“Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up. You build up all these defenses, you build up a whole suit of armor, so that nothing can hurt you, then one stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your stupid life...You give them a piece of you. They didn't ask for it. They did something dumb one day, like kiss you or smile at you, and then your life isn't your own anymore. Love takes hostages. It gets inside you. It eats you out and leaves you crying in the darkness, so simple a phrase like 'maybe we should be just friends' turns into a glass splinter working its way into your heart. It hurts. Not just in the imagination. Not just in the mind. It's a soul-hurt, a real gets-inside-you-and-rips-you-apart pain. I hate love.”~Neil Gaiman
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Tell me about it
Friday, January 15, 2010
Dancing in a minefield
It's like you're waging a defensive war against a force that would pounce on you on any time that you miss a step.
Take one step forward, but then two steps back.
Ever watchful of your back.
Glance to the right, you see people whispering and you feel unsafe. A glance to the left, you see people smiling and you feel suspicious.
What the hell is going on?
All you trust is yourself, but it's lonely at the top.
But the silence keeps secrets.
That is what's important.
Saturday, January 09, 2010
Solemn
Silence by ~donjuki on deviantART
Sometimes the things that play in my head are hard to put into words.
Speech is also not an option as it fails me more than written letters ever do.
.
.
.
So I sit in silence, in hope that by a miracle, mutual understanding is found and your truth is the same as my truth..whichever one is the better.
Saturday, January 02, 2010
2009: One hand in my pocket and everything's fine ;)
Lyrics | Alanis Morissette lyrics - One Hand In My Pocket lyrics
I'm tired like a dead fish.
Hehe, nevertheless I'm happy because it's 2010, people! hahaha
I'm happy because I like a major change now and then. I like it when things start to feeling stagnant and stuffy, suddenly a big wave of change come and wash it all away and I have ample room to start all over again.
Like the Japanese in the novel Shogun by James Clavell: they build paper houses because the ground they live on is always catastrophically destroyed by earthquakes. So everytime it shakes and bring them to the ground, they always build their houses again with patience and a silent understanding, a new home have to be built after the old one has gone. It is just something that has to happen, so just embrace it ;)
Looking back at 2009, it certainly have its own flavor and it leaves a bittersweet aftertaste. Overall, the past year has been the most challenging in my career path and also financially. However, it's been a very good year for family related matters even if it stinks in my personal love life.
As far as personal development goes, I think I've grown as a person. For instance:
I'm more in control of my rebellious streak even though it put me in fire sometimes. Especially in lab meetings :p
I'm more cool headed and surprisingly decisive.I've just found this one out during HKWCJ 12:I've never had so many people shouting and screaming at me at the same time until their faces turn red and I can almost see smoke rising from their noses and ears. But it's part and parcel of being the Games committee, you know protests are inevitable. You just got to hold your ground, believe in yourself and make sure your team is in full support of you. That is of the essence and actually I couldn't believe we managed to pull through ;)
Tawakal is important. As Alanis quite aptly said:
What it all boils down to is that no one's really got it figured out just yetI've had moments when I feel most alone in the world, the most poor, the most wrecked. But hey, I know it's always just a phase and those kind of things don't last. Things have a way of working out to be the best in the end.
Life ain't like the movies and it would not leave you hanging. All things will end, we just have to believe that the beginning of something else is coming right after that.
So, the most important thing to remember is to put a big smile on you face and say, Hello 2010! :)
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Down, down, down
Lyrics | The Script lyrics - The End Where I Begin lyrics
I'm sorry.
I'm supposed to get over this but it lingers in my mind.
It's kinda like when you get bitten by a cat until you bleed...sometimes, you wonder where is that damned cat now?
Before, you played with the cat, loving it as your own best friend. So you can't really fathom why it bit you. But it did. And you cried.
You reminisce the good times, sometimes smiling at the thought. But then the questions resurface, and then you were taken back to what made you leave the cat. It was no good for you and you have to let it go.
Somehow.
.
.
.
I think that that person really wanted to push me away from the beginning, that is why all the things said and done is inconclusive, confusing and vague.
A passive aggressive stance of manipulative fighting: push things so high up that the person would fall without you actually tipping them off the edge. Guilt-free. No visible blood on your hands. But it's there. Believe me, you're soaked in it.
But as soaked as you are, I am the one falling and hitting the ground.
People say, "Hey, you are strong and I think you'll be alright"
I hate that, actually.
So what? Does that mean I deserve and should swallow it whole?
...don't go preaching me about destiny, or I'll punch you in the face.
.
.
.
But yes, I know I'll be alright. No doubt about that.
Monday, December 07, 2009
Natrah: Lost soul?
The performance was alright, but we didn't get the best seats because the theater was packed to the brim and there were no other available tickets. However, I didn't mind much as I was interested with the story ;)
Setting aside the theater performance and script (which was for me OK laa), I find myself more fascinated about the underlying questions of the whole Natrah situation.
...before I go further, I want to state that I am no authority on this issue and whatever is written here are just thoughts generated by random networks in my brain. So don't go all defensive on me ok? :p
I don't know what I'd do if I'm in Natrah's shoes. I really can't kid myself that I'd be stronger in resisting the constant interference in my life and faith. Plus, she was only 13. Sometimes I think that her life is too controlled by outside forces that to the end her choices are often not her own....but that is only an outsider's observation, the truth in her heart will never be revealed to us.
I think that what happened to Natrah is not a tragedy to Islam. As someone I know once said, "if in her heart she is Islam, then she won't deviate". But if she is not, then we would have to pray that Allah in all His mercy would lighten the path for her to come back to Islam. Please know and remember that while we fought for her to remain Islam, the other side is also fighting for the exact same reason. So actually, it's fair game because each side believes that they are the divine right. To me, the real culprit is the Locke guy who tricked Che Aminah into coming to Singapore. What he did was mischievious but cunning.
I think the question whether or not Natrah should remain a Muslim should be entirely her own once she is of age. However, is coming of age alone is enough? I wonder...assuming that Natrah is so gullible to outside forces and unable to take a stand, can her judgment be taken as the ultimatum, as the defining parameter of what should be done? Giving or placing anything to the undeserving is the definition of zalim (cruelty) right? When is someone rendered unfit to make decisions?
Another thing, the story narrated in the performance is implying that the colonialist are unrespectful of the law and rules in Islam. But as my fully qualified lawyer sis said, Natrah is not a question of religion, but rather a question of the right to custody. The league they were fighting in is not religion, but the court of law. I am not saying that rules in Islam should abide by the civil laws but what authority Islam has in that particular setting? Islam does not have the power to impose its will on others because at that time even Malaya didn't practice Shariah laws. Here we are, screaming "bangsat penjajah" and other terms along the same line. Who'll care? This pointless anger to me is in total disharmony to the need to understand in Islam. Who would believe a raving fanatic with a shiny blade that threaten everyone to believe he's advocating peace? What the eyes see is the total opposite to what the ears hear and what the heart feel. We have to change this, somehow.
However, what I conclude for myself after watching the performance is that truth does not depend on how many wins or loses. If it does, then how wrong we all are because we keep losing eventhough our numbers exceed the small white bubbles formed by the waves as it crashed to the shore. We weakly disappear, as if we never were there before.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Subdued light of the heart
Whether you call my heart affectionate, or you call it womanish: I confess, that to my misfortune, it is soft.
~Ovid (BC 43-AD 18) Roman poet.
Yesterday I watched Twilight.
With all the talk going on and constant mention by Aini, it's impossible to hold off from it.
The movie was ordinary but I think that to truly understand the story we have to see it from the author's narrative: that is by reading the book.
But I'm thinking that if I were to read it, I'd start wishing again. I never even finished Ayat-ayat Cinta because of the same reason. The book is there, I do want to read it, but I don't think I can take it.
