the journey

the blessed month of Ramadhan is finally here.

and so begins the journey of self-reflection.

May Allah grant us all the piety and strength to increase our devotions, and may He too accept the endeavours that we strive towards.

"It is not the end that matters, but the journey towards it."

Ramadhan Mubarak everyone!

wall-e

watch it.

you cannot believe how adorable robots can be.

especially when they are in love.

and i cried at some parts. laughed at most parts.

i love the psycho robot ward. brings new meaning to "short-circuited".

one of the many scenes that make the movie absolutely worth it.

the ties that bind

had an interesting discussion a few weeks back with two friends. and one of them raised up a very pertinent point about me. a very apt observation, if i may say.

well, she said, "If you weren't so religiously inclined, I would think that you would have gone wild."

i hate to say it, but she's right.

she also said that she thinks I am holding on to a very thin rope - so tenuous that it could go anytime. and frankly, that scares me, and I am afraid of the truth of it.

it got me thinking about the whole concept of the ties between humankind (habluminannaas) and the ties between Man and God (habluminallah). Man is connected to God by that relationship of faith and subservience, of a servant to his Master. However, how Man chooses to sustain and maintain that relationship is entirely up to him. He can choose to reinforce that rope, through God-awareness and piety, or he can wear down that rope through disobedience and mischief-making.

Yet, Man is not entirely alone in this. His relationship with others serve to further bolster or deteriorate that relationship to God. Imagine Man hanging in limbo between God and other men. All other men would also have relationships with God. If one man were to have a fraying rope, but he is with others whose ropes are strong and taut, the chances of that one man falling to his own doom is lessened, because the net force is upwards. But conversely, if that one man were to have a frayed rope, and he associates with others whose ropes are similarly frayed, then their association will just increase their combined burden, and the net force will snap their individual ropes, who cannot bear the load of their accumulated actions.

which is why the Prophet made it especially clear in the matter of choosing companions, that one should never forsake faith for any other matters that may attract the friendship.

something to think about.

no air - jordan sparks ft. chris brown

I walked, I ran, I jumped, I flew
Right off the ground to float to you
There's no gravity to hold me down for real
But somehow I'm still alive inside
You took my breath, but I survived
I don't know how, but I don't even care

So how do you expect me
to live alone with just me
'Cause my world revolves around you
It's so hard for me to breathe

nice song. nice nice song.

recap: then vs now.

the then

(L-R) back - munir, fahmy, hatta, nizar, taufiq, azfar, rennie iskandar, zul, aidil

(L-R) front - zaki, rizal, firdaus

the now
(L-R) fahmy, yusoff, zaki, aidil, munir, zul, taufiq, azfar, rizal, hatta, nazir, nizar
missing: firdaus, rennie iskandar

quite glad to know that no love lost. haha. and much love found.

if all goes well, we will be having 3-4 weddings from these people in the next 2 years. am waiting for it!

Azfar's engagement

made our way to azfar's place for his engagement ceremony. since it was the guy's side, it was low key, but made the perfect setting for a long called for gathering of the boys.

here is the fiance with his grandfather.

the cake that he received from her. so sweet right?

the tanda he received from her. loads and loads of food... delicious food.
azfar and his ayat-ayat cinta. a nice 2 prose from the girl's side.
the boys! not so young 'uns.

we enjoyed ourselves loads, with a lot of reminiscence going on that cannot be mentioned here due to the particularly adult nature. haha.

in any case, we wish the newly engaged couple all the best, and for a smooth sailing journey towards marital bliss!

evil look

as how faiezah would say, its the time of our lives as babies. even the evil look is appreciated. don't you love babies??? *coos*

32,33,34

had a meet up with tau and ida, and the conversation came about to our marriage plans.

tau made a comment which somehow seemed so true.
for the men, 32 years is the limit to get married. because 33 is so ganjil, and 34 is too old.

when i thought about it, it felt weirdly true.

what you think?

the dark knight

saw this with abu and uan post-national day.

indeed the actors make the show.

i was deeply moved by this installation of the evergreen superhero... for reasons i think many would agree with, this is by far the bestest of all the batman movies ever made. much accolade has been lauded for the brilliant delivery of the Joker by the late Heath Ledger, and one can almost feel that it was as if he was playing out the deliriums in everyone's heads... if ever we went out of control ourselves. his untimely demise only calls for the much heralded appreciation of his talent, now lost from us forever.

it was because of him primarily that the movie took a darker turn, not quite for the emotionally immature audience. his interplay with the other characters - batman, gordon and harvey - is what truly remains the stellar quality of the movie. the joker represents the uninhibited soul who does all of his whims and fancies, but does not require a reason to do so. his compelling performance convinces the audience that he is not the joker of the past, who tended to be portrayed as "fun" in the more literal sense; this joker by heath had a macabre quality - fun which was lethal, and fun which was serious, hence adding to the irony of the much quipped phrase, "Why so serious?"

and when faced with this notion of fun, the other characters are forced into corners which they find no way out of, except through last measures, or amoral avenues - righteousness and morality are not notions close to the joker - and to this end the joker pushes all the other characters, to come to terms with the reality that they do not wish to face, to make the choices that they do not want to make.

