Definition of Love

As cliche as the title seems to be, love would still be undefined. You seem to ignore but you are the most thoughtful. You seem to be hateful but your love is never ending. You seem to be angry but that is because you care. You always perceived to do something opposing your pure intention. And someday you will realizeBut its ok because my love is unconditional. Yet it is undefined.

Now I Miss You

The best part of travelling is having to experience the feel of a complete stranger. Wandering in the middle of a completely different culture and environment is fun. Finding the direction in a lost place with a piece of map is fun. Talking to strangers is fun. Learning people's behaviours is fun. To sum up, travelling is fun. And now I miss you, travel. =)

Santa Barbara, CA

Historic Route 66, Los Angeles, CA

Santa Monica, Los Angeles, CA

Saguaro National Park, Tucson, AZ

San Francisco, CA

Sedona, AZ

Goldfield Ghostown, Tucson, AZ

Olvera Street, Los Angeles, CA

Two new friends of mine on Amtrak Train to San Francisco

A beautiful teacher

I was just about to leave for class when an old folk appears out of nowhere picking up garbage in front of my house and sort them out into the recycle bins. She walked down the road doing the job, leaving her bicycle unguarded and I was just standing in the living room watching silently.

I braved myself approaching her with a banana in hand as a friendly offering, and asked her what made her do the job. She smiled and replied, "I clean up the mess, sometimes the wind blows out garbage from the bins, so I pick them up and put them back, and sometimes it flies out from the cars, often when people see it, they never care, and I'm just doing what I could do to keep the environment clean."

I was like oh wow, what a kind person. Honestly, I had no idea whether she is practicing any religion or not, but her attitude represents the pillar of any religion, be it Christian, Buddhist, Islam and etc which promotes the act of kindness. Though her appearance was not entirely impressive, her smile and insight made her a beautiful teacher. At least she taught me a valuable lesson.

Something Worth To Ponder

'Insaan' is an Arabic word for human being which is derived from the word 'Nasiya' which means to forget. No matter how alert a man is, he will never escape forgetfulness because that is one of his natural behaviors. So, whether you like it or not, we all need to be reminded and that is called 'Tazkirah'. Scholars have various definitions regarding 'Tazkirah', the most agreed definition is 'the reminder'. However, some others define it as 'the repetition' due to human's character who tends to forget. Both have different meanings, nevertheless, the ideas are equally the same.

We might have a set of goals or a list of targets to achieve in life, but when we go through the daily routines, our mind would be easily diverted due to likely factors which include emotions, influence by others and etc. Thus, our minds have to be brought back to the beginning state and that is when 'Tazkirah' is needed. When we say 'Tazkirah', many would have in mind that it must be a long, religious-bound speech from a pious person at the mosque or in the TV, radio and etc. That is totally wrong and should be corrected. 'Tazkirah' could be anything that triggers your concious mind into thinking or reflecting your actions and thoughts. It could be a brief quote that you read, or even other's behaviours that you saw. Make use of every running second, and you choose!

UK Trip Part 1

22 Jun

Touched Down at Gatwick Airport in London at 11.30 in the morning. Unfortunately, it has to be a long queue before we get to the custom and clear the luggage. Najihah and Azureen were waiting at the arrival and I was a bit awkward to see them, in fact, I was never seen them before. I thought maybe it's time to make new friends, afterall, I have to. Soon as we arrived, we went to get the car that was pre-booked online prior before the trip. However, due to the International License requirement, our booking has been rejected. Only if I had an International License, but never mind, life goes on. There were about five other car rental companies at the airport, and one by one rejected our request to leave us fuming. Three hours went by and we were still in pursuit of a rent car. The negotiations with the companies seemed to reach an impasse.

What a bad start to the day, our plan to get off to Liverpool that morning was fading away. I was clinging onto a small hope that renting a car was still possible when Azureen told us that there might be another company at London Victoria Station. We decided to try our luck and immediately took the train to London Victoria Station. When I was about to fall asleep, the attendant came over to check the ticket and had asked to pay extra pounds, I gave her my twenty-pound note, yet again, the unfortunate happened, she told me that it was an old version and never officially being used anymore. What?? That means I have another 140 pound of 'ancient' British notes with me. Luckily, a good Samaritan appeared out of nowhere and offered me his money for the exchange of mine. 

