You are currently browsing the monthly archive for June, 2007.
While external entities encroach and attempt to gain dominion over your land, you fight your own people to vie for supremacy.
While certain facets of the world glee at your infighting, you train suicide bombers to partake in jihad, your skewed version of jihad.
While the dark shadows loom over your sacred lands, you stand divided as enemies secrete on your border all around.
Have you not learnt from the annals of history, of a united Islamic front that finally drove out the crusaders off Muslim lands, the very same front that stood weak and divided, as how you are now, when the Crusaders first breached its defensive walls.
Have you not learned that as Fatah fights Hamas, your common enemy stands to grow stronger, not at their own strength but at your weakness.
Perhaps you need a modern age Salah-Al-Din to stay the course, perhaps the Middle East, needs that one great leader to simply lead your prided Arab nation.
Perhaps sense would prevail, and peace reigns on the shores of utopia.
But as you kill your own brother, no one else loses but you, and those who care will remorse at the senselessness of it all, especially as your lands are taken away from you, as your kin are taken away from you, the blood you spill is not of the enemies, but of your own…
Utterly senseless…
This entry encompasses albeit on different levels the current challenges that I have tasked myself to face.
After the magnificent and tiring slew of events, I went for a trip to Melaka with my family, and I think that was a much needed respite. Even then, the past few days has been spent lazing around, just chilling, and naturally I didnt have the drive to want to start on anything, and that includes dikir training for Pentas Budaya and even thought of not performing at all simply because of the lethargy of doing it year in year out, even though I’m not the head anymore. Perhaps I should even be selfish for once, I did thought of that. But I felt then that this performance, would be a parting salvo from NUS Dikir, its final legacy, because personally I do not see anyone who would continue it once the old guard is gone, only a handful would be left, the damage has been done some time back. From that vantage point, I will give it one last shot, for those who have supported NUS Dikir thus far, and for the memories. That aside, apart from Pentas Budaya, NUS Dikir has got 3 other offers to perform and all are with payment. Alhamdullilah, but I have still yet to decide on which one to take, imagine a few days back I actually thought of not doing any, cos I’m quite jaded already… heh… That aside, to Husni, I’m sorry if at times I sound like im the pseudo head still, I realise the responsibility of ideas should have priority from your side and I should try my best not to impose mine on yours, just that sometimes the songs you have are really old school ah… hahaha…. slow paced gila babs…. hehe… Insya allah we will make the choosen song work and I will listen intently to what you have in mind, something which I did not do well enough so far. Apologies my friend. Ownership is yours dude. Give it your best.
Next is my quest to start running and gymming regularly again. For starters, I ran my maiden run from Bukit Gombak Aspiring Gems tuition centre to The Warren Choa Chu Kang without really knowing how long itll take or if Id get sesat or not. Turns out, it was quite a good run actually, and Im quietly proud that I didnt stop jogging albeit it was done at a slow pace most of the times. Took a whole 35 mins, so I’m assuming at the pace I was running, it would be be abt 5km, a far cry from the time which I was able to run the same distance in half the time… hahaha… Youre fat now Kamal..
Finally, Im quietly happy for 2 of my good friends for what has been happening thus far. Both are quality and capable individuals and I do feel they are potentially tailor made for each other. I feel a tad awkward about it though, not sure why but maybe its because I know both individuals well, as individuals, but not as a potential couple… hahahaha…. On a final note, the 2 of you can exchange puisis and berbalas pantun with each other, while the others are disgusted to the point of suicide… Utterly nauseating…. hehehe…. But I hope things turn out well for the 2 of you. Insya allah… Good things come to good people.
And so Silat IVP ended today, four days of stoical fighting, 4 days of vociferous cheering, spanning over 2 weekends.
Personally, I feel half relieved but the other half is a tinge of emptiness and disappointment. For the latter it’s more so of the end result competition wise, we did ok, but not good enough for the high standards that we have set ourselves. We garnered 3 gold medals, a slew of silvers and a carton of bronzes. And though I decided not to compete anymore, I still feel for the magnificent NUS team. The deserved their weight in gold, and it would have been a nice touch if we had managed to at least win the tanding trophy, since overall champions and seni champions were already out of reach. The team deserved it. They fought tooth and nail and at the same time organised the whole event well. It would have been a brilliant icing on the cake and be a tangible proof of the concerted and admirable efforts of NUS Silat. Khalas
It was not some shabbily run IVP competition, the likes which I was witness to for the past 2 years, it was run well and with a certain feel of professionalism to it. They organised and they fought in the gelanggang and for both they did not flatter to deceive, for that kudos to NUS Silat for job truly well done. I love your camraderie, I love seeing and experiencing the strength that comes when a group of individuals trains together, cheers together and of course organise together; unity in adversity.
