PERHATIAN: Keselamatan telefon bimbit

Amaran berikut telah kami terima melalui internet. Amaran ini kelihatannya serius dan penting untuk diberikan perhatian, namun kami tidak dapat menjamin kesasihan sumber maupun kandungan makluman ini.

Oleh kerana kebanyakan anggota keluarga dan sahabat handai kita menggunakan telefon bimbit (termasuk Rohani, tetapi TIDAK termasuk Rustam), maka kami ingin mengingatkan semua agar berhati-hati dalam menggunakan alat ini:

• Jangan buat/terima panggilan ketika telefon bimbit sedang dicaj.
• Boleh menyebabkan bahaya seperti galam gambar yang tertera.
• Sebarkan maklumat ini.

PLEASE READ IMMEDIATELY. IMPRTANT

Do not charge your mobile phone the whole night and DON'T keep it near you while charging.

WE HOPE YOU'RE NOT DOING THIS!

Never, ever answer a cell phone while it is being RECHARGED! A few days ago, a person was recharging his cell phone at home. Just at that time, a call came in and he answered it with the instrument still connected to the outlet.

After a few seconds, electricity flowed into the cell phone unrestrained and the young man was thrown to the ground with a heavy thud. His parents rushed to the room only to find him unconscious, with a weak heartbeat and burnt fingers.

He was rushed to a nearby hospital, but was pronounced dead on arrival.

Cell phones are a very useful modern invention. However, we must be aware that it can also be an instrument of death. Never use the cell phone while it is hooked to the electrical outlet !

FORWARD THIS INFORMATION TO PEOPLE THAT MATTER IN YOUR LIFE.

Keluarga Fadhil, Zaina mulai selesa di Newcastle

LAPORAN ROHANI RUSTAM

Pada 9 Januari 2008 kami menerima emel dari Ku Zaina (isteri Dr Fadhil, kakak Salha).

Mereka sekeluarga tampaknya sudah mulai menyesuaikan diri tinggal di perantauan dan sudah mulai selesa dengan persekitaran baru mereka di Newcastle.

Keluarga Fadhil-Zaina tinggal di kawasan Longbenton, tidak terlalu jauh letaknya daripada hospital tempat Fadhil bertugas.

Fadhil bertugas di Freeman Hospital, Newcastle, tetapi Ku Zaina tampaknya terpaksa menghadapi tugas-tugas tambahan seperti kerja rumah, membeli-belah barang keperluan, dan menghantar anak-anak ke sekolah.

Makanan halal tidak terlalu sukar diperolehi di Newcastle, kerana terdapat penduduk keturunan Pakistan yang agak besar.

Anak-anak lelaki mereka bersekolah tidak jauh dari rumah (kira-kita 10 minit berjalan kaki), tetapi anak sulung perempuan mereka (Kak Long) agak jauh sedikit sekolahnya.

Pengalaman Zaina ini mengingatkan saya tentang pengalaman saya sendiri sewaktu di New Haven sekitar 1979, sewaktu Azi dan Rini masih kecil. Bagi saya ini suatu kesempatan baik bagi ibu bekerja seperti Zaina untuk lebih rapat dengan anak-anak – dan saya yakin dia akan menghargai pengalaman ini kemudian hari kelak!

Setakat ini mereka sudah sempat mengalami salji, dan sempat mengujungi beberapa tempat menarik di sekitar Newcastle – seperti Edinburgh dan Stoke (tempat penghasilan Royal Doulton).

Oleh kerana anak-anak bersekolah dan Fadhil sibuk dan sukar dapat cuti, maka lawatan-lawatan yang lebih lama perlulah menunggu waktu-waktu yang lebih sesuai kemudian kelak.

Kepada Dr Fadhil, Ku Zaina dan anak-anak mereka kita ucapkan selamat menikmati pengalaman di perantauan – semoga kita semua selalu dilindungi Allah di mana jua kita berada!

Shahrein merayakan hari lahir ke-43: 11 Januari 2008

Shahrein Zainal Abidin – adik lelaki bungsu Rohani – merayakan hari lahirnya yang ke-43 pada 11 Januari 2008.

Namun, kerana 10 Januari merupakan hari cuti umum (Awal Muharam 1249H), majlis sambutan kecil-kecilan telah dilangsungkan di Glemarie Club, Subang, Kuala Lumpur pada hari itu.

Semua adik beradik Shahrein (dan keluarga mereka) telah menghadiri majlis tersebut – kecuali Azman dan Azlina (yang sedang bertugas di Kuching, Sarawak).

Majlis itu merupakan majlis makan siang (lunch) yang agak ringkas, dan telah diaturkan oleh isteri Shahrein (Hanim) secara “surprise”.

