….that is the question.
Sekarang ni dimana2, semua concern dgn lambang or logo halal…housemate aku
sampai ubat gigi pun carik yg halal kecuali la jenama ‘C’…(ada tanda halal tapi
apesal dia tak percaya ek?)
Semalam kat radio persatuan
pengusaha restoren india muslim Malaysia (senang cakap restoren mamak la….)
bagi penjelasan utk menjawab persoalan JAKIM yg mendakwa konon nya ada sebahagian
restoren mamak ni tak halal….pakai gantung jer ayat2 suci al-quran utk kaburkan
mata orang.
So presiden tu pun
mempertahankan yg w’pun mungkin ada yg tak letak logo halal tp tak bermaksud
penyediaan makanan tak mengikut syariat Islam….ha tu yang nak tulis nie.
Aku pasti & sure 100% yg
kiter semua penah makan or beli nasi lemak, goreng pisang, kuih muih dsb di
tepi jalan or pasar malam…ADA TANDA HALAL tak???? So that means kalau takde,
kiter semua nie dah makan benda HARAM ker???? Sedangkan kita diajar untuk
memilih makanan yg diyakini bersih, halal mengikut syariat Islam…so apa masalah
sebenarnyer di sini??? Kakak yg jual nasi lemak tu orang Islam, pakai tudung,
bekas ustazah….tp nasi lemak yg dia jual takde lambang or logo HALAL lar…adakah
aku ni dah makan benda haram??? Isk, isk..JAKIM, JAKIM…nak buat kerja pun
biarlah berhemah & bertempat.
Ni contoh kedua, abah aku
sendiri…yg buat business roti tradisi dari zaman 60an lagi….beragama Islam of coz…lesen
semua ada tp rasanya takde lambang HALAL gak sbb kami percaya semua org tahu yg
penyediaan makanan kami tu mengikut Islam, malahan abah aku tu Haji orangnya,
takkan tak tahu hukum hakam…business tu bukanlah business besar2…tp pelanggan
semua golongan..adakah ini bermaksud apa yg abah aku buat & jual tu haram
utk dimakan semata2 kerana tiada logo HALAL???? (aku pun makan sekali!)
Dan contoh ketiga, seorang
guru agama perempuan disekolah aku yg sungguh2 berprinsip utk tidak jamah
makanan haram….semua haram. KFC haram, beli ikan dari org Cina haram, tapi
mengaku bagi anak2 & suami makan roti ‘G’….Cuma roti ‘G’ saja…tu tak haram
ker??? Dah sah2 tokeh bukan Muslim, apa dia ingat pekerja2 kilang tu semua
Muslim ker??? Dan dah pernah dah pun
keluar artikel yg kurang baik pasal jenama nie yg menyebabkan bukan saja org
Muslim tak makan, malahan Cina & India yg dtg beli roti kat kedai bapak aku
pun cerita benda yg sama…so ni apa plak jadinya??? Jenama roti ‘G’ tu tak haram…tp
maybe roti buatan abah aku tu haram???? Haiya….
Dan contoh terakhir, masakan
yg mak, nenek or sesapa dlm family kita masak…ada lambang HALAL??? Takde kan? Kiter
makan sbb kita tau masakan tu mmg halal…tak payah nak argue or debate pasal nie….sepanjang
kiter membesar tu la makanan mak yg kita makan.
…JAKIM….please la buat some
guidelines yg lebih jelas tentang halal haram nie….takkan semua haram kan??? Contoh2
pun aku dah bagi tadi….agak2 la. Nak menjalankan perintah Islam by all means
silakan tapi jangan la sampai nampak mcm ego tak bertempat yg akhirnya terkena
diri sendiri ibarat menepuk air di dulang….terpercik ke muka sendiri…dulu yoga,
pas tu mamak, after this apa plak yg haram???
....mari kita tunggu dan lihat yea sapa yg kena......(lepas ni)!!!
...and so today i hang out with my gals from UM days; talking, eating and gossiping when the topic of blogging came out and i realized that i haven't been updating my blog. so where did i go and what did i do???
and here's my possible answer:-
1. procrastination (i'll blog later....which then amounts to the absent days)
2. just lazy, pure and simple.
