SINOPSIS CERAMAH KEISTIMEWAAN PUASA DAN BULAN RAMADHAN Saudara Pendengar Sekelian, Setiap orang yang mengaku beriman dengan kebesaran Allah pasti akan bergembira apabila tiba bulan Ramadhan Al Mubarak di setiap tahun. Ini disebabkan Ramadhan satu-satunya bulan yang penuh dengan rahmat dan keberkatan yang tidak terdapat di dalam bulan-bulan yang lain, oleh sebab itu Rasulullah s.a.w. menjelaskan Ramadhan adalah penghulu kepada sebelas bulan yang lain. Hanya orang yang kenal kelebihan Ramadhan sahaja yang akan bersedia bila menjelangnya bulan yang mulia ini. Betapa besarnya fadilat bulan Ramadhan ini dapat kita fahami dari hadis Rasulullah s.a.w. yang diriwayatkan oleh Imam Bukhari dan Muslim yang bererti: Apabila masuk bulan Ramadhan maka dibuka pintu-pintu syurga dan ditutup pintu-pintu neraka serta diikat semua iblis dan syaitan. Oleh kerana itu apabila seorang melangkah masuk ke bulan Ramadhan bererti mereka memasuki gerbang pertapaan yang penuh dengan ujian dan latihan. Kerana itu sudah sewajarnyalah kita membuat persiapan yang perlu dari segi rohani dan jasmani iaitu. 1. Mengulangi kembali pelajaran-pelajaran yang berkaitan dengan puasa agar kita memasuki dan menjalani amalan puasa ini dengan pengetahuan dan yang dibaharui dengan pedoman-pedoman yang baik serta pengalaman-pelangalam yang baru dan sempurna. Pelajaran-pelajaran itu hendaklah yang berhubung dengan rukum, syarat sah, syarat membatalkan puasa, perkara-perkara sunat, makruh, abad berpuasa dan hikmat yang terkandung serta perlaksanaan ibadat puasa yang merupakan ibadat yang istimewa ini. 2. Membuat persiapan dari segi Rohani rasa hati dan ketenangan jiwa dalam menghadapi bulan puasa sebagaimana yang dilakukan oleh Rasulullah s.a.w. dan para sahabat baginda. 3. Membanyakkan doa moga-moga Allah memberikan kesihatan, tenaga, kelapangan dan kesempatan mengerjakan puasa dan mudah-mudahan Allah memberikan taufik dan hidayahNya supaya kita dapat menunaikan puasa dengan hati yang jujur, tulus ikhlas dijauhi dari riak, ujub dan dari segala rupa penyakit yang menghilangkan pahala puasa. 4. Menguatkan semangat dan hemat untuk melaksanakan latihan yang akan kita jalani sepanjang bulan ini dengan sempurna agar kita memperolehi kesan yang dimaksudkan iaitu peningkatan ketaqwaan kita kepada Allah s.w.t. Bulan puasa itu merupakan bulan latihan berjihad memerangi hawa nafsu yang loba dan tamak. Bulan puasa adalah bulan bercucuk tanam untuk akhirat, bulan menghasilkan bekalan untuk hari kemudian, bulan membersihkan dan menyuci diri dari berbagai dosa dan noda serta menghiasi diri dengan budi yang tinggi dan pekerti yang luhur. Maka oleh itu hendaklah kita menyediakan diri kita dalam melaksanakan hak puasa dengan perkataan-perkataan dan perbuatan-perbuatan yang baik dengan sepenuh hati, jujur dan ikhlas semata-mata kerana Allah. Kita hendaklah berusaha menyediakan diri untuk menjaga benih-benih amal yang kita tanam di bulan Ramadhan itu kerana seorang yang menanam benih jika tidak membaja, menyiram serta memelihara pasti tidak akan mengeluarkan hasil yang baik apabila datang masa menuai tegasnya semasa berhadapan dengan Allah s.w.t. Kita hendaklah mengelakkan daripada kebiasan-kebiasan yang memberatkan dan merugikan diri kita seperti berbelanja berlebihan, boros, suka berhibur, membuang masa dan bersembang yang tidak mendatangkan faedah kerana perkara-perkara tersebut adalah bertentangan dengan hikmat berpuasa. Sebaliknya hendaklah kita menyambut bulan puasa dengna cita-cita dan azam yang tinggi membanyakkan ibadah samada siang atau malam hari dengan kemahuan hendak melatih diri serta mensucikan jiwa. Kita hendaklah mengucapkan tahniah di atas kedatangan bulan Ramadhan itu kerana ianya merupakan hak muslim ke atas muslim. Rasulullah S.A.W. pernah bersabda yang bermaksud: Daripada hak seorang muslim kepada muslim yang lain ialah apabila mereka menerima kebaikan hendaklah kita mengucapkan tahniah. Diriwayatkan oleh Ahmad dan Nasaie daripada Abi Khurairah bahawa Rasulullah s.a.w. sentiasa menggembirakan para sahabat di atas kedatangan bulan Ramadhan, bulan yang membawa rahmat serta nikmat yang tidak terhingga kepada mereka yang berpuasa, bulan melebur dosa dan memerdekan hambanya dari azab api neraka. Rasulullah s.a.w. menggembirakan para sahabatnya dengan sabda baginda: Ertinya: Sesungguhnya akan datang kepada kamu bulan Ramadhan bulan yang diberkati, Allah mewajibkan kamu berpuasa di dalamnya. Pada bulan Ramadhan dibuka pintu-pintu syurga, dikunci semua pintu neraka, dibelenggu semua syaitan. Di malamnya ada satu malam yang lebih baik daripada seribu bulan. Barangsiapa yang tidak memperolehi kebajikan pada malam itu berertilah diharamkan baginya segala kebaikan untuk dirinya. Terkadang-kadang Rasulullah s.a.w. mengucapkan kepada para Sahabat ucapan yang bermaksud: Telah datang kepada kamu bulan Ramadhan Penghulu segala bulan , maka selamat datanglah kamu kepadaNya. Maka telah datang bulan puasa membawa segala macam keberkatan. Oleh yang demikian muliakan tetamu yang datang itu dengan seberapa baik. Daripada hadis-hadis di atas dapatlah kita membuat kesimpulan:- 1. Bahawasanya bulan Ramadhan adalah bulan istimewa bulan yang penuh dengan keberkatan dan rahmat dari Allah s.w.t. Sewajarnyalah setiap muslim mengambil kesempatan daripada ketibaan bulan Ramadhan Al Mubarak ini dengan memperbanyakkan amal-amal soleh samada disiang hari atau dimalamnya. Bulan Ramadhan adalah bulan pendidikan dan latihan maka setiap orang yang menerima kedatangan bulan Ramadhan ini hendaklah membuat persiapan yang sekucupnya samada dari segi jiwa, fizikal dan spiritual.