On a micro level, to Latasa and Fadzli, I think both of you held and steered the ship well and both of you stepped up and worked really hard. Kudos for being the capable individuals that you are. For Latasa, if I had taken the Project Director role, I dont think I would have done as well as you, as I would have other commitments in Dikir NUS and PBMUKS, thus the full focus won’t be there. So really, you’re better than I thought you were… hahaha
Finally, as I saw the athletes step up on the podium to receive their medals, I did feel a slight tinge of envy and was thinking back to how it felt like to have stood on the pinnacle, raising your arms the highest as you stand among the other medal winners.
That said, credit is due when its due, and Silat NUS deserves all the allegories and praises that they are due and more. Congratulations again. Ill miss the competition days, the camradrie, the ups and downs and the cheering once I leave NUS. Syukran for the memories.
So we sat on the pavement of the Subway eatery at YIH at 1135pm just now. There was Nurul, Fairuz, Nisa and myself, waiting for my dad to pick us up, while EO, Reeza and Faizal just hung around to chill out after the tiring 3 day camp.
Forget about those who quit, those who gave up, those who do not understand and those who could not care less; the individuals who made e 3rd installation of Perkampungan Bahasa a success were the only ones who had the potential to know what PBMUKS is all about.
There, during the camp, I stood proud and gallant amidst the pioneers of Perkampungan Bahasa: EO, Adhana and Izzati, great individuals, every one of em, believing still in PB and its aims and objectives. 3 years down, and their support never waning. A part of a coterie of the old guard who I thought were the best people I’ve ever worked with, and still feel so even today. Then you add Nurul and Faizal Rawi to the fray, along with Faizola, Nisa, Syikin, Nidzam, Ruzanna and Malyanah, among others. Fine and quality individuals each one, some who pushed their tuitions forward/back or took off from work, just to help out in an event in which they were a part of last year. Then you have this 3rd batch of individuals, the likes of Munirah, Artika, Latiff, Hazwany, Lulu, Adilah and others who I may have failed to mentioned. Those who knew that they did their job well and to which I have failed to mention, then I say sorry, but most probably I would have said thank you to you before already if you had desired and achieved it.
Forget about those who didnt last the distance or the likes, what is more important is those who stayed, because these are the people that matter, these are the people who stayed strong and thought hard, these are the people you can rely on.
And as time passes by, what I realise is that, the people who you could rely on, that you could trust to do a job well and be rational and dedicated about it, are the very people who will do well in life, and be friends who you could, god-willing, trust for life. And as years pass by, as new batches comes in, the list grows, though not exponentially, but just enough to make me feel that life is truly and really colourful and meaningful. Of like minded individuals who apart from their own personal aspirations, still do what they can for society and to also enrich themselves. That tries to overcome petty squabbles, and kiddish confrontations like ’my friends unhappy so I shall follow suit’, ‘Im freaking good, so I’m infallible’, ’I can comment about you, but I dont accept anything from you’ types, who look objectively at situations, who knows they are good and proves so stoically, not flattering to deceive.
In short, Perkampungan Bahasa was a blast, the kids enjoyed themselves and performed their utmost for the grand finale. It wasnt rosy all the time but in the end, the kids were asking for more. Alhamdullilah. Thank you Mendaki too for your valuable support and to Penerbitan Secretariat and also the committee, congratulations for a job truly well done.
On a different note, take it from me, one shouldnt see being in the FOC committee as the ‘Holy Grail’ of projects and that if youre in it, you are the best in the society. You can never be more wrong. Point in check, it depends on what you want to achieve. I was approached for FOC comm when I was doing Perkampungan Bahasa, but I choose instead to give my all to PB, cos it was what I believed in, and mind you, Izzati, Adhana and EO, who were all fellow comm members, are easily as good or better than anyone in the FOC comm during my 1st year. So take it as that. To contextualise for this year, if you put the best you have into FOC, then what about Pentas Budaya and Perkampungan Bahasa? Truth is, there is an even spread among all the 3 committees. There are the good ones but at the same time there are better ones. Its as simple as that. So if one feel slighted for not being selected in FOC comm then its unfortunate, cos you are truly missing the bigger picture.
Finally, I got positive comments for the running of the NUS Silat Championships thus far, on 2nd and 3rd that is. And one of them came from this guy who was awarded the Pingat Bakti Merdeka (something like that). He actually called me over and talked to me about what he felt and the stories he had to tell. Alhamdullilah. Im glad it went well, because the IVP comm has been tremendous thus far, I hope too that at the same time, come the finals, NUS will do well and maybe even achieve the position as overall champions. Insya allah.