3. didn't have any thought-provoking issues to write about
4. had problems with my 'beruk band' connection
5. workload...
so those of the above must be the very reason why i was out of radar all these while. but now i'm back and i think i will try to write more this time.
I missed the
90s. Really, really missed those 90s time. Those were the best time of my
youth. Everything was superbly amazing. The style, the trend & the music;
of the grunge and alternative rock era where everything was so simple and pure.
I was in my late
teen circa 92 -93, being 18-19 years of age and just coming out of a small town
to further my study in one of the best and renowned university in the big city.
Life was looking way much different in the big one. New place, new friends, new
beginning. But that was what I had always wanted - to get out of the small,
restricting town into a bigger world out there. Nirvana was already a big name
then from 1988 with its smashing teen-rock-angst ‘Nevermind’. And so the whole
grunge era started and goodbye glam rock of the 80s!
I was one of
those lucky youth who gets to spend my younger time listening to quality music
and experiencing those alternative-grunge phase. It’s not even justice calling
it a phase ‘cos it sure does stay on and lingered in my heart ‘til now.
There were those
flared-boot cut-jeans that are so flattering to any body shape that replaced
the old ‘carrot-cut’ jeans of the 80s which now they called skinny jeans or
whatever. How ugly!
Long-haired,
shaggy haircuts were on every young male that ever walked the earth. And if it’s
not the hair, it’s the plaid, flannel shirt and the torn in the knee-boot-cut jeans
that adorned them. Ladies alike were wearing those jeans too, paired up with a
baby tee and a platform shoes! Then the style and trend were really, really
original. Cute grandma & baby doll dresses on the girls, even the radios too
were playing mostly rock songs of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Pepper,
etc. Those were the music; those were the ones that we sang to day and night.
Amazing time of
self-discovery, friendship and love; and how I now long for that time again.
How I wish I could relived those moments in time for me to know more and to
know better. Although it is always a wishful thinking, I couldn’t help praying
that God will give me that miracle to be back there at that time again. How I
wish I will do things differently.
What I missed most
is the good sounds of the 90s. The Lemonheads were damn fine and popular, and
so were other acts like the Soup Dragon, Better Than Ezra, Blind Melon, etc. to
name a few that really changed my perspective of music and the likes of it.
I remembered
every night in my dorm, I would religiously listened to Radio 4, RTM which is
kind enough to play those songs, though filtered. That was the only one that
offered us those alternative rock songs. Who even dream of digital radio
station like Astro or MTV now? Or even private radio? Only THR solely existed
for a private radio. And of course they too played those songs over the radio.
There was no internet like now where I can just Google any information or
download pictures or mp3 songs…there were no such things!
And yet we cut
pictures, lyrics, anything that we can get our hands on and pasted them on our
wall board…for us to admire those pictures and lyrics whenever we feel tired or
bored of studying! Such simplicity and pureness. No pretentious or posers.
Those songs
reflected my soul to the deepest core. I may not be in a relationship or doing
drugs or drinking or disco dancing or whatever but those songs were my saviors,
my escapee to a different world of my imagination. Sometimes I even imagined
myself there singing in rhyme with them!!! A foolish idea others might think
but we were young and so naturally we were attracted to that genre. We thought
that they will never go away. We thought that we were so strong and solid and
undeterred. How wrong we were.
When I was 20
the following year, River Pheonix died of OD. And then the founding father of
grunge himself – Kurt Cobain in an unanswered, still debatable suicide. How
devastated we were; to hear of these miseries. And yet we hold on to others to
shine their light. But that was where we went downhill. Everything changed
after that. Boy bands were taking over the airways, the clean cut mama boys’
look were in. Hip and booty gyrating hip hop and R&B ruled the airways and soon
we were meeting our untimely death.
Life too took a
different toll at this time. I was finishing my pre-university at that time and
was on the lookout for places to stay. Suddenly, I lost track of time, place
and people that I had become so familiar with. I was turning 21 in 95 and I was
already feeling the burden of a responsible adult. And so, I lost myself in the
waves of time from then on. I become what the society wants me to be. I behaved
in the manner of what the society wants me to be. I became the very person that
I vowed not to. But life took me into a direction that shaped and molded me to
become of what I am today. I think I know that. I decided to do the right thing
that I should - study hard, graduate and get a steady job.
