Love...what,again? (No, no this is different!)

"I BELIEVE IN LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT"...Because I'VE BEEN LOVING MY MOTHER SINCE I OPENED MY EYES....

Yes, love for your mom =)

Yup, that woman we often take for granted. That woman whom you always quarrel with. That woman whom you get embarrassed being seen at the mall with. That woman you think of as a burden to you when she gets older. That woman you plan to send to the "Adult-Day-Care" center one day. That woman you just cant stand taking care of.

Yeah,I see why you think about those things. But isnt she also..

That woman who never took you for granted. That woman who only quarrels with you because she only wants the best for you. That woman who feels so happy when she gets to spend time with you. That woman who NEVER think of you as a burden to her. That woman who took care of you.

Mother, Mom, Ibu, Emak, Mama, Ummi, call her what you want, just dont ever forget to love her with all your heart. Let her know how much she means to you. I know Mother's Day was long gone, but it's never too late or even too early for that matter, to tell her "I love you Mom, dont ever doubt that for a second" cause there's never a day which she becomes less special to you. If she asks "Apasal tiba2 ni?" Just say "Nothing mom, just wanted to remind you"

And with that simple sentence, I'm sure you'll make her day =)

This post goes out to my mama, whom I never take for granted, whom I'm always proud to be seen around with, whom I just LOVE spending time with and the woman whom I NEVER EVER (will) think of as a burden to me. You are the love of my life, so dont forget that.

I loved the simplicity of this video and its accomplishment in delivering its message.

- the guy who's never scared of kissing his mom and saying "I love you" to her in public. Cad =)

This is a post after Boys Talk session with Miqdad, Hafiz, Mamat and the 5721s

I found this video somewhere on Facebook yesterday, I guess. If I'm not mistaken it was on Hafiz's page, so thank you Hafiz. By the way, this song sounds very familiar but I have not heard it for a quite long time. 

To my Kemaman friends, I have made this (click on the posters below) for you since you are not studying geology but since I'm preparing for exam, I would be happy if I can share these with you all. I suggest you guys put medical stuffs in interesting videos or English literature animations  which are interesting on your blog too. These links are the compilation of 'interesting' videos. Make sure you watch the first video on the Geology Muggles [HERE] Series and read the descriptions. You may see how great Allah SWT is. 

Tengok cerita ni. Semoga kita semua dapat pengajaran daripada kartun ni dan amalkan. Tak guna kalau dapat pengajaran tapi tak pernah amalkan. 

Sleeping Friends

Everyone should have a friend like you You are so much fun to be with And you are such a good person You crack me up with laughter And touch my heart with your kindness You have a wonderful ability To know when to offer advice And when to sit in quiet support Time after time You've come to my rescue And brightend so many Of my routine days And time after time I've realized how fortunate I am that my life includes you I really do believe that Everybody should have a friend like you But so far it looks like You are one of a kind!

10 Videos

I like these songs but that does not mean I enjoyed the scenes in the videos particularly in one of the videos. If you have time, watch or listen to all of them. However, it is to be acknowledged that I don't watch most of these videos, I just like the songs. It consumes you at least 40 minutes to watch all of these. This post is to make me easily watch the videos without going to Youtube every single time. I don't want to download so I put them here. Let me share them with you, especially to those Curtinians who keep calling me Chuk or Chukai which I find awkward to be called so. These songs are dedicated to you guys since I think Curtinians who attended the BBQ just now were rock! Alhamdulillah, I feel blessed to be surrounded with so many kind people in Curtin. By the way, I'm in the process of editing your BBQ photos. Maybe you just went there and eat the delicious meals, but without these people preparing everything from nothing to something, we would have ended up with nothing.  We should thank those who had involved and this photo shows only some of them. One person was sleeping inside the room due to extreme fatigue, maybe. Terima kasih kepada semua yang bertungkus-lumus membuat kerja. 

02: 10 Things You Love

10 Things You Love 

01 Books. This is not brand new information folks. I've been mentioning this in ages. For more information please visit my Booku section. Gedik, isn't it? 

