The Buku Project

Tuhan Manusia dari Faisal Tehrani

2012-02-04T19:00:00.001-08:00

"Semua agama itu tidak sama. Tapi betul, yang semua agama menyeru ke arah kebaikan."

#1 Waktu Tingkatan 2 dahulu, kelas agama yang paling saya suka sebab Ustazah Fatimah rajin bercerita. Tapi, malang sekali, waktu itu segala cerita diserap satu hala. Zaman itu, rasa naif melebihi rasa ingin tahu, jadi segala pertanyaan, "Mengapa, apa, di mana, bagaimana" semuanya ditutup dek diam seribu bahasa. Tau sahaja hujung bulan ada kertas ujian menanti. Barangkali itu sebabnya bila Ustazah cakap ayat di atas, saya semat sahaja baik-baik dalam hati. Tiada soalan.
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#2 Satu masa dahulu di zaman undergraduate, dimulakan cerita dengan imbasan kenangan bersama kawan kawan. Mungkin kenangan itu besar impaknya, sebab sampai sekarang saya ingat segala butirnya (Lebih dari cerita ceriti gosip harian yang tak ketahuan benarnya). Dalam perbincangan itu, 'kakak' saya telah mengingatkan kami tentang ayat yang sama. Waktu ini, mungkin saya lebih berani dalam bertanya.

Katakanlah (wahai Muhammad): “Hai orang-orang kafir!“Aku tidak akan menyembah apa yang kamu sembah.Dan kamu tidak mahu menyembah (Allah) yang aku sembah.Dan aku tidak akan beribadat secara kamu beribadat.Dan kamu pula tidak mahu beribadat secara aku beribadat.Bagi kamu ugama kamu, dan bagiku ugamaku. (109: 1-6)

#3 Saasatul Ibaad saya beli pada tahun 2009. Janji pada diri setiap helaian ingin dihabiskan, tapi manusia. "Terlupa apa yang perlu, terlalu banyak alasannya." Mungkin terlalu berat, tak tercapai dek kemampuan saya pada waktu itu. Lalu sahabat saya mencadangkan buku ini, oleh penulis yang sama. Tak pernah ada kesempatan untuk membeli, tahun 2012 menemukan kami.

"Kerana ilmu sangat penting. Ilmu membezakan manusia dan haiwan ternak, membezakan manusia dan malaikat. Hah, kerana ilmulah manusia, mendapat darjat yang lebih istimewa daripada malaikat. Kata 'ilm diulang sebanyak tujuh ratus lima puluh kali dengan berbagai-bagai bentuk dalam al-Quran." (ms 278, para 3)

Berkisar tentang Ali Taqi, seorang adik yang mencari jawapan terhadap satu persoalan yang berat. Berat, bukan sahaja sebab ia menggoncang haluan abangnya, tetapi menggugat segala ummat yang mengambil kisah. Tiada sebarang unsur cinta terlalu idealistik yang menganggu tema utama novel ini, cuma kekuatan kasih antara seorang adik kepada seorang abang, seorang bapa kepada seorang anak, seorang hamba kepada Tuhannya. Dan mungkin kisah Zehra dengan kisahnya yang tidak berbalas, atau Encik Aris dengan ideologinya yang bagi saya, sangat gerun sekali bila membacanya. Mungkin sebab persoalan ini 'baru' bagi saya.

Setiap helaian membuka mata saya. Betul, sebab buku ini sarat dengan segala maklumat dan hujah, saya kagum dengan hasil kajian penulisnya. Terperinci, dan tidak sambil lewa, serta serius dengan penyampaiannya.

Dalam dunia perbincangan sehari-hari, malahan dalam ruang social networking, saya dipertemukan dengan istilah dan sekumpulan manusia yang 'holier-than-thou' ataupun lebih jelas dengan label 'self-righteous'. Selalunya pendekatan yang menghukum itu didahulukan daripada mendidik, just because.

"Sekolah agama kot. Perangai sama je."
"Pakai tudung tapi...."
" Dulu kat sekolah _________ (masukkan perlakuan baik). Sekarang upload video Youtube. Takut aku dengan dia. Aktiviti seni kononnya."

Seolah olah manusia yang lahir dalam background agama, bersekolah agama itu selamanya maksum. Seolah-olah disebabkan satu kekurangan, habis semua kebaikan. Seolah-olah pencuri yang ditidakkan kebenaran tatkala berpesan supaya tidak mencuri, tanpa difikirkan kebenaran pesanannya.

Dalam buku ini, kepentingan dalam hikmah itu ditunjukkan, agar indah itu lebih difahami. Dan penjelasan itu seharusnya berlandaskan sesuatu yang relevan dan diterima fikrahnya. Bukan sekadar free-mind based, terima sahaja segalanya. Tidak bermaksud jika seseorang itu menolak pluralisme, beliau tidak boleh menganjur kebaikan dengan manusia lain yang berbeza agama dan bangsa. Tidak juga bermaksud manusia itu tidak ada batasnya. Agar yang keliru itu tak terus berlalu, yang kabur itu tak terus gelap, yang terus itu tiba tiba berhala.

"Andai kota itu peradaban, rumah kami adalah budaya, dan menurut ibu, tiang serinya adalah agama."

Habis sahaja menyelak buku ini, saya tahu banyak lagi yang saya perlu cari. Mudah-mudahan tidak terbatas di sini sahaja.

The Subtle Blessings in the Saintly Lives of Al-Mursi and Abul-Hassan

2012-01-11T02:50:00.000-08:00

This review is written by a new friend of the BukuProject's, Aslan Uddin*. Enjoy : )

Many people easily get into the trap of saying “there’s no good men/women out there”, but we should avoid falling into that mode of thinking, because often we attract the type of people that we are ourselves, or think of, like a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The “Subtle Blessings” is a book that reminds readers of the blessings that God has bestowed upon humanity by the continued prevalence of excellent people on this Earth, who though rare, nevertheless exist and serve to guide people towards their higher potentials, and in achieving tranquillity in Allah Most High. This is in contrast to most celebrities these days who pull people to their lower selves.

The Prophet described 3 integral parts of Islam, the legal side, the intellectual side, and the spiritual side. The book focuses primarily on the latter (without diminishing the other aspects), since it improves people and makes a person’s Iman (religious conviction) and its sweetness grow. It contains the teachings of two spiritual masters called “Abul Hasan ash-Shadhili” and “Abul Abbas al-Mursi”. Both strove to embody the outward and inward character traits and practices of the Prophet Muhammed (Peace of Allah be upon him), practically reforming the lives of many. It explains how they went about it in their own lives, and in the lives of others, and how people can adopt such characteristics in their daily lives and make the world a much better place through humility, preference for others, honesty etc.

The book is split to an introduction to the spiritual and intellectual side of Islam, and then the teachings of the shaykhs based upon the Qur’an, Hadiths, sayings, poetry, and explanations of spiritual and religious matters, thus catering to all types of Muslims.

The author, Ibn Ata, a leading legal scholar of his age, at the start had a strongly negative view of them, but when he actually met them, he was blown away, and started keeping their company. Abbas was instrumental in removing the doubts of Ibn Ata, and helped to increase his certainty in the Divine. With wisdom in relation to solving peoples’ problems, giving sincere advice, giving profound commentaries on the Qur’an, Hadiths (Prophetic sayings) and poetry, the two shaykhs gained large followings amongst both the higher and lower echelons of society. It goes to show that if one sincerely searches for great people, he will find them to exceed expectations.

Their influence was also extended by the numerous miracles that the author witnessed through those scholars, such as the ability to see into the hearts of people and cure them. These show the benefits of achieving closeness to Allah Most High, the paltriness of attaching ourselves to the lower world, and the need to avoid modern ideologies of scientism and materialism.

Abbas’ teachings are summarised by his saying: “When I was a young boy, there was a shadow play being put on beside our house, so I went to see it. When I went the next morning to see the teacher at the Qur’anic school, who was a friend of Allah, he uttered the following lines of poetry when he saw me:

“You who behold shadow images in wonderment,
You yourself are the shadow if only you could perceive it!”

At the end of the day, it is to Allah that we turn; so do aim to be of the best people. If we have sincere intentions and take the proper procedures, the experiences and wisdom discussed in this book are not beyond our reach.

*Aslan is a recent graduate from Warwick University. His curiosity and need for certainty led him into various subjects of study, especially philosophy, science, Sufism and theology. He now works in Cambridge, UK.

The Black Book by Orhan Pamuk

2012-01-10T05:12:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone. Here's the second and long overdue installment of Pamuk book reviews by a friend of the BukuProject's, Alia Salleh*. (Man, is this blog on fire or what!)

A word of warning: this might not be a balanced review since I had to abandon the book halfway due to a workload and pick it up again between assignments. It is a book that is best enjoyed in one go; perhaps due to its pace and the links between chapters.

The Black Book is a translation by Maureen Freely from the original Turkish by Orhan Pamuk. A simple story of heavy themes that add up to tell the story of Istanbul; his beloved abode. Here we meet Galip - a lawyer - who finds himself tracking down his missing wife, which coincides with the disappearance of his old cousin Celal, a famous columnist. His search brought him all over Istanbul, where he meets various people; discovering his wife’s untold pasts with her previous husband, Galip’s own untold pasts, Celal’s untold stories, and all the while, looking at a different side of Istanbul - the mystical side interwoven with the leftist movement.

Despite being smitten with Pamuk’s writing, I do not find this work of his something that leaves you awed - perhaps tiring at times, the way something fast-paced never comes to a conclusion, and you forcefully drag yourself along just to meet the inevitable end. The lack of a plot might serve to highlight the deep undercurrents of Istanbul he cleverly present to the readers - mystical sects, alley gangs, urban legends and (as expected) the melancholy; yet I seem to sometimes feel that he’s going too much into it, it feels draining.

That said, Pamuk’s lyrical writing is as mesmerising as ever - despite the book being a mere translation (Freely did a nice job). He again links the chapters smartly, stringing them in ways you least expect, adding to the book’s mysterious feel. Since Istanbul: Memoirs and The City, I have had a soft spot for his long running sentences that describe almost everything instances after instances, so much so that it leaves you dizzy. In a nice way.

Dizzying seems like a good word to describe it. The way you are taken into mazes of concepts of dervish sects, the coming of Messiah, the various anecdotes of short tales (that you would be tempted to think about) - either told by the characters or delved in Celal’s columns. It can be confusing, the probable mix of facts and fiction to one who does not know Istanbul. It will require a second read for people like me.

It feels right to share that my two favourite chapters are “We Lost Our Memories in the Movies” and “Can’t You Sleep”. The latter might be due to the fact that I happen to read it while having trouble sleeping. You like to feel that the author is talking to you, and you especially; it leaves one warm.

All in all it is worth a read - and if you feel disheartened by the weight of it try his other books first, maybe My Name is Red to get used to his style. His melancholic writing is still a winner to me.

“The books you read talked of the night’s cruel silence. I know just how cruel silence could be.”

*Alia Salleh is now a management trainee at PNB and just short of being a fully competent cyclist. She now resides in Kuala Lumpur and keeps a Tumblr blog.

A Streetcar Named Desire

2012-01-08T07:55:00.000-08:00

It's 2 in the morning and by anyone's standard, far too early (or late) for a book review. But I can't seem to sleep so you readers must endure another review up here. Boy, it sure feels strange when this blog is updated regularly, doesn't it? :D

A Streetcar Named Desire is a play written by one of the most famous American playwrights of the 20th century, Tennessee Williams. His other work, The Glass Menagerie, was one of the play options for my A-Level literature several years ago, but Mr Cranwell, my teacher, opted for another play called 'The Rivals'. To this day, I can't remember the reason for the life of me. Anyway, back to A Streetcar Named Desire. Blanche DuBois, a southern American belle used to a life of refined luxury, has just arrived in New Orleans to stay with her sister, Stella, after her family home was lost to a bad mortgage. Blanche, who shows signs of mental instability, almost immediately got on the wrong side of Stella's 'common' and rough husband, Stanley Kowalski, and the play follows their conflicting personalities and the tragedy that it leads up to.

This play strikes me as an emotionally violent piece of work, with characters moulded to demand raw performances from the actors. Even before watching the famous 1951 film adaptation starring Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh, the written play's strong language shocks me at times and lends the play an even more shocking tone overall, considering the nature of the two main characters. Blanche is suggested to be quick with verbal replies, something that she utilizes frequently in reasserting her superior upbringing, much to Stanley's chagrin. Stanley, a rough working class man that represents the new generation of New Orleans of 1940s, is forever annoyed by Blanche's efforts to disrupt the power dynamics of the Kowalski household. The climax of the play, which I will not reveal, can be seen as a metaphore of an accumulation of antagonism between two different lifestyles post WW2.

Leigh as Blanche and Brando as Stanley in the film adaptation (1951)

This play reminds me of Shakespeare's King Lear, in that my sympathies are evoked for different characters at different times all through the play. Despite the brutish manners of Stanley's, I cannot help but feel sorry for his desperate cries to keep Stella by his side after beating her up in a drunken stupor, something that the feminist in me can never tolerate. Toward the end of the play, I found myself rooting for Blanche instead, as I see her struggle to keep her sanity in a harsh world, surrounded by 'deliberate cruelty'. And then, of course, there are Stella and Mitch, the two side characters who are trapped in Stanley and Blanche's power play. In the end, I cannot really make up my mind as to whose side it is that I am meant to be on. Perhaps no one and everyone.

I would recommend this to fellow theater freaks who are interested in the study of human characters. Casual readers might find this play a bit too theatrical in its writing, in which I case I would suggest watching the film instead, as it is very faithful to Williams' play, although the director chose to write a different ending. Besides, plays are meant to be watched, not read. And when you have a young Brando in the lead, you can't really say no to that, can you? ; )

8 stars out of 10.

Flowers for Algernon

2012-01-01T06:31:00.000-08:00

"If your smart you can have lots of frends to talk to and you never get lonley by yourself all the time." - Charlie

I came across this marvelous gem of a book in my college library and, intrigued by the subject matter, I decided to borrow it and took it home with me. And that was perhaps the best decision I had made that day. Daniel Keyes' tale of human efforts to change nature is a very poignant one, even more so than Wells' Island of Dr Moreau, in my opinion. It's a science fiction, one of my favourite genre, so I may be a little biased.