batman is eventually left with having to end up the bad guy, as a sacrifice he has to make to protect himself and others. harvey dent loses his life because he gave in to the darkness of his heart. commissioner gordon has to live with the guilt that his actions contributed a great deal to the above happening. the joker lives.

the dark knight is really really a poetic movie, doing justice to the entire franchise. in fact it can even be a standalone, and still stand higher that all the rest that have come before. it will definitely be very tough to make another production that will beat this.

its so good, that i remember a kid saying in the lift as we were going up, "it's his 7th time watching!"

yup. its THAT good.

for ustaz

At the windows, show everyone my heart which you set alight;

Enclose within me the light you encountered on the street.

congratulations!

attended the surprise engagement ceremony of two dearly beloved friends, hafiz and shahisdah. in any case, its always brings about such a welling of emotions inside me, when two people i love come together. although this is an engagement and not the wedding yet, i pray that all goes well to the point where they ascend the dais together and ever after, and may Allah bless them both always.

hafiz, to the extreme left. see how cute he looks. of course shasha terpikat.

hafiz's side of the tanda. 5 butterflies and a ring make up the 10%. hehe.
shasha's side of the tanda. hafiz won't be wearing a maxtor on his finger though!
shasha dreaming of the things to come.
"oh the evil i can do now... *sinister laugh*"

believe me, she really said that.

and she also said that hafiz cannot escape. cos she has the one ring to rule him all.

the four. abu and uan were of course not paying attention to which cameras were snapping. most likely checking someone out at the side.

anyways, congratulations again dearies. *muacks*

quatrain to the teachers

I am but a seeker,

on the path towards the Light.

Each step I take is lit by a mirror, reflecting the Source.

If I do not love these blessings with which I am able to see,

wouldn't then I be ungrateful towards the Lover,

Who sent them to guide me?

HAPPY NATIONAL DAY SINGAPORE!

the traditional fly past of the national flag

-courtesy of quek chee leong william, taken from msn

farewell meal with Ustaz Saif-ur-Rahman

had a meal with Ustaz Saif-ur-Rahman yesterday night at Garuda Padang Cuisine, in an effort to meet up with him before he finally departs for the US. in his own words, it was to prevent a certain someone from feeling left out, and "nanti merajuk pulak"... in any case, it was indeed our benefit and honour to be able to bring him out for a meal, and for him to grace the event with his presence, despite the ultimately packed schedule that he is running in this last local week that he has. so first and foremost, my deepest gratitude to you for taking time out for us.

it was meant to be a relaxed dinner, and it was. but as it is with scholars, we, the non-scholars tend to do consultations anyways. but it was a good 2.5 hours worth of talking. and just made me realise how much i have missed out, and will perhaps be missing out for the next few years, till he comes back. and that is if he decides to teach, if and when he does come back.

the content of the whole conversation we had, among the 3-4 of us cannot be replicated in its entirety here. so i will just highlight the golden moments of the conversation, and some take-away points that the blessed fellow decided to share with us. some of these points are of course expressed in my own understanding (so even if you did not say it, just take it as a student giving his feedback, and rephrasing, ok?).

on a youthful appearance: wudhu', solat, and exercise. all of these are crucial in ensuring the balance of life of a muslim. in solat, you gain discipline of time management, and to gain the freshness of mind, you do your wudhu'. Especially so for the tahajjud and dawn prayers, which are crucial for the attainment of spiritual luminescence, which can be seen from the countenance of those who are committed to them. Exercise produces endorphins, which makes you feel happy and keep your state of mind and emotions stable. With stability, you are less likely to feel depressed and stressed, which helps prevent the aging process. Exercise also energises you, so you feel strong and energetic, and young. Feel young, look young.

on life: one needs to have a long-term plan, be it 10, 20 or even 30 years. If one has a long-term plan, the quibbles of life that one experiences in the short term, is put into perspective, and one moves on much faster, and with less baggage.

on friends: the best friends are those founded on faith. sincerity in looking for friends who are firmly grounded in faith, will ensure that all else that comes with those friendships are blessed. you will feel at peace with them, and they will feel at peace with you.

on subtlety: one does not need to be exuberant in the expression of one's character or self. there are times and places when one can drop off masks and be at ease, but there are also times when one needs to be firm and assert oneself, in order to achieve a certain impact. to hide aspects of oneself, is not a sign of weakness, but rather is a sign that one is able to control the situation one finds oneself in.

on da'wah: a muslim is not a da'i only when he puts on his religious attire. a muslim is a da'i all the times. and one does not need to appear to be pious to be pious. in fact one's piety is measured by the extent that one strives in his community, and that standard is different for each individual. just be the best that you can, and let that be your da'wah. one can have fun, and still be a good muslim. conversely, one can be an asatizah, but still be unable to fulfill one's obligations. hence one should know what one's responsibilities are, and fulfill them as how they are meant to be.

on discipline: it has to be self-motivated to achieve maximal impact.

