norashiraliza, khoiron nor, zakri, husni dan azifah. Teruskan perjuangan kalian kerana kita tak pernah sunyi dari kisah suka dan duka yang silih berganti dan dengan keihlasan bertugas semua yang indah akan dapat dinikmati bersama.

Hari ini hari bersejarah buatku. Kenanganku bersama pelajar bernama maisara terpahat kekal diingatan. Ia adalah menjadi bukti bahawa sesiapa pun mampu berubah dengan perubahan minda dan celik akal dan dengan izin Allah SWT. Sesekali aku berseloroh di dalam kelas bila teringat akan kisah aku dan maisara. Pada jamuan akhir kelasnya yang dibuat dirumahku, maisara ada membawa sebilah kapak sebagai alatan untuk memotong arang bagi membakar ayam dan ikan sebagai hidangan jamuan pada hari itu. Kapak itu tertinggal dirumahku selepas jamuan berakhir dan apabila aku menghubunginya , dia meminta ku menyimpan sebagai tanda kenangan . jadi apa yang dihadiahkan kepadaku adalah sebilah kapak yang mana menuntut kesepaduan tindakan , ketepatan hentaman dan ketajaman akal fikiran untuk menghayunnya kea rah sasaran bagi membuahkan hasil. Samalah caranya dengan menghadapi kerenah pelajar yang mungkin berpuluh kali lebih keras dan sukar seperti maisara suatu ketika dahulu.

Aku tersenyum riang sambil mengatur langkah yang kemas menuju ke kelas 6 atas dan aku berharap dan berdoa semoga dapat menghasilkan ratusan pelajar sehebat maisara dalam kerjayaku sebagai seorang guru kecil di sebuah sekolah yang besar . Aku harus akur dengan kemampuanku dan aku juga terpana dengan keghairahanku memburu kejayaan dalam tempoh masa yang makin berkurangan. Aku mendongak ke langit, ku lihat sekawan burung bangau sedang berterbangan menuju ke arah bukit keteri yang kelihatan seperti menara kembar yang berdiri teguh sejak dahulu sehingga kini. Jika bukit itu mampu bercerita, nescaya ceritanya ialah mengenai kisah para pelajar yang saban tahun datang menuntut ilmu di lembah ini dan bila tiba musimnya mereka akan bertebaran di atas muka bumi ini seakan beburung yang berterbangan pada waktu pagi untuk mencari sesuap rezeki . Dedaun kering berguguran di musim kemarau ini dan musim hujan akan tiba juga dengan tumbuh suburnya daun-daun hijau yang baru sebagai pengganti.

Rosli bin Hamid

Jejawi, Perlis.

4.00 pagi, 6 Mac 2010

زوجتي كان محبوبا جدا

2010-02-07T18:36:00.000-08:00

Muscat, Oman. (Mac 2006)

Hari Raya (2009)

Masjid Nabawi, Madinah (Jun 2004)

Kaherah, Mesir (12 Mac 2006)

Piramid, Giza, Mesir (Mac 2006)

di kaki Piramid, Giza, Mesir (Mac 2006)

Cameron Highland, Pahang (2009)

Istana Pagarruyung, Bukit Tinggi, Indonesia (Jun 2006)

Lubang Japang, Bukit Tinggi, Indonesia (Jun 2009)

Botanical Garden, Penang (July 2009)

Jabal Rahmah, Mekah (Jun 2004)

Raya, Jitra. (2009)

Cameron Highland, Pahang (2009)

Jam Gadang, Bukit Tinggi, Indonesia. (Jun 2009)

Perkampungan Minangkabau, Bukit Tinggi, Indonesia (Jun 2009)

Kelly Castle, Batu Gajah, Perak (2008)

Putrajaya (Dis 2007)

Melaka (Dis 2007)

Cameron Highland (2008)

BOH, SG. PALAS, CAMERON HIGHLAND, PAHANG (2008)

RAYA (2007)

Sg. Sedim, Kulim, Kedah. (2008)

LIMA, LANGKAWI (2007)

LIMA (2007)

LIMA, LANGKAWI,KEDAH (2007)

زوجتي كان محبوبا جدا

شباط / فبراير 7 ، عام 2010 وهو الموعد حتى اليوم لدينا زواجهما كان العدد 10.

الوقت يمر بسرعة ، لدينا مثل امس تزوج الجديد (شباط / فبراير 7 ، 2000).

إذا المقررة على كل الانجازات التي اكتسبناها خلال السنوات ال 10 الماضية ، ثم توصلت الى هذه النتيجة التي تبقي الحياة التي نحياها مع بالمعنى الكامل من الحب والدفء والمسؤوليات أن ندرك أننا لا تتحمل جميلة جدا من أجل سعادة شعر ونقدر

شكرا لكم لديهم الكثير من مساعدة في كتابة السيناريو آنج اعتبارات الحياة وفقا لدينا العفن الخاصة. وذلك بفضل الصبر والسعادة الذي تمتعنا به ، لدينا اليوم تم منح الأمير - 3 لطيف لطيف وذكي أن عادل وافي ، وأحمد عزت azraie وعفيف وجدي. وبفضل الصبر والعناية والانفتاح لدينا ابن آخر الذي يأتي إلينا لأحبائنا نتيجة فيضان الحب لولي 3 من القائمة Muhd حافظ

10 سنوات في الواقع ليست فترة قصيرة من الزمن. صبر جميع المحاكمات التي نواجهها ، والفرح والحزن للعيش معا كان مثمرا

اليوم اذا كنا ننظر الى الوراء حتى يمكننا أن نرى هو انجاز كبير ان

1. لدينا اثنين من الآباء والأمهات الذين يحبوننا وهذا هو أطفالنا والرعاية لبعضها البعض ، والرفاه

2. الأطفال هم المهرة على التواصل بشكل علني وعرضا ، وبسهولة اجتماعيا مع أفراد الأسرة والأصدقاء والجيران وغيرهم من أفراد المجتمع.

3. لقد أنتجت أيضا معيارا جديدا أن يكون مثالا لأعضاء الأسرة المباشرين ، بدءا من الدعوة أومي وانج والاستعاضة عن الأمهات والده ،

4. تثقيف وتربية الأطفال بطريقة منطقتنا بعد اجراء دراسة اعمق منهم لا تثير الأطفال في المهد حتى أنها

5. تعريف وتعليم الأطفال على التواصل علنا وبوضوح ، دون أي خوف لارتكاب الأخطاء والمالية بشكل مباشر اذا كان هناك الأشياء التي لا تستدعي منا الحق في عينيه

6. نفعل اشياء كثيرة ومهمة معا مثل إجازة عائلية خارج البلدان (سلطنة عمان ومصر واندونيسيا) ، وحضور التجمعات العائلية معا (زيارة المرضى ، وحضر العيد ، والموت ، الخ

7. ونحن أيضا مألوفة لبعضهما البعض إن لم يكن غاضبا من الخطيئة وأطفالنا لم ير والديه بحجة أو رفع الاصوات

بإذن من الله سبحانه والى يوم واحد من أطفالنا سوف تذكر لنا بابتسامة ويقول لنا الآباء في حياة أفضل ، ونحن نريد أن يستمر هذا التقليد الجميل.

عموما منقط دفع ما يصل إلى فهم واضح من الواجبات والمسؤوليات من أجل الحصول على موافقة من الله سبحانه وتعالى

الحق الأعلى ليست حصرية والمحبة التي هي عميقة وغير قابلة للقياس ومكافأتها ، آنج أتمنى للاحتفال بالذكرى السنوية للزواج إلى 10. تع

أومي آنج الحب بإخلاص

Kedah Padi Museum

2010-01-24T05:58:00.000-08:00

Kedah Padi Museum

Many seem unaware of the 24.7 mil Kedah Padi Museum located some 8km from Alor Setar, Kedah, which opened its door in the country's "rice bowl" state in October 2004.

It is the first padi museum in Malaysia, and the fourth to be opened in the world after Japan, Germany and the Philippines.

Featuring traditional tools, machines and even folklore related to padi, the museum, which is housed in seven triple-storey building, is cleverly designed to look like gemai padi (bundles of padi stalks).

The entire structure pays homage to the beauty and importance of padi to the country's economy.

And while the detailing of the embossed padi stalk motif on the buildings circumference is exquisite, it's the wall-to-wall mural in the main building that is the gem of this museum.

The masterpiece was the work of 60 North Korean artist.

The Rice Museum consists of two main levels and a top portion accessible by a spiral staircase. As you tour it, you are given a thorough explanation of anything involved with rice. There are several galleries with panoramic murals. These are the result of painstaking work by 60 artists from North Korea.

The North Koreans was paid RM11 mil and they spend six month (in 1998) taking photographs and studying the area. They also spend additional time researching padi planting and completed the mural in 2000.

My favourite gallery is 59 steps above, accessible via a spiral staircase. What you find here is a massive circular mural measuring 103 metres in circumference, and 8 metres in height. You enter this gallery from the middle, and immediately the scene of the surrounding Gunung Keriang region unfolds around you.

Get comfly in your chair and just soak in the view as the platform revolves for some 30 minutes; it's almost as if you are staring at Kedah's most scenic horizon.

As you stand there admiring the mural, you are taken in by the sheer size of the murals. Indeed you cannot be sure where the ground is, and where the mural begins. Another thing, as you view the mural, you feel that the scenery was moving. Soon you realised that you are standing on a revolving platform, and by simply being still, you will have the scenery rotate around you.

It was truly a mermerizing experience.

16th January 2010.

Alor Setar, Malaysia.

Lots to smile about

2009-12-13T04:32:00.000-08:00

Take a breather amids the festive flurry and count worth celebrating.

How does one acknowledge God'sblessings?

What blessings should we acknowledge?

1.If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep at night, you are richer than 75% of other people in this world.

2. If you have money in the bank and your wallet, and spare change in a dish, you are among the top eight per cent of the world's wealthy population.

3. If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the many who will not even survive this day.

4. If you have never experienced the fear of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation, you're ahead of 700 million people in the world.

5. If you can attend a mosque without the fear of harrassment, arrest, torture or death, you are envied by, and more blessed than, three billion people in the world.

6. If your parent are alive and still married, you are extremely lucky.

And

7. If you can hold your head up daily and smile, you are unique to all those in doubt and despair.

adapted from JOYCE LOH
Sunday Star 13 december 2009

Mahsuri: Lagends of Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia

2009-12-06T18:56:00.000-08:00

Mahsuri: Lagends of Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia

Last week my family and I have the opportunity to visit Langkawi Island. We're there to attend the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition 2009 (LIMA 2009). When we was there, we had a chance to visit the Mahsuri Tomb in Ulu Melaka, Langkawi. As i remember, this is fourth time I was there. First time I was there is in the year of 1989. At that time i was still bachelor. But this time i bring along my family members. I feel attracted to visit this place again and again because of the history of Mahsuri and also the tradisional life of Malay community that is hard to find nowadays. The lessons I have learned from Mahsuri 's event are among others we have to keep our self away from bad characteristic such as spitefulness, jealous and envious.

According to Malay legend, Mahsuri (full name Mahsuri bte Pandak Mayah) (?-1819) was a young woman from the island of Langkawi in Malaysia who was accused of adultery and executed by stabbing. Her tomb, Makam Mahsuri, in Langkawi, has become a tourist attraction on the island

During the time of the powerful Sultanates of the Malay archipelago there lived a young woman named Mahsuri. She was the most beautiful woman in all of Langkawi, and the wife of Wan Darus, a brave warrior. As was required of him, her husband had to go to war, leaving Mahsuri behind to fend for herself. It was during this time that Mahsuri befriended a young man named Deraman.

Their close friendship lead others in her village to believe that their relationship was sexual in nature. Some versions of the legend claim that the parties who perpetuated the gossip were those who were envious of Mahsuri's beauty. Eventually the rumours grew strong enough that the villagers openly accused her of adultery. Mahsuri pleaded her innocence, but no one believed her.

Mahsuri was to be tied to a tree (or pole) and stabbed to death.It didn't work, they tried many ways to kill her but failed each time . Then she told them to kill her with her family's dagger. When they stabbed her with the dagger , white blood flowed from her wound, signifying her innocence. Some birds flew above her to cover her body. With her dying breath, Mahsuri cursed Langkawi to have seven generations of bad luck.

Many locals of Langkawi believe the legend to be true, citing the Siamese invasion of 1821 and decades of failed crops that followed Mahsuri's death. It is only at the end of the 20th century, after the seven generations have supposedly come to pass, that Langkawi began to prosper as a tourist destination.

The descendants of Mahsuri continue to live in Phuket, Thailand, and have on occasion returned to Langkawi to visit her tomb.[1] Among them was Sirintra Yayee (Thai:ศิรินทรา ยายี), also known by her Muslim name Wan Aishah Wan Nawawi, came into the spotlight during her visit to Kedah in 2000.[2][3]

Once upon a time, there lived in Langkawi two Muslim Siamese immigrants, a childless couple, Pandak Maya and Mak Andam, who prayed for a child.Their prayers were answered when they had Mahsuri, a sweet delightful child who grew into a beautiful young woman. Being kind-hearted and of such a beauty, she captured the heart and soon married Wan Darus, a warrior and the son of the headman of the village and Chief of Langkawi'

Their idyllic lives were disrupted when her husband went off to fight against an invading Siamese army. A travelling minstrel and poet named Deraman arrived at the village and soon, Mahsuri and Deraman became good friends.
Mahsuri was said to have allowed him to stay at her house. This soon gave
rise to the vicious gossip that Mahsuri was a faithless wife

She was soon a victim of a conspiracy and was falsely accused of committing adultery with the handsome Deraman.There are many versions as to the reasons behind the treachery.Widely believed was that her own mother in law, Wan Mahora, was jealous of her beauty and popularity and had plotted against her.

Yet another version says that the village headman, Dato Karma Jaya
(her father in law) was so enamoured of Mahsuri, that he tried to make use
of her husband's absence to his advantage. Needless to say, his caused wife
(her mother in law) was not amused and plotted to have Mahsuri done away with. Hence, she was accused Mahsuri of being an adulteress, and was sentenced
to death by Dato Karma Jaya, her own father-in-law. Despite her parents' pleas and the cries of her child at her skirts, Mahsuri was dragged away and tied to a tree. Vehemently protesting her innocence,
she begged for mercy, but the villagers, under the influence of the headman's
wife, gave her no quarter.

Legend says that the swords and machetes used by the executors could not injure her. The people really should have believed her when all the spears that they threw at her fell harmlessly at her feet. They were baffled but still convinced that Mahsuri was guilty of wrong-doing.

Finally, Mahsuri, having resigned herself that only her death would appease them, told them how they could kill her. She would only die by the blade of the ceremonial sword kept at her home. Someone was sent to fetch it and legend has it that the sky became overcast and there was thunder and lightning as Mahsuri was fatally stabbed.

At her execution by stabbing with a sacred 'keris' or dagger, the villagers were shocked to discover that the blood flowing from her body was white, signifying her innocence. Others maintain there was the sudden appearance of white mist that enveloped the spot where she was executed, which it was believed was a sign of mourning of her innocence.

