Self Note.

Thank you for the reminder. =)

A little piece of thought.

This entry was written by someone who I do not know at all. But it kinds of sparks my interest on her opinions about Harry Potter in Islamic perspective.

I love when Muslims can be this open-minded.

Happy reading.

"I don't know where you learned about right and wrong, but you seem to have missed a few crucial lessons." 
- Mrs. Weasley

"Magic is haram!"
"Harry Potter? More like FITNA-POTTER!"
"Harry Potter is…SHAITAIN!"
"No man, I'm staying away from these books just to be safe."

And this my friends is a conversation of which I've had to partake in far too many times. Yes, I know the argument is 'I want to be careful, books have impact' etc. But really, dudes, this book has a positive impact if anything.

The final film is winding its way to movie theaters; many of you by the time of reading this have already seen the first part of Deathly Hallows. I don't think it is an end to the saga of Harry Potter in the slightest, this series will continue being wonderful, amazing and yes- magical. Some individuals seem to be hung up over the fact that the book has MAGIC! And therefore it's the scariest thing ever, because our children will turn into crazy black-magic baddies.

So I ask the question,

"Give me one kid whose gone OMG! I'm going to turn to BLACK MAGIC from now on!"

Can you?

No.

You can't.

But, I can give you plenty of children, teenagers, young adults and old people alike  who have been inspired by the courage of Harry, the bond of friendships between the Trio, the wisdom imparted by Dumbledore, the bond of familial love, the true heroism in Snape's overcoming of his inner demons...

I think, honestly, those who lambaste Harry for propagating 'magic' are missing the point. The book isn't about the magic. It would be just as brilliant if Harry was a little Indian boy called 'Harbinder Pankaj' and it was his tale of going to a school for tiger tamers with his best friends Rohan Wala and Harpreet Govinda.

It's the message, what the books boil down to is Love.

"Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love."  - Albus Dumbledore

This is one of the things that I'm amazed that passes over readers heads when they watch the movies or read the books. The emphasis that J.K. Rowling (Jo) puts on a mother's love throughout the novel from the start is what is emphasized. It is the key thing that propels the books along.  It is a seemingly simple enough concept, but Jo portrays it as it should be: fraught with the difficulties of having it, lacking it, wanting it and not understanding it.

Harry's very existence is defined by love- the fact that the reason why Voldemort couldn't kill him with the ultimate, scary, omg-no-one-has-ever-survived-it-before death curse was that his Mother died to save him and continued to protect him all his life.

Dude, I mean- come on can I get a SubhanAllah?

All of the Mother characters in the novel are incredibly portrayed, they are strong and willing to go the distance for their children. Jo, being a single mother herself, understands that love that is so often overlooked in society today. Molly Weasley, the Weasley Matriarch, is one of these key mother figures. Further we have Narcissa Malfoy, by all accounts a 'bad character' but made good in our eyes when she risks life and limb for the protection of her son, Draco.

And then we have Voldemort, who by all accounts is evil. Why? Well that's a whole other debate, but it can be boiled down to the lack of love he had in his life and his disregard for his own mother who died giving birth to him. He is vilified by the very fact that he isn't able (rather, willing) to love.

“That which Voldemort does not value, he takes no trouble to comprehend. Of house-elves and children's tales, of love, loyalty, and innocence, Voldemort knows and understands nothing. Nothing. That they all have a power beyond his own, a power beyond the reach of any magic, is a truth he has never grasped.”  - Albus Dumbledore

So here you have it; what the books are about. The value of a deep familial love and how this is the only 'true magic' and the strongest.

As a Muslim, I'd love to have my future children read this. I'd want any kid to read this. We don't have enough of this in a culture so fraught with the nonsensical idealizations of romantic love, 'motherly love' has fallen by the wayside. When I see mothers disregarded in a culture that only purports sexuality and hedonism, I see Harry Potter standing as one of the only pop culture icons that is against that. That tells young people to love your family, love your mother because there is no one on this earth who will love you more- and to not just love them, but to respect them.

Of course, of course, we are taught this in Islam. Motherly love is so important in Islam that one of the gravest sins a Muslim can commit is to not come to their parents when they are called by them. And yes, I am very well aware of the fact that J.K. Rowling is not a Muslim. But you can not deny that her books are positive and that they can be read by Muslims as a means of of finding a positive modern day role model and for reinforcing values that have been left by the wayside.

