Thoughts Milling About

Someone close to us just passed away. Life in this world is too short, we learn. Yet ... We slog it out, day in day out. We trudge through this miserable life. We wonder, sometimes, to what end. One fine day we wake up, look around and ask, How did I become like this? Where have all the years gone? Thinking of that someone close who has left us and this world, we realize that life in the next world is long. Life there sasts longer than that drumming bunny with batteries. Going ... going ... going ... No! Life in the next world is not long! Life in the next world is never-ending. Forever. No termination. No end. No more death. Infinity and beyond. If one hundred years is long, imagine living forever. Living forever ... miserably? Or, happily? That depends on what we do in this short life. Again we look back and ask, Where have the years gone? Now we realize that we have a lot of catching up to do. We wonder if we have enough time left to make up for all those years gone...

Thank you for your interest. Please email to jomhatyai@thoughtsmill.com to receive updates and dates or to ask for more details. Hatyai is a really great place to eat. The food is delicious, cheap and most importantly halal. Itinerary for a one-night stay As a summary Friday night 10.30 pm depart on bus from Puduraya straight into Hatyai (RM 50) Saturday 9 am arrive Hatyai for breakfast; Check-in hotel (RM 100 for a spanking new 3.5 star hotel) Sunday 12 noon depart Hatyai to KL (RM 50) Sunday 10 pm arrive KL Length of stay This is a two-night trip. The first night is spent sleeping in the bus, the second night in a hotel. Budget Bus and hotel cost RM 200. Food and local travel cost RM 150 max. Shopping money cost RM 0 to infinity. Let us start our journey with bus from Puduraya to Hatyai. The journey up north Have you seen double-deck buses plying our highways? Don't they look nice and comfy? Have you ever stepped inside one of those? I choose the bus as my transport because ...

When I am in a difficulty I tend to focus on the pain that I have to go through. I lament about my fate and misfortune. I begin asking, "Why is this happening to me?" Most often than not I attribute the reason of my misfortune to everything else except me. Well, probably a little bit on me but the bulk of the reason will still be elsewhere. When I get tired of sulking I will finally ask, "Why me?" The answer is simple. Everything happens for a reason. Of course, God Who Has All The Knowledge of The Heavens and The Earth knows best. But my answer to the Why is: God The Most Benevolent still loves me. He loves me enough to give me a wake up call. The wake up call comes in the form of tests. Tests come every day. Tests are difficult because the lessons don't come cheap. Lessons? What lessons? Of course I can't see the lessons because I have been busy asking "Why." If I think less of "Why is this happening to me?" and think more of ...

Sod ba ro. Sabar. Tiga huruf saja jika dieja dalam bahasa arab. Lebih mudah untuk disebut dari dibuat. Perit hati, menggelodak perut, menggigil satu badan untuk menahan sabar. Kekuatan yang diperlukan untuk sabar tidak diperolehi dalam sehari dua. -- Sent from my mobile device

anda pernah tonton wayang kulit? dalam wayang kulit, ada banyak watak. contohnya etong. kadang2 ada gergasi bertaring panjang, entah apa nama dia. lain scene, lain watak. watak boleh tukar. tapi tok dalangnya tetaplah orang yang sama. tukang pukul gong dan tukang tiup seruling pun orang yang sama. rasanya begitulah juga pemerintahan amerika. etong ka, gergasi ka, yang di belakang tabir tetaplah you-know-who. awatnya, kalau si gelap ni jadi presiden, amerika tak perlukan minyak lagi? ada cara lain untuk amerika dapat minyak kalau bukan dengan langgar negara orang? change? it was only a slogan to subliminally get voters to do just that at the voting booth, change. in the real world, change setakat warna saja la. dari orang putih jadi orang gelap. polisi mungkin tukar. tapi niat atau intent polisi tetaplah sama, yakni nak protect tok dalang.

Research In Motion (RIM) had a fantastic idea -- send your email directly to your phone. It introduced Blackberry (BBerry) device as well as an email service. This idea becomes a big business. If you are in Malaysia and using Maxis, you will be paying RM150 monthly for this push mail service. If RIM can do it, so can others. Two companies responded: Nokia and Google. The more people buy BBerry devices, the less sales go to Nokia. The more people subscribe to BBerry email service, the less people will use Google's Gmail. Of course, Nokia wants a chunk of the pie. Nokia has the capability -- it produces mobile device, network equipment and writes programs. It then came up with Nokia E71 device and introduced email.nokia.com service. The service is free for now. So, Nokia responded with hardware and software. Another powerhouse in communication is Google. It came up with Gmail for mobile phones and BBerry device. The software and email service are free. It did not introd...