So I'd settle with the movie, for now. Even just by watching the movie I was moved by the character Edward Cullen (Aini, I totally get it now why you're so in love with him! I am too! haha), so by reading the book I know I'd fall for a fictitious character.
I don't know why gazillion other girls fall for Edward, but for me it's because of the fact that he actually wants to be with Bella with such intensity in a way that seem to me not degrading himself as a guy. It is as if he is truly sincere. He actually wants to hear her stories, being genuinely interested and caring. Loving her in the only way he knows how: Vampire-style :p
.
.
.
Haha, I think I'd stop now. This is getting ridiculous ;)
p/s: I have a sudden urge to go to the beach, even if I know the monsoon season is ongoing now. I like staring out the horizon, seeing the waves come to the sand to break into tiny white bubbles. The end nowhere in sight and possibilities are endless. By the ocean, worries float away as time stood still. Hopes and prayers are sent above to set the heart free from the ties of the world that hold it down.
Yes, I miss the ocean.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Surely there is ease after this...
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ
[1 In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.
أَلَمْ نَشْرَحْ لَكَ صَدْرَكَ
[2Have We not opened for thee thy bosom,
وَوَضَعْنَا عَنكَ وِزْرَكَ
[3 And removed from thee thy burden
الَّذِي أَنقَضَ ظَهْرَكَ
[4 Which had well nigh broken thy back,
وَرَفَعْنَا لَكَ ذِكْرَكَ
5] And We exalted thy name?
فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا
6] Surely there is ease after hardship.
إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا
7] Aye, surely there is ease after hardship.
فَإِذَا فَرَغْتَ فَانصَبْ
[8 So when thou art free, strive hard,
وَإِلَى رَبِّكَ فَارْغَبْ
[9 And to thy Lord do thou attend whole-heartedly.http://www.alquran-karim.com/alInshirah.html
Since as long as I can remember, I've prayed for strength and guidance. Berdoa untuk kekuatan dan jalan keluar. I don't know if I am any stronger but every time life dealts me a blow, I always find myself praying for more strength.
If you have time to read this, then I want to share figments of my life to date. Bear with me ya...
Currently I am so busy with my project that I find it difficult to breathe sometimes.
Last week I went to Kota Bharu for patient blood sampling. I went on Tuesday morning and back in Shah Alam on Friday morning (intially I wanted to skip lab but then I had to attend a meeting..so to the lab I went). The weekends were spent in the lab, struggling to meet deadlines and expectations.
Even today is spent in the lab. Plus tonight I'm going to Kota Bharu and will arrive there in the wee hours of the morning. Then, I'd rush to my uncle's house to borrow his car. Then I'll go to HUSM to coordinate patient blood sampling in the clinic. Tomorrow I'd go through the case files and mark those who are eligible for the study and the day after is the actual sampling time. Wednesday night I'll be heading back to Shah Alam and again will arrive in the wee hours in the morning. After a bath and some breakfast I'm planning to go to the lab and do some labwork and also to store the samples collected.
This is not the only things I have to do as I have to think about fine tuning my research project to accommodate the current situation and also to take into account the clinician's views. I have to catch up in my reading and writing! I've been stalling this bit for quite a while but I know I can't any longer because my stupidity shows now, especially when dealing with the clinician.
My sis asked me, "Kak Lisa tak penat ke?"
My reply, " Mana ade, Kak Lisa kan Bionic woman" hehehe :p
I think this is a hectic life, life in the fast lane; even if I'm dead broke. I can get through this because I have extraordinary support from every corner. I don't know what I did to deserve such wonderful family and friends, but I'm trying not to push my luck too much haha.
But it's good focusing on work like this, I don't have time to think about other things bugging my mind and tugging at my heart. Just work, work, work. But why not? The only rest is when we die. Until that time finally comes, I'm determined to make this all worthwhile.
Friday, November 06, 2009
Washing dirty laundry in public ain't sexy
Actually I think of this blog as an outlet to dump all the trash messing my mind. So, in a moment of indiscretion I could potentially put me and the ones around me in danger.
Such is the power of the written word: it could be twisted and viewed in multiple perspectives to achieve a purpose.
So, the result is a sister blog here.
What is most unique and appealing about blogging at wordpress.com is that I can password-protect selected posts. So, whenever I have potentially damaging things to say about the world around me, I can password protect it! ;)
And I also uploaded all the things I wrote since I was first introduced to the blogging world. I never thought that it has been a long time: I've been blogging for 4 years now! (yes, compared to others I am relatively new. but still, I never thought it's been 4 years already :p).
I think that I will not abandon this one just yet as I haven't get used to the features and I'm still trying to navigate my way through wordpress.
So that is all: a creation of another blog.
What will happen next? Change is the only constant ;)
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Gotta live like we're dying
Lyrics | The Script lyrics - Live Like We're Dying lyrics
Yes, we got to face it: in this world, no one comes out alive.
Once we've established that fact and everyone understands the impact of it, we'll move on to the next stage: what we're doing with the time we've been given here?
So if your life flashed before youDon't kid yourself that you have so much time, you can't see how many stones of sand are left in your hourglass. Each second, without fail: we're getting older and closer to dying.
What would you wish you would've done?
It's such a waste for us to just wither out and die, we have so much potential! We can learn everything, we can do anything as long as the heart agrees and the body is able. I've long believed that the world is such a big place to be stuck in one corner.
Wherever we go, whatever we do: God will provide, so why the hesitation?
I've never lost the hope that someday I'll be able to tick off some items on my list. For me, the thing withholding me the most is the unavailability of money to squander on my dreamed adventures and the fact that I am such a coward to go at it alone. So friends, jom? We'll overpower the ones that doubt us by our infallible belief that we can do it haha.
Some of the things on my bucket list (yes, very much like the movie but they did it when they're so old, I was hoping that I won't kick the bucket just yet :p)
- To handle any machine that flies, with me in it. I've been contemplating to take flying lessons, I don't really care if it's a helicopter or a plane: as long as it flies. Hey, even a hot air balloon is ok :D
- To play paintball. I've been jealous of the many people who had played. Seriously it'd be liberating to kill someone even with colorful balls of paint haha
- To ride a go-kart and hopefully a F1 car too. I've been dreaming of this since I was a kid and I can still feel the rush in my dreams as I tackle the bend of the road. Gile hensem! haha
- To learn diving and have a diver's license. I got this chance when I was in uni but the fee then was out of my means. My ptptn is only for fees only, so xleh la berfoya-foya sangat :P. The closest I get to seeing the fishes up close is when I went snorkelling once in Pangkor. That was truly a dream vacation..
- To go to Japan, Egypt, Greece and Korea. My friend once told me that the pyramids in Egypt and the Nile aren't all that they are so hyped to be but still, I want to go there! haha
Ok getting back to the song, I'm interested with this phrase:
And if your plane fell out of the skiesIt is good advice not to burn bridges. You'll never know when you have to cross the same river again. So in this life, try to be good to everyone and don't cut the ties until there's no hope of getting back again. What if in the future we have to ask for something from that person again? So forgive, but never forget. However, don't keep those who bog you down. God did not create you so you'll crawl through life. Just play your cards right: you don't have to have everyone like you but you don't need haters either. It's a delicate balance: I'm still working on it myself.
Who would you call with your last goodbyes
Should be so careful who we live out our lives
So when we long for absolution
There'll no one on the line
Another thing is to keep your regrets at a minimum, because when you suddenly see yourself at the end of the line you don't really have much time to redo or undo your conduct in life. When you gotta go, then you gotta go. You think the angel of death would stall his schedule just so that you can do that one little thing? Death is happening everywhere so you must understand how busy he is. So spare yourself the trouble and do things while you still can.
Say you love someone even when it hurts and give forgiveness to the ones that hurt you.
Give praise when it's due and criticize only when it helps.
Be the one who build and not the the one who break.