Peer Pressure. It is one of the most common reasons a young teen will get started on drugs. When in high school, everyone is just trying to fit in. If you don't wear jeans and a flannel, you're considered an outsider and not cool. The desire to fit in can go as far as taking drugs or alcohol.

On February 28, 14 teenagers ages 11 to 14 in Woburn, Massachusetts overdosed on a muscle relaxant. That's right, not cocaine or crack, but a muscle relaxant. This incident (at a Boys and Girls Club dance) could have turned deadly if action wasn't taken as quickly as it was. The drugs were supposedly stolen from the front porch of an elderly person who was waiting for them to arrive in the mail. The questions remain: why did these kids steal and take so many pills? Many adults would say that they just didn't know what they were doing, but it goes deeper than that. The need to be cool, and peer pressure, contribute a great deal to drug and alcohol abuse. The way people act in society and adult behavior also contribute to what kids do and think.

How can teens combat peer pressure? The convenient way of just saying no just doesn't work. Sure, it sounds good to say no but in reality, a person may want to say no, but just can't. Walking away and making up a story are a few very good ideas.

The thing you want to get out of an encounter with drug user is your own safety. Safety is the major factor when dealing with any type of drink or alcoholic beverage. Parents and adults in communities must set a good example for the teenagers.

Hollywood must also help fight drugs. Having drugs on a TV program might improve ratings, but it gives America's children the wrong idea that drugs can bring glamour.

We all hope that the incident in Woburn is an isolated incident and taking others' prescription drugs will not become a new trend of the '90s. Negative peer pressure can pose problems for teens but the right education can at least help.

It is the responsibility of parents to educate their children about the dangers of drugs and how to avoid them. Drugs are a scary reality in the world but everyone has to deal with them at some point. Teenagers have to ultimately ask themselves, "Is it worth risking my life to be cool?" No. ?

Malaysia National Library

National Library Malaysia's premier library which is also popularly known as Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia is located at Jalan Tun Razak. If you are visiting Istana Budaya and the National Art Gallery which are also located along Jalan Tun Razak and are within walking distance of each other, drop by this library and get some information about this place. You will appreciate the architecture of this building, so remember to bring along your camera for a shot or two. The design of the National Library is unique in that it is designed based on a traditional Malay headgear known in the Malay Language as the "tengkolok". The roofs of the building resembles this headgear. The traditional songket design is also embedded on the roofs of the building, a pride and part of the Malaysian culture.

