Rebuilding Stolen Hopes (Part 3)

The story of CAFP post flood aid mission 2015 in Kg Lulut, Gua Musang

The misty Sg. Lebir

We woke up early the next day to freshen up at the nearby mosque. The morning was cold and misty. The mosque was empty only a handful of the locals attended the fajr prayers. The faith is not everything here , I guess, a practice for the olds and the others. As we walked through the kampong, the cold  morning remained silent and quiet. I crossed my arms and squeezed my chest to escape the cold but the morning took me back to the time of my childhood. This would be the moment I prepared to go to school with my short pants and heavy bag; the cold morning gripped my legs and knees. I would sit shivering for a while until I got the heat back. The breeze of yesteryears blew again that morning making me realized that the only way to escape from those difficult times is to hang on to the hopes and dreams. And here in this kampong those two have been shattered to pieces or stolen away. We walked towards the river of Kg Lulut. As the river flowed quietly; people were going and coming ashore from God knows where. From the distance a couple of slow boats approaching the river bank; emerging from the misty river with full load of people. OMG! They are school children coming for the session today. I was stunned and disbelieved.

all boats handled by the mothers...

scaling up the riverbank .......

can the boy compete fairly with the city kids?

yes this is  my life...do you have problem with it?!

 After 58 years of independence we still have kids coming to school by a sampan. One by one the kids crawled up the riverbank with school bag and all. Today is the first day of school  for the little one, the mother told us. They started the journey at 6.30 am and arrived here at 7.30 am just in time for the school bell. For a one-hour boat ride, I just could not imagine the discomfort that these kids had to endure. And we talk about a fair platform to measure performance; is this fair?  I was raged and sad at the same time; but again what else can we do except for continued doa and prayers for their strength and success. Looking at those kids as they scale the riverbank up to the pathway leading to their school, I could not hold my tears back, so heartbreaking. This is their life; either, before the flood or after the flood. Like the river itself that flows continuously disregard of what has happened.

Pupils of SK Kg Lulut@Kuala Sungai: the first day of school (1 Feb 2015)

The school session started with an assembly of small attendees and a handful of fresh looking teachers. The school environment, I must say, still remains its integrity as an entity to provide education for the future generations. That school in Kg Lulut is no exception although the flood has left them with muddy walls  and dirty floors.

We left Kg. Lulut later that morning with heavy hearts and swollen eyes. This is not my kampong but for the last two days it has become part of me and a big part of CAFP. We promised to come back and do a lot more for this kampong but the future always remain uncertain. Until then may the Almighty protect this place from further destructions and help us to rebuild the stolen hopes and shattered dreams.

So long, people!

Beneath Gushing Waters

Is there a rainbow after the rain?

…that watered the buds of life
Is there life after the flood?
…that washed away all hopes and dreams
Is there a smile after the tragedy?
…that snatched away the self-esteem
Is there compassion after the disaster?
…that took away all the needs and necessities
Is there good after the evils?
…that brought about calamities
Was it a wrath of God?
…that gusted through the winds
befallen everything on its path
ripped humanity off the ego stand
surrendered to the vicious heavenly call
that came as gushing waters
through big rivers and small rivers
over the banks and bridges
as we stood there watching
our life’s gone with it
forever…..
Oh dear God, forgive us all

the roof can be replaced
the walls can be amended
the roads can be resurfaced
the bridges can be repaired
but the ruined hearts
…….and damaged souls
need time to heal
need strength to reconcile
and above all
need Your Mercy and Compassion
to rebuild a new future
a new beginning ….

Oh dear God, forgive us all
for we all have lost and strayed…….

Dr Nordin Abu Bakar
UiTM Shah Alam
6 Feb 2015

Kita Tidak Lagi Mampu Menangis

tanah yg dulunya subur
kini diselaputi sampah berlumpur
kampung yg dulunya meriah
kini suram tanpa gelak tawa
rumah tempat berteduh
kini hanya tiang 2 yang sepi

mentari pagi menyinar
akan sisa sisa semalam
bagai muntah dari perut bumi
beronar dari santapan beracun
adakah hidup ini
tiada lagi yang membela, dibela
merempat di hujung kampung
dalam negara kaya raya
adakah dunia ini tiada lagi
sinar mentari yang pulang
membawa harapan dan cita
menghambat malam
melitupi sengsara dan duka
adakah lagi insan
yang hanya mampu menangis
melihat anak2 berduka di kaca TV
yang punya secebis cinta
buat penawar hati yang luka
yang milik setulus kasih
buat jiwa yang pedih tersisih

usah dihitung keringat yang menitis
usah dikira masa yg terkikis
atau wang yang habis
di atas harapan yang menipis
dan cita2 yang terguris
kita bangunkan semula insan2 pewaris
bina semula pelopor dan perintis
dari anak anak yang merintih
kerna
....kita tidak lagi mampu menangis!

Dr Nordin
Uitm shah alam 6 feb 2015

Abstraction in Computer Science

 

 

·       If the role of computer language is to facilitate the manipulation of data, why then did Colburn argue against Ashenhurst’s proposition?

 

R. Ashenhurst describes information modeling as

 

The formulation of a model in support of information systems development. One in which information aspects of objective and subjective reality (“the application”) are represented, independently of the datasets and processes by which they may be realized (“the system”)

 

Colburn , on the other hand, argues that such proposition is not exactly true based on three fundamental reasons, First, the evolution of programming language allows both aspects of software creation to be facilitated simultaneously for better software quality; namely, datalogical as well as infological and their respective dimensions. Secondly, The distinction of infological and datalogical is gradually dissolved due to methods of data abstraction and procedural abstraction which are independent of any particular high level language and the corporation of data and information. Thirdly, the software tools for machine independent in software creation process allows programmers to think in both terms – data and information.