These you do so that you'll be the one to smile and not the one who cries.
p/s: I hope I'm not too thick-headed to take my own advice. C'mon, life don't begin at any number, rather it begins when you want it to :)
Monday, November 02, 2009
A song most fitting for my current situation
Lyrics | Nitrus lyrics - Sisa lyrics
Sisa - Nitrus
As they say, we can't predict the future.
So I'll hold on, with unfaltering hope that there's something very funny about this when we look back into our lives.
Hey, the past can't be undone so let it be. It's the future we must be concerned about. So what if we have to deal with this thing now, life would be just black and white otherwise.
One thing's for sure, I am NOT alone in this decision. You'd be surprised to know how much time I've spent contemplating, asking around and praying for a change.
In conclusion, I feel that I have to better myself to get a better person in my life. Or, most likely this is just a way for reminding me of how much I've led astray from Him. I believe that He is never cruel, so I would not be the one unappreciative of all the things He has let happen in my life.
In this life test, even though there's no chance to come out alive I sure do hope I'd get out of it with flying colors ;)
Sunday, November 01, 2009
To those with little minds
You have been weighed, you have been measured, and you have been found wanting. In what world could you possibly beat me?
~Adhemar, A Knight's Tale
Why is the fact that I am doing my PhD a sensitive issue for some people?
"Untuk menghebatkan diri lagi la tu, smpai x endah tuntutan agama"
==> seriously, how stupid can you get to let these words come out your mouth?
Is your faith in the destiny of every people as being controlled by the will of God is so flimsy that you have the gall to assume that the fact that I am single is actually a choice for me not to settle down?
I pity you.
Your belief in qada' and qadar is non existent. Who in the world does not want to settle down?
Seriously, you being born into this world is not for getting married and reproduce only. You should make more use of yourself instead of wasting your time talking about other people. At least I am trying to make a mark on this world and I detest you for not trying the same thing.
It is not my fault that guys nowadays don't quite reach the mark.
"jangan pegi tinggi sangat, nanti takde sapa berani"
Oh, so I have to stop now? What about the fate of our people, of our beliefs if all that is left to stand up to the challenges of the world is weak and have no knowledge?
Sorry, but I can't stop even if I want to (which I don't). They would have to catch up.
But wait, do you know what my standards are? Please do not talk of things you don't know, it'll just show off your stupidity even though you talk as if it's the most intelligent thing in the world.
That is something for me to know and for you to shut the hell up.
Excuse the ego, but I AM fabulous, amazing, intelligent and incredibly cute. Just deal with it ok?
When you're in my face, I'm allowed to take a stand. So step aside, you're in my way.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
If it were that easy :p
New Delhi: In what could prove to be a major marketing and legal embarrassment for Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), a 26-year-old man has filed a case against the FMCG company, which owns the Axe brand of men grooming products, for 'cheating' and causing him 'mental suffering'. The plaintiff has cited his failure to attract any girl at all even though he's been using Axe products for over seven years now. Axe advertisements suggest that the products help men in instantly attracting women.
Vaibhav Bedi, the petitioner, also surrendered all his used, unused and half-used deodorant sprays, perfume sticks and roll-ons, anti-perspirants, aftershaves, body washes, shampoos, and hair gels to the court, and demanded a laboratory test of the products and narcotics test of the brand managers of Axe. Vaibhav was pushed to take this step when his bai (maid) beat him with a broom when he tried to impress her by appearing naked in front of her after applying all the Axe products.
No girl ever asked Vaibhav to call her
"Where is the Axe effect? I've been waiting for it for over seven years. Right from my college to now in my office, no girl ever agreed to even go out for a tea or coffee with me, even though I'm sure they could smell my perfumes, deodorants and aftershaves. I always applied them in abundance to make sure the girls get turned on as they show in the television. Finally I thought I'd try to impress my lonely bai who had an ugly fight with her husband and was living alone for over a year. Axe effect my foot!" Vaibhav expressed his unhappiness.
Vaibhav claims that he had been using all the Axe products as per the company's instructions even since he first bought them. He argued that if he couldn't experience the Axe effect despite using the products as directed, either the company was making false claims or selling fake products.
"I had always stored them in cool and dry place, and kept them away from direct light or heat. I'd always use a ruler before applying the spray and make sure that the distance between the nozzle and my armpit was at least 15 centimeters. I'd do everything they told. I even beat up my 5-year-old nephew for coming near my closet, as they had instructed it to keep away from children's reach. And yet, all I get is a broom beating from my ugly bai." Vaibhav expressed his frustration.
Vaibhav claims that he had to do go a lot of mental suffering and public humiliation due to the lack of Axe effect and wants HUL to compensate him for this agony. An advocate in Karkardooma court, who happened to mistake Vaibhav for some deodorant vendor when he entered the court premises with all the bottles, has now offered to take up his case in the court. HUL has been served a legal notice in this regard.
HUL has officially declined to comment on the case citing the subject to be sub judice, but our sources inform that the company was worried over the possible outcomes of the case. The company might argue that Vaibhav was hopelessly unattractive and unintelligent and didn't possess the bare minimum requirements for the Axe effect to take place. Officially HUL has not issued any statement, but legal experts believe that HUL could have tough time convincing the court.
"HUL might be tempted to take that line of argument, but it is very risky. There is no data to substantiate the supposition that unattractive and unintelligent men don't attract women. In fact some of the best looking women have been known to marry and date absolutely ghoulish guys. I'd suggest that the company settles this issue out of court." noted lawyer Ram Jhoothmalani said .
C'mon...laugh with me
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha :D
I just doubt this is a real story, but if it is then my belief in the infinite boundary of stupidity and false hope is strengthened.
But hey, they can sue for anything nowadays.
So advertisers out there, don't forget to put a disclaimer on all your products coz it may someday come and haunt you! MUAHAHAHAHAHA
Monday, October 12, 2009
Almost doesn't count
Today the air cond in the lab is not working and it's making my eyes heavy and threatening to close at any time. I really feel like a life-sized dumpling steamed in a giant steamer. If I am ever a dumpling, I want to be the pau-shaped plump yellow dumpling with little prawns in it. Ah, it's making me hungry already (Oh, let me be strong in going through this diet thing..huhuhu).
Last night me and my family stayed out late as relatives came by to our house to look at my sister's engagement preparations. Whole of yesterday and the day before we were all busy turning the house upside down to do spring cleaning. Award for the most dedicated person in cleaning goes to....drumroll....Lili! Yes, she is truly an Energizer bunny of cleaning, and it's hard to keep up with her ;)
After all the excitement calmed down in the wee hours of the morning, me and my aunt (but she is of the same age) lepak together and shared our stories. Naturally, given the setting, both of us reflected on our, erm, *cough* situation :p. I shared my weird story and she shared hers. Haha, btw, if u r reading this, thanks for last night, I needed to get that out of my chest :)
Then she posed a question: how do married couples know that they've found the ONE? She said that everyone she asked gave the same answer: if you found it, you just know.
Bah! I contest that, lansung x saintifik. That is indeed an abstract answer to a specific question. However, I know it's impossible to put in scientific terms something as irrational and magical as love.
But I wonder, is it possible to just know? How long is the probation period to get to know someone? And how, God help me, do we know that he is the ONE?
For the last question, it is common knowledge that not everybody's tale get a happy ending. So instead of the one, maybe there'll be a second or maybe even a third. So is there a possibility that the ONE does not exist, but only a false illusion that is akin to searching for the end of the rainbow?
Why not, instead of searching for the end of the rainbow you just enjoy the presence of the rainbow itself?
I believe that God is never cruel, He is The Just. So if things don't work out, maybe it's something you have to go through to prepare you for the more challenging days ahead. We will never know if that other person is meant for us only. What we can think about is whether that person is worth the fight? Is he worth the pain and cost to your soul? I don't know and it is puzzling to myself that I still hang around to see what happens. Well, they said that faith and hope are the most frail but hardest to kill of all emotions.
