Kampung Boy Learning English (1)

I was thinking of something to do; something educational that I enjoy doing, which I can also share with others. So I thought I would do a review on English grammar. Yep, I do like grammar! As much as I like having Nasi Lemak and Teh Tarik for breakfast back home. I figured that the best way of learning is teaching; as you practice what you know, you help your brain retain it better.

So, what topic should we do a review on? Let's see..okay, let's do a review on 'Types of Tenses'. One thing that distinguishes English grammar from Malay grammar is the critical use of tenses, as in past, present, and future tenses. Instead of just adding words that indicate a specific tense, in English, the verb itself has to be modified accordingly. A mistake in tenses can disrupt the intended meaning of a sentence.

Present Perfect Tense

eat >> have eaten
beat >> have beaten
fly >> have flown


1) Used for a repeated action to show how many times you have done the action (up to the present)

Ex: I have eaten three cups of megi.

Use 'since' or a 'since clause' to specify the time;

Ex. I have eaten three cups of megi since yesterday.

Note: Always use Simple Past for a 'since clause';

Ex. I have eaten three cups of megi since I arrived.

2) Used for a state/feeling that extends from a point in the past to the present

Ex. 1: I have liked her since I first saw her.

Ex. 2: I have been frustrated since I found out she's taken.

Note: For a repeated action that was definitely completed in the past (not connected to the present), simply use Simple Past, with an appropriate time phrase;

Ex. 1 I went to Teluk Intan three times last year.

Ex. 2 I saw her only a few times last winter.

Okay let's stop here for now. Next time, I'll pick up our review on Present Perfect Continuous Tense. I'm sorry if you find the above wording confusing, and I'd love to accept any comments, corrections, and constructive criticisms too since I myself am still learning. Questions are most welcomed. Until the next lesson, see ya. Assalamualaikum. ^^

I'm sorry

I'd like to apologize to you..

• whom I made promises to that I didn't keep.
• whom I've given hopes only to crush them later.
• whom I didn't stand up for when I should.
• whose expectations I have failed to meet.
• whose resources I have spent to waste.
• whose company I've taken for granted.
• whose feelings I have hurt.
• whom I've put in an awkward position due to my lack of control over my feelings.
• whose sincerity I have doubted.
• whose trust I did't fulfill.
• whose feelings I didn't return.
• whose cuteness I can't resist?

I'd like to apologize for..

• not making the best of the chances I had.
• having been slacking off and not studying hard enough.
• spending on things I don't need.
• letting my gaze wander off.
• getting in the way when I'm not supposed to.
• not voicing out the truth when I should.
• not calling home often enough.
• not being of much help around.
• not being much of a good muslim, servant, dai'e, leader, son, brother, friend, student, JPA scholar, housemate, lab partner, blogger..oh, MySA member! (if I'm still considered a member ^^")

So..are my apologies accepted?

hadiah

Petang tadi Br. Intikhab datang. Terkejut jugak tiba-tiba dia telefon cakap nak singgah rumah dari balik kerja. Kitorang kat rumah tengah tengok bola dengan khusyuknya di TV skrin besar. Apa lagi..kemas2 lah apa yang patut kan. Maklumlah rumah orang lelaki bujang, rumah dah la kecik duduk ramai2 pulak tu (alasan!). Tiba2 terngiang kata2 ibu tercinta ditelinga; "Kamu ni suka letak barang merata, dompet, henset semua nak kena cari..ni nanti dah kahwin takkan bini nak kena cari?" "Ala..nanti kitorang cari sama-sama lah.." Nak jawab macam tu, tapi kupendamkan..haha. Ibu dan nasihat-nasihat nya..rindu lah! Balik ni azam nak berkhidmat untuk ayah dan ibu..hehe.