The eponymous Algernon is a lab rat that has undergone an experiment to enhance its intelligence by artificial means, ie. surgery, instead of intellectual training. The experiment proved to be a success, and Algernon begins to show signs of increased intelligence. The scientists then decided to extrapolate the success to human subject and Charlie, an adult with a very low IQ of 68, is selected to undergo the surgery. The book deals with Charlie's experience before the surgery, after it, and what he goes through when the effects of the surgery begin to diminish and he regresses back to the way he was before the surgery.

The reader is allowed access to Charlie's innermost thoughts and feelings by compiling Charlie's progress reports for the duration of the experiment. When the story starts, Charlie's writing is unmistakably flawed, like the writing of a six-year-old. What I was most amazed by when I read this book is how I could gradually sense Charlie's transformation from an innocent simpleton to this complicated man with above-average IQ, and subsequently to a cruel and depressed person who is often troubled by too much thinking. It's a powerful narration of a person's descent to complete unhappiness, and by the time I was almost through with the book, I couldn't help but to feel a little afraid of extraordinary cleverness (which does not help when you're a final year student in college).

Charlie's story is powerful, one that forces me to think about what it means to be comfortable in our own skin. In this modern world, I get the feeling that we as a generation have conceived for ourselves this skewed definition of justice and fairness. Now, when we think of fairness, we tend think of equal portions for everyone. When a person is born with less, we are quick to say that it is unfair. I've done that before. When I looked at a physically-handicapped, I couldn't help but to feel sorry, because I felt that he was unfairly born with that handicap.

But Flowers for Algernon makes me rethink that notion. Surely, in a universe as complex as ours, there is a balance in creation, a balance so well-crafted that it is beyond our grasp, most of the time. What one person lacks in one field he has in abundance in another. Charlie, when he was a simpleton, was happy, and that, in itself is a blessing that many intelligent people are cursed without. And yet, the society we live in, with its idolatry of material gains and conquests, would have us believe that there are things more important than internal calm and peace, when in fact those things are but means to what we all unknowingly strive for, happiness. And it's wonderful that sometimes, it takes a fiction to teach us all about what it means to be happy in our own skin.

Highly recommended. Happy new year everyone : )

Kashmir: Roots of Conflict, Paths to Peace

2011-12-01T13:10:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, it's been such a long time. I had just purchased the Kindle version of this book last night after watching a Bollywood film, 'Fanaa' (I hope it doesn't surprise anyone that I love Hindi films). The second part of the film had piqued my interest in the Kashmir conflict so much that I began doing some online research on it, and voila! I came across this book and immediately bought it on Kindle.

Before I jump into the actual review of the book, I would like to first put it on record that I did not know that the Kashmir conflict is as old as the Israel-Palestine one. The circumstances under which the two conflicts developed may be different, but they share something in common: being the oldest and as yet unsettled international agenda of the United Nations Security Council. It really stunned me, after reading this book, that this conflict is not getting similar attention in Malaysia compared to the one received by the Palestinian issue. I guess maybe the politicians do not see anything to be gained by championing peace in Kashmir. If I am right, it is a real shame, because this conflict shows just how potentially dangerous strict adherence to national ideologies can become, and in light of recent revival of nationalism in some South East Asian countries, that is something states like Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia can take lessons from.

To begin with, Sumantra Bose's clear and straightforward style of writing gives a very easy-to-follow narrative history of the Kashmir conflict, a huge plus point for anyone who is not particularly well-versed in this particular topic. This is so especially since Kashmir as a geographical entity is a very complex one. Even though Bose is an academic writer, the language he employed has very minimal jargon and of course, that is never a bad thing, right? But it really read like a detached account of the history and the whole time, I cannot say I was that emotionally invested in the conflict, not as much as much as I hope to be, anyway. But, what the book lacks in personal attachment, it makes up in stylish presentation.

The book itself is divided into 5 parts, the first 4 of which deal with the history and the last part deals with Bose's proposed answer to the issues faced in trying to bring about peace. So the reader is properly introduced to the roots of the conflict in the first 2 chapters, before the author starts getting to what the book really is about; the current situation in Kashmir (chapters 3 and 4) and a possible solution to the conflict. And this 5-part presentation of the subject matter is such a nice way to go about it. When I was reading, it really did feel like an incremental momentum is physically building up.

The only thing I can say against this book, and it's a very minor thing, is that the solution offered does not seem very practical. The author started the book by acknowledging that India and Pakistan have shown little real interest to concede control of Kashmir, and this reluctance is very much due to the ideological stubbornness that is almost inherent in the conception of both states. The deep-rooted rivalry between the two has manifested itself in several outright physical confrontations since 1947. Even though there is now a large degree of participation (and it is increasing at an alarming rate) by the Kashmiris themselves, the Indian and Pakistani governments are still central to any peace efforts that wish to succeed. Until this ideological opposition between India and Pakistan is significantly removed, I do not see how Bose's proposal of a 'more subtle self-determination' can ever be realistically exercised by all the regions within Kashmir.

Having said that, it is still a very fantastic read, especially if you enjoy history as much as I do. I have ordered another book that deals with Kashmir and unfortunately the title is not available in kindle format, so it may be a few more days before it arrives. But that is how interested in this issue I am after reading Bose's book. I highly recommend it to history fans and the politically interested. Enjoy.

A Game of Thrones

2011-10-06T10:09:00.000-07:00

Here's another short review by a long time friend of the Project's, Meor Muslih*.

“I warned you not to trust me” - Little Finger

I like this book. Why?

The characters. No two characters are alike. There are one or two or three that stands out. But mostly because they are either : too honorable and bordering stupid, or they are a dwarf (not the one with beard and a battle axe, but the one with achondroplasia). And there are Little Finger, Varys and Syrio Forel. Little characters that made all the difference.

The storytelling. I like the way Mr. Martin divides each chapter according to point-of-view of one character. It works for me, since there are basically three major plots in this book. It makes sense to tell the reader “Ok, this part is from this person’s point of view.”

The plot. Honestly I don’t read Tolkien’s, Paolini’s, or Eddings’. So I may not judge correctly. Basically I don’t hate the plot. That’s alright for me. The twists are also exciting. But if I have to be honest, I can’t read Daenerys.

The world. It’s quite new for me. Of course there are knights and big palaces and princess and battles and death. But there are no elf and dwarf. There are very long winters and very long summers. There is a wall of ice at the north, guarding the realm of man from ‘the others’. There are traces ad mentions religions and some form of magic, but so far it’s not a big part of the saga.

Again. I like this book. Will I recommend it to anyone? Yes.

*Meor is a medical student who enjoys books and has just bought himself a Kindle. Congratulations. He keeps a blog here.

Revolutionary Doctors

2011-09-27T23:31:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since this blog was last updated. While reading up on the effects of the Cuban Revolution on healthcare this morning, I found an interesting review on a book that discusses how healthcare has been transformed by the idea of revolutionary medicine, as first proposed by Che Guevara. Have a look:

“Often we need to change our concepts, not only the general concepts, the social or philosophical ones, but also sometimes our medical concepts.” - Ernesto Che Guevara.

Modelled on Che Guevara’s principles and keeping in line with the Cuban revolution, Steve Brouwer’s assessment of Cuba’s health care system in his book Revolutionary Doctors: How Venezuela and Cuba Are Changing the World’s Conception of Health Care (Monthly Review Press, July 2011) stands as a testimony to answer anyone claiming that socialism cannot function. Cuban doctors have regaled people in Latin America and around the world with medical opportunities which, in capitalist ideology and implementation, remain remote. While Cubans are provided free health care provided by medics who are dedicated to science and society, the United States has created a scheme based on profits, which marginalizes a major segment of the population who cannot afford costly treatment.

Che Guevara, himself a doctor, always reiterated the responsibility of helping the oppressed. Having observed the effects of poverty and social class during his travels in Latin America, his revolutionary consciousness stemmed from the concept of restoring dignity to the poor who were oppressed and neglected by dictatorships. Reaffirming Che’s philosophy, at the ELAM (Escuela Latinoamericana de Medicina) medical school in Cuba, an inscription of Fidel Castro’s words greets the students. “This will be a battle of solidarity against selfishness.” Striving against the reluctance of the minority who view a career medicine as an opportunity to achieve higher social status, ELAM’s philosophy is “transforming the doctor’s privilege into a doctor’s responsibility.”

Immediately after the triumph of the revolution, the health care system in Cuba underwent major changes. Despite a shortage of doctors, many of them having left to practice in the US and thereby retain prestige and social status, Cuba invested heavily in social welfare. Health care services were nationalized, medicine prices were reduced and treatment fees were gradually eliminated. By the end of 1960, Cuban doctors were employed in a system that provided free health care to all Cubans.

Aspiring doctors in Cuba were able to study medicine for free. In return for free education, doctors were required to relinquish the notion of medicine as an elitist career and work in close contact with the people, travel to rural areas, conduct home visits, and research in rural communities. In 1970, the Ministry of Health pointed out the mistake of valuing specialization over primary health care, given that many medical problems could have been solved by paying special attention to the environment. The study of primary health care and environmental problems proved successful when in Venezuela, it was discovered that apart from the effects of damp weather during rainy seasons, the wood fires which women lighted in their houses were causing lung congestion. The problem was lack of proper ventilation in houses. In 1984, a program of comprehensive general medicine was formulated, enabling medical students to study different areas of medicine in a continuous sequence, rather than separate subjects. The new curriculum was discussed with medics from Canada, Venezuela, Australia and the Philippines, with the director of ELAM stating that comprehensive general medicine allowed students to progress in scientific training whilst at the same time providing the opportunity for students to 'understand the patient as a whole'.

Cuba has become a key player in responding to humanitarian aid around the world. Medical help was provided for countries ravaged by natural disasters such as Haiti, where Cuban doctors performed 6449 surgeries and stayed on long after the seven weeks of humanitarian aid offered to the Haitians by the US were over. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in the US, Cuban doctors were forbidden by then- President Bush to assist in humanitarian aid. While Bush dismissed the Cuban offer as ‘propaganda’ by Fidel Castro, the brigade of doctors proved otherwise as they were dispatched to Pakistan, where an earthquake had left thousands of people in dire need of medical and humanitarian assistance. Indeed, the disposition and ethics of Cuban doctors is a source of pride to Fidel Castro who, in his column Reflections of Fidel, contrasted Cuba’s contribution to that of the US. “We are sending doctors, not soldiers!”

Combining medical care, research and ethics, Cuban doctors continue to export the revolutionary struggle on an international level. Cuba provided medical and humanitarian aid to countries whose politics were hostile to the Cuban revolution, such as the Nicaragua under the Somoza dictatorship. South Africa was aided by Cuban doctors in developing healthcare programs for combating HIV. Tanzania now boasts a medical school set up by Cuban doctors. And in Venezuela, the successful Barrio Adentro mission, as well as the free health care system has been modelled after the Cuban project, with doctors assisting and training Venezuelan medics in revolutionizing health care as a model of social responsibility.

The reluctance of Venezuela doctors to work and live in rural areas made it necessary for President Hugo Chavez to call in the expertise of Cuban doctors. The constitution drawn up by Chavez in 1999 granted all Venezuelans the right to accessible health care. Social missions were set up to monitor and ensure health care improvement in working class and poverty stricken areas. Cuban doctors made up for the lack of Venezuelan doctors willing to live in rural areas, reporting health problems that would have been common in countries with a very low GDP, such as Ethiopia and Angola.

The first phase of Barrio Adentro created over six thousand facilities throughout Venezuela which dealt with primary healthcare. The project was furthered to include diagnostic clinics and intensive care for people who were unable to be transferred to larger hospitals. Later the public hospital system was improved by technology updates, as well as improving communication with other health networks. Chavez’s government also ordered the construction of research laboratories and specialized hospitals offering advanced forms of treatment. By the end of August 2010, 83% of Venezuelans had benefited from Barrio Adentro – a far cry from the situation in the 1980’s where 17 million out of 24 million Venezuelans had no access to medical care.

Brouwer points out the benefits of health care as social responsibility. Apart from educating students and offering free courses to aspiring doctors, Cuba has also strived to educate and encourage Venezuelan people to assume responsibility for safeguarding the free health care system. Poor people were offered two meals a day prepared by volunteers, thus combating the effects of malnutrition. In order to avoid street crimes, Venezuelans volunteered as bodyguards for Cuban doctors. Committees of volunteers were set up, supplying Cuban doctors with food, housing and help in data collection, research and public health campaigns.

Financed by Venezuela, Cuban doctors in Bolivia treated over 300,000 Bolivians for eye surgery between 2006 and 2008. In an echo of history, it later became known that one of the patients treated for eye surgery was Mario Teran, the soldier singled out as Che Guevara’s executioner. Cuban doctors in Bolivia are perceived as emulating Che’s internationalist example.

Despite the obvious positive impact and social transformation which Cuban and Venezuelan health care had in Latin America, the US State Department and the CIA expressed concerns that Cuba and Venezuela were having a negative effect on Latin America. Counter-revolutionary efforts to thwart the socialist mission were staged, with a group of Cuban and Venezuelan exiles in Miami stating that doctors were exploited and coerced into servitude by the Cuban government. The only doctor to take part in this conspiracy was later found to be part of an anti-government group. President Bush also offered Cuban and Venezuelan doctors a safe and quick entry to the US, with the hope of disrupting the medical progress achieved in the continent. The US alternative was USAID, a program which promised financial aid in return for US approved “democratic” transition in Latin American socialist countries.

However, the sabotage program failed, highlighting instead capitalism’s failure to deliver what socialist revolutions are achieving in Latin America. Cuban doctors prided themselves on their role as teachers, imparting the necessity of education and community awareness to rural areas which would have otherwise been marginalized by unjust political systems. Within two years of adapting Cuba’s literacy program in Bolivia, UNESCO declared Bolivia free of illiteracy.

