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Monday 29 April 2013

Designing Your Life

28 April - SAITAMA

Beberapa hari yang lepas, aku mendapat jemputan daripada seorang kenalan yang memaklumkan tentang sebuah seminar bertajuk "Designing Your Life in Japan" anjuran DOU Group, sebuah pertubuhan tidak rasmi yang mempunyai matlamat untuk membina sebuah platform yang membolehkan rakyat Malaysia memahami dengan lebih dalam tentang budaya Jepun~ Buat julung-julung kalinya pihak DOU telah menjemput Mr. Sakura Koji, seorang usahawan dari Asia Tengah yang sudah menetap lebih 20 tahun di Jepun~ 


Majlis diadakan bertempat di Plaza North Saitama bermula jam 1000 sehingga jam 1700~ Kali pertama berkenalan dengan Mr. Sakura Koji iaitu sewaktu membantu membersihkan kawasan perkuburan Islam di 山梨県 (Yamanashi Prefecture) yang turut menempatkan kubur isteri beliau (link).. Kononnya jika di luar, peserta dikenakan caj 3万円 (RM1k) untuk mengikuti seminar yang beliau kendalikan, tapi kali ini atas budi bicara beliau yang rapat dengan warga Malaysia, kami hanya dikenakan caj sebanyak 2000円 (RM61)~


Menariknya Mr. Sakura begitu minat dengan Tun Mahathir sehingga banyak mengaitkan beliau dalam konteks seminar yang dibawa seperti bagaimana Tun memperkenalkan budaya Jepun di Malaysia dan sebagainya.. 「人づくりから始まるまちづくり (To build a city, firstly we need to build a human)」; manusia diibaratkan sebagai gunung yang terhasil daripada pelbagai unsur, sekiranya salah satu unsur itu ditarik, maka gunung tersebut boleh runtuh~ Mr. Sakura turut menegaskan agar kita sentiasa bertanya pada diri sendiri, "What have I become today?"

Menurut beliau, terdapat 5 aspek yang perlu diambil berat oleh setiap manusia iaitu;
  1. Harta
  2. Kesihatan
  3. Harga diri
  4. Tuhan 
  5. Kasih sayang
Manusia perlu menyeimbangkan semua aspek tersebut bagi mendapatkan kehidupan yang ideal atau dalam erti kata lain 調和 (Resonance) antara satu sama lain.. Cara mendapatkan 調和 tersebut boleh dibahagi kepada 3 iaitu menerusi lisan, perbuatan dan juga pernafasan.. Kononnya lebih 80% daripada komunikasi datang daripada "body language" dan salah satu cara terbaik ialah dengan cara mencerminkan "body language" tersebut.. Sebagai contoh, kita ikut segala pergerakan yang dibuat oleh pasangan dalam misi mendapatkan 調和~ Apabila 調和 tercapai, komunikasi dapat berlaku dengan lancar, malah masing-masing dapat berinteraksi dengan perasaan terbuka dan bebas (link)~ 


Salah satu LDK (Latihan Dalam Kumpulan) yang paling menarik ialah mengenal pasti pergerakan anak mata seseorang dalam menentukan samada orang itu bercakap benar atau tidak.. Dikhabarkan ilmu ini hanya diajar kepada orang atasan bagi mengawal pekerja mereka~ Kononnya maklumat dapat diluahkan dengan lebih cepat dan terurus kerana kita tahu di mana maklumat tersebut berada di dalam minda.. Seminar berakhir dengan perkongsian beberapa 名言 (Wise saying) yang begitu menarik dan berbaloi dikongsi kepada semua :)

  • The map is not the territory
  • Experience has a structure
  • If one person can do something, anyone can learn to do it
  • The mind and body are parts of the same system
  • People already have all the resources the need
  • You cannot NOT communicate
  • The meaning of your communication is the response you get
  • Underlying every behavior is a positive intention 
  • People are always making the best choices available to them
  • If what you are doing isn't working, do something else. Do anything else
  • To get rich, find a way to serve many
  • If you help enough people what they want, you can have all what you want
  • Be a student, not a follower