Mahsuri is probably best remembered for her curse. With her dying breath Mahsuri placed a curse on the island of Langkawi by uttering, "For this act of injustice Langkawi shall not prosper for seven generations to come."

In 1821, not long after Mahsuri's execution, Siam invaded Langkawi. To starve the invading Siamese soldiers, Dato Karma Jaya ordered all the rice on the island be collected and burnt in Padang Mat Sirat. This proved to be a foolish move, for the residents soon died from starvation.Remnants of the burnt rice could still be seen in a cordoned area in Padang Mat Sirat, Kampung Raha. The burnt rice is said to have been buried below ground before being burnt, but often appears on the surface after a rainy day. Do you not think it strange that the rice grains have not turned into soil after so long? Some things have to be seen or experienced first-hand to be believed.

The village headman and his sons were killed fighting the Siamese and
neither was his wife spared. Decades after Mahsuri's death, Langkawi experienced a period of tribulation with her population dwindling in size. The island became a desolate place, beset by series of misfortunes. As for Mahsuri's family, they left Langkawi and settled in Thailand.

No one knew much about what had happened to them until the year 2000
when the Kedah government located them on the island of Phuket. They were invited to Langkawi for a visit and to see if they would like to make the island their new home. The time for Mahsuri's seven generation old curse to end was at hand and it was hoped that with the arrival of her descendants, Langkawi could finally put its sad past behind and move forward towards prosperity and progress.

Coincidence or not, one of the two siblings who are of the seventh generation descendants, is a young and pretty fourteen year old girl (at 2003) named Wan Aishah Nawawi who bears a striking resemblance to Mahsuri as depicted in a portrait painted quite some time ago. The family has since returned to Phuket as they have not yet been able to make the all important decision of becoming Malaysian citizens and resettling in Langkawi.

The public was first introduced to Langkawi by the late Tunku Abdul Rahman
Putra al-Haj, the first Prime Minister of Malaysia. As a young District Officer in Kedah, the Tunku used to visit Langkawi and had wanted to visit Mahsuri's
grave to pay his respects. However, no one could tell him where it was. So, the Tunku made up his mind to find it. He was not one to give up and so persevered until one day, he came across a grave hidden in some undergrowth. He was sure that it was Mahsuri's although there was no marker indicating that fact or otherwise. He approached a Chinese contractor to build a tomb for her. Shortly after the tomb was erected, the Tunku was given a promotion and was eventually to become the first Prime Minister of Malaysia and the contractor who had borne the costs of building the tomb became rather prosperous – as he soon landed several lucrative contracts.

Mahsuri's tomb is now encased in white marble,quarried from the hills of Langkawi - white symbolising her innocence. Nearby is a well, which Mahsuri used to wash and bathe.Photographs of her descendants are displayed on the board next to her grave.
Whether fact or fiction , the curse, believed to have brought destruction and
doom to the island and was to last for seven generations. It was said that at one time, buffaloes even outnumbered villagers. It has only been recently with the birth in 1980 of Aishah Nawawi, a direct descendant of Mahsuri, the eighth generation, that Langkawi has started to really prosper.

To Malaysians, Mahsuri is more than a legend; she is the epitome that truth and goodness shall prevail. And just as the Tunku had freed Malaya from colonial rule, so too had he helped Langkawi to free itself from the shackles of its own past.

MAHSURI BINTI PANDAK MAYAH

MAHSURI A VICTIM OF TREACHERY AND JEALOUSY WAS SENTENCED TO DEATH IN 1235 HIJRAH OR 1819 A.D. AS SHE DIED SHE LAID A CURSE ON THE ISLAND : THERE SHALL BE NO PEACE AND PROSPERITY ON THIS ISLAND FOR A PERIOD OF SEVEN GENERATION

My Story : The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

2009-12-03T04:24:00.000-08:00

Peace be upon you.

There is a book that is quite interesting that I want to share with all readers. In 1994 I have the opportunity to purchase this book at MPH book shop in the Mall Kuala Lumpur. The title of this book is "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" written by Steven R. Covey. This book quite interesting because it point out a few role that we played as a human being. This book opened my mind to change and I strive to be an effective among family members and also those who deal with me. We as human beings always face many constraints and obstacles in efforts to achieve happiness in our life. Therefore it is better if we make our motto of our lives to always want to change towards a better life and creating a positive effect to our life and the life of other people around us. One of the way is to increase our knowledge continuously through reading for the rest of life.

Stephen Covey

Stephen R. Covey (born October 24, 1932 in Salt Lake City, Utah) wrote the best-selling book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Other books he has written include:

First Things First,

Principle-Centered Leadership,

and The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families.

In 2004, Covey released, The 8th Habit.

In 2008, Covey released The Leader In Me—How Schools and Parents Around the World Are Inspiring Greatness, One Child at a Time

Covey lives with his wife Sandra and their family in Provo, Utah, home to Brigham Young University, where Dr. Covey taught prior to the publication of his best-selling book. A father of nine and a grandfather of fifty-one with his wife, he received the Fatherhood Award from the National Fatherhood Initiative in 2003.

Covey established the "Covey Leadership Center" which, in 1997, merged with Franklin Quest to form FranklinCovey, a global professional-services firm and specialty-retailer selling both training and productivity-tools to individuals and to organizations. Their mission statement reads: "We enable greatness in people and organizations everywhere".

In 2008, Covey launched The Stephen Covey's Online Community. The site is a collection of online courses, goal management and social networking. He uses it as a place to teach his most recent thoughts and ideas on current topics and self leadership.

In 2009, Covey launched his career development webinar series to help people struggling in the economic downturn. He plans to offer timely and current topics on a regular basis.

Covey holds a BSc degree in Business Administration from University of Utah in Salt Lake City, an MBA from Harvard University, and a Doctor of Religious Education (DRE) in LDS (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Church History and Doctrine from Brigham Young University. He also holds membership of the Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity.

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, first published in 1989, is a self-help book written by Stephen R. Covey. It has sold over 15 million copies in 38 languages since first publication, which was marked by the release of a 15th anniversary edition in 2004. Covey argues this is achieved by aligning oneself to what he calls "true north" principles of a character ethic that he believes to be universal and timeless.[1]

The book was enormously popular, and catapulted Covey into public-speaking appearances and workshops. He has also written a number of follow-up books:

First Things First
Principle Centered Leadership
The Power Of The 7 Habits: Applications And Insights
Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families
Beyond the Seven Habits
Living the Seven Habits, a collection of stories from people who have applied the seven habits in their lives

The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness, a sequel to The Seven Habits published in 2004

Sean Covey (Stephen's son) has written a version of the book for teens, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens. This version simplifies the 7 Habits for younger readers so they can better understand them. In October 2006, Sean Covey also published The 6 Most Important Decisions You Will Ever Make: A Guide for Teens. This guide highlights key times in the life of a teen and gives advice on how to deal with them.
Stephen Covey's eldest son, Stephen M. R. Covey, has written a book titled The Speed of Trust.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Covey's best-known book, has sold more than 15 million copies worldwide since its first publication in 1989. (The audio version became the first non-fiction audio-book in U.S. publishing history to sell more than one million copies.) Covey argues against what he calls "The Personality Ethic", something he sees as prevalent in many modern self-help books. He instead promotes what he labels "The Character Ethic": aligning one’s values with so-called "universal and timeless" principles. Covey adamantly refuses to confound principles and values; he sees principles as external natural laws, while values remain internal and subjective. Covey proclaims that values govern people’s behavior, but principles ultimately determine the consequences. Covey presents his teachings in a series of habits, manifesting as a progression from dependence via independence to interdependence.

[edit] The 7 Habits

Habit 1: Be Proactive: Principles of Personal Choice

Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind: Principles of Personal Vision

Habit 3: Put First Things First: Principles of Integrity & Execution

Habit 4: Think Win/Win: Principles of Mutual Benefit

Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood: Principles of Mutual Understanding

Habit 6: Synergize: Principles of Creative Cooperation

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw: Principles of Balanced Self-Renewal

[edit] Follow-ups
Follow-up titles to The Seven Habits aim both to add to the original and to form a cohesive philosophy on personal, principle-based leadership. They come in the format of audio books as well (such as the title Beyond The 7 Habits). Covey has also written a number of learning-books for children. His son, Sean Covey, has written a version for teens: The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens. This version simplifies Covey's 7 Habits for younger readers to better understand them.

The 7 Habits

Dependence to Independence
Habit 1: Be Proactive: Principles of Personal Choice
Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind: Principles of Personal Vision
Habit 3: Put First Things First: Principles of Integrity & Execution

Independence to Interdependence
Habit 4: Think Win/Win: Principles of Mutual Benefit
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood: Principles of Mutual Understanding
Habit 6: Synergize: Principles of Creative Cooperation

Continual Improvement
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw: Principles of Balanced Self-Renewal

The chapters are dedicated to each of the habits, which are represented by the following imperatives:

Habit 1 - Principles of Personal Choice:

Covey emphasizes the original sense of the term "proactive". You can either be proactive or reactive when it comes to how you respond to certain things. When you are reactive, you blame other people and circumstances for obstacles or problems. Being proactive means taking responsibility for every aspect of your life. Initiative and taking action will then follow. Covey also argues that man is different from other animals in that he has self-consciousness. He has the ability to detach himself and observe his own self; think about his thoughts. He goes on to say how this attribute enables him: It gives him the power not to be affected by his circumstances. Covey talks about stimulus and response. Between stimulus and response, we have the power of free will to choose our response.

Habit 2 - Principles of Personal Vision:

This chapter is about setting long-term goals based on "true north" principles. Covey recommends formulating a "Personal Mission Statement" to document one's perception of one's own vision in life. He sees visualization as an important tool to develop this. He also deals with organizational mission statements, which he claims to be more effective if developed and supported by all members of an organization rather than prescribed.

Habit 3 - Principles of Integrity & Execution:

Covey describes a framework for prioritizing work that is aimed at long-term goals, at the expense of tasks that appear to be urgent, but are in fact less important. Delegation is presented as an important part of time management. Successful delegation, according to Covey, focuses on results and benchmarks that are to be agreed in advance, rather than on prescribing detailed work plans. Habit three is greatly expanded on in the follow on book First Things First.

Habit 4 - Principles of Mutual Benefit:

An attitude whereby mutually beneficial solutions are sought that satisfy the needs of oneself as well as others, or, in the case of a conflict, both parties involved.

Habit 5 - Principles of Mutual Understanding:

Covey warns that giving out advice before having empathetically understood a person and their situation will likely result in that advice being rejected. Thoroughly listening to another person's concerns instead of reading out your own autobiography is purported to increase the chance of establishing a working communication.

Habit 6 - Principles of Creative Cooperation:

A way of working in teams. Apply effective problem solving. Apply collaborative decision making. Value differences. Build on divergent strengths. Leverage creative collaboration. Embrace and leverage innovation. It is put forth that when synergy is pursued as a habit, the result of the teamwork will exceed the sum of what each of the members could have achieved on their own. “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”

Habit 7 - Principles of Balanced Self-Renewal: Focuses on balanced self-renewal: Regain what Covey calls "production capability" by engaging in carefully selected recreational activities. Covey also emphasizes the need to sharpen the mind.

[edit] Maturity Continuum

Dependence - is the paradigm of you--you take care of me; (I blame you for the results)Independence - is the paradigm of I--I can do it; (I am self-reliant)Interdependence - is the paradigm of we--we can do it; (we can combine our talents and abilities and create something greater together)[2]

[edit] Abundance mentality

Covey coined the term[citation needed] abundance mentality or abundance mindset, meaning a business concept in which a person believes there are enough resources and success to share with others, when looking at optimistic people. It is commonly contrasted with the scarcity mindset, which is founded on the idea that, given a finite amount of resources, a person must hoard their belongings and protect them from others. Individuals with an abundance mentality are supposed to be able to celebrate the success of others rather than be threatened by it.[3]

A number of books appearing in the business press since then have discussed the idea.[4] The abundance mentality is believed to arrive from having a high self worth and security, and leads to the sharing of profits, recognition and responsibility.[5] Organizations may also apply an abundance mentality while doing business.[6]

Habits have a tremendous gravity pull

Lift off takes a lot of effort,
but once we break out of the gravity pull,
our freedom takes on a whole new dimension

Ready for take off ?

Habit 1:
Be proactive

You are respons-able: able to choose your respons!”

We have a wide range of concerns, but not all of them fall into our circle of influence

“Anytime we think the problem is out there,
that thought is the problem”

You can choose your language

Reactive:
I must
If only
They made me
If I had

Proactive:
I prefer
I will
I choose
I can be

Habit 2:
Begin with the end in mind

The key to the ability to changeis a changeless sense of who you are, what you are about and what you value

Habit 3:
Put first things first

The key to time management is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule but to schedule your priorities

It’s almost impossible to say NO to the popularity of urgent, non important matters, if you don’t have a bigger YES burning inside

“Things which matter most should never be at the mercy of things which matter least”

Habit 4: Think Win/win

“You can only achieve win/win solutions with win/win processes”

It’s not your way or my way, it’s a better way

Habit 5:
Seek first to understand, then to be understood

“We have such a tendency to fix things up with good advice, but often we fail to take the time to diagnose, to really deeply understand another human being first”

Habit 6:
Synergize

“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts”

“When we are left to our own experiences,
we constantly suffer from a shortage of data”

“The person who is truly effective has the humility to recognize his own perceptual limitations and to appreciate the rich resources available through interaction with the hearts and minds of other human beings”

In order to have influence, you have to open yourself up to bé influenced

Habit 7:
Sharpen the Saw

Read, write, relax, exercise, play, love, get involved, meditate …

“Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things … I am tempted to think … there are no little things”

Kashmir : Part 1

2009-11-28T19:42:00.000-08:00

Kashmir: Part 1

Jehangir (Emperor Jahangir strengthened the Mughal Empire in India after his father Akbar. Jahangir was born on 31st August, 1569 and was named Nuruddin Salim Jahangir. Nuruddin has been derived from Arabic which means "light of faith". Jahangir is a Persian word which means "world conqueror". Jahangir was an able administrator who had a penchant for the finer things in life. He was not a brutal warrior but a learned politician) described Kashmir as a paradise on earth. The beauty of the land is breathtaking.

According to legend, Jammu was founded by Raja Jamboolochan in the 14th century BCE. During one of his hunting campaigns he reached the Tawi River where he saw a goat and a lion drinking water at the same place. The king was impressed and decided to set up a town after his name, Jamboo. With the passage of time, the name was corrupted and became "Jammu".

According to folk etymology, the name "Kashmir" means "desiccated land" (from the Sanskrit: Ka = water and shimeera = desiccate). In the Rajatarangini, a history of Kashmir written by Kalhana in mid-12th century, it is stated that the valley of Kashmir was formerly a lake. According to Hindu mythology, the lake was drained by the great rishi or sage, Kashyapa, son of Marichi, son of Brahma, by cutting the gap in the hills at Baramulla (Varaha-mula). When Kashmir had been drained, Kashyapa asked Brahmans to settle there. This is still the local tradition, and in the existing physical condition of the country, we may see some ground for the story which has taken this form. The name of Kashyapa is by history and tradition connected with the draining of the lake, and the chief town or collection of dwellings in the valley was called Kashyapa-pura, which has been identified with Kao-1r6.nupos of Hecataeus (apud Stephen of Byzantium) and Kaspatyros of Herodotus (3.102, 4.44). Kashmir is also the country meant by Ptolemy's Kao-ir,~pta.