There is so much more to these books, it really hurts me when Muslims tell me that it's haram. That they're staying away from it just to be 'safe'. To me that is simply willful ignorance. I mean, when we have a new generation emerging who have idiots like Ke$ha and Miley Cyrus as role models, why wouldn't you want to take them away from that and introduce them to a more positive side of pop culture? A side that is in line with Islamic values?

Harry Potter is not about the magic of wand waving, it's about the magic of the heart.

“Tell me one last thing,” said Harry. “Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?”

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

-Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

(written by Zainab)

Well said.

Angkara karpet dan kucing.

KPJ Ipoh Specialist Hospital.

Misi untuk discharged semalam gagal. Bukan main poyo lagi statement semalam. By hook or by crook konon..

Doc pun bijak kan.. aku duk tunggu la dia masuk.. dari pagi sampai kul 5pm aku tunggu, baru dia muncul. Kul 5pm nak discharge apa nye?

In fact, he wasn't happy looking at my mild improvement. "Your coughing was really really bad. I was outside, I could hear you. And you're still wheezing, your chest is still tight.. bla bla.. Even after getting the nebulizer, you're still getting the attacks."

"Err.. yea." Tak tahu nak cakap apa. Haha. Dengar je lah dia bebel sorang-sorang.

"I was wrong to reduce your dose. It's like pressing the accelerator you know, we can't just let it go. So when I reduced it, you got like ten attacks since your first admission. Three attacks are really bad enough, to be frank with you." 

Pergh.. perumpamaan apa dia pakai ni.. *angguk-angguk*

"So here's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna do this off the books. Others don't get this kind of treatment. Your case is a bit different (because of my immune system disorder which makes me become too sensitive with the allergens around me)."

*angguk-angguk*

"In future, when you get attacks, please do not hesitate to come and see me. This is serious."

"I'm sorry but sometimes I can't tell how serious it is."

And.. he cut me.

"If you cannot finish one sentence without coughing, that's serious. If you walk down this way up to the counter and you're already panting, that's serious. This is the indicator for you to come to the hospital and for you to get admitted, do you get me?"

"Yea."

"If I ask you to go all the way up to the top level and walk back here, I'm very sure you're gonna get asthma."

Membebel lak dah.

"Your reading when we tested you with the peak flow meter is bad. Based on your height, weight and age, you should probably get at least 550."

*gulp*

"Almost all your results are 200 something. Let me tell you this. Below 300 is critical. 150, ICU terus."

(my worst reading is 200.. minus 50 is already ICU level?)

Pastu dia membebel-bebel guna medical terms on how my lungs and airways are affected, then he stopped. "I'm not giving you education here. It's important for you to read on asthma. Go google it."

"K.."

Tak habis lagi ni..

"You have to be cautious on what you're allergic to. Do you have cats at home? You do, right?"

*angguk-angguk sikit*

"So, it's either you move out, or the cats move out. You choose."

"Yea.. I'll think about it.." (wrong answer)

"You don't have any choice. Do you have carpets at home?"

*angguk-angguk* (mati la..)

"When you go back, you sniff the carpet and see whether you get asthma."

"Haha.." (nice joke. even the nurse laughed)

"I'm serious." (both of us stopped laughing instantly)

*angguk-angguk*

"Your room should look like this room. No carpet. And do you see any cats here?"

Gila perli tahap dewa katik dah ni..

"For now you're okay cause it's safe for you here. I don't want you to go back to your old environment and get exposed to all the allergens. There's no point."

Letih beb aku dengar dia ni bebel. Ni belum aku cerita detail lagi. Angguk-angguk je lah, buat-buat  semangat jitu nak berubah. Hahahaha.

Tapi ada satu part aku suka dengar dia cakap. I asked, "How about iced? Cold drinks? Can it trigger my asthma?"

"Sometimes yes, it can. But if you say that everytime you take cold drinks and cause you asthma, that's nonsense."

Yeaaahuu~~

So anyway, I'd like to thank to all my friends and family for all your prayers and warm wishes. Terima kasih banyak. Sangat menghargainya.

