Selamat Ulang Tahun Kemerdekaan ke-50, MALAYSIA!!

And I quote, "Merdeka, merdeka, merdeka!!" - Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Alhaj, Dataran Merdeka, 31st August, 1957.

It's been 50 years now. 50 years of development, 50 years of prosperity, 50 years of peace (apart from 1969).

One way or another, Malaysia has went through a lot. And one might argue also that Malaysia is yet to develop to it's full potential. And I must say, it's true to every word. As long as there is hate, corruption, back stabbing and biting, racism, political instability, literacy, and all those other nonsense, Malaysia will never break out of the Third World cluster it finds itself in still. And as much as they want us to believe, Malaysia is no Islamic country.

But on this fine day, let's all hope and pray for the better of the country. Ameen.

The Death of Another Football Player

Another football player died earlier today (August 28), three days after collapsing on the field during a match. Sevilla's 22-year-old Antonio Puerta, had been in a critical condition in the Virgen del Rocio hospital in Seville since being admitted on Saturday.

The Spanish international was one of the most promosing youngsters.

So the Classes begin..

The title tells it all. Tomorrow classes of the 2007 fall semester kicks off. Good luck everybody, including myself, that is..

My thoughts on Sufism

First and foremost, I'm not here to condemn Sufism and what it believes, for I know, with the level of knowledge I have, I'm in no position to do so. My intention here is just to give an opinion about this issue. Sorry in advance should I offence anyone.

According to Wikipedia, however relevant it maybe, Sufism means: a mystic tradition within Islam and encompasses a diverse range of beliefs and practices dedicated to divine love and the cultivation of the heart.

I was reading a book entitled 'Kisah Rabi'ah Al- Adawiyah: Sufi Wanita & Aramo Cinta Ilahi', which was basically telling the story of the great woman Sufi follower, Rabi'ah Al- Adawiyah. Even though I haven't read even half of the book, there were some parts of the book that really caught my attention.

Part 1: Syah Ni'matullah (another sufi follower) when asked what mazhab he was following, replied (in a poetic manner). "Wahai orang lalai, mazhab ape yg mesti kupunyai? Aku punya mazhad dan ibadah tersendiri, jauh berbeza dari mazhab Syafi'i dan Abu Hanifah. Mereka semua menempuh jalan mereka sendiri, sementara aku menikuti jalan nenek moyangku". What? Following the way of your fore fathers?

And when it is said to them, "Come to what Allah has revealed and to the Messenger," they say, "Sufficient for us is that upon which we found our fathers." Even though their fathers knew nothing, nor were they guided? Al- Maidah: 104

Part 2: The fact that most Sufis don't marry (including Rabiah Al- Adawiyah). Fact is, Islam, unlike other religions is a strong advocate of marriage. The Prophet (pbuh) has said "there is no celibacy in Islam".

And of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves mates that you may find tranquillity in them; and He placed between you affection and mercy. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought. Ar- Rum: 21

Part 3: According to the book, also, how relevant or not it maybe, at her prime, Rabi'ah forgot to love the prophets and condemn syaitan. In the book, Rasulullah came to her in her dream and asked her whether or not she loved him. She replied, " Wahai Rasulullah! Siapakah gerangan org yg tidak mencintaimu? Kecintaanku kpd Allah tidak memberi kalbu dah hatiku ruang utk mencintai segenap makhluk-Nya". Like, duh, everyone knows we're supposed to love the Rasul, and all beings as well.

Part 4: What's with the 'combine with Allah' stuff? A Sufis' desire is to achieve makrifat, a 'pertemuan dgn Allah'. And sometimes, according to the book, their love for Allah brings them to a thought that they can combine with Allah. Wow! I thought that was something from the Hindu teachings, moksha (if I'm not mistaken, do correct me if I'm wrong) where once you achieve this stage, you combine with God.

Waalahua'lam...

Another Blog Update

As you can see very2 clearly now, my blog has been further updated. Enjoy..

p/s: thanks kpd yg bertungkus lumus menjayakannye...

Of Allah's Mercy

In the Hadith Qudsi, there are lots and lots of hadith mentioning the greatness of Allah's forgiveness. He is, after all The Most Merciful. Here, I include one of them. This hadith was mentioned in today's Friday prayer khutbah.

"Allah the Almighty said: O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great at it." -narrated by at-Tirmidhi and al-Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal.

Again, Allah is Most Merciful. No matter what sin we do, Allah forgives. That is, of course, with the exceptence of ascribing a god other than Allah. Nauzubillah.

We run, we fall, we pick ourselves up, we dust ourselves off, and we continue running.

A Blog Update

In case any of you haven't noticed, and I'm sure many of you haven't, I've now put labels on my blog entries. I'll be having more updates to this blog, so readers, embrace yourselves. ehehe..

The Princess's Legacy Continues

I was going through ebay today and caught this very big auction they were having. Item of auction: Princess Diana Catherine Walker Designer Gown.


