Arrggghhh! It's the third night in a row that I haven't been able to sleep properly and NO, it has nothing to do with anything from the previous post.
It's just that whenever I do get to sleep, I feel like its only been a couple of seconds then I wake up again... to find that it really has been only a couple of seconds. Every couple of hours, this happens. I don't know the cause of at all. Psychological reasons may be there, but I have no clue what they are. Physical reasons aren't there. My body is in good shape, aside from the slight flu from the weather change. (Oh, that reminds me: people kept asking me if I cut my hair, I'm just like blank: I haven't cut it in so long... My hair changes with the seasons or something).
I've read Bismillah 20 times, read the Do'a, read a couple of Surahs from the top of my head(not in the literal sense), tried exhausting myself to sleep and so far, it's been the same result. I can't even doze off in class! Not because of the insomnia, but because students actually need to study when they're in the 11th grade.
I've tried pinpointing the possible causes... maybe I'm starting to miss Saif and now that he's coming back, I'm excited? Or is it since all the Bodoness are back? It could possibly be the fact that a lot of my family members are coming here.
Then, I tried to logically reason why these aren't the causes: I do miss Saif, but even if he was here, we don't actually interact much with one another. Usually, when we do, it's to bully Muhaimin, or a family fun gathering. The only thing we do all the time together is watch T.V. together. I like watching T.V. with him... He's one of the only family members I have that doesn't have the urge to comment on every single bit of every single second of each and every single show! Yeah, I have T.V. complexes.
The Bodoness might be all here in Dubai... but it's just not the same. And plus, I'm wrong when I say all of them are here... Najwa isn't. Everyone's so busy. Well, maybe not but it just feels like we're not as close as we used to be. Maybe that's a side-effect of growing up or meeting new people, but I really hate whatever it is. I like all of them - Anum, Najwa, Aida, and Haziq - but things got simply complicated. And no - this is not the cause as it was complicated even before I had insomnia.
The last point could be the main reason. In Dubai, we've never really had that big of a family gathering before. Some anticipation of what's going to happen may be disturbing my mind; what are we going to do together, where should we go, how would they feel after their visit... Well, if these weren't in my head before, they are now.
But yet again, I found a solution to my problem as I'm typing this post. I like blogging... it clears my head. Giving advice to other people is so easy, it's just like giving out candy but it's so hard when you need to take your own advice. My brain just told me to roll with the punches and enjoy every last minute of it. We're a family, everything works out somehow. Where can we go? WE'RE IN DUBAI! One of the biggest tourist vacation spots in the world! Pfft.. waste of time worrying.
Hmm.. I just tried to sleep since I've already reasoned out the possibilities, but nope.. still not happening. (Real-time posting) I'll be possibly awake if anyone can come up with a suggestion.
Wow.. The posts are a lot more messed up when I don't get sleep.
About Me
Tuesday, 8 December 2009
Monday, 7 December 2009
Do you Believe In Balance?
Ying and Yang. Karma. Nature's Balance. Whatever it is, it's there.
I know of 5 things that will come before it's equal. These can be considered rules of living:
1. Life Before Death.
2. Young Before Old.
3. Rich Before Poor.
4. Healthy Before Sick.
5. Leisure Before Busy.
These things apply to life on Earth as we know it and has been the rules since time began. Of course, none of these rules apply in the Life After Death.
Each and every one of these rules are certain truth. Number 1 is of course really obvious. So, you know what you have to do: make sure to do the right things as long as you are alive because none of us are going to live forever.
As a Muslim, the main reason I do good things is because I love Allah and I fear punishment from Allah: a punishment that's unimaginably horrifying. Jahanam (Hell): the worst case scenario possible. Nabi Muhammad (salalah hu a'lahi wasalam) paved the way to pleasing Allah, all we have to do is walk it. And it's really easy to do so too. The only hard part is becoming completely oblivious to the distractions and temptations of the Devil. You'll fail sometimes, but what you have to do is to make it up simply by apologizing sincerely for failing or giving out charity to pay for your sins. Allah is the most Forgiving. But you have to be completely sincere, with all your heart.
Even if I was looking at it from a non-religious point of view, you have a lot of reasons to do good things in Life. One of the biggest reasons I can think of is: Legacy. Everybody wants to be remembered. Even if it's just a person who you gave your seat to in a bus he will remember you as a good person, someone they'll tell about nicely. Isn't that a good enough reward for doing something good?
An even faster reward is the knowledge that you made someone's life easier for them even if it's
just for a few minutes. Don't you think you'll sleep better knowing that no one had to suffer because of you own selfishness? Hmm... this one applies really closely to my own life. I guess I need to work on being selfless.