Almost every chapter in Revolutionary Doctors starts, befittingly, with a quote from Che Guevara. However, greater prominence might have been given to Fidel Castro's continuous exhortation, even after Che's death, that the West acknowledges and acts upon the injustices riddling Third World countries. In a speech to the United Nations General Assembly in 1979, Castro denounced the inequalities which triggered poverty and ill health:

"There is often talk of human rights, but it is also necessary to speak of the rights of humanity. Why should some people walk around barefoot so that others can travel in luxurious automobiles? Why should some live for 35 years so that others can live for 70? Why should some be miserably poor so that others can be overly rich? I speak in the name of the children in the world who do not have a piece of bread. I speak in the name of the sick who do not have medicine. I speak on behalf of those whose right to life and human dignity have been denied... Of what use, then, is civilization? What is the use of man's conscience? Of what use is the United Nations? [applause] Of what use is the world? It is not possible to speak of peace in the name of tens of millions of human beings who die yearly of hunger, of curable disease throughout the world."

By implementing education on a national level and ensuring its distribution to all echelons of society, Cuba and Venezuela have managed to create a system which embraces and values humanity, and revolutionized medical practice as an ethical and moral responsibility, thus restoring dignity to the people by creating a new social consciousness. The 'conscientious internationalist' embodied by Che Guevara has been transformed into a regenerating reality and, far from the distorted spectrum ranging from prestigious career to saviors, Cuba and Venezuela have managed to transform socialism from an ideology into a humanitarian practice.

Ramona Wadi is a freelance writer living in Malta. Visit her blog at http://walzerscent.blogspot.com.

Original article here.

Another review on the same title here

Khairulnizam Bakeri: Pecah

2011-06-01T21:07:00.000-07:00

Expect the unexpected.

Dari mula ia dihebahkan dalam 140 karakter sampailah buku habis dibaca. Karya sulung Khairulnizam Bakeri ini dibaca dari satu halaman ke satu halaman, bagaikan membaca karya Sidney Sheldon. Sekurang-kurangnya untuk saya. Kisahnya tiada berkisar tentang klise sebuah cinta seorang cantik berpurdah bertemu kacak lalu bertemu jalan bahagia, maaf kalau ada yang berputus harap.

Bermula dari babak di bank, sampailah di hospital dan di rumah perlindungan orang tua. Mula mula ingatkan hanya tentang rompakan biasa, ternyata saya silap. Ada kisah di sebalik tabir yang penulis garap dan bagaikan sebuah misteri, satu demi satu soalan terjawab di akhir halaman.

Kelebihannya novel ini tertumpu kepada plotnya yang menarik. Barangkali hasil kajian penulis yang mendalam tentang watak dan latar belakang yang terdapat dalam novel ini. Seterusnya saya tertarik dengan gaya bahasa penulis. Mungkin sebab beliau seorang pendebat menjadikan beliau menitikberat tentang penyampaian novel ini dalam bait yang paling cantik, tersusun dan terperinci, biarpun ada perkataan Melayu yang jarang digunakan. Tapi sekurang-kurangnya pembaca belajar sesuatu yang baru. Persetankan typo. Bersangka baik, mungkin kesalahan teknikal semata-mata. Tapi harap dalam novel seterusnya kesilapan ini tidak berulang.

Mungkin kelemahan novel ini disebabkan terlalu banyak watak. Mungkin. Mungkin juga sebab plot tidak disusun secara kronologi. Kata mereka, serabut. Ala Time Traveler’s Wife (Eh, tetiba pula) dan novel lain. Sebab satu kelemahan di mata sendiri mungkin keistimewaan di mata orang lain, maka tak adil kalau menilai sebelum mencuba. RM20 di Kinokuniya dan MPH.

Orhan Pamuk: Part I

2011-03-21T18:21:00.000-07:00

All of the installments in this "Orhan Pamuk" series of reviews are written by Alia Salleh*, a friend of the Buku project's. Part II will be posted in a few days. Have fun =)

Review 1: Istanbul: Memoirs and The City

I know I love a book when halfway through I’d be itchy to write a review (a newfound urgent side thing I hope I do more). So yes, bits of this was written halfway. I hope that’s legal.

Of the book, to use a clichéd phrase, the author succeeded in “painting a poignant picture” of a city he loves. It is indeed a very mournful book - discussing “huzun” (sadness) in a major chunk, and bits of if throughout the book. It was a slow start for me (being undecided as to which book I should give due read), but once I got past the first chapter, as with other Pamuks, it flowed quickly. That is actually one very nice thing about this writing, how he makes the chapters flow by linking the end of each chapter with the next. Petty but that made an impression on me, of how structured he made his writing: making it hard for me to put the book down.

He has an amazing mind: I find my own incompetent in catching up. Often would I read a passage, get lost in it and stop myself, wait, what is this thing he’s saying again? and reread the whole stuff. Complex mighty interesting thoughts I thoroughly enjoy (even those I never understand still).

The content is a mix of personal memoirs and stories of the amazing city, which are inseparable; him in his city. Thus the apt name. It is a wonderful insight on Istanbul, whether you’ve been there or not; and a very deep insight into the author’s life. As with all dreamers that had to put down their sails, it makes me want to return there (here goes the slight remorse for not reading this before going), but anyhow, it is a good read into their culture, their modern history. I love the accompanying black and white photos and paintings - how they quietly complement the writing, helping to set the background; at times stopping me in my track with their humble awesomeness.

My favourite bit would naturally be the anecdotes from the city columns - an amusing insight on Istanbul’s media which had to resort to reporting and discussing daily social going-ons due to the very restrictive political pressure on newspapers. And the fact that the author used to paint, and studied architecture.

Upon reading through, I am constantly wondering on the idea of memoirs: dare you face yourself and put down your life on paper? Would that make you understand yourself more? Would thoughts your never knew you posses flow out? I find that dizzying.

I have to admit the apparent bias, with him being a current favourite author and Istanbul being the current favourite city. Of that I heartily apologise. But they don’t become favourites for nothing, thus my humble recommendation.

*Alia Salleh is a final year engineering student who has amassed quite an impressive collection of books. She resides in Coventry and is still learning to ride a bike.

The Problems of Philosophy, by Bertrand Russell

2011-03-12T22:34:00.000-08:00

This review is written by a friend of the Buku Project's, Nazri Awang*

I heard about this book from a friend of mine, who mentioned it to be quite a simple introduction to philosophy and philosophical thinking. I was planning to do this review two weeks ago, but instead I decided to spend some more time on reading it again, to have a clearer picture and understanding of the whole thing.

I had read one book each from the likes of Immanuel Kant, Francis Bacon and David Hume. It was not surprising that this literature, by Bertrand Russel is more accessible to any average Joe's, and easier to be understood and related to, as its author was of a fairly recent period of time in history (1872-1970). Its language style is not as archaic as Bacon's, as I

could hardly understand anything that Bacon had written in The Advancement Of Learning.

The book was relatively thin, about 200 pages long and was divided into 15 chapters. In each one of them, Russel tried to convey, and teach how philosophers

view the world. He started with how you see the world from your own senses, but in somehow different perceptions. He gave a simple example of a table. If it were to be seen from different angles, then that very same table would indeed look very different in each one of the realisations. However, all the slightly different images don't refer to a totally different thing.

He progressed further with the question of how "real" is reality? Might it then perhaps be that, our life is just a long sequence of a dream? As all knowledge have to be derived from previously known knowledge, there will be a point in time when there's no causality of and for the first knowledge. Knowledge in this case can also be seen as the "truth".

You believe in something, because you hold them dearly against more solid beliefs beforehand. Something that you are almost, totally confident is true, but how do you assure yourself when it comes to the first realisation of the truth? Russel pointed out, that as sometimes even in science we have several hypothesis to explain a certain phenomenon, would it be possible then perhaps, that several version of truths independently exist?

According to him, philosophy is meant to be studied for the uncertainty and baffling nature of its own self. Once a branch of philosophy attains a threshold of certainty with the strong backup of convincing arguments and proofs, it will then become a part of science. Just like how mathematics, astronomy, psychology and sociology were born out of philosophical realm.

However, once philosophical thinking is applied to its greatest extent, sometimes you just cannot help but to question everything that you can see and touch. Triviality can then be seen as utter complexity, at a few odd times. Sometimes, you will wonder if indeed you are awake or actually dreaming to be awake. You question too much, at one point you are never quite sure what is the meaning of the questions.

Russel mentioned a bit about religious facts and beliefs. This is one tricky part of the equation, as until now there are still a few things that you are just expected to believe in, without any solid rationale or explanation behind it.

Quoting the very last paragraph of this book.

"Thus, to sum up our discussion of the value of philosophy; Philosophy is to be studied not for the sake of any definite answers to its questions, since no definite answers can, as a rule, be known to be true, but rather for the sake of the questions themselves; because these questions enlarge our conception of what is possible, enrich our intellectual imagination and diminish the dogmatic assurance which closes the mind against speculation; but above all because, through the greatness of the universe which philosophy contemplates, the mind also is rendered great, and becomes capable of that union with the universe which constitutes its highest good."

Highly recommended to anyone who is interested in philosophy. Get it from Project Gutternberg for free.

*Nazri Awang is an avid reader on various genres and has been writing several reviews for the BukuProject. He now resides in Coventry and has a few more months of MORSE before he is due to graduate in July 2011.

Tenggelamnya Kapal Van Der Wijck oleh HAMKA

2011-02-19T08:58:00.000-08:00

Penulisan Hamka bukanlah mudah untuk difahami oleh insan yang buta seni bahasa seperti saya. Tetapi gaya bahasa, santun dan kemas tulisannya sangat menarik hati untuk membaca naskah “Tenggelamnya Kapal Van Der Wijck” sehingga ke helaian yang terakhir.

Perjalanan cinta Zainuddin dari tanah Mengkasar sehingga ke Surabaya disusun dengan sangat kemas sehingga saya sentiasa tertanya pengakhiran naskah ini. Namun ada sedikit ralat sepanjang membaca kerana saya tercari-cari kolerasi antara tajuk naskah ini dengan jalan ceritanya. Akhirnya baru saya sedar bahawa penulis mahu mengakhiri perjalanan hidup Zainuddin selepas tenggelamnya Kapal Van Der Wijck bersama cintanya, Hayati.

Kisah sedih Zainuddin, bagaimana merana dan melaratnya hidup setelah kematian ibu sejak kecil, ayah juga pergi setelah bertahun hidup dalam pembuangan, serta cinta yang ditolak dek kerana adat yang menjunjung asal bangsa seseorang. Zainuddin bangun semula dari segala kedukaan, membuka lembaran baru dalam hidup dan berubah menjadi seorang penulis yang ternama dan berjaya. Menceritakan tentang kesetiaan, cinta dan kasihnya Zainuddin terhadap Hayati, gadis yang pernah berjanji sehidup semati namun mengkhianati cinta sejati.

Di akhirnya, penulis bermain dengan perasaan pembaca apabila Hayati kembali menagih kasih daripada Zainuddin setelah diceraikan suami yang telah membunuh diri. Disebalik sifat baik Zainuddin yang ditonjolkan, terselit sedikit sifat negatif seperti dendam walaupun sebenarnya masih ada cinta. Tindakan Zainuddin yang menolak cinta Hayati dan menyuruh Hayati pulang ke kampung halamannya dengan Kapal Van Der Wijck akhirnya menjadi pengakhiran sebuah kisah cinta.

Cerita cinta ini disampaikan oleh Hamka melalui surat-surat yang ditulis oleh Zainuddin dan Hayati juga tidak ketinggalan surat Khadijah,sahabat baik Hayati. Membaca surat-surat ini akan membawa kita melayang ke dunia dan zaman mereka. Sebuah cerita yang menyayat hati. Soal pangkat, darjat, wang dan adat bijak dimainkan oleh penulis.

Secara keseluruhannya, novel ini tidak menjemukan walaupun masih menggunakan gaya penulisan melayu lama. Diluar kisah cinta, sebenarnya penulis banyak menyelitkan ilmu penyetahuan terutamanya tentang adat Minangkabau yang memberatkan perempuan. Paling penting, penulis berjaya membawa pembaca ke dalam cerita ini.

Saya tertarik dengan baris ayat dalam naskah ini.

“ Di belakang kita berdiri satu tugu yang bernama nasib, disana telah tertulis rol yang akan kita jalani. Meskipun bagaimana kita mengelak dari ketentuan yang tersebut dalam nasib itu, tiadalah dapat, tetapi harus patuh kepada perintahnya”.

Tetapi saya juga percaya Dia tidak akan mengubah nasib kita jika kita sendiri tidak mahu mengubahnya.

nota : Kami di The Buku Project ingin mengucapkan terima kasih atas setiap ulasan yang diberikan dan mengalu-alukan ulasan yang lain. Ulasan yang menarik ini telah ditulis oleh seorang rakan kami yang mahukan identiti beliau dirahsiakan. Tambah beliau lagi, buku Tenggelamnya Kapal Van Der Wijck lebih menarik berbanding Titanic. Mungkin peminat Titanic ada sesuatu untuk diperkatakan? :)

After the Prophet: The Epic Story of the Shia-Sunni Split in Islam

2011-02-17T07:27:00.000-08:00

This review is written by a friend of the BukuProject's Nazir Harith Fadzilah*

Reading on the crackdown of the Shiite by the officials in Malaysia recently brought back the lessons I used to have in school, mainly those that taught me that Shiism is a blasphemy. Back then, it never occurred to me to question the textbook or even the Ustaz teaching the subject. All I know was, they are different from us, the Sunnis.

Most of us might just accept the facts as they were told to us (which is arguable) and never then revisit them, or to dig deeper on the how, the why, and the consequences of the split. Isn't it strange, considering the Prophet himself constantly preached of unity?

This book, written by Lesley Hazleton, brings us back to the time of tribulation, the time of difficulties, the time of fitna, the time in which the Muslim community was really tested by the Higher Power. Each character, one by one, is stripped from common misconception, either from misleading classes or through sheer lack of understanding

This is not a story that glorifies the characters, and neither is it full of flowers throughout. This is a story of mere human beings, prone to make mistakes, prone to fall to their Jahiliyah insticts, prone to have their judgment clouded by emotions.