Cashmere is an archaic spelling of Kashmir, and in some countries it is still spelled this way.

Early history

Kashmir was one of the major centre of Sanskrit scholars. According to the Mahabharata, [1] the Kambojas ruled Kashmir during the epic period with a Republican system of government [2] from the capital city of Karna-Rajapuram-gatva-Kambojah-nirjitastava.[3][4], shortened to Rajapura,[5][6][7][8] which has been identified with modern Rajauri.[9] Later, the Panchalas are stated to have established their sway. The name Peer Panjal, which is a part of modern Kashmir, is a witness to this fact. Panjal is simply a distorted form of the Sanskritic tribal term Panchala. The Muslims prefixed the word peer to it in memory of Siddha Faqir and the name thereafter is said to have changed into Peer Panjal.[10] The Mauryan emperor Ashoka is often credited with having founded the city of Srinagar.

Kashmir was once a Buddhist seat of learning, perhaps with the Sarvāstivādan school dominating. East and Central Asian Buddhist monks are recorded as having visited the kingdom. In the late 4th century AD, the famous Kuchanese monk Kumārajīva, born to an Indian noble family, studied Dīrghāgama and Madhyāgama in Kashmir under Bandhudatta. He later becoming a prolific translator who helped take Buddhism to China. His mother Jīva is thought to have retired to Kashmir. Vimalākṣa, a Sarvāstivādan Buddhist monk, travelled from Kashmir to Kucha and there instructed Kumārajīva in the Vinayapiṭaka.

Shah Mir Swati (Reigned 1339-42)

Shams-ud-Din Shah Mir was a ruler of Kashmir and the founder of the Shah Miri dynasty named after him. Jonaraja, in his Rajatarangini mentioned him as Sahamera. He came from Swat (Tribal) territory on the borders of Afganistan, Rinchana from Ladakh, and Lankar Chak from Dard territory near Gilgit came to Kashmir, and played a notable role in subsequentive political history of the valley. All the three men were granted Jagirs by the King Rinchan for 3 years became the ruler of Kashmir, Shah Mir was the first rular of Swati dynasty, which had established in 1339.

Shah Mir was succeeded by his eldest son Jamshid, but he was deposed by his brother Ali Sher probably within few months, who ascended the throne under the name of Alauddin[1].

In the 14th century, Islam gradually became the dominant religion in Kashmir, starting with the conversion in 1323 of Rincana, the first king of the Sayyid Dynasty from Ladakh. The Muslims and Hindus of Kashmir lived in relative harmony, since the Sufi-Islamic way of life that ordinary Muslims followed in Kashmir complemented the Rishi tradition of Kashmiri Pandits. This led to a syncretic culture where Hindus and Muslims revered the same local saints and prayed at the same shrines. The famous sufi saint Bulbul Shah was able to persuade the king of the time Rinchan Shah from Ladakh to adopt the Islamic way of life, and the foundation of Sufiana composite culture was laid when Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists were co-existing.

Several Kashmiri rulers, such as Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin, were tolerant of all religions in a manner comparable to Akbar. However, several Muslim rulers of Kashmir were intolerant to other religions. Sultãn Sikandar Butshikan of Kashmir (AD 1389-1413) and his (former Brahmin) minister Saif ud-Din are often considered the worst of these. Historians have recorded many of his atrocities. The Tarikh-i-Firishta records that Sikandar persecuted the Hindus and issued orders proscribing the residence of any other than Muslims in Kashmir.

The Histories

The metrical chronicle of the kings of Kashmir, called Rajatarangini, has (erroneousy) been pronounced by Professor H.I. Wilson to be the only Sanskrit composition yet discovered to which the appellation "history" can with any propriety be applied. It first became known to the Muslims when, on Akbar's invasion of Kashmir in 1588, an amalgamated version was presented to the emperor. A translation into Persian was made at his order. A summary of its contents, taken from this Persian translation, is given by Abul Fazl in the Ain-i-Akbari. The Rajatarangini was written by Kalhana in the middle of the 12th century. His work, in eight books, makes use of earlier writings that are now lost.

The Rajatarangini is the first of a series of four histories that record the annals of Kashmir. Commencing with a rendition of traditional 'history' of very early times (3102 BCE), the Rajatarangini comes down to the reign of Sangrama Deva, (c.1006 AD) and Kalhana. The second work, by Jonaraja, continues the history from where Kalhana left off, and, entering the Muslim period, gives an account of the reigns down to that of Zain-ul-ab-ad-din, 1412. P. Srivara carried on the record to the accession of Fah Shah in 1486. The fourth work, called Rajavalipataka, by Prajnia Bhatta, completes the history to the time of the incorporation of Kashmir in the dominions of the Mogul emperor Akbar, 1588.

Princely State of Kashmir and Jammu

By the early 19th century, the Kashmir valley had passed from the control of the Durrani Empire of Afghanistan, and four centuries of Muslim rule under the Mughals and the Afghans, to the conquering Sikh armies. Earlier, in 1780, after the death of Ranjit Deo, the Raja of Jammu, the kingdom of Jammu (to the south of the Kashmir valley) was captured by the Sikhs under Ranjit Singh of Lahore and afterwards, until 1846, became a tributary to the Sikh power.[11] Ranjit Deo's grandnephew, Gulab Singh, subsequently sought service at the court of Ranjit Singh, distinguished himself in later campaigns, especially the annexation of the Kashmir valley by the Sikhs army in 1819, and, for his services, was created Raja of Jammu in 1820. With the help of his officer, Zorawar Singh, Gulab Singh soon captured Ladakh and Baltistan, regions to the east and north-east of Jammu.[11]

British era

In 1845, the First Anglo-Sikh War broke out, and Gulab Singh "contrived to hold himself aloof till the battle of Sobraon (1846), when he appeared as a useful mediator and the trusted advisor of Sir Henry Lawrence. Two treaties were concluded. By the first the State of Lahore (i.e. West Punjab) handed over to the British, as equivalent for (rupees) one crore of indemnity, the hill countries between Beas and Indus; by the second[12] the British made over to Gulab Singh for (Rupees) 75 lakhs all the hilly or mountainous country situated to the east of Indus and west of Ravi" (i.e. the Vale of Kashmir).[11] Soon after Gulab Singh's death in 1857, his son, Ranbir Singh, added the emirates of Hunza, Gilgit and Nagar to the kingdom.

Portrait of Maharaja Gulab Singh in 1847, a year after signing the Treaty of Amritsar, when he became Maharaja by purchasing the territories of Kashmir "to the eastward of the river Indus and westward of the river Ravi"[13] for 75 lakhs rupees from the British (Artist: James Duffield Harding).The Princely State of Kashmir and Jammu (as it was then called) was constituted between 1820 and 1858 and was "somewhat artificial in composition and it did not develop a fully coherent identity, partly as a result of its disparate origins and partly as a result of the autocratic rule which it experienced on the fringes of Empire."[14] It combined disparate regions, religions, and ethnicities: to the east, Ladakh was ethnically and culturally Tibetan and its inhabitants practised Buddhism; to the south, Jammu had a mixed population of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs; in the heavily populated central Kashmir valley, the population was overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim, however, there was also a small but influential Hindu minority, the Kashmiri brahmins or pandits; to the northeast, sparsely populated Baltistan had a population ethnically related to Ladakh, but which practised Shi'a Islam; to the north, also sparsely populated, Gilgit Agency, was an area of diverse, mostly Shi'a groups; and, to the west, Punch was Muslim, but of different ethnicity than the Kashmir valley.[14] After the Indian Rebellion of 1857, in which Kashmir sided with the British, and the subsequent assumption of direct rule by Great Britain, the princely state of Kashmir came under the paramountcy of the British Crown.

Ranbir Singh's grandson Hari Singh ascended the throne of Kashmir in 1925. The Maharajah Hari Singh never represented the will of his subjects, creating tension between the Hindu rulers and the Muslim population of Kashmir. Muslims in Kashmir detested him, as they were heavily taxed and had grown tired of his insensitivity to their religious concerns. The Dogra rule (the name of the municipal governments) had excluded Muslims from the civil service and the armed services. Islamic religious ceremonies were taxed. Historically, Muslims were banned from organizing politically, which would only be tolerated beginning in the 1930s. In 1931, in response to a sermon that had tones of opposition to the government, the villages of Jandial, Makila, and Dana were ransacked and destroyed by the Dogra army, with their inhabitants burned alive. A legislative assembly, with no real power, was created in January, 1947. It issued one statement that represented the will of the Muslim people: "After carefully considering the position, the conference has arrived at the conclusion that accession of the State to Pakistan is absolutely necessary in view of the geographic, economic, linguistic, cultural and religious conditions…It is therefore necessary that the State should accede to Pakistan".[citation needed]

This is one of the rare instances that an elected block of the people of Kashmir had been given the chance to speak. Representing the subjects who elected them, they sought accession with Muslim Pakistan. Prem Nath Bazaz, founder of the Kashmir Socialist Party in 1943, a reliable primary source of history, reiterated that a majority of Kashmiris were against the decision of the Maharajah in his book, The History of The Struggle of Freedom In Kashmir. He writes, "The large majority of the population of the State, almost the entire Muslim community and an appreciable number of non Muslims was totally against the Maharjah declaring accession to India." This statement, and the decision reached by the legislative assembly are important because they dispel any belief that the Kashmiris' religious ties with Pakistan did not necessarily indicate a will to unite. Indeed, the ethnic bond between Kashmir and Pakistan influenced a majority of the people to seek accession with Pakistan. The Hindu Maharajah would not listen, and continued to delay his decision about which nation to join.

Aung San Suu Kyi :Her Story

2009-11-23T16:03:00.000-08:00

Aung San Suu Kyi :Her Story

She was a fighter. She fought for the people in her country. She does not live for wealth, prosperity and fame. She was imprisoned for reasons that are not clear. Denied her right to form a government. Her country is not developed and its people are still living below the poverty level while they are able to live better. She needs the support of the international community to change the current situation towards a better life. Let her free, gave her the opportunity to bring a better life to the people of her country.

International Human Rights Activist and Democracy Leader Nobel Peace Prize, Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award, Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient .

Nobel Peace Prize 1991

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. The decision of the Nobel Committee mentions:[113]

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 1991 to Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar (Burma) for her non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights.

...Suu Kyi's struggle is one of the most extraordinary examples of civil courage in Asia in recent decades. She has become an important symbol in the struggle against oppression...

...In awarding the Nobel Peace Prize for 1991 to Aung San Suu Kyi, the Norwegian Nobel Committee wishes to honour this woman for her unflagging efforts and to show its support for the many people throughout the world who are striving to attain democracy, human rights and ethnic conciliation by peaceful means.

—Oslo, 14 October 1991

Living Legacy Award 2001

Aung San Suu Kyi is one of the world's most prominent figures in the struggle to advance democracy and human rights. In response to the tyranny and brutality of the military regime ruling her native Burma, she has become a unifying voice for the oppressed. She founded the National League for Democracy (NLD) and led it to a landslide electoral victory in 1990; the Burmese government has never honored that election. Despite enduring house arrests, separation from her loved ones, and threats against her life, she has refused to be silenced. Her unwavering commitment to securing a free Burma through non-violent means is an inspiration to people around the world.

She was born on June 19, 1945, in Rangoon, Burma (now known as Yangon, Myanmar.). She is the daughter of Aung San, a martyred national hero of independent Burma and a liberation leader. Her mother, Khin Kyi, was a distinguished Burmese diplomat. Mohandas Gandhi influenced Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in the philosophy of non-violent protest as a mean of bringing democracy to her country.

She went to school in Burma until 1960, when her mother was appointed ambassador to India. Suu Kyi studied in India and went on to further her education at Oxford University. There, she met her future husband, Michael Aris; the devoted couple later had two sons. In 1988, Aung San Suu Kyi returned to Myanmar to take care of her dying mother. While there, she saw the mass slaughter of protesters by the brutal military government. She defiantly began a peaceful struggle for democracy and human rights

She co-founded the National League for Democracy (NLD), the main opposition party in Myanmar. Aung San Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest to prevent her from competing in elections as the head of the new democratic movement. Her party won the national election by a wide margin in 1990, but the military dictatorship refused to honor the will of the people, and supressed all who opposed it to this day. The military constanty sought to force Suu Kyi to leave the country to return to her family in England from which they had kept her apart. She refused to do so until the country was returned to civilian government and political prisoners were freed, and bore the heavy coat on her personal happiness with her family in service to this higher calling. After looking at her accomplishments and her background, we must look at why Suu Kyi has gained support both domestically and internationally. She remained under house arrest until January 2001.

When Suu Kyi won the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize, the Norwegian Nobel Committee released a statement about her in recognition of her work. Part of it stated that: "She has become an important symbol in the struggle against oppression. "
She is a peace hero in every sense and as Vaclav Havel said, "an example of the power of the powerless." Her fear did not stop her from doing what was right, even if it meant her life. She knew what was important and realized the sacrifices that have to be made. Aung San Suu Kyi still fights to this very day for democracy to come to Myanmar, and wants to be able to enjoy it with the people.

Biography*
1942:
September 6. Marriage of Aung San, commander of the Burma Independence Army, and Ma Khin Kyi (becoming Daw Khin Kyi), senior nurse of Rangoon General Hospital, where he had recovered from the rigours of the march into Burma.

1945:
June 19. Aung San Suu Kyi born in Rangoon, third child in family. "Aung San" for father, "Kyi" for mother, "Suu" for grandmother, also day of week of birth.Favourite brother is to drown tragically at an early age. The older brother, will settle in San Diego, California, becoming United States citizen.

1947:
July 19. General Aung San assassinated. Suu Kyi is two years old. Daw Khin Kyi becomes a prominent public figure, heading social planning and social policy bodies.

1948:
January 4. The Independent Union of Burma is established.

1960:
Daw Khin Kyi appointed Burma's ambassador to India. Suu Kyi accompanies mother to New Delhi.

1960-64:
Suu Kyi at high school and Lady Shri Ram College in New Delhi.

1964-67:
Oxford University, B.A. in philosophy, politics and economics at St. Hugh's College (elected Honorary Fellow, 1990).British "parents" are Lord Gore-Booth, former British ambassador to Burma and High Commissioner in India, and his wife, at whose home Suu Kyi meets Michael Aris, student of Tibetan civilisation.

1969-71:
She goes to New York for graduate study, staying with family friend Ma Than E, staff member at the United Nations, where U. Thant of Burma is Secretary-General. Postponing studies, Suu Kyi joins U.N. secretariat as Assistant Secretary, Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions. Evenings and weekends volunteers at hospital, helping indigent patients in programs of reading and companionship.