London Victoria Station

We arrived at the station at 4.05 pm and went straight to rent a car. After a little bit of twist and turn, finally we got a car, but not until tomorrow evening, 24 hours after the booking was made. Thank Allah, though it was a bit off from the initial plan, after six hours of searching, we ultimately managed to find one. Thinking back, it was actually the cheapest deal amongst all the other companies, maybe that was the 'deal of the day' He already planned for us. Azureen took us on a long, tricky journey through the Tube and met Faqihuddin or 'Din' at Queensway Station. Undeniably, London has an integrated underground transportation system I should say. We checked-in at Royal Bayswater Hotel at 7.45 pm, whereas Zue and Jiah checked-in at Malaysia Hall. There were four or five other people inside the room of ten, which was in fact a co-ed dormitory. I greeted a chinese girl who was sitting next to my bed just to make her feel unawkward. 

The River Thames

After taking a bath, I immediately lie my head on the bed and took a nap until they came over at 9.18 for the dinner. They took us to Malaysia Hall, the food was quite good, a little bit expensive though, but thanks Jiah for the treat. Afterwards, we went for a walk at Westminster Bridge near the Parliament. The Big Ben aside the River Thames was amazing. Soon after, we went back to the hotel and stored our luggage at Amir's place, another new friend of mine, for a week before going back to Malaysia. That was the end of the first day.

23 Jun

Hyde Park

I woke up early and decided to go for a walk at Hyde Park just at the opposite end of the hotel building. The atmosphere was relaxing, and the breeze had blown away all the mess in my head, I could feel the harmony at the park. Dogs were left unguarded, running around happily, the Swans in the lake were swimming freely. The people were everywhere, some were brisk walking, and some others were jogging, cycling, leaving others sitting on the bench facing the lake. 

Kensington Palace

I met a woman, Ana, whom also a Malaysian, and happened to be 'Orang Terengganu'. At first, I didn't recognize her Malay face, but when I heard the word 'silau', I knew she is. I had a chat with her while she was waiting for her husband. At one side of the park, there sits a garden called Kensington Garden which lies inside the old royal palace, Kensington Palace. It was the former residence of Princess Diana before her death in 1998. There was not so many people around, maybe it was too early. I went back to the room and packed the stuff before going for breakfast with Amin. We checked out of the hotel and waited for the two at the bus stop near the hotel entrance. I saw Malaysians on many occasions, but they weren't seemed to greet each other, maybe because there are a big chunk of Malaysians in London and it has became too redundant.

Tour  of London 

At 10 am, we went to Chelsea FC and Arsenal FC stadiums with two 'Pak Cik' whom we just met. They were just arrived at London and had asked our help to bring them touring around. I had no problem with it and firstly we went to the bank to exchange our 'old' notes with the new ones. At last I got some money to spend. So many things happened and I just realized that we were better off to be travelling with Zue and Jiah. At Chelsea and Arsenal stadiums, we went straight into their stores, nothing much to do with the stadiums either.


The plan to go to London Bridge has been called off in the last minute due to time constrain, and Zue took us for lunch at Oxford Street. London is a massive metropolitan, it could be regarded as one of the best in terms of shopping and leisure. Tourists like us should spend more time in the city because apparently it offers a lot of attractions. No wonder it's being included in the Top 5 most visited city in the world. But we just didn't have much time left. We took the car at London Victoria station and off to Liverpool at 7.00 pm. And the journey began, Amin was the one and only driver, too bad because I can't drive manual cars. The journey was quite smooth thanks to the GPS but we did took the wrong exit on the highway and has to turn back, wasted almost half an hour there. The time spent during the whole journey gave us some space to get to know and gel with each other. The overall journey took us more than six hours. We checked in at Dolby Hotel at 2.00 am.

24 Jun

The River Mersey

The sleep last night completely refreshen my body. It was my dream to step my foot at Anfield, and we got there before 10 in the morning. Three hours of stadium and museum tour was more than enough for us, and we left the stadium to find out that the car had problem to start. Luckily, we managed to get off and went to the car service. To be honest, I could barely catch what the mechanic said because of his scouse's accent, but I did understand that he told us to find the car dealer because it was a brand new car and still under the warranty. That was nearly impossible and so we decided to let the problem off.