The second rule is a bit more complicated. Old people will look at their younger days and say: man, I wish we could go back to that time. Young people, however, may not be respected and as such, they feel that they need to grow up quicker, and they think once they are older, they'd be able to do anything they like. Truth is, young people have a lot more advantages. Young people are just that: Young. They have a bigger capacity to learn, more time to spend doing things - even if it doesn't look like it - and certainly they have more Health. The first man in the world, Adam, was prostrated to by the Angels not because they were worshiping him but because it was a sign of respect: he was newly created and he already knew of the names of everything. That was the first gift: the ability to Learn. Use it well, young people. Don't say you can't learn something like Physics or Geography. Say something more honest like: I don't want to learn Physics or Geography. (this is just an example. No offense meant to Geography and Physics) Because you CAN learn it! That is if you have the Health to do so.
Which brings us to the 4th rule (Yes, 4th, not 3rd and yes I can count). Healthy Before Sick. Everyone gets sick. No exceptions. Some people may get sick less often than others, but they still get sick. It's horrible being sick. You can't do everything you want to do. Your body is in disarray, your mind isn't at 100% working speed, and worst off: you have to sit there and make other people worry. I really hate that part. Plus, you are restricted to only a number of things you can eat! That's a major downer. Do everything you can to not become sick, but do not become paranoid either: that's just a waste of time. You will get sick somehow or rather, even if you spray everything with sanitizer. Honestly, I think people who use sanitizers are more prone to becoming sick. Their immune system will not be able to adapt to diseases, which makes it really weak and unable to fight a common flu as effectively as someone who's more open to the environments.
And we'll go back to the 3rd rule now: Rich Before Poor. Yes, Bill Gates is counted in this. Scientifically speaking, products like Microsoft has a life cycle and it will end eventually. It is possible to prolong it's life but it wont last forever. Money is fluctuating really, really quickly. Some people get bankrupt all of a sudden, most probably because they used up their money on something completely useless in one swoop. Other people lose money slowly. Maybe their expenses just crept up with time, I don't know, but I do know it happens.
This is not to say that you can't get rich when you are poor. The rule simply states that wealth is not forever. So be careful.
And lastly, Leisure before Busy. Holidays always end. But the important thing is what did you do whilst you had the leisure? Maybe you wasted time going on the computer, playing games while you could have gone out and played with your friends. Even better, go out there and do something good for the community! Everyone has either had the time to do it, or they still do. If you waste your precious free time, you won't ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever get it back.
And that's final. The clock ain't ticking backwards (unless you count Mr. Gutteridge's old one). For people who are in school, don't call it a waste of time. The only way your time can be wasted is if you are ignorant enough to waste it yourself. Use every bit of education they throw at you. I know this sounds absurdly crazy but why don't you try listening to the teacher? If you already do, then well done! None of your time in class has been useless. If you wait patiently, then you'll eventually see how those petty little bits of information you learned in class will be so helpful for you.
For those who are working, I know I am not in any position to give you advice but well, I just want to say: I really believe that if you diligently work really hard at whatever you do, you will be rewarded. I mean, if you do something really well even if you hate doing it, you are bound to be noticed.
And as usual, I'll end with a useless note: I don't really know why I posted this... I just had those five rules stuck in my head for such a long time. Hope they get stuck in yours too!
Longest post in a long time huh? Getting the mood back.
I know of 5 things that will come before it's equal. These can be considered rules of living:
1. Life Before Death.
2. Young Before Old.
3. Rich Before Poor.
4. Healthy Before Sick.
5. Leisure Before Busy.
These things apply to life on Earth as we know it and has been the rules since time began. Of course, none of these rules apply in the Life After Death.
Each and every one of these rules are certain truth. Number 1 is of course really obvious. So, you know what you have to do: make sure to do the right things as long as you are alive because none of us are going to live forever.
As a Muslim, the main reason I do good things is because I love Allah and I fear punishment from Allah: a punishment that's unimaginably horrifying. Jahanam (Hell): the worst case scenario possible. Nabi Muhammad (salalah hu a'lahi wasalam) paved the way to pleasing Allah, all we have to do is walk it. And it's really easy to do so too. The only hard part is becoming completely oblivious to the distractions and temptations of the Devil. You'll fail sometimes, but what you have to do is to make it up simply by apologizing sincerely for failing or giving out charity to pay for your sins. Allah is the most Forgiving. But you have to be completely sincere, with all your heart.
Even if I was looking at it from a non-religious point of view, you have a lot of reasons to do good things in Life. One of the biggest reasons I can think of is: Legacy. Everybody wants to be remembered. Even if it's just a person who you gave your seat to in a bus he will remember you as a good person, someone they'll tell about nicely. Isn't that a good enough reward for doing something good?
