28th March 2007 Ceramah Motivasi

28th March 2007 Ceramah Motivasi

Sebelum saya sampai ke Jordan, Ustaz Zaimuddin, atase pendidikan di Jabatan Penuntut Malaysia di Amman, Jordan telah menulis e-mel kepada saya meminta saya memberi satu ceramah motivasi kepada pelajar Medic di JUST semasa saya berada di sana nanti.

Hati ini merasa agak cuak juga kerana tidak berpengalaman memberi ceramah motivasi. Namun begitu tidak sampai hati menolak permintaan Ust Zaimuddin. Saya maklumkan saya akan cuba sedaya-upaya untuk meluangkan waktu di celah-celah kesibukan pelajar-pelajar tersebut dengan kelas dan exam. Saya juga maklumkan kepada Ust Zaimuddin bahawa saya akan melakukannya secara informal sahaja. Ust Zaimuddin juga menyarankan saya memberi ceramah tersebut kepada pelajar perubatan tahun 2 (satu batch Asma').

2-3 hari sebelum bertolak, masih belum berjumpa apakah topik yang akan kusentuh dalam "borak-borak motivasi"( Tidak mahu menganggapnya sebagai satu ceramah...)
Masih lagi mencari topik yang sesuai dengan pelajar perubatan ini. Dalam hati berkira-kira, selalu bagi lecture dalam kelas untuk pelajar Sains Komputer, ini pelajar perubatan...Aduish.. apakah yang hendak kusentuh....????

Sehari sebelum bertolak, sedang aku melayari internet, tiba-tiba terbaca satu artikel .... Hurm.. hati berkata-kata, "Mungkin topik ini sesuai utk pelajar-pelajar ini...."

Topik yang akan saya sentuh ialah berkenaan "Krisis Sikap di Institusi Kesihatan Malaysia" yang saya petik dari hidayahnet · eGroup For The Muslim Ummah (Malay)
Saya dapati topik ini sangat sesuai untuk bakal-bakal doktor ini, kerana satu hari nanti selepas selesai belajar mereka akan kembali ke tanahair untuk berkhidmat sebagai doktor di Institusi Kesihatan di Malaysia.

Asma' mencadangkan kepada kawan-kawannya "Borak-borak motivasi" ini akan diadakan pada malam ini di apartment Asma' sahaja (pelajar perempuan sahaja). Lebih kurang dalam 20 orang pelajar yang datang pada sesi "Borak-borak Motivasi " ini.

Akhirnya, sesi "Borak-borak Motivasi" ini berjalan dengan lancar. Alhamdulillah.

Selepas tamat sesi tersebut, kami adakan Happy Advance Birthday (birthday Asma' 7 April, satu minggu lagi, dan waktu itu, saya telahpun pulang ke Malaysia). Oleh itu, dengan kek yang di taburi dengan melted cheese, yang disediakan oleh Fadhilah Zulemly (pelajar perubatan tahun 4 dan senior Asma' semasa di sekolah menengah dahulu), Asma' pun memotong kek tersebut...

Hurm... tak sangka saya telah pun mempunyai anak yang berumur 20 tahun!!! Bermakna umur saya........ ;-)

"Happy 20th Birthday Asma'"

27th March Umm Qays and Al-Himma

27th March Umm Qays, Al-Himma

Umm Qays

11am Asma' and friends excused themselves to attend their class. So, Dr. Eyas asked me how was my trip to Jordan. I told him there is another place that I wanted to go but don't know how. The place is Umm Qays. Dr Eyas immediately called his relative who is a taxi driver, later I got to know his name is Hisham, to bring me to Umm Qays. He also suggested to me to go to Al-Himma, a hot springs, near Umm Qays. The round trip to Umm Qays from Irbid will take around 4-5 hours. I estimated latest by 5pm I'll be back here in Irbid.


Umm Qays, situated 110 km north of Amman on a broad promontory 378 meters above sea level with a magnificent view over the Yarmouk River, the Golan Heights, and Lake Tiberias, this town was known as Gadara, one of the most brilliant ancient Greco-Roman cities of the Decapolis.







Golan Heights and Lake Tiberias (Tasik Tobari) used to be under Syria but now is occupied by Israel. So, Umm Qays is located at the border of north Jordan, Syria and Israel.

Also known as Sea of Galilee, Lake Tiberias is a freshwater lake located at northern Israel. It is 13 mi (21 km) long and 7 mi (11 km) wide; it lies about 700 ft (212 m) below sea level and receives most of its inflow from the Jordan River. The region has been inhabited for millennia: archaeological finds dating to some 500,000 years ago are among the oldest in the Middle East. In the 1st century AD, the region was rich and populated; Christians know it as the scene of many episodes in the life of Jesus. Today the lake's waters irrigate the surrounding agricultural region. Modern health resorts have grown up, and the baths at Tiberias are among Israel's winter resort attractions (http://www.answers.com/topic/sea-of-galilee)




In ancient times, Gadara was strategically situated, laced by a number of key trading routes connecting Syria and Palestine. It was blessed with fertile soil and abundant rainwater.