Liverpool City Centre

The museums at Albert dock area near the city centre tells everything about the history of Liverpool. From the early era when it became one of the main port of Britain. During its time of glory, Liverpool controls nearly one third of Britain's export including coal, woolen cloth, iron and knives. It continues to lead the economic growth until the world war II, where it was being the target of attack. The architecture of the buildings at the city centre encompassed several different styles such as Georgian and Victorian since the past 200 years. All these has subsequently qualified some areas in Liverpool to be declared as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. 

It was raining since the afternoon, and we left for Manchester after the late lunch. Arrived at Manchester around 11 pm, we stayed at Acai's house. They greeted us just like we've known each other for some times, and they were so easy to make friends with. However, we didn't spend much time as we were too tired. Almost one in the morning and it was time to sleep.

Home Sweet Home

Its good to be back again. Everything seems to be different. I dont have my old room anymore. Nevertheless, I got a new and a better one also. Feel so tired after a-week-long vacation touring around UK. Yet the home-sweet-home atmosphere revived my spirit.

I rarely been sitting quitely since summer has started, always have things to do. I just love the moments I had by the way, and how the time passing by made me appreciate and realize the precious little time that I still have. I made a travelog during the visit in UK, and might post it in the next entry. Till next time, Assalamualaikum.

London Sky - taken during flight to Dubai, 29 Jun 2011

Is there any pause button

At one point in life, the choice is mandatory. You could live a miserable yet regretful life had the decision made was wrong, and yet how should I know? How I wish there is a pause button so that I can momentarily stop for a while and give my ever-thinking mind a rest it badly needed.

The Story of a Bottle

source : google images

People would always love to turn back times whenever things just dont work out. I had love too, because it keeps wandering in my mind, if only I could say the truth. Only if I could. But let's just be realistic, the farthest object that one can never reach is the past times.

During last Jumuah, the khatib has popped this very question into the minds of the people, "Do we value our life?". Infact, that particular question should be more than enough to reflect on our deeds. The moments that we have, the money that we spent, the time that we consumed, the skills that we possesed all will be asked in front of Allah on the Day of Judgement.

It's just two weeks past the new year and maybe we could stop for a moment, reflect on ourselves and check whether we are on the right track on whatever resolutions that we made two weeks ago. Sometimes, a little thought could make the little push that creates the difference that we seek after. A full bottle was once an empty space either.

Let's Revive our Spirit

Praise be to Allah, for making it smooth and it was my second time attending Reviving the Islamic Spirit Convention in Toronto. Some people are skeptical about this type of event and said that you would be rejuvenated for a while and slowly the spirit will walk away. Nevertheless, some others think the other way. And why not we follow the latter. I wont talk too much because the pictures will tell the story.

The crowd this year was a record-breaking of more than 20000 people.

From right, Dr Amr Khaled, Dr Jamal Badawi and Habib Ali Al-Jifri with his translator.

Two of my favourite speakers, Prof Tariq Ramadan and Imam Zaid Shakir.

Dr Ingrid Mattson is delivering her final speech.

Dr Hamza Yusuf helping two new brothers converting into Islam.

The hall is almost full especially during the night sessions.

Sister Aisha Al-Adawiya and Sheikh Abdallah Idris.

Our fellow Malaysians in Toronto

Focusing himself to the lecture of Prof Tariq Ramadan.

You need to have this on your wrist for 3 days or otherwise you wont be allowed to enter the hall.

Reviving the Islamic Spirit : Road of Life, the 10 Commandments.

The Bazaar attracts a lot of visitors. Lots of stuffs including books, muslim clothes, souvenirs and etc. 

Another brother and sister into Islam

One of the entertainers during the convention, Zain Bikha.

Some of the crowds witnessing new brothers saying Syahadah.

Overall, the event was a success. However, as Prof Tariq Ramadan said, "I don't want you to clap inside the hall but be invisible outside. That is not the right way we as a Muslim. People around us are looking for the meaning of our religious activities, and it is our contribution to make it visible and we have to do it with dignity". 

Once, Islam has been on the top of the world. Through the history, we have seen the glory Islam has brought to the world, the change in power and how it falls down. And it should be our mission to bring it back. Imam Yassir Fazaga once said that no culture is inherently the best. It is the people themselves who make it best. There is no west or east culture anymore but only one culture, and it's Monoculture that spreads from the west to the east.