These people were not without ideals. It would seem to us that 23 years under the guidance of the Prophet would have prepared them for the coming of this disunity in the Ummah. But we forget that this was the period which most of the characters had prayed they would never see. The period that became known as the beginning of the Sunni-Shiite split.

To be honest, I was nervous about reading this book since every line was new and unfamiliar to me, quite unlike everything I have been taught. Frightened as I was, I did not stop halfway. The author writes with such wit but is never didactic. Since she fills the lines with questions that insist the reader to dig deeper, dig deeper a reader should.

I love the way the book is being presented but I must warn the reader to read with caution and to try to cross-check with much more authentic history books. To call it a major work of Islamic history is short sighted but nevertheless the book shows another side of looking on the history of the Muslim Ummah.

*Nazir is a third year engineering student at the RMIT, Australia. He co-founded the ASAM, a community for artistic souls that sometimes features articles from the BukuProject. "While others enjoy being under the spotlight", Nazir prefers "a candle to light up [his] life". Nazir now resides in Melbourne.

The Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

2011-02-08T09:32:00.000-08:00

Contains spoilers. Readers, be warned.

Since I've been reading a lot these few days, I might as well write down what I get from those books. So here is a review of one book that I read during my stay in kampung over the weekend. A very famous book revolving around a very famous fictional detective and his equally famous sidekick. A very famous story indeed! :D

I think most everyone knows or has heard of Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson. As a kid, I used to read abridged versions of all his famous investigations, The Sign of Four being my favourite of them all. I haven't watched the 2010 film adaptation starring Robert Downey Jr. However, I did watch an unaired pilot episode of BBC's Sherlock, which is good enough to ignite a long-forgotten passion for investigative works within me. So I got myself a cheap copy of Arthur Conan Doyle's Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes just

before New Year, and boy, I don't regret it for the slightest bit!

The styles are different throughout. There are some cases from other compilations that are narrated by Holmes himself, and some by an omniscient voice. But I enjoy the story most when it is Dr Watson that puts on the narrator's hat. After all, he was the one who started all the sensation with A Study in Scarlet. He's a normal person, just like me. We both do not study the science of deduction, and we both have average minds. So it is interesting to be finding out the wonders of Sherlock's deduction from the point of view of one who is not in the know. Plus, Watson is a funny character. He's someone I would be delighted to have conversations with over dinner.

Sherlock, on the other hand, is a bit of an enigma. Even without his incredibly unbelievable skills of finding out things about people that are not very obvious at first, the way he carries himself is also quite strange. I credit Doyle for this impressive work of character building that not only makes Sherlock intriguing, but also human. I am sure I have never encountered such human-ness before, but it feels human nonetheless. Even his patronizing "Elementary" to our much beloved Watson is a delight to read =)

The first part, the adventures, is straightforward cases presented as short stories, so they work really fine for people who like to read during commuting. Every case is a new start so it doesn't require an immense attention span. Perfect! It is the same for the second part, the memoirs. However, the Memoirs is especially famous because it marks Holmes' involvement with the notorious Professor Moriarty. The Final Problem accounts Holmes last moments before he was said to have fallen down the Raichenbach Fall clutched together with his nemesis, Moriarty. I was deeply moved by Watson's last words on his long-time friend, a sleuth that became an icon for the English speaking world and beyond.

So when I found out that Holmes did not actually die and that he made a return in The Return of Sherlock Holmes, I was not exactly sure how to react. I suppose I should be happy for the comeback but part of me still felt a bit cheated. You know, I know for a fact that it's not true but I still harbour irrational suspicion that old Arthur must have needed money real bad or something. Or maybe people just missed Holmes that much that Arthur felt it was cruel to kill Holmes off just like that. And it was cruel. We were left with no credible explanation of what happened to him in the memoirs. So yea, thank God for The Return of Sherlock Holmes.

I won't review here the longer cases like The Hound of Baskervilles, The Valley of Fear and A Study in Scarlet because I think I should revisit those novels before attempting to review them. And thanks to Feedbooks, I can finally do that without emptying my ever thinning pocket!

So to those of you who find the detective as interesting as I do, get buying paperbacks now! Or even better, visit Feedbooks for free titles here:

1. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

2. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

3. The Return of Sherlock Holmes.

Elementary! :D

Free Books! =)

2011-02-07T06:47:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, I just stumbled upon a cool discovery. It is called FeedBooks, which is one of the largest pools of online books available to download in PDF, Kindle, and EPUB versions! What's even cooler is they are all free. Just go to the Public Domain page on FeedBooks and browse for any interesting titles and get downloading! If you have a Kindle or Kindle for PC, you just need to click on the title of the book and choose the download-for-Kindle option and the book will be automatically stored in your Kindle. It is so easy!

Here are the steps:

1. Go to FeedBooks

2. Click on Public Domain

3. Click on any title

4. Download whichever version you like

You may register if you want to make an online purchase. But if you're just in it for the free books, save yourself the hassle and skip the registration process. Happy reading! =)

Why The West Rules~For Now

2011-01-18T18:03:00.000-08:00

This short review is written by a friend of the Buku Project's, Nazri Awang*

This brilliant book is written by Ian Morris, a professor of history at Stanford University. In it, he argues that it is geography rather than racial supremacy, religion, or luck that somehow shapes the world as we know it today. From the start to finish, the author tries to compress and summarize 15000 years of humanity development into a comprehensive analysis of bits and pieces of history, as left by our ancestors.

Over the very long period of human existence, the old world was already shaped by its two geographically unique communities of the east and the west. Morris focused more on the biggest and most developed civilizations at different time instances, therefore some empires were not mentioned as frequently as the more prosperous ones. The main theme of the book was about the advantage of backwardness, explaining how a previously laggard, poorly governed area can evolve in a span of a few hundred years, overtaking the previous super-power.

Western centre of civilization had changed plenty of times, from the ashes of the Greek empire, more city-states sprawled and grew faster than ever. The Romans, Persians, ancient Egyptians were the stars of their time, each one of them occupying distinct prosperous period. Renaissance movement induced more development in northern Europe, Britain in particular. However, in 20th century Pax Britannica slowly faded away and from there, came the new super-power in the form of the Great United States of America.

A similar kind of development was unfolding in the east as well, largely in Chinese mainland. Throughout history, it was not always the west who hold the the winner cap. The east was far on top for a few hundred years before western Europe bounced back from its dark age. Again, applying the theory of advantages of backwardness, the hegemony of the world will always change, favouring those who successfully adapt themselves to the changes in humanity evolution faster and better than the rest, it is inevitable.

"The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see." ~ Churchill

*Nazri Awang is a final year MORSE student at the University of Warwick and is expected to graduate in a few months. Nazri now lives in Coventry and keeps a very informative blog: http://www.nazriawang.com/

OUTLIERS: THE STORY OF SUCCESS by Malcolm Gladwell

2011-01-14T20:16:00.000-08:00

This review is written by a friend of the Buku Project's, Hamedullah Muhammad*

Outlier (def): A person or thing away from others or outside its proper place.

Often, when we read about a success story or a rags-to-riches tale, it talks much about the person. It talks about sacrifice, dedication, perseverance and uncompromising attitude.

More often than not, we will also come across something along the line of "..despite his poor background..." or "..although disadvantaged in.." or something similar. Well, "Outliers" is a book about success. But, it is also about why we should, instead of saying "despite" and "although", say "because".

The author, Malcolm Gladwell, divides this book into two chapters. The first is entitled Opportunity. Malcolm asserts that in order to make sense of success, we need to look at a bigger picture rather than merely concentrate on individuals. He talks about advantage, opportunity and luck; inter alia

How being born in the first four months of the year can make one a professional ice hockey player in Canada,

Why without Hamburg there would be no The Beatles,

Why out of 70 of the richest people throughout human history 20 are Americans born around 1834 and

Why IQ scores don't really matter.

By the end of chapter one, you will get a sense of what Malcolm wanted to convey; success is not as individualistic as we have come to acknowledge it today. He said “the biggest misconception about success is that we do it solely on our smarts, ambition, hustle and hard work”.

His second chapter is titled 'Legacy'. Malcolm argues that we have become a society too wary of making generalization. We thought that it would be rude to associate success or in more obvious case, failure with race or culture. We're afraid that we may appear to be undermining people. Malcolm begs to differ. He mentions about:

How being a Korean or Colombian flight pilot makes one more prone to crash a plane in the 70's, and
How Korean Airlines turned from notoriously known for plane crashes to one of the safest in the world today.

Interestingly, Malcolm also tackles the "Asians are good at math" notion in one of the subchapters entitled Rice Paddies and Math, explaining the influence of language and rice paddies on children's mathematical ability.

Malcolm has an extraordinary skill of turning dry statistic data, one that would probably bore us in its raw form, into something we can identify with and worth pondering over. This book is not in any way undermining the determination and effort of successful individuals. It is merely saying that success has a blueprint; it is a function of opportunity and legacy. Success is intertwined with society. Bigger forces are at play. And they could be measured. And what gets measured gets managed.

The enjoyment of reading Outliers, in my opinion, comes from its ability to make one think "I am an outlier". Not that one could become successful suddenly. But one would become more appreciative of his/her world and possibly would look harder for opportunity and chance. That is probably the main message Malcolm wanted to pass through; that success can be shared to everybody if we as a society can make sense of it.

*Hamedullah graduated from UCL in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering.He's currently employed by MISC Bhd. Being a Malaysian, he started taking interest in reading a bit late, about two years ago. He heard about thebukuproject some time ago in London, thought it is a brilliant endeavour but only now decides to contribute something. As they say, "Hands that give also receive".

Delayed Chic Flick Chic Part 1: Eat Pray Love

2011-01-01T22:43:00.000-08:00

Okay, okay I know that my last post was quite a decade ago (In which i am meant to say, happy 2011!). Wasting a few lines for an excuse is pretty much pointless so, let's go straight to the point. Now, drum-roll please!

Yes, yes I know. This is quite an outdated book, some might say, since the sequel is already been published (and some already reviewed it). I am so wishing to make this earlier but again, due to the time constraints, earliest would be now.

So here's the story of the book and I, behind the scene : First, the only thing that I knew the moment I ever touched this book, made my way to the cashier and paid for it was: It is a movie by Julia Roberts. The rest, zilch. I even thought that this book is 100% fictional! Yes I know, I should have made my own research first. I just love surprises, most of the time.

Luckily, the book worth every penny. Or ringgit.

This book revolved around the life of the author herself, Elizabeth Gilbert (or Liz), post-divorce in which she had traveled to Italy, India and Indonesia (Bali, to be exact). She went all the way crossing the continents, for the love of exploring the world and most importantly, herself. In Italy, she spoiled herself with the lavish food (Now now, this doesn't do much justice. Who doesn't love Italian food, anyway? My sympathy, and *ahem* your loss!) and of course, Italian language. She joined the crowd of soccer fans, swooned by the famous arch and buildings of Rome, and get spontaneous and surprised herself everyday with new things as she enjoyed Italy. In India, she went into another "side of the world", in which she joined the meditation of Guru's Ashram. The first part of her India "exploration" immersed her into frustration as the whole atmosphere brought her into something different than Italy. She met a friend, Richard, in which often referred her as "Groceries", a nickname he profoundly used after he saw how much amount of food she could eat. This journey that started off with depression, swiftly turned 180 degrees as she found tranquility and reason to live: God. Lastly, she found herself on her way to Bali, Indonesia to meet a medicine man she formerly met a couple of years before, Ketut. She promised she would return to Bali to teach Ketut English (how cute!) English, only to find that Ketut, being an old man, had little fond of memories of her. In Bali, she discovered another different culture of Balinese, in which she described as "lodged, completely held, within an elaborate lattice of customs." Think of Hinduism traditions met hierarchical village communities met rich and beautiful paddy fields operated by the local people. She spent her days in Bali to meditate, daily meeting with Ketut, and walked around the town, enjoying the picturesque view of the paddy field ( Ubud's paddy field has such magnificent view! ) or just talked to the people themselves. She met Wayan, a Balinese healer which later turned into a friend, and later on she found herself the "love" part of the "Eat, Pray, Love" ( geddit?), a Brazillian man named Felipe.

My verdict: 4 out 5.

1) In a way, this book is rather a book for feminist. But then again, it's a documented life of a woman, what can be manly about that?

2) What created attention here is how Liz put the story lines and plot. I like the way she narrated in this book for it is so honest, even for the darkest thought. Funny and odd, but honest. She is lucky for she has met people like Ketut, Wayan, or even Richard (who seemed to like nothing but to mock her at the first place) and her bunch of Italian friends. I like how Ketut put it:

"To find the balance you want, this is what you must become. You must keep your feet grounded so firmly on the Earth that it's like you have four legs, instead of two. That way, you can stay in the world. ." ( para 3, page 27)

and how Richard quoted:

" See, now that's your problem. You're wishin' too much baby. You gotta stop wearing your wishbone where your backbone oughtta be." (page 150)

And how Liz used to write to herself in Italy:

"I am stronger than Depression and I am braver than Loneliness and nothing will ever exhaust me." (para 5, page 54)

(We all have one of the days when we feel the world is coming to get us. Come on, admit it.)

and many more I wish I could share. But then again, what fun could it be without reading the book itself, right?:)

3) If you happen to read one of my posts in my personal blog, I have once said that I'd love to do some world-travelling and exploring and consider it is as a job (like Ian Wright and Samantha Brown. Watching too much of Travelling Channel, I presume). What Liz did, was too good to be true to ever happen to me, for this moment of course. I always want to go to Rome or Italy, generally (Ede, remember our foreign exchange students interview? Haha. I said I wanted to go to Italy because of its food. Signed, honest me. Duh) But someday, insyaAllah. Someday. And Ubud, Bali is beautiful too. India, yes. (But my ex-supervisor used to say that if you went to India and returned home without diarrhea, consider your trip invalid. LOL)

4) Liz's favorite word: Attraversiamo :)

5) Apparently I am not really bothered with Felipe, or David (Yes, despite the fact that the role is played by James Franco in the movie version) , or any of Liz's love interest. What amazed me is the people Liz got to meet, like Giovanni, or Sofie, or Ketut, or Wayan or even Richard from Texas. These kind of people she met, by taking chances (and challenges) to go by herself travelling alone. And also, she really is lucky for having friends to help her raised money for Wayan's house. Now that's just awesome, no?

p.s: Delayed Chic Flick Chic Part 2 is coming, erm, soon? I won't promise anything "legend-wait for it-ary* but I will try my best!

