It has been a good work week this week. Came in Monday to find an email for me to do some "forensic" report on one critical issue facing my project right now. Spent the last 2 nights sleeping at 3am doing the report. Today the report is finally with the CEO.
I realized yesterday evening that I wasn't actually accountable to produce that report, but once I had a good grasp of the subject matter, I find myself enjoying the challenge of structuring a mess into a more comprehensible data. It's akin to playing solitaire, sorting out all the cards until you have all the details and are in control of the stack.
However, this does bring me back to a question that has been plaguing me since I got back - what do I want to do. I thought that I had come to terms to doing project management, but now am not that sure anymore.
Anyhow, it has been a good week, albeit a sleepy one.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
In the name of God
A friend recently wrote this for Malaysian Insider on the issue of the usage of Allah by the Christians Herald.
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/opinion/ziad-razak/48332-polemik-nama-allah--jangan-gugat-keseimbangan-nasional
Because of his background, the comments that he got are typical of Malaysians that are emotional, short-sighted and political in nature. I've even seen comments on FB that this is the ruling party's conspiracy theory. Gosh, maybe these people are not so different from that grape-eating guy (scary to know there's so many delusional people in Malaysia). At least that guy was polite :p
And another thing that gripe me is the fact that when we have issues internally, we started to compare our country with other countries. For this issue, the role model now is Indonesia (believe it or not!) and the Middle East.
So many people (the Muslims actually) were giving the justifications that the Arab Christians had been and are still using Allah to refer to their God, so why can't the Christians in Malaysia do the same as well. Did it occur to them that perhaps its because of the language factor where Allah meant The God (singular) in Arabic? Hence, the usage of Allah could be the same as our usage of Tuhan. So, in translating God to Arabic will be God = Allah. If we were to translate God into Malay, it will be God = Tuhan. So, if the translation of God into Malay that is what the paper wants, then the right word to be used should be Tuhan, not Allah.
"But look at Indonesia, they use Allah in their Bible, and still Islam is the main religion of the country and they are doing well." One of the commentors pointed this out.
Firstly, how many bombing incidents involving religious extremists have they had again? How many religious war between Islam and Christians have they gone through? Really, do we want to use Indonesia as our role model on this?
Secondly, Indonesia is very strict about the usage of foreign/non-Malay sounding names in the country. Hence, even a Chinese will have to use a Malay name. I saw their problem when one guy on FB shared with us the translation use in the Indonesian bible. The Bible says 'Our LORD God'. To translate this into Malay, it will become 'TUHAN Tuhan kami', which can be confusing I guess, hence they had translated it as 'TUHAN Allah kami'. I guess they can't think of any other alternative for it.
In Malaysia, we had never been strict about translating everything into Malay. Hence, if the paper wanted to maintain using God in the Malay section, or in the Malay-translated bible, no one would have said anything about it.
It is also weird for Christians (and a Catholic some more), to make reference to others rather than to the Pope himself. If truly they (the church that publishes the Herald) believe that Allah is their God, isn't this in contradiction with the Pope, who I'm sure would never use the word Allah in their prayers?
I don't intend to question whether it is right or wrong for them to use kalimah Allah. I'll leave that to the scholars. I'm just questioning why do we want to introduce a new definition when all this while (for centuries even!), we, penduduk tanah Melayu/Malaysia have define it as Tuhan = God, Allah = Muslims's God?
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/opinion/ziad-razak/48332-polemik-nama-allah--jangan-gugat-keseimbangan-nasional
Because of his background, the comments that he got are typical of Malaysians that are emotional, short-sighted and political in nature. I've even seen comments on FB that this is the ruling party's conspiracy theory. Gosh, maybe these people are not so different from that grape-eating guy (scary to know there's so many delusional people in Malaysia). At least that guy was polite :p
And another thing that gripe me is the fact that when we have issues internally, we started to compare our country with other countries. For this issue, the role model now is Indonesia (believe it or not!) and the Middle East.
So many people (the Muslims actually) were giving the justifications that the Arab Christians had been and are still using Allah to refer to their God, so why can't the Christians in Malaysia do the same as well. Did it occur to them that perhaps its because of the language factor where Allah meant The God (singular) in Arabic? Hence, the usage of Allah could be the same as our usage of Tuhan. So, in translating God to Arabic will be God = Allah. If we were to translate God into Malay, it will be God = Tuhan. So, if the translation of God into Malay that is what the paper wants, then the right word to be used should be Tuhan, not Allah.
"But look at Indonesia, they use Allah in their Bible, and still Islam is the main religion of the country and they are doing well." One of the commentors pointed this out.
Firstly, how many bombing incidents involving religious extremists have they had again? How many religious war between Islam and Christians have they gone through? Really, do we want to use Indonesia as our role model on this?
Secondly, Indonesia is very strict about the usage of foreign/non-Malay sounding names in the country. Hence, even a Chinese will have to use a Malay name. I saw their problem when one guy on FB shared with us the translation use in the Indonesian bible. The Bible says 'Our LORD God'. To translate this into Malay, it will become 'TUHAN Tuhan kami', which can be confusing I guess, hence they had translated it as 'TUHAN Allah kami'. I guess they can't think of any other alternative for it.