1972:
January 1. Marries Michael Aris, joins him in Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, where he tutors royal family and heads Translation Department. She becomes Research Officer in the Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

1973:
They return to England for birth of Alexander in London.

1974:
Michael assumes appointment in Tibetan and Himalayan studies at Oxford University.

1977:
Birth of second son, Kim at Oxford.While raising her children, Suu Kyi begins writing, researches for biography of father, and assists Michael in Himalayan studies.

1984:
Publishes Aung San in Leaders of Asia series of University of Queensland Press. (See Freedom from Fear, pp. 3-38.)

1985:
For juvenile readers publishes Let's Visit Burma (see Freedom from Fear, pp. 39-81), also books on Nepal and Bhutan in same series for Burke Publishing Company, London.

1985-86:
Visiting Scholar, Center of Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University, researching father's time in Japan. Kim with her, Alexander with Michael, who has fellowship at Indian Institute of Advanced Studies at Simla in northern India.

1986:
On annual visit to grandmother in Rangoon, Alexander and Kim take part in traditional Buddhist ceremony of initiation into monkhood.

1987:
With fellowship at Indian Institute Suu Kyi, with Kim, joins Michael and Alexander in Simla. Travels to London when mother is there for cataract surgery.Publishes "Socio-Political Currents in Burmese Literature, 1910-1940" in journal of Tokyo University. (See Freedom from Fear, pp. 140-164.) September. Family returns to Oxford. Suu Kyi enrolls at London School of Oriental and African Studies to work on advanced degree.
1988:
March 31. Informed by telephone of mother's severe stroke, she takes plane next day to Rangoon to help care for Daw Khin Kyi at hospital, then moves her to family home on University Avenue next to Inya Lake in Rangoon.

July 23. Resignation of General Ne Win, since 1962 military dictator of Burma. Popular demonstrations of protest continuing.

August 8. Mass uprising throughout country. Violent suppression by military kills thousands.

August 15. Suu Kyi, in first political action, sends open letter to government, asking for formation of independent consultative committee to prepare multi-party elections.

August 26. In first public speech, she addresses several hundred thousand people outside Shwedagon Pagoda, calling for democratic government. Michael and her two sons are there.September 18. Military establishes State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC). Political gatherings of more than four persons banned. Arrests and sentencing without trial reaffirmed. Parliamentary elections to be held, but in expectation that multiplicity of parties will prevent clear result.

September 24. National League for Democracy (NLD) formed, with Suu Kyi general-secretary. Policy of non-violence and civil disobedience. October-December. Defying ban, Suu Kyi makes speech-making tour throughout country to large audiences.

December 27. Daw Khin Kyi dies at age of seventy-six.

1989:
January 2. Funeral of Daw Khin Kyi. Huge funeral procession. Suu Kyi vows that as her father and mother had served the people of Burma, so too would she, even unto death.January-July. Suu Kyi continues campaign despite harassment, arrests and killings by soldiers.

February 17. Suu Kyi prohibited from standing for election.

April 5. Incident in Irawaddy Delta when Suu Kyi courageously walks toward rifles soldiers are aiming at her.

July 20. Suu Kyi placed under house arrest, without charge or trial. Sons already with her. Michael flies to Rangoon, finds her on third day of hunger strike, asking to be sent to prison to join students arrested at her home. Ends strike when good treatment of students is promised.

1990:
May 27. Despite detention of Suu Kyi, NLD wins election with 82% of parliamentary seats. SLORC refuses to recognise results.October 12. Suu Kyi granted 1990 Rafto Human Rights Prize.

1991:
July 10. European Parliament awards Suu Kyi Sakharov human rights prize.October 14. Norwegian Nobel Committee announces Suu Kyi is winner of 1991 Peace Prize.

1991:
December. Freedom from Fear published by Penguin in New York, England, Canada, Australia, New Zealand. Also in Norwegian, French, Spanish translations.December 10. Alexander and Kim accept prize for mother in Oslo ceremony. Suu Kyi remains in detention, having rejected offer to free her if she will leave Burma and withdraw from politics. Worldwide appeal growing for her release.

1992:
Suu Kyi announces that she will use $1.3 million prize money to establish health and education trust for Burmese people.

1993:
Group of Nobel Peace Laureates, denied entry to Burma, visit Burmese refugees on Thailand border, call for Suu Kyi's release, Their appeal later repeated at UN Commission for Human Rights in Geneva.

1994:
February. First non-family visitors to Suu Kyi: UN representative, U.S. congressman, New York Times reporter.September-October. SLORC leaders meet with Suu Kyi, who still asks for a public dialogue.

1995:
July 10. SLORC releases Suu Kyi from house arrest after six years of detention.
In the last four years her movements have still been restricted. While she has had some opportunities to telephone her family in England, she is regularly denounced in the government-controlled media, and there is concern for her personal safety. Efforts to revive any NLD party activities have been balked, and its members have been jailed and physically attacked. In the first months after detention was ended, she was able to speak to large gatherings of supporters outside her home, but this was stopped. Yet her popularity in the country has not diminished.

Internationally her voice has been heard not infrequently. Reporters with cameras and videotape have been able to interview her in person, and telephone interviews with the media outside Burma have also been published. Using video cassettes she has sent out statements, including the keynote address to the NGO Forum at the U.N. International Women's Conference in Beijing in August 1995.

There have been a number of visitors from abroad, including a member of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, whom she told that Norway will be the first country she will visit when free to travel. SLORC has changed its name to the State Peace and Development Council, but its repressive policies and violation of human rights continue unabated.

Suu Kyi discourages tourists from visiting Burma and businessmen from investing in the country until it is free. She finds hearing for such pleas among western nations, and the United States has applied economic sanctions against Burma, but Burma's neighbours follow their policy of not intervening in the internal affairs of other sovereign states, and Burma has been admitted into the Association of South Eastern Asian Nations.

On March 27, 1999, Michael Aris died of prostate cancer in London. He had petitioned the Burmese authorities to allow him to visit Suu Kyi one last time, but they had rejected his request. He had not seen her since a Christmas visit in 1995. The government always urged her to join her family abroad, but she knew that she would not be allowed to return. This separation she regarded as one of the sacrifices she had had to make in order to work for a free Burma.

Periods under detention

20 July 1989: Placed under house arrest in Rangoon under martial law that allows for detention without charge or trial for three years.[34]

10 July 1995: Released from house arrest.[8]

23 September 2000: Placed under house arrest.[9]

6 May 2002: Released after 19 months.[9]

30 May 2003: Arrested following the Depayin massacre she was held in secret detention for over 3 months before being returned to house arrest.[46]

25 May 2007: House arrest extended by one year flouting a direct appeal from U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to General Than Shwe.[47]

24 October 2007: Reached 12 years under house arrest, solidarity protests held at 12 cities around the world.[48]

27 May 2008: House arrest extended for another year, illegal under both international law and Burma's own law.[49]

11 August 2009: House arrest extended for further 18 months because of "violation" arising from the May 2009 trespass incident.

2009 international pressure for release and Burmese general election, 2010
Aung San Suu Kyi may be released "so she can organise her party," [85] for the upcoming Burmese general election. Though, it is unclear if she will be allowed to run as a candidate.
Burma's relaxing stance, such as releasing political prisoners was influenced in the wake of successful recent diplomatic visits by the US and other Democratic governments, urging of encouraging the Burmese towards democratic reform. U.S. President Barack Obama intends to personally advocate on the behalf of all political prisoners especially Aung San Suu Kyi, during the US-Asean Summit of 2009.[86]
Democratic governments hope that successful general elections would be a optimistic indicator of the Burmese governments sincerity towards eventual democracy. [87]. The Hatoyama government which spent 2.82 Billion yen in 2008, has promised more Japanese foreign aid to encourage Burma release Aung San Suu Kyi in time for the elections; and to continue striding towards democracy and the rule of law.[88]. [89]

In The Quiet Land

(By Daw Aung San Suu Kyi)

In the Quiet Land,

no one can tell

if there's someone who's listening

for secrets they can sell.

The informers are paid in the blood of the land

and no one dares speak what the tyrants won't stand.

In the quiet land of Burma,

no one laughs and no one thinks out loud.

In the quiet land of Burma,

you can hear it in the silence of the crowd

In the Quiet Land,

no one can say

when the soldiers are coming

to carry them away.

The Chinese want a road;

the French want the oil;

the Thais take the timber;

and SLORC takes the spoils...

In the Quiet Land....

In the Quiet Land,

no one can hear

what is silenced by murder

and covered up with fear.

But, despite what is forced,

freedom's a sound

that liars can't fake and no shouting can drown.

Free bird towards a free Burma

(By Daw Aung San Suu Kyi)

My home...

where I was born and raised

used to be warm and lovely

now filled with darkness and horror.

My family...

whom I had grown with

used to be cheerful and lively

now living with fear and terror.

My friends...

whom I shared my life with

used to be pure and merry

now living with wounded heart.

A free bird...which is just freed

used to be caged

now flying with an olive branch

for the place it loves.

A free bird towards a Free Burma.

Why do I have to fight???

(By Daw Aung San Suu Kyi)

They killed my father a year ago,

And they burnt my hut after that

I asked the city men "why me?"

they ignored"I don't know,

mind your business,"

the men said.

One day from elementary school I came home,

Saw my sister was lifeless, lying in blood.

I looked around to ask what happened,

if somebody'd known,

Found no one but living room as a flood.

Running away by myself on the village road,

Not knowing where to go but heading for my teacher

Realizing she's the only one who could help to clear my throat,

But this time she gave up,

telling me strange things in fear.

Why, teacher, why.. why.. why?

I have no dad nor a sister left.

To teach me and to care for me you said, was that a lie?

This time with tearful eyes she,

Again, said...

"Be a grown one, young man,

Can't you see we all are dying?

And stop this with your might as soon as you can,

For we all are suffering."

Alexandria, Egypt : The City Of Endless Romance

2009-11-22T06:13:00.000-08:00

Alexandria, Egypt : The City Of Endless Romance

In this world, there is a place that attracted my heart to continue to visit there many times. Apart from Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia, it is the city of Alexandria in Egypt.Located in the beautiful town near the Mediterranean sea and the hospitality of the population makes my heart feel attracted to settle there.In mid-March 2006. me and my family including my mother and father-in-law have the opportunity to visit 2 cities in Egypt, namely Cairo and Alexandria. Our time there, egypt is in winter. My family and i had time to stay overnight for 2 nights at the Regency Hotel, Alexandria. Our memories there is so beautiful and unforgettable. We reached at Alexandria by bus at noon and continue to be brought to enjoy lunch at a leading restaurant there. Many of the dishes served to us is the fish and salad with some type of bread. It was so delicious and my father-in-law who just love to eat fish during lunch praised the pleasantness of food served at that time.

We were brought to the fort remains Salahudin al-Ayubi, then to a park and palace remains Farok King who was overthrown while in power a few decade ago. One experience i learned here is a government will lose its power if it is too concerned about luxury without concerned about all the people.

One of the interest in two cities that I visit Egypt is all men were curly-haired and mostly a handsome face, may be remnants of the descendants of Joseph and Alexander the Great. While the female that I had opportunity to see have a lovely face though they covered the entire body with clothes. This city is located in the Mediterranean seafront is more characterized European society and the comfortable atmosphere that day even with the blazing sun transmits. In other words, a clear day but with cold and comfortable temperature.This probably makes the city attractive to live in the opinion of the visitors like me.

The second largest city in Egypt, Alexandria, known as "The Pearl of the Mediterranean", has an atmosphere that is more Mediterranean than Middle Eastern ; its ambience and cultural heritage distance it from the rest of the country although it is actually only 225 km. from Cairo. Founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC, Alexandria became the capital of Graeco-Roman Egypt, its status as a beacon of culture symbolized by Pharos, the legendary lighthouse that was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The setting for the stormy relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony, Alexandria was also the center of learning in the ancient world. But ancient Alexandria declined, and when Napoleon landed, he found a sparsely populated fishing village.From the 19th century Alexandria took a new role, as a focus for Egypt's commercial and maritime expansion. This Alexandria has been immortalized by writers such as E-M- Forster and Cavafy. Generations of immigrants from Greece, Italy and the Levant settled here and made the city synonymous with commerce, cosmopolitanism and bohemian culture.

Alexandria is a city to explore at random. It's as important to enjoy the atmosphere as it is to see the sights.

Alexandria (Arabic: الإسكندرية al-Iskandariyya; Coptic: Ⲣⲁⲕⲟⲧⲉ Rakotə; Greek: Ἀλεξάνδρεια; Egyptian Arabic: اسكندريه Eskendereyya), with a population of 4.1 million, is the second-largest city in Egypt, and is the country's largest seaport, serving about 80% of Egypt's imports and exports. Alexandria is also an important tourist resort.

Alexandria extends about 32 km (20 mi) along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in north-central Egypt. It is home to the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (the new Library), and is an important industrial center because of its natural gas and oil pipelines from Suez, another city in Egypt. Alexandria was also an important trading post between Europe and Asia, because it profited from the easy overland connection between the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea.

In ancient times, Alexandria was one of the most famous cities in the world. It was founded around a small pharaonic town c. 331 BC by Alexander the Great. It remained Egypt's capital for nearly a thousand years, until the Muslim conquest of Egypt in 641 AD when a new capital was founded at Fustat (Fustat was later absorbed into Cairo).

Alexandria was known because of its lighthouse (Pharos), one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World; its library (the largest library in the ancient world); and the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa, one of the Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages. Ongoing maritime archaeology in the harbor of Alexandria, which began in 1994, is revealing details of Alexandria both before the arrival of Alexander, when a city named Rhacotis existed there, and during the Ptolemaic dynasty.

Alexandria was founded by Alexander in April 331 BC as Ἀλεξάνδρεια (Alexándreia). Alexander's chief architect for the project was Dinocrates. Alexandria was intended to supersede Naucratis as a Hellenistic center in Egypt, and to be the link between Greece and the rich Nile Valley. An Egyptian city, Rhakotis, already existed on the shore, and later gave its name to Alexandria in the Egyptian language (Egypt. Ra'qedyet). It continued to exist as the Egyptian quarter of the city. A few months after the foundation, Alexander left Egypt for the East and never returned to his city. After Alexander departed, his viceroy, Cleomenes, continued the expansion. Following a struggle with the other successors of Alexander, his general Ptolemy succeeded in bringing Alexander's body to Alexandria.

Though Cleomenes was mainly in charge of seeing to Alexandria's continuous development, the Heptastadion and the mainland quarters seem to have been primarily Ptolemaic work. Inheriting the trade of ruined Tyre and becoming the center of the new commerce between Europe and the Arabian and Indian East, the city grew in less than a generation to be larger than Carthage. In a century, Alexandria had become the largest city in the world and for some centuries more, was second only to Rome. It became the main Greek city of Egypt, with an extraordinary mix of Greeks from many cities and backgrounds.[1]

Alexandria was not only a center of Hellenism but was also home to the largest Jewish community in the world. The Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, was produced there. The early Ptolemies kept it in order and fostered the development of its museum into the leading Hellenistic center of learning (Library of Alexandria) but were careful to maintain the distinction of its population's three largest ethnicities: Greek, Jewish, and Egyptian.[2] From this division arose much of the later turbulence, which began to manifest itself under Ptolemy Philopater who reigned from 221–204 BC. The reign of Ptolemy VIII Physcon from 144–116 BC was marked by purges and civil warfare.

