Monday, February 28, 2011

Peludah Bahasa

A.SAMAD SAID
Ketika lahir jeritnya amat mesra-hening suara bayi pertama.
Neneknya pengagum hikayat Tuah membisik iktibar ke telinganya.
Datuknya pencinta Siti Zubaidah bersyair merdu ke qalbunya pula.
Doa dan janji di sanubari inilah cucunya kebanggaan dasa-
insan harapan kerdip pertama yang bakal bersinar sebagai pendakwah.


Ketika bertatih di sisi buaian gelincirnya cepat disantunkan.
Ayah dan ibunya cekal berazam anak termanis di hemah Ramadan.
Diasuh ia menjadi wira dan tidakpun dikira ke bidang mana.
Pada hembusan angin di bukit amat merdu terdengar ia menjerit:
Penyegar budi pilihan pertama, penyemai bakti di qalbu desanya.



Ranum di dalam dan di luar negara menjalar akar benih ilmunya;
pergaulannya alam tak berbatas bertingkat cepat dirinya ke atas.
Pada kempen “bersih-cekap-amanah” terhantar ia ke tampuk kuasa;
masih diingat pesan nenek tentang Tuah; saran datuk tentang Zubaidah.
Sebaik menyingsing SatuMalaysia mula terbelah percik mimpinya.


Tapi, kuasa tersangat nikmatnya-darjat dan harta sebuah buana.
Lalu, dalam lagu gema ternyaring giginya berubah menjadi taring.
Leluhurnya kini damai di kubur, dan sayang, dirinya meruncing takbur.
Terakhir, dengar kisah lupanya – semua dangkal kecuali dirinya.
Terakhir, merebaklah bongkaknya sebagai peludah bahasa Ibunda.


Tak lagi dirinya budayawan desa, pembela bahasa tidak juga.
Kini dia niagawan haloba pemburu kuasa paling selesa.
Memang bukan lagi cucu desawan; segebu dirinya kuasawan.
Dilupa Syair Siti Zubaidah dan tidak dikenal Hikayat Hang Tuah.
Sangatlah selesa dan bangga-dirinya tulen peludah bahasa.


A.SAMAD SAID

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Message in a Bottle

This is perhaps the book that most has had an impact on me. In first place because it was one of the first romances I had read, and then because this book is without doubt the ex-libris of anyone who considers himself to be romantic, even if this story is, in my opinion a bit too far-fetched. This book talks about a sensitive theme, the re-discovery of love, loving once again after having lost the love of a lifetime and after thinking that all was lost and that nothing makes sense anymore. Theresa Osborne is divorced and has a child; she had a perfect marriage, in her opinion, until she discovered that her husband cheated on her. After three years she finds herself in a situation that takes her on a journey that will involve her as she would never have imagined.

The start of everything is when Theresa who strolls by the see one day, finds a bottle containing a piece of paper. As she is curious she opens the bottle and finds a beautiful love letter, a letter from someone who is very much in love and who used this letter as a why to tell the world about his love. The letter from someone called Gareth is meant for a woman named Catherine, and this is all the information that Theresa has. Moved by the tender words and by such a pure love proclamation, Theresa, who''s a journalist, decides to investigate to try and discover something more about the author of the letter, Garret, intrigued by the personality of this man who made this proclamation of love. Theresa uses her profession as a tool and publishes the letter, without mentioning names and is greatly surprised when two other letters are found in different places. All of this strengthens her desire to meet the author of the letter and her wish does not disappear until she discovers who he is.

Finally she finds out that the writer of the letter''s name is Garret Blake, a diving teacher who lives in North Carolina, in a small fishing village. Completely, fascinated by this man, Theresa goes to North Carolina without any future palns and on an impulse, almost as if she was in love so that she can find this man and see the person behind the letters. But of course the story does end likes this especially when Theresa has such strong feelings for someone she doesn''t even know. They meet, become friends and then lovers as they fall in love. However, Garret doesn''t know that the letters were read and even worse he doesn''t know that Theresa knows of their existence and has read them.

But before Theresa can tell him Garret finds out and the story is turned around. Garret feels betrayed and looses his trust in Theresa. The story does not end as would be imagined which helps us see how amazing this story is, it almost too sentimental, and I say this even though I liked the book. I think it is well written and all the places and facts are well described, you can imagine clearly in your head. I recommend this book to everyone who likes romances and mainly to anyone who is a Nicolas Sparks fan.

The Best of All Time

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Never Look Away: A Thriller by Linwood Barclay



Linwood Barclay is back with more unexpected twists and superb characters in a spine-tingling, mesmerizing thriller about a husband whose wife disappears, along with everything he thought he knew about their life together.

David Harwood, a reporter in Promise Falls, New York, is stressed out. The newspaper he works for is outsourcing jobs to India, he can't get a solid lead on the corrupt for-profit prison moving to town, and his wife, Jan, is struggling with a bout of depression. As a much-needed break, David and Jan decide to take their four-year-old son, Ethan, to a local amusement park for a day of ice cream, roller coasters, and carefree fun. But revelry is quickly replaced by panic when, within an hour of arriving at the park, Ethan goes missing. Though he is soon found, panic escalates to full-blown terror when Jan suddenly disappears. Confused and worried, David finds himself desperately searching for any clue that could lead him to his wife — even if it means unraveling a tangle of lies and deception that become more complicated at every turn.