The Elder

You may have forgotten,
That your parents are human.
There will come a time they soon forget,
All the things you've said,
Don't you get mad,
Don't you feel bad.

You may have forgotten,
That your parents are human.
There are things that made them fight,
For matters that look blurry at their sight,
Don't push it more,
Don't let it blow,
Pull them slow.

You may have forgotten,
That your parents are human.
Be their light,
For they're not always right,
But for you,
Forever they will fight.

You may have forgotten,
That your parents are human.
They smile, they cry.
They love, they hate,
But don't leave them,
Forgive their mistakes,
And wait them,
At heaven's gate.

You may have forgotten,
Allah has said,
In Luqman the fourteenth..
'Be grateful to Me and to your parents.
Unto Me is the final destination.'

NZ 
cowrote with RR and 
final touch-up by WAWS | 171115

our end year product =) alhamdulillah

Lang Leav cakap

Bismillah

encountered this quote and i find it suits me well.

Lang Leav will never disappoint me i guess.

An Empty Sit

There's a sit next to me,
it's still empty
for i've waited you so long,
for the ticktocks counted aren't enough yet
to create a new song
with lyrics, there is story to be read.
our story.

There's a sit next to me,
its cushion makes you sleepy,
but it's still empty.
as i'm counting time for your arrival
if you were to utter the proposal
yet i missed the count
i've lost the direction
the watch i'm wearing fights with its rotation.
our story stopped.

The empty sit next to me, is still here.
Taught me to be more sincere,
for the right time is not near,
for that's the reason you couldn't come closer.

Yes.
The sit is still empty dear.
year after year...
for it reminds me that i'm a sinner.
that i've spent those years behind
as cruel and selfish creature,
so now
i'll stand 
to meet my Creator.
and walk as repenter.

NZ | 300815

When Friend Arrives (adapted from ‘When Love Arrives’ by Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye)

I knew exactly what Friend looked like – during Foundation

Even though I hadn’t met Friend yet, if Friend had wandered into the mainhall,

I would’ve recognized him at first glance.

Friend wore black tie and white shirt.
I would’ve recognized her at first glance,

Friend wore a rainbow shawl.
Friend played pink guitar and knew all my favorite Hujan’s songs.
Friend wasn’t afraid to ride the bus with me. 

And I knew, I just must be searching the wrong class location, just must be checking the pending Whatsapp text.

She was there, I was sure of it.
If only I could find him.

But when Friend finally showed up,

she wore no lip-gloss.
He wore the same black shirt every day for a week.
Friend hated public transport.
Friend didn’t know anything about Running Man.
Instead,

every time I try to please Friend, it was me who got fed up!

Friend became the reason I lied to my lecturers.

He’s having.. headache.

Friend had terrible record of class attendance,

but made sure we never missed Rhythm of the Champion.

Friend waited by the phone because she knew if she ever missed the call,

she’ll be left alone in the hostel and missed the dinner at Scud.

And Friend grew, stretched like a chewing gum.
Friend changed. Friend disappeared,
Slowly, like baby teeth, losing parts of me I thought I needed.

Friend vanished,

like an amateur magician, and everyone could see the trapdoor but me.
like the monthly allowance everyone could spend it wisely but me.

Friend will stay away for years, and when Friend finally reappeared, I barely recognized him.
Friend might smell different now,

wearing lens,

a broader back, Friend came with muscles I didn’t notice.

New hairstyle, a teacher voice.
Now there were new eating schedule, new favorite authors.
Friend had songs that reminded her of someone else, songs Friend didn’t like to listen to.

So did I.

But we found a spot that we both admire.
We found news that make us think deeper.
And now, Friend amazes me with her new “When Friend Arrives” poetry.
(But Friend will probably finish reading it after years)

Friend looks great in green shirt but still likes to wear the black.
Friend is a terrible map, but a confident speaker.
Friend knows where she’s going, it just might take her two hours longer than she planned.
Friend is messier now, not as simple.
Friend starts to use “Mama!” instead of Aunty to call my Mom.

Friend chews too loud.
Friend leaves her laundry for a week.
Friend uses ‘Hoi’ and ‘LOL’ in his text messages.
And turns out, Friend ‘meh!’

But Friend also cries.
And Friend will tell you, you are strong and mean it, over and over again.

“You are strong.”
When you failed a paper, “you are strong.”
When you’ve just been crying, “you are strong.”
When you don’t want to hear it, “you are strong.”
When you don’t believe it, “you are strong.”
When nobody else will tell you, “you are strong.”
Friend still thinks you are strong.

But Friend is not perfect and will sometimes forget,

when you need to hear it most, you are strong.

