Sunday, September 19, 2010

SoundMadness!

Hi Guys!

I am just helping out - those who need to rent equipments for performing in a band or even a space for jamming, do contact me aidil_edzwan@hotmail.co.uk!

Dont worry, price negotiable! :)

Thank you!

Aidil Edzwan

Lovely updates for Raya !

Salam AidilFitri to all!

I am sorry as i have been a bit too lazy to update my blog recently. Piccies updates, as usual at my blog. You can see my gorgeous picture together with my lovely sister up there on the main page :) 

Today went visiting my youngest aunt (mom's sister)  and my nenek Rahimah (as i understand it, should be granny's 2nd or 3rd cousin from mom's side)! :) I m very fond of her since i was a child and till this day i respect her very much. 

Anyway, today someone posed me this question which i find it a bit difficult to answer considering the relationship that we have. Anyway this is not the very first time i was posed this question. 

Most of my friends or even relatives who have come to my place before will notice something different. My sisters are rarely seen or heard of. The lady of the house - my mother will ensure that the elder of the 2 sisters to prepare the drinks, served and proceed back to the room. 

My youngest sister will have to cover this duty when my the other sister is married so she is still in training mode. 

It took me years to actually, step forward to have that small talk with uncles, aunties, cousins or even dad's friends etc. From young i been trained not to get involved in adult's talk - "orang tua berbual jangan suka mendengar or menyampuk" i think i was informally allowed to when i reached 22 then my parents invite me to join them for drinks when any elders came over.

Even then, the same principle applies when we go visiting. We are to keep quiet, not to speak in English, eat properly, dont create a mess - applies to spilling drinks or play with the displays items - in others dont be an irritant. 

I think among the 4 of us, my brother would get the most punishment - he was the youngest then so a bit manja lah :)

if we ever create a nuisance - mother will give us a pinch on our thigh right there and then and i have to control my face otherwise i sure cry ok~  or a good stare that implies "balik umah nanti kau mesti kena".
Hence since i was a child, i have always been labelled a good kid ok~ mothers loveee me coz i dont make a racket at people's house.

Nowadays, i notice even among the most educated children, be it young or teens do not seems to have this automatic respect for their parents. I m not a parent neither i am married but i think you dont need to be married to teach children manners right?

I am aware that technology is very advance and with facebook and twitter apps on IPhone, we MUST actually look at the phone every single time there is a notification for a comment or a message. Seriously, even if we are in a guest house? i mean if i do that in front of my parents i get a earful when i reach home!

I am sure that parents value the "open relationship" that they have with their children and some parents allow children to speak up their mind BUT that applies between the children and the parents and it is not automatically applies to the extended family or any other elders. 

I am fairly certain that some of my friends who are parents may get themselves offended and will blacklist my from ever coming to my future invites or watever parties i may throw. This post is not meant to be offensive. It is a reflection of proper decorum and behaviour expected from a child - if it is still baby and below schooling age, i can understand when they throw tantrums - but tantrum from a teenager??? i dont like that alright!

Take for example, a child who is being dragged to go to someone's house for hari raya and showed sour face thru out the whole entire duration. I mean that is not a good behaviour, think of the host. The host will be in a situation if she is supposed to talk to you or ignore you. As a child, give your parents some face also - otherwise people might think how you were taught by your parents.

Avoid speaking loudly when in guest house. Guests should maintain their voice and behaviour. For a girl, it is best if she keep quiet and for the boys too - talk when asked otherwise shut up and maintain the posture. Keep your cool and dont lose the smile. 

