You are currently browsing the monthly archive for May, 2007.
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference…
I always liked this quote. I think it is terribly important to figure out which choices you have to make and to who/what entities that one should channel his/her efforts to. I intrepreted this quote partly as such. One has to realise that one is born to this world not too please everybody, and as I learnt through my work with Synergy, there are 4 types of characters: the dominant, the influential, stable and the conscientious. And among these, the influential, with one of its major weakness is the want to please everyone and find being well-liked as thoroughly important for them. That said, I think for me one chooses as and when one has to be accomodative, tolerant, diplomatic, aggressive, acerbic, no-nonsense and etc. The choices one makes is also affected by the stature of the individuals in your life, whether they matter or not, their level of maturity, how they have been carrying themselves thus far among others and also the nature of their grievances. Courage is important too, as it prods you to accept that youve made a mistake and assists you in acknowledging that fact. I just pray that in the journey of life I make the correct choices, am able to analyse a situation well and not get bogged down by making decisions just for the objective of individuals, even if they are good friends. Insya allah.
On a different note, IVP and Perkampungan Bahasa is a few days away, Im thoroughly excited for PB and am looking forward to. I think it’ll be a blast. For IVP, I’m looking forward to see a mixture of Silat, MS and PBM people working together for a competition organised for the polytechnics, ITE’s and the tertiary institutions of Singapore. A massive event indeed. Exciting times.
On a final note, the camp at Balestier Hill was the most enjoyable one for me under Synergy, though I have to admit that at times the content was dry and the organising was the least efficient thus far. Even then, it required quite a lot of effort to perk up my group as the day camp was adorned with lectures after lectures, had to keep making jokes and engage in conversations with everyone of them, but i think I succeeded in the end. I had to leave the camp at noon on the 2nd day so as to go to NUS and help in the preparations for IVP and Perkampungan Bahasa, and my group actually cheered for me in the middle of the hall with every other group watching and also stood in one line and did a mini-performance for me…. hahaha….felt a bit touched I have to say…hahaha… its e first group that I actually gave my friendster and msn address away to also…
The past few days has been utterly draining but truly fulfilling. The perkhemahan Budaya at Unity Pri was a blast, though it was tiring and in the end we had to do a lot of on the ground work, I still loved to see the smiles on the kids faces and their zest in trying out the traditional Malay instruments, games and performances. Today’s (and tom too) camp at Balestier Hill Sec is a Student Leader’s camp and it has been enjoyable thus far. One snitch in the management of Synergy happened today though. Some of the perm staff actually approached me to take over the module on events management 1 hr before it was supposed to start. I was suprised and immediately said no. No matter how highly you may rate me, its still unfair to expect me to banter on something which I have not prepared, (even though talking cock is a forte) and also for the fact that I’ve only been with them for 2 months, even then if u include the days of assignments that i did, it doesnt even total 15 days. So there, I was a bit disappointed, but in e end a perm staff did replace the staff that couldnt continue on cos he was sick… Just a one-off I guess
That said, again I reiterate, Im thoroughly looking forward to Perkampungan Bahasa and Silat IVP which NUS is hosting. Working with massive numbers of NUS people for massive events are challenging but also enjoyable at the same time. Imagine this, Perkampungan Bahasa is an event to which I did not take permanent jobs and to which I settled for temporary/negotiable schedule jobs for; and I have not regretted that decision in any way. The same goes for those individuals who has year after year come back to help for PB, that is how ’sayang’ we are towards it.
I say to those who find anger in reading some entries, then read the other entries if you can spare the time, perhaps you could reflect upon the content. A forceful action has been inevitably magnified in a lifetime of general restraint. That said, responsibility does not just warrant doing a specific job only, the stakes gets higher once you become a head/leader. And I am wrong to not have indicated the specifics and leave it open to the interpretations of wild and imaginative minds. I have toned down on my opinions after I have decided to start linking my blog to others, but perhaps humans prefer niceties and flowery rhetoric, dishing opinions to others but never ready to accept when the same is given in equal return. To those who have felt that they have been hard done by, I sincerely apologise, but being responsible has many facets, and leaving a proper foundation behind is one of them, but sometimes that ability is innate too and it depends on how good a leader you are. From that angle, I uberly stand to my point, and most probably you will yours. To end, as the saying goes, ‘Good leaders are never missed.’ As an elaboration it can be interpreted that when you relieve yourself of your responsibility, everything else is still tip top because you had done well to keep the foundation going and do not let those who remain be in limbo and be left with too much to do. It is as simple as that. Really….