Oh kat mana tadi? Jadi, perlawanan antara Real Madrid dan Bayern Munich terpaksa diberhentikan sebentar apabila loceng berbunyi. Dipendekkan cerita, Br. Intikhab datang sebab nak bagi kitorang jubah2 yang dia kirim dari Toronto sebagai hadiah. Minggu lepas Br. Syish pergi Toronto nak renew passport dia, jadi dia kirimlah beli jubah dekat sebuah kedai ni kat sana. Saya dapat kaler hijau, Mael dapat putih, Wae dapat hitam..siap ada matching kopiah lagi. Seronok nampaknya Br. Intikhab tu bila dapat bagi kitorang hadiah. Kitorang pun seronok la dapat hadiah kan. Lepas ni nak kena rajin2 pakai jubah la nampaknya. Ni kira hadiah perpisahan la kot sebab kitorang pun nak balik Malaysia dah insyaAllah dlm sebulan dua. Kitorang dah anggap dia macam keluarga sendiri kat sini. Dia pun dah anggap kitorang macam anak-anak dia dah. Dia tau kitorang ni duduk jauh dari keluarga, jadi macam2 lah dia buat kadang2 tu sebab nak hiburkan hati kitorang. Lagu Negaraku pun dia dah hafal dan selalu nyanyi kat kitorang. Tapi dia punya melody off sikitlah..haha. Hm..mesti dia sedih sebab kitorang nak balik ni. Dia memang dah bagitau siap2 dia akan nangis nanti..huhu. Takpe, insyaAllah boleh tetap berhubung melalui Skype kan. Br. Intikhab siap mintak nak tengok kitorang kawin live dekat Skype lagi..macam mana tu?

Hari Jumaat ni satu jema'ah Arab dari Lackawanna akan khuruj di Masjid Ar Rahman di Bay St. Rochester insyaAllah. Ingat lagi masjid yang asal nya church tu, tapi dah dibeli dan dijadikan masjid oleh komuniti Yaman kat situ. Kalau tengok masjid tu luar dalam sebijik macam church. Kuasa Allah kan. Allah boleh tukar semua church kat dunia ni jadi masjid kalau Dia berkehendak. Tapi Allah nak muliakan kita dengan bagi kita peluang untuk tunjukkan usaha kita dulu. Dan kemudian Allah sendiri yang kan beri ganjaran kepada orang-orang yang berusaha untuk menegakkan agama-Nya. Allah tak perlukan kita untuk buat apa-apa..sikit pun tidak. Semoga kita tergolong di kalangan orang2 yang dipilih Allah untuk membantu agama-Nya. Ameen. ^^,

P/s: Exam Advance Immune tadi macam tak boleh jawab. Sedihnya. Dah la Real Madrid kalah..huhu.

hamna

Just got back from Syracuse. Feeling rejuvenated after a little dose of afternoon nap just now. This time around Adem, a US-born Turkish, went with us to Syracuse. He just finished at University at Buffalo, and is applying to a medical school for his Master's. He should be back in college by next Fall. I'm very glad that two other Malaysians, Syafiq and Izani, were with us this time. Syafiq left with us from here to Syracuse on Friday, while Izani who is currently doing his co-op in Syracuse joined us when we got there. Alhamdulillah. We had a great time and a lot of fun I guess especially for the kids in our jama'ah.

That weekend was a busy and important weekend to the community. They had a barbeque the day after we came. I can say that everybody was present for the event and that we came on the right weekend after all. Imam was very welcoming, receptive, and supportive of us. One time when addressing all of us at the masjid, he mentioned that he was happy and impressed to see many youngsters in our jama'ah who are involved in da'wah. I think they've got a beautiful and strong community of Muslims there. The whole time the masjid was full with kids and they seemed to be very comfortable being in the masjid. The way they instill affection for the masjid in their kids is something we should follow everywhere else. Sadly, in many places, kids are somewhat restricted from the masjid, for the reason that they would cause distractions. Of course something needs to be done to cut down on the distractions, but restricting them from the masjid altogether is never a good idea to me. Believe me, if our your kids didn't get to love the masjid in their childhood, it's even tougher for them to love the masjid when they get older owing to the negative influences that lurk around in today's environment.