The Island of Dr Moreau

2010-12-07T06:56:00.000-08:00

--This review was written a few weeks ago. It is only published today because, well, it's me =)

Feels good to be able to walk again without hurting my joints. After 3 days of being bedridden following a very nasty fever, I managed to pick up a book and actually finished it. This time, it was a classic that used to scare the living daylight out of me, "The Island of Doctor Moreau" by H G Wells.

The story revolves around Edward Prendick, who, after surviving a shipwreck, chanced onto an island, with the help of a strange man called Montgomery. He later discovered that the inhabitants of the island are animals that unmistakably have human features, thanks to the laboratory vivisectional works of one Doctor Moreau. The doctor envisions a world where animals are as refined as humans and humans become a step closer to perfection. In order to achieve this, these "animals" are made to observe the Law, which includes among others, the prohibition to eat meat, the prohibition to walk on all fours, and the prohibition to kill.

Now, as I recall my first time reading it back in 2002, it surprises me that I was not more shocked back then. I was certainly terrified of the thought of what the main character, Edward Prendick must be going through, but I don't remember it to be quite as shocking as it is now. Perhaps age adds to my perceiving the whole situation in the light that it deserves.

Take for example, Prendick's horror at seeing the birth of a creature that is half pig and half human. I can't, for the life of me, imagine such an ugly spectacle. I am not just talking about the physical aspect of it, but even the idea is an abomination to me. Of course, the novel seeks to have the reader think of the moral implication of playing God. From my own reading, I find the whole text very damning of vivisection, and my stand on this issue is very similar. To be fair, Wells did not hide the fact that he is all against it as well. So, readers looking for an objective made up story revolving vivisection will probably not find what they are looking for in this book.

David Thewlis as Edward in the film adaptation of the book (1996)

But apart from that, there is another interesting angle that this book takes. Near the end of the book, a character observes that "to go on two legs is very hard." Being human is hard, which is why man is always so close to falling prey to his bestial instincts. What other explanations are there for the debasing acts that have been committed the world over? It's human capacity and divine order for restraint that make this world slightly more livable. And this book shows the possible calamities that might ensue when that fragile order is tampered with.

And in the end, one is left wondering if Dr Moreau's plan for the perfect human would have succeeded after all. I am still thinking about this, long after I am finished with the book. Now, what if we want to be a perfect human? Do we need to be biologically improved or would nurture suffice?

Again, to go on two legs is very hard.

It's All About the Bike - Robert Penn

2010-10-06T17:43:00.000-07:00

I admit that I was intrigued by this book because I just recently learnt how to cycle. And because I like the cover design. A shallow move of no regret.

Part biography part history part engineering I don't know what people categorise this book in, non-fiction oh yes. The writer narrates his journey to the one bicycle, not a perfect one, but his perfect one (And very expensive too). He laced it up with facts and the history of the two-wheel; and he did it brilliantly: lightly funny, warmly personal, heavy with content yet accessible even with plenty of technical terms. Now I know the history of random household names, Michelin, Dunlop, Benz, Ford, all related to this one amazing machine. The amazing machine which shapes our society in its subtle ways, something so obvious that I overlooked it before.

I find the writing to be my favourite bit, it keeps me turning the pages for more, for the language and the wisdom between the lines. The melancholic reference to workmanship and community.
"Not long ago, much of what we owned was alive with the skill, and even the idealism, of the people who made it - the blacksmith who forged our tools, the cobbler, the wood-turner, the carpenter, the wheelwright, and the seamstress and tailor who made the clothes we wore."

“The big house in the suburbs with a fence around it, then driving ten miles to school and twenty miles to work every day – this destroys communities.”

I might not be able to relate on his love towards cycling but the passion is evident within the pages. The review stops here – am highly recommending it to bike lovers and not.

This review is the second review featured by Alia Salleh. A "Very short actually," review (according to her), nevertheless it never failed to tempt me (and I know you too) to get the book! On behalf of The Buku Project, I'd like to thank her for her sweet effort :)

Has anyone read this before?

2010-09-07T00:45:00.000-07:00

Book Fest Malaysia 2010

2010-09-02T06:39:00.001-07:00

The biggest bookfest in South East Asia is here! It'll feature Chinese and English books published in several Asian countries, and also internationally.

For those of you who have started Raya holiday and have run out of books to read at home, you might wanna check out this link:

Book Fest Malaysia

To sum up, the important details are as follows:

Book Fest Malaysia 2010
4th - 12th September 2010
Conventions and Exhibition Site, KLCC

So, is anyone going? Jom! :D

SNOW by Orhan Pamuk

2010-08-14T00:53:00.000-07:00

I don’t normally write book reviews - I merely shove the books I like to people; forcing them to read em too. So here goes a first. A very short first.

I suppose I should state the bias before I press further - I personally like the writing and the story very much. Especially the snow bit. It’s the first Pamuk I tried (though I have had 2 of his others for ages collecting dust) and the style is nice. The book is, as usual, a translation from his Turkish one. And it’s part of the Revolutionary Series.

The background is Kars: a small town where gossips spread fast in coffee-shops and the entertainment is soap dramas and touring troupes. A Turkey downsized to a town - with clashes between the Islamists, the secularist, military and confusing others.

The protagonist is Ka: a poet who came posing as a journalist to investigate the town’s two issues - the murder of the mayor and the suicides. He’s believable as a person, I suppose that is why I increasingly like him as the story evolves. And why he at times reminds me of a friend. Or maybe I like him because he’s a poet - though the poems are never revealed in the story itself.

Ka went for interview rounds, fell in love with the friend from his past, wrote poems after a long drought of them, got involved with the messy political clashes, found friends and lost them, found love and risked losing it - with the background of a staged coup.

The thing that baffles me still when I close the last page is how Ka came at first posing as a journalist and as the story develops he was simply a poet - I don’t see the point of it. It is as if the journalist bit is a hasty addition to start the book. Maybe I missed the point.

It’s a historical fiction thus it does what fictions do, especially in terms of the characters portrayed, but it is a nice introduction to the undercurrent conflicts in a fresh post-Ottoman Turkey.

Read it for Pamuk’s writing. And the soothing description of the falling snow. It might surprisingly make you long for winter.

This review is written by Alia Salleh, another of the Friends of the Buku Project. She is now a third year engineering student at the University of Warwick and enjoys baking, and snapping pictures.

The Autobiography of Malcolm X

2010-08-11T21:04:00.000-07:00

Malcolm X, who changed his name to Malik el-Shabbaz toward the end of his brief life, needs no introduction. Being first a crook, and then a radical black supremacist, and then an orthodox Sunni Muslim, and then a martyr, is quite overwhelming for just one person. Prior to reading this book, I knew very little about what Malcolm X stood for. The little that I did know, no doubt was due to his exceptional oratory skills that combine fiery speeches with very finely detailed and cohesive points.

The book starts out with a narration of what life was like for a black family in the first half of the 20th century. Malcolm Little (Little was his original surname before he decided to drop it) was not your average black boy. He had red hair and his complexion was fairer than usual. His grandmother had been raped by a white man, which made Malcolm's mother half white. Later in his life, after he joined the movement called "Nation of Islam", he would be sorely embarrassed by this 'fairer' complexion, but when he was a child he was a little proud that he was whiter than everyone else in the family. Malcolm said it revealed the general mentality of that age when being fairer meant you're better. (I can't help but to observe that this mentality has survived until today).

Life was tough for the Little family. After his father was killed by a group of white men for preaching 'rebellious things' to the blacks, the Little children learned to live like people of the streets, cheating their way to food, playing truant, and even compete among each other to geth their mother's attention. Being a middle child who was not particularly the darling of his parents, Malcolm soon learned that it is only by crying out loud that he could get what he wanted. This was one of the things that he carried all his life. To get something done for you, you gotta be loud enough.

The autobiography is full of anecdotes like that, of the lessons he learned from a life experience. As a reader, I was mesmerized by how well he utilised the things he learned as a crook during the time when he was already a preacher for the Nation of Islam. Speaking of that, Now there is a fascinating chapter of his life! I got to know how he became an ardent follower of Elijah Muhammad, the founder of the cult, and how his loyalty would finally lead to his own demise within the organization. It was quite hard for me to fathom how an intelligent man like him could fall prey to a movement whose basic principle revolves around the fact that the white man is the devil, but I did not go through years of discrimination as Malcolm most certainly did. And to be able to dive into his mind as he did everything under the sun that a radical does is truly an experience I'll not soon forget.

It was around the time he spent in the Nation of Islam that he became to get international recognition. Along with moderates fighting for the same cause, like Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X was starting to be synonymous to the fight to make the plight of the blacks a human right issue rather than a civil right issue. For those of you who cannot tell the difference, when something is a human rights issue, the UN can rightfully intervene. A civil rights issue can only remain within the domestic realms, therefore, the UN cannot justify any interference on its part. Malcolm travelled all over the world to reveal what it is actually like to be a black American in those days. It soon became apparent that his charisma alone was pushing his cause a step closer to success. The only problem is, there was so much disunity among the blacks that even Malcolm X, with all his intelligence and sage, could not find an effective solution to bring all the dfferent groups of black men together.

Malcolm X with his children and Muhammad Ali

As a Sunni Muslim, I have to admit that this book is particularly appealing to me because Malcolm X, toward the end of his life, became Malik El-Shabbaz. I cannot escape intellectual bias so from the start, I was looking forward to the chapter depicting the process of his conversion to orthodox Islam. His trip to Mecca was related in such a moving way that I felt I'd known Malcolm all my life. There was something he said that made me ponder about my responsibility in this world. The only reason people could have joined a cult like the Nation of Islam was that the true Muslims did not do anything to inform the Americans what Islam really is. In a way he had a point. There was not so much Islamic literature available to the masses at the time, and there was certainly no Wikipedia. Even today, most people are still quite ignorant toward Islam not because they have no access to Islamic literature, but the closest public relations tool that Islam has , the Muslims, is not doing a good job at selling it.

Of course, any book that can make the reader surprised because it was already the end, is a book worth reading. And this one definitely is one of those books. A person of Malcolm's charisma is hard to come by, and you see often in history that such people are done for by the very people they had wanted to save. This is a life that serve to teach us all the value of humanity.

I can't think of a better autobiography so far. 8.5 stars out of 10 =)

Bumi Cinta- Habiburrahman El Shirazy

2010-08-09T03:05:00.000-07:00

Sebenarnya saya tidak tahu di mana asalnya minat saya membaca novel ini. Semuanya satu kebetulan. Dalam mencari "benda" lain, saya terjumpa naskhah ini. Jadi saya kira saya bertuah kerana 'terjerumus" dalam kebetulan ini.

Jujur, saya tidak pernah membaca sebarang novel dari Habiburrahman El Shirazy. Mungkin kerana bertemu dengan filem- filem adaptasi novel beliau terlebih dahulu, maka saya hanya tertumpu kepada watak- watak dalam Ayat- Ayat Cinta dan Ketika Cinta Bertasbih. Ketiga-tiganya saya suka (ketiga- sebab KCB ada 2 siri) tetapi sekali lagi saya mesti jujur, kesemua filem beliau saya tonton berulang kali mungkin sebab untuk lebih memahami mesej beliau yang sarat dengan unsur ilmu dan dakwah.

Tetapi Bumi Cinta ini berbeza, sebab saya kenali naskhah ini terlebih dahulu dari filemnya (Mungkinkah ada? saya tidak tahu). Dan saya optimis dengan karya beliau yang lain daripada yang lain. Haruskah saya membandingkan dengan sebahagian novel-novel Melayu yang kitar plotnya saya kira sama sahaja? Mungkin tidak. (tetapi bukanlah saya menunding jari ke arah semua novel Melayu. Tidak ada generalisasi di sini. )

Bumi Cinta berkisar tentang pencarian Ayyas untuk melanjutkan ilmu di bumi Moscow. Pencarian yang membawa Ayyas kepada wanita-wanita yang digambarkan sebagai cantik dan menggoda iman beliau sebagai seorang yang berpegang teguh kepada ajaran agama. Yelena dan Linor, dua rakan serumah Ayyas yang tidak putus-putus menguji kesabaran Ayyas dan juga Dr Anastasia, pembimbing Ayyas bagi menggantikan Prof Abraham Tomskii

Keempat-empat watak ini saya kira boleh disimpulkan dalam satu persamaan. Iaitu mencari. Ayyas, seorang muda yang sederhana tetapi sudah melanjutkan pelajaran ke merata-rata tempat memilih Moscow dan tajuk "Sejarah Islam di Rusia." sebagai tajuk kajian beliau. Yelena, seorang "agen pelancongan" yang hilang dalam penafian beliau tentang kewujudan Tuhan. Linor, agen perisik Zionis yang cekap menukar identiti beliau hingga ke beberapa negara, tetapi sebenarnya masih lagi mencari siapa diri beliau sendiri. Dr Anastasia Palazzo, seorang wanita yang digambarkan sebagai sempurna dengan kebijakan dan keanggunan beliau, serta ketaatannya dalam beragama Kristian juga sentiasa mencari jawapan dalam setiap perilaku Ayyas.

Novel ini menarik, bukan kerana gambaran Ayyas sebagai lelaki yang "hampir sempurna", dan tiada juga babak babak cinta yang mendayu-dayu digambarkan, tetapi kerana ia sarat dengan pengetahuan. Pengetahuan tentang kajian sains dan kaitannya dengan kandungan Al-Quran, sejarah Rusia ketika penaklukan Stalin dan Lenin, keunikan bandar-bandar di Rusia dan sebagainya. Kebolehan Ayyas dalam menerangkan konsep kewujudan Tuhan dan agama Islam yang syumul nyata dalam dialog dialog beliau ketika berhujah dalam persidangan mahupun rancangan di televisyen. Kepetahan beliau dalam menjawab segala persoalan Dr Anastasia Palazzo yang pessimis terhadap dunia Islam jelas terbukti, dan segala keraguan Anastasia dijawab dengan hormat terhadap pembimbingnya yang berlainan agama itu.