02 Photos, cameras and the anak-beranaks. I have always wanted a DSLR but both money and responsibility to take care of something expensive have been blocking my ways to get it. Someday I will get it, Insya-Allah. Maybe the time is not right now for me to have one.

03 Any food cooked by Mok (Mak). Duhh..this is not like the typical budak-sekolah-rendah biodata favourite food section: Makanan kegemaran- Masakan Mak. Oh, please. Statistically speaking, my mom has been cooking for the more than 50% of her life. So, I guess that makes her an expert in the Yusoff's family. The visible results are one fat 17 year-old boy, 1 chubby 10 year-old girl, 1 I-am-a-nutritionist skinny daughter and 1 comel and handsome in perfect body physiques 21 year-old boy.

04 HP Pavilion DV4 Laptop in front of me. This laptop is both excellent and have nostalgic memories. I bought this together with my friend, Aiman. We bought the same brand, the same series and everything. While the inspiration to buy this laptop came from a very close senior, Sadiq. This laptop saw me at my best and at my worst. 

06 The Malaysian Insider. You like it or not, The Malaysian Insider is the best online news portal in Malaysia. Unlike Malaysiakini which always have crappy ideas with a very smart way of writing. However, The Malaysian Insider provides a perspective that I think is constructive. And, when the Government side has something good going on, the headlines will be like 'In youths, N look for shield against PR' which shows that N has youth backing support but you see how they twisted the ideas. Manipulative? Yes. I love it primarily because it makes me think.

07 The Star, NST and other newspapers. Have you ever reas Sunday Star? If you haven't then get one. I've not been paid to do the promotions here, so my simple advise is start reading one although you are not pro-Government. It has more than that. 

08 Dr Maza's Ceramahs on Youtube, particularly this one. 

09 TED.com. I love watching people speaking with great ideas. Again, I'm not promoting it here but please do visit the website.

10 Geology. I've been repeating this for so many times before but with this gift from Allah SWT, I couldn't be more grateful. When you love what you are doing, the challenges seem infinitesimal. Alhamdulillah.

01: 10 Things About Me

10 Things About Me

01 I'm a Muslim who was born as a Malay in Malaysia on the first January of 1990 at 0145 in the morning    inside a wooden house in Kampung Mak Chili, Chukai. I was not born in a hospital since I was so excited to come out to this world without giving my mom an early warning to go to hospital, according to her. She even managed to walk around around the kampung that evening looking for a boy who was believed to be lost because she thought she was still able to do so. That night, she suddenly felt painful and I came out to this world within minutes. 

02 I can't speak bahasa Melayu baku properly. I speak Trengganuian since I was able to speak. Many people have not noticed this, but to fellow friends and Trengganuian, they can detect how my tongue is always twisted uncomfortably to speak KL. I study English and understand it using Trengganu-speak not bahasa baku. So, when friends asking meaning of some words but you only know how to describe in Trengganu-speak, it is a real problem. When I speak Trengganu, I feel lawah or puah.

03 I read books. I don't read a lot compared to those bookish people but I do read early in the morning and late night. Sometimes, reading books cost you lots of money. Two factors that stop me reading are money and time. I always go to MPH Online or Kinokuniya Webstore or Amazon and keep clicking 'Add to cart' but never pay them. Trust me, you feel much better after that.

04 I am a newspaper-addict. Be it the online or hard copy version, I sometimes feel I can't get enough of that. I read these newspapers/online portal in this order everyday: The Star, The Malaysian Insider, NST and more after that. I don't list others as some quarter might justify my inclinations when they know what I read and I'm not ready to do it yet. 

05 I'm an angry (or angsty) person. Angry is the exact word actually but it is more like a bekeng thingy. Ainul was right again in describing me, I guess. Alhamdulillah, I can control my anger far better than before.

06 I enjoy what I am studying. Geology is actually not boring at all. Compared to Chemistry, Geology is actually far more interesting. Rocks rock! Before this, I feel so uncomfortable touching sands or rocks. Now, in the last field trip, I don't even wash my hands to eat after touching rocks and sands. I could not be more grateful to Allah SWT for giving me His blessings to study something that I never know I would be enjoying. The saying 'Allah knows best' rings true now.