Oleh kerana majlis berlangsung di Karaoke Lounge kelab tersebut, maka sanak saudara semuanya mengambil kesempatan untuk memperlihatkan bakat "tarik suara" masing-masing.

Shahrein sendiri telah menyanyikan beberapa lagu dengan penuh makna dan dengan gayanya yang penuh emosi. Selain itu, terdapat juga upacara biasa majlis demikian, yakni memotong kek.

Keluarga Rohani-Rustam ingin mengucapkan Selamat Hari Lahir kepada Shahrein, dan terimakasih kepada Hanim kerana mengundang kami! Semoga kita sekeluarga senantiasa diberakti Allah.

Klik di sini untuk melihat foto-foto yang diambil pada majlis tersebut.

Yusuwir menerima menantu lagi – 15 Februari 2008

Kunjungan keluarga Rustam ke Painan pada 25 Mac 2006. Syafyuzir berdiri paling kiri.

Kami baru sahaja menerima berita dari Yusuwir Ilyas dan keluarganya di Painan, Sumatera Barat (Indonesia) bahawa mereka akan menerima menantu lagi pada 15 Februari nanti.

Kali terakhir Yusuwir menerima menantu ialah tetkala anak perempuan sulungnya, Yanti, melangsungkan perkawinan pada bulan September 2004. Seramai sepuluh orang anggota keluarga kita dari Malaysia telah membentuk satu rombongan menghadiri majlis tersebut.

Yang akan melangsungkan pernikahannya kali ini nanti ialah anak lelaki keduaYusuwir, Syafyuzir Pranata (lebih dikenal di kalangan keluarga sebagai Yuk).

Yuk yang tinggal bersamaYusuwir bertugas sebagai pegawai bank di sebuah kota kecil berhampiran Painan. Gadis pilihannya, menurut berita yang kami dengar, adalah gadis tempatan Painan (juga pegawai bank).

Dengan pernikahan Yuk ini, masih tinggal dua orang anak Yusuwir dan isterinya (Upik) yang masih belum bernikah: anak lelaki sulungnya, Syafyuddin (juga seorang pegawai bank di Riau) dan anak gadis bungsunya, Ayu Hafizah (siswa sarjana ekonomi di Universitas Andalas, Padang).

Yusuwir dan isterinya telah meminta kami menyampaikan berita gembira ini kepada semua anggota keluarga kita di Malaysia dan memanjangkan undangan mereka ke majlis pernikahan Yuk tersebut.

Jika ada yang berminat untuk mengaturkan suatu rombongan seperti pada pada tahun 2004 dulu, silalah menghubungi kami.

Christmas day – and Rohani-Rustam 37th anniversary

December 25, 2007. As usual, it’s Christmas day. And as usual it’s also Rohani and Rustam’s wedding anniversary. This year it’s their 37^th anniversary.

Click here: Pictures of the Akad Nikah (wedding vows) ceremony thirty seven years ago (December 25, 1970).

This year, Ariani, Azrani and Salha decided to organise a dim sum luncheon for the whole family at the Chinese Restaurant, Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur.

Arissa seems to enjoy the occasion most. She got to benefit from the various promotional activities for children organised by the hotel for Christmas.

Besides meeting familiar characters such as the Nutcracker and Santa, she also met friends of her age, and watch familiar movies such as Pingu, Bob the Builder and Thomas the Train.

All in all, it was an enjoyable Christmas day morning for the whole family. Click here for photographs of the outing.

Keluarga Rohani-Rustam dan diaspora

Dalam merayakan pelbagai cuti dan perayaan pada akhir tahun ini, kami gembira kerana dapat melaporkan bahawa pada umumnya anggota keluarga kita yang berada di perantauan sedang berada dalam keadaan sejahtera dan sedang menyesuaikan diri mereka masing-masing dengan suasana di perantauan.

Selain menerima berita secara langsung daripada mereka yang berada di perantauan, beberapa anggota keluarga kita juga sempat mengambil kesempatan daripada percutian akhir tahun ini untuk mengunjungi mereka.

Keluarga kita yang terbaru memulakan hidup di perantauan (selama sekurang-kurangnya setahun mulai Disember 2007) ialah keluarga Dr Fadhil, Ku Zaina (kakak Salha) serta empat orang anak mereka yang kini berada di Newcastle di England (lihat foto Fadhil dan Zaina di Newcastle dalam posting ini).