Anda bebas untuk memahami setiap ayat yang tertulis di atas kerana masing-masing mempunyai pemahaman yang berbeza.. Secara keseluruhan, seminar seperti ini begitu singkat dan seharusnya dijalankan lebih daripada sehari.. Sayang hanya 13 orang rakyat Malaysia yang munculkan diri pada kali ini, kalau lagi ramai mesti lagi meriah ;) Untung dapat berjumpa dengan seorang 先輩 (Senior) yang sudah bekerja lebih 4 tahun di sini sebab selama ini agak susah nak cari tempat untuk meluahkan perasaan mengenai stress bekerja di luar negara~ Selesai seminar, kami makan malam di restoran buffet 2x2 下北沢 (Shimokitazawa) sebelum pulang ke destinasi masing-masing~

p/s Hari ini merupakan hari membuang undi bagi rakyat Malaysia di Jepun= Malangnya aku terlewat untuk mendaftar undi membuatkan aku tidak layak (-_-")
    

Thursday 25 April 2013

Earth Day 2013

21 April - TOKYO


Pertama kali menyambut "Earth Day" yang diadakan bertempat di 代々木公園 (Yoyogi Park) setelah mendapat berita tentang adanya sambutan sebegini menerusi Facebook.. Kagum dengan pelbagai gerai dan persembahan yang tersedia yang benar-benar mencerminkan "mother nature" seperti tarian orang asli dan sebagainya.. Malah banyak juga gerai yang menyediakan makanan khas untuk vegetarian seperti burger di mana dagingnya diubah menggunakan inti sayuran~ Sempat juga mendengar ceramah tentang kesan tsunami 2011 di 宮城県 (Miyagi Pref.) daripada CW Nicol Woodland School dan usaha yang sedang mereka jalankan untuk membina sekolah terbaik di Jpon~
 
 

Mungkin Michael Jackson (MJ) ada kena mengena dengan Earth Day memandangkan banyak juga poster dan persembahan yang dijalankan menggunakan imej beliau.. Lucu mendengar suara orang Jpon nyanyi lagu MJ sampai tak dapat tangkap langsung apa yang dinyanyikan (笑) Dok pening nak cari tempat solat sekitar 渋谷 (Shibuya), asalnya nak jalan kaki ke 大使館 (Embassy) tapi member yang kerja di sana beritahu tak boleh masuk pada hari cuti umum jadi ambil keputusan untuk gerak ke 代々木上原 (Yoyogi Uehara) untuk solat di Tokyo Camii pastu terus tunggu sampai Maghrib.. Malam itu makan malam buat pertama kali di Hanasaka Ji-san untuk menikmati 和牛 (Japanese beef) halal ala しゃぶしゃぶ (Shabu-shabu) (link)

Rasanya lagi puas makan dekat Seoul Garden (笑)

p/s Lebih minat 焼肉 (Yakiniku) daripada しゃぶしゃぶ (-_-")   

Saturday 20 April 2013

Finding the Right Partner

During a seminar, a woman asked, "How do I know if I am with the right person?"

The author then noticed that there was a large man sitting next to her so he said, "It depends. Is that your partner?" In all seriousness, she answered "How do you know?" Let me answer this question because the chances are good that it's weighing on your mind replied the author.

Here's the answer.

Every relationship has a cycle... In the beginning; you fall in love with your partner. You anticipate their calls, want their touch, and like their idiosyncrasies. Falling in love wasn't hard. In fact, it was a completely natural and spontaneous experience. You didn't have to DO anything. That's why it's called "falling" in love.

People in love sometimes say, "I was swept of my feet." Picture the expression. It implies that you were just standing there; doing nothing, and then something happened TO YOU.

Falling in love is a passive and spontaneous experience. But after a few months or years of being together, the euphoria of love fades. It's a natural cycle of EVERY relationship.

Slowly but surely, phone calls become a bother (if they come at all), touch is not always welcome (when it happens), and your spouse's idiosyncrasies, instead of being cute, drive you nuts. The symptoms of this stage vary with every relationship; you will notice a dramatic difference between the initial stage when you were in love and a much duller or even angry subsequent stage.

At this point, you and/or your partner might start asking, "Am I with the right person?" And as you reflect on the euphoria of the love you once had, you may begin to desire that experience with someone else. This is when relationships breakdown.