on perspective: progressive vs contemporary. progressive is looking forward. contemporary is already passe the minute we finish talking about it. hence be progressive, because status quo is never enough.

on being: we are people with many facets. each of these facets need to be understood. how we look to other people can be based on any of the facets. however, what is more important is how each of the facets reflect who we are, and whether we can be at peace with what each of these facets show. cleanse the inside, and the outside will follow.

on etiquette of conversation: talk what should be talked about, and refrain from asking what should not be asked. things that benefit should be shared. things that do not benefit should be left unshared.

many many more things we talked about, and many more things i internalised.
its just amazing how one simple encounter can bring about so many different points of learning.

frankly in my 26 years of life, i have only been with Ustaz for barely 60 hours. but i believe that it is not just me, but other students as well, who have been touched by his wisdom and charisma.
again, may Allah expedite your journey to higher learning, and higher realisations, and may He allow the ummah to benefit from you, through your efforts.

Yarhamukallah, wa yahfazukallah ya shaykhi.

BON VOYAGE!

celebrating almir's birthday

27th july was the day we all went to flyer for the first time.

but... it wasn't to ride the contraption, but to celebrate a dear friend's birthday... with a fish spa!

first up, we went to Kenko Fish Spa, where we had our feet attacked by the gara ruffa fish, better known as the Doctor Fish. Definitely an experience that we will not forget, and one which we will be coming back for, albeit not at the same location...

with our feet newly cleaned, and feeling oh-so-refreshed, we made our way to the cathay to go to strip-ed co, not for a boyzilian of course, but for a manicure and pedicure, just to pamper the birthday boy. but because of my absent-mindedness, we couldn't get in because we had no appointment - HOW DISAPPOINTING. but i still love their adverts.

we called ALL the centres in singapore, and still, nada. so with heavy, unbuffed and unpedicured feets, we just went to eat. and it so happened that we went to fish and co's. it was all unplanned of course, but we hadn't gotten a cake for our birthday boy. so while he went to catch some fresh air, i managed to sneak in a cake order... and this was the surprise celebration at fish n co, courtesy of the good people.

then after the food, we decided to take dessert at max brenner's, where our dear birthday boy gave a wonderful demonstration of the different looks he has.

Mat-Emo "The Sensitive Guy"

Mat-Rugged "The Tough Man"
Mat-Rocker "The Punk"
Mat-Cool "Slick Casanova"
Mat-Nerd "The Nerd"
Cikgu Mentel "The Perverted Teacher"

well, suffice to say we enjoyed ourselves. Happy birthday Shaf!

healthy-errrr lifestyle

this is so in the making for the past few weeks.

in an attempt to try and begin a healthier life, me and almir have been trying our best to insert active activities into our non-active lives.

so we have been trying to go around in the weekends to have a more active life.

see how i am just using the word active over and over again.

although it hasnt been dutifully followed, the program has brought us to some nice places in singapore. as i download the photos from my camera, it is only now that i remember to talk about it.

henderson waves is part of the southern ridges of singapore, part of a nature conservation and community engagement plan with nature. it is a very very nice place, as you can see from the pictures to come.

it was a long walk to the top, and a bit more to the waves themselves. but i think its worth it. the night view is supposedly more spectacular.

the wave formations on the bridge that give the structure its name.

quite a marvelous sight.

then as we continued our walk, almir decided that we should take the cable car from mt faber to sentosa and back to harbourfront. as it was all in the fun of it, we did. and here is the conversation that transpired between us as we were hanging 50m above the sea...

*urm...apparently the conversation is not for everyone's ears... so here's the aftermath of the ride instead*

glad to know that the whole trip was not wasted spiritually... HAHA.

supplication

from ustaz's zhulkeflee's blog, An-Naseehah

reservist call up

served my first real reservist in june.
and boy was i out of touch with what the army is.
after all i spent the good part of it in another world unknown to the army then.
i remembered ranting away because i was not very keen about having to go back, or even having to be associated with the army once again.

but hey, its every proud son of singapore's duty to serve, ain't it?
so i trudged and made my way back.

and when i came back, i was like... what?

it was a pleasant surprise.
the unit is great, the people were great.

and i am glad to know that i still got what it takes to shoot the butt off the range, all puns intended.

in fact i may even be looking forward to the next call up, ;)

hehe...

obviously i have been so caught up with my birthday that i have totally missed out blogging.
because it was my birthday i wanted to talk about.

and although my birthday is still technically being celebrated(some people still getting me gifts), i guess i should just move on already.

after all, i was the one who so gallantly said i did not want anything for my birthday.

haha.

and still caught up with it, after the first four sentences.

get a grip.

Stream of Life

Stream of Life

The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day

runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures.

It is the same life that shoots in joy through the dust of the earth

in numberless blades of grass

and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers.

It is the same life that is rocked in the ocean-cradle of birth

and of death, in ebb and in flow.

I feel my limbs are made glorious by the touch of this world of life.

And my pride is from the life-throb of ages dancing in my blood this moment.

- from the Gintanjali of Rabindranath Tagore