Yang saya suka, novel ini tidak cliche jalan ceritanya. Walaupun tidak se"ekstrem" Fahri (ayat-ayat cinta) yang difitnah atau dipenjara, ataupun Furqan (KCB dan KCB2) yang hampir dianiaya virus HIV, jalan cerita tetap dikuasai sama rata dengan perjalanan hidup watak-watak utama seperti Ayyas, Yelena, Linor dan Dr Anastasia Palazzo. Mungkin sebab jalan ceritanya dibaca, bukan ditonton di skrin atau sebagainya (bila membaca, akan lebih menggunakan imaginasi untuk menggambarkan jalan cerita, bagi saya).

Tetapi, jawapan kepada akhir cerita yang tergantung (tentang Linor dan Ayyas) saya tetap nantikan, walaupun ada sedikit kekecewaan di situ.

Buku yang sangat menguntungkan pembacanya. Hanya RM25.90- Bumi Cinta, Habiburrahman El Shirazy.

Be VERY Excited!

2010-07-13T00:54:00.001-07:00

I'm currently in Terengganu on a one-week-vacation and guess what, I managed to finish three books in the span of 4 days here. Throw a person in an unfamiliar environment and he can accomplish great things. Great things!

The three books are:

1. The Autobiography of Malcolm X (As Told to Alex Haley)

2. My Name Is Red, by Orhan Pamuk

3. Lady Chatterley's Lover, by DH Lawrence

But, as per usual, the reviews will be coming shortly (short, being an adjective, is subjective) since my holiday isn't over yet. In about a week, the review of Malcolm X's biography will be ready, inshaAllah. It's not like I have much to do anyway at home, apart from reunions and trips back to alma mater etc.

P/S: Aini, kau kena baca Orhan Pamuk. Seriously. Best gila!

HAMLET by William Shakespeare

2010-06-08T12:25:00.000-07:00

Okay, so this isn't strictly a book.

It's a play, meant to be enjoyed on stage, but I personally believe there is no harm in appreciating the beauty of the written word and let your imagination do the rest of the work.

I first knew about Hamlet in MRSM Muadzam Shah. I was a socially awkward kid and socially awkward kids go to the library. It's been that way for centuries. Anyway, there was this collection of illustrated books on famous stories and I remember reading one on a very moody prince who is upset about the fact that his mum married his uncle very soon after his dad died. Or something. I can't remember. The illustration wasn't that great.

So when I was properly introduced to Shakespeare in Form 4 (doing Sonnet 18), I remembered vaguely the story of the young prince and was really disturbed that I couldn't remember what happened to Hamlet at the end of the story. So I borrowed a Penguin copy of Hamlet (abridged, of course, haha..) and read it. This time I was really moved by the poignancy of the story, partly because I could relate to his feelings. I'm not referring to the father-died-and-then-mum-married-uncle thing. It's just the general sense of frustration at everything that goes wrong in the world and being in a situation that forces you to make decisions in light of that frustration. In short, it's a story for young people who are confused. Take away all that fancy language and the Shakespeare phobia and you're left with a story as sad and beautiful as life.

The reader first finds himself , not at the funeral of Hamlet Sr, who just died of suspicious circumstances (But is appears nobody thought foul play was involved), but instead at a royal wedding. Traditionally, Hamlet Jr would be king after the death of Hamlet Sr, but OMG! He came back from boarding school to find his uncle, Claudius, had married his mum and was appointed king. Double sorrow. No, make that triple because he couldn't believe that his mum had forgotten his dad so soon and married Claudius. We're talking two months after the death. And the marriage was as big as any royal event. It is ugly.

And then, with the help of his best friend Horatio, Hamlet came across the ghost of his dead father who told him that he had been murdered by Claudius, the uncle. So now, Hamlet has to decide whether or not the ghost was telling the truth (Because ghosts can lie, you know) before deciding whether or not to avenge his father.

(L to R) Hamlet and Horation in the film

version starring Kenneth Branagh 1996

Now, my favourite part is when Hamlet is contemplating his own mortality. The famous "to be or not to be" speech is basically a soliloquy (a speech by a character not addressed to anyone) that raises Hamlet's fear of death. Death is an unknown territory because to him, nobody has ever come back from death to tell him what exactly happens after life. So he's scared of the fact that he does not know what lies after. And he's increasingly frustrated by his inability to avenge his father. On top of that, he is pained by the fact that nobody seems to remember his dead father anymore. Everyone seems to be praising and flattering the new king, and nobody is mourning apart from Hamlet himself. Dead and forgotten. The tragic fact about mortality.

So we follow Hamlet as he tries to find himself amidst the question of mortality and what it means to live. Hamlet is a good person. He believes in undying love (which is why he was hurt by his mother's change of heart), he believes in justice (he wants to avenge his father's murder), and he believes in morality, especially when it comes to trust between friends. This story is about a young man's journey to keep his moral righteousness while trying to seek justice. And the sad part is, he lost the battle. Somewhere along the line, his quest for justice became an act of revenge. And in doing that, he sacrificed more than just his own morality; he sacrificed the very thing that makes him human: Love.

But even through all that, I think Hamlet did learn something good. There is a quote near the end of the play where Hamlet stops worrying about what would happen if he died. "Let be", he said. This reliance on the higher power ("the special providence")that decides people's destiny is sometimes the only thing we need to have courage to do what we're meant to do.

There is special providence in the fall of a sparrow.
If it be now, 'tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now;
if it be not now, yet it will come—the readiness is all.
Since no man, of aught he leaves, knows what is't
to leave betimes, let be.

A great story. I highly recommend this to people who take pleasure in good stories and even better language. The poetry blows me away. If you think you're not up to reading Shakespearean English just yet, don't worry. Penguin abridged versions are readily available everywhere. Perhaps in some time, you will on move on to the real thing and enjoy the beauty in its entirety. Happy reading! =)

Awesome combo

2010-02-19T06:38:00.002-08:00

Tariq Ramadan: The Messenger; The Meanings of the Life of Muhammad.

I began to know this man from what rather to be an interesting review by Rashidah Abd Hamid. Then came the googling part, and I am smitten, by his words. I was trying, walking and wandering. A perfect reason to go into one bookshop from another, rest assured. Sadly, nothing went into the cart, but I'm thankful a good friend sent this book all the way across the continent(s). So, thank you!

When I flipped the very first page, I thought I was astounded, even by the acknowledgment section.One of the parts I seldom read, and then again I was wrong. Those are beautiful words by a man named Tariq Ramadan, an author, a scholar, an educator.

It is quite common for us to read the biography of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) when we were kids, and even in the school syllabus. We were exposed to many of the stories right from the born of the last Prophet until the second of his last breath. Well, this time around, the book takes us to a whole new level.

What could I say? I personally think that the explanation by Mr Ramadan is interesting, precise, and somewhat what most of us forgot about this day- practicality. How, that certain events that could definitely be handy in handling issues in our society these days.

What I admire the most definitely is how Mr Ramadan is capable of interconnecting and putting the relationship from one event to another, and readers shall see that it is one concise and comprehensive text, and did I mention- practical?

Quoting Ramadan, "Whatever adversity one faces, one's strength and freedom on Earth consist in remaining constantly aware of dependence on the Creator".(p 58) Now, this is one of the issue being raised in this book- human dependence upon the Almighty God, which started from the usage of the word- in sha Allah (if God so wills)- something of what our society missed nowadays- and need to be reminded again. Indeed, human is born with humility- something that makes us all mortal and what beyond is in God's hand, after striving for hard work, dua' and tawakkal. And yes, little did we see that we are not the Best Planner of all- and Allah indeed knows best.

Roll down for some more insight view from Ede!

Paulo Coelho: Like The Flowing River.

These days, I think I am more likely to get involved with short stories. Yeap! Talking about commitment here. Needless to say that if you are opting for collection of short stories, please take a look on Coelho's Like The flowing River.

It is nowhere near the fiction- most of the stories are basically from the author's experience- of being on vacation, of meeting new faces, of going to strange places, of getting hopes crushed and built again, of moving on and so on.

While I am not a big fan of Coelho's By The River Piedra I Sat Down and Weep, I am surely positive that this book proved that Coelho's one of the greatest philosopher. Try one of the best stories- the story of the pencil; (the sneak peek)

"First quality: you are capable of great things, but you must never forget that there is a hand guiding your steps. We call that hand God, and He always guides us according to His will.’ ‘Second quality: now and then, I have to stop writing and use a sharpner. That makes the pencil suffer a little, but afterwards, he’s much sharper. So you, too, must learn to bear certain pains and sorrows, because they will make you a better person. ‘Third quality: the pencil always allows us to use an eraser to rub out any mistakes. This means that correcting something we did is not necessarily a bad thing; it helps to keep us on the road to justice.’ ‘Fourth quality: what really matters in a pencil is not its wooden exterior, but the graphite inside. So always pay attention to what is happening inside you.’ ‘Finally, the pencil’s fifth quality: it always leaves a mark. in just the same way, you should know that everything you do in life will leave a mark, so try to be conscious of that in your every action’

or even the stories on the pianist of the mall, and many more. Trust me, his reflections are beautiful and inspiring.

Now, hoping in the future i will have the chance to read Veronika Decides to Die. Heard that the book is good too.

Currently reading: Fitzgerald's The Diamond as Big as The Ritz (and other short stories). Have bought Grisham's The Associates the other day, hopefully will get the chance to start on that one soon!

An update, finally

2009-12-18T02:33:00.000-08:00

First of all, Salam Maal Hijrah everyone. Hopefully this new year will bring you more prosperity and may God provides protection and guidance, insyaAllah.

Secondly, thousand apologies for not much an update for me. "Not much" will be an understatement, I know. Excuses are lame, weknow. So no excuse this time, that I assure you.

For a restart, I have a book in the list. (I promise to continue with another later)

1) The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

What can I say about the book? Well basically I think everyone has got his hand on this book, especially since it debuted on silver screen last November. Sadly, I havent got the chance to watch the movie yet but that's not a sad case; I always prefer reading the book rather than watching its adaptation. Oh yes I'm pretty biased there I know.

The title tells it all- it lies around a couple, Henry and Clare who found each other when Clare is six and Henry is 36. The story is told based on first-person narration of both of them, so it helped us to see and understand the story from both perspectives. It is no science fiction I'm telling you, but it is told that Henry's ability (or maybe disease) is caused by stress and by the flickering images on the tv. Anyway, while at first I think it might be cool to have your other half time-traveling- it is not really. Henry couldn't tell Clare what will happen in her future, and pretty much he couldn't do much. He couldn't drive (imagine one sec he'd be on the wheel, and *blink* he's in the 70s,then whatever happen to the car, right?), and yeah, he time travels, naked. *gulp*

So I scratch my word- God forbid please don't give me any time traveler, not even in the form of Eric Bana . Sobs!

How does this story move you? By letting you share the joy of two person who loved each other, but at the same time- bring you at unease and sore you as Henry time travels. And yes, touched you when one knows that it takes more than you can give to stay normal- though you're not.

So there, pretty much the description of Time Traveler's Wife. Available in your nearest bookstore, priced at RM44.90

p.s:Oh, I have one extra book of this UP FOR GRABS! I've bought one and suddenly my sister told me she already has the book. So buzz me if you want this book :)

A SINGLE MAN by Christopher Isherwood

2009-12-07T03:10:00.000-08:00

Howdie! It's been such a long time since I last reviewed a book here (or anywhere else for that matter) and of course, now that my academic term has ended, I have quite a few books on my reading list and some of them I have finished reading as of now. And one, is of particular worth to be mentioned, firstly because of the subject matter, and secondly for the style of writing employed. So here is "A Single Man" by Christopher Is herwood, though I must admit the reason I bought the book was the fact that the film adaptation stars Colin Firth (Hmmmmmmm...)

The place is Los Angeles. The time is the 1960s. Homosexuality was still quite unheard of in the way that it is today, and definitely less of an accepted behavior back then. George, a British expatriate working as an English professor is trying to get himself to live a life that seemed perfect just a few months ago. But then Jim, his partner died. And that life became mundane, and at times even ridiculous. He wasn't exactly sure how to deal with his grief, especially since nobody knew for certain that Jim and Georger had been lovers. They might have suspected it but, hey, don't the British always seem just a bit queer anyhow?

So that's it really. The book isn't much about anything else. Perhaps the issue of mid-life crisis is touched briefly here. That's inevitable I guess, since George is said to be in his 50s. But I think the main point that Isherwood is trying to convey here is not really the categorization of people. Age, sexual orientation, class, sex, jobs, wealth... all of that don't really matter once you've lost someone you love. Suffering and grief is universal. The degree might be different. But the feeling is similar, and that does not change simply by convincing somebody that he's different. "Come on George, the relationship wasn't even socially desirable in the first place. Why so sad?" That just won't do. Some things (emotions mainly) defy logics.

I am not for homosexuality. I believe in the traditional way of passing down family values to kids, and that where individual freedom conflicts with societal interest, socity must prevail. But even I cannot deny that a homosexual feels the loss of a beloved just as much as straight people do. In the context of the 1960s, perhaps homosexuals feel it even more, considering how hard it must be to actually find another homosexual to love and be loved by. That must be no small thing. And so, I allow myself to be touched by this endearing, and sometimes funny, and mostly just heart wrenching tale of a person dealing with grief. Something we all, no doubt, have experienced at least once in our lives.

As a writer, Isherwood was a bit of a cliche. He went through a period described by many as "writers' block" when he produced very mediocre works. But then he wrote "A Single Man" and in one go redeemed himself. Now, that's also a cliche, but whatever. The writing is not really a radical departure from Isherwood's previous style but it gives a very personal feeling throughout. Some literary critics have brought forward the theory that Isherwood intended this to be a semi-autobiography, which is plausible because Isherwood wrote this book soon after the end of his long time relationship with his partner. But that is of no concern to us. What does matter is that the melancholic language used to decribe each and every act of George's as we witness him lecturing for the thousandth of time, tolerating the normalcy of the world when his own seems to be falling apart. It's truly a triumph. Read it and tell me that you disagree : )

So, yea, I watched the movie a few days after the book and the movie is also very startlingly beautiful, visually and in substance. This is not a blog to review movies so I won't go there, but I 'll just say that the double experience is something very worthwhile to me. You may find a similar discovery, who knows?