Baru-baru ini, Norsiah Shamsuddin (sepupu Rohani di Singapura) telah berangkat ke Hong Kong untuk mengunjungi anak perempuannya, Edrina Hussein, yang kini bertugas dengan sebuah bank antarabangsa di sana. Rohani juga sempat berhubungan dengan Edrina melalui emel dan dia menyatakan bahawa dia dalam keadaan baik dan selesa di Hong Kong.

Rahman Talib (anak sulung Anim) dan isterinya Zahirani sudah mulai selesa dengan kehidupan dan pekerjaan mereka di Kaherah, Mesir, sejak beberapa bulan kini. Pada 27 Disember 2007, Ismail Ahmad Ja (anak sulung Rohana) dan isterinya, Noraina, berangkat untuk bercuti bersama Rahman dan isterinya di Mesir.

Kita ucapkan selamat bercuti kepada Is dan Aina dan kita berharap akan menerima sumbangan berita dan gambar-gambar tentang Rahman dan Mesir dari mereka kelak.

Azmir Abdul Talib (anak lelaki Anim) kini berada di Liverpool, England. Pada 24 Disember 2007, Khairul (anak lelaki Azlan) dan Abdul Razak (anak lelaki Anim) berangkat ke London, Paris dan Liverpool untuk bercuti bersama Azmir. Kita ucapkan selamat bercuti kepada mereka. Kita juga menunggu berita tentang kunjungan itu dari mereka.

Azlan baru sahaja pulang ke tanah air setelah menjalani latihan lanjut dalam bidang penerbangan di Amerika Syarikat. Nik Johan Annuar (anak lelaki Nik Annuar dan Intan) kini sedang menjalani percutiannya di Kuala Lumpur dari Universiti Monash di Melbourne, Australia.

Demikianlah, keluarga kita kini tidak sekadar terkumpul di satu tempat tetapi sudah tertebar luas di seluruh dunia – masing-masing dengan urusan kerjaya dan pendidikan mereka di pelbagai tempat di dunia, membentuk semacan suatu “diaspora” untuk keluarga kita.

Kita bergembira kerana ada pula keluarga kita yang dapat mengunjungi anggota-anggota keluarga di perantauan itu dalam suasana perayaan dan percutian pada akhir tahun ini.

Kepada semua kita ucapkan Selamat Eidul Adha dan Selamat Tahun Baru. Semoga kita semua senantiasa diberkati Allah dan senantiasa berada dalam perlindunganNya.

Hari Raya Haji 2007 meriah

Biasanya sambutan Hari Raya Haji (Eidul Adha) di kalangan keluarga kita jauh lebih kecil berbanding perayaan Hari Raya Puasa (Eidul Fitri). Namun kali ini, perayaan hari raya haji di kalangan keluarga kita terasa agak meriah berbanding kebiasaannya.

Tahun ini banyak juga di kalangan keluarga kita yang menjalankan ibadah korban, misalnya keluarga Nik-Zaidah di Petaling Jaya dan keluarga Meor-Faridah di Sungai Dara, Tanjung Malim.

Keluarga (adik beradik) Rohani tahun ini berkumpul pada tengah hari Eidul Adha di rumah Shahrein di Subang Jaya. Semua adik beradik hadir, kecuali Azlan yang kini sedang bertugas di luar negara dan Azlina yang ada urusan lain.. Perhimpunan di rumah Shahrein itu agak meriah.

Pada petangnya, keluarga Rustam berkunjung pula ke rumah Nik-Zaidah. Sambutan hari raya haji tahun ini kebetulan sama dengan sambutan hari lahir Johan yang kini sedang bercuti dari Universiti Monash, Melbourn, Australia.

Pada lewat petang, Rohani dan Rustam sempat mengunjungi rumah Kak Long Jamilah (Datin) dan Abang Nor Adlan (Datuk). Mereka ternyata agak kesepian sewaktu merayakan Eidul Adha tahun ini kerana Mark-Nina serta anak-anak mereka kini sedang bercuti bersama ibu Mark di England.

Pada hari Jumaat, 21 Disember, Rustam, Rohani dan Noliah telah pergi mengunjungi keluarga Meor-Faridah di “rumah persinggahan” mereka di Sungai Dara, Tanjung Malim. Tahun ini, selain melakukan ibadah korban, mereka juga turut melangsungkan majlis tahlil di sana.

Turut hadir di perhimpunan di Sungai Dara itu ialah keluarga Amin-Hayati dan keluarga Pak Cak-Norizan – dan suasananya sungguh meriah.

>> Lihat di sini: Beberapa gambar perayaan Eidul Adha keluarga kita tahun ini (2007).

The dancing Arissa – and her debut solo performance

During the family Hari Raya Haji (Eidul Adha) family gathering at Shahrein Zainal Abidin’s house in Subang Jaya on December 20, our granddaughter Arissa (2 years, 9 months) broke into an impromptu solo dancing performance – to the tune of Shahrein’s piano recital (also impromptu).