at lunchtime: some members of our jama'ah sitting with an American revert

During jaulah Br. Nasir, Br. Irfan, Adem and I visited a Turkish Cultural Center somewhere downtown of Syracuse city. It was the first time we went there. We found out about it from a brother at the masjid. Our coming was welcomed. Br. Nasir gave some da'wah to us all before we offered maghrib together with the local Turkish brothers. Adem was telling me the whole time how he would love to re-polish his unpolished Turkish, and right there and then he got the chance to speak Turkish. I could see the excitement on his face the whole time he was doing that. He said his Turkish was 7/10, but from what I heard he pretty much still had it in him. (Or it was just me not being able to distinguish between bad Turkish and good Turkish..haha).

Izany was not with us all the time. As for Syafiq, I believe he really enjoyed the time we spent over there, judging from his expressions. No one can describe that enjoyment we're getting in khuruj until they experience it themselves. I may describe what I feel from A to Z to a brother, but he won't grasp what I meant for him to know until he himself step into it; in da'wah, there's more to feel than to describe. And apparently Syafiq has got that first-hand experience for himself. He is a better brother than I am. I pray that Allah will accept his sacrifice and reveal the truth of this effort to him. He made an intention to come with us again next month insyaAllah. Unfortunately, next khuruj would very likely be my last khuruj here in the US..huhu. It's our weakness that we have not done much effort to leave behind a legacy of Malaysian students for this effort. May Allah forgive us.

the wrapper

Anyway, I didn't come back here empty-handed! Hehehe. Remember that "independent little lady" from "Souvenir from Syracuse"? I met her again this time. She barely recognized me, but that didn't stop her from being annoyed by me (in a sweet way..haha). She's grown up a lot since last time. I just love the way she carries herself around in the midst of the community members. You would find her to be quite an impressive talker. One time I was just sitting in  a corner when she came up to me bringing a chocolate. Her: "Do you like chocolate?" Me: "No..not really?" Her: "Do you want this chocolate?" Me: (shaking my head) Her: "Here, you take the wrapper." Me: (took the wrapper with a confused expression). Then she left. There sure was a lot of kids to pick on at the masjid, but she really stood out amongst them. Somewhat she reminds me a lot of my little brother future daughter..haha (okay, quit dreaming already!) Someone told me that I'm a big dreamer, and I'm afraid I can't totally deny that..hurrmm. And to top everything, I got her name this time; her name is HAMNA. =)

the wrapper giver 

P/s: I accidentally crushed the wrapper in my jubah's pocket. Err..would it be creepy for me to keep the wrapper? ^^"

multiple tongues?

Our student gathering last Sunday went well though we had less attendance than we'd expected. As a matter of fact, we almost canceled the program. A brother's wife passed away a day before and they were having the funeral and some Quranic recitation for the deceased in the same day. We thought we would cancel our program to give way to theirs, but the brothers at ICR encouraged us the otherwise since we had planned the gathering way ahead of time. Besides the recitation would due later in the afternoon, so we made some changes to our program so we could finish before they started. Afterward, we joined them in the recitation.

Over the food, I sat at the same table with Br. Intikhab and some other Malaysians. At one point in our conversation, we were talking about how easy it is for a child to pick up multiple languages, due to the fact that their minds are still pure of "contamination" and irrelevant thoughts we grown-ups tend to have. Br. Intikhab gave the example of his sons. His youngest son is not even in school yet, but his English is already as good as any other native kids'. He learned English so quickly just by being around his older brothers and watching English programs on TV; you can see the environmental influence there. For those who started learning a foreign language later in life (like me), try as hard as you may, it will always be your second language; it's hard to make it nearly as good as your first language. As we grow old our tongues harden, which makes learning a new language even tougher (bitter truth). So I was saying that it's good to teach your children more than one languages, because for kids, picking up multiple languages is not a burden. They are in a stage where they can readily absorb anything at all you throw at them. Likewise, this is also a delicate time when you should teach as much Islamic basics as possible to them so this may be retained throughout their entire life. "Kids never forget." This is what I came to learn through my occasional observations on my little brother, Akim. Trust me, kids nowadays are far smarter than we were as kids. This holds true at least in my case. Throw them a laptop, an iPhone, or a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, they'll have it all figured out before you know it. But just before you do that, be ready to face the risk that you might not get it back until they fall asleep.

