Pride (Imai Miki)

Watashi wa ima minami no hitotsu boshi wo miagete shigatta
Donna toki mo hohoemi wo tayasazu ni aruite yukou to

Anata wo omou to tada setsu nakute namida wo nagashite wa
Hoshi ni negai wo tsuki ni inori wo sasageru tame dakeni ikite kita

Dakedo ima wa anata e no ai koso ga watashi no puraido

Yasashisa to wa yurushi au koto wo shiru saigo no shinjitsu
Wakamama sae aishiku omoeta nara honto ni shiawase

Anata wa watashi ni jiyuu to todoku wo oshiete kureta hito
Yoru ga kuru tabi ni muguchi ni natte furueru kata wo dakishimete kita

Dakedo ima wa anata aikoso ga watashi no puraido

Itsu ka watashi wo sora wo toberu hazu zutto shinjite ita
Subasa ga attara tonde yuku no ni anata no mune ni ima sugu ni demo

Miagete mite minami no hitotsu boshi wo suteki na sora deshou
Watashi wa ima anata e no ai dake ni waratte naiteru

Lyrics: Hotei Tomoyasu
Music: Hotei Tomoyasu

Translation: Jahrera (That's me, translation copyrights)

I'm now looking up at one star in the south, wishing.
Walking always with a smile that never fades.
If I think of you, my tears will flow.
I live on offering my wish to the stars, praying to the moon.

But now, I'm giving my love to you, that's my Pride.
When you can forgive, I see your kindness.
Even when I'm selfish, you still love me, that's true happiness.

You taught me how to find freedom.
When the night comes, I quietly hug my trembling self.
But now, I'm giving my love to you, that's my Pride.
I believe the time will come when I can fly.
If I have wings, I will fly to you immediately.
Such a beautiful sky as I look at one star in the south.
The love from you makes me laugh and cry.

Original Japanese

今井美樹 - PRIDE

作詩：布袋寅泰 作曲：布袋寅泰

私は今　南の一つ星を　見上げて誓った
どんな時も　微笑みを絶やさずに　歩いて行こうと

貴方を想うと　ただせつなくて　涙を流しては
星に願いを　月に祈りを　捧げるためだけに生きてきた

だけど今は　貴方への愛こそが　私のプライド

やさしさとは　許し合うことを知る　最後の真実
わがままさえ　愛しく思えたなら　本当に幸せ

貴方は私に　自由と孤独を　教えてくれた人
夜が来るたびに無口になって　震える肩を抱きしめていた

だけど今は　貴方への愛こそが　私のプライド

いつか私も　空を飛べるはず　ずっと信じていた
翼があったら飛んでゆくのに　貴方の胸に今すぐにでも

見上げてみて　南の一つの星を　素敵な空でしょう
私は今　貴方への愛だけに　笑って　泣いてる

Tatkala Jentayu mencari kasih

Ini kisah benar antara saya dengan seekor burung jentayu.

Pertama kali saya dikenalkan dengan burung ini 10 tahun lalu. Di tanah bunga sakura ini. Jentayu berada di antara orang-orang yang saya kenal dan sayang. Burung ini sungguh ayu, wajahnya berseri dan bersih. Burung ini ingin balik kepada fitrah Allah. Dia mencari semangat untuk kembali ke asali fitrah ini.

Dia baru lepas berputus kasih. Kasih pertama ini melalaikan cintanya. Kasih ini hilang dan pergi entah ke mana. Dalam keseorangan itu, jentayu mencari makna kehidupan, ingin mengecapi kemanisan untuk terus bahagia.

Fitrah Allah sejati telah dijumpai. Dia bertukar menjadi burung soleh mengikut jalan Islam. Dia dikenalkan dengan kasih kedua. Tampan, soleh tapi tidak pandai menerima kasih jentayu, tidak dapat memberi kasih yang sempurna pada jentayu. Agak beberapa bulan, jentayu terlepas sekali lagi dari sarang kasih kedua ini. Dia terbang keseorangan ke tanah besar. Dia mencari sarang lain untuk melepaskan lelahnya. Sarang untuk dia berteduh dan berkasih.

Pernikahannya pada kasih ketiga selanjutnya, membawa dia ke tanah suci. Berdua mereka mengerjakan ibadah fardhu ini. Berdua mereka membina mahligai yang jentayu impikan. Tapi jentayu tidak boleh menebarkan sayapnya bersama kasih ini. Sayapnya terkudung lagi. Dia jatuh ke tanah sendiri lagi.