 

 

 

·       What does Colburn meant with this phrase in his conclusion:

“… the trend is towards narrowing the gap between  the infological and the datalogical [thinkings]”?

 

Colburn sums up the chapter with the idea that in the future the gap between data and information will be narrowed due to the evolution of programming language that has resulted in the new paradigm which will dynamically support both components right from the onset of software development. This is possible through the advances in software engineering and the evolving programming languages. They will make users less burden of data and processes and empower users towards information modelers.

Visiting Vietnam

 

 

The border control will be closed at 5.30 pm. We rushed through for about 2 hours. It was pity to such in a hurry as the countryside was stunningly unique. This place is where they paddy grows; the paddy fields are everywhere and laid before us as long as the eyes can see. We went through so many villages and towns as I wondered the magnitude of human calamity must be so huge during the last war some 40 years ago. The border town was very busy and as we pushed through the traffics I was gradually ( in a complete subtlety) brought back to civilizations. The day was getting dark when we arrived at the immigration office. For one USD we stamped our passport out of Cambodia and said farewell to our nice  host Ustaz Loh and his family. We lug our bags over to the other side as we entered Vietnam. For one USD we stamped the passport and entered the country. The tour guide was there to take us to the hotel. The  bus ride to the city of Saigon took about two hours and during the time we were so engrossed with the tour guide telling us about the history of this place and what has brought him there.

The first thing that I noticed about this place is how everything has been more organized and in order. No doubt it is more modern and advanced compared to Cambodia. The highway is bigger and they have special lanes for motorbikes. Noticeably big portion of the highway is dedicated to motorbike users. Very nice. The red flags are everywhere to remind everyone that this is still a communist country with socialist government. But we were told not to worry that the war was over and Vietnam is so eager to bring its people to taste modernity and prosperity. The business is booming, the  tourists are coming and life seems so normal. Although I have reservations regarding all these, I really wanted to know the culture and people of this “new” Vietnam. It is very interesting to finally be here, to the place where we used to know some time ago the origin of all evils. The Vietnam War in the 70s. I was still in my primary school when the war broke out—must be about 10 or 11 years old. The waves of desperate people landing on our beaches to escape the atrocity of the war. They were finally housed at an island called Pulau Bidong. The pictures came back little by little as we approached the city center of Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City. It was late when we finally arrived at the hotel and the rain started to pour heavily but the night life of Ho Chi Minh City was definitely inviting.

The morning revealed the more exciting life of the city. The buildings were colonial from the French era I think and the famous market of Ban Than was just in walking distance. People seemed nice but since I don’t speak the language not much I could say about their hospitality. Surprisingly many can speak my language—Bahasa Malaysia in my kelantanese dialect. Very interesting indeed. We dropped by the National Library and tried to find some books on culture and history of Vietnam. Although not many books were in English, due to some government policy, the library assistants there were very helpful to locate the books that we requested. Spent the whole morning there and we discovered the long history of Champa Empire, Khmer Empire and dynasties in Vietnam dated all the way in the 12^th/13^th century. There was even a PhD viva in the year 1200s  during the height of Champa Empire. But the empires collapsed and disintegrated. The people scattered in the region and trickled down to the ethnic groups where they live in the remote villages. But it was an exciting experience to see how their villages are and the state of life they are living. The life in the afternoon seemed busy as we crossed  the city to search for an art museum.

 

 I don’t understand art very much but I think the artworks were fabulous and unique. And of course, a visit to this city would not be complete without a day out in the marketplace Ban Than. I could never imagine a marketplace can be so attractive to a tourist like me. I think we should learn a thing or two from these people. The market was  not  a pish posh shopping center; it was a regular market where you go every morning to get your house needs. It was acceptably clean where you can go in and do not feel irky or anything. No smelly fish or dead rats. It was okay and quite comfortable. It was like our pasar but cleaner. By 6.30 pm it will be closed for the day. I ordered a suit for less than 200 ringgit, delivered on time at 11 am the next morning—it suits me perfectly.

 

 

Getting into The Boom Boom Craze

 

 

….the boom boom here…the boom boom there…you senamrobik guys would know exactly  what I am talking about…that sexy  boom boom dance.

Anyway, here we are, early in the morning, in the middle of a stadium under the heavy black cloud waiting for the music to kick away the morning  blues. We are attending UiTM 1000 langkah…walking for a thousand steps. It’s not far maybe within 20 minutes we can finish those steps. But that’s not what this program is all about; it is about taking care of your body through regular exercise. As the age is catching  up, the exercise would be less of priority. Time in the office and with family seem to take all the hours of the day. At the end of it, all is left is a tired bum and a couple of squeaky legs.

 

We just don’t have time to work out the heart, the muscles and the bulging tummy. I registered 50 of my students and staff to join this program. I wish to sign up at least 500 of the faculty members and students but the time is not right as today is the middle of the week. Many have classes and work to do so 50 is good enough. My concern is the faculty members who really push their time to write and teach but do not spare some time to jog or do some sort of exercise. They are getting bigger tummy and bigger bum. Hopefully someday will realize my true intention to encourage their participation is for them to see the important of exercise and live a healthy life.