An even faster reward is the knowledge that you made someone's life easier for them even if it's
just for a few minutes. Don't you think you'll sleep better knowing that no one had to suffer because of you own selfishness? Hmm... this one applies really closely to my own life. I guess I need to work on being selfless.
The second rule is a bit more complicated. Old people will look at their younger days and say: man, I wish we could go back to that time. Young people, however, may not be respected and as such, they feel that they need to grow up quicker, and they think once they are older, they'd be able to do anything they like. Truth is, young people have a lot more advantages. Young people are just that: Young. They have a bigger capacity to learn, more time to spend doing things - even if it doesn't look like it - and certainly they have more Health. The first man in the world, Adam, was prostrated to by the Angels not because they were worshiping him but because it was a sign of respect: he was newly created and he already knew of the names of everything. That was the first gift: the ability to Learn. Use it well, young people. Don't say you can't learn something like Physics or Geography. Say something more honest like: I don't want to learn Physics or Geography. (this is just an example. No offense meant to Geography and Physics) Because you CAN learn it! That is if you have the Health to do so.
Which brings us to the 4th rule (Yes, 4th, not 3rd and yes I can count). Healthy Before Sick. Everyone gets sick. No exceptions. Some people may get sick less often than others, but they still get sick. It's horrible being sick. You can't do everything you want to do. Your body is in disarray, your mind isn't at 100% working speed, and worst off: you have to sit there and make other people worry. I really hate that part. Plus, you are restricted to only a number of things you can eat! That's a major downer. Do everything you can to not become sick, but do not become paranoid either: that's just a waste of time. You will get sick somehow or rather, even if you spray everything with sanitizer. Honestly, I think people who use sanitizers are more prone to becoming sick. Their immune system will not be able to adapt to diseases, which makes it really weak and unable to fight a common flu as effectively as someone who's more open to the environments.
And we'll go back to the 3rd rule now: Rich Before Poor. Yes, Bill Gates is counted in this. Scientifically speaking, products like Microsoft has a life cycle and it will end eventually. It is possible to prolong it's life but it wont last forever. Money is fluctuating really, really quickly. Some people get bankrupt all of a sudden, most probably because they used up their money on something completely useless in one swoop. Other people lose money slowly. Maybe their expenses just crept up with time, I don't know, but I do know it happens.
This is not to say that you can't get rich when you are poor. The rule simply states that wealth is not forever. So be careful.
And lastly, Leisure before Busy. Holidays always end. But the important thing is what did you do whilst you had the leisure? Maybe you wasted time going on the computer, playing games while you could have gone out and played with your friends. Even better, go out there and do something good for the community! Everyone has either had the time to do it, or they still do. If you waste your precious free time, you won't ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever get it back.
And that's final. The clock ain't ticking backwards (unless you count Mr. Gutteridge's old one). For people who are in school, don't call it a waste of time. The only way your time can be wasted is if you are ignorant enough to waste it yourself. Use every bit of education they throw at you. I know this sounds absurdly crazy but why don't you try listening to the teacher? If you already do, then well done! None of your time in class has been useless. If you wait patiently, then you'll eventually see how those petty little bits of information you learned in class will be so helpful for you.
For those who are working, I know I am not in any position to give you advice but well, I just want to say: I really believe that if you diligently work really hard at whatever you do, you will be rewarded. I mean, if you do something really well even if you hate doing it, you are bound to be noticed.
And as usual, I'll end with a useless note: I don't really know why I posted this... I just had those five rules stuck in my head for such a long time. Hope they get stuck in yours too!
Longest post in a long time huh? Getting the mood back.
Tuesday, 1 December 2009
Home/House Work
To be straight up honest, I like doing homework. I like all the writing, editing, pasting, cutting, cropping etcetera, etcetera... I have this obsessive side of me that comes out every time a challenge surfaces. It's like a self-defense mechanism that my mind created so that I'm not asleep all the time. Too bad it doesn't apply for exams though... The defense switches off during exams...
The bad thing is, once I stop doing the thing I was obsessed with halfway, it just feels weird to continue. It's hard to get into the same mood you were when you started the project. A good example of this is blogging.
Loads of my friends started blogging around the same time I did, some even before I did, but now, they just gave up on it. All because they stopped blogging for a while but couldn't find the same attitude they had towards it when they started. I was like that - stopped blogging and didn't want to continue - but some inspirations came up - mainly movies - and I slowly regained the flow of blogging.