Do not forget this.

Friend is not who you were expecting, Friend is not who you can predict.
Maybe Friend is in Kuching, already asleep; You are in Kota Bharu, Sungai Petani, wide awake.
Maybe Friend is always in the wrong time zone.
Maybe Friend is not ready for you.
Maybe you are not ready for Friend.
Maybe Friend just isn’t the talkative type.
Maybe the next time you see Friend is twenty years after graduation,

Friend is older now, but just as beautiful as you remembered.
Maybe Friend is only there for a month.
Maybe Friend is there for every courses, every birthday party, every hospital visit.
Maybe Friend stays,

maybe Friend can’t.
Maybe Friend shouldn’t.

Friend arrives exactly when Friend is supposed to,
And Friend leaves exactly when Friend must.
God knows best.

When Friend arrives, say, “Welcome. Make yourself comfortable.”
If Friends leave, ask them to leave the door open behind.
Turn off the music, listen to the quiet, whisper,
“Thank you for stopping by.”

Let fate fares us well.

NZ | 060815.

Specially adapted and written for KSK-ians @KapalSelamKrew

PISMP January 2012 Intake

(June 2010 – September 2015)

my (our) first trial of spoken poetry.

Luckily we did it though at first, we almost missed our turn (the real situation was; actually the organizer missed our names in their list =( so sad)

Yushamri is the mirror of Phil Kaye i guess (if you're reading this, Hey Yo!)

My Will

Will you forgive 
all my faults?
Will you forget 
all my sulks?

Will you delete 
all my weakness?
Inside and out, 
all you've witnessed?

Will you make du'a for me when I'm not around?
Talk nothing about me when I'm not in front?
Hope to meet me
when all matters here are done?

Can we meet eventually?

NZ | 130715

Kerana 'Di Bawah Langit Copenhagen'

Bismillah

of book, Padang and Loqman

Apakah lagi hal yang berkuasa memotivasikan diriku selain mati?

Adakah lagi kata yang terbaik menasihati diri ini selain 'Ingatlah kematian mendekat'?

Siapakah lagi insan yang bisa membuatku sadar sepenuh nyawa selain dirimu yang telah pergi?

Sang Budiman.

Kapan bisa kita ketemu lagi.

Kapan bisa aku dengar dari mulutmu sendiri,

girangnya kau dengan titipan kuberi?

Kenapa kita jauh dalam jarak yang dekat?

Kenapa kita pisah dalam temu yang singkat?

Kenapa tidak berterus terang, nyata akanku kirimkan lebih aksara lagi.

Tapi, ternyata..

aksara wajibku saban hari saat terkenangkanmu,

lantunan Fatihah yang syahdu.

NZ | 230615

nota:

Puisi untuk sahabat, saudara Loqman bin Karim.

Dan buku itu juga, untukmu.

Titipan pertama dan terakhir yang sempat kau miliki.

Moga saja kau sempat membacanya.

Dan puisi ini,

titipan pertama setelah kau tiada.

Kerana pesanmu,

'Teruskan menulis.'

Padang, Indonesia Part 1

Bismillah.

Assalamualaikum everyone =)

Tahun 2015 adalah tahun yang paling produktif bagi seorang Nisa Afiqa kerana berjaya merealisasikan impian seorang final year student--> to travel and create more memories with friends. Kali ni, kami ke Sumatera Barat, Indonesia selama 6 hari (15-20 Jun 2015). So this entry will basically cover the reasons why we chose the spot and places to go there. 
Actually the decision to visit West Sumatra (precisely Padang and Bukit Tinggi, Indonesia) was made after a few discussion with my wonderwalls ;-) 

It was around December 2014. At that moment, we were between Bandung and Padang, Indonesia. And alhamdulillah we chose Padang at last. And again, alhamdulillah that was how #SahabatBackpackers existed. And yes! Padang was #SahabatBackpackers first trip.

#SahabatBackpackers ni sebenarnya idea seorang Baiti. At first our whatsapp group was named (ouh i don't remember what it was) then Baiti changed it to #SahabatBackpackers and it remains. Nak pendekkan, panggil je SB. For me, whatsapp group ni sangat penting untuk segala macam update tentang tiket, trip, cukai tambahan, tempat tinggal, gambar apa semua. Lagi-lagi waktu perancangan nak ke Padang tu, kami dalam tempoh praktikum lagi (kan semua pelajar IPG). Everyone was staying far and rarely met so this chat group was the only medium.