In Malaysia, we had never been strict about translating everything into Malay. Hence, if the paper wanted to maintain using God in the Malay section, or in the Malay-translated bible, no one would have said anything about it.
It is also weird for Christians (and a Catholic some more), to make reference to others rather than to the Pope himself. If truly they (the church that publishes the Herald) believe that Allah is their God, isn't this in contradiction with the Pope, who I'm sure would never use the word Allah in their prayers?
I don't intend to question whether it is right or wrong for them to use kalimah Allah. I'll leave that to the scholars. I'm just questioning why do we want to introduce a new definition when all this while (for centuries even!), we, penduduk tanah Melayu/Malaysia have define it as Tuhan = God, Allah = Muslims's God?
Monday, January 4, 2010
Delusional
I met an interesting, delusional guy just now at the supermarket near my office. I went in to get some snacks to eat before dinner. As I was passing thru the fruits section, I saw this guy grab some grapes from the packed plastic bag and started eating them! I thought at first I was seeing things. And I actually stopped and just stared at him from about 3 feet away. Lo and behold, he did it again. Something inside me insisted that I say something, but before I did, he turned and saw me looking at what he did and said,
"Takpe, yang ni memang diorang (the shop) bagi makan."
I was speechless for a while. Then I said, "Tak, yang ni kena beli dulu."
"Tak, yang ni memang boleh makan." he insisted.
"Baik you tanya orang kedai dulu." I replied and went my way.
Delusional I tell you.
"Takpe, yang ni memang diorang (the shop) bagi makan."
I was speechless for a while. Then I said, "Tak, yang ni kena beli dulu."
"Tak, yang ni memang boleh makan." he insisted.
"Baik you tanya orang kedai dulu." I replied and went my way.
Delusional I tell you.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
The year that was
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
2009 had given me some of the best experience in my life, but it had also given me the most painful one as well.
Having the opportunity to spend 3 quarters of the year in UK was something that I had hoped for for years but never thought that it would come true. It was a dream that I had almost given up on. I still find it unbelievable that I had got it. The amazing thing about doing the Masters was not the course itself. But it was the whole package - the experience of being in UK, living there, interacting with culturally-diversed people and re-discovering yourself in a totally new environment. The experience was just priceless. I have always value self-improvement for I cannot stand for myself to be stagnant. Life is just too short for that. Surprisingly, I found enlightenment there in UK, more than I had when I spent a month of Ramadhan in Makkah 2 years back.This convinced me that The Light belongs to God, and that He decides who, when and where He will bestowed them. No, by enlightenment I don't mean that I am a saint now, but there is this new awareness inside me, a clearer view of right and wrong that wasn't there before. But I also realize that this is just a starting point. And the journey is still a long one. And I realize that the challenge of just keeping that Light alive is a struggle on its own. That Light though is what made me feel 2009 was the best of times for me.
But 2009 had also brought to me my most painful experience, the bleakest times so far in my life. It had taken me by surprise coz I never thought that that pain existed and that it could happen to me. It had subsided but there is still a fear in me of going through that pain again, knowing that it could be even worst than that. Once bitten, twice shy I guess. Unfortunately, that fear may stay with me even as I stepped into a brand new year.
I don't do resolutions. I stopped since my schooling years. Doesn't really work for me. What I normally do is envision what I want to see myself in the new year. This year though, I had started early. I did it as I entered the new age bracket back in August. Part of the 'enlightened' me I guess. And the vision is to be even more "enlightened" as the new year come and goes.
Let's pray for 2010 to be a better year for us in all aspects of our lives, insya Allah :)
2009 had given me some of the best experience in my life, but it had also given me the most painful one as well.
Having the opportunity to spend 3 quarters of the year in UK was something that I had hoped for for years but never thought that it would come true. It was a dream that I had almost given up on. I still find it unbelievable that I had got it. The amazing thing about doing the Masters was not the course itself. But it was the whole package - the experience of being in UK, living there, interacting with culturally-diversed people and re-discovering yourself in a totally new environment. The experience was just priceless. I have always value self-improvement for I cannot stand for myself to be stagnant. Life is just too short for that. Surprisingly, I found enlightenment there in UK, more than I had when I spent a month of Ramadhan in Makkah 2 years back.This convinced me that The Light belongs to God, and that He decides who, when and where He will bestowed them. No, by enlightenment I don't mean that I am a saint now, but there is this new awareness inside me, a clearer view of right and wrong that wasn't there before. But I also realize that this is just a starting point. And the journey is still a long one. And I realize that the challenge of just keeping that Light alive is a struggle on its own. That Light though is what made me feel 2009 was the best of times for me.