07 I am a foodie person. Food is a reminder of Allah's continuous blessings for us. Right now, I love nasi ayam bakar although it is extremely expensive. And, longan susu. I miss mom's chicken curry. 

08 I do not eat fish, prawns, crab, squid and other seafood except ikan bilis. I eat canned sardines only when they are really mashed till they become like grains. Make a sandwich from the mashed sardines and I'll eat it. I don't want to explain why I don't eat them now. It's so tiring doing it for the past 'only-Allah-knows-how-many-years'.

09 I'm very protective of my friends. I've never realised this until someone pointed it out recently. I don't know whether it is true or not

10 I love The Big Bang Theory, Friends and Gray's Anatomy. 

The Chukai Insider

I'm Infected

In case you read most of my friend's blogs, it is obvious that they have some kind of 'projects'. With Ainul's Project 52, Ain's 10 Day Project which was actually inspired by Umairah's blog, I can't help but to be in some kind of 'project' too. I don't have a DSLR now, so I'm not challenging myself to take photos for the next 52 days. Writing about 10 Things a day suits me better and much simpler and sexier.

I need to admit something. When my friends in Curtin keep saying this and that about The Chukai Insider, deep down inside I feel embarrassed I don't know what's the word to describe 'malu' because I don't think embarrassed is the right word to be used in this context. 

Someone might come to you and recognise you as The Chukai Insider. It feels weird, folks. Thing that gets most of the attention is the name of this blog; The Chukai Insider. Chukai is my birthplace and my home town. Insider? Yes, I read The Malaysian Insider a lot and you can see the reasons why. Maybe this uncomfortable feeling will wash away but seriously, it is extremely uncomfortable when people say they read your blog. 

These events with regards to my blog has made me think again on the purpose of my blog. After some deep thinking (I know some might think this is unnecessary) because I think it is important, I realised that I write because I want to tell something, I want to explain something and share my ideas. I like nice photos on my blog as well. They are the reasons; simple and nothing more. I want to write something (with no concerns to my grammatical mistakes), and to clear my thoughts. However, to have people reading  my blog is not my primary goal. However, what's the use of writing something without people reading it? (It is one of the goals, but not the primary one). 

Philosophically, it captures the nostalgic memories of my life and how does my thinking is affected through these events. Look at my Facebook wall page and you can see how I like sharing things or being shared with something (articles, good videos-not some lousy singers). And that's why I'll put Facebook sharing button again on this blog. 

It sounds so serious eh? I know sometimes I think too much and too deep. It's not angsty side of me. It's just me being me.  As I mentioned before, this is my medium to let things out of my mind. If not, there are so many things cluttered inside my mind. I love blogging! -The Chukai Insider

Note: I'm in the process of making a new header. I really like my new layout much like Ain does with her blog. It's clean but the header is embarrassing. I may need some ideas and with my followers, probably I will get at least 12 suggestions. Haha!

Born 1st January

Do you know a woman named Lagarde who is so famously reported in every major newspapers today, particularly in the business section? I know you don't. It has been my habit to Wikipedia a suddenly-popular public figure to know him or her better. She is currently the Finance Minister of France who is in the lead to be nominated as the next chief of International Monetary Fund (IMF) since the last-man-with-the-job is currently charged for assaulting a woman in a hotel in New York. If you don't know what IMF is, then Google it. Remember 98/97 economic crisis? 

When I Wikipedia-ed her today, I found out that Faidhi and Lagarde share a similar thing. We both have the same birthday! She was born on the first day of the year in 1956 while Faidhi was born on the first day of the decade 21 years ago (1990). I'm writing this on the basis of Julian calendar, not Islamic Hijrah calendar if you haven't noticed.

Being a First January boy/man, you cannot run away from the feeling of being special just because you were born on the first day of the year (Mathematically wrong, actually). When people know that you were born on the first day of January, they all have the same look on their faces. The look of 'really?'. Another thing is, friends surely will remember your birthday. I don't know if this happens to other first-January born as well, but I don't remember my friend's birthdays except for few of them whom I mark their birthdays on the calendar every year. I remember the 6th December, the 16th December and the 18th January. Feel flattered? 

