Tahfifah: On 'Step Up'

~ Solehah's Old Man & Friends : 16/05/11 ~

Teka teki (beza antara jatuh pokok kelapa dengan jatuh telaga buruk) serta yang terkini, pengalaman seorang kerabat terdekat Solehah semasa temuduga (kena tahan jika dimarahi) mengingatkan ayah Solehah akan cerita berikut:

An old mule fell into an old well. After assessing the situation, the owner (a farmer - although sympathized with the mule) decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. He called his neighbours & asked them to help him to bury the old mule in the well & put him out of his misery. Initially, the old mule was hysterical.

But as the farmer & his neighbours continued shovelling & the dirt hit his back, a thought struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back, he should shake it off & step up!

That he did, blow after blow. "Shake it off & step up ... shake it off & step up!" he repeated to encourage himself. No matter how painful or distressing, the mule kept on shaking it off & stepping up! It wasn't long before the old mule (battered & exhausted) stepped over the wall of the old well.

~ adapted from: Mikey's Funnies ~

Catatan:

1. What could have buried the old mule blessed him, all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity

2. Whenever your superior scold you, always reflect on this story & tell yourself : He has the right to say whatever he wants about you, and you also have the right to choose how you want to response to yourself. Choose to response POSITIVELY & CONSTRUCTIVELY & choose to be HAPPY.

3. Kalau Cikgu Mat Pedu masih ada, dia pasti akan berkata, "buatlah macam mana pun, asal jangan patah @ buta."

Anekdot : On 'Questions & Answers'

~ Solehah's Dad & Brother : 05/11/10 ~

Son : Mummy, who keeps bad people from robbing our house?

Mum : The police, dear.

Son : If our house is on fire, who will save us?

Mum : Firemen, dear.

Son : Mummy, where does food come from?

Mum : The farmers, dear.

Son : Where do babies come from?

Mum : The stomach, la ...

Son : Mummy?

Mum : Apa lagi???

Son : Then ..., what do we need Daddy for?

Jamung: On 'Bertudung'

~ Solehah, Mama & Family Friends - Serikin, Sarawak : 01/05/11 ~

JEDDAH: Ketua Suruhanjaya Amal Makruf Nahi Mungkar Cawangan Makkah semalam menyelar larangan pergaulan antara lelaki & perempuan di tempat terbuka di Arab Saudi. Sheikh Ahmed al-Ghamdi juga berkata wanita tidak perlu berpurdah untuk menutup muka mereka & tidak ada dalam Islam yang melarang wanita memandu.

"Ada perselisihan dalam menafsir al-Quran yang menyebabkan beberapa ulama berpendapat seluruh tubuh wanita perlu ditutup. Bagaimanapun, ada ulama berpendapat, wanita tidak perlu menutup muka, tapak tangan & siku. Ada yang berkata, rambut juga tidak perlu ditutup," kata Sheikh Ahmed ketika berucap di persidangan mengenai 'Penyertaan Wanita Dalam Pembangunan Negara' di Jeddah.

Kenyataannya itu mendapat sambutan kaum wanita yang menghadiri majlis berkenaan. Menurutnya larangan bergaul hanya perlu dikuatkuasakan apabila lelaki & wanita bertemu secara sulit, bukan di tempat awam.

Sheikh Ahmed menjelaskan, Islam mengarahkan wanita menutup aurat untuk membolehkan mereka menyertai kehidupan sosial, bukan menghalang mereka berbuat demikian.

Sheikh Ahmed pernah dipecat kerana menyokong pergaulan lelaki & wanita tetapi dilantik ke jawatan itu semula April lalu.

Agensi : Harian Metro (Khamis, 2 Disember 2010)

Catatan:

1. Ayah Solehah terjumpa berita di atas baru-baru ini - pembungkus nasi lemak.

2. Barangkali berita ini boleh mengurangkan sedikit tekanan terhadap desakan (lebih kepada kutukan) seorang guru Solehah (bukan ustazah) yang sering menyuruhnya supaya bertudung.

3. Solehah antara sebilangan kecil murid kelasnya yang tidak bertudung.

4. Solehah pasti bertudung bila sampai masanya nanti - seperti mama & emak-emak saudaranya.

Tahfifah: On "Power of Action"

~ Solehah & Ex-Sarawak Rangers : Kuching, 01/05/11 ~

One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd." I had quite a weekend planned (a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders & went on.
As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying & I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him.My heart went out to him.

So, I jogged over to him as he crawled around looking for his glasses. As I handed him his glasses, he said, “Hey thanks!” There was a big smile on his face -those smiles that showed real gratitude. I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned out he lived nearby, we talked all the way home and I carried some of his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I invited him to play football with my friends.

Since then we hung out all weekend & the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him. My friends thought the same of him. Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, “Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!” He just laughed and handed me half the books.

Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. When we were seniors we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem. He was going to be a doctor and I was going for business on a football scholarship. Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation.

Graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses. He had more dates than I had. Boy, sometimes I was jealous! Today was one of those days. I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, “Hey, big guy, you'll be great!” He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled. “Thanks,” he said.

As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began “Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach ... but mostly your friends ... I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story.” I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later. He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile. “Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable.” I heard the gasp go through the crowd. Not until that moment did I realize it's depth.

Catatan:

Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person's life. For better or for worse.