Hosts should avoid asking and comparing children too - in terms of educational standards etc. this is hari raya dont talk about study can? why must compare ah...u very good next time u take over their time table lah...doesnt mean we stopped learning the moment we stopped schooling ok~ 

The best questions to ask a child is - how's raya, meaning of raya to their perspective, how are they, happy? then proceed to talk about school work. That's how u gain their trust. 

whatever it is, all this lesson must be taught from young. I had experience all that and trust me it helps a lot by keeping quiet most of the time. I rather my children keep quiet than to embarrass me. they can join the conversation later, when they are older and can think better.

so now, if they dont listen how? it is not too late - just show them the cane. :) 





Thursday, September 09, 2010

Ulasan Ramadan

Assalamualaikum,

Ramadan adalah bulan untuk umat Islam, berpuasa selama sebulan menahan lapar dan dahaga. Tetapi selain itu ia juga adalah bulan mulia yang limpahnya pahala pahala yang di ganjarkan dari Allah SWT kepada umat Islam. Rugilah kita kalau sepanjang bulan ini kita tidak sama sama merebut peluang ini. Hanya sebulan sahaja kita ada untuk bertungkus lumus merebut pahala dan pahala pahala ini ganjarannya lebih dari apa yang kita boleh lakukan sepanjang hayat.

Akhirnya sampai juga kita ke penghujung ramadan. Sebak rasa di dada saya masih ada lagi dan tahun ini juga saya berazam untuk fikirkan apa yang membuat saya sebak sangat.

Puasa adalah rukun Islam yang ke 3. Pada bulan ini juga 3 dari 5 perkara rukun Islam di jalankan serentak - Solat 5 waktu, puasa & membayar zakat. Selain zakat fitrah, kepada mereka yang berkemampuan harus melakukan zakat harta. Sebagaimana saya pernah menyatakan di blog saya dan juga di facebook, bahawa tidak masuk akal jika kita wajib berpuasa sebulan tapi tidak solat. Semakin umur kita meningkat semakin dekat kita menghampiri kubur - jadi perlukah kita mempersoalkan perkara yang wajib? Kalau tidak pergi terawih itu memang hak anda tetapi hak Allah SWT ialah kewajipan bersolat 5 waktu sehari. Dan seperti biasa kata kata nasihat ini dari saya ada juga membuat orang kurang selesa tapi tak mengapa, saya tetap berdoa semoga di buka pintu hatinya untuk di tunjukkan ke jalan yang benar - itu lebih afdal dari saya memaki hamun orang tak tentu pasal :) 

Bulan ini juga di ujinya hati dan perasaan saya sekali lagi bila perkara perkara lalu di timbulkan lagi. Semua orang mempunyai sejarah dan kesilapan masing masing tapi ini tidak bermakna kita tidak boleh maju ke hadapan kerana kesilapan ini semua. Saya tahu silap diri saya dan saya akui dosa saya dengan Allah SWT. Tetapi, perlukah di aibkan seseorang kerana kesilapan lama nya?  Saya rasa saya tidak perlu menjawab kerana sudah terang di nyatakan dalam Al Quran mengenai pembukaan aib seseorang di dunia ini di balas setimpalnya di akhirat juga.

Saya amat bersyukur dengan rezeki yang saya ada pada bulan ini. Semuanya di belanjakan mengikut kemampuan dan dalam keadaan moderasi. Buat pertama kali sesudah lebih dari 10 tahun, saya tersentuh hati bila bonda membelikan saya sepasang baju kurung siap dengan kain samping untuk di pakai pada hari raya pertama. Ia sebagai penghargaan dari ayahanda & bonda kerana telah membawa mereka berjalan jalan ke satu tempat yang bonda telah lama ingin pergi. Alhamdulillah syukur saya di kurniakan rezeki lebih supaya dapat membawa mereka ke tempat yang mereka ingin pergi :)