We can see everywhere in the world that people are moving in the same direction in terms of economy, lifestyles and thoughts. Our objective is not to stop it, but to make sure that it is moving in the right direction, in a way that will bring benefit to the whole ummah regardless of their faiths. 

It is absolutely wrong to say those with beliefs other than Islam are not working for the goodness of all, we came from the same breed, Adam and Eve, we breathe the same air, we live on the same planet, our faiths rooted from the holy books that came from the One and only One, Allah the Almighty. We are brothers and let's work together for the sake of goodness, for our future generations and for the betterment of this world. 

You Are What You Eat

The title has nothing to do with the post, but it has something to do with you. =)

To begin with, winter break has begun. In fact, it has already started last week since I finished the exams early. At last, I could get a good rest after what could be described as a super-hectic-but-happening-yet-tiresome semester. Few things has really woke me up and taught me to be much more independent. Willing to learn and appreciate the lessons are the key. I now have the gut to say "Yes I admit that was my bad and I apologize..."  the way you learn.  

Nothing much has changed after all except for the early snow this winter. I still remember how excited we were when the first ever snow flurries starting to fall last year. Snowballs fight at the backyard, making out snowman, random snow pranking and those things were just so fun. But that was a year ago. Kind of childish but who cares. 

These days, waking up in my cozy blanket and see through the windows, the all-white atmosphere with falling flurries seem to freshen my mind. From green, yellow and now white and then colorful and green again and there goes the cycle. I'm grateful to Allah for making the world so beautiful. 

Almost two weeks before the winter term starts, and so I have a lot of time on my hands. Nevertheless, too much free time is not always good for myself because I would just wasting them, that's why I should find something to do. I'm kicking my heels, waiting for the Reviving Islamic Spirits convention at Toronto this weekend. 

Must be a good time, listening to the talks from scholars all over the world and spending quality time with friends whom I haven't been seeing for some times now. I will upload some photos during the convention soon after I came back next week. Till then, peace be upon you. 

Freezing ice forming outside my window panes.

 

It's On

I was once a boy who always find it hard to accept things, especially when it went against my will or my plan. But now, I realized that nothing would always be perfect. Life is not permanent after all. Of  late, I went through problems, but every time, I always find myself in calm, I have no idea, this is unusual, but its true. These days, I lost things easily, but I never regret. 

I keep reminding myself that He could even take everything from me and left nothing at once, but He never did. For that, I have to be grateful. It might become a cliche to say that everything does happen for a reason, but just keep in mind that when something will happen, it happens. 

The rest is up to us. There is no point to grieve for things that had happen. We dont have the luxury to travel back in time. No matter how hard things are, don't ever let your weakness win, because when it happens, it's game over.

To Cure is To Accept

Try to accept with an open heart when the truth comes knocking on the door. Be grateful because it means that He still cares. Indeed, you are one of those who He had chosen to grant His blessings and honours.

And who does more wrong than he who is reminded of the revelations of his Lord, but turns away from them forgetting what (deeds) his hands have sent forth. Truly, We have set veils over their hearts lest they should understand this (the Quran), and in their ears, deafness. And if you (O Muhammad SAW) call them to guidance, even then they will never be guided.

This verse stands as a warning to us, once we turned away from the truth, we will never be guided. That would be a very harsh reminder for me and for all the readers. There is no hiding place when it comes. There would be no one who will decide for us, whether or not to accept, it is you yourself.


Plus, do not turn to people when you are grieving over something, because it won’t make you any better. Seek His guidance and ask for His forgiveness. It will last forever.

And whatever of blessings and good things you have, it is from Allah. Then, when harm touches you, unto Him you cry aloud for help.

Whatever happens, there might be reasons behind. We don’t have to fight for the truth because it stands on its own. If someone reminds you of your wrongdoings, take it with your heart. They love you, that is why they remind. They still care about you and they want the best out of you. Listen and understand, that will be the best things to do. For those who keep reminding me, thank you. You will never regret.

Give a Little

For most people, GIVE might be an ordinary four-letter word, but the insight it provides will never reach the person who is not willing to ‘live’ for others. I’m not saying it’s hard to give, everyone could. But to give with your heart is the real thing, it needs an effort.