Dengan sayap yang masih kuat sebelah lagi, jentayu mengembara ke langit jauh mengikut kasih ke-empat. Kasih ini dari negara ayam turki. Ayam yang kuat makan tanpa usaha sendiri. Ayam turki ini kerap meminta-minta dari jentayu. Jentayu tidak dapat melepaskan dirinya dari ayam turki sebab zuriat dilahirkan dari perhubungan mereka.

Selepas beberapa rembulan berganti, jentayu melarikan diri balik ke rumah asalnya, rumah di mana dia dilahirkan untuk mendapat bantuan. Ayam turki masih meminta-minta dari jentayu yang tidak mengeluarkan hasil pendapatan.

Jentayu melepaskan ayam turki dan menebarkan sayapnya, sambil mengendung zuriat itu merantau ke negara lain. Mencari rezeki dan mengharapkan dapat ditemui dengan kasih sejati.

Doa dan harapan jentayu diketemukan juga.

Dia dijodohkan dengan kekasih ke-lima. Kebahagiaannya dibisikkan melalui angin lalu dari barat ke timur.

Penulis mengharapkan jentayu aneh ini tidaklah lagi mencari-cari kasih murni lagi selepas ini. Biarlah jodohnya kukuh dan kekal bersama kasih ke lima ini.

Jentayu, kamu adalah sesuatu yang magis, ayu dan manis. Kuatkanlah iman di dadamu, bahagialah kamu seterusnya.

Jentayu ini cerita benar. Jentayu ini ialah burung yang masih terbang bersama penulis.

Tatkala ber"Nafas dari Lembah Atar"

Saya menerima buku ini beberapa hari sahaja selepas ianya di pasaran.
Buku ini bertajuk "Nafas dari Lembah Atar - Pertemuan dengan 30 tokoh-tokoh sejarah" karya penulis/penyusun Darma Mohammad.

Pernah tak apabila membaca sesuatu hadis atau cerita-cerita berunsur agama, kita dipaparkan dengan nama-nama sahabat Rasulullah SAW dan tatkala membaca itu, kita ingin tahu latar-belakang atau peribadi serta puncak-puncak penting kehidupan sahabat-sahabat itu?
Siapakah Salman Al-Farisi r.a, Sa'ad bin Abi Waqqasy r.a, Miqdad bin 'Amr r.a. dan banyak lagi tokoh-tokoh lain yang sering menjelma dalam riwayat Rasulullah SAW.
Buku ini menemukan kita dengan 30 orang tokoh-tokoh sejarah dalam era perkembangan awal Islam.
Setiap pertemuan [setiap Bab] dicatatkan bersama dua rangkai mafhum dari ayat-ayat suci Al-Quran dengan mengimbas kembali sejarah mereka.
Kita juga dihidangkan dengan pemikiran mereka bersama catatan refleksi daripada pengarang dan tafsiran kehidupan mereka.

Salah satu petikan (dari buku ini) mafhum fikiran dari Abu Darda' r.a yang berkata,
" 1) Orang tidak mungkin mencapai tingkat muttaqin, apa bila tidak berilmu. Apa guna ilmu, apabila tidak dibuktikan dalam perbuatan.

2) Kebaikan bukanlah kerana banyak harta dan anak-pinakmu tetapi kebaikan yang sesungguhnya ialah bila semakin besar rasa santunmu, semakin bertambah banyak ilmu, dan kamu berpacu menandingi manusia dalam mengabdi kepada Allah Ta'ala. "

Setiap seorang tokoh-tokoh sejarah ini diiringi dengan secebis Sentuhan Jiwa dari penulisnya, berupa puisi bernafaskan Islam.
Salah satu Sentuhan Jiwa yang amat berkesan pada saya tertulis di halaman 95 bertajuk Menusuk Kalbu.

"Suara itu seakan datang menyelinap ke ruang kamar
membawa sejumlah ayat-ayat Suci/ayat-ayat kebenaran. Ayat-ayat Tauhid.
Ayat-ayat tentang kehidupan, tentang kematian."

Siapa yang tak tertegun mendengar alunan kebenaran
di tengah hening, di tengah sunyi. Menusuk lunak ke benak kalbu menebarkan khabar gembira kepada orang yang beriman dan menitipkan peringatan kepada orang yang lupa tentang kebesaran Tuhan Maha Pencipta.

Alangkah merdunya suara itu
bermain-main di kamar
menabur butir-butir narwastu
di taman sanubari.