Syukran
I’m impressed with Nurul’s want to make Perkampungan Bahasa succeed. Even with several individuals backing out without having a basic semblance of responsibility in their minds, she still keeps her morale high and continues on with what she has to do. Maybe these people do not have an inkling about what it’s all about. I shall not waste my breathe talking about them in further detail, thats between them and their conscience, if they even have one in the first place. To Nurul, persevere on, programmes comm may be decimated, but you can definitely count on the countless others who feel for what we are striving to achieve. Insya Allah… We will make it work…
For those still trudging on, soldiering stoically for the major last events that includes Perkampungan Bahasa, Silat IVP Championships and Pentas Budaya; I salute you and may the success of the events come alongside the herculean efforts that you all have put in thus far. For Kampung, may we succesfully touch the lives of the low income sec1/2 kids via the medium of hip hop and tarian; for IVP: may we be superb hosts and leave the participants with a positive experience that would be hard to forget; for Pentas, may we proudly celebrate and uphold the facets of Budaya that may/maybe not be fast losing their footing in the globalised world. Insya allah….
Amin.
Firstly this entry is an agreement with Maly on writing about a topic titled ‘Sayu’ with the main aim of seeing what are our thoughts on the word. It doesnt exactly mirror what I feel currently, cos I am feeling quite fulfilled with my assignments with Synergy, with the dizzying momentum of Perkampungan Bahasa, with the positive starting on a sort of clean slate of Pentas Budaya and also with the dauntingness but also with the great challenge of events managing for Silat IVP Championships and lastly the upcoming trainings for what would most probably be my last dikir performance for my life in NUS.
Sayu
Aku sayu kerna kurang berupaya untuk mengawal diriku yang panas membara, walaupun di dalam benak fikiranku aku rasa reaksi ku memang patut bagi menonjolkan kepentingan ‘transparency’ dan kejujuran dalam satu perhubungan. Jika ianya tidak diikuti dan dihormati, maka dengan sepenuh hati aku akan menerangkan apa yang kurasai supaya ia takkan berulang kali.
Dalam senyuman, dalam bergurau senda, dalam keseriusan bicara, aku berhak juga marah, namun dalam api kemarahan itu aku hampir hilang penguasaan diri. Sayuku kerna gagal dalam mengawal api kemarahan. Sayuku kerna di dalam ratusan senyuman, satu titik hitam sirna segala. Mungkin tidak se-negatif itu, mungkin berhakku memang terpahat di situ, mungkin aku patut maintain Kool ku. Namun, maaf kepada yang dijadikan sasaran, maaf kerna ’keganasan’. Ku hanya memberitahu sebenar-benar yang dirasa supaya diharap tidak akan berulang di hari muka. Namun, Semoga berjaya pesta gemerlapan anjung budiman gilang gemilang. Berganding bahu, satu-persatu. Insya allah…
Sayu yang lain, sayu berpacu. 2 bulan tinggal untukku, meneraju apa yang telah dianggapku satu kewajiban, demi bangsa, demi bahasa, demi membantu yang memerlukan walau hanya sebesar janin. Sayu kerana ribuan memori yang telah dipatri, teman-teman seperjuangan yang telah ditemui, niat murni yang telah direalisi. Apabila ku meninggalkan jawatan ku sejenak nanti dan juga Universiti setahun lagi, segalanya akan diabadi. Sayuku kini, akan tutuplah satu babak indah bagi hidupku ini.
Amin Amin ya rabbal alamin
You stand… arms folded, looking from above
at your perceived greatness,
at your alleged quality,
your word is law, no dialogue, no alternatives
You think the world of yourself,
you can learn from no one,
there’s nothing you need to learn,
cos simply put, you’re that good,
or so you think…
You plan not because you love
or because it’s your passion…
to help others,to uplift society,
to enrich yourself… to do what little that you can
what each of us can…
Instead, you aim to show grandiose,
you come in with the wrong reasons,
How can you meaningfully enjoy what you are doing if you do not love it…
Hell, how can you claim to be quality, if you are not willing to learn
Fuck, if it was any other day…
I would have fucked you up,
Show you how small you can be,
How ‘good’ you really are,
That is never an option however…
Thats the easy way out..