-nuramilaafisya(p)

Building Self-Confidence        

So how do you build this sense of balanced self-confidence, founded on a firm appreciation of reality?

The bad news is that there’s no quick fix, or five-minute solution.

The good news is that building self-confidence is readily achievable, just as long as you have the focus and determination to carry things through. And what’s even better is that the things you’ll do to build self-confidence will also build success – after all, your confidence will come from real, solid achievement. No-one can take this away from you!

So here are our three steps to self-confidence, for which we’ll use the metaphor of a journey: preparing for your journey; setting out; and accelerating towards success.

Step 1: Preparing for Your Journey

The first step involves getting yourself ready for your journey to self-confidence. You need to take stock of where you are, think about where you want to go, get yourself in the right mindset for your journey, and commit yourself to starting it and staying with it.

In preparing for your journey, do these five things:

Look at What You've Already Achieved

Think about your life so far, and list the ten best things you've achieved in an "Achievement Log." Perhaps you came top in an important test or exam, played a key role in an important team, produced the best sales figures in a period, did something that made a key difference in someone else’s life, or delivered a project that meant a lot for your business.

Put these into a smartly formatted document, which you can look at often. And then spend a few minutes each week enjoying the success you’ve already had!

Think About Your Strengths

Next, use a technique like SWOT Analysis   to take a look at who and where you are. Looking at your Achievement Log, and reflecting on your recent life, think about what your friends would consider to be your strengths and weaknesses. From these, think about the opportunities and threats you face.

Make sure that you enjoy a few minutes reflecting on your strengths!

Think About What's Important to You, and Where you Want to Go

Next, think about the things that are really important to you, and what you want to achieve with your life.

Setting and achieving goals is a key part of this, and real self-confidence comes from this. Goal setting is the process you use to set yourself targets, and measure your successful hitting of those targets. See our article on goal setting   to find out how to use this important technique, or use our Life Plan Workbook to think through your own goals in detail (see the "Tip" below).

Inform your goal setting with your SWOT Analysis. Set goals that exploit your strengths, minimize your weaknesses, realize your opportunities, and control the threats you face.

And having set the major goals in your life, identify the first step in each. Make sure it’s a very small step, perhaps taking no more than an hour to complete!

Start Managing Your Mind

At this stage, you need to start managing your mind. Learn to pick up and defeat the negative self-talk which can destroy your confidence. See our article on rational positive thinking   to find out how to do this.

Further useful reading includes our article on imagery   – this teaches you how to use and create strong mental images of what you'll feel and experience as you achieve your major goals – there’s something about doing this that makes even major goals seem achievable!

And Then Commit Yourself to Success!

The final part of preparing for the journey is to make a clear and unequivocal promise to yourself that you are absolutely committed to your journey, and that you will do all in your power to achieve it.

If as you’re doing it, you find doubts starting to surface, write them down and challenge them calmly and rationally. If they dissolve under scrutiny, that’s great. However if they are based on genuine risks, make sure you set additional goals to manage these appropriately. For help with evaluating and managing the risks you face, read our Risk Analysis and Management   article.

Either way, make that promise!

Tip:

Self-confidence is about balance. At one extreme, we have people with low self-confidence. At the other end, we have people who may be over-confident.

If you are under-confident, you’ll avoid taking risks and stretching yourself; and you might not try at all. And if you’re over-confident, you may take on too much risk, stretch yourself beyond your capabilities, and crash badly. You may also find that you’re so optimistic that you don’t try hard enough to truly succeed.

Getting this right is a matter of having the right amount of confidence, founded in reality and on your true ability. With the right amount of self-confidence, you will take informed risks, stretch yourself (but not beyond your abilities) and try hard.

So How Self Confident Are You? Take our short quiz   to find out how self-confident you are already, and start looking at specific strategies to improve your confidence level.

Stress Management :D

Stress Management

How to Reduce, Prevent, and Cope with Stress

It may seem that there’s nothing you can do about stress. The bills won’t stop coming, there will never be more hours in the day, and your career and family responsibilities will always be demanding. But you have more control than you might think. In fact, the simple realization that you’re in control of your life is the foundation of stress management. Managing stress is all about taking charge: of your thoughts, emotions, schedule, and the way you deal with problems.

Start a Stress Journal

A stress journal can help you identify the regular stressors in your life and the way you deal with them. Each time you feel stressed, keep track of it in your journal. As you keep a daily log, you will begin to see patterns and common themes. Write down:

• What caused your stress (make a guess if you’re unsure)
• How you felt, both physically and emotionally
• How you acted in response
• What you did to make yourself feel better.