This town also flourished intellectually in the reign of Augustus and became distinguished for its cosmopolitan atmosphere, university's scholars, attracting writers, artists, philosophers and poets, the likes of satirist Menippos (2nd half of the 3rd century BC), the epigrammist Meleagros, and the rhetorician Theodoros (14-37 AD).







Archaeological surveys indicate that Gadara was occupied as early as the 7th century BC. The Greek historian, Polybius, described the region as being under Ptolemaic control at the time. The Seleucid ruler Antiochus III conquered it in 218 BC, naming the city Antiochia and Seleucia. In 63 BC, Pompey liberated Gadara and joined it to the Roman league of ten cities, the Decapolis.



Soon after, the fortunes of Gadara improved rapidly and building was undertaken on a large scale, carried out for the love of Pompey's freed man Demetrius, who had been born there.



During these early years of Roman rule, the Nabataeans (with their capital in Petra), controlled the trade routes as far north as Damascus.

Unhappy with the competition, Mark Anthony dispatched King Herod the Great to weaken the Nabataeans, who finally gave up their northern interest in 31 BC. In appreciation for his efforts, Rome rewarded Herod with Gadara.

View of rows of olive orchards in the Jordan Valley

The city reached its peak of prosperity in the 2nd century AD. New colonnaded streets, temples, theaters and baths sprouted. Meleagros compared Gadara with Athens, which testifies to the city's status as a creative center of Hellenism in the ancient Near East.



Christianity spread slowly among the inhabitants of Gadara. Starting from the 4th century, its bishop attended the ecclesiastical councils of Nicaea, Chaleedon and Ephesos.







Despite his attendance, the city was no longer a seat of learning. During the 6th century, decline set in, and in 636 AD a decisive military clash between Byzantines and Arab Muslims took place not far from Gadara. There is no evidence, however, of widespread destruction in the city.





Umm Qais's charm still lingers today. A large portion of the western Roman Theater has survived history's upheavals. Vaulted passageway supports its rows of seats, built of hard basalt stones.

A row of elaborately carved seats for dignitaries stand near the orchestra, and in the center was a large headless white marble statue of Tyche, goddess of fortune and of the city, now displayed at the local museum.







Across from the theater is the main colonnaded street (cardo), which was in all likelihood the town's commercial center. Also, near the black basalt theater is the Terrace, which hosts a courtyard, a church and a basilica.






Further west of the Terrace and along the east-west colonnaded street (decumanus), ruins of the Nymphaeum, a bath complex and a well-preserved Roman Mausoleum can be seen. After a few hundred meters one can barely make out remains of what was once a Hippodrome.

Gadara was also the resort of choice for Romans vacationing in the nearby Himmet Gader Hot Water Springs (Al-Himma)

Information taken from: http://www.atlastours.net/jordan/umm_qais.html


Al-Himma (Himmet Gader Hot Springs)

From Umm Qays, we went to Al-Himma.

Al-Himma, a therapeutical hot springs located about 10km north of Umm Qais in Irbid Governorate, was highly regarded by the Romans.

The mineral-rich hot waters of the springs pour into an indoor pool at a privately run complex with a restaurant.

Anyway now the hot springs is closed temporarily due to the management wants to develop it into a tourist resort with a hotel.

According to Hisham, many people used to come here with their family to have a picnic and take a bath in the hot water springs.

27th March A Night in Irbid

27th March A Night in Irbid

Tonight Asma' and I went to a Halawiyat Shop near her apartment. She wanted to buy for me "Kinafah", a type of Halawiyat that tastes so creamy and sweet.... Orange in colour and they springkle some ground pistachio on it.

So, off we went to the store around 8:30pm. Not so many people around, and most of the stores are already closed.

Near the Duwar Kubbah

Asma' apartment is situated in an area that has a trademark "Duwar Kubbah". Duwar means roundabout (never thought in Middle East has roundabouts like Shah Alam!!! I think Shah Alam is the only city in the Klang Valley that has so many roundabouts) and Kubbah because there is a small monument like kubah in the middle of the roundabout.

In front of the Halawiyat Shop

In the Halawiyat Shop.

In the Halawiyat shop, there is a very big poster of King Abdullah and Queen Rania with their children. I like the poster so much because it portrays the king and queen in a very informal way and happy family. Not like most the posters of our Sultans and Agong here, what we can see usually in a very formal way, with very heavily jeweleries and all the medals...

This is KINAFAH.

Nicely packed halawiyat.

Asma' eating the Kinafah.



I still can imagine the sweeeeeeeet taste of Kinafah.... took sometime to finish just a piece of it. Have to drink a bottle of mineral water after that.





















In another Halawiyat shop near the Duwar Kubbah.

Bought 2 kg of Halawiyat to bring home to Malaysia.

Flower Shop

























It was so windy and cold. So we didn't stay long outside, besides there were not so many people strolling along the street.