Week 35, 2011

Being a SUPER MINORITY... How does it feel like?

I am a minority... and it's not the best thing in the world. I used to be the majority in Indonesia because I was the same as everyone else, and I'm Javanese, which if I'm not mistaken, is the biggest ethnicity Indonesia. So I was the total opposite of minority.

But now, (1) I'm living in a foreign country. (2) I am not Chinese, and I'm Malay [I'm not exactly Malay but I am Indonesian]. (3) Nobody in school takes the same class combination as me [true!] (4) I joined the school late so I'm sort of like the "newest" student in Sec4. So the point is... I'm different from everyone else. Which is good in a way... But it's also not so much of an advantage when you're talking about privileges and stuff.

So today, we had this Social Etiquette Workshop, which was cool, except for the fact that Muslims were excluded from the dining experience. Since we were fasting, we were only joining the workshop for the "studying theory" part and not the dining experience. It sucked really badly. And it's a total shame too...

The teachers said that the SE Workshop would also be a platform for class bonding. But how are we supposed to bond with the class when the class is not even complete? Another reason for this Workshop was to prepare us for interviews to get into JCs, Polys or maybe to get a job. But for all I know, the JC and Poly interviews are already done (or at least some of them are). So the timing is not exactly right. And next week will be the Prelims. And usually the week before Prelims or Common Tests or MYEs or EOYs is the most important week... So why take away our time that could have been used for studying? Why didn't the SE Workshop take place earlier this year? To think of it now, it even seems like it was planned so that the Muslims couldn't participate with their class. Although I know it isn't true, because I know the school is trying hard to not make the minorities feel left our or disadvantaged. Like for instance, Muslims who are fasting are dismissed from ASP earlier so that they can break fast at home. Which is cool. But because of this SE Workshop thing, it just feels weird...

So.. the question is "Why didn't you bring this up to the teacher?" Well, I was going to... But I thought even if I did, it wouldn't change anything as stuff like this need to be planned really early. And changing this would mean that the trainers would have to change their schedule. And postponing this would also mean that for the students who are going to go for interviews... They would be at a disadvantage because of not having the workshop earlier. So.. yeah. Never mind.

Mother Tongue 'O' Level Results Are OUT!

I got a.... B3 and distinction for Oral. It's not good enough.... I was quite satisfied with it at the beginning because I kind of knew all along that I'm not that good in Malay and I might get a B3. And I was correct. But then my Malay teacher came to me and said that I could do better and that I "have to" retake. So I guess I'll retake. And to think of it, I actually didn't put my 100% effort into it... Which might have been one of the main causes to my B3 and not A1/2. My parents also said the same thing, to retake. So I'm gonna retake.

Byebye to all you lovely people who read my blog and respect my opinions. :-)

The Holy Month of Ramadhan

Assalamu'alaikum wr wb.

To all my friends, family, relatives, teachers, and everyone else out there... I'd like to apologise for all the mistakes I've made and I hope you'll all accept my apology. Tomorrow marks the first day of the holy month of Ramadhan. As a Muslim, I will be fasting for 30 days, from before sunrise to sunset. I hope by fasting I will become a more mature individual, more forgiving, wiser, smarter and last but not least, more grateful of what I have and accepting of what I have or do not have. It will be a tough month, especially because of all the activities I have. But nevertheless, I know I'll get through it, because this month will be a very special month. In Islam, when we're fasting, not only are we not allowed to eat or drink, but we're also not allowed to get angry. So, I'll try my best to be the best person I can.

So.. All the best for all of you. Let us all be blessed in this very special month :)

Mohon maaf lahir & batin

Selamat menunaikan ibadah puasa!

I love you all, byee!

Wassalamu'alaikum wr wb.

Fakta Ilmiah Kenapa 1 Malam Lailatul Qadar Lebih Mulia Dari 1000 Bulan

Ini ada artikel bagus, tentang Lailatul Qadar yang bersumber dari karya Rajendra Kartawiria, Quranic Quotient Centre. Sebagian isi buku ini kemudian dipublikasikan di internet oleh Aulia Muttaqin dan beberapa sumber lainnya.

Manfaatkan malam Ramadhan untuk memperluas ilmu dan membangun keyakinan

Mengapa Ramadhan?

Dalam Islam kita mengenal adanya 4 bulan suci, yaitu Dzulka’idah, Dzulhijjah, Muharram dan Rajab. Ramadhan yang berarti panas pun tidak termasuk sebagai bulan suci. Mengapa Ramadhan dipilih untuk puasa sebulan penuh?

Dalam ilmu astronomi, Radiasi Matahari memiliki siklus 11 tahunan. Tahun 2007 sendiri merupakan akhir dari siklus ke 23 sejak pengamatan pertama pada abad 18.