The key to succeeding in a relationship is not finding the right person; it's learning to love the person you found.

People blame their partners for their unhappiness and look outside for fulfillment. Extramarital fulfillment comes in all shapes and sizes.

Infidelity is the most common. But sometimes people turn to work, a hobby, friendship, excessive TV, or abusive substances. But the answer to this dilemma does NOT lie outside your relationship. It lies within it.

I'm not saying that you couldn't fall in love with someone else. You could. And TEMPORARILY you'd feel better. But you'd be in the same situation a few years later.

Because (listen carefully to this):

The key to succeeding in a Relationship is not finding the right person; it's learning to LOVE THE PERSON you found.

SUSTAINING love is not a passive or spontaneous experience. You have to work on it day in and day out. It takes time, effort, and energy. And most importantly, it demands WISDOM. You have to know WHAT TO DO to make it work. Make no mistake about it.

Love is NOT a mystery. There are specific things you can do (with or without your partner), Just as there are physical laws Of the universe (such as gravity), there are also laws for relationships. If you know how to apply these laws, the results are predictable.

Love is therefore a "decision". Not just a feeling.

Remember this always: God determines who walks into your life. It is up to you to decide who you let walk away, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let GO!


p/s Notes for future references :)

Wednesday 17 April 2013

世界の歴史6 (World History No.6)



Pertama kali diketemukan dengan buku ini sewaktu aku turut-serta program 日本文化体験 (Experiencing Japanese Culture) anjuran badan kerajaan Jpon (link) pada tahun 2011.. Buku ini menarik perhatian aku ketika sedang lepak-lepak dalam bilik membaca~ Baca beberapa helai terus timbul niat untuk beli buku ini memandangkan penjelasan dan corak penyampaian tentang Islam dalam bentuk 漫画 (manga) versi 日本語 (Japanese) begitu mudah difahami dan menarik.. Google di internet dan alhamdulillah, buku ini ada dijual dalam Amazon~ Walaupun kulit depan seolah-olah menggambarkan Islam itu terkenal dengan peperangan, mesej didalamnya agak terperinci daripada kelahiran Nabi sehinggalah bagaimana tersebarnya Islam sehingga ke benua Afrika.. 


p/s Disyorkan untuk para 後輩 (Junior) yang malas nak baca artikel pasal Islam dalam 日本語 semata-mata nak terangkan pada 日本人 (笑) 

Saturday 13 April 2013

かなまら祭 (Kanamara Festival)

7 April - KAWASAKI


Sepanjang 6 tahun berada di Jpon, aku telah mengambil kesempatan untuk merasai pelbagai jenis sambutan termasuk 京都三大祭 (Kyoto's Big 3 Festivals) dan juga 日本三大祭 (Japan's Big 3 Festivals).. お祭り (Festivals) di Jpon melibatkan ajaran 神道 (Shinto) dan terdapat juga sebilangan kecil お祭り di sini dianggotai oleh golongan taraf yakuza atau kaki pukul~ Banyak juga お祭り yang pelik-pelik dan berbahaya di sini dan kali ini aku berkesempatan untuk menyaksikan salah satu お祭り yang paling sukar dilupakan iaitu かなまら祭り (Kanamara Festival) yang diadakan pada Ahad pertama bulan April setiap tahun..

Sudah lama didedahkan tentang kewujudan かなまら祭り ini sejak masih menuntut di Malaysia lagi.. Alangkah terkejutnya bila mendapati かなまら祭り ini diadakan bertempat di 川崎大師 (Kawasaki Daishi) yang terletak kurang 30 minit daripada tempat aku tinggal! Awalnya agak ragu-ragu juga hendak pergi memandangkan 2 hari lepas, ramalan cuaca sudah menasihatkan orang ramai supaya berjaga-jaga memandangkan ribut akan melanda kawasan 関東 (Kanto) pada Sabtu malam sehingga ke pagi Ahad.. Mujur pagi itu bila bangun hari sudah cerah walaupun angin masih kuat.. Atur-cara majlis adalah seperti berikut:

例祭 (Regular Festival) : 10:15
神輿御霊入れ式 (Ceremony of welcoming spirit of deceased in palanquin) : 10:45
大根削り (Shaving daikon) : 11:00
面掛行列 (Procession) : 12:00
奉納演芸 (Offering presentation) : 12:10
終了予定 (Ending) : 16:30

Sewaktu naik keretapi daripada 京急川崎 (Keikyu Kawasaki) lagi sudah dikejutkan dengan bilangan 外国人 (Foreigners) yang pastinya menuju ke destinasi yang sama.. Jalan kaki daripada 川崎大師駅 menuju ke 金山神社 (Kanayama Shrine) mengambil masa kurang 10 minit.. Di pintu masuk lagi sudah kelihatan aksi seorang memakai kostum #$%# dan segorombolan orang rata-rata 外国人 mengambil gambar bersamanya (笑) Pastinya お祭り ini paling unik dalam banyak-banyak お祭り yang aku pernah pergi memandangkan bilangan 外国人 lebih ramai daripada 日本人 (Japanese) malah siap ada penerangan dalam 英語 (English) lagi! 

Siap ada wakil TV luar negara yang membuat liputan tentang お祭り tersebut termasuk yang membuat liputan khas untuk dimuatkan dalam YouTube (笑) Terdapat 3 御神輿 (Palanquin) yang dibawa berarak setelah "disembahyangkan" oleh sami~ Salah satu daripada 御神輿 tersebut dibawa oleh segerombolan mak nyah yang bersolek tebal (笑) Lucu melihat gelagat pengunjung lelaki yang membeli manisan berbentuk #$%# pastu makan tanpa segan-silu (笑) Inilah satu-satunya お祭り di mana aku ikut serta perarakan dia buat sementara sebelum mengambil langkah seribu takut terjebak ke lembah maksiat (笑) Video dibawah menunjukkan babak perarakan 御神輿 tersebut yang agak unik~ (Viewer discretion is advised~)


p/s FYI Aku tidak upload sebarang gambar untuk お祭り kali ini memandangkan ramai cousins di dalam Facebook yang masih kecil dan tidak sesuai untuk melihatnya (笑)    

Wednesday 10 April 2013

There's More to Life Than Being Happy

Hidup ini penuh dengan cabaran; ada yang diberi harta yang banyak, dan ada pula yang diberi harta yang sedikit.. Bagaimana dia menggunakan harta tersebut bakal menempatkan destinasi seseorang itu apabila di akhirat kelak.. Kita seringkali diberi gambaran bahawa orang yang memiliki harta yang lebih itu pastinya lebih bahagia memandangkan dunia hari ini digerakkan dengan wang ringgit tapi betulkah begitu? Adakah orang yang memiliki harta yang kurang akan sentiasa berduka mengenang nasib yang malang? Apa yang dimaksudkan dengan bahagia sebenarnya? Artikel dibawah pasti bakal membuka minda anda tentang idea "The Pursuit of Happiness" ;)

***************************************************************


In September 1942, Viktor Frankl, a prominent Jewish psychiatrist and neurologist in Vienna, was arrested and transported to a Nazi concentration camp with his wife and parents. Three years later, when his camp was liberated, most of his family, including his pregnant wife, had perished -- but he, prisoner number 119104, had lived. In his bestselling 1946 book, Man's Search for Meaning, which he wrote in nine days about his experiences in the camps, Frankl concluded that the difference between those who had lived and those who had died came down to one thing: Meaning, an insight he came to early in life. When he was a high school student, one of his science teachers declared to the class, "Life is nothing more than a combustion process, a process of oxidation." Frankl jumped out of his chair and responded, "Sir, if this is so, then what can be the meaning of life?"

As he saw in the camps, those who found meaning even in the most horrendous circumstances were far more resilient to suffering than those who did not. "Everything can be taken from a man but one thing," Frankl wrote in Man's Search for Meaning, "the last of the human freedoms -- to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."