Anyways, that was a huge-off-topic topic. Homework! The best type is the ones where they let you use computers to do it in. Google PhD has yet to fail me. Each and every one of my questions can be answered just by typing the question down on a little white box. How awesome is that? Praise goes to Sergey M. Brin and Lawrence E. Page. To whoever that do not know them, go Google them!
Even though I prefer teachers to not give homework at all in the first place, homework DOES help. I know! It surprised me too! Who knew that what teachers have been saying to us were not a bunch of turd after all! The thing about homework is, when you do it, you're using your own style of learning, making it more comprehensible to yourself. This means that your brain absorbs this and imprints it in your mind as a memory. Thus, you have revised! Simple, right?
Once you get into the exam and you see the questions laid down in front of you, your brain will automatically search for anything inside itself that is related to the question, and since you've got the memory of the homework in your head, it'll be as easy as eating marshmallows. (Maan... haven't eaten those in a looooonnngg time!)
Housework is nearly the same. Chores are challenges. If you do them, you win, if you don't, well, you don't win.
In learning Martial Arts, the student is asked to do some apparently-mundane chores like washing dishes or throwing out the trash repeatedly. In truth, these are muscle-memory exercises. It's the easiest and simplest way to have a healthy life. See? Even Bruce Lee had to do chores!
So, do your chores people! It'll help out a lot.
*sweating* (Just finished stuffing a mattress into a really tiny covering.)
The bad thing is, once I stop doing the thing I was obsessed with halfway, it just feels weird to continue. It's hard to get into the same mood you were when you started the project. A good example of this is blogging.
Loads of my friends started blogging around the same time I did, some even before I did, but now, they just gave up on it. All because they stopped blogging for a while but couldn't find the same attitude they had towards it when they started. I was like that - stopped blogging and didn't want to continue - but some inspirations came up - mainly movies - and I slowly regained the flow of blogging.
Anyways, that was a huge-off-topic topic. Homework! The best type is the ones where they let you use computers to do it in. Google PhD has yet to fail me. Each and every one of my questions can be answered just by typing the question down on a little white box. How awesome is that? Praise goes to Sergey M. Brin and Lawrence E. Page. To whoever that do not know them, go Google them!
Even though I prefer teachers to not give homework at all in the first place, homework DOES help. I know! It surprised me too! Who knew that what teachers have been saying to us were not a bunch of turd after all! The thing about homework is, when you do it, you're using your own style of learning, making it more comprehensible to yourself. This means that your brain absorbs this and imprints it in your mind as a memory. Thus, you have revised! Simple, right?
Once you get into the exam and you see the questions laid down in front of you, your brain will automatically search for anything inside itself that is related to the question, and since you've got the memory of the homework in your head, it'll be as easy as eating marshmallows. (Maan... haven't eaten those in a looooonnngg time!)
Housework is nearly the same. Chores are challenges. If you do them, you win, if you don't, well, you don't win.
In learning Martial Arts, the student is asked to do some apparently-mundane chores like washing dishes or throwing out the trash repeatedly. In truth, these are muscle-memory exercises. It's the easiest and simplest way to have a healthy life. See? Even Bruce Lee had to do chores!
So, do your chores people! It'll help out a lot.
*sweating* (Just finished stuffing a mattress into a really tiny covering.)
Saturday, 28 November 2009
Celebrate What?
2009. November 27/Dhul Hijjah 10th. Eid ul Adha.
It's so weird living in this time of the Earth's life. A few hundred years ago,you have people celebrating some guy being electrocuted while flying a kite. Go back another few hundred years,you have people being blamed of being witches and people celebrated when they were burnt alive. Dotted between these two are people celebrating their victories in wars. They all had something to celebrate and they all knew the reason they celebrated - finding electricity, destroying evil and triumph over their enemies. You can hardly say the same for this era.
People celebrate things because they see other people celebrate it. They don't have an inkling of why those people were celebrating it in the first place. Some people skip all the ritual doodahs and only appear when they see something in it for themselves. This is exactly what's happening in Eid.
I've always thought that Eid was a time of happiness. At first, it was just a thought, but then my parents told me the real reason we're celebrating Eid ul Adha and I was actually happy. The reason was that Nabi Ibrahim (aalaihisalam) saw a dream that he was going to sacrifice his son, Nabi Ismail (aalaihisalam)-a vision from Allah- and both Prophets agreed to it. The moment Nabi Ibrahim's knife went up into the air, preparing to sacrifice his own son, Allah stopped him saying: O Ibrahim! You have fulfilled the dream(Ch 37:99-111 Quran). He stopped him and instead sent a great ram down to be sacrificed instead and eaten by the Prophets as a reward for having complete faith in Allah and following his orders without question.
