The Reader

Best Selling Books-Aug/04

Below is the fiction List of best selling books from Kinokuniya Bookstores.Personally, I visit this bookshop every week because it is only 10 minutes from my home. However , I also frequent MPH bookshop:-

1.The Da Vinci Code-Dan Brown
2.Angels and Demons-Dan brown
3.Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix-JK Rowling
4.Night Play-Sherrilyn Kanyon
5.Visions in Depth-JD Robb
6.The Curious Incident of the Dog In The Night Time-Mark Handdon
7.Avenger -Frederick Forsyth
8.Digital Fotress-Dan Brown
9.Can You Keep a Secret?-Sophie Kinsella
10.Deception Point-Dan Brown

From the above list, I have read books no:1,2 and 8.IMHO,No 1 is still the best book by Dan Brown.Beta-Blogger has given me book no: 6, but my son is reading it now.I have to wait for my turn.

If you have read a very interesting book(fiction or non-fiction),please leave a note and share with the readers of this blog.Thank you.

Here is the link to Best Selling Books at MPH

About thinking

Last weekend,I read an interesting article by Ibrahim Ahmad Bajunid in his series As I Wonder,in New Sunday Times.

What fascinates me about thinking is WHAT is thinking and how do I THINK about thinking and the processes involved.Thinking is very important because the result is action.Action creates behaviour and finally our behaviour will be our culture.

Below is an excerpt I took from his article:

The art of thinking is about straight thinking,not crooked thing.It is about conscious thinking,not careless thinking. It is thinking for a purpose and not frivolus thinking. It is also mindful ,not mindless thinking.

Only when many Malaysians have developed high level of cognitive competency can the formal education claim to be successful.

As long as the vast majority of school children and university graduates remain mediocre thinkers,the education system cannot claim real success.

How do we go about to inculcate the thinking culture in our families,societies and country?

The Month of Allah

May I remind my fellow muslims/muslimah (including myself) that the month of Rejab is just around the corner. From my calendar, it will be tomorrow 17th Aug., 2004.

Most of us already know what we should be doing,so don't postphone them. Just take a little bit more efforts and also more patience to do more ibadah these coming months.(Rejab/Shaaban/Ramadhan).
All of us can do it if we REALLY want to do it.

To begin with, let us do more 'puasa sunat'( fasting) beginning tomorrow.

Note: The image above is taken from http://www.moonsighting.com

Typhoons

Thanks to Allah swt that we Malaysians(in Peninsular Malaysia) have only floods and storms but not typhoons. Looking at what is happening in China now, it is very scary.Hundreds are already dead and a few hundred thousands evacuated. I can't write anything about typhoons but I had my own experience of bad weather. This happened 1987 when I crossed the English Channel( not by swimming like a few brave Malaysians) but by a four-storey high ferry from Holland to England. The waves,I think were about 20 feets and the ferry rocked.It happened while I was having breakfast and all the cookery were thown on the floor. Quickly, I ran away to my cabin and prayed. Luckily, the bad weather faded away. From that day, I promised myself that I won't crossed the Channel. Last year, I crossed the English Channel ,not on the sea but below the sea by Eurostar.

Btw, my experience is nothing compared to someone I met on the plane who had experienced of a 50 ft high wave.For your information, he works as a driller on an oil rig.

Watching film like Twisters opened my mind to the scientific nature of bad weather. It really fascinates me to know more about it.Another film entitled The Perfect Storm is also about the effect of bad weather that created 100 ft waves! Btw, I read the book by Sebastian Junger before I watch the movie.

Another experience that I can't forget was in early 80's during a flight from Alor Setar to Kota Bharu. It was late afternoon and outside it was as dark as night. The plane bumped all the way for 30 minutes before it could land. Everyone was scared and the only one who smiled was my eldest son who was 18 months old then.

Do you have a bad weather experience? If you have,please share with us.

PS: Here is a short note I wrote almost six years ago about El Nino La Nina.

Competent fathers

From management point of view, competent persons mean they have the right knowledge,skill and attitude to perform their jobs. In the words of management guru Charles Handy; he said that one of the job that does not required training is being a parent. The second is being a politician. For the third one,please read his book entitled Understanding Organisation.

Many of us become fathers by default. We got married and God blessed,we have kids. Like most people, my wife and me took care of them the best we know.

On reflection over the last 20 years, the best we knew is not good enough.It is just based on trial and error-not on proper knowledge. As many of us have observed,the pruducts are our children who have" many trials and errors". What else do we expect from parents who are incompetent?