I don't know but think that we cannot keep on fighting or guessing what is the other person's attention. It is truly liberating to let go and trust that life in itself would flow as it is supposed to. It is exhausting to be on your guard always, always looking out your shoulder to exit at the first sign of rejection. When there is a desire to reach out, you fear that no one would be there. So you don't. Hey, two can play that game right? Even if in the game of love, someone threw away the instructions :P
It's a good thing that the heart is guarded, no one has touched it yet. You have to be sure first to bet a part of that on the line. Well, as they say, almost doesn't count.
Almost heard you sayingSo what now? I think I know my limits and I wonder how I got here. It breaks my heart to know that I am that gullible and naive. I have more urgent things in my list that I have to care of: my family and my PhD.
You were finally free
What was always missing for you, baby
You'd found it in me
But you can't get to heaven
Half off the ground
Everybody knows
Almost doesn't count
I can't keep on lovin' you
One foot outside the door
I hear a funny hesitation
Of a heart that's never really sure
Can't keep on tryin'
If you're looking for more
Than all that I could give you
Than what you came here for
~Adapted from Almost doesn't count by Brandy
But maybe I'll continue on this game, just to see what'll happen next. Plus, it is a situation that no one I asked ever come across. So it's a valuable lesson to pick up along the stony path of life. Maybe it is something that I have to go through and pray for the best. I've read somewhere that doa adalah penolak takdir.
So how to change your destiny when you don't really know what's best for you?
My friend, just pray to ask for what's in your heart. I tell you, there's someone listening and would give it to you in ways you wouldn't understand or even want to. If you are near, then rest assured He'll be nearer ;)
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future ~Oscar Wilde
It has the shade of the darkest red, plump and promise to be the most juicy, sweet and delicious apple you've tasted in all your years on this earth.
However, reaching into your pockets, you realize that you can never taste those apples as you don't have any money to pay for them, if you go on buying, there'll be hell to pay. As you contemplate whether it is worth it to buy those apples, you notice at the corner of your eye that someone else also noticed those apples. But unlike you, stuck in your hesitation, that someone just go and grab those apples and paid the necessary price to the fruit seller.
How your heart is crushed, wrenched by watching something slip by so easily. What's more, the apple buyer decides to rub it in by taking a bite in front of you. Oh, how you wish you can punch him.
As you stand there imagining various ways to get back at him for cutting in, a distant exclamation clawed through the haze of your discontentment, "Oh, those apples were not that sweet anyway" he said while leaving the store with a bag full of apples.
You just stare at him, disbelieving your own ears and your eyes follow him until he's out of sight.
.
.
.
I have a weird question. What if you're the apples?
Ha! Surely that never crossed your minds. You thought I wanted to talk about the slow decision maker that was left high and dry because he was too slow to take what he wanted?
Sorry, but I'm concerned more with them apples :p
OK, so once more: what if you're the apples?
Regaled as the most beautiful, the most sweet, the most revered. You are the embodiment of everything good, that you can do no wrong. That anyone who got your attention is surely a lucky fool.
But then, suddenly you slip. It turns out that you, the living sunshine, also have your own darkness too.
How frustrated your worshipers would feel. How wretchedly rejected you would feel.
But all along, you were just being an ordinary apple. It was not you yourself who put you on a pedestal.
Is it your fault?
You have tried your best, to be all that you can be. Always searching for ways to better yourself, to inch nearer to visions of perfection. Isn't that what all of us should do? None of us is born perfect, all are tainted. What we have to do is try to cleanse ourselves, striving to be better. So it shouldn't be that big a surprise that humans are no angels.
For me, I think the burden of being a beautiful apple is too much to bear. I'd rather be an ordinary banana (bad joke, I know :p). I am just an ordinary human, trying very hard to make something out of myself. So don't be so frustrated that I don't live up to your expectations. Living to mine is hard enough.
So let's just accept the reality of our imperfections and try to complement each other in living this life. Maybe we'll fare better in the end by being together ;)
* I'm writing this in response to an old friend that said to me, "Kau berselindung disebalik lurus". I feel like it's a serious accusation, as if I am hypocritical in leading my life. It is true that I search for space to better myself but I've never hid behind a facade. What you see is what you get. No more, no less.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Say it simply. We cannot love and be limited
I like not only to be loved, but also to be told that I am loved. I am not sure that you are of the same mind. But the realm of silence is large enough beyond the grave. This is the world of light and speech, and I shall take leave to tell you that you are very dear.
~George Eliot
Friday, September 25, 2009
Love= Overrated
Batu
batu mawar
batu langit
batu duka
batu rindu
batu jarum
batu bisu
kaukah itu
teka teki yang tak menepati janji?
Dengan seribu gunung langit tak runtuh
Dengan seribu perawan hati tak jatuh
Dengan seribu sibuk sepi tak mati
Dengan seribu beringin ingin tak teduh.
Dengan siapa aku mengeluh?
Mengapa jam harus berdenyut sedang darah tak sampai
Mengapa gunung harus meletus sedang langit tak sampai
Mengapa peluk diketatkan sedang hati tak sampai
Mengapa tangan melambai sedang lambai tak sampai.
Kau tahu?
batu risau
batu pukau
batu Kau-ku
batu sepi
batu ngilu
batu bisu
kaukah itu teka teki yang tak menepati janji?
~ Sutardji Calzoum Bachri
It's hard because you can never choose the one you love. Love is not a thing, nor a given right. It is to me a gift bestowed by the Almighty as a means for us to fill the void so stark in our hearts. We are all empty. That is why we search everywhere to fill the nothingness.
As it is a gift, not everyone gets it. It could be given to both at the same time: that's love at first sight. It could be given to one first and then after some time the other person gets it. But it could also be given to you, but never to the other person. Of the reason behind that, we can never question. No use trying to figure out things like that.
In the poem, it reads like an injustice that a love given freely is not reciprocated. Yes, it is puzzling that a love so strong could not be felt by the other. Like screaming to deaf ears. They don't hear you.
You keep on asking why, knowing full well there is no answer. The gift of feeling love is given to you alone, don't that make you special in a hurtful kind of way? But special nonetheless. But if we know our place isn't to question, we'll eventually move on.
Don't get me wrong, I am fascinated by love. It is the riddle everyone trying to figure out since forever and it is also seem to be the answer to everything in this life. But is it?
Sometimes I think it is overrated. Yes, it is a grand mystery but love is not all there is to it. In addition to love, there's faith, hope, responsibility, loyalty, admiration, obsession. Each of these could not be a substitute for another, but not one is greater or less than the other.
Now, I feel like I need a break from "love". Maybe, for me unrequited love is love incomplete. Thus, it must be avoided.
How about we concentrate on the other emotions for a change? We have to cheer up the lost lovers, trapped in a one-way love. Tell them that there's more, so much more out there. Maybe not as sweet, but sweet nonetheless.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Melawan adat memilih
I, with a deeper instinct, choose a man who compels my strength, who makes enormous demands on me, who does not doubt my courage or my toughness, who does not believe me naive or innocent, who has the courage to treat me like a woman.
~Anais Nin
Selalu aku bertanya pada diri aku sendiri: kenapa kita selalu suka pada yang membuatkan kita sedih? Kita selalu, tanpa ada keinginan untuk berbuat demikian, meminta pada yang tidak dapat memberi. Betapa banyak hati yang hancur mendambakan cinta sekilas dari kekasih. Kenapa tak boleh berpaling begitu saja? Dia bukan untuk kau, walau betapa kau mendoakan dirinya.
Selalu mak pesan, kalau mencari teman, biar yang mencintai kita. Jangan kita saja yang mencintai dia. Ertikata lain, janganlah syok sendiri.
