Kami dapat assignment baru that is, in a group of 5/major, to write an abstract as follows :
Malangnya saya tidak hadir kelas pada hari Jumaat kerana menguruskan beberapa perkara di pejabat, so I did not have any group initially. Walau bagaimanapun, saya telah cuba menghasilkan abstract sendiri berasaskan apa yang saya faham tanpa mengaitkannya dengan profesyen perancang bandar.
Project 9 : RUS101 Conference
MIND SHIFT
AWAKENING AS ONE
BANGKIT DENGAN TAUHID
WE CANNOT ALTER PEOPLE’S HEART, WE CAN ONLY INSPIRE
(KITA TIDAK BOLEH MENGUBAH HATI INSAN,
KITA HANYA BOLEH MEMBERIKAN INSPIRASI)
Rahmat Bin Mohamed Salleh
No. Matrik:109659
ABSTRAK
Dalam teriakan slogan dan laungan gagasan “1 Malaysia Menjana Transformasi”; dalam kemelut dunia akhir zaman yang penuh kekacauan; di saat para akademia, ilmuwan dan cendekiawan berhempas pulas mencari resolusi dan penyelesaian, masih ramai lagi warga bangsa dan kerabat seagama yang masih betah tidur lena dibuai mimpi indah dan khayalan, bahawa “esok masih tetap ada” sedangkan hakikatnya esok adalah sesuatu yang belum pasti. Sehinggakan mantan Perdana Menteri Malaysia, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamed pernah berkata bahawa sepanjang beliau menjadi Ketua Kerajaan menerajui Malaysia, semua perkara berjaya dilakukannya kecuali satu, iaitu untuk mengubah minda bangsa Melayu. Demikianlah sukarnya mengubah hati manusia yang tegar dibelenggu dengan pelbagai doktrin, ideologi, budaya, kepercayaan, persepsi dan tabiat.
Maka, kertas ini dihasratkan dapat menjadi suatu wacana bertujuan merungkai isu tersebut dengan pertama-tamanya menghuraikan istilah anjakan minda dan inspirasi; serta memperincikan maksud beberapa frasa penting berdasarkan kepada hasil kajian dan penemuan. Penekanan akan diberikan terhadap fitrah kejadian manusia, sikap dan jati diri, serta sejauh mana keupayaan seseorang atau sesuatu golongan dalam memberikan inspirasi atau menjadi sumber inspirasi sebagai wahana yang efisien dalam mengubah hati insan serta mencetuskan anjakan minda. Beberapa tokoh utama akan diketengahkan sebagai role model, dengan pembicaraan mengkhusus kepada keperibadian/sahsiah,
Pada bahagian berikutnya pula, kertas ini cuba membincangkan tentang golongan sasaran dan cabaran-cabaran yang akan ditempuh dalam merealisasikan hasrat memberikan inspirasi kepada golongan-golongan tersebut. Kertas ini juga akan mengutarakan beberapa cadangan dan langkah-langkah yang boleh diambil sebagai suatu usaha ke arah “menginspirasikan” hati manusia, memberikan motivasi dan menjadi pedoman dalam memacu revolusi pemikiran serta anjakan minda. Cadangan-cadangan ini dipaparkan dalam konteks Malaysia, dan akan menyentuh isu agama, bangsa, budaya dan cara hidup masyarakat majmuk di negara ini, di samping mengaitkannya dengan aspirasi Kerajaan ke arah globalisasi dan pengantarabangsaan, dan di masa yang sama cuba memperkukuh institusi kemasyarakatan/kekeluargaan dan persekitaran kehidupan yang holistik.
Memberikan inspirasi dan menjadi sumber inspirasi bukanlah sesuatu yang mudah, terutamanya kepada golongan tegar. Walau bagaimanapun, usaha ini bukanlah sesuatu yang mustahil jika semua pihak yang bertanggungjawab dapat memainkan peranan masing-masing dengan penuh ikhlas dan komited.
Kerja-kerja memasang dome diteruskan lagi. Cik Wan asked me to buy some nuts and bolts for the dome connecters. That's probably the fastest way to fasten the struts and connectors securely.... (Thinking to myself - bila nak siap ni...)
Mungkin ada yang dah tau pun, but here's something worth sharing...
Saya pernah melayari laman sesawang Cik Wan dan kalau tak silap firasat saya, di sinilah dulu terletaknya a huge metal dome, ConDome, yang telah dibuka dan dipindahkan ke LCK Suriana Gardens, Balik Pulau, Pulau Pinang, yang kemudiannya dinamakan Grown Dome. There's quite a story behind it... Kisah lanjut boleh dilayari di http://www.hbp.usm.my/1b/condome/index.htm
Pada hari ini bermulalah secara rasminya kerja-kerja pemasangan BIG dome di tapak ConDome yang telah dikhaskan.
Setiap pelajar dikehendaki berkumpul dengan membawa bersama-sama mereka bamboo strut yang telah disiapkan lengkap dengan connectors...
This is mine...
... dan dikumpulkan mengikut kategori panjang masing-masing.