Seafood lunch in Paris ... ... accompanied by dessert ... ... can't beat lunch at home with nasi putih panas, telur goreng dan kicap. Alhamdulillah.

True, there are a lot of breath-taking monuments in Paris. You might have seen them in person or in pictures. Or you might search for their images using internet right now and admire them. But the garden in the courtyard of the grand masjid of Paris wins as the most peaceful spot in Paris. Alhamdulillah, God granted me the opportunity to visit the masjid for solat asar. The masjid looked plain and humble from outside. Step inside and the most striking feature of the masjid greets you. The garden looks stunning and the roses smell fantastic! Even the journey there was worth chronicling. I took off with the metro from Chateau Landon station and got down at Censier Daubenton. Emerging from the underground, I approached an elderly lady waiting for a bus, wearing a tudung. "Excuse-moi. Ou est la mosquee de Paris?" I asked. The lady enthusiastically gave instructions in French and lucky me she liberally supplemented the mostly incomprehensible words with hand gestures. All I caug...

Imagine ... ... to never die ... ... to get whatever we desire without limit. Ya Allah, make us among those whom You favor. And the Garden is brought near for those who kept from evil, no longer distant. This is what you were promised, it is for every one who turns frequently (to Allah), keeps (His Laws), Who fears the Beneficent Allah in secret and comes with a penitent heart Enter it in peace. This is the day of immortality. There they have all that they desire, and there is more with Us. Al-Quran, Surah Qaf, verses 31 - 35

Let us show our gratefulness to Allah Ta'ala that we are still here to welcome Ramadhan. And this Ramadhan could be our last Ramadhan. So let us give the best that we have got to Allah Ta'ala this holy month of Ramadhan, the month in which there is a night that is better than a thousand months. May this be the best ever Ramadhan for us. Amin.

Thank you to those who engineered and worked for the independence of this beloved country, and to those who contributed to develop her to what she is today. This is our country. We love this country. To the plunderers and would be plunderers in this country or outside of this country, this is our vow: We who have might will fight you with our hands. We who have lesser might will fight you with our words. We who have the least might pray that Allah Ta'ala release His dogs to your throats. Amin ... May Allah Ta'ala be pleased with Malaysia and her people.

Ayah called just now. Ayah said he and mak won't be visiting me in Ramadhan as planned. Ayah said he needs to get the incision on his arm dressed every day at the hospital. I want to see them. I want to have sahur and to break fast with them. I will visit them up north next weekend, insyaAllah. May Allah Ta'ala forgive them and be Merciful to them as they have been merciful to me since I was small. Amin.

Love is an effort, occasionally accompanied by a good feeling inside. We say, "I call you." To call is a verb. We say, "I love you." Therefore, to love is a verb, too. Since love is a verb, love is an action. Action takes effort. Love is an effort. No wonder people say, "It is a labor of love." Raising children is a labor of love. So is growing daisies. Love is laborious, is it not? A lot of effort needs to be put in when we love someone or something. After we put in all that effort, we feel something nice inside. Occasionally. This nice feeling accompanies the act of love. Sometimes we hear somebody tell us that he/she fell in love at first sight. That's not really love, is that? That's infatuation. Infatuation doesn't take any effort. It's a feeling that doesn't accompany any action. Love is accompanied by a nice feeling, occasionally. Occasionally, we feel bad. Because the person we love hurt us after all the labor ...

My dad. He's in my mind for past few days. And getting stronger tonight. Must call him tomorrow. InsyaAllah. O Lord, forgive me, my parents and Muslims in the Hereafter. O Lord, show mercy on them as they have nourished me when I was young.

Is that possible? To think of love. Thinking is a rational act. Love is emotional. Therefore, how to be rational with something emotional? Or, how to be rational with something irrational? No, that can't be right. I have made the wrong assumption that emotion equals irrationality. God is full of Love. And I can't say God is full of irrationality. God loves us. We sin against him. When we seek His forgiveness, He forgives. Some people may argue the absence of rationale in forgiving. It does not make sense to forgive someone who has betrayed you. It makes more sense to reciprocate with punishment. When we sin, we betray God, don't we? Yet, God forgives. Why? Because, God is All Forgiving, too. And a small amount of that Forgiving trait trickles into us, too. Now it makes sense. Now it's rational. What am I doing? I'm rationalizing an emotion. I'm thinking of love. It is possible to do that. To think of love.