#the reasons
Okay, kalau nak diikutkan semua orang mesti ada sebab tersendiri kenapa nak ke satu-satu destinasi tu kan. Macam kami (SB), yang pada awalnya bertujuh dan akhirnya berempat (ada kisahnya), masing-masing pun bawa misi tersendiri waktu tu tapi secara peribadi, i think i got 3 reasons.

1) A. Fuadi novel series. 

Ini sebab utama dan pertama =) Novel-novel bersiri penulisan A. Fuadi. It covers Negeri 5 Menara, Ranah 3 Warna and Rantau 1 Muara. A thoughtful, inspiring and such motivating novel series it can be. i started with Negeri 5 Menara obviously, when ayah brought the novel home and let me fell for it so deep :') sampai berhajat nak ke Padang dan Bukit Tinggi sebab nak tengok dengan mata sendiri tempat watak-watak novel tu membesar (ada Danau Maninjau, tempat kelahiran Buya Hamka etc) Seriously, best yang teramat. For me, once i read it, i felt so motivated and inspired to achieve what i wish for in my life. Kesemua novel A. Fuadi seakan ada magis yang menggerakkan kau. Trust me. You might want to add it in your to-buy, to-read or to-borrow-from-Nisa list as well (of course I'm willing to spread its gems). Walaupun dah ada filem Negeri 5 Menara, novel dia paling manangggg! dan sebab pertama ni berkait dengan sebab kedua.

picture from google  =)

Inilah dia Danau Maninjau. Danau=Tasik. Can you see the mirror of the hills? Cantiknya mashaAllah:')

2) Kak Wilda (my friend there)

September 2014. I remembered writing my assignment when suddenly laziness hit me and distracted. So bila dah hilang fokus, i'll start searching and google-ing for other stuffs like 'sinopsis novel a. fuadi' etc. There i found Kak Wilda's blog. She wrote a very interesting entry about the novel here http://smartituhidayah.blogspot.my/2013/07/rantau-1-muara-novel-trilogi-afmad-fuadi.html. Entah macam mana dengan yakinnya, i sent her an e-mail telling her that Rantau 1 Muara isn't in Malaysia yet and i did ask her to find me one. ohmaiii can't believe this. Kak Wilda really bought the novel for me. Panjang perjalanan novel tu sebelum sampai ke tangan seorang Nisa. Dipendekkan, Kak Wil invited me to her place -->Padang, Indonesia. Bagai orang mengantuk disorongkan bantal, bagai orang nak travel dipelawa tempat tinggal, so apa lagi. There we go! 

(Sebenarnya berisiko juga tau untuk percaya kat orang lain thru alam maya. You can't put 100% trust unless you have 100% faith in Him, that He will guide and lead you all the way, DOA dan TAWAKAL sangat perlu dan syukur alhamdulillah, Allah beri rasa yakin yang Kak Wil ni orang yang wujud dan baik-baik. Jadi, Kak Wil dan rakan-rakan adalah orang yang Allah hadhirkan untuk membantu kami sepanjang berada di sana).

Dari kanan : Kak Wilda, sahabatnya, Nisa, Fiqa dan Wawan.
Pemetik gambar : Baiti.

3) Sahabat kami : Allayarham Muhammad Loqman bin Abdul Karim

Sebab terakhir dan paling menyentuh hati. <3
Our trip was closely related to him. Apa-apa hal berbangkit, contohnya soal simkad, wifi, mata wang, tempat menarik, cukai apa semua, i'll ask Loqman directly. Beliau lah sumber maklumat paling mengesankan dari awal perancangan (sebab pernah ke sana sebelum ini) sehinggalah tarikh 30 Mei 2015. Hari terakhir kami bertukar maklumat. Waktu tu beliau dah tiba di Sabah. 'Selamat mengembara.' Itu mesej terakhir beliau sebelum naik Gunung Kinabalu. Terkesannya dengan pemergian Loqman, sampai waktu di rumah Bung Hatta dan Buya Hamka, gigih mencari nama arwah dalam buku pelawat. Tapi tak jumpa pun sebab buku tahun-tahun sebelumnya dah disimpan mungkin. May Allah bless him. :'(

Antara catatan terakhir di Facebook beliau.

could it be worse?