Paying attention to briefing before dome assembly.
Cik Wan inspecting the prepared struts and giving instruction...
... and join!
It's me, man... Lending a helping hand...
Kerja-kerja memasang struts diteruskan bagi lapisan pertama... Susah juga kerja ni...
Tapi sesukar manapun kerja yang nak dibuat, akan jadi mudah kalau bekerjasama. "Apa yang penting? Kerjasama!" (a favourite verse from Wonder Pets...)
Cik Wan getting hands-on too... That's leadership by example, salute...
And we are almost there. Only then, barulah dapat bayangkan betapa besarnya dome ini, the big, no - gigantic BIG dome...
Kerja-kerja pemasangan tidak berjalan dengan begitu lancar dan beberapa struts yang dipasang crumbled disebabkan beberapa faktor menurut Cik Wan, iaitu panjang struts tidak betul-betul mengikut spesifikasi, hujung buluh yang dinipiskan menjadi tidak stabil dan pecah, buluh mengecut menyebabkan connection menjadi longgar. Cik Wan telah mengarahkan beberapa remedy segera dibuat termasuklah membuat struts yang baru and to fasten the struts and connectors with screws.
Menyaksikan apa yang berlaku, what I can deduce is that :
technically, if we don't follow instructions very closely, akan berlaku ketakseragaman dan kecacatan dalam construction which can sometimes be lethal;
socially, setiap orang dari kita mempunyai peranan dalam masyarakat, sekiranya kita tidak menunaikan tanggungjawab yang diamanahkan, maka akan lemahlah struktur institusi masyarakat itu;
and the dome is just like our world. If we don't unite, if we don't support each other for the common cause of sustainability dan bersedia menghadapi 2012 (whatever it might be) we'll be but destroyed beings... and nobody can save us from the results of our own doings...
Selain daripada itu, projek ini mengajar kami erti permuafakatan, kerjasama dan semangat setiakawan. Everyone, each like a component of a huge machine, has a role to play without which the machine ceases to function...
On unity :
“And We shall remove from their hearts any lurking sense of injury: (they will be) brothers (joyfully) facing each other on thrones (of dignity).” [Qur'an 15:47]
With the amazingly increasing interest in the subject, saya merasa terpanggil untuk memaparkan apa yang telah saya temui dalam carian di Internet untuk dikongsi bersama dengan semangat Awakening As One atau apa yang diterjemahkan oleh Cik Wan, Bangkit Dengan Tauhid. The trilogy consists Part 1 : The Call, Part II : The Plan and Part III : The Prophecy. Then, there is another part which is an addendum to the trilogy The Definition. Give it a thought....
Today is the All USM BIG Apex Leap to 2012 Discussion held to replace the originally planned USM Bamboo Symposium : The Way Forward, and is open to all USM lecturers and students alike. Our very own Cik Wan who represents BIG gives an intoduction to BIG and how APEX will fascilitate USM citizens for the leap to 2012. Everything about BIG can be found at http://www.hbp.usm.my/1B/buluh from the people behind it, its principles to its role and obligations in the leap to 2012 and beyond.
Cik Wan then introduces the Advisory Panel and the Executive Commitee members present. They are :
1) Prof. Fun Hoong Kun (PHYSICS)
2) Azura Muhamad Marican (COMM,TECH,ENG)
3) Asfizale Othman (ENG)
4) Assoc. Prof. Dr Muhammad Kamarul Kabilan (EDU)
5) Muhammad Ridewan bin Zaidi (AEROSPACE)
6) Jamil Jusoh (HBP)
7) Dr. Azizan Marzuki (HBP)
8) Dr. Hilmy Yahya (HBP)
9) Arman Razak (HBP)
10) Assoc. Prof. Dr Hasnah Osman (CHEMICAL SCIENCES)
11) Prof. Mohd. Asri Mohd. Nawi (CHEMICAL SCIENCES)
12) Dr. George Teoh Boon Sai (DISTANCE EDUCATION)
The gist of the talk comprises :
The 3P Model
All USM citizens must understand and manifest the sustainability principle (model or paradigm) adopted by BIG called the 3P (People-Principle-Place), a refined version of the Social-Economy-Environment Model.
An intention cannot be a standalone. It must be grounded in individuals or institutions we call actors or simply people. In any production, people cannot but be guided by rules or principles. And the product produced must have a site or a place on which it is located.
Bamboo, BIG and APEX
Cik Wan later explains that bamboo naturally fulfills all the six points of APEX except for "Sacrife" that is required of us to let the changes to happen. We must be prepared to sacrifice in order to accept changes...
... for status quo is no longer an option when dealing with the leap to 2012.
BIG brings together those who are keen on, want to and/or working in/on bamboo to work out the ways and means to carry out, execute the Accelerated Program for Excellence (APEX) which requires all its citizens to make the Leap to 2012 now and gradually deliver the product through 2013.