The city passed formally under Roman jurisdiction in 80 BC, according to the will of Ptolemy Alexander but only after it had been under Roman influence for more than a hundred years. It was captured by Julius Caesar in 47 BC during a Roman intervention in the domestic civil war between king Ptolemy XIII and his advisors, and usurper queen Cleopatra VII. It was finally captured by Octavian, future emperor Augustus on August 1, 30 BC, with the name of the month later being changed to august to commemorate his victory.In 115 AD, vast parts of Alexandria were destroyed during the Greek-Jewish civil wars which gave Hadrian and his architect, Decriannus, an opportunity to rebuild it. In 215 AD the emperor Caracalla visited the city and, because of some insulting satires that the inhabitants had directed at him, abruptly commanded his troops to put to death all youths capable of bearing arms. On 21 July 365, Alexandria was devastated by a tsunami (365 Crete earthquake),[3] an event two hundred years later still annually commemorated as "day of horror".[4]

In the late 4th century, persecution of pagans by newly Christian Romans had reached new levels of intensity. In 391, the Patriarch Theophilus destroyed all pagan temples in Alexandria under orders from Emperor Theodosius I. The Brucheum and Jewish quarters were desolate in the 5th century. On the mainland, life seemed to have centered in the vicinity of the Serapeum and Caesareum, both which became Christian churches. The Pharos and Heptastadium quarters, however, remained populous and were left intact.

Alexandria: bombardment from British naval forces.
In 619, Alexandria fell to the Sassanid Persians. Although the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius recovered it in 629, in 641 the Arabs under the general Amr ibn al-As, captured it after a siege that lasted fourteen months. Alexandria figured prominently in the military operations of Napoleon's expedition to Egypt in 1798. French troops stormed the city on July 2, 1798 and it remained in their hands until the arrival of the British expedition in 1801. The British won a considerable victory over the French at the Battle of Alexandria on March 21, 1801, following which they besieged the city which fell to them on 2 September 1801. Mohammed Ali, the Ottoman Governor of Egypt, began rebuilding the city around 1810, and by 1850, Alexandria had returned to something akin to its former glory. In July 1882 the city came under bombardment from British naval forces and was occupied. In July 1954, the city was a target of an Israeli bombing campaign that later became known as the Lavon Affair. Only a few months later, Alexandria's Mansheyya Square was the site of a failed assassination attempt on Gamal Abdel Nasser.

The most important battles and sieges of Alexandria include:

Siege of Alexandria (47 BC), Caesar's civil war

Battle of Alexandria (30 BC), Final War of the Roman Republic

Siege of Alexandria (619), Byzantine-Persian Wars

Battle of Alexandria, French Revolutionary Wars

Siege of Alexandria (1801), French Revolutionary Wars

Alexndria expedition of 1807, French Revolutionary Wars

Sejarah 1000 Tahun Kegemilangan Universiti Al-Azhar

2009-11-20T16:11:00.000-08:00

Sejarah 1000 Tahun Kegemilangan Universiti Al-Azhar

Sumber : Dewan Perwakilan Mahasiswa Zagazig

Universiti Al-Azhar As-Syarif merupakan sebuah institusi pendidikan terulung di Mesir, dan terkenal di dunia sebagai puast kesarjanaan dan pendidikan.Ia merupakan universiti kedua tertua di dunia selepas Universiti Al-Qarawiyin di Fes, Maghribi. 969M merupakan satu tarikh agung bagi Mesir apabila Kaherah dibuka dengan rasminya dan menjadi ibu negara Mesir sehingga kini. Khalifah kerajaan Fatimiyyah iaitu Khalifah Al-Aziz Billah telah berkenan untuk menubuhkan universiti ini. Kerja pembinaan masjid Al-Azhar telah mula dijalankan pada 4 April 970M bersamaan 24 Jamadil Awwal 359H oleh panglima Fatimiyyah, Jauhar As-Saqoli. Pembinaan selesai pada hari Jumaat, 22 Jun 972M/7 Ramadhan 361H dan solat Jumaat pertama telah diadakan pada tarikh tersebut. Pada 378H/988M seorang wali kerajaan Abbasiyyah di Mesir, Ya`kub Bin Kals telah mencadangkan supaya Masjid Al-Azhar dijadikan institusi pengajian.Al-Azhar pada mulanya ialah pusat pengajian bagi mazhab Syiah kerana pemerintah Fatimiyyah pada ketika itu menjadikan Syiah Ismailiyyah sebagai mazhab rasmi negara.

Akan tetapi setelah Dinasti Ayyubiyah mengambil alih tampuk pemerintahan Mesir, rajanya iaitu Sultan Salahuddin Al-Ayyubi menukar Al-Azhar menjadi pusat pengajian bagi mazhab Ahli Sunnah wal Jamaah sehingga menghapuskan ajaran Syiah. Beliau juga telah meneroka ilmu-ilmu naqli seperti tafsir, fiqh, hadis, ilmu kalam, bahasa Arab dan sastera di samping ilmu aqli seperti sejarah, falsafah, perubatan dan lain-lain lagi.

Al-Azhar telah mengalami banyak perubahan akibat daripada pertukaran kerajaan pemerintah di bumi Mesir serta menyesuaikan diri dengan perubahan dan zaman dan kemaslahatan umat Islam.Kerajaan Uthmaniyyah memerintah Mesir pada 1517M setelah berjaya menewaskan tentera kerajaan Mamalik dalam pertempuran "Maraj Dabik" di Halab, Syria.Sultan Salim telah membawa pulang bersamanya kitab serta ilmu berharga dari Maktabah Jami` Al-Azhar ke pusat pemerintahannya untuk memajukan negaranya. Golongan Basya juga datang dari Turki ke Mesir. Mereka merupakan golongan ulama yang alim serta wara` dan kedatangan mereka menambahkan kemajuan ilmu di Jami` Al-Azhar.

Pada abad ke-17, Khalifah Uthmaniyyah telah memberikan gelaran As-Syeikh Jami` Al-Azhar iaitu gelaran yang digunakan untuk ketua Jami` Al-Azhar dan masih digunakan sehingga kini.Pada 1961M, Presiden Mesir Jamal Abdul Nasser telah menambah beberapa fakulti ke universiti ini iaitu fakulti perubatan, kejuruteraan dan pertanian serta membuka fakulti untuk wanita Islam.Al-Azhar juga mempunyai maahadnya iaitu Maahad Buuth.Al-Azhar telah berjaya meneruskan kegemilangan Ilmuwan Islam pada zaman Dinasti Mamalik setelah pusat ilmu di kota Baghdad dimusnahkan oleh tentera Mongol yang diketuai oleh Hulagu Khan pada abad ke-13 sehingga zaman kini. Al-Azhar juga berperanan menentang penjajahan Perancis ke atas Mesir (1797-1800) dengan ulamanya membangkitkan semangat jihad rakyat Mesir dan berhasil menewaskan kuffar Perancis.

Al-Azhar juga telah melahirkan tokoh-tokoh masyhur yang menjadi ilmuwan serta pendokong perjuangan gerakan Islam seperti Syeikh Muhammad Abduh, Syeikh Jamaluddin Al-Afghani, Syeikh Hassan Al-Banna, Syeikh Taqiyuddin An-Nabhani dan ramai lagi serta tokoh-tokoh Nusantara seperti Kaum Muda yang membangkitkan idea semangat jihad menentang penjajahan kuffar iaitu Sheikh Muhammad Tahir Jalaluddin Al-Falaki, Syeikh Juned Tola, Syeikh Idris Al-Marbawi dan Syeikh Wan Ahmad Pattani.Al-Azhar juga telah melahirkan tokoh-tokoh yang terlibat dalam politik tanah air seperti Wan Mokhtar Ahmad, Dr Zulkifli Muhammad, Tuan Guru Haji Abdul Hadi Awang, Tuan Guru Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, Ibrahim Mahmud, Dato` Abdul Hamid Othman serta ramai lagi. Tokoh-tokoh lepasan Al-Azhar telah memainkan peranan penting di dalam pembinaan masyarakat, sosio-ekonomi, serta memacu negara menuju ke arah yang lebih baik dan mengikut acuan Islam.

Berdasarkan kajian, Universiti Al-Azhar mendapat namanya dengan dinisbahkan kepada puteri Rasulullah SAW iaitu Fatimah Az-Zahra semasa pemerintahan kerajaan Fatimiyyah yang juga menggunakan nama puteri Baginda sebagai nama kerajaan.Al-Azhar telah berjaya memberikan jasa dan bakti yang besar kepada Dunia Islam seluruhnya. Pelajar Al-Azhar kini datang dari seluruh pelusuk dunia semata-mata untuk mencedok ilmu agar ia dapat digunakan untuk membangunkan jiwa umat Islam yang kini menghadapi banyak cabaran serta ancaman dari gerakan Sekularisme, Komunisme, Atheisme, Sosialisme, Nasionalisme, Kristianisasi, Orientalisme serta Freemasonry yang tidak berputus asa untuk berusaha meruntuhkan Islam dan menjauhkan Muslim dari agamanya. Semoga seluruh mahasiswa Mesir dapat menjadi sebahagian dari perjuangan untuk mempertahankan Islam.

Palestine and Israel Conflict : Part 3

2009-11-19T23:25:00.000-08:00

I would like to say happy holiday to all fellow teachers and students who started school holiday in Malaysia from today until early January 2010. Please take this opportunity during this holiday by doing things that are beneficial to the development of self, family, community and country. For me, this is the time i will use for browsing the Internet, reading an interesting books and sightseing with my family.

Today we have reached the third part in a series of conflicts between Israel and Palestine.

In this part, the question we should ask ourself is :

1. Is it true that there are different treatment between Israel and the Arab population in Gaza and the West Bank?

2. Is it true that Syria is not under threat of attack from Israel because they do not allow their country to be use as a place to attack Israel's position?

3. Is it true that Israel feel easy to deal with Fatah compared with Hammas?

4. Is it true that the Palestinian Arab people experience poverty because they lost their jobs because they work in areas controlled by Israel?

I have a great pleasure if the arab palestine can contact me to facilitate me in getting information from the actual perspective of Palestinian Arab people.

By the way, I also want to thank the people of Israel that has come forward with the information about the Israeli-Palestine conflict from their perspective.

So, with their help, we will get the clear picture about the issue we are facing now.

Let see what happen in Israel and Palestine.......

1968 - 1970 - War of Attrition

The War of Attrition (Al-Istinsaf) was a limited war fought between Egypt and Israel from 1968 to 1970. It was initiated by Egypt as a way to recapture the Sinai from Israel, which had controlled it since the Six-Day War. The war ended with a ceasefire signed between the countries in 1970 with frontiers at the same place as when the war started.

The war began in June 1968 with sparse Egyptian artillery bombardment of the Israeli front line on the east bank of the canal. More artillery bombardments in the following months killed some Israeli soldiers. IDF's retaliation came on the night of October 30 when heli-borne commandos destroyed Egypt's main electricity supply. The blackout caused Nasser to cease hostilities for a few months while fortifications around hundreds of important targets were built. Simultaneously Israel reinforced its position on the east bank of the Suez Canal by constructing the Bar Lev Line, a set of thirty-five small forts running north-south along the canal guarded by infantry.

In February 1969 Egypt was ready for the next round. President Nasser declared the cease-fire from November the previous year to be null and void. On March 8 Egyptian artillery began massive shelling of the Bar Lev Line causing many Israeli casualties. Soviet MiG-21 fighters were also employed in the attack. The IDF retaliated with deep raids into Egyptian territory causing severe damage. In May, June and July 1969, 47 IDF soldiers were killed and 157 wounded. Although Egypt suffered many times more casualties than Israel, Egypt continued with its aggressive stance. Israel managed to sustain the high casualty rate but was hard-pressed to find a definite solution to the conflict.

In July Israel escalated by attacking with the Israeli Air Force (IAF). On July 20 and July 24 almost the whole IAF bombed the northern canal sector destroying anti-aircraft positions, tanks and artillery. The aerial offensive continued until December and reduced Egypt's anti-aircraft defence to almost nothing. It managed to reduce the artillery bombardment somewhat but shelling with lighter weapons and especially mortars continued.

On October 17, 1969 talks between the Superpowers began. It led to the Rogers plan that was publicized on December 9. It called for Egyptian "commitment to peace" in exchange for Israeli withdrawal from the Sinai. Both parties strongly rejected the plan. President Nasser instead opted to plead for more sophisticated weaponry from the Soviet Union to withstand the IAF's bombings. The Soviets initially refused to deliver the requested weapons.

On January 22, 1970, President Nasser secretly flew to Moscow to discuss the situation. His request for new SAM batteries (including the 3M9 Kub and Strela-2) were approved. Their deployment would require qualified personnel along with squadrons of aircraft to protect them from Israeli attacks. In effect, he needed Soviet troops in large numbers, something Moscow could not allow. He then threatened to resign, implying that Egypt might turn to Washington for help in the future.

Despite these losses the Soviets and Egyptians managed to press the air defenses closer and closer to the canal. The Soviet operated SAMs shot down a number of Israeli aircraft. Israel could not respond effectively. The SAM batteries would allow Egypt to move in artillery which in turn could threaten the Bar Lev Line. In April 1970 negotiations resumed, this time with the U.S. being the primary negotiator. A cease-fire agreement was reached on August 7. It was to last for three months and neither side was allowed to change "the military status quo within zones extending 50 kilometers to the east and west of the cease-fire line."

1968 - Battle of Karameh

In 1968, the city of Karameh served as the political and military headquarters of the Palestinian al-Fatah movement. Israeli military forces entered the city in search of the Palestinian leadership, which the Israelis labelled as terrorists. In this battle, the heavily armed and technologically advanced Israeli military was rebuffed and forced to retreat, suffering a blow to their reputation while heartening the Palestinian resistance to Israel.

The Battle of Karameh set up a series of events leading to Black September in Jordan, in which King Hussein ordered the Jordanian army to crush the emboldened Palestinian forces.

the Israel Defense Forces entered the village of Karameh on March 21, 1968. The Israelis, who aimed to destroy Fatah in their assault, were unsuccessful and quickly withdrew. Arafat managed to leave Karameh at night after being informed of the impending attack. King Hussein gave orders to the Jordanian forces to not intervene but the Jordanian general Mash'hor Haditha and some Jordanian offciers ignored their king's orders and engaged the battle. The arrival of Jordanian troops in full-force shifted the tide of the battle and managed to inflict serious damage on the IDF. In fact, the Jordanian Army's intervention was not expected at all. An estimated 28 Israeli soldiers were killed and 80 wounded; the IDF also lost four tanks. Although the Jordanian Army had been decisive, the incident was a public relations coup for the PLO and Arafat in particular. The Karameh battle boosted Palestinian morale and gave the PLO additional prestige within the Arab community.