Cukup lah tiga kali aku masuk hospital. Tak sanggup dah. Gila sangap.

Pagi tadi, aku punya dripping needle dah tersumbat. Bila diorang inject masuk IV, membukit tangan aku. Sakit la gile. Terpaksa cabut. Yang kelakarnya, bila nurse nak insert jarum baru, dia duk belek tangan aku dekat 10 minit kot.. sampai sempat habis lah nebulizer aku tu.

"Awak ni tak minum air ek? Langsung tak timbul urat ni.."

Memang tak minum pun. Malas. Sampai hilang suara aku.

Last-last nurse tu give up. "Erm.. Nanti saya tanya kawan saya, kalau-kalau dia berani buat kan. Kalau tak, saya kena panggil doctor la."

Aku rasa nak tergelak siot. Tapi tahan je la. Nasib baik lah hari ni last day aku stay kat hospital tu. So doc kata cancel je lah bagi IV tu.. bagi oral je. Phew~

Tiada urat! Saya vampire. Yang ada asma.

I have 10 kinds of meds I need to take.. Steroid pun ada. Maka naik lah BP dan blood sugar aku.. Crap.

Instant vacation.

Hoyeah..

Demi kekawan yang rajin bertandang ke blog ini, maka saya gagahkan diri untuk update sedikit.

Lokasi sekarang adalah di tingkat tiga, wad 7B, bilik 731, KPJ Ipoh Speciallist Hospital.

Yep.. second time I got warded. Same problem. Asthma. Bad cough. Nothing big.

Sejak hari Sabtu dah ada tanda-tanda tak sihat.. Demam sikit, batuk, sakit tekak. Padahal baru je seminggu baik nih. Agaknya sebab tak habiskan antibiotic (well, makan dua kali je pon), so datang balik lah benda-benda alah ni.

Hari Isnin, batuk menjadi-jadi. Muntah entah berapa kali. Tapi biasalah, positive thinking secara tidak relevan ni tak bagus jugak kan. So pergi jugak lah office.

Tapi duk terbatuk je lah sampai muntah dua kali kat office. Pikir-pikir ni tak boleh jadi ni. At the same time, ada seorang pakcik ni duk leter pergi hospital, pergi hospital.

So kul 9 lebih, text Abah mintak dia bawak gi KPJ hospital sebab doc dulu dah pesan, if jadi lagi, pergi jumpa dia balik sebab most probably daily inhaler tu tak jalan.

Memang tak jalan pun. Aku rasa since first discharged dulu, dekat 10 kali aku kena asthma. Ok fine, dah 10 kali kena, baru akhirnya datang balik kan? hahahahaha.

Kira perfect timing jugak lah, bila sampai tu, aku dah mengah-mengah pasal melilau dekat Ground Floor and First level. Mulanya pergi kat emergency unit tu, cakap nak jumpa doc biasa. Then dia suruh aku jumpa doc yang rawat aku dulu dekat clinic doc tu at level 1. Aku pun pergi lah. Tengok-tengok clinic tu tutup, golap jo. Ada notis tampal kat pintu kaca tu cakap Dr Dev takde from 13th till 15th december. Aiseymennnnn... Melepas chance nak jumpa doc hensem ni.

Aku pun patah balik ke Ground Floor. Serius mengah dol walaupun naik lift tapi berjalan banyak jugak la. Dah kata hospital.

Sampai kat emergency tu, aku bagitahu lah Dr Dev on leave. Cemana la diorang ni tak tahu kan? Emergency leave kot.

Then dia tanya aku sakit apa.. aku cakap batuk. (taknak mengaku asma tu walaupun dah berpaut kat meja kaunter, tercungap-cungap.)

"Penat ka?" tanya orang kaunter tu.

"Ha'ah."

"Masuk dalam sekarang."

OK dia tahu aku tengah asma. Hahah. Biasalah asthma kan second priority (first is jantung). Takyah lah queue.

As I expected, kena tahan. Dah agak dah. Sebab kondisi agak sama dengan yang lepas. Cis..

Pastu masa dia nak bawa ke ward, diorang bawak keluar wheel chair. Ahhh ni aku paling tak suka ni.

"Ehh.. saya jalan je lah, kak!"

"Ehhhh.. tak boleh! Nanti saya kena potong gaji tau! Dah lah awak tu asthma."