I love what I do,
and I want to learn as much as I can during the journey,
From anyone,
as long as you come with a good nawaitu,
as long as you have something constructive to offer,
I’m still learning, still trying to enhance myself,
We all are…
Realise now then, that it’s bigger than just yourself,
your visions of greatness and infallibility,
Do it for something greater than yourself,
I met great friends, I learned many splendid things,
But most important of all,
I was given the opportunity to touch peoples lives,
A little goes a long way, love goes a long way…
Its not about you…
Think…
Ive finally managed to get a tune for the juara song, covering both the chorus and verse. It has both a middle eastern and spanish feel to it, n its connected, cos Islam did expand into the Iberian Peninsula and converted the a number of Spanish and Berbers to Islam. I’m excited for this song, cos its a bit different from other DK songs that I know and I hope it would be catchy and interesting to listeners come June during Pentas Budaya. Now to create good lyrics to complement the semi-haunting, semi-dancy tunes. Not to forget, it is also inspired by M.Nasir’s Andalusia.
That said, M.Nasir is a truly prolific songwriter, his lyrics can be really intense and powerful. Superb stuff. Here’s his lyrics from Andalusia, and later on a mini sajak on ‘Malays in the Globalised World’ which i wrote in 5 minutes for Perkampungan Bahasa for one of the games.
Andalusia
Cahayamu bagai sabitah
Doaku kau sejahtera
Biar warna kubah-kubahmu kian pudar
Untukmu setanggi ini kubakar Cahayamu sediakala
Aku rindukan zaman kebangkitan
Pabila nurani bersulamkan fikiran
Seganding dan bersatu
Lafaz niatku bertemu
Cahayamu tiada tara
Pohon salamku pada fakir-fakirmu andalusia
Pohon izinkanlah aku menyelami irama asyikmu
Pohon ku dipinjamkan gabus dan ghazalmu jadi azimat
Supaya dapat aku tari menongkah arus
Sahutlah andalusia
Apakah sudah kering lautan darah
Yang tertimbus di bumi alhambra
Ataupun masih bergelora menanti saat
Melimpah mengikut mata air
Antal hadi antal haqqu
Laisal hadi Ilaahu
Sajak
Si Melayu rakus memanipulasikan talipon 3Gnya,
Teknologi terkini mengecilkan ruang, mendekatkan segala,
Si Melayu berdiri canggung terkial-kial bertanya,
Cuba menilai, meniliti identiti yang lama ada
Kritik mengkritik, terpa menerpa
Engkau Kuno semata, Engkau terlalu mengikut kata,
Jalan mana yang harus dicitra
Ku ambil yang lama ku ambil yang baru
Gabungkan kedua menjadi satu,
Ke arah alaf baru ku tidak akan kaku
K. Now for camps.
Ohhhh… and one more thing. I just got a new read from Borders titled Barbarians, Marauders and Infidels: The Ways of Medieval Warfare by Antonio Santosuosso. It chronicles the time from Attila the Hun to the 1400s, ie the end of the Mongol Empire and the rise of the Ottoman Turks. Theres also a part of the Islamic conquests of the Prophet’s time. Nice read man. Looking forward to reading parts on non-Muslim entities and their rise. A point however, why are Europeans or Americans writing the history of Islam and Muslims? I’m sure there must be modern equivalents to the likes of the Ibn Khalduns and the Ibn Battutas. What is sure though is that Islam in the past, did not really have a set of writers in the mould of the Greeks, or perhaps much has been lost in the great massacre of Baghdad in 1258 by the Mongols, where centuries of documentation and works were burned by the marauding Mongolians. Many, I dare say dont even know about the existence of Khalid Ibn Walid, arguably the greatest Muslim General ever.
And now in the time of heightened technology and increased globalisation, we have the immensely powerful American media and filming industry disseminating their ideas and views on history and events to the world, while the other storytellers of the world remain almost voiceless and incapable of such fiscal and material wealth that the U.S has. Question is, who remains to tell the story of the former glories of Islam, who has the ability to be the central authority, the caliph; when in reality, the Islamic leaders in the world now remains selfish, corrupt and divided. Who are our historians? Where are our historians? Where will be our voice? The sheiks of Saudi Arabia? The Ayatollahs of Iran? The politicians of Turkey? The Sultan of Brunei? Sadly, none have even a whiff of Salah-ah Din’s quality, what more of the 1st 4 Islamic caliphs.