But 2009 had also brought to me my most painful experience, the bleakest times so far in my life. It had taken me by surprise coz I never thought that that pain existed and that it could happen to me. It had subsided but there is still a fear in me of going through that pain again, knowing that it could be even worst than that. Once bitten, twice shy I guess. Unfortunately, that fear may stay with me even as I stepped into a brand new year.
I don't do resolutions. I stopped since my schooling years. Doesn't really work for me. What I normally do is envision what I want to see myself in the new year. This year though, I had started early. I did it as I entered the new age bracket back in August. Part of the 'enlightened' me I guess. And the vision is to be even more "enlightened" as the new year come and goes.
Let's pray for 2010 to be a better year for us in all aspects of our lives, insya Allah :)
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
happy...happy...happy
My UK stuffs have finally arrived!!!
I rushed home during lunchtime to received the boxes and couldn’t stop myself from opening them straight away.
As I was holding the sugar and tea jar that I had used back in UK, I felt this sense of happiness, the feeling of homecoming descended upon me. :)
Yes, it doesn’t take a lot to make me happy. Those who had thought of me as high maintenance, well think again :p
La la la la la *skipping in my head*
I rushed home during lunchtime to received the boxes and couldn’t stop myself from opening them straight away.
As I was holding the sugar and tea jar that I had used back in UK, I felt this sense of happiness, the feeling of homecoming descended upon me. :)
Yes, it doesn’t take a lot to make me happy. Those who had thought of me as high maintenance, well think again :p
La la la la la *skipping in my head*
Friday, November 27, 2009
Sacrificing our loved ones
Selamat Hari Raya Aidiladha.
It's been a good Raya so far, alhamdulillah. God had paused the rain for these two days to allow us to have a sunny Raya. :)
I guess it is about learning to let go. The concept of redha is a deep one. One that is not so easily learned, much less mastered.
But master them, we must, for our own sake and sanity.
It's been a good Raya so far, alhamdulillah. God had paused the rain for these two days to allow us to have a sunny Raya. :)
My mum when all out this time since we didn't celebrate Aidilfitri at home this year. So we've been served one cuisine after another and haven't stop eating since morning. The poor stove had not had any rest since yesterday :p hehe.
Since this is Hari Raya Qurban, as per usual we are being reminded of the sacrifice made by our dear Prophet Ibrahim who was tested by Allah in one of the greatest test any man, any father has to through - to slaughter his own beloved son. This, I believe is one of the highest degree of "sami'naa, wa a'to'naa" (we hear and we obey).
His sacrifice made me reflect upon the tight hold that we have on our loved ones. The love that we have for our loved ones is almost akin to the deadly grasp of an octopus around our heart. The idea of losing our loved ones is like pulling out our heart from our body. In normal situation, this love helps to nurture our relationships and made everything seems rosy. When something bad happened, you will literally feel the tight squeeze in your heart.
I guess it is about learning to let go. The concept of redha is a deep one. One that is not so easily learned, much less mastered.
But master them, we must, for our own sake and sanity.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Updates
It's been a month and a half already since I got back. It had been surprisingly easy to go back into the same routine again. I wasn't very happy about it. I'm fighting it but so far no success. Problem is, I haven't been able to introduce any new alternatives to my life.
I need new life projects!
One thing is in the way now - money. Or the lack of it.
Since coming back, I've been hit by one bill after the other, one expenses on top of others and it just amaze me how fast your money gets depleted from your account.
One thing that I've noticed about being a student (undergrad and postgrad) is the freedom from bills and major expenses. The only bill that I have to worry about for the last one year was my accomodation payment at every quarter.
And while my allowance was quite "ciput" (as compared to current salary), I feel I can afford more things with that ciput allowance than with a 4 figure salary :p.
Anyhow, I guess that is part and parcel of working life I guess.
Well, that's all for today.
Good news is, I'm in the process of putting in the Streamyx connection to my home already, yeay! (though don't expect it to be in my home that soon :p)
I'll leave you with a pantun pengajaran cerita kura-kura dan arnab menurut Upin dan Ipin:
"Jangan tidur di siang hari,
Nanti kalah lumba lari."
Hehehe.
Later folks. I see u when I see u.
I need new life projects!
One thing is in the way now - money. Or the lack of it.
Since coming back, I've been hit by one bill after the other, one expenses on top of others and it just amaze me how fast your money gets depleted from your account.
One thing that I've noticed about being a student (undergrad and postgrad) is the freedom from bills and major expenses. The only bill that I have to worry about for the last one year was my accomodation payment at every quarter.
And while my allowance was quite "ciput" (as compared to current salary), I feel I can afford more things with that ciput allowance than with a 4 figure salary :p.
Anyhow, I guess that is part and parcel of working life I guess.
Well, that's all for today.
Good news is, I'm in the process of putting in the Streamyx connection to my home already, yeay! (though don't expect it to be in my home that soon :p)
I'll leave you with a pantun pengajaran cerita kura-kura dan arnab menurut Upin dan Ipin:
"Jangan tidur di siang hari,
Nanti kalah lumba lari."
Hehehe.
Later folks. I see u when I see u.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