Learning healthier ways to manage stress

If your methods of coping with stress aren’t contributing to your greater emotional and physical health, it’s time to find healthier ones. There are many healthy ways to manage and cope with stress, but they all require change. You can either change the situation or change your reaction. When deciding which option to choose, it’s helpful to think of the four As: avoid, alter, adapt, or accept.

Since everyone has a unique response to stress, there is no “one size fits all” solution to managing it. No single method works for everyone or in every situation, so experiment with different techniques and strategies. Focus on what makes you feel calm and in control.

Laughter is the best medicine :)

The Health Benefits of Humor and Laughter    

Humor is infectious. The sound of roaring laughter is far more contagious than any cough, sniffle, or sneeze. When laughter is shared, it binds people together and increases happiness and intimacy. Laughter also triggers healthy physical changes in the body. Humor and laughter strengthen your immune system, boost your energy, diminish pain, and protect you from the damaging effects of stress. Best of all, this priceless medicine is fun, free, and easy to use.

Laughter is strong medicine for mind and body

“Your sense of humor is one of the most powerful tools you have to make certain that your daily mood and emotional state support good health.”

~ Paul E. McGhee, Ph.D.

Laughter is a powerful antidote to stress, pain, and conflict. Nothing works faster or more dependably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh. Humor lightens your burdens, inspires hopes, connects you to others, and keeps you grounded, focused, and alert.

With so much power to heal and renew, the ability to laugh easily and frequently is a tremendous resource for surmounting problems, enhancing your relationships, and supporting both physical and emotional health.

Laughter is good for your health

• Laughter relaxes the whole body. A good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after.
• Laughter boosts the immune system. Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease.
• Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain.
• Laughter protects the heart. Laughter improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.

The Benefits of Laughter
Physical Health Benefits: Boosts immunity Lowers stress hormones Decreases pain Relaxes your muscles Prevents heart disease	Mental Health Benefits: Adds joy and zest to life Eases anxiety and fear Relieves stress Improves mood Enhances resilience	Social Benefits: Strengthens relationships Attracts others to us Enhances teamwork Helps defuse conflict Promotes group bonding

Laughter and humor help you stay emotionally healthy

Laughter makes you feel good. And the good feeling that you get when you laugh remains with you even after the laughter subsides. Humor helps you keep a positive, optimistic outlook through difficult situations, disappointments, and loss.

More than just a respite from sadness and pain, laughter gives you the courage and strength to find new sources of meaning and hope. Even in the most difficult of times, a laugh–or even simply a smile–can go a long way toward making you feel better. And laughter really is contagious—just hearing laughter primes your brain and readies you to smile and join in the fun.

The link between laughter and mental health

• Laughter dissolves distressing emotions. You can’t feel anxious, angry, or sad when you’re laughing.
• Laughter helps you relax and recharge. It reduces stress and increases energy, enabling you to stay focused and accomplish more.
• Humor shifts perspective, allowing you to see situations in a more realistic, less threatening light. A humorous perspective creates psychological distance, which can help you avoid feeling overwhelmed.

World Cup: Germany beat Algeria 2-1 in extra time

Germany's forward Andre Schuerrle (left) and Algeria's defender Faouzi Ghoulam vie during the Round of 16 football match between Germany and Algeria at Beira-Rio Stadium in Porto Alegre during the 2014 Fifa World Cup on June 30, 2014. -- PHOTO: AFP

PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil (AFP) - Germany posted an extra-time victory over Algeria and France defeated Nigeria to extinguish Africa’s World Cup hopes on Monday and set up a titantic quarter-final showdown.

A sublime flicked finish by Chelsea’s Andre Schuerrle and a late Mesut Ozil strike gave Germany a 2-1 win over the Algerians in Porto Alegre to put Joachim Loew’s side into the last eight.

The Germans will meet European rivals France at the Maracana Stadium in Rio on Friday after Les Bleus ended Nigeria’s campaign with a 2-0 win in Brasilia.

Germany were pushed all the way by a physical but limited Algerian side, playing in the last 16 for the first time.

Schuerrle put Germany ahead in the second minute of extra time after the match finished deadlocked at 0-0 after 90 minutes.

Thomas Mueller skipped clear down the left and whipped in a low cross, and Schurrle steered the ball into the net with a deft flick of his heel.

Ozil added a second on 120 minutes to put Germany 2-0 up before Abdelmoumene Djabou snatched a late consolation in the dying seconds of stoppage time.

It means Germany now face France for the first time at a World Cup finals since the 1986 semi-final – the last time the French lost in normal time in a World Cup finals knockout match

- See more at: http://www.straitstimes.com/news/sport/world-cup-2014/story/world-cup-2014-germany-beat-algeria-2-1-extra-time-20140701#sthash.dmf1KM3j.dpuf