The reason Nabi Muhammad (sallallahu aalaihi was salam) asked us to celebrate the 10th of every Dhul Hijjah was to remember Nabi Ibrahim's unwavering obedience to Allah.
Now, I'm not saying people do not know the history of Eid ul Adha, rather, they tend to celebrate it without the real reason in mind. They celebrate it because there's loads of food, people gather in huge numbers and the tea is exceptional. I just find it really sad that Nabi Ibrahim's obedience is no longer a cause of celebration. I really want to see how the people of Old celebrated it and compare it to this time. I'm sure there will be noticeable differences.
The Takbir is just words if you don't mean any of it. And I don't think that saying it beautifully is the reason we actually recite it. Umi said that the reason that the people of Old recited the Takbir was to show the strength of the Muslims and not their beauty. This means that we're meant to say it loudly and proudly and with power that scares the Kafiruns.
The cause, the mindset and the methods were changed over time unwillingly, maybe not hugely but still significantly.
This was one of my only posts that I had put thought into. I hope anyone that read this finds it helpful for next year.
It's so weird living in this time of the Earth's life. A few hundred years ago,you have people celebrating some guy being electrocuted while flying a kite. Go back another few hundred years,you have people being blamed of being witches and people celebrated when they were burnt alive. Dotted between these two are people celebrating their victories in wars. They all had something to celebrate and they all knew the reason they celebrated - finding electricity, destroying evil and triumph over their enemies. You can hardly say the same for this era.
People celebrate things because they see other people celebrate it. They don't have an inkling of why those people were celebrating it in the first place. Some people skip all the ritual doodahs and only appear when they see something in it for themselves. This is exactly what's happening in Eid.
I've always thought that Eid was a time of happiness. At first, it was just a thought, but then my parents told me the real reason we're celebrating Eid ul Adha and I was actually happy. The reason was that Nabi Ibrahim (aalaihisalam) saw a dream that he was going to sacrifice his son, Nabi Ismail (aalaihisalam)-a vision from Allah- and both Prophets agreed to it. The moment Nabi Ibrahim's knife went up into the air, preparing to sacrifice his own son, Allah stopped him saying: O Ibrahim! You have fulfilled the dream(Ch 37:99-111 Quran). He stopped him and instead sent a great ram down to be sacrificed instead and eaten by the Prophets as a reward for having complete faith in Allah and following his orders without question.
The reason Nabi Muhammad (sallallahu aalaihi was salam) asked us to celebrate the 10th of every Dhul Hijjah was to remember Nabi Ibrahim's unwavering obedience to Allah.
Now, I'm not saying people do not know the history of Eid ul Adha, rather, they tend to celebrate it without the real reason in mind. They celebrate it because there's loads of food, people gather in huge numbers and the tea is exceptional. I just find it really sad that Nabi Ibrahim's obedience is no longer a cause of celebration. I really want to see how the people of Old celebrated it and compare it to this time. I'm sure there will be noticeable differences.
The Takbir is just words if you don't mean any of it. And I don't think that saying it beautifully is the reason we actually recite it. Umi said that the reason that the people of Old recited the Takbir was to show the strength of the Muslims and not their beauty. This means that we're meant to say it loudly and proudly and with power that scares the Kafiruns.
The cause, the mindset and the methods were changed over time unwillingly, maybe not hugely but still significantly.
This was one of my only posts that I had put thought into. I hope anyone that read this finds it helpful for next year.
Wednesday, 18 November 2009
Good. This is very Good.
Once upon a time, not so long ago, 4 boys named Ala', Faidhi, Nasa and Muaz had gone to watch a movie and play bowling. Rather, they played bowling first and then they watched a movie.
During the bowling match, it was needless to say that Faidhi won, with Ala' closely following behind on points. Muaz and Nasa were left far, far, far behind. We all wish them a better luck next time.
Off to the movie, Faidhi stayed behind to get a quick bite at Hardee's - some nuggets dipped in cheese - while the others went to claim their movie ticket seats. Having finished his meal, Faidhi quickly rushed off to the cinema, not wanting to miss out on any important bits of the movie.
He hurriedly passed through the security points and was very relieved when he saw that the cinema was still showing some advertisement. The only one he could remember afterward was a preview of a Jackie Chan movie. Apparently, he didn't remember it because it looked like it would be fun to watch but because the commentator had said some of the lamest cliches in the history of movie-making; "He tried his best to protect life, but was repaid.... with DEATH!" (cue sad music)
When he got to his seat, his friends gleefully told him that they had managed to sneak in some drinks from outside the cinema by stuffing it down their bags. They were very clever friends of his. A few more commercials after the Jackie Chan one, the movie started...