Pintu kalbu terbuka untuk mendengar bisikan terunggul dari segala bisikan yang pernah berbisik dari segala pelusuk pulau dari segala lereng gunung, dari segala ufuk laut, dari segala benak belantara, dari segala rambut kabut,
Kerana bisikan terunggul itu tidak lain daripada bisikan... "

Kalau nak tahu bisikan itu, buku ini sudah ada di pasaran.

Pembaca yang berminat kepada puisi bernafas Islam dan mafhum ayat-ayat suci akan mendapat hidangan yang lazat dari kreativiti penulis ini pada setiap catatan Sentuhan Jiwa [30 puisi semuanya].

Di kulit belakang buku ini tertulis "buku ini dipersembahkan kepada pembaca sejarah yang ingin berkelana di dunia perjuangan para sahabat Rasulullah SAW dengan segala keunggulan peribadi dan nilai-nilai batin yang sukar dicabar. Para sahabat itu hidup dalam dunia indah yang dirumus oleh Islam, sekaligus getir bergulat dengan ancaman musuh-mush Islam. Pembaca juga dipelawa menghirup pemikiran dalam bentuk yang lebih berseni, dengan hidangan puisi-puisi yang bernafaskan keislaman mengiringi setiap tokoh sahabat yang dibicarakan. Inilah bentuk dan ciri khusus yang sengaja ditampilkan oleh penulis di dalam pengkisahan sejarah para sahabat tersebut. "

Lapping-top tyme

This is my new girl. Just got it 2 days ago. My old playpal just dropped dead on my face. She couldn't take all the bashing on her day and night. I worked her till she collapsed on my feet. Poor girl.

Anyway, I was with the old girl for 6 faithful years. Day and night, we were together. Sometimes, my tears dropped on her face while I expressed my heart out, sometimes she see me smiled when people dropped by to make funny comments, she was with me all those wonderful times when my children were growing up. She stood by me but she died last week, while I was sleeping.
Thank you Sony, old girl, I will miss you. At celeron 1.8GHz with only 60GB, you were the top in the market when I got you. I took you in at US1,700. But now, you cannot take it anymore. I demand so much from you. I overload you with so much data and sometimes makes you breathless, I am so sorry, old girl.

Sony, old girl, I have to get a new friend since you left me. I cannot be by myself too long. I will be mentally-slanted. I admit I am the unfaithful type. You know I will not bury you, you will be on my table until the time I feel fit to keep you tidily away. I am watching you as I am writing this farewell piece, Sony Old girl.
Here is the new friend.
She is small and cute, pretty smile and beautiful teeth.
She is the size of half A4 paper and I can carry her around. Not that I love her more than you, no.
The reason why I got a small, pretty, cute girl is so I can take her to Spore and Msia. So she can be my travel companion. Let me introduce you to her.
I give her a sweet name Lavie girl. Nice name right? Sony, old girl, I know you'll like her as well.

Her size is only at 8.9-inch 1024 x 600CD with 1.6GHz Atom N270 processor, 160GB HDD, 1GB of RAM, 802.11b/g WiFi, SD slot, 1.3 megapixel webcam, XP Home.

She is so small but I can load her full at 160GB. This time I know she can take all the data I throw in her brains. She even have this small eye in her head at 1.3 megapixel, which is clear and sharp. All my friends and children over the world can see me talking. But, the best part is she has a small slot for SD card. You know right, when I go travelling I take lots of photos, so this time I can just slot in the SD card and ta da, I can load in the photos right there.

I bought a small carry-case for Lavie. She is so light at 1.17kg, I don't think I have trouble now while waiting in the transit lounge at Khai Tak Airport in between transit time.

No, you will always be in my mind Sony, Old girl. Thank you for being with me all the 6 years. Luv you and you are in my memory always.

Landing flat tyme

This afternoon, I was trying on a new pair of room slippers, those that comes with soft hairy fur. As I climbed the stairs to go up, one foot stepped on another slippers and I came crashing on the landing. I could not get up and I stayed flat on my face for a little while to wait for the blood to dripple from my nose. No, my nose is not bleeding but the impact of the fall give me a much flatter nose than before, similar to purple Indian onions.
The lips is a blossom of burgundy rose, getting dark purple after the blood settled inside. Seems to be bigger than that of Angelina's but not any inch as sexy.
HUHUHU.

Maneki neko tyme

Image courtesy of Wikipedia.commons.org

I am sure many Aliens who have stepped themselves in Japan would have seen this cat everywhere. Mostly, shop owners put those cats on their front doors or as part of their window display.
This is the Beckoning Cat or The cat that welcome you. The cat that says "you are always welcome, please step in".

Now that the explaination part is over, let me start on the topic of my heart passion.