1969 - Arafat become the Chairman of PLO

February 2, 1969Yasser Arafat, head of the Fatah party, is appointed chairman of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, replacing Ahmad Shukeiri, after Fatah becomes the dominant force in the PLO.

Dedication to all students for the year 2009.

2009-11-19T04:24:00.000-08:00

IZZAT FAIZ B. KHOUI-RUL ANUAR
MOHD FARID BIN ABU BAKAR
THINNAKORN A/L SOM BOON
AMPHON A/P BOON NAM
FAUZIAH BT. DAUD
LALITA A/P IWIN
NUR AWANIS BT SHARIZAN
NUR IZAIDAH BT MAT AKHIR
NUR WAHIDAH BT ANGKASAH
SAWANI BT SAAD
SITI SAFRA SYAZWANI BT ABD RAHMAN
MOHAMMAD SYAZWAN BIN KASIM
MOHD AZIZI BIN ISMAIL
WAN MOHD AZIZUL BIN WAN JUSOH
YUSRI BIN YUSUF
AZILA BT KARIM
NOOR FARHANA BT. ABD RAHMAN
NOR IZZAYANTI BT. NORDIN
NOR SHAZLIN AB RAHIM
NURUL HUDA BT. GHAZALI
NURUL SHUHADA BT. ABU BAKAR
ROZIFA BT. IBRAHIM
SITI FAIRUZ BT AZHER

MUHAMMAD REDZUAN HALIM
MUHAMMAD SYAKIRIN ABD RAHMAN
LOH HAY LIN
MOHD SOHAIRI
AHMAD RIDZUAN MANSOR
PHARAKITH A/L SOM BOON
RAYRAI A/P PHONG
ABD RAHMAN IDRIS
NAJIHAH BT MUZAMMIR
NORHAFIZAH ABD AZIZ
RASHIDAH AHMAD
SAIDATUL NABILAH KAPLI
NURUL ERNANI KERYA
MOHD ALHAFIZ ABD RAHIM
MOHD AKMAL MOHD GHANI
NORFAIZAL MUSTAFFA
MOHD FIKRI ABD MAJID
FAREHAH BAKRY
NOORFAZRIANI MD NOOR
NOR HANIS ZAMYLIA BT. AMIN
NORBASHERA BT BUSTAMI
NURIN SUSANI
MUHAMMAD IKHWAN SYAFIK
NOREY A/P JIT SINGH
SOMCIT A/P CHUI
SITI NADIAH SHAHIRAH BT SHARIDAN
JAMAL ZAINON
NORFATIN SALMIE ABU BAKAR
AMIR ABDULLAH
REDZUAN ROSLAN
ZUHEDA BT. ABU HASAN

Tomorrow is the last day of school.

This means that tomorrow is the last day I met you all.

After a year we interact in the atmosphere of teaching and learning process,

then tomorrow will mean that you all scattered on this earth to live as students, workers and of course as an adult.

It is really difficult for me to say good bye.

However I will try to deal with a smile because this is life.

My message to all of you....my beloved student:

Be a useful to yourself, your family, your community and your country.

Be the best in all the things you do because all the benefit will certainly belongs to you later. (with god willing).

Do all the duties and responsibilities with honesty and sincerity.

Promote the process of improving knowledge and wisdom as the process continues throughout your life.

Be a good leader for all under your care.

Always ready for change because those who survive in this world are those who always want to change towards the good in accordance with current needs.

One last word that i would like to say...thank you dan i love you....

My Heart Will Go On

Song writers: Horner, James; Jennings, Will;

Every night in my dreams

I see you, I feel you

That is how I know you go on

Far across the distance

And spaces between us

You have come to show you go on

Near, far, wherever you are

I believe that the heart does go on

Once more you open the door

And you're here in my heart

And my heart will go on and on

Love can touch us one time
And last for a lifetime

And never let go till we're gone

Love was when I loved you

One true time I hold to

In my life we'll always go on

Near, far, wherever you are

I believe that the heart does go on

Once more you open the door

And you're here in my heart

And my heart will go on and on

You're here, there's nothing I fear

And I know that my heart will go on

We'll stay forever this way

You are safe in my heart

And my heart will go on and on

Palestine and Israel Conflict: Part 2

2009-11-16T02:33:00.000-08:00

Hi, now we meet again in the second part.

Last week I received a message from the people of Israel. He said for years they (israeli) feel quite secure when visiting and shopping in Gaza and Jericho ... but today relations between them (palestinian and israeli) switch to enemies only because the exchange leadership between both sides .They suddenly become an enemy without a clear reason.

If it is true as presented to me, the question should we think there is a party that tries to take advantage of the difficulties people in both parties to make a profit.

So what is the role of their leaders actually ?

What role should be implemented by the United States, European Union and the OIC?

Let see what happen in Palestine and Israel......

1964 - PLO established

February 3, 1964The Palestine Liberation Organization is founded in Cairo with Ahmad Shuqeiri as its leader. Even though Ahmad Shuqeiri is the official leader, the organization is more or less controlled by the Egyptian government.

1967 - The Six Days War

After the Suez-Sinai war Arab nationalism increased dramatically, as did demands for revenge led by Egypt's president Nasser. The formation of a united Arab military command that massed troops along the borders, together with Egypt's closing of the Straits of Tiran and Nasser's insistence in 1967 that the UNEF leave Egypt, led Israel to attack Egypt, Jordan, and Syria simultaneously on June 5 of that year.

The war ended six days later with an Israeli victory. Israel's French-equipped air force wiped out the air power of its antagonists and was the chief instrument in the destruction of the Arab armies.

The Six Days War left Israel in possession of Gaza and the Sinai Peninsula, which it took from Egypt; Arab East Jerusalem and the West Bank, which it took from Jordan; and the Golan Heights, taken from Syria. Land under Israel's jurisdiction after the 1967 war was about four times the size of the area within its 1949 armistice frontiers. The occupied territories included an Arab population of about 1.5 million.

The occupied territories became a major political issue in Israel after 1967. The right and leaders of the country's orthodox religious parties opposed withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza, which they considered part of Israel. In the Labor Alignment, opinion was divided; some Laborites favored outright annexation of the occupied territories, others favored withdrawal, and some advocated retaining only those areas vital to Israel's military security. Several smaller parties, including the Communists, also opposed annexation. The majority of Israelis, however, supported the annexation of East Jerusalem and its unification with the Jewish sectors of the city, and the Labor-led government formally united both parts of Jerusalem a few days after the 1967 war ended. In 1980 the Knesset passed another law, declaring Jerusalem “complete and united,” Israel's eternal capital.

The 1967 war was followed by an upsurge of Palestinian Arab nationalism. Several guerrilla organizations within the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) carried out guerrillas attacks on Israeli targets, with the stated objective of “redeeming Palestine.” guerrillas attacks on Israelis targets at home and abroad unified public opinion against recognition of and negotiation with PLO, but the group nevertheless succeeded in gaining widespread international support, including UN recognition as the “sole legitimate representative of the Palestinians.”.

1967 - Khartoum Resolution

The Khartoum Resolution of September 1, 1967 was issued at the conclusion of a meeting between the leaders of eight Arab countries in the wake of the Six-Day War. The resolution, which formed a basis of the policies of these governments toward Israel until October War of 1973 called for:

Continued war against Israel Ending the Arab oil boycott declared during the Six-Day War An end to the war in Yemen Economic assistance for Egypt and Jordan

The resolution contains in paragraph 3 what became known as "the three nos" of Arab-Israel relations at that time.

No peace with Israel

No recognition of Israel

No negotiations with Israel

1967 - Palestinian Refugees

In 1967 war, Israel launched air strikes against Palestinian cities and towns in Gaza strip and the West Bank, the air raids pushed thousands of Palestinians to flee their villages and towns to seek shelter out of the range of Israeli artillery bombardment. The war resulted in the displacement of more Palestinians. 350,000 people were forced out by terror, expelled or left from fear. More camps were constructed to absorb this large number of refugees.

The Security Council and the General Assembly called on Israel on 14th June 1967 and 14th July 1967 to facilitate the return of these refugees. Israel pretended to comply. The Palestinians, having waited for 20 years in their miserable refugee camps hoping to move world conscience and trusting in the U.N. to allow them to return to their homes and restore their legitimate rights in their homeland, found it all in vain. The U.N. passed resolutions but did not enforce them, when they conflicted with the wishes of Israel and her guardian the U.S. world public opinion was deaf to the Palestinian cries while it was all ears to Zionist propaganda and demands to import 3,000,000 Russian Jews. Israel argued that the return of the Palestinian refugees will create more security problems for Israel. The Israeli attitude also applied to all Palestinians who left the country to seek jobs in the Gulf states, USA or Europe.

The Palestinians, finding all their country under Israeli occupation and its entire people either expelled or under alien rule, lost faith in the world community and came to realise that, even in this era of so-called civilization, International Law and U.N. Charter, might is right and what is lost by force can be regained only by force. They intensified, therefore, their resistance by guerrilla attacks against Israeli military personnel and objectives. The Israelis retaliated by ruthless bombardment using Phantom jets and napalm against the defenseless men, women and children in their refugee camps in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. The Palestinian resistance was vilified by Zionist propaganda and their captured members were savagely tortured in Israeli hands.

Terima Kasih From Malaysia To The World

2009-11-11T18:55:00.000-08:00

Terima Kasih

I would like to thank all friends who visited my blog. Hopefully our friendship will be more closely. Please come again.

Je tiens à remercier tous les amis qui ont visité mon blog. Espérons que notre amitié de plus près. S'il vous plaît revenez régulièrement.

وأود أن أشكر جميع الأصدقاء الذين زاروا بلدي بلوق. نأمل صداقتنا بشكل وثيق. يرجى الحضور مرة أخرى. تمنيات ، روسلي بن حميد.

我要感谢所有朋友谁访问我的博客。希望我们的友谊更加密切。请再来。关心，罗斯利本哈米德。

Jeg vil gerne takke alle de venner, som har besøgt min blog. Forhåbentlig vil vores venskab nærmere. du kommer igen. Hilsen,

Ik wil bedanken alle vrienden die mijn blog bezocht. Hopelijk is onze vriendschap sterker. Groeten,

Gusto kong pasalamatan ang lahat ng mga kaibigan na bumisita sa aking blog. Inaasahan namin na ang aming mga kaibigang mas malapit. mangyaring darating muli.

Ich möchte an alle Freunde, die mein Blog besucht danken. Ich hoffe, unsere Freundschaft enger. bitte wieder kommen. Grüße,

Haluan kiittää kaikkia ystäviä, jotka kävivät blogiin. Toivottavasti ystävyytemme tarkemmin

Θα ήθελα να ευχαριστήσω όλους τους φίλους που επισκέφθηκαν το blog μου. Ας ελπίσουμε ότι φιλία μας πιο κοντά. παρακαλούμε να έρθει ξανά.

אני רוצה להודות לכל החברים שביקר בבלוג שלי. יש לקוות החברות שלנו יותר מקרוב. בבקשה לבוא שוב.

मैं सब दोस्त हैं जो अपने ब्लॉग का दौरा किया धन्यवाद देना चाहूंगा. उम्मीद है कि हमारे और अधिक बारीकी से दोस्ती. कृपया फिर से आओ.

Vorrei ringraziare tutti gli amici che hanno visitato il mio blog. Speriamo che la nostra amicizia più da vicino.

私は私のブログを訪問したすべての友人に感謝したいと思います。うまくいけば、私たちの友情より密接に。もう一度やり直しています。

누가 내 블로그를 방문한 모든 친구에게 감사하고 싶습니다. 다행히 우리의 우정이 더 밀접하게. 제발 다시 한번.

Jeg vil gjerne takke alle venner som besøkte bloggen min. Forhåpentligvis vennskapet vårt nærmere

Me gustaría dar las gracias a todos los amigos que han visitado mi blog. Esperemos que nuestra amistad más estrecha. Por favor, venga de nuevo.

Jag vill tacka alla vänner som besökt min blogg. Förhoppningsvis har vår vänskap närmare

ฉันต้องการจะขอบคุณเพื่อนผู้เยี่ยมชมบล็อกของฉัน. หวังว่ามิตรภาพของเราอย่างใกล้ชิด. โปรดมาอีกครั้ง.

Kim benim blogu ziyaret eden tüm arkadaşlar teşekkür ederim. Umarım dostluğumuzu daha yakından. lütfen tekrar gel.

Because you are my friend

Because you are my friend,

my life is enriched in a myriad of ways.

Like a cool breeze on a sweltering day,

like a ray of sunshine parting glowering clouds,

you lift me up.

In good times, we soar,like weightless balloonsover neon rainbows.

In bad times, you are soothing balm for my pummeled soul.

I learn so much from you;

you help me see old things in new ways.

I wonder if you are awareof the bright seeds you are sowing in me.

I'm a better person for knowing you,

so that everyone I interact with is touched by your good effect on me.

You relax me, refresh me, renew me.

Your bounteous heart envelops mein joy and love and peace.

May your life be filled with dazzling blessings,

just as I am blessed by being your friend.

By Joanna Fuchs

Lonely Planet: The top 10 countries for 2010 (MALAYSIA)

2009-11-06T22:45:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Malaysia

Selamat Datang" means the warmest welcome in Bahasa Malaysia.

Covering an area of 127,316 square miles (336,700 sq. km), Malaysia consists of two regions; Peninsular Malaysia (States of Federation of Malaya) extending south-south-east from the border of Thailand and the states of Sabah and Sarawak located on the northwestern coastal region of the island of Borneo. The natural vegetation of Malaysia is tropical rain forest which, on the plains, has been replaced by 4 million acres of rubber plantations, palm oil, paddy fields and, of course, modern cities. In the highlands there is considerable variation in flora.

The annual average temperature is between 77°F (25°C), and 83°F (28°C) in the lowlands, the mean minimum temperature seldom falls below 72°F(22°C). At hill resorts: uniform temperature is lower. Days are generally sunny and warm, humidity averaging 85%-90%. Nights are usually cool and comfortable.

Malaysia is a multiracial country with a population of approximately 24.4 million. This consists of the main racial groups of Malays, Chinese and Indians and a very diverse group of indigenous people in Sabah and Sarawak.

For years, our tourism authirities have been trying to get the country mentioned in some manner in international travel magazines, to get a leg up on neighbouring countries. Afterr all. we are all selling the same thing - sun, sea, beaches, culture, food and, of course, value for money.

This week, the Tourism Ministry has hit pay dirt when the ever popular travel guide Lonely Planet listed country as one af top 10 countries to visit when famed hitchhiker's guide released its Best in Travel 2010 on Monday.

Although Lonely Planet started out life as a cheapskate guide to travel the world, it has since grown to be more than that.

This year's report is the fifth in its annual collection of the best palaces to go and best things to do in year ahead.

Malaysia, according to Lonely Planet report, "is a clever choice for travellers on the lookout for a bargain."

Last year, we welcomed 22 million tourists who spent RM49.5billion.