THE TRIAL and THE MESSENGER: THE MEANINGS OF THE LIFE OF MUHAMMAD

2009-10-13T08:30:00.000-07:00

I wrote these reviews about a year ago and I thought it might be worth the while posting it up here. For those of you digging political thrillers and Sirah books, here's a little treat from me. And for those of you who don't dig them, well, give these books a look and something might catch your eye =)

I'm really excited about reviewing books again, since I haven't done this in quite a while. In the past few weeks, I've read quite a few good books, both bought by myself and given to me by others. I can't imagine what my life would be without a decent book by my side. I'd be bored stiff, I suppose. The two books are:

1. The Trial (Franz Kafka)- translated from German into English
2. The Messenger: The Meanings of the Life of Muhammad (Tariq Ramadan)

1. The Trial

The first review is on Kafka's all-time masterpiece, The Trial which deals with the importance of the rule of law whether in a democracy or an authoritarian state, though I'd say it's even more important in the latter. We are introduced to the main character (I can't really tell wheter he's a protagonist or an antagonist) who is simply called "K" and we follow him through a lengthy legal procedure the purpose of which remains vague to the reader and to K himself. All through the chapters, I was left wondering what K had done to deserve such a thing, and being a fan of the WWII history, I recall seeing and reading many similar cases in history books and documentaries, where people were just dragged out of their homes, detained for weeks or even months when there was no evident proof to link them to any civil crimes. Detention without conviction.

As I was reading this thriller, I couldn't help but think about Malaysian ISA (Internal Security Act). This is the mark of a truly good book. It'll never cease to be relevant and about 5 decades after it was written, The Trial still manages to make a random reader like me think about the link between K and an individual Malaysian for example. Detention without conviction, no matter for what purpose, seems to me to be immoral. We are not talking about being locked up overnight here, sometimes, people get detained several yeras straight without really knowing for which specific crime they are held for. In an age when the idea of democracy is being constantly debated, it's almost inconceivable that the notion of ISA still exists, especially in a country that speaks out against Guantanamo. Martin Luther King once said something about how when we criticize people of being victimizers, we have to stop for a moment and take some time to think whether we are not one ourselves. The Trial, to me, highlights the point that where the objective of unlawful detention may be noble (to protect national unity, to keep harmony, etc), the execution may not be. And the high risks of abuse attached to the idea of detaining people without lawfully just cause is a valid ground for questioning, at the very least.

The statue of Franz Kafka

So that's what I like about this book. Some people are of the opinion that the book is just too vague. Till the very end, we are not told of what K had done, and that leaves some people frustrated. but I think that's what the novel is trying to illustrate. How such a process involves vague methods so as to prevent the detainees from taking active measures to protect their rights. They simply don't know which rights have been violated due to the vagueness of the whole thing. This brings to light the imminent danger of letting something like ISA undermine the principle of the Rule of Law, where the act of incriminating people must come with maximum certainty as to their guilt. So, for those of you who are learning Constitutional Law, this book is a great way of consolidating your understanding. Verdict: 7.5 out of 10. Giving credit where its due, I'd like to thank Ms Johnson for recommending this book to me all those years ago in KYUEM, even though I still haven't forgiven you for deserting us =)

2. The Messenger: The Meanings of the Life of Muhammad

I bought the second book in Borders near where I live now, and the prospect of being treated to a heavily historical book excited me so much that I unwrapped the book immediately after I sat down at Starbucks. And I wasn't disappointed. Ramadan is well-known the world over for a reason, and that is his highly eloquent presentation of intellectual messages. In The Messenger, for instance, Ramadan avoids falling in the claptrap of other conventional biographist like Karen Armstrong whose book, "Muhammad", I find a bit boring since there really is nothing new in it. Ramadan chose instead to serve up the story of the life of the Prophet (pbuh) in a way that's not narrative but analytical. In any history book, the first stage of information is always the "what", and once we get through that, we go the "why". And an exceptionally good history book would venture into the "lesson" behind the "what" and the "why". This book has all the three elements.

If you are not familiar with the life of the Prophet, don't worry so much as the author goes to great length to make the chronological order of the Prophet's lifetime simple and accessible. For those of you who are well advanced in Sirah Nabawiyah, plenty of references are provided, with numerous mentions of Ibn Ishaq's biographies of the Prophet, as edited by Ibn Hisham, along with Quranic verses and Hadiths, mainly by Bukhari, since Ramadan was careful not to cite weak hadiths. So, once we get past the rather tiresome task of making sure the primary and secondary sources are not suspicious, we get what seems to me to be a great treatment of an exemplary life which does not attempt at oversimplifying certain events in history. For example, the execution of the treacherous men of Banu Qurayzah has always been a matter reduced to oversimplification. Maududi took a positon that favored the expedition wholeheartedly without going into the context in which the Banu Qurayzah's treachery took place. Seems pretty one-sided to me. The closest to a fair description of the event was by Montgomery Watt, who focused instead on the breached covenant which promotes the reasonings behind the actions of both the Muslims and the Jews. But Ramadan went a step further by showing how the Prophet's decision had been necessary and not simply justified. If an act is justified, it hints at a wrongdoing that is excused, but if an act is necessary, it hints at a positive act that incurs some costs. I prefer the latter view of the Banu Qurayzah episode, which somehow suggests that Ramadan does not underestimate the perceptive level of his readers. I like that =)

Tariq Ramadan

Furthermore, there was no action of the Prophet that was trivial enough to the author. In the chapter that dealt with the passing of the Prophet, I wasn't really expecting any substantial lessons to be learned. I was wrong. Even after the Prophet's death, a powerful lesson on human qualities is presented. I really like Ramadan's way of highlighting the unpredictability of man's character and that because of that, nothing is final. Abu Bakar who was so sensitive all his life, who was most prone to weeping, was calmer than Umar who had a strong personality in the light of the Prophet's death. The lesson is, sensitivity is not a weakness and physical strength may hide a malleable heart. The Prophet didn't have to do anything to teach us all this vital knowledge on psychology. And that's how good this book is at relating events and showing how each of them represents something in the modern world. If for nothing else, this book illuminates that the way of the Prophet is never obsolete.

Verdict: 9.5 out of 10, which is the highest so far that I've given to any book. But then, I'm a huge history buff, so I may be a bit biased. But go and read the book yourself and if you think I've overvalued the book, let me know in the comments section, I'll be happy to listen to your thoughts. Happy reading, everyone =)

Original Post

Review: ANIMAL FARM and LORD OF THE FLIES

2009-10-04T20:10:00.000-07:00

My friend from KYUEM, Meor Muslih who is now studying medicine in Prague has written two very interesting reviews on two very interesting books. The first one is Animal Farm by George Orwell. This novel was recommended by our Sociology teacher a couple of years back, amidst our lessons on Marxism/Socialism. The second book is Lord of the Flies, by William Golding. Now, this is the book that I've always wanted to read but never got around to doing it. I guess that will change in the near future, thanks to Meor. So, get clicking on the link below if you find any of these two books as interesting as I did =)

Meor Muslih's reviews

IMPOSTER by Philip K Dick

2009-09-16T05:28:00.000-07:00

Okay, okay, I know this wasn’t on the ‘Coming Soon’ list but I read this last night (at the time of writing, not posting) and happened to find it a very interesting read. Interesting enough to get me out of this lazy mode and get writing for a change. So that makes this book pretty damn good, doesn’t it?

Well, a little background for starters. Philip K Dick writes science fictions and he writes them so well, Steven Spielberg chose to turn his ‘Minority Report’ into a feature film. Too bad Spielberg didn’t have as good a taste in the main cast as he did in the script. But I guess we should be thankful that it’s Tom Cruise and not Shia LeBeouf. Anyway, back to Philip Dick. Now here’s a writer who really knows how to produce a page turner. I’m not really a huge fan of futuristic science fictions (The fact that I’m a fan of Star Wars and Star Trek should not be held against me now), but Imposter made my heart pound so fast, I thought it could burst.

A picture of no real relevance. But I like the rocket.

It’s not a novel, it’s just a short story of about 15 pages so that must be welcomed news for people like me out there (read: people with short attention span). The story takes place in the future, we are not told exactly when, amidst a raging war between the people of Earth and some outerspacers (read: aliens!). Times are tough, people are wary of differences and they don’t exactly have the time to go investigating into an accusation when one occurs. At times like this, when they call you a traitor, you are one. No trial, no ‘innocent-unless-proven-guilty’ shit, and you’re certainly not expected to care. Unless you happen to be the alleged traitor.

Spence Olham wakes up one day to the fact that he is now going to be eliminated on the grounds that he is not really Spence Olham and actually an alien-humanoid spy with a U-bomb (a very powerful bomb) inside his chest. One that can annihilate the entire planet. Intelligence has shown that humanoids are sent to replicate a specific target (in this case, Olham), kill the target and adopt all his feelings, emotions and even memories. Once the replication is made, no one can tell the difference and it’ll be as if the target is still alive, albeit with a ticking bomb in his chest.

So, Olham has to prove that a) he’s not that humanoid, b) he really is Spence Olham, and c) that somewhere out there a humanoid is walking free among humans. And he has to prove it soon, since these men out to get him will not listen to reason.

Now… how about that? I’m not gonna spoil the experience for you by providing too much background, but if I managed to get you slightly interested in the story, I guess it wouldn’t be so hard to get you clicking on the link below. Yes, folks… you can find the story online from a portal called Scribd. You can even download it if you want. God bless the net. So get reading, people, and enjoy the ride! =)

http://www.scribd.com/doc/2916509/Imposter-by-Philip-K-Dick

P/S: The language employed is so very simple I really think the Ministry of Education should use this short story in the PMR syllabus. Alongside ‘The Pencil’ and ‘Of Bunga Telur and Bally Shoes’. Okay, penning off.

Coming Soon

2009-08-14T20:36:00.000-07:00

Okay, in order not to be misleading, I'll make it clear clear that in Ede talk, "soon" should read "soon-ish" which falls within the range of one to two months.

Now that we've established that, there are several books whose reviews I'm interested in writing. It's just that I'm not sure if people are being fed too much classics and American stuff. Which makes me fret over the diversity of my reading materials (or the lack thereof). The books are:

1. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Now, this is the real deal! I mean, this is Steinbeck's "Great Gatsby". If there is any definitive work of the misbegotten, then this would be it. The trouble is, writing too much about Steinbeck mght just get people to be sick of him and I don't want that. He's a wonderful author and I want people to discover just what he has to offer the way I did, by having my interest and curiosity piqued slowly yet surely. So I'm gonna leave this review off until later, I guess.

2. Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt

Here's a little gem that's done everything under the sun to me. It made me laugh like hell in the toilet (my mum got a bit concerned), it made me feel disgusted, it made me think and it made me cry. But most of all, it made me feel, which is no small feat. I come from a pretty stable family and over the course of my childhood I never had to worry about not having food on the table and stuff like that. And sometimes, I forget that not everybody is as lucky as I. This book provides an intimate insight to poverty and social struggle so insidious you'd think twice before whining about how your room's AC sucks.

But here's the catch: This book is so famous already. What's the point of reviewing a book that doesn't need the promotion right? Still, if you wanna know what the book is about and would like my personal feedback, leave a comment and I'll get to it, InsyaAllah.

3. Midaq Alley by Naguib Mahfouz

This Nobel-winning work is often overlooked for the more famous Cairo Trilogy. I've read both (well actually I've read all four, since the trilogy has three volumes. Duh!) and I'd recommend both but Midaq Alley was the first of Mahfouz's works that I read, so naturally, I lean slightly towards this book. I don't think the subject of voluntary prostitution has been widely explored in literature. This book takes us along the journey of how a woman gets herself into this ancient profession. What stunned me the most is how convincing it is. Really.

I can't find a catch for this book, so maybe I'll review this first in the future. I like this book. It'll make a good one to review, I think.

So that's it from me this time around. I'm going back to CSI: NY in a couple of minutes. Oh, on a completely different note, why don't people like CSI:NY? I can understand why people are put off by Miami (I mean, Horatio is such a cartoon) but CSI:NY is pretty cool, good stories, cool crimes (I don't mean it like that) and good looking cast. I love it =)

OF MICE AND MEN by John Steinbeck

2009-08-12T05:38:00.000-07:00

You know how A Samad Said is a pretty awesome laureate and all Malaysian students ever think of is that poem of his, “The Dead Crow”? It isn’t his best work. Hell, it isn’t even one of his best. But kids all over Malaysia will be thinking of that obscure little poem and associate that with A Samad Said. And not read his other works, which is a real shame.

People do the same with John Steinbeck’s works. “The Pearl” is a masterful portrayal of human tragedy but it is nowhere near as good as Steinbeck’s other giant novels. And because SPM students get so bored out of their wit reading “The Pearl”, they get the impression that “The Grapes of Wrath”, “East of Eden” and “Of Mice and Men” are the same. Again, a real shame, because “Of Mice and Men” is probably one of the best books I’ve ever read. It’s not in my top 5 list only because it made number 6. Seriously.

So forget about the lengthy description of Salina, California that Steinbeck has waiting for the reader at the very beginning of the novel. It’s a pretty tedious task if you don’t dig descriptions of nature in its very detailed way, but once you get through that, you’re in for a real human drama. The novel is about an unlikely friendship between George Milton, a small framed man and Lennie Small, a gentle giant who is a bit of a simpleton. He is probably born that way since Steinbeck made it clear that “he wasn’t kicked in the head by a horse”. But beyond that little piece of information, we’re left with no clue as to what caused Lennie’s stupidity. George has been taking care of Lennie since forever and he’s not always tolerant with Lennie’s forgetfulness. Nonetheless, behind that harsh and strict exterior, the reader can tell that George wants no harm in Lennie’s way.