Arissa has been showing great interest in dancing and acting lately. We think she’s really good, and quite passionate in her interest - and she hardly needs any encouragement or coaxing to show off her performing prowess, for the moment at least to small audiences of familiar people such as close friends and family members.

The video clip shown here was recorded by her Auntie Rini (Ariani Rustam) on her Nikon Coolpix L5 digital camera. Enjoy.

Season’s Greetings from Rohani and Rustam

The following is the message and season’s greetings we sent to friends and relatives all over the world, and at home too, this year. The message was e-mailed to them earlier.

In case that your e-mail address is somehow not found in the “contact list” of our computer, please regard this message as being addressed to you too. As usual, we wish you all the best during this season of blessings, gratitude and goodwill.

Dear friends,

We hope this letter finds you and yours in good health and enjoying a life of comfort and in peace. It’s that time of the year again when we eagerly take delight in reestablishing contacts with friends near and far – and to inform them how we have been doing over the last one year.

We truly hope that those friends with whom we have not been in correspondence over the year have been able to visit our family blog. The postings are in English and Bahasa Malaysia, and Rustam has been quite diligent in updating the site. We hope more family members and friends would care to take the time to send us stories, news and pictures for posting on the site – to be shared by us all.

We are both very thankful that we are able to enjoy our retirement tremendously. Although our main preoccupation has been fussing over our granddaughter, Arissa, but both of us have nevertheless been quite busy keeping our professional interests alive.

Arissa who turned two in March is such a delight to everyone at home. She is at that age when she enjoys imitating adult behaviour such as reading, telling stories, dancing, being engaged in “intelligent” conversations, and trying to look pretty with her choice of dresses and shoes. We look forward to even more delightful antics from her when she turns three in March next year.

Rohani has been very involved with voluntary work for the Librarians Association of Malaysia (PPM), especially with the “Misi Iqra’ Project” – a project to raise donations locally and internationally to help rebuild reading and library facilities and services in Aceh (Sumatera, Indonesia) which was devastated by the tsunami on the day after Christmas of 2004.

We are proud to report that a modestly substantial amount of donations have been raised and have been channeled mainly to an NGO, the Yayasan Masyarakat Iqra’ (YMI), and the government Provincial Public Library Department. Most of the funds channeled have been used to buy books and other reading materials, to renovate reading rooms and, most importantly, to help run mobile library services for the rural areas.

Watching the children in Aceh – who were victims of the tsunami devastation – devour the library facilities in their insatiable quest for knowledge has been a great source of inspiration for Rohani in participating in the project.

In February, Rohani participated in an International Conference of Post-Tsunami Development of Aceh jointly organised by the National University of Singapore and the Aceh Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Board in Banda Aceh while taking time off to pursue her voluntary activities among relief workers involved in redeveloping library and reading facilities in Aceh.

On December 7 – 9, Rohani once again visited Banda Aceh to finalise arrangements for the purchase of books and other facilities for the YMI and the Provincial Library Department. She also attended a workshop on post-tsunami social development jointly organised by the Aceh Institute (Banda Aceh) and the Sri Lanka Ethnicity Study Center (Colombo).

Rustam has been quite busy, too, updating postings for his own socio-political op-ed blogsite, Suara Rakyat and writing his column for the weekly newspaper, Siasah. Both the blogsite and the column have established quite a following. Beside his political and social work, Rustam has been invited to participate in a number of academic and public seminars organised by institutions such as National University of Malaysia (UKM), Nottingham University (Malaysia Campus), Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, Suaram, Amnesty International, and the Bar Council.

Rustam’s next book, a collection of his op-ed articles and blog postings in English, Snapshots of My Concerns, is in press and scheduled for publication in January 2008.

Azrani left his job at Securities Commission in April to join an international corporation, the British-American Tobacco (Malaysia), as its Regulatory Affairs Manager. The new job entails quite a bit of traveling regionally and internationally. Salha, however, appears to be still loyal to her employer, Scicom Sdn. Bhd., and is always kept busy at work.

Ariani is still with the Central Bank (Bank Negara Malaysia), where she is Senior Executive in the Investment Operations and Financial Markets Department. She has been rather busy with work, but was able recently to take time off for a holiday in Holland from November 3-13 – and enjoyed herself very much.

In April, Rohani, Ariani and some relatives (6 ladies in all) went to Bandung (Indonesia) on a shopping trip, taking advantage of a promotional offer in conjunction with the newly established direct KL-Bandung flight by Air Asia. The ladies enjoyed the trip tremendously, causing a small change in favour of Indonesia in its international balance of trade with Malaysia!