Now, Faidhi does not want to spoil the movie for any one who hasn't seen it yet, so he has chosen to skip the movie synopsis and go straight to the lesson learned from the movie.
When I say ''learned'', I meant more of what came across his mind when he saw the movie. He thought: well, if the world was going to end, might as well head to Makkah and pray, asking for forgiveness and do the Hajj. But what he saw from the movie was people still caring about each other and trying to save each other. He wondered:if the world was really ending, people would be really selfish, trying to save themselves and not caring about who lived or who died. This seemed more logical as once you know the world is going to end, even if you save someone, you won't be there to see them again. There is just no way all those people were that unselfish. Those were his thoughts about the movie's plot.
His thoughts on the movie itself, however, was slightly different: he thought they portrayed the plot really well and that it hooked the audience by using so many different nationalities at it's core. They used a fat wealthy man from Russia to accumulate comedy into the story as well. It was all very well done. Although, he would have preferred it if there were subtitles included during the movie; he had to translate the Arabic subtitles to understand the Mandarin spoken which really messed up his head.
Then, satisfied with the movie and each with their own say about the movie and the scores of the bowling match, they headed back to their respective homes.
During the bowling match, it was needless to say that Faidhi won, with Ala' closely following behind on points. Muaz and Nasa were left far, far, far behind. We all wish them a better luck next time.
Off to the movie, Faidhi stayed behind to get a quick bite at Hardee's - some nuggets dipped in cheese - while the others went to claim their movie ticket seats. Having finished his meal, Faidhi quickly rushed off to the cinema, not wanting to miss out on any important bits of the movie.
He hurriedly passed through the security points and was very relieved when he saw that the cinema was still showing some advertisement. The only one he could remember afterward was a preview of a Jackie Chan movie. Apparently, he didn't remember it because it looked like it would be fun to watch but because the commentator had said some of the lamest cliches in the history of movie-making; "He tried his best to protect life, but was repaid.... with DEATH!" (cue sad music)
When he got to his seat, his friends gleefully told him that they had managed to sneak in some drinks from outside the cinema by stuffing it down their bags. They were very clever friends of his. A few more commercials after the Jackie Chan one, the movie started...
Now, Faidhi does not want to spoil the movie for any one who hasn't seen it yet, so he has chosen to skip the movie synopsis and go straight to the lesson learned from the movie.
When I say ''learned'', I meant more of what came across his mind when he saw the movie. He thought: well, if the world was going to end, might as well head to Makkah and pray, asking for forgiveness and do the Hajj. But what he saw from the movie was people still caring about each other and trying to save each other. He wondered:if the world was really ending, people would be really selfish, trying to save themselves and not caring about who lived or who died. This seemed more logical as once you know the world is going to end, even if you save someone, you won't be there to see them again. There is just no way all those people were that unselfish. Those were his thoughts about the movie's plot.
His thoughts on the movie itself, however, was slightly different: he thought they portrayed the plot really well and that it hooked the audience by using so many different nationalities at it's core. They used a fat wealthy man from Russia to accumulate comedy into the story as well. It was all very well done. Although, he would have preferred it if there were subtitles included during the movie; he had to translate the Arabic subtitles to understand the Mandarin spoken which really messed up his head.
Then, satisfied with the movie and each with their own say about the movie and the scores of the bowling match, they headed back to their respective homes.
Saturday, 3 October 2009
The Not So Black Limousine.
Yesterday, I had to wake up early in the morning since I had to prepare to go to a Dikir Barat practice, in which we practiced how to clap with style and for some reason or another, an Auntie just told me to join the kid’s dikir puteri as a Putera! Believe it, or not.
After practice, Ala’, Nasa and I went with uncle Nik to pick up Haziq. Some event occured in the car which I hope will remain with the people in the car. However, the reason for us picking Haziq up was: so that he can join us in an hour long, fun-filled, ear-deafening, exotic limousine ride all the way to Dubai Mall. (Why Dubai Mall, don't ask me).
The limo was to pick us up at my house, where Anum, Amjad, Nabil and Amanie were waiting with Umi, Auntie Sharifah, Auntie Faridah and Uncle Mustafa. Of course, the aunts and uncle were not to be joining us. Then, the limo came.
The first comment about the limo that I heard was: I thought we ordered the black one! -.-‘ As long as it’s a limo, Anum, I don’t think anyone minded… :p
Once we got into the limo, the first thing we attacked was the radio/dvd player which was currently playing some Arabic song… Yeah, we’re gonna have soo much fun with that aren’t we? -.-‘
With the music fixed, we switched it on to loud, and the ride started!
It felt like a short ride. What with the excitement of being in a limo, the sugar rush from the colas, and the fun of just us being together, I don’t wonder why. The pictures in Facebook tells a much better story than I can.