Frankl worked as a therapist in the camps, and in his book, he gives the example of two suicidal inmates he encountered there. Like many others in the camps, these two men were hopeless and thought that there was nothing more to expect from life, nothing to live for. "In both cases," Frankl writes, "it was a question of getting them to realize that life was still expecting something from them; something in the future was expected of them." For one man, it was his young child, who was then living in a foreign country. For the other, a scientist, it was a series of books that he needed to finish. Frankl writes:
This uniqueness and singleness which distinguishes each individual and gives a meaning to his existence has a bearing on creative work as much as it does on human love. When the impossibility of replacing a person is realized, it allows the responsibility which a man has for his existence and its continuance to appear in all its magnitude. A man who becomes conscious of the responsibility he bears toward a human being who affectionately waits for him, or to an unfinished work, will never be able to throw away his life. He knows the "why" for his existence, and will be able to bear almost any "how."

In 1991, the Library of Congress and Book-of-the-Month Club listed Man's Search for Meaning as one of the 10 most influential books in the United States. It has sold millions of copies worldwide. Now, over twenty years later, the book's ethos -- its emphasis on meaning, the value of suffering, and responsibility to something greater than the self -- seems to be at odds with our culture, which is more interested in the pursuit of individual happiness than in the search for meaning. "To the European," Frankl wrote, "it is a characteristic of the American culture that, again and again, one is commanded and ordered to 'be happy.' But happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue. One must have a reason to 'be happy.'"

According to Gallup , the happiness levels of Americans are at a four-year high -- as is, it seems, the number of best-selling books with the word "happiness" in their titles. At this writing, Gallup also reports that nearly 60 percent all Americans today feel happy, without a lot of stress or worry. On the other hand, according to the Center for Disease Control, about 4 out of 10 Americans have not discovered a satisfying life purpose. Forty percent either do not think their lives have a clear sense of purpose or are neutral about whether their lives have purpose. Nearly a quarter of Americans feel neutral or do not have a strong sense of what makes their lives meaningful. Research has shown that having purpose and meaning in life increases overall well-being and life satisfaction, improves mental and physical health, enhances resiliency, enhances self-esteem, and decreases the chances of depression. On top of that, the single-minded pursuit of happiness is ironically leaving people less happy, according to recent research. "It is the very pursuit of happiness," Frankl knew, "that thwarts happiness." 

***

This is why some researchers are cautioning against the pursuit of mere happiness. In a new study, which will be published this year in a forthcoming issue of the Journal of Positive Psychology, psychological scientists asked nearly 400 Americans aged 18 to 78 whether they thought their lives were meaningful and/or happy. Examining their self-reported attitudes toward meaning, happiness, and many other variables -- like stress levels, spending patterns, and having children -- over a month-long period, the researchers found that a meaningful life and happy life overlap in certain ways, but are ultimately very different. Leading a happy life, the psychologists found, is associated with being a "taker" while leading a meaningful life corresponds with being a "giver."

"Happiness without meaning characterizes a relatively shallow, self-absorbed or even selfish life, in which things go well, needs and desire are easily satisfied, and difficult or taxing entanglements are avoided," the authors write.

How do the happy life and the meaningful life differ? Happiness, they found, is about feeling good. Specifically, the researchers found that people who are happy tend to think that life is easy, they are in good physical health, and they are able to buy the things that they need and want. While not having enough money decreases how happy and meaningful you consider your life to be, it has a much greater impact on happiness. The happy life is also defined by a lack of stress or worry.
Most importantly from a social perspective, the pursuit of happiness is associated with selfish behavior -- being, as mentioned, a "taker" rather than a "giver." The psychologists give an evolutionary explanation for this: happiness is about drive reduction. If you have a need or a desire -- like hunger -- you satisfy it, and that makes you happy. People become happy, in other words, when they get what they want. Humans, then, are not the only ones who can feel happy. Animals have needs and drives, too, and when those drives are satisfied, animals also feel happy, the researchers point out.

"Happy people get a lot of joy from receiving benefits from others while people leading meaningful lives get a lot of joy from giving to others," explained Kathleen Vohs, one of the authors of the study, in a recent presentation at the University of Pennsylvania. In other words, meaning transcends the self while happiness is all about giving the self what it wants. People who have high meaning in their lives are more likely to help others in need. "If anything, pure happiness is linked to not helping others in need," the researchers, which include Stanford University's Jennifer Aaker and Emily Garbinsky, write.