Topik yang sangat menghairahkan emosi dan perasaanku. Tak lain dan tak bukan Haiku.

My passion is no other than haiku.

Last Sunday we started our first Haiku Meet of this year. By the way, First Haiku Meet of the year or HatsuKu Kai in Japanese is a season word or Kigo that is so relevant in making a good haiku.

It has been about 6 months that I have not attended any Meets as I went visiting my hometown and coming back from home, my mother passed away. Then the year-end festivities caught up and I counted 6 months of missing session.

I was very attracted to this haiku. It is so simple when you read it once but after further studying, it transforms into something so spiritually magical.

Its is written by Mr. Oyadomari, he sat besides me at this session. He is an artist, he paints mostly Okinawa scenery. The cover for the WA Anthology work (by the side bar) is designed by him and his haiku collection is also selected in the WA Anthology.

He wrote: Hatsuharu ni/maneki neko itte/furu honya.

Let me translate that:

The first day of spring there is a welcoming cat (see above) at the old bookshop.

See how simple this haiku is. The image is easy to see. Once reading through, you will understand very vividly, a welcoming cat at the front of the old bookshop in early spring.

Look again...let's see how deeply it impact my feelings.

The play of words that expresses time is moving by comparing the first day of spring which signify a new beginning, a new start and a new life with the old bookshop.
The old bookshop is displaying the welcoming cat, welcoming people to come in. But taking it metaphorally, the writer is feeling the new spring, the air of change transforming his life. Winter has been short days and long, dark nights. The feeling of inactivity, the state of hibernation is monotoneous and spiritually empty.
When he feels the first sigh of spring, the needle burst the hibernating hollow thus allowing him to peek out and create activity that show sigh of life and living.
That is great happiness and when he sees the welcoming sigh of the cat, it enjoins his joyous emotion even more.

The pull of pleasant and joyful feelings with the coming of spring creates a need in the writer's emotion to do something and make a good change with his life. As an impromptu movement, his feet put him in an old bookshop. Coming to the bookshop, makes him feel he needs to replace the knowledge that has flowed away from his body during the long, tiring winter days. Now, its spring and he must replace the knowledge of the world back into his heart like an old tired car that need to have an overhaul to face the new challedge of the season.

If you try to study this haiku, you too can feel its spirit of life renewing and a new birth, a new beginning.

PS: The haiku homepage, Taman Lilly, is only for haiku written in Bahasa Malaysia. Only people who can read and write Bahasa Malaysia is accepted as member on certain conditions.

Dip in Beauty tyme

Foreign people or as the law in Japan called them The Aliens, should never missed the chance to have a bath in the BathHouse or the Communal Bath. I am not afraid to swear that communal bathing is a very unique experience.
Of course, there are rules to follow before dipping your bare body in the bubbly, hot water and if you ignore those rules, for sure another fellow bather would tell you off or let you know the rules with exact precision.
You'll see from the picture, all the gadgets I use in the grooming process.

You will have to leave your shoes before entering the changing room. Once inside the changing room, you will be allocated a locker. Everything goes in. Normally, I wrapped myself with the brown, soft material. I would carry my gadget in a small container into the communal bath area.

Usually, shampoo and body soap is provided at every shower point. You used your own thing from home if you fancy those they provided is not to your liking.

Wet your hair and shampoo, use the hair srubber if you don't have long nails to scratch your head. Shower off and apply hair conditioner.

Here is what I normally do, while the conditioner do the work, I would sit in the sauna, letting the heat seep in the hair, 10 minutes is more than I can bear in there.

From the sauna, I would sit under the shoulder-beater. Shoulder-beater is water that falls off from the top in heavy beating movement on both the shoulder. I would repeat the trip from sauna to the shoulder-beater about 4 rounds. I really need the shoulder-beater, all these writings on the keyboard makes my shoulder cry.

Wash off the conditioner and I am on the body grooming stage now.

First of, brush my teeth. Then, with a stone-scrub, both feet goes under the gruelling srubbing.

Finish that, goes the elbow and knee scrub. You know sometimes those areas are rough, so a little scrub will make them smile. I have the razor ready but I don't need to disclose how I use it. Some things need to be kept private.

Out ooze the body soap from BodyShop. Long, brush goes behind my back. Pulling on the string on each side, up and down the whole trunk. But for the front, I used softer materials that need softer rubbing, here I used body wash-clothe.

You noticed all this time, I have not soak in any hot tub yet. Yes, that is the BIG rule.

YOU HAVE TO WASH HEAD TO TOE BEFORE THE DIP!