Namun dalam kebahagiaan, sekali lagi saya di duga. Pak Long saya (sebelah ayahanda) meninggal pada Ramadan yang ke 25. Siapa yang mengenali saya tahu bahawa saya sudah mula tinggal sendirian. Saya sedang bersiap siap untuk ke pasar untuk membeli barang keperluan buat minggu terakhir ramadan. Jadi sewaktu saya mencapai telefon bimbit, tergerak hati untuk memeriksa jika ada panggilan yang tidak terjawab. Masa itu sudah hampir waktu pukul 7 pagi. Terdapat 2 panggilan tidak terjawab dan 2 sms - dari kedua dua adik perempuan saya dan panggilan tidak terjawab itu dari rumah orang tua saya. Saya beranikan diri untuk membaca sms itu walaupun dalam keadaan yang amat berat kerana saya tahu tiada berita baik akan di sampaikan kepada saya pada waktu itu. Rupa rupanya, di khabarkan kepada saya bahawa Pak Long saya meninggal. Saya pun terduduk dan tidak tahu apa nak buat. Terus saya telefon bonda untuk mengetahui khabar terbaru. Setelah itu baru saya dengan cepat mengemas barang barang, salin pakaian ke baju kurung putih dan telefon teksi untuk pulang ke rumah. Saya rasa, seumur hidup saya tidak akan saya lupakan perasaan yang saya alami waktu itu. 

Alhamdulillah juga, saya sekali lagi berjaya mentafsir dan mengkhatam Al Quran. Sudah seperti menjadi satu kewajipan bagi diri ini untuk mengkhatam sekurang kurangnya setahun sekali. Ini bukan untuk menunjuk riak atau membangga bangga kan diri tapi saya amat berharap dapat di jadikan satu motivasi pada kawan kawan bahawa kita makin hari makin tua..jgn tunggu sampai tua, gigi dah takde baru nak belajar sebut. Kita perbetulkan dari muda jadi tidak terbawa bawa sampai ke tua. Tahun ini juga, saya dapat lakukan tahlil  yang saya sendiri pimpin walaupun dengan kertas di tangan untuk apa yang hendak di baca (saya belum hafal lagi! hehe). Perkara ini membuat saya sebak sebab saya pernah suatu ketika berfikir, apa nak jadi kalau satu hari pakcik pakcik saya yang memimpin tahlil tiada lagi - siapa akan menggantikan mereka semua. Sebelum terlambat baik saya belajar dulu dan sangka saya ia mungkin berat tapi alhamdulillah, semuanya biasa sahaja cuma doa tahlil yang harus saya hafal sekali lagi. Ini mengharukan dan lebih terharu bila bonda sendiri memberikan kepercayaan kepada saya untuk memimpin tahlil sebelum Ramadan dan tahlil pada malam ini lagi untuk ahli keluarga yang sudah tiada. Saya cuma harap ada rakan rakan lelaki di sini yang boleh memimpin tahlil untuk memperbetulkan cara saya membacanya - jika ada, syukur saya kerana boleh meminta pendapat dari mereka yang sudah biasa dengan memimpin tahlil. ( saya cuma tahu dua orang sahaja rakan di sini yang boleh memimpin tahlil dan mereka saya jadikan contoh buat diri saya untuk terus kehadapan) 

Buat pertama kali juga, selepas 2 ramadan, baru saya dapat bertemu kembali dengan rakan rakan dari NSS. Terutama yang saya ingin sampaikan penghargaan saya ialah Bro Fuad kerana telah banyak memberikan dorongan kepada saya walaupun dengan cara yang tidak diketahuinya. :) thank you Fuad for believing in me very much :) 
Tidak lupa juga kesemua rakan baik saya walaupun ramai wanita dari lelaki kerana senantiasa memberikan kata kata perangsang sewaktu saya berduka & sama sama mendoakan kebahagiaan saya, kepada rakan rakan baru yang tidak pernah bersua dan mengenali diri saya, terima kasih saya ucapkan kerana sudi berkenalan. Kehadiran awak semua dalam hidup saya amat bermakna dan harap ia berkekalan hingga akhir hayat. Buat yang pernah saya terasa kecil hati atau mengecilkan hati awak dengan cara saya, diharapkan kita melupakan yang lalu dan maju kehadapan, belajar dari SILAP yang dilakukan dan jangan di ulangkan lagi. Baik juga dari saya dan awak :) 

Maka perkara perkara di atas ini memang sebakkan diri saya kerana ia mengenai diri saya sendiri. Saya sering mempersoalkan apa yang ada pada diri saya , sudah cukupkah amalan saya, penuh tak isi iman saya, kuat tak saya beribadah pada Allah? takut saya untuk membayangkan diri semasa di soal dalam kubur. Mampukah saya menjawabnya? 
Sesungguhnya Allah lebih berhak keatas diri saya.