What haunted my conscience is that I told myself that I am a responsible father, and yet I donot have adequate knowledge to be a good father??? To be responsible,one must have the knowledge.

My youngest is a 15 years old boy. May be it is not too late for me to go and unlearn and learn how to be a good father. May I suggest those who have growing kids to take some time to read books on parenting and or attending seminars and courses so that all of us can be a BETTER father and mother to our loved ones.

Being @ Home

Thank you Beta-Blogger for your piece entitled Home Thoughts. May I wish you a safe journey home. But before you go 'home' ,let us have tea at our usual rendezvous.

On my flight to Kota Bharu a few weeks ago, someone seated next to me asked: "Going back to KB or going to KB?". He asked this knowing that I spoke with Kelantanese accent. At first, I don't understand. Then I smiled and replied that I am going to KB. I was born in Kelantan, but after more 20 years living in KL, KL is my home( I think).However, when I go back to my kampung ,I stilll feel that my parent's house is my home.

To my kids, KL is their home.But in my case, I have a lot of childhood memories from my kampung.I still got the feeling that I belong more to my kampung than the place where I live in KL.

I am in the same shoes as Beta Blogger- still unsure where is my home?

BTW, I feel at home in KL as well at my kampung.

When it rains..

When it rains :

My streamyx connections went kaput,

Satelitte TV becomes blur,

Some traffic lights fail to function,

The roads are flooded,

Traffic jams get worse,

When the rain comes with tunderstorms, my electricity is cut off...

By the way, I am living in the city of the 21st century.

Rains keep falling on my head,keep falling...

Note: Luckily, I am still a subscriber to Jaring.

Fit for Life

It has been a few weeks that I was missing in action at my usual jogging track.The reason was due to some gouty problems I have with my left foot. This morning, one of my palmx egroup moderators invited me to joined him and a few others at KLCC walking/jogging track. I braved myself and managed to walk two and a half round.Phew!

A few years ago, I could run but not anymore. Then, I did not realise the 'rahmat' and the luxury of running. Normally, when one's ability to do something is taken away,then only one realises how wonderful it was. As I walked with a younger friend, I told him to run for his life while he can. As for me, I am grateful that I could still walk...

Many that I know who are over 50 have at least one sickness. One of the reasons was they have neglected to take care of their health. It is too late when they realised it. One young man of mid 30's just confided to me that his blood sugar is 24! Now, he is seriously taking notice what he is eating. Life is like that! It will be repeated again by others who never learn their lessons from others.

PS: Thanks to MHI,Nazley and Dr Azmi for your company.

French songs

This afternoon, I was introduced to French songs by a friend(I.O).Thank you my friend!
Now, I am beginning to appreciate them...a few songs by Alain Souchon and Georges Moustaki and may be later learn a few basic French.

I think music transcends language barriers. When I was a teenager, I love watching Hindustani films,even remember a few songs even though I didn't understand the meaning of all the words.

Can someone update me with latest popular French songs?

Merci.

Hafal Qur'an

Some time ago, the imam of my masjid asked me,"How many surahs have you hafal?". I was so ashamed to answer him. By the look of my face, he knew the answer.Then he advised," Donot wait until you become a pensioner.It is good to hafal a few selected surahs now.By the time, you become a pensioner, you should have at least five surahs you could recite from the heart".

A week ago, I was reminded again by the death of my friend. He was 50 years old and died of heart attack. According to his wife, he got his first heart attack about one and the half month ago.While waiting for a by-pass, he passed away within 15 minutes during the second heart attack on 29th July,2004.

The lesson I learned is that we should NOT postphone any forms of ibadah that we know we should do it. People of my age group(according to statistic in Malaysia) has only 50% chance to live to 60! And yet, many of my peers are still not giving priority to our personal ibadah.

According to one Hadith read to us after this morning subuh prayer by the Imam:

Iman is divided into two;one is sabar(patience) and the other is syukur(grateful).

We need a lot of patience and determination to hafal even a short Surah like Al-Mulk.

On checking with my friends, most of us had learned Qur'an when we were children some 20 to 40 years ago. And we keep reading the way we had learned-and many are not right. Two years ago I asked a Qur'an teacher to listen to me reading Qur'an.His advice was : "I suggest you start all over again!"

Many adults are shy to relearn Qur'an again. Take it it from me( I have done it), the feeling is great after you have done it. JUST DO IT.And don't wait, the time may not be on our side-whatever is your age.