One thing I can tell you is that inside the limo, we were sweating buckets! At one point, we accidentally switched off the AC and had to get the driver to pull over and help us out! He also warned us not to stick our heads out the window… I wonder who’d do that…
Owh and Haziq left his glasses inside the limo and had to ask the limo driver to drop it off for him… Weird thing was: he was just reunited with his glasses before getting on the limo.
At Dubai Mall, we finally understood the major flaw in our plans: we didn’t have one.
So, for the next few hours, we decided to go watch a movie, which didn’t happen, then went to go bowling but that didn’t happen either since it was a Virtual Bowling alley -.-‘ However, since we already bought the card for the games area, the others decided to spend it all since we were already there.
Game after game after game, they finally finished the credit up by going Karaokeing… Ala’ and Haziq enjoyed karaokeing… but I can’t say that people enjoyed their Karaokeing… Anum and Amjad did a bit of a duet in which Anum was waaay more dominant, seeing as how she actually knew the song…
Then, we went to eat. I wanted to get a Mrs. Vanellis’ Spaghetti Bolognese with extra cheese, which is my usual. Buuuut! When I asked the dude can I have Spaghetti Bolognese this is his reply: what is Spaghetti? We only have pasta. -.-‘ I gave up right after that and went to get a McDonald’s Ice Cream Sundae. The others had Subway, Squid Pasta, Shrimp Pasta, and McDonald’s.
After that, we pretty much walked around aimlessly. No wait… we at first wanted to go ice skating buut… after a brief discussion, we decided not to. On the other hand, Nasa and Amjad decided to ditch us, and go ice skating together. We left them so that they could enjoy their date.
Then we saw Ala’ win in table tennis against some other guy and Haziq losing in table tennis against an extremely skilled girl.
Time to go home.
Umi, Muhaimin and I then dropped off Amjad, but not before making a stop at McDonald’s to eat.
Thursday, 1 October 2009
A Review.
Basically, this post is about what I've been doing while putting blogging off.
1. Learned how to do Dikir Barat.
This. Is. Fun.
Those 3 words can sum up everything about Dikir Barat! For those who don't know what it is; Dikir Barat is a form of singing sang with the Kelantanese Dialect and Local Drums. It is usually sang in groups. Trust me: its not as easy as it sounds. Learning how to speak in that dialect was like trying to learn a different language all together! And then understanding it was a whole other topic. But as soon as you get the hang of it, everything just... flows. A simple demonstration of Dikir Barat can be heard from here.
2. Rode the Metro.
Okay, in Malaysia, we have the LRT, which anyone can ride in. In Dubai, we now have the Metro; a more complex version of the LRT. The setting is a lot more colorful, is a good, simple way to describe it.
Ala, Nasa, Muaz, Muhaimin and I had a trip on it to go to MOE which was one of the last stops for the train. Anum cancelled -.-'.
The first thing I noticed was that they had a song that was supposedly played to not keep the passengers bored. Well... It wasn't that great a song-classic orchestra type thingy- nor did it do anything to heighten excitement level..
For some absurd reason, the train didn't move for about 5-8 minutes at one stop, and we saw the people who worked there come in and checked the engine or something. I guess it was just our luck to witness the breaking down of a train. Fortunately, the train was fixed, and we zoomed on. Slowly. Wild guess: since the Metro is still young, the RTA is being really careful with it.
Coming back to the Rashidiah Station was a bit more eventful. We decided to take a video of the trip... minutes later, we noticed other people doing the same thing. Like they say: it takes only one person to start a trend -.-'.
3. Played around with a Mercedes Benz.
An uncle left this Mercedes Benz with us for a while and we needed to heat up the engine for a while. However, with just one look at the key, my mom was confused at how exactly is she going to start the car?! You know how keys have the teeth and the body right? The body being the usually black part at the back. Well, this ''key'' only had a back part.
I think my mom asked another uncle to come and help out because there was another uncle that came along and started the engine for us. Apparently, we start it like any other car: just stick the ''key'' in the ignition and twist. So why did they have to take out the teeth part for?
The fun starts now: since we're so used to other cars that weren't so... technical with all the buttons, I wanted to, no wait... I HAD to try all of them. They had a wiper for the head lights! I don't know if that's normal or not but I just find that really weird! I got squirted by it -.-'. Then the real wipers for the windows were on the same side as the signal lights but instead of twisting the handle, you press on it. Umi tried grabbing the right-side handle but since there was no handle... Owh and before we even drove the car around, my mom couldn't reach the pedals so we searched for the lever that is usually found in other cars to pull the seat forward... Turns out... it's also a button! Man, those people at Mercedes Benz really wanted to make life easy, didn't they?