Gary Sinise as George and John Malkovich as Lennie
in the film version of Mice and Men (1992)

If you strip the humour away from the friendship you got a very depressing situation that ties up two men with no hope of ever finding that light everyone dreams of. But Steinbeck wouldn’t let that happen. On almost every page, there’s bound to be something that cracks the reader up, whether it be George’s awkward way of telling Lennie that he cares despite the seemingly harsh treatment, or Lennie’s constant blundering and funny remarks at every little thing that George does. At this point in the novel you get a feeling that in another world, these two would be happy together because they do love each other. But that is not to be. The reality is a nasty place for simple men. In a world that confuses Lennie, things happen to each of them that makes it impossible for them to continue living without being hurt.

It’s the bond between these two men that makes “Of Mice and Men” a difficult literary work to forget. The kind of selfless acts that George commits to get himself and Lennie out of trouble’s way is just too moving. You’d have to be a cold-hearted person not to be touched by this little tale of friendship at its most endearing. There’s a story that George keeps telling Lennie whenever the latter gets a little too excited, a tale that George would repeat to calm Lennie down,

“ Guys like us that work on ranches are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong to place. They come to a ranch an’ work up a stake, and the first thing you know, they’re pounding their tail on some other ranch. They ain’t got nothing to look ahead to.

With us, it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. We don’t have to sit in no bar room blowin’ in our jack jus’ because we got no place else to go. If them other guys get in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us.

But not us! An’ why? Because... because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why.”

At the end of the novel, you’d cry your eyeballs out as these words play in your head. A really powerful invocation of how far a man is willing to go to take care of another. I dare you to read this without crying at the end. And good luck with that! =)

2009-07-15T01:11:00.000-07:00

Tempat: Dewan Utama Pelajar, USM
Tarikh: 23-26 Julai 2009 (Hari Jualan Buku)
Tarikh: 24 Julai 2009 (Majlis Pelancaran Buku Penerbit USM)
Waktu: 9.00 pagi - 10.00 malam

Visit:http://www.penerbit.usm.my/hb2009/index.html

I need recommendation and i need it fast!

2009-07-04T12:13:00.000-07:00

Due to the heavy loads and luggage, I can only bring back these books to USM

1) Dilema Melayu- Tun Dr Mahathir (read the English version, feel like reading the Malay version)

2) Saya Pun Melayu- Zaid Ibrahim

3)Brida- Paulo Coelho

4) Persuasion- Jane Austen (Guilty pleasure? Sorta)

5) Life is An Open Secret- Zabrina Abu Bakar- half way to go.. enlightening. Will post up my review, insyaAllah.

6) A Son Of the Circus- John Irving (Still in consideration)

..and a few to be decided because yes, I need to bring text books some more (prioritize please!). But no worries I can still come back home once every two weeks :)
And John Grisham readers, I need some recomendation please. So far i think I've read 3,4 of John Grisham, pity me. One of them is The Testament which I most remembered. Its remarkable surprises towards the end turned me on.

But most importantly, my most important list right now is of course (ahem,) my text books since it is my first year majoring. Can't wait!

One of my dear friend asked about Faizal Tehrani books, to be honest I always am interested to read his books after all these while of silently becoming his blog and short stories reader. I went to some major book stores, sadly his books are no to avail. Hmm, more reason to open up your own bookstores? But i still havent viewed the new bookstore in Penang, so I hope I can find one.

That's it, my holiday wraps up. But that doesnt mean that this is the end of it.. Will be more reviews to come! :)

Solat: Kebaikan dari Perspektif Sains

2009-06-18T10:09:00.000-07:00

During the last week of the semester, we were having a discussion with one of our beloved lecturers, Dr Hasanah. She later recommended this book, in which I wished I could buy it right away. But of course I did not, all thanks to the emptying bank account running fast to the deep, dark abyss. However, lucky for me! When I was back home in Ipoh, I found my mother was reading the very same book. Mothers! They're just too good at reading minds, don't they?

A bit about this book. It was written by three researchers and educators from our very own Universiti Malaya (OH! no wonder she bought it.). They are Fatimah Ibrahim, Wan Abu Bakar Wan Abas and Ng Siew Chook. All in all, these findings resulted from a series of experiments and studies conducted by a team of lecturers and students. I never knew its existence before, but they really had one project named as "Projek Kejuruteraan Biosolat". Cool eh?

The objective of the whole project is to find how prayers (solat) is correlated to the efficency of your bodies compartment; your cell membrane, your body capasity, your cardiovascular system, your muscle activities, erection dysfunction (yep!), all in all your anatomy. It also explains on how the experiments were done; the equipment used, the methods being done, the variables being considered etc.

Lets take one example. Basic Biology: so you know that human body consists of cell as basic living unit. And, one of must-have specification of a cell is its membrane, right? A cell membrane's permeability helps in preventing foreign objects to enter the cell, so that the cell won't get damaged. Long story short, that's how you get one healty body. So, one way of measuring your cell membrane's permeability is your phase angle (PA).

So you ask, what is phase angle?

Phase angle is one of the terms they use to measure the angular component of the polar coordinate representation. As phase angle is higher, the integrity of the cell membrane's permeability will get higher. One optimum for a Malaysian male is 7.4,as stated in this book.

Now, if I already bore you with those scientific gugu-gaga.

5 disciplines, and 47 males were divided into that 5 groups. First discipline was to complete all five prayers. Second discipline was to observe the proficiency in reciting the verses. Third discipline was how the solat is performed, jamaah or on his own. Fourth discipline is how their spine was while doing the ruku' (horizontally straight or not) and lastly, how the toes were bent correctly while prostrating.

And voila! the result shows that only those who completed all 5 diciplines passed the 7.5 of their phase angle (PA).

Okay, so i might not be the best Biology, Mechanics, Chemistry teacher you have here. But trust me, the book is worth your RM30.00. How does it work? Well, I'm sure you've heard how performing solat helps you in getting a healthy body before, but the story used to end there (for me, before). In this book, these three researchers have done their best in analysing and explaining how solat works in science perspective. This to show you, that solat is not some routine, but it is your cure to every physical aspects of your body. Your remedy spiritually, and how the doa it consisted brings you closer to the Almighty. Your own meditation, without having to fight over the yoga hoo-haa!

The book comes in full color graphic, that's a bonus. It is made available in both English and Malay Language.

My God, Tell Me it is NOT a battle!

2009-06-12T19:23:00.000-07:00

Because if it is, then the hell I'm sure gonna lose!

So Ede came up with her list. I've asked her for a book, shockingly she came up with A LIST OF BOOKS. Well, not that shock, actually if you know that person named Ede. A walking, talking book-worm featured in a human form. Now, that's a compliment!

Okay, let's start off with my humble list.

My first 4 years of school histories started off at 12.00 noon. While waiting for the bus (or van), I've found books, are indeed the best companion, next to my late Opah. We used to have shelves of books near the main door, so when the van came I just put the book wherever and whenever I could make it, waved bye-bye to Opah, and surely Opah would pick it up for me and put it back to the shelves. Nice.

So this is one of my earliest book. "Menumpang Kasih Mengharap Sayang" by Salimi Salimon. Excuse my third-class photo, it was taken from a web anyway. And yes, I do read Malay literature, in case if anyone is wondering. I hate it when people go, " Whoa? Aini? Novel Melayu?". Er, Cop! I thought I'm a Malay, so what's the fuss here?

Okay, back to the topic.

Don't get me wrong. This is not just any typical "novel Melayu". Not your can-tell-the-whole-plot-of-the-story (You know, one of them hate the another, were forced to get married only to find out that he/she is made for him/her.) This is, in fact one of the best Malay novels I could remember. From family values to friendship, you are sure those two are at least among the littlest thing money can't buy in the end of the day. Revenge, or more like a sympathy, for what left are memories of what long gone and nothing much you can do but to move on.

I've been missing for the past 3-4 days. No, I was not abducted by aliens (though it'd be fun). I was in Singapore, in case if no one is reading my not-updated Twitter. When I was in Singapore, I've gotten myself a companion, entitled, " As I Was Passing" by Adibah Amin.

Reading this book has brought me back to old-times kampung memories. I've found myself lucky and unlucky at the same moment- knowing that, despite the age gap, I've experienced some of the chapters (that's the lucky part) and likewise, I'm not lucky for I missed out some of them. All thanks to the modernization of whatever they might call it.

Sneak Peek: Of Ghazal and the Golden Girlhood

Encik Daud ke Pulau Pinang,
Mencari kain tujuh warna,
Karam di laut boleh direnang,
Karam di darat papa kedana.

(p.s: thanks for that good person for paying for this book!:D)

My pick from the classic rack would be (drum roll, please). It'd be unfair to choose only one, because I like both (and many more) equally the same. There are "Little Women" by Louisa M Alcott and The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. Little Women definitely reminds me of the chaotic of me and the sisters. My favorite character will be Jo, despite the boyish trait and bold nature. Her independence and empathy amazed me, enough said.

The Wizard of Oz is a masterpiece. I used to read the book and watch it on tv, and never get bored of it. I used to envy my sister for she once had played "Glinda" in one of the school's play. Okay, that was random. But what I love about the book is, like any other have-been children, despite the easily condensed storyline, is the fantasy adventurous world created by Baum. One light reading material, yet, you can always remember the vividness, the charm and the spark from one journey to another.

So if you could choose, between a heart, a brain or courage, which one will it be?

These two are basically the best from the Asian's genre. Wrote by Adeline Yen Mah, I remember pulling The Chinese Cinderella from the dusty shelf of the library. I don't know, the child in me just have to read this book, judging from the title upfront, and yes, despite the minutes were running fast towards the Final Exam in 2006.

And I cried. (Not because of my result, Alhamdulillah my result is doing okay.)

You know, at one moment, you might think that you have the worst bunch of family members. Family drama(s) here and there. It's tragic and horrid mixed at the same time, for every family sometimes hid one skeleton in the closet. But this story, my oh my, it is more like a mummy filled of maggots, rather than a skeleton.

There is no other uglier family than her family. How could one called himself a human for treating her like that? (and if you wanna know how they treated her, read this. Worth it!)

And as for the Fallen Leaves, it might be one elongated version of The Chinese Cinderella in the beginning, but towards the end, you'll know what happened and that makes you wonder how discontented and jealousy will turn one to even an uglier form of mortal.

Heart-throbbing, compelling but you better read this during the holiday/free time because I promise, you're going to be attached to it!

I'd love to proceed, but something came up. House chores, anyone?

What's next: Angels and Demons ( A pure review, because I havent watched the movie so dont fret, I wont be biased!), One More Day, or maybe the Autobiography of Kurt Cobain.. (Yes, he was awesome, i know!)

Okay la Ede, you won.

Here It is...

2009-06-08T14:51:00.000-07:00

At first, I wanted to write a review of my all time favourite book, a plan which I would have stuck with, if not for the fact that there is no such thing as a favourite book for me. I've always sucked at choosing. So, scrap that plan. I'll come up with a list instead, a list of my all time 5 favourite fictions, and Aini will come up with her own. And then we'll have a bitchy fight about whose list is more awesome. Let the race begin!

1. The Catcher In The Rye (J D Salinger)

Teenage angst. Confusion. Anger. Apathy. Now, when you're a teenager, this is the book to read. I wouldn't say it captures what it is to be a young adult trying to discover the meaning of life and all that but the author did one hell of a job making us care about the character. Holden Caulfield may not possess any of the conventional traits most protagonists have but he still manages to endear himself to the reader despite that, and that is no small feat for any author. The fact that the reader roots for Caulfield speaks volume of Salinger's ability to inject a certain human touch into this one protagonist you end up wanting to know more about this character long after you finish reading the last chapter. A definite must for all book lovers.

2. A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens)

This is one of those classics that stay with me because a) the storyline is just epic and b) the characters give a powerful impact on me as a reader. I read this in my first secondary form in Muadzam Shah and the copy that I borrowed from the library was abridged and illustrated (Don't ask me why an MRSM library would have such bright and bubbly books) so it's definitely not Dicken's style of writing that attracted me to this book. But the storyline was such that I later found myself scouring through the library trying to find an unabridged version of this classic, missing recess time along the way. And when I found it, I realized it's not always easy to read because the English isn't the kind of English commonly used now. But the experience of reliving the era and the history in this novel is worth going through the Dickensian language.

3. The Great Gatsby (F Scott Fitzgerald)

Another classic. This is probably the definitive work when it comes to illustrating the effects of a broken American dream. The storyline may come across as rather unrealistic and a little superficial but the reader would get the impression that it's besides the point. The main point is the poignant message behind the storyline. And what is a momentary suspension of disbelief when the writing more than makes up for that, right? This one has a distinctive style throughout, with Fitzgerald's witty and dry sense of humour lubricating the passage of a heart-wrenching tale. At the end of it, you'd be left numb, knowing that the book has just changed the way you look at life. And that is always a sign of having just read a masterpiece.

4. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)

Okay, okay, I know what Aini'll say. This only makes it on my list because I used to have a crush on Colin Firth who played Darcy, etc. But the truth is I read this novel long before I watched the BBC adaptation of it. It was in the first few months in Kuala Klawang and I picked the book up in the library at random because I had not made any new friends and I was lonely. Yea, okay, whatever. The point is, it sort of gave me some hope that this thing between men and women may work after all. The fact that this novel failed to change me from a cynic to a romantic overnight is not a fault of the book's. To be honest, if Mr Darcy can't flush cynicism out of a girl's heart, nothing else can.

5. The Red Badge of Courage (Stephen Crane)

This may not be an obvious choice for an all time favourite. The writing is adequate but not great. The storyline does not really set it apart from other American literary work depicting the Civil War, but there's something about this novel that makes it so unforgettable for me. Could it be the cowardly Henry Fleming'f search for courage after deserting his battalion? Or the gruesome painting of a battlefield so well done you wish there'd be no more war on earth? It could be both. This is a very pro-war novel. But if you dig deeper, you'll find that pacifism is really at the heart of this novel. And a powerful narration only serves to make the point hit home harder. And it did, to me, at least.

So Aini, wanna come up with yours now?