Dancing Buttacupp

Day/Date: Saturday, July 26th 2008.

Event: An-Najjah Open Day

Venue: No 3, Jln Kent 2, Off Jln Maktab, KL

Let me introduce an orphanage i.e. An-Najjah. The inhabitors of an-Najjah are school boys from the ages of 10-17. They are either orphans or new converts from aboriginal families.

They are only males here because the focus is to educate them into being good responsible and successful Muslim men to lead the family and society.

The Open Day showcased one of the boy’s talents of batik painting which he frames and sells.

                                                                                               We support an-Najjah being pro-active in procuring funds for their establishment without waiting for handouts.

Apart from that, they also rare their own fish. Aren’t they self-sufficient?

Other than that, there was a health check up booth, refleksology, food, clothes, accessories, and health products  being sold. Most profits were donated for An-Najjah. PEMADAM also opened a booth to educate youngsters on the dangers of drugs. The best part was there was even an ice-cream truck that gave out free ice-cream!

This is my second effort this year with An-Najjah. The concerned Muslims of Surau Shell KL, PD, and other friends (from other companies) donated RM 2k to sponsor 12 months of taekwondo classes. The first session we sponsored RM 2k to buy taekwondo attire for the boys. We felt that it is good if they can get the required training to stimulate a healthy mind and body.

For the 2nd occasion, we decided to donate book shelves and books and create a mini resource center to inculcate the love of books and knowledge. We raised roughly RM 800 and spent RM 600 for new books and games, while the remaider was donated to An-Najjah. We also received book donations from various people.

What amazed me was when we handed over the books one boy was so excited that he was going through the books. I asked him,

‘Adik suka membace ke?’

‘Suka’.

‘Adik, akak ada bawa banyak buku…ada yg baru dan ada yg terpakai tapi pasti semuanya best utk dibaca. Kami ada bawa games juga.’

He was so excited he quickly followed me to the boxes.

When we awarded the boxes of books and the cash donations, we saw how happy the President was and the children. We told the founder, Pn Aminah who that we not only value academic education, but reading and playing. She agreed.

Some of the books donated are Chicken Soup for the Soul, Goosebumps, Charlotte’s web, classics, dictionaries, tafseer and many more.

We bought about 35 books and 5 games. Some of them are shown below:

We didn’t limit the books to fiction because we wanted the children to explore their interests. If they loved photography, architecture, cooking, taekwondo, etc…they can pursue it as a career.

The pictures of An-Najjah above are courtesy of Mynie (Siti Malini Mat).

You can visit their website: http://an-najjah.org/

To me, the smiles and laughter were priceless. I was truly happy to be a part of them.

So, if you want to challenge them to a game of Saidina, Sahibba or read with them….make a date with an-Najjah today!

asma wan signing off

I went grocery shopping at a hypermarket at Alamanda Putrajaya. Recently I noticed at the fresh vegetable section especially for onions, chillies, etc  goods are not fresh … at all.

They separate the loose goods into an area, and the supposed-ly more fresh goods are already bundled in a sack. To my amazement, both goods are …not fresh! I was picking onions from the ready-packed section and found them to be old, bruised,even ‘watery’ which can only mean that it has gone bad. Simply, they are selling rotten goods.

Now, this is an international establishment. Even if consumers’ pockets are smaller from the rising cost of living does not mean they are allowed to sell rotten goods. They may sell at further discounted rates to finish stock, but not sell rotten goods as their ONLY stock. Worse, consumers should not accept it.

But wait…Malaysians do!

I was boiling and quickly highlighted that my mother and I should complain. As I surveyed the market, everyone just chose to buy the rotten goods. Maybe they thought that this is the quality we get for buying cheap onions, or chilly, or whatever.

Ibu then talked to the sales girl, which directed us to the manager. We informed them of our concenrs and disappointment. Then, they changed the batch!

Due to this, I have realized that some times hypermarkets actually do some disservice to the consumers. I usually buy vegetables and other stuff from the local neighborhood sundry shop or the kedai runcit because they are generally fresh. However, they don’t have the goods we some times can find at larger hypermarkets.

From now on, I’ll buy my fresh produce and veggies at the runcit, the tinned stuff at the hypermarkets, and others I’ll find else where.

Point to note:

^When canned or packed goods are cheap, check the expiry date. It may have expired or may be very close to expiring.

^When fresh goods are cheap, they may be rotten. If the rottens are the only available vegetable for choice, don’t accept them. Talk to the management and complain. They will do something about it. Customers are always right!

^Let’s support the local runcit industries.

Asma wan signing off

Color: Yellow

Song: Say- One Republic

Quote: "On no soul doth Allah Place a burden greater than it can bear. It gets every good that it earns, and it suffers every ill that it earns…. (a portion of al-Baqarah: 286)

On top of all the pressures piling up at work, so swiftly, so discreetly, so forcefully did 4 additional challenges present itself. 3 occured on the same day within 3 hours while the fourth on the next day.

In that instant, all of the strength and support you normally provide your friends and loved ones go out the door. You find yourself incapable of breathing. You struggle to make sense of it all, and to advise your own little self.

The room seems to grow smaller.

Darker.

Colder.

Work stops.

Time stands still.

These words flash across your mind.

" You are a strong person," so a friend says.

" You are a hero," so another friend believes.

Somehow this week I wasn’t all of the above. It was at that moment that I realized I have a problem.

My heart is misplaced.

My heart is non-functional.

I discovered that I seem to un-knowingly touch the lives of others. I am flattered, honored and still surprised that the little unintentional acts have any meaning to others.

The only heart I can’t seem to reach is my own.

Now I’m searching for a cure. I need it. I realize that I am ill. I am sick. I need to be human again.

What is the cure? I hope I can find it.

Somehow the song sort of gives an indication.