Susah nanti. Kita perempuan senang, kita dapat tahan dan suka dengan dia nanti. Yang penting dia sayang kitaItu yang mak aku cakap dan aku percaya sepenuhnya. Walaupun aku rasa aku tidak dapat mengikutinya. Memang, aku tahu aku ni jujur tak bertempat.
Kadang- kadang aku rasa tidak adil yang perempuan saja yang ada rasa tanggungjawab itu, yang mempunyai kekuatan untuk hidup dengan seseorang yang tidak dicintai semata- mata demi masa depan yang lebih terjamin. Berkorban seluruh ketenangan hidup, untuk kesenangan hidup.
Berteka-teki hati orang memang perkara yang memberatkan hati dan memenatkan fikiran. Bagi aku senang, kalau tak suka buatlah seperti tak suka. Tak setuju, buatlah seperti tak setuju. Aku benci dengan teka teki sebab tekaan selalu salah, selalu tersasar. Macam inilah, kalau hendak berteka- teka mestilah perlu melihat pada tanda- tanda yang ditunjukkan. Tanda- tandanya pula terarah pula pada yang yang diharapkan, seperti janji dalam diam. Akhirnya nanti bila sampai waktu mengetahui hakikat, pasti tiada lansung persediaan untuk menghadapi jawapan yang lain dari yang diteka. Lepas tu hancur.
Untuk mengelak dari terjerat permainan itu, ramai yang memilih untuk bersama sesiapa sahaja yang ingin mencintainya tanpa perlu mengetahui adakah dia sendiri rasa perkara yang sama. Semua itu tak penting lagi. Cinta sudah menjadi perkara fantasi. Tutup rasa hati, pakai topeng realiti dan teruskan hidup. Perempuan senang, cinta atau tanggungjawab pasti akan menyelamatkan perhubungan itu nanti. Kalau degil mempercayai cinta, dikatakan naif dan terlalu memilih.
Tapi, kalau teruskan begini bolehkah wanita itu menjadi sayap kiri pada suami? Berada disisinya semata-mata kerana dikehendaki berada disana, bukan kerana mahu berada disana. Perlu dan mahu adalah dua perkara yang sangat berbeza.
Jadi, salahkah mahu sesuatu yang lebih dari biasa?
Fikirkan peranan am isteri:
- Mendidik dan menjaga anak
- Menjaga makan pakai suami
- Menguruskan rumahtangga
- Menyokong suami
- Mencari rezeki dan memberi nafkah
- Menjaga keluarga
- Menjaga ibubapanya
- Menyelesaikan hal- hal ummah (kalaulah dapat re phrase jadi x poyo sangat ( -_-*) )
Bila diperhatikan semua, tidak adilkah kalau si perempuan menginginkan sesuatu yang lebih? Bosan dan kehilangan erti hidup jika wujud untuk menjalankan kerja saja, semata-mata tanggungjawab. Tapi, kalau dibuatnya kerana cinta maka semua itu tanggungjawab itu tidak relevan lagi kerana semuanya dilakukan dengan ikhlas, kerana isteri mahu melakukannya, malah berusaha untuk yang terbaik.
Jadi, aku rasa tak salah menginginkan yang lebih dari yang biasa. Untuk para wanita, pilihlah calon suami yang benar-benar hebat. Yang benar-benar berbaloi segala kesusahan kita nanti. Pastilah kita tidak kisah memasak, membasuh, mengemas dan mengasuh anak jika suami kita itu seseorang yang benar- benar menghargai pergorbanan itu. Yang tahu menilai pilihan kita untuk terus bersamanya dari mengejar kehidupan yang pasti lebih hebat diluar sana. Biar dia seorang yang worth it.
Ini tidak, tandatangan surat nikah macam buat deal with the devil. Automatik si isteri teruk-teruk dibebani tanggungjawab tapi tidak pula untuk si suami. Kalau lelaki jika dah bujang terlajak, dipujuk dengan kata-kata "Nanti ada yang menjaga makan pakai. Senang kau nanti"
Mengada betul. Kalau perempuan pula mana ada dipujuk dengan kata- kata itu? Sebab dialah nanti yang buat semua. Sebenarnya tidak kisah, asalkan si suami pun menjalankan tanggungjawabnya. Seperti yang aku pernah baca: bersinergi untuk menghasilkan sesuatu yang hebat.
Untuk para lelaki pula, jadilah seorang yang hebat. Bezakan peranan yang dituntut syariat dan yang dituntut adat. Kalau sistem tak adil, kenapa degil hendak mengikut sistem? Tanggungjawab sama-sama berat malah si ibu pasti lebih berat, janganlah perasan sangat.
p/s: Kawan aku pernah membuat analisis yang aku ini queen control. Lawak. Memanglah, kalau mencari gadis ayu yang lengkap ilmu rumah tangga dan menurut saja dengan senyap dan sopan, aku katakan: salah orang.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Movie 1: Primal Fear

Film: Primal Fear
Main cast: Richard Gere, Edward Norton
Genre: Courtroom drama
To access overview of the film: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117381/
My take on this film:
Ok, about the movie, I'd say it's a great movie and very enjoyable: it even won several awards and was nominated for an Oscar. The story is about a bigshot lawyer who took it upon himself to defend an altar boy accused of brutally murdering a priest in cold blood. The murder was gruesome and sadistic: an indication that it was a crime of passion. What implicated Aaron, the altar boy is the fact that he was found to be covered in the victim's blood. It was supposed to be a clear cut case without any elaborate trial but ceased to be so when Martin, the lawyer decided to represent Aaron. I am unclear as why he volunteered in the first place, but maybe it's just for publicity. In it he says that even a cold blooded murderer deserves a right for counsel and a fair trial because of the possibility that an innocent man could be punished for something he didn't commit. I think this is also true for syariah laws right? it is better to let a guilty man go than punishing an innocent man. So that is what Martin believes: a person is innocent until proven guilty.
For me, although in theory I agree on this, it is often hard to keep an open mind. It is easier to assume things, sterotyping so that human nature becomes more manageable. We often cloud our judgment with emotions and misplaced intuition. That is why clever manipulative people would play the crowd and win them over with appearances and effective oratory skills. The ability to withold judgment pending more evidence is in essence a trial on faith and patience. If all of us can do this, then the world would be a better place as there is more room for understanding and tolerance. Justice is for everyone, even if he is a serial killer.
Another thing, the accused's personality and demeanor does not suggest at all that he is capable of such heinous acts. He appears to be weak, he stutters and he's quiet and polite. Look as though he couldn't hurt a fly. This is why Martin believes that Aaron is innocent. He vehemently asserted Aaron's innocence although everyone believes that Aaron is guilty as hell. Martin went to great lengths to defend Aaron, pulling every string that he could. Martin even arranged for a neurologist (instead of a psychologist==> mesti la kene attack masa defend coz it's not her field, duh) to assess Aaron's personality in order to prove that Aaron is incapable of committing a gruesome murder. However, in the course of the specialist assessment Aaron shows sign of having multiple personality disorder: Aaron when threatened would revert to his other self, a sinister character called Roy. Roy is a version of Aaron that is uninhabited, violent and totally opposite of the mousy Aaron.
The situation in the court is not favorable for Aaron unless he pleads innocence on grounds of insanity, coz that way he'll be sent to an asylum with a chance for freedom a few years down the road. However, it is not permitted to change pleas during trial so Martin made a cunning trick in his defense to turn the tables around and he succeeded.
.
.
.
but then a twist right in the end revealed that actually Aaron was faking it all. There was never a Roy, an Aaron. Truth is, from whomever the story comes from it is still the same: he did it.
So goes the story with a nice twist in the end. Interesting?
I think I can understand why Aaron did what he did. he was set for a sure death but then a saviour comes to save his ass. Aaron is very smart in devising a plan for him to escape from his fate and he did it convincingly too. I think he is a psychopath and a smart one at that. He does not know how to discern right and wrong and he felt no remorse for the things he committed. He said that he and Martin were as if two people dancing to a tune to fool everyone. All is like a stage game for him. His one aim is to escape death with any means possible and he achieved it.