What sets human beings apart from animals is not the pursuit of happiness, which occurs all across the natural world, but the pursuit of meaning, which is unique to humans, according to Roy Baumeister, the lead researcher of the study and author, with John Tierney, of the recent book Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength. Baumeister, a social psychologists at Florida State University, was named an ISI highly cited scientific researcher in 2003.

The study participants reported deriving meaning from giving a part of themselves away to others and making a sacrifice on behalf of the overall group. In the words of Martin E. P. Seligman, one of the leading psychological scientists alive today, in the meaningful life "you use your highest strengths and talents to belong to and serve something you believe is larger than the self." For instance, having more meaning in one's life was associated with activities like buying presents for others, taking care of kids, and arguing. People whose lives have high levels of meaning often actively seek meaning out even when they know it will come at the expense of happiness. Because they have invested themselves in something bigger than themselves, they also worry more and have higher levels of stress and anxiety in their lives than happy people. Having children, for example, is associated with the meaningful life and requires self-sacrifice, but it has been famously associated with low happiness among parents, including the ones in this study. In fact, according to Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert, research shows that parents are less happy interacting with their children than they are exercising, eating, and watching television.

"Partly what we do as human beings is to take care of others and contribute to others. This makes life meaningful but it does not necessarily make us happy," Baumeister told me in an interview.

Meaning is not only about transcending the self, but also about transcending the present moment -- which is perhaps the most important finding of the study, according to the researchers. While happiness is an emotion felt in the here and now, it ultimately fades away, just as all emotions do; positive affect and feelings of pleasure are fleeting. The amount of time people report feeling good or bad correlates with happiness but not at all with meaning.

Meaning, on the other hand, is enduring. It connects the past to the present to the future. "Thinking beyond the present moment, into the past or future, was a sign of the relatively meaningful but unhappy life," the researchers write. "Happiness is not generally found in contemplating the past or future." That is, people who thought more about the present were happier, but people who spent more time thinking about the future or about past struggles and sufferings felt more meaning in their lives, though they were less happy.

Having negative events happen to you, the study found, decreases your happiness but increases the amount of meaning you have in life. Another study from 2011 confirmed this, finding that people who have meaning in their lives, in the form of a clearly defined purpose, rate their satisfaction with life higher even when they were feeling bad than those who did not have a clearly defined purpose. "If there is meaning in life at all," Frankl wrote, "then there must be meaning in suffering."

***

Which brings us back to Frankl's life and, specifically, a decisive experience he had before he was sent to the concentration camps. It was an incident that emphasizes the difference between the pursuit of meaning and the pursuit of happiness in life.

In his early adulthood, before he and his family were taken away to the camps, Frankl had established himself as one of the leading psychiatrists in Vienna and the world. As a 16-year-old boy, for example, he struck up a correspondence with Sigmund Freud and one day sent Freud a two-page paper he had written. Freud, impressed by Frankl's talent, sent the paper to the International Journal of Psychoanalysis for publication. "I hope you don't object," Freud wrote the teenager.

While he was in medical school, Frankl distinguished himself even further. Not only did he establish suicide-prevention centers for teenagers -- a precursor to his work in the camps -- but he was also developing his signature contribution to the field of clinical psychology: logotherapy, which is meant to help people overcome depression and achieve well-being by finding their unique meaning in life. By 1941, his theories had received international attention and he was working as the chief of neurology at Vienna's Rothschild Hospital, where he risked his life and career by making false diagnoses of mentally ill patients so that they would not, per Nazi orders, be euthanized.

That was the same year when he had a decision to make, a decision that would change his life. With his career on the rise and the threat of the Nazis looming over him, Frankl had applied for a visa to America, which he was granted in 1941. By then, the Nazis had already started rounding up the Jews and taking them away to concentration camps, focusing on the elderly first. Frankl knew that it would only be time before the Nazis came to take his parents away. He also knew that once they did, he had a responsibility to be there with his parents to help them through the trauma of adjusting to camp life. On the other hand, as a newly married man with his visa in hand, he was tempted to leave for America and flee to safety, where he could distinguish himself even further in his field.