And that’s when
I realized that I lose myself more and more each day. I was detaching myself
involuntarily from the escape world that I like so much that in the end, there
were only emptiness left behind after all was done. Before I knew it, it was
already 96, 97, 98 and 99 when I finally graduated.
Right before my
eyes, the grunge was dead. And so there were only a few hopefuls. Bands
disbanded or disappeared. Where did they go? Where did I go?
Now, much to the
dismay of the past that went away unnoticed – I am now reliving those time
again. Thanks to the internet, illegal downloads and all…I am able to get
information that I wasn’t getting before. Though they come a tad too late, I am
ever so grateful that at least I am permitted in my lifetime to revisit my
past. Fashion comes and goes, people come and go. But true style, music and
influence of my youth will always be deeply imprinted in my heart, soul and
distant memory.
So goodbye,
Nirvana, Lemonheads, Blind Melon, Toad the Wet Sprockets, Filter, Stone Temple
Pilots, Pearl Jam, Hootie and the Blowfish, The Cranberries, Gin Blossoms,
Better Than Ezra, , REM, Faith No More, The Spin Doctors, Soundgarden, Fuel,
Lightning Seeds, Lit, Soul Asylum, Collective Soul….and countless others that
are too worthy……goodbye. Thank you for stopping by into my youth and thank you
too for the excellent sounds - brilliant talents that can never be replaced. As
the saying goes ‘they don’t make music like they used to in the 90s!’…
Silly it seems
but all is good. Some regrets are still here and there, knowing from time to
time what I had missed during that lost time due to lack of sources. But I now
have those songs to cherish me again at 34 years of age. I would give my utmost
soul to go back again but somehow, I know that those melody makers are
somewhere on earth, hopefully as peaceful and as fulfilled as they should
deserved for. And as for those who had passed us by, rest in peace. We’ll never
find another you.
Thank you from
the heart to those that kept me company through the 90s. Thank you, thank you
so much.
***This is something that i got through my email & i would like to share this with everyone who's concern enough to care.
Dear
Friends,
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for
sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic
red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:
Knowing when to come in out of the rain; Why the early bird gets the worm; Life
isn't always fair; and maybe it was my fault.
Common
Sense
lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn)
and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).
His health began to deteriorate
rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place.
Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a
classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a
teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.
Common
Sense
lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they
themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.
It declined even further when
schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an
Aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became
pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Common
Sense
lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received
better treatment than their victims.
Common
Sense
took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own
home and the burglar could sue you for assault.
Common
Sense
finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a
steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was
promptly awarded a huge settlement.
Common
Sense
was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife,
Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason. He
is survived by his 4 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, I Want It Now, Someone
Else Is To Blame and I'm A Victim. Not
many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.
If
you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.
Raya
datang, raya pergi….yang penting dalam gastric pun aku tetap mampu berpuasa
walaupun agak teruk gak aku tergolek. Siang-siang memang dah jadi kewajipan TIDUR
sampai pengsan sebab tu jer yang mampu aku buat untuk menahan sakit yang
melampau. Mungkin lain kali aku kena makan ubat and tak payah nak berlagak kuat.
Terima jer la hakikat yang aku dah tak se’tough’ dulu….
Raya
pada aku semenjak dari umur 12 tahun lagi dah aku rasa biasa ajer sebab mungkin
aku ni dah period awal-awal dari umur 10 tahun lagi…jadi keseronokan aku macam
kena short-cut sebab aku terpaksa jadi dewasa lebih cepat dari sepatutnya. Tu ler pasal sekarang ni aku still cam budak-budak lagi perangai. Kes kempunan childhood...
Almaklumlah,
masa tu bila dah period jer mula lah mak aku membebel suruh perangai baik-baik
and macam-macam lagi la ceramah mak nenek….aku rasa sangat terkongkong masa tu.