Lonely Planet: The top 10 countries for 2010

Want a sneak peek into the future?

1. El Salvador
El Salvador sneaks up on you: in lefty lounge bars in San Salvador, at sobering war memorials and museums, and along lush cloud-forest trails; it’s a place of remarkable warmth and intelligence, made all the more appealing for being so unexpected. Travellers tend to skip El Salvador, wooed by marquee destinations such as Guatemala and Costa Rica, and unnerved by stories of civil war and gang violence. But the war ended almost 20 years ago, and crime, while serious, is almost exclusively played out between rival gangs; tourists are virtually never involved. And though El Salvador has fewer protected areas than its neighbours, you get them practically to yourself – including pristine forests, active volcanoes and alpine lakes.

2. Germany
Some countries are simply allowed to be, but Germany has had to reinvent itself more times than Madonna. And it has done so again since 1990, when reunification brought an end to nearly three decades of division. In year 20 after its latest rebirth, Germany is still a country where you can witness history in the making. Head to Hamburg, where an entire new quarter is being wrested from the detritus of a 19th-century harbour. Or to Dresden, where the domed Frauenkirche church is once again the diamond in the shining tiara that is the city’s famous skyline. And, of course, to Berlin, whose climate of openness spawns more creative experimentation than a Petri dish on Viagra.

3. Greece
Seldom does a travel destination satisfy the blurbs that shout ‘has something for everyone’ - but Greece truly does. Whether you’re there to poke around ancient ruins, soak in the sun on idyllic beaches, or party till you drop, Greece will leave you clambering for more. It’s guilt-free travel – a slice of history served alongside a healthy slice of hedonism – and everyone seems happy. You get to marvel at the dazzling clarity of the light and the waters, the floral aromas that permeate the air, the pervading sense of spirit – and then sit down to contemplate it all while consuming that great Greek combination of ouzo and octopus!

4. Malaysia
Malaysia often gets criticised as being mild in comparison with its grittier neighbours, Thailand and Indonesia. It’s true, natural disasters and coups only seem to happen across its borders, the roads don’t have too many potholes, buses and trains have air-con and plush seats, and hotels are of international standard. While troubles are few, visiting Malaysia lets you leap into the jaws of one of the most interesting parts of Southeast Asia’s roaring cultural smorgasbord – and not be too worried about it. Cheap connections to Europe and great exchange rates mean that you won’t get eaten up by your wallet either.

5. Morocco
‘Hello, bonjour, salaam alaykum, labes?’ Street greetings sum up everything you need to know about Morocco in a word: it’s Berber and Arab, Muslim and secular, Mediterranean and African, worldly wise and welcoming. Morocco sees how the Middle East is portrayed via satellite news and the internet, and is as concerned with violent threats and abuses of power as anyone else in the modern world. But as you’ll see, most Moroccans are plenty busy working to get by, get their kids through school and greet the king’s planned 10 million visitors by 2010 with the utmost hospitality. Every visitor helps Moroccans realise these goals by creating new economic opportunities, and can make a Moroccan’s day by returning the greeting: ‘Hello, good day, may peace be upon you, are you happy?’

6. Nepal
But for the Himalaya, Nepal would probably be stuck in the shadow of India – but it’s hard to cast a shadow on a country that includes the highest point on earth, the summit of Mt Everest. Over the last decade, Nepal has seen its share of troubles, but 2008 was a watershed year – the rebels became the government, the kingdom became a republic and the king became a civilian. With the fall of the monarchy, the sound of temple bells has replaced the stomp of army boots and peace has returned to Shangri-La.

7. New Zealand
Recommending New Zealand’s too obvious, right? You’re looking for something a bit edgier, under the radar or further off the beaten track. But there’s wisdom in the old saying, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fi x it’, and last time we checked the land of Maori and hobbits certainly didn’t need repairing. NZ’s checklist of essential experiences remains as strong as ever. Spectacular landscapes abound, from sea-level rainforests to plunging glaciers, geothermal springs and barren volcanic plains. Add a hearty pinch of lens-friendly wildlife, proud Maori culture, and fine food and drink, and it’s easy to see why the natives are so chilled.

8. Portugal
Skirting along the southwestern edge of the Iberian Peninsula, the once-great seafaring nation of Portugal today straddles two very different worlds. For purists, this is a land of great tradition, of saints-day festivals where ox-drawn carts still lumber through flower-strewn streets, and ancient vineyards bring sleepy medieval villages to life during the annual harvest. Meanwhile, in other parts of the country, something decidedly more modern is transpiring. Old city centres, long ago abandoned by the young and upwardly mobile in favour of the suburbs, are slowly being revitalised. A new wave of boutiques, art galleries and cafes are finding new homes in once crumbling old buildings, and locals are beginning to rediscover the allure of vibrant downtown areas.

9. Suriname
South America’s smallest country, both in area and population, is easily one of its most diverse. Some three quarters of Suriname’s people are descended from Chinese, Javanese and Indian labourers that arrived in the 18th century, and West African slaves in the 17th. Add indigenous Amerindians and Lebanese, Jewish and Dutch settlers, and you have the makings for a lot of ethnic tension, right? Fortunately, wrong. Suriname is known for its peacefully coexisting cultures, most emblematically represented by the country’s biggest mosque and synagogue situated side by side in the capital Paramaribo. With everyone speaking different languages, celebrating different holidays and worshipping in different temples, visiting Suriname is really like hitting several countries at once.

10. USA
Suddenly the USA is cool again! Be it from Barack Obama, Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday last year, or just tightened budgets during the recession, but more Americans (even hipsters) are looking backwards – and foreigners too – and taking in traditional American historical sites, beginning with Washington DC’s freebie zone of museums and heroic monuments

M A L A Y S I A 2010

Palestine and Israel Conflict: Part 1

2009-11-06T20:33:00.000-08:00

Photographer’s Note

Jerusalem , Yerushaláyim is the capital of Israel and its largest city in both population and area, with a population of 747,600 residents over an area of 125.1 square kilometres (48.3 sq mi) if disputed East Jerusalem is included. Located in the Judean Mountains, between the Mediterranean Sea and the northern tip of the Dead Sea, modern Jerusalem has grown far beyond the boundaries of the Old City.The city has a history that goes back to the 4th millennium BCE, making it one of the oldest cities in the world. Jerusalem is the holiest city in Judaism and the spiritual center of the Jewish people, contains a number of significant ancient Christian sites, and is considered the third-holiest city in Islam. Despite having an area of only 0.9 square kilometer (0.35 square mile), the Old City is home to sites of key religious importance, among them the Temple Mount, the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque. The old walled city, a World Heritage site, has been traditionally divided into four quarters, although the names used today—the Armenian, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Quarters—were introduced in the early 19th century. The Old City was nominated for inclusion on the List of World Heritage Sites in danger by Jordan in 1982. In the course of its history, Jerusalem has been destroyed twice, besieged 23 times, attacked 52 times, and captured and recaptured 44 times.Today, the status of Jerusalem remains one of the core issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel's annexation of East Jerusalem has been repeatedly condemned by the United Nations and related bodies, and Palestinians foresee East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. In the wake of United Nations Security Council Resolution 478 (passed in 1980), most foreign embassies moved out of Jerusalem, although some countries, such as the United States, still own land in the city and pledge to return their embassies once political agreements warrant the move.(from Wikipedia, edited by serp2000)

Palestine and Israel Conflict: Part 1

Every human being want to live in peace. But not all people get a chance to live in a peaceful world . Today i like to write about conflict between Israel and Palestine. I would like to invite all of you to try to understand the history of the beginning of this conflict until the present.

One question that I want to ask you is why all these bad things continue to happen?

Whether people have lost all the effort to achieve peace?

Where is our humanity ?

Do we want to see another human suffering throughout their life?

Since I was born in this world (1966), relationship between Palestine and Israel never peaceful.

In my opinion, we are able to live peaceful if we are willing to compromise and ready to achieve mutual understanding between each other.

Until this time my dream is that Israel and Palestine conflict ended immediately. As a Malaysian, I want to proudly proclaim that peace is a commodity that we have and we can teach others how to achieve it.

In order to understand this conflict, it's good for us to understand the historical relationship between two parties involved.

Let see what happen in Palestine and Israel......

1900 - Zionism

1845-1914 - Jews in Palestine

1916 - Sykes-Picot agreement

1917 - Balfour Declaration

1918 - Jews immigration

1919 - Palestinians first National Conference

1920 - San Remo Conference

1922 - The British Mandate

1929 - The riots

1936 - A six months General Strike in Palestine

1937 - Peel Commission

1938 - Woodhead Commission

1939 - GB restricting Jewish immigration

1945 - Britain's Palestine Dilemma

1947 - The massacre of Baldat al-Shaikh

1947 - The UN partition plan

1947 - Great Britain withdraw

1948 - The massacre of Deir Yasin

1948 - Israel founded

1948 - First Arab-Israeli War

1948 - Palestinian Refugees

1953 - The massacre of Qibya

1954 - Nasser Takes Charges

1956 - The massacre of Kufr Qasim

1956 - Suez war

1958 - Arabs Unite

1964 - PLO established

1967 - The Six Days War

1967 - Khartoum Resolution

1967 - Palestinian Refugees

1968 - 1970 - War of Attrition

1968 - Battle of Karameh

1969 - Arafat become the Chairman of PLO

1970 - Black September in Jordan

1972 - Munich Olympics

1973 - The October War

1974 - PLO representative the Palestinian people

1978 - Camp David

1979 - Russian Jews

1981 - Sadat assassinated

1981 - Israel attack PLO HQ in Beirut

1982 - Lebanon invasion

1982 - PLO leave Beirut

1982 - Sabra and Shatila massacre

1985 - Falasha airlift stopped

1985 - Strikes on the PLO bases on Tunis

1987 - The Intifada

1988 - Jordan gave up the West Bank

1988 - Palestine State

1989 - Madrid Conference

1990 - Arafat addressed UN

1990 - The massacre of Al-Aqsa Mosque

1991 - Madrid Conference

1993 - Deported Palestinians

1993 - OSLO I'

1994 - Hebron mosque massacre

1994 - Withdrew from Jericho and Gaza

1994 - Jordan-Israel peace

1994 - Arafat returns to Palestine

1994 - Nobel peace prize awarded

1995 - Summit in the Middle East

1995 - Oslo II

1995 - Israeli Prime Minister Rabin assassinated

3'RD MILLENNIUM BC

3'rd millennium BC : The Canaanites were the earliest known inhabitants of Palestine. They became urbanized and lived in city-states, one of which was Jericho . They developed an alphabet. Palestine's location at the center of routes linking three continents made it the meeting place for religious and cultural influences from Egypt, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Asia Minor. It was also the natural battleground for the great powers of the region and subject to domination by adjacent empires, beginning with Egypt in the 3d millennium BC.

The first know people in the lands of Palestine were the Canaanites how are Arab from Arab peninsula, they have their own language and culture.Palestine was the land of Palestinian Arab at all ages, Hebrew came to Palestine from Egypt during the third millennium before century, and established a kingdom for a limited number of years then other nations ended there kingdom and ruled the area. Hebrew presence in Palestine was ended since about 130 years after Jesus birth. Arab ruled the area from 638 AD and were always there until today, there introduce Islam, some Arab from deferent countries came and lived in Palestine from the early years to learn and educate the Palestinians. Some of the locals Palestinian converted to Islam and the Islamic rulers give a wide option to every body to keep his religion therefore, there is considerable number of Christian in Palestine but all has adopted the Islamic culture and Arabic language.All the Arab countries know today was under one Islamic empire rule, and it was consider as an emirate or state linked to the capital of the Islamic empire.

2'ND MILLENNIUM BC

2'rd millennium BC : Egyptian hegemony and Canaanite autonomy were constantly challenged by such ethnically diverse invaders as the Amorites, Hittites, and Hurrians. These invaders, however, were defeated by the Egyptians and absorbed by the Canaanites, who at that time may have numbered about 200000.

14th century BC : Egyptian power began to weaken, new invaders appeared: the Hebrews, a group of Semitic tribes from Mesopotamia, and the Philistines (after whom the country was later named), an Aegean people of Indo-European stock.

1230 BC : Joshua conquered parts of Palestine. The conquerors settled in the hill country, but they were unable to conquer all of Palestine.

1125 BC : The Israelites, a confederation of Hebrew tribes, finally defeated the Canaanites but found the struggle with the Philistines more difficult . Philistines had established an independent state on the southern coast of Palestine and controlled the Canaanite town of Jerusalem.

1050 BC : Philistines with there superior in military organization and using iron weapons, they severely defeated the Israelites about 1050 BC .

1'ST MILLENNIUM BC

1000 BC : David, Israel's great king, finally defeated the Philistines, and they eventually assimilated with the Canaanites . The unity of Israel and the feebleness of adjacent empires enabled David to establish a large independent state, with its capital at Jerusalem.

922 BC : Under David's son and successor, Solomon, Israel enjoyed peace and prosperity , but at his death in 922 BC the kingdom was divided into Israel in the north and Judah in the south .

722-721 BC : When nearby empires resumed their expansion, the divided Israelites could no longer maintain their independence . Israel fell to Assyria.586 BC : Judah was conquered by Babylonia, which destroyed Jerusalem and exiled most of the Jews living there. Nebuchadnezzar entered Jerusalem. The Temple was sacked and set fire to, and razed to the ground. The Royal Palace and all the great houses were destroyed, the population carried off in chains to Babylon. And they lamented on their long march into exile.

539 BC : Cyrus the Great of Persia conquered Babylonia and he permitted the Jews to return to Judea, a district of Palestine. Under Persian rule the Jews were allowed considerable autonomy. They rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem and codified the Mosaic law, the Torah, which became the code of social life and religious observance. The Jews were bound to a universal God.

333 BC : Persian domination of Palestine was replaced by Greek rule when Alexander the Great of Macedonia took the region. Alexander's successors, the Ptolemies of Egypt and the Seleucids of Syria , continued to rule the country . The Seleucids tried to impose Hellenistic (Greek) culture and religion on the population.

141-63 BC : Jews revolted under the Maccabees and set up an independent state.

132-35 BC : Jews revolts erupted, numerous Jews were killed, many were sold into slavery, and the rest were not allowed to visit Jerusalem. Judea was renamed Syria Palaistina.

63 BC : Jerusalem was overrun by Rome. Herod was appointed King of Judea. He slaughtered the last of the Hasmoneans and ordered a lavish restoration and extension of the Second Temple. A period of great civil disorder followed with strife between pacifists and Zealots, and riots against the Roman authorities.

37-4 BC : During the rule of King Herod the Great Jesus of Nazareth, peace be upon him was born. And years after, he began his teaching mission. His attempts to call people back to the pure teachings of Abraham and Moses were judged subversive by the authorities. He was tried and sentenced to death; "yet they did not slay him but only a likeness that was shown to them."

1-999 AD

70 AD : Titus of Rome laid siege to Jerusalem. The fiercely defended Temple eventually fell, and with it the whole city. Seeking a complete and enduring victory, Titus ordered the total destruction of the Herodian Temple. A new city named Aelia was built by the Romans on the ruins of Jerusalem, and a temple dedicated to Jupitor raised up.