Source : BIG website
According to Cik Wan, what will really happen in 2012 is a prophecy and we do not know for sure what will actually happen then. He speaks of what will happen to the world as it approaches 2012. Therefore, he concludes that we have to make a leap in order to survive the aftermath. What is happening now is the devastation of beings and according to Islam, these catastrophe, tragic occurences and bizarre massacres are "signs" that the world is coming to an end, the Doomsday. But will it happen in 2012? Only Allah knows. What is certain is that we are destroying our environment to the point whereby we will no longer be able to exist here and we will pretty well all die as a result. If we kill nature it will surely kill us. And we forsake the Deen and the teachings of our prophets (peace be upon them) Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, Isa and Muhammad (pbuh) and be prepared to suffer the warth of Allah... Therefore we must treat our environment with mercy. About this our Prophet Muhammad assured that :
“The merciful are shown mercy by the All-Merciful. Show mercy to those on earth, and He Who is in heaven will show mercy unto you” (As-Suyuti).
The Plan
Whatever will happen in 2012, whether it will be an end to this world or a new beginning as to some people, we must get ourselves prepared. The scenario given by BIG is that on the night of 20 December 2012, families are already gathered inside the PONDOKS ready for 21 December 2012 to take place. If the event happens, it is hoped that all would be safe. If it does not, everyone shall go back to the original position with a "prepared" mindset and further understanding that USM now has a different genre of sustainable, self sufficient development. That includes the Bambu Research Village :
with main floatable components such as follows :
LAMPU (Lighthouse and Matrix Positioning Unit)
AIR (Autofloat Imbibing Reserve)
IBU (Inter-PONDOK Bastionary Unit)
PONDOK (PolarShift and Other Natural Disaster Organizational Unit)
"Awakening as One" Video Presentation
Then, there is also a video presentation entitled "Awakening as One", a call for unity, that there is only one path to salvation and that is through the fellowship and love of all mankind regardless of religion and beliefs, and the love and care of nature or living in harmony with it.
Later I try to find some info about this "Awakening as One" and find so many websites, blogs and most interestingly, videos about the topic. Maybe I will share some of them with you later, and make it easier for you to deliberate.
Then, a foreign student, Miss Marham Akhavan, a first-year undergraduate from Iran shares her thoughts with us, mainly about the transformation she has made so far during her stay in USM.
Then comes the much-awaited Q & A session, where Cik Wan is to answer all the quetions raised:
Prof. Fun Hoong Kun : Where to get bamboo? Answer : Bamboo can be found everywhere in abundance around the world.
Q : How long does it take to mature? A : Bamboo is like grass that grows in clumps. It takes a very short time such as 3 years to mature.
Student Grace : What if in 2012 there are earthquakes, tornado and everything else instead of a massive flood? A : We need help from all people to carry out the plan for 2012. We have to create an alternative development and do something that are less corruptible.
Q : How long will bamboo last? A : A 1000 years old bamboo bridge in China is still function able. Bamboo can last long when it is well preserved and treated.
Student Yvonne: How can bamboo contribute in the medical field in the future/during 2012? A : It is being studied that bamboo can actually treat epilepsy (gila babi).
I don't have any question prepared because I have to go back to sort a few things at my office during the weekend and Cik Wan has been informed about this. (Thank you, sir).
"Through the humane application of Science and Technology to social design and decision-making, we have the means to transform our tribalistic, scarcity driven, corruption filled environment into something exceedingly more organized, balanced, humane, sustainable and productive. To do so, we have to understand who we are, where we are, what we have, what we want, and how we are going to obtain our goals. Given the current state of affairs... the reader should find that we not only need to move in another direction…we have to." - Fresco
Salam everyone. For this project, we were divided into groups, each with a specific task to prepare components foe a huge geodesic icosidodecahedron. (Please refer to http://www.hbp.usm.my/1b/101/bigdomeregist.htm).
The BJG dome to be built.
Groups retrieved the bamboo from stockpile area at Dome site.
Selecting bamboos...
Selected bamboos tied in bundles...
More bamboos for BIG Dome...
...and the bamboos were quite heavy to carry to work area...
Groups selecting custom-sized PVC pipes for hubwork.
The length of cut polypipes compared to my foot...
Measuring required lengths to be removed.
Polypipes or PVC pipes were cut according to specifications for making strut joints or connectors.
A workshop assistant helping groups to cut polypipes into desired shapes.
A group cutting the polypipes...
Warming up the polypipe to fit to the bamboo ends easier and stronger.
Queueing up to flatten the "tongue" of the cut polypipes...
The flattened part... This will fit the struts nicely...
The strutwork team thinning out required bamboo lengths... The bamboo will form the very basic component of the dome...
Top and bottom pics : the hub sample produced during hub making trials. We will prepare similar hubs using bamboo struts produced by strutwork groups.
Each strut will be fitted with connectors at both ends. These struts will compose the structure of BIG geodesic icosidodecahedron.
Then, there is also a video presentation entitled "Awakening as One", a call for unity, that there is only one path to salvation and that is through the fellowship and love of all mankind regardless of religion and beliefs, and the love and care of nature or living in harmony with it. 