We are delighted that some friends from overseas have been able to visit us in Kuala Lumpur this year. In August some old friends from Universitas Padjadjaran in Bandung, Indonesia – where Rustam was on several occasions a visiting lecturer many years ago – were attending an academic conference in Bangi and Kuala Lumpur and were able to visit with us. Among them were Professors Kusnaka, Sambas, Yuyun, Judistira, and Ade.

Rohani’s “student officer” when she was a graduate student in Wellington, New Zealand many years ago – Margaret Wallace – visited our home in Gombak in September when she was on her way home to New Zealand after her holiday trip in Europe. Prof Jeffrey Kingston, Director of Asian Studies, Temple University (Japan Campus) – an old friend of Rustam since his graduate school days in the US – visited us in August when he attended the International Asian Studies Conference in KL.

We are pleased to report that in 2007 we had been blessed with fairly good health. Rohani, however, lost an auntie (Hasnah Haji Yaacob, 79, a younger sister of her later father) in October, and a dear cousin, Haji Ismail Hashim, 65, in September.

Now that 2007 is coming to a close, we would like to take this opportunity to wish dear relatives and friends, near and far, Season’s Greetings and a Very Happy New Year. We pray that every one of us would be blessed with good health and with peace, and hope that we would have the opportunity to meet again in 2008.

Rohani and Rustam

December 20, 2007.

Christmas greetings from Ruth and Karl

As usual, at this time of year, we receive season’s greetings from our dear friends, Ruth and Karl Knollmueller, in New Haven, Connecticut, USA. We are glad to hear that they and their daughters, Linnea and Marit, are well.

The past year has been one of continued stable health and a life of more rest than work, more creature comforts than hardships and more gratitude than dismay (except for the war in Iraq...).

One highlight for me was to join LeRoy (brother) and Eloise in July when we drove from Chicago to Plum City, WI for a reunion of all students who had attended school there. It was fun to see classmates from 65 (yikes) years ago and to re-establish contact with several of them.

In March Marit participated at a professional conference in Chicago so Karl and I drove out and we all stayed with LeRoy and Eloise. We enjoyed that time together and had an opportunity to have lunch with Karl’s cousins, Helga Grellert and Anita Weitl. One day we went to Milwaukee, WI to the Art Museum which is a “must see” if only for the grand entrance, “Wings,” designed by Burke Brise Soleil and a dramatic addition by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava; both designs take advantage of the Museum being on the shores of Lake Michigan. Of course we included a good German dinner at Maders restaurant!

Marit is in the final throes of her dissertation in Film Studies in England and for recreation, in addition to ballroom dancing at Cambridge, she has been an extra in several movies. A current movie, Sweeney Todd, she is in dancing scenes; she’s the one wearing a partridge hair attachment with a very long feather! Marit will spend a few days over Christmas with Elle (Karl’s sister) in Regensburg, Germany.

Linnea is Associate Director for Production at the Crown imprint of Random House publishing. Two recent books she has done that are familiar to many of you are Letters From Nuremburg by Chris Dodd (our CT senator and erstwhile Presidential candidate) and Rachael Ray’s latest book, Just In Time. Linnea has been in her present position for a year and enjoys the challenge learning new management skills and mentoring novice production assistants.

We are watching the national political developments and this next year promises to be fraught with angst and candidate fatigue. However, at this time of the year we await greetings from you; for that there is never fatigue!

Dona Nobis Pacem (Grant Us Peace) !

Azrani-Salha Fourth Anniversary

Azrani and Salha celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary on December 13, 2007.

There was a quiet family dinner at home.

It was Arissa that seems to enjoy the occasion most. She got to blow the candles on the cake and was allowed to enjoy the gift of chocolates from auntie Rini.

Pictures of the wedding four years ago.

Rohani ke Banda Aceh lagi

Pada 7-9 Disember 2007 Rohani sekali lagi berada di Banda Aceh atas urusan “Misi Iqra’” Persatuan Pustakawan Malaysia (PPM).

Misi yang mulai dilancarkan pada tahun 2005 itu bertujuan untuk membantu masyarakat Aceh membina kembali prasarana dan perkhidmatan pembacaan di wilayah tersebut yang telah musnah akibat malapetaka tsunami pada tahun 2004.

Melalui misi tersebut, setakat ini Jawatankuasa Bantuan Luar PPM telah berjaya mengumpul dana sebesar kira-kira RM100,000 dari pelbagai sumber dalam dan luar negara.