313 AD : Palestine received special attention when the Roman emperor Constantine I legalized Christianity. His mother, Helena, visited Jerusalem, and Palestine, as the Holy Land, became a focus of Christian pilgrimage. A golden age of prosperity, security, and culture followed. Most of the population became Hellenized and Christianized .

324 AD : Constantine of Byzantium marched on Aelia. He rebuilt the city walls and commissioned the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and opened the city for Christian pilgrimage.

29-614 AD : Byzantine (Roman) rule was interrupted , however , by a brief Persian occupation and ended altogether when Muslim Arab armies invaded Palestine and captured Jerusalem in AD 638 .

638 AD : The Arab conquest began 1300 years of Muslim presence in what then became known as Filastin. Eager to be rid of their Byzantine overlords and aware of their shared heritage with the Arabs, the descendants of Ishmael, as well as the Muslims reputation for mercy and compassion in victory, the people of Jerusalem handed over the city after a brief siege. They made only one condition, That the terms of their surrender be negotiated directly with the Khalif 'Umar in person. 'Umar entered Jerusalem on foot. There was no bloodshed. There were no massacres. Those who wanted to leave were allowed to, with all their goods. Those who wanted to stay were guarantee protection for their lives, their property and places of worship.Palestine was holy to Muslims because the Prophet Muhammad had designated Jerusalem as the first qibla (the direction Muslims face when praying) and because he was believed to have ascended on a night journey to heaven from the the old city of Jerusalem (al-Aqsa Mosque today) , where the Dome of the Rock was later built. Jerusalem became the third holiest city of Islam. The Muslim rulers did not force their religion on the Palestinians, and more than a century passed before the majority converted to Islam. The remaining Christians and Jews were considered People of the Book. They were allowed autonomous control in their communities and guaranteed security and freedom of worship. Such tolerance was rare in the history of religion . Most Palestinians also adopted Arabic and Islamic culture. Palestine benefited from the empires trade and from its religious significance during the first Muslim dynasty, the Umayyads of Damascus.

750 AD : The power shifted to Baghdad with the Abbasids, Palestine became neglected. It suffered unrest and successive domination by Seljuks, Fatimids, and European Crusaders. It shared, however, in the glory of Muslim civilization, when the Muslim world enjoyed a golden age of science, art, philosophy, and literature. Muslims preserved Greek learning and broke new ground in several fields, all of which later contributed to the Renaissance in Europe. Like the rest of the empire, however, Palestine under the Mamelukes gradually stagnated and declined.

1000-1899 AD

1517 AD : The Ottoman Turks of Asia Minor defeated the Mamelukes, with few interruptions, ruled Palestine until the winter of 1917-18. The country was divided into several districts (sanjaks), such as that of Jerusalem. The administration of the districts was placed largely in the hands of Arab Palestinians, who were descendants of the Canaanites. The Christian and Jewish communities, however, were allowed a large measure of autonomy. Palestine shared in the glory of the Ottoman Empire during the 16th century, but declined again when the empire began to decline in the 17th century.

1831-1840 AD : Muhammad Ali, the modernizing viceroy of Egypt, expanded his rule to Palestine . His policies modified the feudal order, increased agriculture, and improved education.

1840 The Ottoman Empire reasserted its authority, instituting its own reforms . 1845 Jewish in Palestine were 12,000 increased to 85,000 by 1914. All people in Palestine were Arabic Muslims and Christians.

1897 the first Zionist Congress held Basle, Switzerland, issued the Basle programme on the colonization of Palestine.

1900-1946

1904 the Fourth Zionist Congress decided to establish a national home for Jews in Argentina

.1906 the Zionist congress decided the Jewish homeland should be Palestine.

1914 With the outbreak of World War I, Britain promised the independence of Arab lands under Ottoman rule, including Palestine, in return for Arab support against Turkey which had entered the war on the side of Germany.

1916 Britain and France signed the Sykes-Picot Agreement, which divided the Arab region into zones of influence. Lebanon and Syria were assigned to France, Jordan and Iraq to Britain and Palestine was to be internationalized.

1917 The British government issued the Balfour Declaration on November 2, in the form of a letter to a British Zionist leader from the foreign secretary Arthur J. Balfour prmissing him the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine.

1917-1918 Aided by the Arabs, the British captured Palestine from the Ottoman Turks. The Arabs revolted against the Turks because the British had promised them, in correspondence with Shareef Husein ibn Ali of Mecca, the independence of their countries after the war. Britain, however, also made other, conflicting commitments in the secret Sykes-Picot agreement with France and Russia (1916), it promised to divide and rule the region with its allies. In a third agreement, the Balfour Declaration of 1917, Britain promised the Jews a Jewish "national home" in Palestine .

1918 After WW I ended, Jews began to migrate to Palestine, which was set a side as a British mandate with the approval of the League of Nations in 1922. Large-scale Jewish settlement and extensive Zionist agricultural and industrial enterprises in Palestine began during the British mandatory period, which lasted until 1948.

1919 The Palestinians convened their first National Conference and expressed their opposition to the Balfour Declaration.

1920 The San Remo Conference granted Britain a mandate over Palestine. and two years later Palestine was effectively under British administration. Sir Herbert Samuel, a declared Zionist, was sent as Britain's first High Commissioner to Palestine.

1922 The Council of the League of Nations issued a Mandate for Palestine.

1929 Large-scale attacks on Jews by Arabs rocked Jerusalem. Palestinians killed 133 Jews and suffered 116 deaths. Sparked by a dispute over use of the Western Wall of Al-Aqsa Mosque ( this site is sacred to Muslims, but Jews claimed it is the remaining of jews temple all studies shows clearly that the wall is from the Islamic ages and it is part of al-Aqsa Mosque). But the roots of the conflict lay deeper in Arab fears of the Zionist movement which aimed to make at least part of British-administered Palestine a Jewish state.

1936 The Palestinians held a six-month General Strike to protest against the confiscation of land and Jewish immigration.

1937 Peel Commission, headed by Lord Robert Peel, issued a report. Basically, the commission concluded, the mandate in Palestine was unworkable There was no hope of any cooperative national entity there that included both Arabs and Jews. The commission went on to recommend the partition of Palestine into a Jewish state, an Arab state, and a neutral sacred-site state to be administered by Britain.

1939 The British government published a White Paper restricting Jewish immigration and offering independence for Palestine within ten years. This was rejected by the Zionists, who then organized terrorist groups and launched a bloody campaign against the British and the Palestinians.

1947-1966

1947 Great Britain decided to leave Palestine and called on the United Nations (UN) to make recommendations. In response, the UN convened its first special session and on November 29, 1947, it adopted a plan calling for partition of Palestine into Jewish and Arab states, with Jerusalem as an international zone under UN jurisdiction.

1947 Arab protests against partition erupted in violence, with attacks on Jewish settlements in retalation to the attacks of Jews terrorist groups to Arab Towns and villages and massacres in hundred against unarmed Palestinian in there homes.15 May 1948 British decided to leave on this day, leaders of the Yishuv decided (as they claim) to implement that part of the partition plan calling for establishment of a Jewish state. The same day, the armies of Egypt, Transjordan (now Jordan), Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq joined Palestinian and other Arab guerrillas in a full-scale war (first Arab-Israeli War). The Arabs failed to prevent establishment of a Jewish state, and the war ended with four UN-arranged armistice agreements between Israel and Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria. The small Gaza Strip was left under Egyptian control, and the West Bank was controled by Jordan. Of the more than 800,000 Arabs who lived in Israeli-held territory before 1948, only about 170,000 remained. The rest became refugees in the surrounding Arab countries, ending the Arab majority in the Jewish state.

1956 Attckes incursions by refugee guerrilla bands and attacks by Arab military units were made, Egypt refused to permit Israeli ships to use the Suez Canal and blockaded the Straits of Tiran erupted in the second Arab-Israeli War.Great Britain and France joined the attack because of their dispute with Egypt's president Gamal Abdel Nasser, who had nationalized the Suez Canal. Seizing the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula within few days. The fighting was halted by the UN after a few days, and a UN Emergency Force (UNEF) was sent to supervise the cease-fire in the Canal zone. By the end of the year their forces withdrew from Egypt, but Israel refused to leave Gaza until early 1957.

1965 The Palestine Liberation Organization was established.

please give peace a chance..........

Bobby 1973: Sweet memory of watching a hindi movie with my family.

2009-11-02T21:17:00.000-08:00

Still fresh in my mind a happy moment when i was 7 years old. This attractive event occurred in school holidays season in year of 1973, but i still remember it until today. At that time all my family members went back to our village in Perlis. One day my mom took me to visit our relatives in Pauh. At the time we reached my cousin's home, they were preparing to go to the movies in the town of Kangar , a hindi movie entitle "Bobby". So after talked briefly and enjoy refreshment, without delaying time we leave for Kangar.

From my cousin house, we go to Kangar by bus. When we arrived in Kangar, my aunt's bring us to the Kapitol cinema to buy a ticket for us to watch films "Bobby" which will begin in 1.00 o'clock in the afternoon. My heart is quite excited because it is the first time in my life i had a chance to watch a movie in cinema.

At 12.30 p.m, we already were in cinema to watch films. They are many people in walking around the cinema's foyer that day. Before entering into the hall, my mother and my cousin buy some sweet for us to eat while watching movie. We managed to buy a pretty cheap third class tickets (probably the only affordable) . We were allowed entering the hall only after all first-class and second class ticket holders already in the hall.. On arrival point in the hall, the cinema assistant ask for our ticket and without saying a word and by using torchlight ..he show us the seats. The atmosphere is already dark and the sound of the broadcast ads are strong enough and the temperature in the hall is also quite cool ...

Let us watch together ... with the polar mint candy in my mouth, my eyes look at the large screen while my ears heard a strong and powerful sound system ...a little child at the age of 7 years old watching Hindustani film with his mother, his aunt and 2 of his cousins .....

Bobby is a love story of today. It is the story of an eighteen years old boy who had just passed his senior Cambridge examination. The only son of rich respectable parents who were too busy to bother about him, he found love, solace and comfort in the company of a sixteen years old school girl.

Out of their love for each other arose many problems. There was disparity of class, age, attitudes and generation gap. How could the two innocent teenagers face this problem when they felt that they were two youngsters on their own with the whole world against them?

The film is a story about the love between two Bombay teenagers of different classes - Raj Nath (Rishi Kapoor), son of a rich businessman Mr. Nath (played by Pran), and Bobby Braganza (Dimple Kapadia), daughter of a poor Christian fisherman Jack Braganza (played by Prem Nath).

The couple first sees each other during Raj's 18th birthday and meet when Raj goes to meet his old governess, Mrs. Braganza. There, he sees her grand daughter Bobby, and it is love at first sight for him.

As the story progresses, Raj realises that his relationship with the daughter of a poor fisherman is not taken kindly by his eccentric father. Upon Raj's insistence, Mr. Nath visits Jack to initiate talks of Raj and Bobby's wedding. But instead, Mr. Nath accuses Jack of using his daughter's beauty and charm to trap Raj for his money. He even offers him cash in exchange for Bobby. Jack feels highly humiliated by this accusation and reciprocates by insulting Mr. Nath. Their talk enters a deadlock and spells doom for Raj and Bobby's tender love.

Mr. Nath engages Raj to a rich but mentally challenged girl, Alka, played by Farida Jalal, in order to establish business ties with her father.

But Raj runs away from home, to unite with Bobby. They both run away together. Mr. Nath advertises a reward for anyone who can help find his son. Prem Chopra (Prem Chopra) decides that he wants the money, and he and his goons kidnap Raj and Bobby. When they try to escape, Prem starts beating Raj, and Jack tries to rescue him. Mr. Nath and the police come to help. Raj and Bobby run away and jump into the waterfall. Both Mr. Nath and Jack jump into the water.

Mr. Nath rescues Bobby, while Jack rescues Raj. They realize that they love their children very much and don't want to stand in their happiness. They accept each other's kids as their own and give their blessings to the union.

(the best part of the film...happy ending)

Forever young, forever classic!, 16 August 2009

Author: Peter Young from Australia

Raj Kapoor's "Bobby" will never get old. It is a brilliantly made modern teenage romance. Raj Kapoor's direction and imagination are excellent, ditto for his realistic portrayal of the modern 1970s India. The romance is portrayed beautifully, injecting many youthful energies and using colourful and vernal landscapes, beautiful and romantic songs, comedy and drama, and two very charming and good-looking young actors.This is a love story of a pretty, smart and headstrong school-girl named Bobby, and a romantic, rich and well-mannered young man named Raj, who, unlike most of his contemporaries, prefers to sit at home and write poetry. He falls in love with her the first minute he meets her, and surprisingly enough, it does not look clichéd. The story shows how they start dating each other and how they later fight parental opposition. Interestingly, while Raj Kapoor made this film to launch his son on the big screen, he titled it after Dimple Kapadia, who impressed him very much and reminded him of his muse Nargis. In a documentary about the life and craft of Raj Kapoor, he said that Bobby's first meeting with Raj in the film was loosely inspired by Kapoor's first meeting with Nargis at her home. And I completely understand why the memory of meeting her stayed with him for the rest of his life when I see this scene. It is a magic moment.Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia make for a very good couple. This is according to me Rishi Kapoor's best performance along with his role in Mera Naam Joker. Maybe his dad was the one who could extract his talent to the fullest. He is likable, impressive and very convincing as Raj. Dimple Kapadia's is undoubtedly one of the greatest debuts in the history of Hindi cinema. She was natural, compelling, beautiful and acted with total aplomb. Her western outfits and sex-appeal are still very memorable. The rest of the cast is excellent, with Prem Nath standing out in a wonderful comic act as Bobby's loving father. Pran was also very convincing as Raj's witty, proud and dignified father, and Durga Khote and Aruna Irani provided fantastic support. Oh, and how can one forget Farida Jalal's Alka Sharma? A five-minute role which stays with you forever just like the film.The film's cinematography is fantastic, the editing is good as well. The characters are well-written, and most importantly - the music is simply outstanding. My favourite songs are "Main Shair To Nahin" (as is Aruna Irani's wonderful dance for the song) and "Chabi Kho Jaye (Hum Tum)". All in all, Bobby was a trend-setter, and it still remains an all-time sensational and fresh love story, which will never look dated.

According to stories from my parents, in the 1970s, many Malaysian were interested in hindi film. A great film like this ( Bobby) can run continuously for 3 months .. 3 months? oh really ?.Perhap one of the reason is the lack of entertainment at that time. The majority of Malaysians at that time was still in the poverty level, without modern facilities like we have today . It is common for that day peoples live without electricity at home and almost without a television set in the living room of each house.

Until today, I will still remember that beautiful moment. Although just occasional I had a chance to watch films in cinema, an experienced like this and many more during my childhood always makes me feel very grateful to my parents because the have educate and raise me perfectly despite the lack of proper facilities and wealth. Time have changed. My children who grow up in modern times will not fully understand my story ... this is the thing that distinguishes between past and present ....

B O B B Y 1973