As for Martin, what goes on tumultuously in his heart, once he know that Aaron is a real murderer? What is a lawyer to do when confronted with that kind of crossroad? If he chose to reveal the truth, he'll bring shame to himself because just as easiliy Aaron fooled him, Aaron could fool others and turn them against Martin. If he chose to remain silent, he'll win a case and publicity for himself but his soul will be forever tortured with the knowledge that he just let a killer out into the street. I think that not many would have the guts and brains to stand up for the truth. They'll just wash their hands off it and move on with their lives. Just a little black dot in their perfectly sunny little lives that they'll live forever anxious that someday his skeletons would be let out of the closet. They'll rationalize it somehow that what transpires is beyond their power. I fear this is what plague us now: the rationalization escape route. Everything feels so distant from us so it doesn't concern us. The dangers of apathy.
At the end of the movie it shows Martin walking, very sure of himself. He'll still be a hotshot lawyer, nothing's changed. He'll move on, rationalizing that "I did my job, if after this he decides to kill again, it is not my fault".
At a glance, it's true. You can't be responsible for the consequences of your actions while being fooled right? You, yourself didn't know the truth.
But now you do. What now?
These are the questions that arise after I watched the movie. Everyone has their own interpretation, and their own lessons to learn.
What about you?
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Supermom to the rescue!

I wonder, how do mothers do it? They are in truth, Superwomen.
My parents are away for umrah, so now everything is not the same. The dynamics have changed and now I'm finding that I have to shoulder new responsibilities. Luckily I have such wonderful brother and sisters (although all very manja haha) and they have played their part in making the separation bearable. I was quite down actually because immediately after my parents left, two of my sisters were down with fever. I felt quite useless and helpless but alhamdulillah all is well now although one of my sister still haven't recovered fully (Alia, makan ubat! Jangan degil, ish).
The things in my mind and the way I think is changed because before all that I'm concerned about is my work but now I have to think about the running of the household, the accounts, my sis n bro's wellbeing, what to cook, what to buy and of course, my work. I also noticed that I even nag now! Haha, bebel saja, kesian adik- adik. I don't know, now that I've got a checklist in my head, I have to run that through others too: reminding them to do that, telling them to do this, asking them whether they have done it, nagging them incessently to do it if they haven't...alahai, dah jadi macam makcik-makcik. But I know that they are all grown up and can be counted on so I try not to nag too much.
Again, how do mothers do it?
They are simply amazing!
I feel like such a klutz trying to juggle everything, but they do it with ease and my mom even do it with style!
Aren't mothers, before they become one is a regular girl like me? How do they mange it all?
I like to think that somehow women are pre-programmed to take care of the family so I'm counting on that to ensure that I am not a total flop when I am married and have children of my own.
God, make me a supermom! haha
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
Revising the truth
Everything has a purpose. Nothing is made just for the sake of making something. If we can't figure out the reason or purpose then it'd be because of our limited abilities and knowledge. We can't be lazy and just judge something we can't figure out as nothing. If it is there, it must mean something!
It's like building a machine without a manual. Trying to fit those sheets of steel there, a nat here, a bolt there, a pipe here. Then when it looks like something in the brochure, we weld it all together. When the machine is started, it works fine. Then, while using the machine suddenly a curious square peg was found. A piece of the machine was left out! But the machine works fine, and you could swear that there were no square holes in there, only round ones. Hmm...how? It is such a bother to figure out where that annoying piece go to fit in the machine and it doesn't effect the running of the machine..so it must be unnecessary, maybe something the manufacturers mistakenly gave you extra, for backup you know. They sometimes do these mistakes, hey, not everybody's perfect eh?
So you just ignore the square peg's existence as unimportant. And the machine works beautifully..... For awhile.
Suddenly all falls apart, the machine starts making funny sounds. Now you think it may be because of the square peg you left out. Asking the manufacturer, he told you that actually that peg is the most important piece of all, that is why it was so different from others and now you're not eligible for warranty because it was you who made it faulty in the first place. Need to buy a new one. Haha! Padan muka.
Try replacing the machine with the ultimate truth. The pieces of the machine are the bits and pieces of knowledge from various studies, observances and theories over the years. Trying to build the truth, we gather all these knowledge together to form a clearer picture. But when faced with something we can't figure out, we chucked it out as unimportant. So the picture of the 'truth' we worked on still could be used, it still worked for the problems faced at that time. However, over the years that 'truth' would be challenged in light of new studies. The old facts suddenly revealed themselves as fiction. Everything needs revision, everything have to be reconsidered in light of the new facts.
The lesson now is this: nothing is made for nothing. If it is there then there must be a reason. Be patient and never stop searching for the truth. Nothing is ever what they seem ;)
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Glass reality
Green Day 21 Guns + Lyrics -
Lyrics | Green Day lyrics - 21 Guns lyrics
To me this is a sad story.
Somehow I think it is important for us to figure out what really defines us. Is it your looks? Your mind? Your status? Your personality? Your career? Your deeds? Your choices? Your fights?
Think it through.
All those things could be easily taken from you. They are so frail and flimsy and so easy to lose. They are not ultimately yours. If you lose these things, then what would be left remaining? If those things give meaning to who you are, if they are taken away then are you reduced to nothing?
So think carefully. Which one is it?
If someone were to ask you, "Who are you really?", can you tell them without a shadow of a doubt what differentiates you from all other entities in this world?
I used to be afraid of not achieving academic success. I thought that because I am not beautiful or have a bubbly personality; all I have is my academic excellence. If I were to fail, then I won't be special anymore. I'd just fade into the background.
Just another soul walking the times until the clock stops ticking.
It is as if my academic achievements define me and made me special. So I did everything to ensure my academic success and I am proud to tell you that I did it too. Went through all the levels of school and basic degree without any hurdles. After that, I went on and signed up for postgraduate study. After a while my MSc project was converted to PhD. Little that I realize that my glass world would come crashing down.
PhD brings with it a lesson of harsh reality: I am not smart, intelligent or any of those things.
So what becomes of my definition of self? Shattered. You can't go on telling yourself that you're a smart person when there are mounting evidence against that. So what now?
I kinda understand why the entertainer did what he did. Throughout his life he believed that he was a great entertainer. Suddenly ratings start to go down, fans gone and age catches on. All those things that he used to take to define his reality is now no more. He fought for his reality, always trying to make a comeback. His comfort was always the past. It got so bad that he resorted to violence that contributed further to his downfall. All because he was trying to hold on. If he does not, he felt he'd be nothing. He'd fade. No one wants to fade because then eventually you'd be nothing.
The time has come to seek another definition of myself. What would that be, I don't really know yet. Just hoping that I don't lose myself along the way. Seeking the ultimate mission, something that would not leave me barren when one fine day it decides to leave me.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
I, witness
All this time the Guard was looking at her,After a long journey, she came to a curious window. Hoping to know where it lead to, she tried to get through. Fiddling here and there, pushing and shoving but it never gave way. She would still try, if not for the warning that it was futile.
first through a telescope,
then through a microscope,
and then through an opera-glass.
At last he said, “You’re traveling the wrong way,”
and shut up the window …
~Lewis Carrol, The Looking Glass
Wasted effort.
But was it?
I grow up thinking that everything has reasons for happening, sometimes beyond our time and comprehension. But it is hard to always keep an open mind.
Have you ever felt you were standing in front of a glass window, looking in to your life?
Looking in, seeing the people playing their respective parts and see yourself too. There was never a need to say anything, just observing it all. What plays in your head, stays there. There is no one there for you to share anything with in the vast white room.
Surely it never crossed your mind that all the while you were looking in, there is someone else looking at you? Not just looking but rather examining.