Sebahagian besar dana tersebut setakat ini disalurkan kepada sebuah institusi pemerintah, Badan Perpustakaan Daerah Nanggroe Aceh Darusssalam (NAD) dan sebuah NGO, Yayasan Masyarakat Iqra’ (YMI) – untuk pembelian buku dan pengurusan perpustakaan bergerak (moble libraries).

Tujuan kunjungan ringkas Rohani kali ini adalah untuk mengemaskini urusan pembelian buku-buku tersebut. Selain itu, Rohani juga sempat mengadakan perbincangan dengan pimpinan kedua-dua badan itu, selain menghadiri bengkel “pembangunan Aceh pasca-tsunami” yang dianjurkan Yayasan Aceh (Aceh Institute).

Rustam menyertai seminar tentang tanah

Pada 4 dan 5 Disember 2007 telah berlangsung di Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) Kuala Lumpur “Seminar Antarabangsa Tanah: Keterhakisan Sosial dan Ekologi – Pengalaman Malaysia dan Indonesia”.

Seminar tersebut dianjurkan besama oleh Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, Institut Alam dan Tamadun Melayu (ATMA-UKM), dan Felcra Berhad, dan upacara perasmiannya telah disempurnakan oleh Ahmad Shabery Cheek, Setiausaha Parlimen Kemenetrian Luar Negeri Malaysia.

Seminar tersebut disertai oleh para ahli akademik, para pengkaji ilmu sosial dan persekitaran (ekologi) serta para pentadbir dari institusi-institusi pembangunan tanah dan wilayah di Malaysia dan Indonesia.

Rustam turut mengambil bahagian dalam seminar tersebut, dan berperanan mempengerusikan Sesi 1: Pengagihan Tanah dan Pembangunan Sosial-Ekonomi Masyarakat.

Para pembentang kertaskerja Sesi tersebut adalah: (1) Prof. Dr. Rokiah Talib (UKM), (2) Haji Juzilman Basir (Felcra) dan (3) Prof. Dr. Afrizal M. A. (Universitas Andalas, Padang, Indonesia).

Keluarga Dr Fadhil selamat berangkat ke Newcastle: Masalah visa selesai

Dr Mohd. Fadhil Azzahari, isterinya Ku Zaina Ku Adnan, serta empat orang anak mereka, telah selamat berangkat ke Newcastle, England, pada lewat malam 3 Disember 2007 dari Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur.

Dr Fadhil akan bertugas selama setahun di sebuah hospital di Newcastle dalam rangka latihan lanjutannya sebagai seorang doktor pakar. Sebelum ini beliau bertugas sebagai doktor pakar bius di Hospital Kuching (Sarawak) dan Hospital Kangar (Perlis).

Latihan di Newcastle itu adalah atas tajaan Jabatan Perhidmatan Awam Malaysia.

Oleh kerana terdapat sedikit masalah teknik sehubungan visa, maka pada 12 November lalu Dr Fadhil terpaksa berangkat dulu sendirian tanpa keluarganya.

Bila masalah visa itu akhirnya selesai Dr Fadhil telah kembali ke Malaysia untuk turut mengiringi keluarganya dalam perjalanan ke Newcastle itu.

Pada malam Ahad, 2 Disember lalu keluarga Rustam dan Rohani telah sempat makan malam bersama dengan keluarga Dr Fadil di Restoran Minang Puti Bungsu di Jalan Yap Kwan Seng, Kuala Lumpur. (Lihat gambar).

Kita mengucapkan selamat bertugas kepada Dr Fadhil. Kepada Ku Zaina dan anak-anak kita juga mengucapkan selamat menjalani hidup di rantau orang selama setahun, dan selamat pergi dan kembali dengan memperoleh pengalaman yang berharga.

Jalan Ahmad Boestamam, Slim River, Perak

Pada hari Ahad, 2 Disember 2007, Rohani dan Rustam telah sempat berkunjung dan melawat-lawat di sekitar kawasan Tanjung Malim dan Slim River di Perak (Selatan).

Kunjungan itu merupakan kunjungan yang agak nostalgia bagi Rustam, kerana beliau membesar dan bersekolah di daerah tersebut.

Pelbagai mercu tanda, seperti Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Sekolah Methodist Tanjung Malim, Kampung Behrang Ulu, Sungai Bernam, Restoran Pau Hainan Yik Mun, dan Pekan Slim River, semuanya merupakan tempat-tempat yang penuh kenangan bagi Rustam.

Namun pengalaman yang paling menggembirakan bagi Rustam kali ini ialah berkunjung ke Jalan Ahmad Boestamam yang terletak di tengah-tengah pekan Slim River.

