.japantrip2013.

Assalamualaikum.

Alhamdulillah, hari ini sudah berjaya menyelesaikan hari pertama berpuasa Ramadan pada 1434H ini. Moga2 amalan ini diterima dan moga2 hari pertama ini menjadi pemangkin bagi hari2 seterusnya. Aminn.

Nak dijadikan cerita, pagi hari semalam aku baru sahaja pulang dari bumi matahari terbit. Sekitar pukul 5 pagi begitu, yang mana juruterbang tersebut awal setengah jam drpd ETA. hebat2.

Di bumi Jepun, aku dan rakan aku, Khairy telah berjaya melawat beberapa tempat, antaranya Tokyo, Shizuoka, Gifu, Hiroshima dan Osaka. Alhamdulillah segalanya berjalan lancar, meskipun ada beberapa perkara yang dirancang tidak berjaya dicapai namun tetap sukses pada pandangan aku. Di samping itu, dari segi kewangan juga menepati target. Alhamdulillah.

Sesungguhnya, dalam bermusafir atau secara mudahnya berjalan-jalan, ia tidak seharusnya sekadar berjalan membuta tuli sahaja. Namun, permusafiran ini sepatutnya (atau sekurang-kurangnya) memberi pengajaran dalam diri kita, meskipun pengajaran itu sedikit. Keadaan ini mengingatkanku kepada sebuah ayat daripada kitab suci al-Qur'an yang sering dikongsi oleh seniorku di Leeds yang mafhumnya:

"Apakah mereka tidak berjalan di muka bumi supaya mereka menjadi orang yang ada hati yang dengannya mereka dapat memahami, atau ada telinga yang dengannya mereka mendengar, sesungguhnya bukanlah mata kepala yang buta, tetapi yang buta itu ialah hati yang ada di dada." [22:46]

Subhanallah. Hebat kalam Allah ini.

Sepanjang permusafiran kami di Jepun, terdapat beberapa perkara yang telah aku pelajari dan mungkin pelajaran ini agak umum tetapi masih bole diaplikasikan. insyaAllah.

1. Aku sangat mengagumi keteraturan yang ditunjukkan di Jepun, sebagai contohnya di stesen tren, orang yg ingin berjalan ke satu arah akan berjalan di satu laluan, manakala yang ingin berjalan ke arah laluan yang bertentangan akan mengikuti laluan berbeza. Pengajaran: kita kena tahu arah yang kita ingin pergi dan jalannya, jika tidak, kita akan sesat dan dilanggar.
2. Di kota-kota besar seperti Tokyo dan Osaka, sistem rel di kota-kota ini sangat mengagumkan. Mengagumkan dalam erti kata, untuk menuju ke satu2 destinasi common, terdapat beberapa cara dan laluan, dan biasanya disediakan oleh pelbagai syarikat tren. Maksudnya, ada banyak train yang boleh digunakan. Pengajaran: meskipun ada 5 train, janganlah kita kejar kesemua. Pilih satu sahaja. Walaupun yang satu itu memerlukan kita utk tunggu sehingga berminit-minit berbanding yang lain tp perjalanan kita dengan tren itu lebih certain berbanding yang 4 yg lain itu. 
3. Aku juga kagum dengan kemesraan (baca: politeness) masyarakat di bumi Jepun ini, khususnya mereka yang bekerja dengan melayan manusia. Mereka tidak lekang dek senyuman dan semangat meskipun mengulangi ayat yang sama berkali-kali. Pengajaran: satu praktis yang baik untuk diikut khususnya mereka yang bekerja di kaunter utk melayan pelanggan.
4. Makanan halal atau makanan yang sesuai untuk dimakan oleh umat Islam agak susah untuk dikesan. Perkara ini bertambah teruk apabila kita sebagai pelancong tak berapa nk reti membaca tulisan dan memahami bahasa mereka. Oleh sebab itu, hanya makanan yang common saja yang dimakan seperti onigiri tuna mayonais di kedai serbaneka menjadi target. Pengajaran: bersyukur dengan kepelbagaian dan kemudahan makanan di tanahair dan menghargai segala usaha umat Islam di bumi Jepun yang gigih menentukan jenis makanan yg boleh dimakan.
5. Langit tak selamanya cerah. Kadang-kadang hujan turun tanpa diduga. Namun, sejurus selepas itu panas terik lantas menjelma. Pengajaran: Life is full of uncertainties. Tak semua yang kita sangka akan terjadi, dan tak semua yang kita tak sangka tak akan berlaku. 

Setakat itu sahaja. Berikut merupakan beberapa gambar sepanjang trip ini.