You, the one hoping to be a distanced spectator to your own life could never be so. You, yourself have to be your own witness.
That way, could we ever run from shouldering the responsibilities of our existence?
Maybe, that is why some of the great people in history wants nothing more than be a bird or even dust. Sometimes the things we do in light of events are unjustifiable and to answer and explain our actions would be the most hard and daunting task of all.
Friday, August 14, 2009
In a moment of weakness....
Selawat Pelindung Diri - NOWSEEHEART
tawassalna bi bismillah
wa bil hadi rasulillah [2x]
wa kulli 'arifin billah
wa ahlillahi ya Allah [2x]
ya Allah
syumu silhuda
shuyukhil waraa
nujuu min nada [2x]
bihinnas lahu min kulli aza
bi qadrillahi ya Allah
"Kami bertawassul dengan nama Allah dan dengan petunjuk Rasulullah dan setiap orang yang arif mengenai Allah dan ahli Allah,Ya Allah.Ya Allah!Dengan perantaraan kaum yang mulia,cahaya hidayah,dengan perantaraan amalan kebaikan mereka,kami selamat dari setiap malapetaka dengan kekuatanMu,ya Allah"
Taken from:
http://www.iluvislam.com/v1/forum/viewthread.php?forum_id=20&thread_id=12506&rowstart=10
Negative post. Don't read if you're irritatingly happy
But this is our ungodly hour
I know you're leaving now
Cause I held on to my way tightly
Stay still until you know
Tomorrow finds the best way out is through
Ungodly hour, The Fray
All day today and possibly a part of yesterday there is something I need to let out.
All the irrepressible feelings: desperation, confusion, angst, (un)satisfaction, rebellion. All rolled into one and burning like peat fire. Invisible but deadly and hard to put out.
I will go down burning. I know this for a fact.
Trapped by injustice, how I long to get away.
The road ahead is still long and I will bear these scars until I can rest.
The mountain shows it's scars, "These are made by wind and water. Unmerciful assailants of my strength and I fear that I am spent"
The moon looks on pitifully, " Have heart, you are still here. All of them can't erode what's inside. The scars are all but patterns that shape who you are. But don't let them take over you, or you'll just be a pile of rubble"
Look on, look on.
Hold on, hold on.
Let them drown in their desires.
Let you drown in yours.
Let them laugh loudly with their false pretenses.
Let you smile secretly at your success.
Remember, no one defines you but you. Seek your own and slowly cleave away. Forgive yourself and forgive them because by extension you'll bring peace to your soul and strength to your being.
Fools are mean because they're ignorant.
Mindless retaliation would only supply them ammunition.
Don't sink so low, rather try to fly high.
Changed perspective is all that would color our monotonous lives.
So now, pick sides. But don't blame me if you lose.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Stupid endurance
Kurang Ajar
Sebuah perkataan yang paling ditakuti
Untuk bangsa kita yang pemalu.
Sekarang kata ini kuajarkan pada anakku;
Kau harus menjadi manusia kurang ajar
Untuk tidak mewarisi malu ayahmu.
Lihat petani-petani yang kurang ajar
Memiliki tanah dengan caranya
Sebelumnya mereka tak punya apa
Kerana ajaran malu dari bangsanya.
Suatu bangsa tidak menjadi besar
Tanpa memiliki sifat kurang ajar.
Usman Awang
Please, read about the Headscarf Martyr here.
There is not much hype surrounding this case. People just don't care anymore. It pales in comparison to everything else that happens in their little lives.
However, I am puzzled: if hijab is a form of oppression on women but the ones wearing it are not forced to do so, wouldn't fighting against it would be oppression of expressing one's religion?
Hmm...
Islamophobia is real.
There is even a concerted effort to keep it alive.
Looking around the world today, I am amazed at the extent of how we endure all the s**t that the world choose to throw to us whenever they like.
I'm thinking, is Islamophobia even infected by Muslim themselves that it pains and embarrass us to show our beliefs?
Our disease: Cinta dunia dan takut mati.
People,
If it is our right, fight for it.
If you think that it is yours, you got to take it and not just bow out defeated when it is not given to you.
If you put such low esteem of yourself, then be rest assured that the world won't raise your price.
Malu tak bertempat bukan malu, tapi bodoh.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Ghosts of old friends past
Haha, in truth I was shy, that is why I pretended not to see them. Kinda cruel eh? But they did the same thing too. So I didn't feel so guilty.
However, at the end of the function, those guys went for a tour of the house. I envy them, as they had a first class view of the house, which by the way costs RM 1.2 million. Yes, million. But only just for the house, for renovation Uncle Topa had to rake in another million. So, all in all the house I went yesterday costs RM 2 million! Gile kan. That is the main reason I went hehe, yela, mane nak dapat peluang pergi rumah juta-juta kan?
After those guys completed the tour, I was at the dining table helping myself to very generous helpings of brownies, watermelon and pulasan. I didn't know anyone there, so me and my sister stuck like a leech to my mom, she's the only one talking. So, rather than waste my time listening to endless chatter I distracted myself by eating those sweet fruits :)
Then Aisyah, daughter of my dad's friend called me to say that those guys said that they know me as their old schoolmate but was too shy to talk to me. Haha, I didn't realize boys can also be shy. Sama lah kita! Haha
I just brushed aside my fear of potential embarassment and awkwardness and just went up to talk to them. My God, they were a funny lot! Both sides were shy so maybe that is why it all went on like it did. We talked, but we never sat down even after the conversation went on for a long time. I don't know why, but one of them said that even when they were working they never sat down. Ah well, what can I say, even if they were pulling my leg I can't tell. They joke incessantly, with poker faces that don't betray their humour. It's like watching a sketch, all of them have just the right chemistry: macam Sepah Raja Lawak. (I don't know what thay'd do if they knew what I said hahaha).
I asked news about old schoolmates as I didn't know much. I am really bad at keeping in touch, that I know. It's not that I don't want to, but somehow I just got carried away with the current flow of life that those I left behind just drifted apart... sad eh? I think that they thought I didn't bother to keep in touch. For having given all of you that perspective, I am so sorry.
However, at the end one of them asked me if I was single. I was stunned. They were very direct and sometimes the earlier conversations felt like an interrogation. I was at loss as how to answer the Q. In my head: if I said I attached, that'd be lying. But if I said I was single, wouldn't that be desperate? Oh, s**t.
In retrospective, I should've handled it as a joke right? Along the lines of: "apasal? Ko nak ngorat aku ke?" or "why? ur available?" hahahaha, seriously, that'll render them speechless. I don't think they are familiar with my ability to drop bombs like that (bombs that sometimes burn me too huhu).
I ended up evading to answer the question. I just smiled a smile with a thousand meanings. But then, he said with all the drama he can muster, the best advice I've had about being single:
It's ok to be single
Haha! Plain brilliant! If I can I'd salute you!
...We didn't exchange numbers, thay didn't ask me directly, they only implied it. Being the blur person that I am, I don't know what to do. However, thay did say they'll add me at Facebook. Were they just joking? Beats me. I can't tell! Nevertheless, I tried searching for them and add them myself. Just to show goodwill between friends. I really appreciate that they talked to me, I was unable to do so on my own. Who would've thought that the ones that crossed our lives in the past would do so now in the present? Hope that all the friends that I've made in the past, would be with me always in the future :)
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Cloudy path ahead
You're the kind of person who just can't settle for anything less than the whole shebang. That's the way you are on a daily basis, but the way you're feeling now ... well, let's just say that you won't even be able to fake being satisfied if you're not. And that will be true for just about any department of life. When it comes down to the issue of love, you seek genuine connections
Haha...this is kinda eerie. Btw, this is my horoscope for today. I sure don't need the stars telling me something that I already feel but fail to articulate. Words pertaining to abstract emotions or other intangible feelings don't come easily to me.