Jalan tersebut terletak di suatu kawasan yang utama di Slim River, bersambung dengan jalan utama pekan tersebut – yakni Jalan Stesyen. Jalan tersebut memang telah dinamakan bersempena nama Allahyaraham ayahanda Rustam, Ahmad Boestamam, sejak beberapa tahun lalu.

Allahyaraham Ahmad Boestamam memanglah dilahirkan pada tahun 1920 dan membesar di kawasan itu, yakni di Kampung Behrang Ulu, Tanjung Malim.

Rohani dan Rustam memang sejak lama berkeinginan untuk mengunjungi jalan tersebut, tetapi hanya dalam kunjungan kali ini baru niat itu tercapai.

Untuk melihat beberapa gambar yang sempat dirakamkan Rohani dan Rustam di jalan tersebut, sila klik di sini.

Keluarga kita dalam Friendster

Salah satu alat perhubungan canggih melalui internet yang populer hari ini – khususnya di kalangan orang-orang muda – ialah laman web Friendster. Melalui laman ini kita dapat membaca makluman dan melihat gambar-gambar orang yang berlanggan dengan laman tersebut.

Kami dapat mengesan dua orang anggota keluarga kita yang mempunyai laman Friendster mereka sendiri:

• Nik Danial (Nik), Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. http://profiles.friendster.com/598912

• Ayu Hafizah (Ayufiz), Padang, Indonesia. http://profiles.friendster.com/13407554

Jika ada anggota keluarga lain yang mempunyai laman web Friendster atau sebarang laman web jenis lain (misalnya Facebook) dan ingin berkongsi maklauman tentangnya dengan anggota-anggota keluarga kita yang lain, sudilah memberitahu kami.

Makluman ini penting, khususnya untuk memungkinkan para anggota muda kita terus berhubungan.

Menghadiri forum PSM tentang Pramoedya

Pada 24 November lalu Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) telah menganjurkan sebuah majlis forum tentang Pramoedya Ananta Toer pada jam 8.00 malam di Dewan Perhimpunan Cina Selangor, Kuala Lumpur.

Anggota panel forum terdiri daripada Max Lane, penterjemah karya-karya Pramoedya dan pengkaji politik Asia Tenggara dari Australia dan Dr Sumit Mandal, sarjana dari Institut Kajian Malaysia dan Antarabangsa (IKMAS), UKM.

Majlis dipengerusikan oleh Fathi Aris dari portal berita M-Star.com.

Pramoedya (1925-2006) merupakan sasterawan Indonesia yang terkenal di seluruh dunia. Beliau merupakan seorang penulis prolifik yang dianggap seorang tokoh dan ikon dan pertumbuhan sastera moden Indonesia. Karya-karya yang dianggap berhaluan progresif menyuarakan tentangan terhadap penjajahan dan pemerintahan zalim.

Rustam dan Rohani – kedua-duanya peminat Pramoedya Ananta Toer sejak lama – telah menghadiri majlis forum tersebut.

Max Lane telah memperkatakan sumbangan Pramoedya sebagai ikon sastera, budaya dan cendekia yang penting di Indonesia, khususnya gagasannya tentang proses pembentukan “nasion” Indonesia untuk masa depannya – dalam rangka pengungkapan kembali sejarah Indonesia moden.

Sumit Mandal pula menumpukan perbincangannya terhadap pendekatam Pramoedya dalam memperkatakan persoalan etnisiti di Indonesia, khususnya sambutan dan penghargaannya akan peranan kelompok Tionghua dalam proses pencarian jatidiri negarabangsa tersebut.

Di luar jangkaan, perbincangan forum (dalam bahasa Malaysia/Indonesia) itu telah mendorongkan diskusi yang agak rancak juga di kalangan para hadirin – termasuklah menganalisis dan membandingkan situasi kebobrokan pertumbuhan masyarakat dan budaya sejak zaman Suharto di Indonesia dan Mahathir di Malaysia.

Rustam turut diminta oleh moderator untuk mengemukakan pandangannya tentang persoalan tersebut – dan mengemukakan beberapa persoalan kepada Max Lane.

Rustam gembira bukan sahaja kerana kesempatan menghadiri forum itu tetapi juga kerana kesempatan memperoleh autograf Max Lane, penterjemah buku Pramoedya yang berjudul Child of All Nations (Anak Semua Bangsa)(Penguin Books, 1984).

My amazing Dutch adventure

By Ariani Rustam

I was in Holland for a holiday from 2^nd to 13^th November 2007, and had the opportunity to visit a few places there, such as Amsterdam, Leiden, Delft and The Hague.

Amsterdam

As I walk along the streets and canals of Amsterdam, one thing struck me about how different this city is from London, New York or even Kuala Lumpur – calm and relaxed.