By the way, a volcano has erupted violently again in Iceland.

Look again, can you see any flaw?

Beautiful: A Daily Reminder

My Goals This Week

Source: [HERE]

Tomorrow is Monday if you haven't noticed. I decided to make a list of goals for me to accomplish this week. Little goals make big goals possible, if you have read that somewhere in self-help books. With Allah's permissions, may I accomplish each of this goal and make my life better. Improving ourselves is a hard thing to do, but nothing is impossible. Here are my goals for each day start from tomorrow. 

Monday: Today, I have Chemistry 142 tutorial which means early class in the morning. I have Geology in the          evening as well and a Geo Lab session as well. My goal for Monday is finish answering 2 sets of Geology past year questions and finish revising Chemistry 142. Monday also falls on 23rd April which means a day before Chemistry exam. Hence, my goal is to finish redoing all of the tutorials.

Tuesday: First goal is to score the highest mark possible in Chemistry exam. The second goal is to finish Maths quiz and score a hundred. Haha.

Wednesday: Goal: Read all of the Geoscience materials and get ready for pre-test. Another goal is to memorise all of the metamorphic and sedimentary rocks which I have tried memorising for so many times before. 

Thursday: Finish  all of my Maths and Physics assignment. 

Friday: Sedimentary and Metamorphic Rock Test. Goal: Score as high as possible. 

Source: [HERE]

This is just a plan. I just want to see how well it goes. It all depends on Allah's will but we as His slave must plan. 

Source: [HERE]

Sahih International

And those who believe and do righteous deeds - We will surely admit them among the righteous [into Paradise].

Alhamdulillah because we are still given chances to improve ourselves. Appreciate them.- The Chukai Insider

I have RM1,000,000.

Since Chemistry 142 has successfully ruined my early Sunday morning, I need to have a break and write something. The subject does shake my butt to sit and study, but something suddenly popped out of my head. My  mind is wondering what would I do if someone gives me RM 1,000,000 now. That's RM 1 million for those who are lazy to figure out how many zeros are there. So, RM 1 million...that is _____.

Some quarter might have said that it's only RM 1 million. It's a very small amount if you want to do something big. While another quarter might have dropped their jaws receiving the money. People, let's get real; people won't give you money more than that for no reason. I'm trying to be realistic here, so I stick to RM 1 million. Realistic la sangat.

If I have RM1 million and it has to be spent in one day, that would even be better or worse? I think it should be better. Okay, I choose to spend it in one day only. To simplify things, I will divide the money into 3 separate portions. The first 20% should go to charity. Well, that is the kind of thing we all should do isn't it? I saw lots of money-loaded people do that in newspapers, blogs etc putting their big smiles in front of cameras giving big cheques to foundations. It's not easy to show how kind you are to the public. I'm going along with the current, so 20% out of RM 1 million should be enough. That's the typical thing everyone would say if they are asked what to do with a RM 1 million. Ugh. 

The next 40% should go to my parents. Let them do what they want to do. Am I a good son or what?

The next 40% should go to me. This is the most interesting part. The first thing that pop inside my head is a Canon DSLR. Since I have lots of money, I would say goodbye to the series that you are all familiar with. iPad or a car? I would say both. Books? Oh yeah, I forgot that. Motorcycle. And so much more. 

The truth is everyone has been asking what would they do with this large amount of money of they have it. If not, someone should have asked them once. However, believe me when I say that most of the time you don't do it according to the plan that you laid out before. If Allah has granted you with this amount of rezeki, be grateful with that. RM 1 million does not mean it's the time to do charity. In fact, I might as well take all of the 20% portion to the charity for me. This is a generalisation but it is something to ponder upon: people say all the nice things before they have lots of money, when the get it, all the kind-hearted plans will wash away out of their minds. It is a generalisation, not necessarily for everyone. So, let's pray that if someday if we are to be super-rich, we don't fall into this category of people. 