So much on my mind: the dead end that I foresee ahead, the unsatisfactory current situations and the fear of the future when I'll be thrust with responsibilities that I am unsure I can carry or not.
Can I do my part when it is asked of me? Or will I fail miserably?
I pray that all goes well. InsyaAllah.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
3 wishes
As someone in Wonderland said to Alice, it's best to try to believe at least three impossible things before breakfast. The funny thing is once you let yourself believe them, they don't seem all that impossible to begin with. The first step is to let yourself believe that such benevolence is in store for you. So go ahead -- what are three wonderful, lovely and no-way-that-could-happen-to-me things that you want in your life?This is my horoscope for today.
You got to admit, it's an interesting question right?
If I dare to list 3 wonderful, lovely and no-way-that-could-happen-to-me things that I want in my life, I will put:
- A fairytale love story only possible in books, but minus the evil magicians and trolls.
You know, if I could wish it then I'll choose the first meeting for me and my prince (oh, mcm geli pulak haha) would be what Eli Wallach said in The Holiday (2006):
Say a man and a woman both need something to sleep in and both go to the same men's pajama department. The man says to the salesman, "I just need bottoms," and the woman says, "I just need a top." They look at each other and that's the 'meet cute.'Wahaha! That, I know is definitely a lovely and no-way-that-could-happen-to-me things that I want (yes, I am actually a hopeless romantic) :p
- A fully sponsored trip around the world with no strings attached
It's really tempting to just pack up and go anywhere you want with the ones you care about right? Just to go around seeing beautiful historical places like Greece or Paris or Venice (basically anywhere) with family and friends, followed by a delicious and extraordinary dinner at a fancy restaurant and then end the day at a mega expensive hotel in the presidential suite. I would savor every moment and take pictures of every detail so that when finally reality knocks on the door, there's a way to escape and reminisce the times past.
- Graduate within the next 5 months and then work at a fabulously posh office that has a big window with a beautiful view and of course, a salary that is more than RM5k!
I think it'll be heaven on earth if I could get this last wish. Enough said.
But hey, dreams and hopes are prayers our heart gives silently. So maybe, just a tiny definitely maybe, dreams can come true due to the relentless wanting of the heart :)
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
God vs science: the silly debate that's not easy to win
one of us - Joan Osborne
It makes me sad listening to this song.
The singer seem so... alone.
It's like a girl walking with a black umbrella under the night rain, just looking down. Her steps are quick, but just by looking at her you know there's something weighing heavy in her heart. No one cares, and she knows it as a hard truth because even though she's trudging along, it ain't easy being alone. In her mind, she's trying to make sense of it all. Looking around, everyone just looked ordinary, everything is so mediocre, everywhere there's injustice: there are no miracles.
So she's wondering, where is God?
Sometimes it is hard for some people to find God. I think it shouldn't be that hard. All that we have to do is open our hearts and minds and not let ourselves be tied down by small thinking because something so big can't be fit into something so small. Truth is; we are too weak and recognizing this would make us less arrogant of our beliefs that Man is supreme. We refuse to believe that we are indeed just a minuscule being, like an insignificant dust in the universe.
Try reading these:
Language of ignorance
If God could talk, what would he say?
All these stemmed from the book entitled The Language of God by renowned scientist Francis Collins. He is now a devout Christian. In his book, he tries to convince readers that there is indeed God and observances of life supports this.
The premise of his arguments are there, but not carried out convincing enough that people saw through the loopholes. He is a great scientist, so it's no problem for him to defend his science. But what about theology? It's a whole different playing field.
People must only talk about what they know because dumbness shows in ways you cannot imagine. That's what I think anyway.
There is no doubt for me that there is a God. The evidence are too clear. There are too many coincidences that defy logic so that I can come to the conclusion that there is a God that presides over everything. However, consciousness is not easy to be articulated. When confronted, how can I defend my stand? Can you defend your stand, whatever it might be?
What is playing in my mind is what do we do when the time comes when Islam is faced with such crass rationality and blatant resistance to reasoning? We are cursed with secularism, a direct implication of our inability to relate science with religion. Yes, it is our inability. The association is too much for us to handle so, to make it easier to understand we made the stupid decision to separate them both and put it against one another. Now, the scientist are all busy with their science while the pious people are busy with their religion, each ignoring the existence of the other and waiting for the final confrontation between science and religion.
Tell me, when that time comes, would we be ready?
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Numbed
After a while, realization dawned.
Life is not a bed of roses, but it's not a pile of shit either.
It's how you go around it.
So I go to work, not caring of the slight traffic because that way I'll hear more songs on the radio (the short drive from my rented room to UiTM is only 5 minutes away, 10 minutes if the traffic have already build up).
But when arriving at the workplace and see the face behind closed doors, dread overpowers the mind. That is when all the alerts in your head starts going off like crazy and the heart starts its uneven beating. In my head, "Who's next?" while tiptoeing to my desk.
Optimism is suddenly down to only 70% but it's still ok, just as long that I keep watching my back and prevent myself from stepping on a landmine. Proceed work as always.
Then, someone came and it bursts my bubble again because in my head, "alaahhhh..." Optimism is not affected but then, the heart feels heavier, like an increase of 30%.
Oh, man.
Then comes the next thing that fills me with dread: checking my email.
If nothing, then Ok. But if there's something...better not go there. Just describing it feels scary.
.
.
.
I envy my friend down at level 6. She's brilliant under pressure. Whenever stressed, it compels her to go higher, go deeper, go beyond than what is expected of her.
Sometimes I think all of it are just products of a crazy and irrational moment that would pass (I hope). The way I'm living now is silly, I don't really like it. We are not living in times of war, but God, it feels so. We are not POW, but somehow we're conquered.
Sincerity is of utmost importance in all things we get ourselves involved in. I place high importance in the philosophy of work done. So for me when there's no sincerity, there's no way I can veil my heart so that it'll not realize the hypocrisy of it all. The people around me all said that I should only do something for the right reasons and not because someone demand you to, not because complying would placate them and not rekindle their fiery wrath. Do it because it is your responsibility, because it is your own qualification that you're busting your ass for.
I have to take this advice and rewire my mind.
Why?
Because lying to oneself is a sin I don't plan on getting numb over.
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Reminder to self: renovation's in order!
Even after the hardest ordeals, that leave us ordinary mortal beings drenching with sweat and look as though a stampede of elephants have trampled all over you: these people still have flawless hair, a nicely shaped tudung and no sweat spots whatsoever.
All that I can say is: wow.
Me? I'm always comot. Especially after a rough day at the lab that make me uncaring of my physical appearance. A big part of it may be because I sincerely believe no one is watching and no one truly care how I turn up at work. We graduate students (if not all, then ok, just me :P) tend to flower the backgrounds, lurking in the shadows of our lab until the time we emerge suddenly at graduation. Like a butterfly escaping a cacoon. heh.
Aiyoh, that's not good right?
Hm..
Why do we need to be beautiful anyway? No use complying to the twisted fantasies of the masses about the picture of the perfect girl.
Well, my answer to this is simply because we can and we have to.
Because...
Everyone of us is an ambassador, a symbol to all that we believe in. So if your appearance looks as though you've just been mauled by a tiger or just fell down a gutter, will people respect you and even take a minute to hear what you have to say? People love generalizations. It is easier, coz that way they won't waste anytime or energy trying to figure you out. So think of how it would reflect on your beliefs if you're always careless with what you project from yourself.
Have respect, to yourself especially. Don't do an injustice by intentionally being unkempt. If you are given the gift of complete sets of body parts and all are fully functioning, no one can tell you that you're less than beautiful. Psst..but don't go around telling people that, or you'll turn ugly automatically huhuhu.
Sure, it is hard to be like the aforesaid "perfect" beings. So maybe I'll just settle with being "comfortably elegant" or "comfortably stylish" ==> even if there's nobody watching. Haha.