There is none of the metropolitan rush about Amsterdam. Young urban professionals ride their bicycles to work, families do not draw their curtains even if their apartment is one the ground floor and there is virtually no rush hour.

Certainly, Amsterdam is a very tolerant city, with its ‘coffeeshops’ and red-light district, but it is at the same time a very safe and family-oriented city. It is also a great city for tourists, with friendly people to show you around if you look a little lost.

I had been to Amsterdam before and had visited the ‘must-sees’ such as the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, the Van Gogh museum and the Anne Frank House. This time around, I managed to take a canal cruise which was a great way to catch a glimpse of the entire city, and I also went to the famous Albert Cuyp street market, where I tried French fries with mayonnaise – Dutch-style – and it made me never want to eat fries with mere ketchup again!

The Dutch are also well known for their pancakes (pannekoeken), and I tried the cheese and mushroom pancake, which was indeed delicious.

Another thing Amsterdam is famous for are diamonds. While Antwerp in Belgium is the world centre for diamond trading, Amsterdam is the centre for cutting and polishing diamonds. I visited the world-famous Gassan diamond factory, the factory that supplies cut and polished diamonds for Chopard and Tiffany & Co. It was one of the highlights of my journey as I was given a lesson on all I needed to know about diamonds as well as a generous discount!

Leiden

Leiden is the home of the oldest university in Holland and it also houses some of its most famous museums, such as Rijkmuseum van Oudheven (Museum of Antiquities) and the Volkenkunde (Museum of Ethnicity and Culture). There is also the famous De Valk windmill here, which is now a museum. Leiden reminds me a lot of Oxford or Cambridge, as the town has built itself largely around the university and its students. Leiden is about 30 minutes from Amsterdam by train.

Delft

This town may be tiny but it is world-famous – courtesy of Jan Vermeer and the ‘Delft Blue’. It is the home of the Royal Delft, which has been producing the famous blue-and-white hand-painted porcelain since the 17^th century. Delft was also the home of one of the Dutch masters, Vermeer, who painted ‘The Girl with a Pearl Earring’.

While in Delft, I visited the home of Lambert van Meerten, a Dutch aristocrat in the 17^th century who kept a great private art collection. Delft is also the burial ground for the Dutch royal family.

The Hague (Den Haag)

The capital of the Netherlands is stately and grand, and I was lucky to find a place to stay in central Den Haag, right next to the Binnenhof (Dutch Parliament) complex. Even in the government centre of Holland, everyone rode bicycles to work. The must-see attraction here is the Mauritshuis, an elegant museum which houses the ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’.

There are also many pieces by Dutch masters such as Rembrandt, Brueghel, Frans Hals and Rubens here. I also went to the Panorama Mesdag, where you get to stand in a centre podium and get an amazing view of an 18-foot, 360-degrees painting depicting the life in Scheveningen town in the 18^th century as painted by Wilhelm Mesdag. It is one of the few panorama paintings still in existence today. Another highlight of Den Haag is Madurodam, which is like a mini-Netherlands with miniatures of all the attraction of the countries done on a scale of 1:25.

All in all, I enjoyed my Dutch holiday very much – from the pancakes to the diamonds, to the Vermeers, and the trams and bicycles, and the clogs and the cheese, and the markets – and although the exchange rate did hurt a little (EUR/MYR was 4.89 when I was there) but the experience made it all worth it.

For some photgraphs of my holidays in Holland, see here.

Dr Fadhil berangkat ke Newcastle

Keluarga Dr Fadhil dan keluarga Azrani di Kuala Lumpur baru-baru ini

Dr Mohd. Fadhil Mohd. Azzahari (biras Azrani, suami Ku Zaina) telah berangkat ke Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, pada 12 November 2007.

Beliau akan bertugas selama setahun di sebuah hospital di sana dalam rangka latihan profesional lanjutannya sebagai seorang doktor pakar. Sebelum ini beliau telah bertugas sebagai doktor pakar (bius) di Kangar dan di Kuching, Sarawak.

Dalam perancangan asalnya, keluarga Dr. Fadhil (isterinya Ku Zaina dan empat orang anak mereka) akan turut berangkat bersama. Akan tetapi, kerana terdapat sedikit “masalah teknik” permohonan visa sehubungan dengan perolehan rumah tempat tinggal yang sesuai di Newcastle, Dr Fadhil terpaksa berangkat sendirian terlebih dulu.

Ku Zaina dan keluarganya kini berada di Kangar sementara menunggu masalah permohonan visa tersebut diselesaikan.

Kami mendapat khabar Dr Fadhil kini sudah berada di Newcastle. Diucapkan selamat bertugas kepada beliau.