It's already August. Ramadhan is around the corner. Then haj season again. Seems only a few days ago that I came back from haj. Wow ... how time flies (answer: like an arrow, of course.) And ouch ... I haven't made much progress in life. Whatever little progress that I have made comes from the office. Yeah, project moves a bit. Have I improved myself as a worker? A wee bit. But being a worker is only a supporting role, isn't it? How about other bigger roles that I have to play in life? Like being a servant to Allah Taala and a follower of Muhammad s.a.w.; being a son to aging parents; being a husband, a trusted friend and a father; a neighbor? No improvement at all. Nothing. Am the same guy. No achievement to shout about. Well, the age is progressing. Yeah, that is certain. Meaning, I'm nearing death by the minute. Sigh ... Will I still let myself miss the opportunity to grab all I can from what life has to offer so that I can be better at playing all the...

Past few entries in this blog have been about politics. What's gotten into me? I haven't been bitten by the bug, have I? Or, maybe things have never been this bad before that almost no one can ignore it now. It is such a high drama nowadays that suspense lurks in every corner, ready to pounce on you anytime. Speaking of drama, a face comes to mind. Raja Petra Kamaruddin has been writing a lot of stories. Don't know if those are facts or fiction but his writings in Malaysia Today are so enjoyable to read that I would put him together with Robert Ludlum. There are many socio-policital blogs out there. Every body seems to have some opinions on all matters. Threfore, I want to promise to myself that my mill shall not produce anymore thoughts on politics.

A friend asked my thoughts about Anwar's case. And this is what I think. For those who believe in the innocence of him, no justice system is good enough until they find a system that acquits him. For those who believe in the guilt of him, no justice system is good enough until they find a system that convicts him. It is about our belief system. What do I believe? I believe in the Universal Justice System (UJS) belonging to God the Most Just. No one escapes the UJS. Please consider this as a kind reminder to us: When God the All Seeing reveals the truth, be afraid, be very very afraid ... unless you are in the right. That revelation will surely come sooner or later, before or after we die. Till then, repent while we have time.

Headlines from Malaysiakini gathered by my feed reader:

These few days the news is about Anwar and Najib. One blog used the nickname "Mat King Leather" to refer to one of the characters. I wanted to find out why the nickname was used. I asked Google. Google gave me these results: I visited the one in Utusan Malaysia Online and the first para on that page reads: Muslihat Anwar terbongkar Oleh SUFFIAN ABU BAKAR dan NAZRUL AZIM SHARUDDIN KUALA LUMPUR 4 Julai - Penarikan balik akuan bersumpah oleh penyiasat persendirian, P. Balasubramaniam membuktikan satu lagi pembohongan besar Penasihat Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yang cenderung mengamalkan politik fitnah. I searched for the text "mat" or "king" or "leather" on that page but found nothing. Why does Google point me to that page? Strange!

Read the caption from the star below (pic. from http://www.thestar.com.my/archives/homepage/2008/6/12/n_01mixrice_focus.jpg ) A meal of rice with 4 dishes and 1 soup costs RM3.30 at a shop in PJ Section 17. Yesterday I had lunch at BSN -- a plate of rice with paceri terung and a piece of ikan masin -- that cost me RM2.50, alhamdulillah. What does that tell you about the shops selling lunch at wisma central or bsn or angkasaraya or getah asli? I'm leaving out shops at Suria KLCC for the obvious reason. This restaurant in PJ section 17 sells to students and it charges students rate. Why the big difference? Why do they have this two-tier pricing? I think the answer is in affordability, not so much in operating cost or cost of materials. Shops surrounding KLCC can sell at higher prices because they know people working there can pay the higher price and they can make a bigger margin. That ain't fair. That is profiteering. p/s: I heard over BERNAMA radio today that a shop in Kuala...

Heard a tazkirah at masjid after maghrib tonight. It's about giving priority to Allah Taala. According to this guy, there's a hadith qudsi that says, if we make time for Allah Taala to enslave ourselves to Him, He will close the doors to poverty for us. However, if we do NOT make time for Allah Taala to enslave ourselves to Him, He will keep our hands and feet busy and He will NOT close the doors to poverty for us. Which sets me thinking. How much time have I consciously put aside to enslave myself to Him? I have been busy with my errants. The more I try to catch up with them, the less I accomplish anything meaningful. And the errants become an endless list. Another hadith says, being wealthy is not about having a lot of material goods, but is about having a big heart. How big is my heart? What have I sincerely and selflessly given away for His cause? Man, I have a long way to go. I mean, dear God, I have a long way to go. Please help me.