Iklan: Meet my new baby, Encik Samsung. ^^

I believe knowing multiple languages will come in handy later in a child's life, a favorable addition perhaps to his future career as a Dai'e Illallah. The more people they can communicate with, the bigger their "business network" is insyaAllah. Okay, coming to a more important point; the best way to work on these pure minds is to nourish them with the verses of Allah: teach them Quran. Make them huffaz if possible, or ulama', or both.. then you may mold them into someone else: a doctor, a lawyer, or a biotechnologist (though I wouldn't prefer this last option). As I said, "Kids never forget." So you wanna make sure that those things they won't forget, that they are bringing along with them throughout their life, are the things that not only will help them here, but also hereafter. And they might as well be of help to you on the Day of Judgment; after all, children are the best investment for the parents. Wallahua'lam.

P/s: So, what third languages you want your kids/future kids to learn? :D

sublime conduct

"To know someone's true character, watch how they treat people closest to them."

Observing good character or good conduct is part of Iman. In fact, it is a very essential component of Islam that the Prophet saw himself was sent by Allah swt to perfect the akhlak of his people, to teach us good manners. Going back to the above quote, a person's true character is reflected in the way they deal with those closest to them (parents, siblings etc) Most of the time we would observe good manners around strangers, but then show our true colors around close company.

It's pretty easy to keep our cool in front of people we barely know, but unfortunately, we tend to blow our top when dealing with our close ones. This is when our true colors shine through. Sounds familiar? It does to me. -__-") Observing good manners is no small thing; an 'abid (devout worshiper) could end up in Jahannam for hurting his/her neighbor. That is why the reward for observing good manners is also tremendous, as told by our beloved Propet saw;

Jabir r.a. reported: The Prophet saw said, “The dearest and nearest among you to me on the Day of Resurrection will be one who is the best of you in manners..."

Abu Hurairah r.a. reported: The Prophet saw said, “The most perfect man in his faith among the believers is the one whose behaviour is most excellent; and the best of you are those who are the best to their wives.”

Abud-Darda r.a. reported: The Prophet saw said, “Nothing will be heavier on the Day of Resurrection in the Scale of the believer than good manners. Allah hates one who utters foul or coarse language.”

Abu Umamah Al-Bahili r.a. reported: The Prophet saw said, “I guarantee a house in Jannah for one who gives up arguing, even if he is in the right; and I guarantee a home in the middle of Jannah for one who abandons lying even for the sake of fun; and I guarantee a house in the highest levels of Jannah for one who has good manners."

Jika ingin tahu akhlak sebenar seseorang,

lihatlah dia sewaktu dia sangat marah.

Jika ingin melihat kehebatan akhlaknya

lihatlah dia sewaktu berurusan dengan orang yang mencerca & membencinya.

Jika ingin lihat keadilan mindanya dan kebaikan pola pemikirannya,

lihatlah cara dia berbincang dengan orang pandangan berbeza dengannya.

Jika ingin lihat amanahnya,

lihat cara dia berurusan wang & duit denganmu.

Jika ingin lihat kawalan nafsunya,

lihat cara dia berbicara dengan org berlainan jantina yg dia sukai.

-Ustaz Zaharuddin-

"Ikramul muslimin (giving honor/respect to fellow muslims) is the test of Iman."