As Anna S. Redsand recounts in her biography of Frankl, he was at a loss for what to do, so he set out for St. Stephan's Cathedral in Vienna to clear his head. Listening to the organ music, he repeatedly asked himself, "Should I leave my parents behind?... Should I say goodbye and leave them to their fate?" Where did his responsibility lie? He was looking for a "hint from heaven."
When he returned home, he found it. A piece of marble was lying on the table. His father explained that it was from the rubble of one of the nearby synagogues that the Nazis had destroyed. The marble contained the fragment of one of the Ten Commandments -- the one about honoring your father and your mother. With that, Frankl decided to stay in Vienna and forgo whatever opportunities for safety and career advancement awaited him in the United States. He decided to put aside his individual pursuits to serve his family and, later, other inmates in the camps.

The wisdom that Frankl derived from his experiences there, in the middle of unimaginable human suffering, is just as relevant now as it was then: "Being human always points, and is directed, to something or someone, other than oneself -- be it a meaning to fulfill or another human being to encounter. The more one forgets himself -- by giving himself to a cause to serve or another person to love -- the more human he is."

Baumeister and his colleagues would agree that the pursuit of meaning is what makes human beings uniquely human. By putting aside our selfish interests to serve someone or something larger than ourselves -- by devoting our lives to "giving" rather than "taking" -- we are not only expressing our fundamental humanity, but are also acknowledging that that there is more to the good life than the pursuit of simple happiness. 
Source: link


Friday 5 April 2013

Hanami 2013

30 March - TOKYO


Terkejut apabila dimaklumkan bunga sakura berkembang 2 minggu lebih awal daripada tahun sebelumnya membuatkan aku terpaksa tergesa-gesa membuat aktiviti 花見 (Cherry blossom viewing ) alang-alang ada "tetamu" dari Malaysia yang tengah 出張 (Business trip) di Jpon.. Pada awalnya nak buat di 小田原城 (Odawara Castle) tapi ikut kata member, situ lagi cantik kalau pergi waktu 秋 (Autumn)~ Lihat pada ranking waktu itu, destinasi no1 di 関東 (Kanto) ialah tempat berhampiran dengan 武道館 (Budokan) di 九段下 (Kudanshita)~


Cadang berkumpul selepas Zuhur, kami mulakan aktiviti hari itu dengan mengisi perut di sebuah restoran halal berdekatan dengan destinasi~ Kemudian buat pertama kalinya aku menjejakkan kaki di 靖国神社 (Yasukuni Shrine), tokong yang begitu terkenal dan penuh kontroversi berkaitan dengan perang dunia ke-2 memandangkan tokong ini didedikasikan buat rakyat Jpon yang mati untuk Mahajara Jpon.. Terdapat satu pokok Sakura di sini yang dijadikan sebagai penunjuk bermulanya "musim" sakura di sini.. 



Aktiviti 花見 biasanya diraikan dengan cara ramai-ramai duduk atas tikar dan menjamu juadah pot luck yang dibawa.. Ternyata cara kami berbeza, duduk atas meja gerai orang sambil menjamu juadah ringan (笑) Selesai bergambar di sekitar 武道館 iaitu tempat yang aku pergi untuk melihat konsert Nickelback pada December yang lepas, kami gerak ke destinasi seterusnya iaitu 秋葉原 (Akihabara) untuk teman member cari お土産 (Souvenir) (笑) Biasanya orang datang sini cari benda lain, tapi terkejut juga dengan bilangan kedai お土産 sekitar sini yang rata-ratanya di jual oleh orang asing (笑)


p/s Gambar-gambar lain boleh dilihat melalui sini~

Monday 1 April 2013

Mandi Lewat Malam

Sejak sekolah lagi aku sudah dimaklumkan oleh orang sekeliling bahawa mandi lewat malam ini tidak baik untuk kesihatan.. Sepanjang berada di Malaysia memang aku cukup ikut kata-kata mereka memandangkan bilik air tiada alat pemanas, kalau mandi malam dengan air yang sejuk ibarat seperti main snowboard tanpa pakaian (笑)~ Tapi sebaik tiba di Jpon, aku terkejut bila melihat rakyat Jpon khususnya yang kerja syif malam di kilang sering mengamalkan mandi dahulu sebaik tamat syif sekitar jam 1~2 pagi sebelum pulang ke rumah.. Adakah mandi lewat malam hanya bahaya sekiranya anda menggunakan air sejuk? Bagi mendapatkan jawapan, aku rujuk Google dan berikut merupakan jawapan yang paling memuaskan :)


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Is Taking A Shower At Night Bad For Health? 
By Zulkiple Ibrahim

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 10 (Bernama) -- Is it a myth that taking a shower at night brings adverse health effects? Many Malaysians believe that taking a bath at night invites bad health.