"Ala.. saya berat lah kak.."

"Ish. Tak apa.."

Bila on the way ke ward tu, aku pun buat-buat busy texting lah kan. Malunya!!

Mula aku mintak two-bedded sebab tak nak sunyi lah malam-malam kononnya. :P Lepas tu nasib kurang baik, dapatlah sebilik dengan seorang makcik ni yang aku rasa sakit diabetes sebab doc suruh decide nak potong jari je atau potong habis. *gulp*

Al-kisah makcik ni anak-anak dia memang rajin bertandang (bunyi macam dah 10 hari aku duduk dengan dia), lepas tu angkut la cucu dia sekali kan. Tu tak kisah lah.. walaupun hati sedikit sakit bila diorang ni suka borak kuat-kuat.

Makcik tu sound lah, "Jangan lah bising sangat. Orang sebelah ni entah nak tidur ke apa.. Ganggu dia nak rehat.." Tapi tak makan saman pun.

Lepas tu lewat petang.. tiba-tiba lagi 3 orang sampai... jap lagi, lagi 4-5 orang sampai... pastu pas Maghrib.. lagi beberapa ekor manusia sampai.. kawan-kawan dengan sanak saudara la gamaknya ni. Sampai penuh la bilik kitorang ni.. dekat 20 orang tu aku confirm.

Fine la ko nak datang melawat kan walaupun dah cakap waktu melawat sampai kul 8.. diorang lepak sampai kul 9 lebih. Wah sungguh kepanasan la hati aku kan. Kalau datang melawat, saya tak kisah ye. Tapi kalau buat bising, borak dan ketawa kuat-kuat, dengan anak-anak berlari sana sini, siap main cak-cak dengan aku dekat langsir, lepas tu main hempas-hempas pintu lagi.. kedegang kedegung~

Warghhhh.. Ni hospital lah. Ingat FUNFAIR ke?

Terus aku picit Call Bell. 20 seconds later two nurses came in dan aku pun cakap dengan nada perlahan, taknak la ada yang overheard, tak mahu singgungkan perasaan diorang.

"Mmm.. boleh tak kalau saya nak mintak tukar bilik single? Saya tak tahan bising la.."

Nurse tu pun jawab slow-slow, "Boleh.. Sekejap kami check kan dulu."

Aku ingat maybe lah ambil masa nak tukar bilik kan sebab nak check availability ke nak adjust billing ke apa.. 5 minit pastu, diorang masuk balik.

"Bilik single ada. Kalau nak two-bedded jugak, ada kosong. Dengan aunty Cina. Dia ni ok. Senyap je."

Tapi sebab aku dah serik, "Erm.. takpe lah saya nak single room jugak."

"Ok jom kita tengok bilik."

"Sekarang?"

"Ha'a."

Uih.. aku pun bangun pergi tengok. Selang dua bilik je pun! Mak aiiii besarnyaaa. Lagi besar dari two bedded!

"Ok lah. Saya ambil bilik ni."

"Ok jom angkat barang," nurse tu cakap.

"Hah?? Sekarang ke??"

"Ye la.. Sekarang."

Terus diorang angkut beg aku letak atas katil. Sorong tarik keluar dengan katil dan drawer sekali! Tergamam aku. Sebegitu pantas mereka ini. Apa lagi, pelawat-pelawat makcik tu terdiam tengok aku. Tersengih. I felt so so so guilty. Aku ingat sempat lah nak tunggu diorang balik ke apa, so takde lah nampak macam rude main blah je kan..

So dengan rasa sedikit malu, aku senyum mesra kat diorang, then left. Hahahahaha.

The view from my room.

Lonely night..

Oh God, Oh God. Dr Dev just came in. Oh I feel so much better. :P Ok sorry for the interruption.

Interpret this for me please. :P

These 5 horrible creatures made me go "Ssss.."

So insyaAllah esok aku discharge. Patut boleh discharge hari ni tapi batuk gwa yang melarat macam pokok duit-duit ni, terpaksa la kena delay sehari. Naik perit diaphragm aku ni sampai terbongkok jugak lah menahan sakit bila batuk.

Yang pastinya esok by hook or by crook, gwa nak cabutttt.

13.12.2010