Whether we realize it or not, our Iman is being tested every single time we interact with the people around. To put up with their different kinds of attitudes and manners is not easy; to smile to an insult, to forgive and forget, showing compassion to foes, being humble to complements, clinging to humility, all this relates back to our Iman. May Allah guide us to keep working on our iman, may Allah guide us to excel in good character. Ameen. =)

finally~

I knew something was not right! Hehe. Alhamdulillah, hopefully everything will work out smoothly after this. Tell the world I'm coming home, insyaAllah.

Click on the image to share my joy.

P/s: Phew! I'm a happy guy now. Hm..rasa macam nak belanja seseorang pun ada nih. =)

homing in on home

I've been worried sick about my pending flight tickets home. All my housemates have received their tickets but strangely I can't feel mine being on their way. Honestly, I feel like I'm dying every second I'm here lately. This overwhelming longing for home is becoming unbearable, and torturing. It's not that I can't wait to start a job or something, or that I've got some outstandingly good grades to show my parents, or some super-cool goodies that I'm getting them. It's not that I feel happy about leaving here either, or that..I have some girl I'd like my parents to meet. I know I'd be really sad about leaving those people I've known from here. That's why I've been going around collecting their Skype IDs so I can skype them later when I get home..hoho. Too bad we don't have a yearbook like back in middle school to pass around, kan. Okay back to my state of helplessness. At this very moment, I just want to be home in the company of my family, and cats (we used to have only one! and Gogo died!). And apparently this pending answer on my tickets really adds to the frustration. Patience ye Adam, patience.

Yes. I'm homesick. Thank you.

P/s: Excuse me for the drama. Saje..bersenda gurau di petang hari. (I still can't believe what I got for my Advanced Immune exam! -__-")

Pp/s: We are holding a student gathering this coming Sunday at ICR, but for boys only la. Please pray for the success of our (probably) last gathering together.

"prisoners" of Jannah

Yesterday I went to Buffalo for a halaqah mesyuarah with Br. Intikhab, Br. Rauf Bawani, and Br. Khalid. In Buffalo, just before we reached the masjid, we stopped by the madrasah Darul Uloom since Br. Intikhab needed to drop off some stuff for his sons there. We all helped to carry those stuff upstairs into the kids' dormitory. Looking at the massive and sturdy structure, my heart was impressed by the fact that that building actually started out as a prison. I believe it had been abandoned for some period of time before the Buffalo brothers bought it and changed it into a madrasah. Now the very structure that used to hold prisoners is now a sanctuary for future huffaz and ulama'. This impression I had then reminded me of a hadith which says;

I pondered over it for a while, then smiled to the cynical truth of the hadith. I thought, "How many of us are actually living a "prison" life and how many are living a "paradise" life?" But the real meaning of this hadith lies far beyond this superficial interpretation I made. I already wrote a scholar's explanation on this hadith in a previous post, but it was in Malay. So now I'm just writing it again, in English.

Hazrat 'Ali r.a. was teaching this hadith to a group of other companions when a Jew happened to pass by. The Muslims were living a prosperous life at that time. The Jew, on the other hand, was very poor-looking and had patches all over his clothes. Upon hearing the mention of this hadith, the Jew remarked, "That's a lie! You said this world is a prison for the believers and a paradise for the non believers. But look at my condition now and look at yours!" At this 'Ali r.a. replied; A mukmin who had lived all his life as a king, had never felt the slightest hardship and worry, had never suffered a disease, had enjoyed all the luxuries in this world, when he will have entered paradise and Allah will ask him, "Don't you want to go back to that paradise of yours?", he will answer; "Forgive me O Allah. You have granted me everything the heart may desire here, please don't bring me back to that terrible place!" And a non believer who had lived all his life as a beggar in the streets, had never felt the slightest happiness in his life, had suffered all the severest diseases in the world, when he will have entered hellfire he will beg; "O Allah, please bring me back to my Jannah!" (more or less the story)

P/s: The pleasure of paradise and the torment of hellfire are respectively tremendous and severe. All the pleasures in the world put together will not match the pleasure of Jannah, and all the torments in the world put together will not match the torment of Hellfire.