Okay. Enough for the first part. Next, will be telling you the places you can go there =D

#the best spot
Banyak sebenarnya tempat menarik di sana. Dengan pemandangannya, tempat bersejarahnya, shopping mall apa semua, rasanya lengkap dah. Tapi, sepanjang 6 hari di sana, tak semua tempat pun kami berjaya jejaki.
Satu, sebab hari keempat kami di Padang ialah 1 Ramadhan. Jadi kami pergi tempat yang terdaya je lah. Alhamdulillah 3 hari pertama tu banyak dah berjalan..
Dua, sebab masih dibayangi nilai pertukaran mata wang ringgit dan rupiah. Kalau diingatkan semula, banyak cerita lucu yang berkait dengan ringgit-rupiah ni. Betapa kedekutnya kami (terutamanya seorang Nisa) bila nak membayar sesuatu tu. Padahal nilai ringgitnya tak cecah rm10 pun. 
Tiga, sebab jarak dari satu tempat ke satu tempat tu memakan masa. Contoh, kami nak ke rumah Buya Hamka dan pada masa yang sama nampak papan tanda ke Batu Sangkar (ada Istano Rajo Basa Pagaruyung), bila tanya pak supir, beliau kata tak boleh nak reach kedua-duanya dalam hari tu sebab kami keluar pun dah hampir tengah hari. So, we chose to visit Buya's house only since it's already in my dunya wishlist ;-)

Nah, pictures can tell more than words would. So, let's have a look. 

Day 1 
1) Universitas Negeri Padang

UNP. Universitas Padang Indonesia. A very wonderful uni.

ada nama pensyarah UTM =D

Day 2

2) Pariaman

Pariaman merupakan salah satu kabupaten(daerah) di provinsi Sumatra Barat. Perjalanan hampir 2 jam menaiki kereta(tren) dari Padang. Melepasi beberapa stasiun(stesyen) seperti stasiun Duku dan Lubuk Alung.
Apa yang menarik? Ada pantai dan Kopal (kawasan pameran barangan² antik yang dibangunkan cowok² Pariaman melalui kumpulan OPC).
Kopal kalau di Malaysia ibarat Laman Seni cuma Kopal ni di tepi pantai, bawah teduhan pokok.

3) Pantai Parkit

Pantai ni ada berdekatan UNP.

Day 3

4) Taman Marga Satwa dan Bunga Kinantan dan Fort de Kock

Kedua-dua lokasi ni terletak bersebelahan je.

Petang hari ketiga inilah Kak Wil bawa kami semua ke Bukit Tinggi.

5) Jam Gadang (Jam besar)

Tiba sahaja di Bukit Tinggi, kami terus check-in hotel pertama (we booked another hotel for the next day for its reasonable price), dan ke kawasan sekitar hotel pertama itu termasuklah Jam Gadang.

Day 4

6) Rumah Kelahiran Buya Hamka

7) Danau Maninjau

Day 5

8) Ngarai Sianok

Perjalanan ke Ngarai Sianok dan seterusnya Lubang Jepang ni mencabar dan menguji ketabahan kami since we decided to reach these places by walking (puasa kot masa ni). Tapi alhamdulillah berjaya jugak.. and you know what, kami keluar seawal 8pagi sebab nak menjejak dua lokasi ni, then rumah Bung Hatta - check out hotel (1petang) - pasar wisata - Kampung Pandai Sikek. All in one go -_- penatnya bukan kepalang. 

9) Lubang Jepang

Waktu nak masuk ke Lubang Jepang ni, kita boleh pilih sama ada nak ditemani tourguide tu ataupun tidak. And we chose the latter. Acah acah berani sikit=p

10) Rumah Kelahiran Bung Hatta

bersama ibuk penjaga rumah =)

11) Jenjang 40 (Janjang Ampek Puluah)

Jenjang 40 ialah deretan anak tangga yang menghubungkan pasar atas dan pasar bawah. Mengikut info yang diterima, jenjang 40 bukan menggambarkan 40 buah anak tangga pun (sebenarnya 100 anak tangga ohh), tapi nama 40 diambil kira dari 40 buah anak tangga yang paling atas dan tercuram. Kami tak sedar pun waktu mendaki naik. 

penatnya muka tuuuu..

12) Pasar wisata dan kawasan sekitarnya

Day 6
13) Kampung Pandai Sikek
Di Kampung Pandai Sikek inilah letaknya rumah keluarga Kak Wil. Kampung ni berada di lereng Gunung Merapi dan Gunung Singgalang. Seram sejuk je bila dapat tahu. But nothing happened alhamdulillah =)
and syukur, we got the chance to meet Kak Wil's family, to know them better and closer. Walaupun sempat bersama Kak Wil sekeluarga selama sehari semalam, tapi macam-macam yang kami belajar dari mereka, lagi-lagi ayah Kak Wil. Rupanya ayah Kak Wil ni ketua kampung tauuu..

Our last day...nak balik Malaysia dah =)

And i think that's all for this entry. Next, i'll focus more on food, itinerary and some backpacking tips dari kami yang masih amatur dalam dunia backpackers ni kay!

Thanks for reading.