Tiada bulan yang lebih baik dari Ramadan dan tiada insan yang lebih sempurna dari manusia. Maka dengan itu, syukurlah kita di berikan akal fikiran, tenaga dan sifat ehsan di dalam hati. Mesti sabar melalui kehidupan dan senantiasa ada sifat syukur dalam hati dalam APA jua dugaan yang diberikan kepada kita. 

Sesungguhnya Allah SWT tidak akan berikan dugaan yang lebih berat dari apa yang kita mampu. 

Sempena akhirnya Ramadan pada tahun ini, maka saya - Mohamed Aidil Edzwan, memohon maaf atas segala kesilapan saya melalui kata kata atau perbuatan yang mungkin telah melukakan hati awak secara sengaja atau tidak. Andaian saya telah  termakan atau terminum kepunyaan awak harap dihalalkan buat diri ini. Andai kata ada juga yang ingin menuntut, sila lah mesej saya dan ingatkan kembali apa yang saya pernah terambil dahulu. Semoga awak semua berada dalam keadaan kemenangan esok dan sihat walafiat hingga ke ramadan yang akan datang sebanyak mungkin yang Allah ganjarkan kepada kita. Amin.

Dengan ini saya akhiri ulasan saya buat tahun ini. 

Aidil Edzwan Yunos. 

Monday, September 06, 2010

Erti Ramadan, Murtad & Keindahan Islam

The title is in malay but i am much comfortable typing out in English with bits of malay and other language - aka ROJAK. We are Singaporeans after all and I am not pretending to be well educated anyway (possibly well breed) :P

Back to serious matters.

Ramadan.

It was definitely a time for self reflection and there are many thoughts playing in my mind during month of Ramadan.

One of them is definitely death. As much as i love life, i have to bow to the Allah SWT, promise that death is true. It is real. I always think that this is a good time to go perhaps not now but i hope He who knows all, will know what i really want in life before i go.

It is the month where patience is a virtue. It is definitely being emphasized and demand by the Almighty.
It is a month of prayer, a month of alms, a month of fast.

There are some who actually continue the fasting after ramadan. There is the twice a week - Mon & Thu, or in syawal 6 days of fast after the ramadan.

There are more fasting days in other months - i give you the pleasure of finding out when they are. :)

Other thoughts - of self improvement, re-emphasizing the duties of a muslim, the re-look at the way we put up our prayer, the way we read the Quran is also part of reflection.

considering that Ramadan is also nearing towards the end of the year (close lah but not that close) it is a way, is in preparation for "Hijrah". because after ramadan you will come across Haj...the greater festival and one of the tenets of Islam.

Hence if one takes the fasting month seriously, chances of his habits going off and remain thru out till Haj is high, and in turn, provides a way to Hijrah - our New Year or perhap a new US! :)

Murtad

I am sure most of you are familiar with this term.
Murtad means not to be part of something and it is heavily used in Islam - therefore it simply means to get out of Islam.

I am sure most of you wonder why i even want to touch on this topic. Reason is simple.

This afternoon, there is this friend who was a born Muslim but decides to embrace a different religion. He is of course now is a Murtad.

The thing with me is, i can accept anyone and i dont care what is your personality is like. But if i dont like i will keep quiet until you irritate me to the core. Confirm i zap you (quoting Azim) once i burst.

This friend of mine has been pestering me about his so-called new found faith gaining so called the heathens (am i?). a light in a dark tunnel or a beacon of hope. I am ok, for someone who has not even bother to practise his own born religion can easily attest to another.

To make a long story short, i snapped.

here is my actual dialogue with him on the phone:

Me: you know what, i think i have to say something now.