Sorry guys, the next few lines are gonna be a tad nauseating, but I take this as really meaningful comments from a guy who has years of experience behind him and to who I look forward to learn more about command and control and student management. (the guy is one of the directors of Synergy Coaching)
Synergy Director: Kamal can you get me about 5 or 6 people for an upcoming camp on 21st, 22nd, 23rd June?
Me: I dont think that’ll be a problem. Deadline tom?
SD: ASAP la. Tomorrow would be good. Make sure they got standard, something like you. Eh maybe not. Your standard very high. Just someone reliable, cos we handling secondary students.
Me: K thanks Jay, I’ll get them latest tom.
Alhamdullilah. In the realm of teaching, I think the experience of camps with Synergy would be invaluable indeed.
That said, as of tomorrow, my schedule will be damn packed all the way until end of IVP championships on 1oth June, even then there’ll be the potential trip for KKO to Stong and also intensive DK training for Pentas Budaya, but the busy period would definitely be from 19th May to 10th June. It’ll be trying and daunting, but enriching as well i think. Here’s my schedule at a glance ya:
May
17th: PBM Exco Meeting
18th: De La Salle Primary 4 Camp
19th: De La Salle Primary 4 Camp (ends at 5 PM)) and IVP meeting in the evening (8PM)
20th: First Dikir Training 4 Pentas Budaya
21st: Unity Sec Camp (8-12PM) and Xingnan Camp Briefin at 230 PM(another company)
22nd-24th: Kranji Secondary Camp (8 to 2PM Daily)
24th: Dikir Training 25th: Tuition
26th: Rehearsal for NUS IVP SILAT COMPETITION
27th: 3nd Dikir Training
28th: Xingnan Budaya Camp
29th-30th: Balestier Hill Secondary Camp (8am to 6pm)
31st: Dikir Training
June
2nd, 3rd, 9th, 1oth: NUS IVP
4th-6th: Perkampungan Bahasa
7th: Dikir Training
Am looking forward to this barrage of activities, and I haven taken into account time needed to look through Plan of Action for IVP, content for Dikir Barat training and performance and also the big events that PBM has for the month of June. What I can truly look forward to is working with a number of people from the old guard: Izzati, Adhana, Nadiah, Nidzam, Idil and the likes for the various events, and also several other capable individuals from PBM and IVP Silat, the Malys, the Faizal Rawis, and Mat Noors and Hudas, and of course with the freshies… hahahah… too many to mention actually…. aites… here’s to the success of IVP and PBM related events. Insya allah…. Cya all when I get back from the 1st camp aites… take care
After a string of uninspiring and dour choices as manager for the the GREAT CLUB that is Newcastle United, the management has I think, finally got it right with the appointment of Sam Allardyce. After the stupid sacking of the legendary Bobby Robson, Newcastle was blighted by the Gullits, the Daglishs, the Sounesses and the Roeders, never ever achieving the breathtaking heights thet Sir Bobby managed to reach. Thus with this appointment, I foresee a new age where Allardyce, a competent manager in his own right will be backed with cash to spend and the vociferous Toon Army, things that he never really had when in Bolton. Lets usher in a new epoch of greatness, Newcastle will be knocking at the doors of the Big 4 soon enough.
On a different note, I went to Synergy just now for a camp briefing, and guess what, they gave me 2 other jobs in the month of May itself, meaning from 18th may to 30th May, I will be doing 3 camps… hahaha…I would have continued on to take camps in June, but during that period, PBM, Silat and Dikir will be priority, so I’ll settle that first, and of course enjoying myself while I’m doing it… Insya allah
3 months to leave our mark. 3 months to make our big events successful. 3 months to find continuity. 3 months to leave a legacy.
For good. For self-enrichment. For the love of doing it. For the like-minded warriors by your side. And ultimately 4 the community. Kalau tidak kita siapa lagi?
However, I have yet to find a complete tune for the Lagu Juara for Pentas Budaya performance… Hope Ilham will come soon… Insya allah
Welcome to my new blog. Blogspot has been giving me problems for a few months now, so I decided to chuck it out and sign under wordpress. So far so good.
May this new arena, provide a good place to pen my thoughts and to engage with those who I hold dear. Insya allah.