After all these rubbing and scrubbing, only now I can soak in any of the hot water pools. Of course, there are various functions the water can do for you. There is the jacuzzi that beat your painful backs, there is the message attack that do your shoulder, there is the bubble trip that bring you all the way to the clouds and of course there is the perfume bath that fills with lavender scent or cherry-blossom. Scents of flowers that are in the season.

I would finish my rounds with a dip in the scented pool and come out feeling really flowery and blossomy.

With a clean and dry towel, I go for the second, grooming round in the changing room. I called this the after-bath groom and this will take another 45 minutes.

Shortest time I take from the start point till I walk away from there would be like 4 hours.

Hey, that is the shortest time. When my mood run away, I would be there like 5 hours and my skin would beg for mercy.

Girlfriends and female-bloggers closed to me, come have a dip with me.

Dancing the word tyme

I am writing in three languages. Sometimes, I feel my head is so bogged with words and terminalogy of all the three languages that I can't feel the head exist anymore.
Sometimes, I touched my head just to make sure it is still there.
All the mixture of word floats in my head, searching for an opening, wanting to be free but the thing is, there is NO EXIT POINT!
I am so frustrated when those words refused to come out of its comfortable and warm zone. Hard as I tried to force it out.
Otto suggested I danced, so the words would slowly seep out of this body.
No, that is out. Way out.
Otto reminded me to bring back all those dancing steps and movements that I learnt every week when I was 37 and 38 years young.
That time, after learning every new dance routine, I would do the whole performance for Otto. He'd loved to see me dancing. Though he never comment anything. He would just sit and looked at me dancing away and stay quiet that way.

The video below is one of the dance routine I did minus the IPOD, of course. Where in the world would one have an IPOD at that time? Those time, the latest in-thing is the WalkMan with the big CD player hanging on the belt.
Now, instead of dancing, I'm very contend to just listen to the fast beat. I do shake from the belt up but that is so minimal.

Talking about languages, tell me the name of a vegetable that sound almost alike in all these three languages (Bahasa Malaysia, English and Japanese).

Romancing the fish tyme

Nowadays, when I'm feeling down, I talk to the fish and this morning, this is the conversation.

Every morning, facing the news add more worries on my face. The decreasing grey cells in this brain cannot comprehend such unreasonable killings, such lay off that forced previously reputated family man to eat and sleep on road walks. I know all these are works of Illah SWT. I don't question His Plan. He has a Plan for the World. He lets those killings be done, He Plans those places to be destroyed, so who I am to question His Doings?
Only He knows when to stop, only He knows how long it will go on, only He knows...

On other parts of Japan, fathers are left without work, man are left homeless, breadwinners found themselves eating hand-out food and sleeping in the parks.
I give a little smile to those powerful people who try to control this miserable economic conditions. Work unions and employers are combining heads to bring the situation back to normal.

When those factories cut ribbon and celebrate opening branches there, the people on Okinawa island smiled and join the joyous occasion. But the same factories never open on this island. What has been and always will be on this island is the GI base, the humble islanders and the sugar cane field.

Now, in this economic chaos, what still remain on this island is still the GI base, the humble islanders and the sugar cane field.

Isn't it ironic?

We are not affected by the economic tumble. There is no work layoffs, no shutdowns, no homeless in the park.

This, I would say, is another one of His Plans. Thank you, thank you.

Aku membaca hujan

Analisa "Aku membaca hujan" dari Dr. Lim Swee Tin (Univ. Putra Msia-sastera) yang disiarkan di majalah Dewan Sastera keluaran Dis. 20, 2008.
(Klik pada imeg untuk dibesarkan)

Pos Nota: Penulis puisi berkenaan boleh dihubungi melalui ufukfikir@gmail.com

Morning that sips time

I've been eating clear soup with spinach, shiitake mushrooms and carrots adding 2 pieces of mochi rice-cake for the past 3 days.
On top of that I haven't been cooking for several days as we are eating sashimi (raw fish) all the time. Those are gifts from people around us. It's not like we are in with the festive occasion, it's just that the current of flow pulls us in the wave of celebrations.
The cold, biting winter wind that is blowing from the north as a way of nature welcoming the changing year, is stopping me from stepping out in the world.
Sipping on a cup of hot, milk coffee, I looked at the sparrows in my front yard feeding on the bird feeds that Otto throws.

Yes, life is easy,
Life is moving,
and I'm moving easily with life.

The last singer of the Kouhaku Utagassen 2008 (The Red & White Singing Contest)-Hikawa Kiyoshi with Zun-doko Bushi.
The song is about how he missed his mother while staying apart, starting a new life of his own.