Alief dan Khairy time jalan di Akiba

Nina, sorang lagi tour guide di Tokyo

Large scale Gundam di Daiba

Disneyleng Tokyo

Visit Sumpu Castle Museum, Shizuoka (Thanks NAI!)

Majlis bacaan Yaasin dan makan2 oleh pelajar Malaysia di Gifu. Langkah kanan ;)

From left: OPBen 0809B, Khairy, me, OPFaiz 0910C dan pekjah

Tour guide Hiroshima, Azri

Lunch di Hiroshima

Gambaran keadaan kota Hiroshima selepas dibom

Wailalliqa' maassalamah.

.parents.

Assalamualaikum.

Last weekend, most Malaysians celebrated Mother's Day. In social medias, people posted all sorts of wishes and pictures to show their deepest thoughts and appreciations to a person whom they call mother. The person who has sacrificed a lot. A lot.

"الجنّة تحت أقدام الأمّهات"

Always be grateful and thankful that we are still given the feeling of love towards our mothers or parents generally, as some people no longer have this feeling inside themselves. They no longer develop the love and care, thus ignoring their parents in all aspects. Even worse if they feel having their parents around them are like burden to them. We are aware of stories of people who neglect their parents like the story of Tanggang, and we know the tragic endings.

"And your Lord has decreed that you not worship except Him, and to parents, good treatment. Whether one or both of them reach old age (while) with you, say not to them (so much as), "uff" and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word."    [17:23]

Do appreciate and pray for them while they are still alive and if they already passed away, then keep on praying for them. They can largely contribute to our 'share' towards gaining access to Jannah. Subhanallah!

If we ever have the urge to go against them without a concrete reason, then remember, "what goes around, comes around". We are going to be parents someday and our children might do the same to us.

Ultimately, it is not easy to become good parents. It is not a one-day training but an ongoing process and it starts even before a person gets married. We need to develop ourselves in all aspects especially in the things we want our children to acquire. Generally, if we want our children to be good, then we need to be good and viceversa. Seriously.

Keep on praying for the best for everything as we are from Allah and to Allah we will return.

Wailalliqa' maassalamah.

.statusquo.

Assalamualaikum.

Currently, I'm listening to my iTunes with a playlist of songs from year 2008 to 2010. Roughly, 3-5 years back. One thing about songs is that they tend to reminiscence past events and occurrences, in which those events happened while those songs are the "in" thing or at least I think. When I listened to these songs, I would then sit back and imagine those days of being a new boy in 2008 and a senior in 2009.  Meanwhile, songs in early 2010 reminds me of those post-SPM days, the long break before I started my foundation studies and the list goes on.

A song by MUH and Black, back in 2009/2010

First time driving experience. Hangout with a group of people which include girls. Going to interviews. I could possibly imagine those days I used to do things people usually do during a long break. I also could recall the fights I had with others. These rough pictures of the past have led me to recall of myself back then. The way I think, how my character and attitude back then, and not forgetting my physical (ouch) as well as my appearance.

"I really have changed from what I was back then to what I am right now."

After a semester in Kuala Nerang, a thought a came across my mind, "One should not remain at the same level, but one should jump or at least crawl to another level. Even a slight change is a change." Since then, I have developed this idea to always improve myself in all aspects; a deep feeling inside me told me to do so. Let it be studying, praying, managing time, managing people, speaking in front of a crowd, or even playing sports, there's always room for improvement, as the saying goes. Even in the Qur'an has stated that:

"...Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves..." [13:11]

However, I wasn't really clear back then on what is the real purpose for me to do so - become perfect or at least good in everything. What I know is that I must achieve these goals!

After a few months in the UK, a senior of my mine told me about some ayat in the Qur'an regarding the purpose of living. Based on the Qur'an, the purpose of living is divided into two; as a slave and as a leader:

"And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me."  [51:56]

"And, when your Lord said to the angels, "Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority."...."   [2:30]

After I read and analysed these two ayat, I finally got my answer for my question. This is the main reason on why I need to change myself - to become a better Muslim, thus a better Mu'min. InsyaAllah.


As a conclusion, I would like to stress that first and foremost, we need to be clear of our objective when doing something and that include the purpose of us living in this Dunya. Secondly, we are encouraged to always improve ourselves in all aspects (putting aside bad deeds) be it for our share in this World as well as in the Hereafter, as there's always room for improvement. Last but not least, let us all always remind our own selves and the people around us to keep on doing good deeds and restrain from bad things. insyAllah.
A reminder to us all and myself, especially.

Wailalliqa' maassalamah.

"Don't be afraid to change !"

Hoping to finish this project very soon!