Again, it is another reason for us to bersyukur with our current conditions. We are already being blessed all the time by Allah. If you have RM 1 million now, I'm sure you will find something to fill your soul. By the time you finished spending your RM 1 million, your heart is empty and in need of something greater than that. You need something greater and greater to make yourself happy. Until the time you find there is a Greater Power, that is Allah SWT, you will find emptiness. 

You don't need RM 1 million to do good deeds and charity. You don't need iPad or gears to make yourself happy. Your parents would love you too if you don't give them money. 

That's why I love this video so much. Watch it till you cry. If a someone who has been called a heartless dropped his tears watching this, I don't know how many box of tissues you need. Kalah cerita Hindustan.

I ask you this question again: What would you do if you have RM 1 million? -The Chukai Insider

Here and There: Cut and Paste: Learning and Sharing

 "All of us are culpable and too many Malaysians complain. How many of us complain but don't do anything? If you do and you fail, then you can complain. This is the weakness of the middle class to take, to thrive and then to find seclusion in their little suburbia, usually based on race and religion. It is too easy to blame the government, we are part of the government, we are the people.”- Chandran Nair.

Our paths are different but our goal is the same. Don't hate others. Period. If you still cannot resist from hating others (a person, organisations, government, opposition), don't cross the line and keep in your heart that you are a Muslim. Yes, you may say who am I to say you have crossed the line as the line is relative to different people, but hating others itself is already something you should not have done. Beyond that, it is unnecessary to talk about. It's okay if you resist something, but to a point where you have to curse, it is clearly a wrong thing. 

In fighting for your cause, don't create the feeling of other-ness. In fighting for your cause, I believe it is much more or less the same like doing da'wah. If you keep pressing others to do this and that and saying harsh words to others with manners that is totally un-Islamic, then people will not believe what you say and most importantly, it is ineffective. In fact, it is like a very bad medicine. Let's say there are people who believe in things that you say, they will follow your way and at some point, more extreme than you were. This, at the end of the day will create a huge gap between those who accepted your ideas and those who not. The distance grows bigger and bigger. Unfortunately, this is what happening among Muslims in Malaysia now. 

This is harsh, but this statement should not be taken lightly: There are muslims who don't pray at all, but when other non-muslims threaten the status of Islam, they are among the first to get angry. When I say this is hypocrisy, others will say all kind of things to say I am wrong.

I feel so sad looking at Facebook page looking at videos and articles slamming each other. Call it whatever you want, but Malay Muslims are the champions. Everyone is fighting to show they are the Islam champion, but never try to sincerely communicate the right way. If you think the other side is wrong, rectify the mistakes and work together. Both sides are wrong. Both sides have their own strengths and weaknesses, so complement each other. Why not? Does it because only you know the ultimate truth? And you can't share it with others? I'm saying this to both sides. 

The creation of the divisive feeling is so severe. If even one of the sides think they are upholding Islamic values, no divisions of people (or ummah as some quarter like to call it or rakyat as the other quarter like to describe it) would have occurred right now. For me, the truth is this- ego is at both sides.

Their intentions may be right, but their actions are not. 

Note: This post is a result of cumulative disappointment of watching friends posting hatred on Facebook. 

Mother

I found this video on my Facebook homepage, and there is a great message embedded in the video. It's story line is kind of typical, but without this constant dose of reminder about our mother's struggles, and how Islam has placed mother's status at the highest level after Allah and Rasulullah, we would have forgotten about it. To these great students from KYUEM who were in the making of this video, we thank you. Alhamdulillah.

Don't Be Sad

Tak baik mengata orang.

Friends and Sunset

These are a bunch of people who like being in photos all the time. Don't ever say 'This place is so nice, let's have a Kodak moment!' and they will be ready for it in split seconds. They are photo maniacs especially the one at the most right. 

Needless to say that this photo is poorly edited. I really have to get an Adobe Photoshop, or any other suggestion, Ainul?

These two last photos were taken yesterday just after I finished my Geology lecture. After more than two straight hours of listening to 'sedimentary', 'weathering' and 'mass-wasting', the panorama did make all of us intoxicated. Miri's sunset views are kinda a mystery to me because they are extremely gorgeous. Busy taking photos, we were left by bus to go back home. 