You might be giving something to a close friend of yours, and he/she sees it as a great present, but if you do it just for the sake of giving something, there is no real value to the present and it will never be a ‘gift’. A gift doesn’t have to be an expensive object. It could be anything, even something that can’t be touched with your bare hands, but comes straight through your heart. That’s a true gift. Give with your heart.

Give a Little by Dawud Wharnsby

G20 Summit in Toronto

Saturday 26th June 2010,

Many streets were closed around the city and there was a temporary shutdown to the transportation system. I arrived at Union Station at 2.30 pm and walked to the subway, but suddenly a police came approaching and informed me that the system was not currently operating. I took a glance at the screen displaying the news on current situation around the city. There was a protest, people were marching holding posters on the street protesting G20, some of them were dancing in front of the police lines guarding the conference.






There were three of us at that time and we walked out to the street. I decided to take some pictures and let them go before me. The police forces made a fortress and built fence around the building where the conference took place. There were lots of press journalists and crews from local broadcast stations. After lunch, we went out and headed to the Dundas Square which is the heart of the downtown Toronto. Many people were standing at the sidewalks and on our way, the traffic came to a halt as they had to give way to a police convoy and seemed like there was an emergency.





To be frank, I have no idea what was happening. Arriving at Dundas Square, I could see the sense of confusion and bafflement in the faces of crowd. Glasses were broken and many business stores were damaged. It would be great to go with the crowd and take some good pictures, because I was never in this situation before, however my friend stopped me because it could be too dangerous.





Cleaners look extremely busy sweeping and removing the smashed glasses. The riot group was just passing by the road and they were heading south towards the conference location.





We went home and news reported that two police cruisers were set fire by the protesters and some of them were charged. Sources that I obtained online said that the riot was caused by a small group of protesters who broke out from the crowd. They smashed the windows, and throwing stones to create a chaos in order to penetrate the fence surrounding the G20 summit. Police sirens were everywhere and they were on full riot gear. It brought me to go online and search for some information about G20. Why did people were so mad and caused a big riot around the city? To be honest, I don't know anything about the G20 alliance before. But now, at least I have a rough idea and why did people so mad. This was what actually happened on the street just before we arrived. Click the riot.


Sunday 27th June 2010,

The atmosphere was calm and stores opened their businesses as usual. However, the policemen were everywhere, they were inspecting people especially those who looked suspicious. Some of them were charged and their belongings were confiscated.





Unexpectedly, on the street, a group of people roughly 100 of them were riding on their bicycle and waving "Peace" flag, one of the participants felt down onto the street but that didn't even lifter her flagging spirit and she decided to continue the march. It was a peaceful protest and they were guarded by policemen.



People on the street looked to give them some supports and cheered up the group. My friends and I walked to the Future Shop store at Dundas Street and while I was about to enter the building, an armed security stopped me and said that the camera was not allowed in the building. Fine, I shut it off and apologized, I didn't know it was illegal to bring along my camera though. People look to continuously flood the area around the Dundas Square and it was like a usual day but the policemen were still everywhere. They might be looking for people who were involved in the riot day before or potentially cause a new riot. I didn't know.





I read the news on the website and learned that yesterday was the sixth day of the conference and it was actually the first day the G20 leaders arrived at the city, that would be the main cause of the big riot. I walked through Yonge Street in the evening towards south and the sidewalks have been cleaned and some premises covered their stores with plywoods.





A massive downpour left Aiman and I in wet and everyone seemed to shelter themselves under the rooftop of the sidewalks and some were in the bus stops. I stood next to a group of policemen who were inspecting a guy. I was afraid if they did the same to me, because I didn't bring along any identity card with me. Thank God, they weren't. While we were sitting in front of a hotel, a man holding a protest banner came and he was smiling. We didn't even bother him, but suddenly, he offered his umbrella. We refused to accept because I don't know why, and he left. Haha, we missed the golden opportunity.



Hakim, Affan and I left centre avenue for Hamilton that night, the subway was operating as usual but the train didn't stop at Union Station. It was flooded with water due to the heavy rain, and we have to stop at the next station and go down to Union Station on foot. While passing by the station, we saw the water was flowing down the stairs like a waterfall. They have to do something with their system though. And a usual one-hour ride from Union Station to Hamilton took almost two hours no thanks to the closed streets around the city. After all, it was a great weekend full of unexpected. Now, let's get back to study.
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