4. School as normal.
Even though I say it's normal, can you name me one school that's normal? There's just no such thing! So I guess all schools are normally abnormal.
I am going to be helping around with the badminton club though, so that's kinda cool.
Homework is piling up. I guess being in the 11th grade has it's downsides too huh?
Muhaimin and I also got really lucky: We got on this taxi one day, and after a trip of chatting with the driver and joking around with him, he gave me his work number and told me to call him anytime I need a taxi! How cool is that?
What else about school.. Hmm...
Aside from the fact that a certain someone was supposed to come but didn't come, nothing much really.
Oh. I got nominated and am currently running for the position of Head Boy. I didn't want to do it at first because I thought of it as a popularity contest rather than a real election but since they changed the rules around so that the school's Senior Teachers are going to be choosing the Head Boy/Girl for their abilities instead of how many people know us, I agreed to the nominations.
Fa4idhi Out! - The 4 is silent.
1. Learned how to do Dikir Barat.
This. Is. Fun.
Those 3 words can sum up everything about Dikir Barat! For those who don't know what it is; Dikir Barat is a form of singing sang with the Kelantanese Dialect and Local Drums. It is usually sang in groups. Trust me: its not as easy as it sounds. Learning how to speak in that dialect was like trying to learn a different language all together! And then understanding it was a whole other topic. But as soon as you get the hang of it, everything just... flows. A simple demonstration of Dikir Barat can be heard from here.
2. Rode the Metro.
Okay, in Malaysia, we have the LRT, which anyone can ride in. In Dubai, we now have the Metro; a more complex version of the LRT. The setting is a lot more colorful, is a good, simple way to describe it.
Ala, Nasa, Muaz, Muhaimin and I had a trip on it to go to MOE which was one of the last stops for the train. Anum cancelled -.-'.
The first thing I noticed was that they had a song that was supposedly played to not keep the passengers bored. Well... It wasn't that great a song-classic orchestra type thingy- nor did it do anything to heighten excitement level..
For some absurd reason, the train didn't move for about 5-8 minutes at one stop, and we saw the people who worked there come in and checked the engine or something. I guess it was just our luck to witness the breaking down of a train. Fortunately, the train was fixed, and we zoomed on. Slowly. Wild guess: since the Metro is still young, the RTA is being really careful with it.
Coming back to the Rashidiah Station was a bit more eventful. We decided to take a video of the trip... minutes later, we noticed other people doing the same thing. Like they say: it takes only one person to start a trend -.-'.
3. Played around with a Mercedes Benz.
An uncle left this Mercedes Benz with us for a while and we needed to heat up the engine for a while. However, with just one look at the key, my mom was confused at how exactly is she going to start the car?! You know how keys have the teeth and the body right? The body being the usually black part at the back. Well, this ''key'' only had a back part.
I think my mom asked another uncle to come and help out because there was another uncle that came along and started the engine for us. Apparently, we start it like any other car: just stick the ''key'' in the ignition and twist. So why did they have to take out the teeth part for?
The fun starts now: since we're so used to other cars that weren't so... technical with all the buttons, I wanted to, no wait... I HAD to try all of them. They had a wiper for the head lights! I don't know if that's normal or not but I just find that really weird! I got squirted by it -.-'. Then the real wipers for the windows were on the same side as the signal lights but instead of twisting the handle, you press on it. Umi tried grabbing the right-side handle but since there was no handle... Owh and before we even drove the car around, my mom couldn't reach the pedals so we searched for the lever that is usually found in other cars to pull the seat forward... Turns out... it's also a button! Man, those people at Mercedes Benz really wanted to make life easy, didn't they?
4. School as normal.
Even though I say it's normal, can you name me one school that's normal? There's just no such thing! So I guess all schools are normally abnormal.
I am going to be helping around with the badminton club though, so that's kinda cool.
Homework is piling up. I guess being in the 11th grade has it's downsides too huh?
Muhaimin and I also got really lucky: We got on this taxi one day, and after a trip of chatting with the driver and joking around with him, he gave me his work number and told me to call him anytime I need a taxi! How cool is that?
What else about school.. Hmm...
Aside from the fact that a certain someone was supposed to come but didn't come, nothing much really.
Oh. I got nominated and am currently running for the position of Head Boy. I didn't want to do it at first because I thought of it as a popularity contest rather than a real election but since they changed the rules around so that the school's Senior Teachers are going to be choosing the Head Boy/Girl for their abilities instead of how many people know us, I agreed to the nominations.
Fa4idhi Out! - The 4 is silent.
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