Buat apa pun tak boleh sebab aku kena ‘behave’ sedangkan umur aku pada amnya
masih budak-budak. Aku ingat lagi yang masa aku kecik-kecik dulu memang raya
best (masa umur 9 tahun ke bawah la)…mana-mana aku pegi sure dapat duit raya. Almaklumlah,
aku ni muka memang cute masa kecik sebab abah aku orang Hindustan jadinyer aku
tumpang ler glamer bintang-bintang filem yang famous-famous….ha ha ha…..(perasan!)
Time
balik kampong lagi la especially sebab mak aku tu berketurunan Banjar dari
Sungai Manik. Maka aku pun sangat-sangat la paham bahasa Banjar 100% walaupun
dari paras rupa tak siapa percaya yang aku paham…sebab sebelum aku belajar BM & English, bahasa utama aku di rumah standard la Bahasa Banjar &
Hindustan; sebab tu sampai sekarang aku rasa aku tak berapa pandai dalam BM
formal dan aku terima kenyataan tu. Aku lagi terer English la kan siap buleh
buat slang American accent sebab nyer masa aku kecik suka betol aku tengok
rancangan ‘Sha-Na-Na’…(ni sesapa yang kanak-kanak time zaman awal 80an paham
la)
Melalut
plak tadi kat Sg Manik kan? Oh sebab bila mak aku bawak kitorang adik-beradik
balik kampong jumpa sedara mara, confirm la kitorang paling CUTE….heh heh…Yang
lain tu rupa Banjar je la kan; gelap-gelap, kusam-kusam, dan semua yang berkaitan
(jahat la aku nie)…Tu belum lagi balik Sabak Bernam kampong pakcik-pakcik aku!
Semua kawin dengan pompuan Jawa makanya makcik2 aku pun majority Jawa!!!
Bayangkanlah bila mak aku yang Banjar jumpa ipar-ipar Jawa; macam penguin cakap
dengan kuda!!! Yang aku adik beradik tetap la tak paham amenda la yang diorang
cakap ni….sebab aku makcik ajer Jawa tapi language nyer aku langsung tak tau
satu aper pun. Tapi makcik-makcik aku pun memang suka kalau kami adik-beradik
balik tempat diorang sebab lagi sekali la kitorang CUTE. Tu aje.
Tu
dulu la, time aku kecik. Memori tu aku ingat sampai sekarang. Main bunga api
cucuk dengan batang pisang sebab mak dengan nenek aku takut badan kitorang
terbakar. Pas tu tolong kacau mak time buat kuih. Puasa separuh hari. Tipu puasa
pun ada! Zaman-zaman tu, memang aku takde toys yang canggih tapi aku tetap
seronok walaupun berdua dengan kakak jer main. I wish I could turn back the
time but I know it’s never gonna happen. Doa la sampai pengsan pun. Sekarang ni
Raya cuma Raya superficial jer pada aku sebab yea la aku pun dah nak masuk 34. Mana
sama kan masa umur time kecik? Dulu abah mak bagi duit raya sekarang aku la
plak. Dulu time budak aku dapat duit raya time jalan-jalan rumah sedara &
kenalan; sekarang aku la pulak yang kena bagi duit raya. How time flies and our
roles have changed. Who knew?
Tapi
Aidilfitri tetap satu kemenangan pada aku. Kemenangan aku berpuasa dan menahan
diri, aku rasa betul la cakap Uncle George, best friend abah aku. Walaupun dia
Cina, tapi dia cakap kat aku yang fasting month is a month of self-reflection.Hhhmmm, betul tu. Memang kita kena reflex balik diri kita, bukannya
bernafsu-nafsi makan minum cam kerbau lapar! Tapi ramai gak yang buat cam tu. Nasib
baik aku tak termasuk dalam golongan membazir. Time berbuka pun aku makan ajer
apa yang mak aku masak. Lagi kenyang. Lagi sedap.
Yang
penting, aku ada 5 hari kena ganti puasa tahun ni. Kena la buat selang seli
sebab nyer aku kena jaga kesihatan aku gak…oklah, masih lagi Syawal. Pada yang
sudi baca blog aku ni, walaupun cerita aku takde la best sangat…SELAMAT HARI
RAYA AIDILFITRI; MAAF SALAH DAN SILAP AKU, ok geng!