Today's news from my SocioPolitico feed (pic.) is about Dr Mahathir quitting UMNO , the reaction to it and speculation about the possible outcomes from it. I use the feed to see the patterns over time. Interesting, it is, to be monitoring the patterns that come out from the feed, especially after the PRU-12. One event that irked me was about the appointment of MB's for the states of Perlis and Trengganu. My naive question is: What drives these people to really want to rule? I was wondering why the ex-MB's of Perlis and Terengganu were so adamant to keep on to their posts? Is it because of money? Is it because of power? Doesn't power corrupt? Aren't these people afraid to face their Creator and account for each of their people, the power and money entrusted to them, whether they have been just? Their obsession to retain in power is repulsive. If only we knew what awaits us after death, I am very sure that we would refuse to be in their posts. For me, it...

During tazkirah before Friday juma'ah, the ustaz showed a stunning scatter chart. The x-axis was the arrangement of surah (or chapter) in Al-Quran, from An-Nas (the last surah 114th) to Al-Fatihah (the first surah). The y-axis is the number of ayahs (or ayats, verses) for the corresponding surah. What I saw was just amazing. I wanted to reproduce the same chart. So, I charted like this: surah, number of ayahs (ayats) 114, 6 113, 5 112, 4 111, 5 ... ... and so on. Then I plotted the numbers on the scatter chart. This is what I got. Can you see the Arabic calligraphic pattern in the chart? Any similarity to the image below the chart? (This image is from artislamic.com where you can see names of Allah beautifully rendered. Click h e r e for more images)

Don't matter whether you are young or old. Don't matter whether your health is good or bad. Don't matter whether you are male or female. Don't matter whether you still have your parents or brothers and sisters. Don't matter whether you are still living it up or you have already repented. Don't matter whether you are thinking about it or not. Don't matter whether you are king of hill or king of a mole. Don't matter whether you are rich or poor. Don't matter whether you are standing, sitting, sleeping, or sinning. Don't matter whether you expect it or not. Don't matter whether you are ready or not. When it is time, death comes to you. And nothing is more certain than death.

My dearest friends (teman seperjuangan), The song "Those Were The Days, My Friend" by Mary Hopkins was playing on the radio while I was driving home today. The lyrics really tugged at my heart. Then, the busy years went rushing by us We lost our starry notions on the way If, by chance, I'd see you in the tavern, We'd smile at one another and we'd say Those were the days, my friend We thought they'd never end We'd sing and dance forever and a day We'd live the life we'd choose We'd fight and never lose For we were young and sure to have our way Places like Kota Kinabalu, Miri, joints in Kuala Lumpur, Chiengmai, Bangkok, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, London, and Amsterdam came back to mind. Yes, those were the days. And they finally came to an end for me (for good, God willing). I had mixed emotions as the memories swarmed me. I wanted to smile because of all those misadventures we did and the fun we had. And at the same time, I wanted to ...

Firstly, it was the traffic jam caused by the BERSIH (yellow) demo. I was driving from Bangi to Ampang. The traffic was at a standstill because police barricaded roads into KL. Why the paranoia? Then, the relatives factor kicked in. I don't think this is right, but it was still tolerable. Finally, the cancellation of the use of indelible ink (You can read news about it h e r e ). I heard over the radio that the ink was smuggled in into the northern states from a neighboring country, with intention to sabotage the election. A day later, I saw on television that the use of ink was canceled because of constitutional or legal issues or something like that. I was confused. First, sabotage. Then, constitution. Which is which? I smelled a big rat. And that did me. That's my take on PRU 12.

Ok. Here goes my first entry through email from my mobile phone. Fantabulous! _____________________________ Sent from my phone using flurry - Get free mobile email and news at: http://www.flurry.com

After coming back from hajj end of December 2007 (1428H season), I collected and collated questions from friends who have been to and who have not been to hajj. These are the top Frequently Asked Questions: Did anything weird happen to you? The actual question behind the question is whether I got any retribution while performing my hajj. Did anything special happen to you? The opposite of the first question. What was your sweetest memory? What does hajj mean to you now? I will record the answers in installments, insyaAllah. More pictures from my hajj trip h e r e .

That's my answer to my own question, "You want Free Speech?" Now I see why free speech is important. If Muhammad the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) did not have the opportunity to spread the words freely, Islam would have not reached me today. As I understand it, he did not demand for submission; rather, he demanded for free speech. With access to free speech, he was able to do his job; that is, to deliver the messages of truth to people. Once the people heard what he had to say, it was up to the people either to accept the messages or to reject. His work to deliver the messages in Makkah had been slow because he was denied free speech. He couldn't do it openly and safely as he was under constant persecution. The messages that he delivered were a threat to the social and political structures of the disbelievers in Makkah. That was until he made his way to Madinah where the people there were more accepting and open to listen to what he had to say. He coul...