But how true is the perception? What does the medical fraternity say about this?

Dr Anies Tan, who practises medicine at a private hospital, said research shows that taking a bath is good for cleaning the body from dirt and also for avoiding stress.


She said showering plays an important role in improving the health of the immune system apart from helping to avoid skin diseases like eczema and other health and medical problems.

"Most chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, renal failure and cardiovascular problems, come about from failure within the body's systems and our lifestyle. There is no (medical) evidence that says having a bath at night invites these chronic diseases," she explained.


BENEFITS OF TAKING A BATH

Dr Tan said a warm water bath opens pores that can help removes toxins from the body.

"A warm water bath can heal sore muscles and helps keep the colon working properly. However, if you experience stress, a cold shower would be the right answer.

But what about taking a bath at night?

In a tropical country where the climate is hot and humid, taking a bath at night poses no problems, she said.

"Unless you are suffering from pneumonia and living in cold countries where there is winter, then showering even at night is good, as a bath helps to rid the bacteria and virus from the body's surface.

"Taking a bath is good for healthy living. Even in hospital wards, patients who can walk and afford to take a bath, are encouraged to shower."

She said the failure to take regular showers, including at night, can induce some skin illnesses apart from creating body odour....

TIGHT JOB SCHEDULE

There are many people who find taking a bath regularly a difficult task. There are reasons for this, among them are a tight job schedule or being far away from home.

Homeopathy practitioner Hassan Saidin said a tight job schedule is one of the main factors many traders and businessmen fail to take baths regularly.

He said many traders usually go to work early in the morning and come home very late at night. This makes many of them go to sleep to restore their energy for the next day, rather than take their bath first.

"Failing to take regular baths including at night, is bad for our healthy living. If we don't take a bath regularly, we will experience a lot of illnesses.

"Such problems such as skin irritations will decrease our performance and our confidence," he said.

But why do some elderly people advise against taking a shower at night?

"Such advice is not relevant today. Decades ago, many people stayed in rural areas where progress was slow, and many houses at that time did not have piped water supply.

"At that time, many who lived in the rural areas had to go outdoors and used wells and rivers for bathing.

"Of course, going to wells and rivers at night with no lights and only darkness posed various hazards such as poisonous creatures, and dangers at the river. That could be the reason why elderly folks advise the young not to take baths at night.


"Now we are more developed and have better facilities. It is good to cleanse your body before going to bed," he said.

BODY'S REJUVENATION

According to Hassan, taking a shower is a perfect way to let the muscles relax.

"After a long day at work, your body and mind both need an easy getaway from fatigue. Taking a shower at night will help you get back your high spirits and endurance.

"There is a lot of confusion over the facts of taking a shower at night, as some people think it is harmful to the body, while some feel it may lead to illness and diseases," he said.

Is taking a shower at night bad for the health?

He said:"The answer is 'no', it is not a bad or harmful practice"


Hassan said taking a warm shower will cleanse a person's skin and open the pores and cleanse the skin from the inside, too. It will flush out toxins from the skin, making the person feel fresh and clean.

"Taking a bath will give you a deep and good sleep for the night. Taking a shower at night is also helpful in treating insomnia.

"Taking a shower will allow you to unwind, physically and mentally. You wouldn't want to sleep with all that dirt and sweat on your bed at night.

However, Hassan advised a warm shower if it is too late at night.

According to this homeopathy practitioner, a shower is a natural way to revitalise an individual's body and mind. The person will not only get good sleep but also stay asleep longer after a shower at night.

-- BERNAMA (link)

p/s Objektif entry ini bukan menggalakkan anda untuk mandi lewat malam tapi sebaliknya hanya ingin membangkang teori kononnya mandi lewat malam penyebab ada mendapat penyakit.. Sebagai penganut Islam, penyakit dan sebagainya adalah kehendak-Nya~

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