A Beautiful Mess

When I was in the library last week, I felt the need to bring the artsy side out of me. So, I grabbed my black pen and wrote my friend's name, Shafiq while he was sitting right in front of me. It was an escape from sedimentary lecture notes. I asked him what his favourite quote is and he replied 'winner never quits, quitter never wins'. Simple but profound. Saturated but significant. 

A beautiful mess, huh? Poyo. The Sin Chan button on my pencil box was given by Miqdaddy. Why? I answered a quiz, and yeah, that's the prize. A significant and beautiful way of reminding myself every single day: Are U Muslim?

Many things or subjects can be symbolised with  a tree even your life, and your beliefs. Try drawing one and you will feel calmness and humbleness of how great Allah's creations are. Even the best human drawing cannot match the beauty of Allah's details in each oh His creations.

Equality

Thank you to Muhammad Hafiz for introducing this video to me. Alhamdulillah.

Curtin Islamic Society Bowling Tournament

Salah satu cara merapatkan ukhwah pemuda-pemuda Islam: Bermain bowling bersama-sama

Muka-muka yang ceria sebelum bermain bowling. Ada juga pelakon tambahan di belakang.

Inilah gaya-gaya orang yang sentiasa buat-buat sibuk. Muka macam saham dia jatuh kat KLCI, yang sorang lagi macam tengah buat business deal penting kat telefon. Padahal nak gi bowling je. Pada akhir permainan nanti, kedua-duanya mempunyai nasib yang berlainan. Sorang jadi makin tua, sorang lagi jadi top bowler.

Hiraukan pemuda hensem dan bergaya yang memakai vest hitam itu, tapi lihatlah raut wajah seorang pemuda yang suka mentertawakan orang- menakutkan dan mengerikan.

Foto ini berniat jahat mungkin. Ada maksud terselindung yang ada pada jurugambar ni. Apa motifnya menangkap gambar pemuda tersebut dengan makanan?

Minum dulu sebelum hampir kalah kepada team underdog. 

Dari paling kurang hensem ke yang paling hensem ialah Rakin, Mubin dan Faidhi.

Mereka sebenarnya sedang berjaga-jaga dengan virus muncucuk ***** yang dipelopori oleh Acad Rashad.

Ini dia pelopor Gerakan Mencucuk ***** Curtin. Bahaya.

Inilah dia the Torres of Chukai Insider Bowling Team*

*Chukai Insider adalah nama yang diberi kepada salah satu team yang bermain.

Chukai Insider team first game score. 

Chukai Insider team second game score.

Ini dia abang Miqdaddy, the fatherhood figure of Curtin Islamic Society. He's the Daddy of CIS merangkap Presiden. Tengok gaya tangan Presiden menghayun bola tu.. Pergh, mantap gayanya. Strike ke tak tanya la dia.

Ini dia pemain-pemain import dari negara lain. Namun, team mereka agak kecewa dengan prestasi mereka. Cubalah teka mereka berasal dari negara mana? Gurau je. 

Kepada Presiden E-Fact, inilah buktinya Nazri K bekerja sangat keras pada hari tersebut. Bukan senang nak tangkap gambar budak-budak berlari di tengah panas.

Mamat!!!!

Team Chukai Insider. 1st Runner Up kot...

Committee yang kerja keras untuk memastikan semuanya berjalan lancar. Yang kerja keras tu yang bernama Yusoff (baju putih) dan yang baju kelabu ni sibuk cucuk ***** orang je. Tengok gaya cucuk jari dia tu.. 

Second runner up! Team paling riuh pada first game tapi kelihatan sunyi pada second game lantaran prestasi yang tidak memuaskan. 

1st Runner Up, team paling best! Team orang tak sangka akan naik podium!

Champion! Tahniah!!!

Alhamdulillah, kejohanan bowling berjalan lancar. Objektif untuk merapatkan ukhwah sesama muslim tercapai. Semoga CIS buat lagi tournament ni next semester. 
The Chukai Insider