Friend: Oh is it about what i been telling you

Me: In a way yes.

Friend: go on.

Me: In a way i have never put you down to whatever situation you have put me in. I am one of those person who wont let stupidity spoil a friendship, I am one of those who will neither say yes or no to you depending on situation. However, i think this should end now.
I feel that i am already blessed, to be given life everyday, that every single good deed of mine being recorded on the right and all my bad deeds of mine on the left, is a constant reminder that i m being watched. The way to the heavens do not lie with 1 person to bear the entire congregration but is made responsible by each and every one of us. We abide by the rules, we get to enter, we dont, we stay out and go to the Fire.

There are many ways to avoid it and we have been advised, reminded, told to practise what is foretold and imposed to us by Allah SWT. He expect each servant to succeed in life and to strive for all types of goodness. SO MUCH MERCY COMES FROM HIM AND YET WE REMAIN STUBBORN?

For someone who was a born muslim, you never bothered to find out the true meaning of your religion, you spent hours trying to prove that all this is false but what is your intention? You want freedom? being able to do what you want? sleep with every single woman without restrictions imposed? eat whatever you like and drink what is forbidden of you?

The Quran has many answers to life; only those without ill intention will be able to reconcile and makes sense of what is being told.

Such is the long windedness of my speech (i shorten it) to him. he was definitely stunned and was kept silence.

I am tired now and will continue with the beauty of Islam tomorrow. :)

Sunday, September 05, 2010

Ramadan 25

We will always remember Ramadan 25th. This is the date that my Pak Long pass away. 

He has been in the decline for a few years and yesterday he breath his last.

Pak Long is dad's eldest brother. That means my bond to him is stronger than my bond to my first uncle from mother's side. However the relationship has always been average.

As i mentioned before, i have never been close to dad's side but that doesnt mean i m not on talking terms lah. Pak Long has always been the quiet unassuming stern person (that's how i perceive it) therefore, he seems to be unapproachable to me :P 

and seeing how his strict he is with his sons and daughter, that did scare me off - tales of him whacking his sons (relate to me when we were still children :P ) 

However, Pak Long is still a blood relative and i paid him the respect that he definitely deserve.

As soon as I arrived, i went to the bed where his body lay shrouded in the typical batik cloth. I requested my youngest uncle to remove the cover so i can see his face. 

I was composed on seeing that. As Dad came earlier hence he was busy making funerals arrangements. 

I sat on his left and began reciting Surah Al-Fateha followed by Yasin. I left the bed to allow others to do the same and i went to the hall and continue with Al Rahman and Furqan. 

Mother and my siblings continue with Yasin in the room and remain then till the body was prepared for burial. 

As one of the "blood ties" it is obligatory for the final goodbye. 

I spread out the pacai around him & kiss his forehead. I signalled to my siblings to do the same. The ladies decide not to do it but my bro went forward with it. 

After that, i went home to put back my Quran (i brought it along) and went to An-Nur to do the Zuhur and Jenazah prayer. 

Pak Long was safely buried ard 2-ish and he abides there till God give life back to us on judgement day.

I hate attending the last part of funeral when the Ustaz goes on and on about life in the grave - they called it the TalQin.

However, it is good for us to be reminded of what goes on after death so that we can truly prepare for it.

Al-Fateha to Pak Long.


PS: i did tahlil for him with my mom & 2 sisters! 


Saturday, September 04, 2010

Kecewa

Kadangkala kita di duga dengan pelbagai perkara untuk menguji tahap kesabaran kita. Dan yang paling di rasai oleh kita ialah sakitnya yang menusuk di hati. Kebiasaannya sewaktu di kecewakan semasa bercinta.

Lagu ini khas untuk seseorang insan yang pada diriku tidak mempunyai pendirian. Ku rasa diriku yang memulakan segalanya. Takkan goyang pokok kalau tiada angin, takkan ada nya bunyi kalau ku bertepuk sebelah tangan. Tapi itu mungkin hakikatnya dan aku redha.