Bumi dilindungi Magnestosphere, sehingga dampak badai radiasi bukan terjadi pada sisi bumi yang menghadap matahari (siang hari).

Saat badai radiasi matahari datang, dampaknya terasa pada bagian bumi yang membelakangi matahari (malam hari).

Radiasi di malam hari mempengaruhi tingkat getaran otak.

Radiasi dan gravitasi bulan purnama meningkatkan permukaan air laut dan kehidupan makhluk laut di malam hari. Juga menarik air dalam membran otak dan lebih menggetarkan sel-sel otak. Getaran sel otak menggambarkan tingkat kesadaran dan aktivitas otak.

Umat muslim dianjurkan puasa sunnah 3 hari “shaumul biidh” pada saat terang bulan setiap tanggal 13, 14, dan 15 bulan-bulan Hijriyah dan menghidupkan malam-malamnya.

Tingkat radiasi bervariasi 0-100,000 dan di skala S1-S5 oleh NOAA.

Berdasarkan pengamatan, radiasi sebesar 1000 MeV particles s-1 ster-1 cm-2 terjadi 10 kali dalam satu siklus 11 tahunan, atau terjadi setiap 13 bulan sekali. Radiasi sebesar 1000 MeV particles s-1 ster-1 cm-2 ini digolongkan dalam skala S3, dan mulai berbahaya bagi manusia sebesar 1 chest x-ray.

Radiasi dengan siklus 11,7 bulan (1 tahun hijriyah) adalah sebesar 800 MeV particles s-1 ster-1 cm-2.

Mengarah pada hipotesa malam Lailatul Qadar Malam kemuliaan itu lebih baik dari seribu bulan (QS Al Qadr 97:3)

Building Block …

• Siklus satu tahunan (hijriyah) bernilai 1000 x bulan purnama
• Malam yang nilainya 1000 bulan purnama adalah Lailatul Qadr
• Lailatul Qadr terjadi di bulan Ramadhan
• Jadi siklus badai matahari yang berulang setiap satu tahunan (hijriyah) terjadi setiap bulan Ramadhan

Itulah sebabnya…

• Sejarah para nabi menunjukkan bahwa mereka senang merenungkan hakekat kehidupan, bertapa, pada setiap bulan Ramadhan.
• Secara umum wahyu-wahyu tentang ajaran agama yang membutuhkan tingkat pemahaman yang tinggi, banyak yang diturunkan di malam-malam bulan Ramadhan.
• Penataan ayat-ayat Al Quran ke dalam surat-surat seperti yang tersaji saat ini, dilakukan Nabi Muhammad pada malam-malam bulan Ramadhan.
• Umat muslim diajak untuk menghidupkan malam-malam di bulan Ramadhan
• Lebih utama adalah i’tiqaf di masjid pada 10 malam terakhir, pada malam-malam sebelum dan setelah Lailatul Qadr

Energi ekstra untuk pembelajaran di bulan Ramadhan…

• Untuk bisa mengaji malam Ramadhan dibutuhkan energi ekstra
• Kenyataannya puasa siang hari bukanlah menyebabkan tubuh kekurangan / kehabisan energi
• Justru puasa menghemat energi tubuh 10% karena tidak digunakan untuk mencerna makanan
• Energi yang dihemat ini sangat membantu pemahaman pelajaran di malam hari

Three in One di bulan Ramadhan…

1. Efektif memahami Al Quran di malam hari
2. Detoksifikasi dan Manajemen Energi di siang hari
3. Kembali fitrah setelah berpuasa 28 hari berturut-turut

Manfaatkan malam-malam Ramadhan…

• Untuk dapat dengan mudah memahami makna kehidupan secara komprehensif dan benar, manfaatkan keenceran otak di kesunyian malam Lailatul Qadr
• Untuk mendapat pemahaman lebih luas, malam-malam di sekitar Lailatul Qadr juga oke (10 malam terakhir Ramadhan)
• Lebih oke lagi kalau dimulai malam pertama Ramadhan, mumpung siangnya berpuasa
• Hasil renungan malam ini harus dapat kita implementasikan dalam kehidupan sehari-hari
• Nikmat hidup akan diperoleh jika kita berkontribusi positif kepada kehidupan dunia dengan berserah diri kepadaNya
• Nikmat kehidupan akhirat akan diperoleh bila kita mampu selalu menikmati dan mensyukuri kehidupan dunia

sumber: http://bengawansolo.net/berita/berita-nasional/232-fakta-ilmiah-kenapa-1-malam-lailatul-qodar-lebih-mulia-dari-1000-bulan.html

Source: http://terselubung.blogspot.com/2010/08/fakta-ilmiah-kenapa-1-malam-lailatul.html