I was like, WOW! As of from the time I'm writing this post, there's still 18 hours of auction time. The starting price is $125000. I'm sure by tomorrow all those I-can-by-anything-I-want type of people will be rushing in trying to bid this lovely gown. And who knows what price it would be sold. I'll update later on that.

It's funny sometimes to think why people with so much money buy. I mean, heck, why buy these sorts of stuff? Is it just for the sake of buying? Because you don't have anything to buy? There's plenty of ways to spend money beneficially, not just buying gowns from somebody who's long gone. Sure some portion of the money gained from the gown would go to charity, but seriously, just how much is that portion?

Here's the link to the ebay auciton.

Materazzi Reveal WC slur

So finally, after about a year now, the disgraceful Italian has finally admitted to the world what he said to provoke the now retired legendary Zianadine Zidane into headbutting him during the 2006 World Cup. Here's a reminder of how it was like:


So I decided to combine what Zidane said he said and the latest of what Materazzi admitted he said during the match, and hey, it finally makes sence now. So probably this time Materazzi was telling the truth.

The story goes that Materazzi was tugging onto Zidane's shirt during the match and so Zidane said, "If you want this shirt, I'll give it to you,"

Probably feeling insulted by this, the Italian replied, "I prefer the whore that is your sister,"

Honestly, any brother would've done something hearing that statement. I know I would. And then again, I've always been a keen admirer of Zidane.

It's so HOT!!

Yup, truly, no kidding, it's so, so hot! The weather that is.

Temperatures are soaring up to a high of 40+ degrees Celsius everyday. It's just blazing hot. And compared to Malaysia, there's no humidity here. So no matter the heat, you don't sweat much here. Some people like it that way, other's like it when they sweat.

But one thing I know, I can't last long outdoors anymore. I rather be in the 'safety' of my apartment than go outside. The heat is just unbearable for me.

Adding to that, those who wish to enter their cars during the day time will have to have the skin to bear with the oven-like heat in the car. No kidding! Well, maybe the temperature isn't as high as in the oven, but frankly, you'd bake your butt once you put it in the seat. You'd fry your hands when you touch the steering wheel. And you sweat all over.

Surely the heat from the hell fire is thousands of times greater and stronger than what we're facing today. Already you can't take this heat, too unbearable you say. Imagine what's it like in the hell fire... So, let's prepare ourselves towards being better Muslims, and InsyaAllah gain Allah's mercy for the life in the hereafter. Ameen..

Youtube can make it happen!

Ever had a dream that you always wanted, and didn't know how to full fill it?

Why don't you try Youtube?!

I was impressed with the news about 18 year old dutch singer, Esmee Denters whose claim to fame came when she was signed by Justin Timberlake for a professional contract. How did she do it? Simple. Post lots and lots of videos of herself singing on Youtube. And boy I tell you, they were good! Try it, maybe someday your Timberlake would come, too! lol..

And then there's a story of this woman even finding her soul mate via youtube. I don't know what kind of video she had on youtube, but with that, she included her name and phone number. She got lots2 and lots of phone calls everyday, probably once every few minutes or so. And one of them was lucky enough to receive her hand in marriage. Now, don't get me wrong here, I'm not encouraging anyone to do this one. But if you're desperate enough, or just for the fun of it, why don't give it a go? lol, again..

This next story really got me though. And it happened just recent, too. First, check this out:


His name is Rhain Davis. The grandfather's kid sent Manchester United a DVD of him playing soccer, and the result? He was actually signed by the giants! But talents that Rhain disposes are just extraordinary. Simply brilliant, and scary, too! At 9 years old, he's already doing samba style step-overs, dazzling runs, flip flops, turn overs, and his sprints are just breath-taking! Mesmorizing! He's certainly the future of soccer. Good luck for him!

JPA in a crisis?

My friends under the JPA sponsorship haven't had their money yet, and it's already almost a week into August. They should've received the money back in late July. To add to that, they receive about $1200 every 3 months (if I'm not mistaken), meaning that they have to budget their spend to an average of ~$400 per month. For me, that's kinda hard to do.

We MARA students receive $400 every month. So, automatically, I limit my spend to below $400 a month. I mean, how the heck can I spend more? I don't know about the rest of you, but I certainly believe that getting $400 a month than getting a huge chunk of $1200 every 3 months is much better, budget planning wise.

And my ideas are supported by the fact that I currently find some of my JPA friends in a tight money situation. JPA's excuse of still not wiring the money? They haven't received their student's spring semester result. ANY. Meaning, they haven't sent money to any of their students in the whole US, not just Vandy. WOW, what an excuse.

I mean guys, come on. It's already August if you don't mind. Spring semester ended sometime in early May! How slow do they work down there? Unless....

Unless they don't even have money in the first place to give. Now that makes sence! I don't know the truth behind this, and heck, I'm under MARA. But ya..

What say you, JPA?