Letter to Erin 20160101

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

Happy New Year!  Hey Baby, Hey Baby!  I love you and I need you.  I don't really have any New Year resolutions.  How about you?  I would really appreciate and respect that you keep your nose clean and stop drinking those weird tasting beverages.  Being at the top is lonely enough, you need all your wits to be Queen.  But relax, Sweetie.  I'm with you.  You're MY girl!

Like I said, I don't have any resolutions for the new year.  I'm sure I have bad habits, but none that make me unrighteous and unfaithful inshaAllah.  I am stressing about your birthday present.  What to do?  I obviously I can't buy something and give it to you.  I need to give you a ring first.  So unless it rains money on me, I hope you don't mind something virtual.  And simple.  I know you would want me to take it up a notch or whatever, but things are looney enough as it is.  How about something stable and predictable instead?  Please?

Letter to Erin 20151231

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

Hello there!  Hi there!  Time ticks on, and I'm still not married.  You are my girl.  I love you and I want to marry you.  I need you.

Alas, I have no power.  The proof of that is that I have no money.  I have no money to build your house, so I have no power.  I have no money to buy musical instruments, so I have no power.  I am like a caged ape being fed reasons to live every once in a while.  I have no power.  Allah has all the power.

I hang my trash on a nail on the wall at about eye level.  Like a caveman, huh?  But some vicious beasts have figured out that they can jump high and hang on to the trash bag with their claws, and rip the bag open.  So now I have to keep my trash in a bin on the floor with a lid on it.  Menacing varmints are forcing me to be civilized.

Letter to Erin 20151230

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

Hello, beautiful girl!  You are my girl, and I love you so.  Please stay blonde for me, because I prefer blondes.  I need you.

I spent the evening hacking away at the tree on the roof of the old house sitting on the space where I will build your house inshaAllah.  It's taking a long time, yeah I know.  A tree is a very heavy object, and it's difficult to swing a machete upwards over my head.  Every blow landed diagonally on the trunk, so I had no choice but to use my left hand also, which is bad in aim.  I managed to get only one branch down today, but there is only one branch left.  Then there's a bigger tree on top of the roof on the other side of the house.

My Dad gave some good sized hardtail scad this morning, so I had that for lunch.  The back had been cut open, so I chopped off the heads and tails.  Slicing the back open is a procedure for stuffing, but I didn't stuff the fish.  I smothered the insides with tom yam paste (tom yam is a tamarind-based Siamese hot sour soup) with salt and ground cilantro, and fried it up.  Alhamdulillah.  Delicious.  A success.  You must try some.  Dinner was half pitas stuffed with steak and potatoes in brown gravy.  Alhamdulillah.  Delicious and filling.

Letter to Erin 20151229

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

**yawn**  Please close your mouth with your hand when you yawn.  I almost put myself to sleep during voice training today.  It happens, part of the job.  I had to take quick naps in the middle of my set more than once before.  Make sure you nap too, OK?  Don't give up your dreams, Dreamer Girl.  I love you and I need you.

I was busy all day today.  I had to pick some eye drops at the hospital for my Dad, and some eye drops for me at the pharmacy.  Then I drove around on my Dad's motorcycle to look for parts for my motorcycle.  It's running OK now, alhamdulillah.  I had lunch over at Omar's stall, across from the courthouse complex.  My usual, which is rice vermicelli in soup.  Omar is very serious about his soup.  I asked him if his wife happened to cook the soup today, and I got scowled at.

I was cooking up a steak for dinner, when my Dad gave me something else for dinner.  There's this restaurant down the road on the way to the golf course that sells flat noodles fried like pancakes, then you pour this really thick soup on top of it.  Very delicious, and very well done.  I enjoyed that while watching "Airplane 2" dubbed in Russian.  That reminds me, I have to do some encoding tonight.  Part of the work of running the best TV station in the world mashaAllah.

Qur'an 20151229

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

1.  Say, "O you who reject faith!"

2.  I worship not that which you worship.

3.  Nor will you worship that which I worship.

4.  And I will not worship that which you have been wont to worship.

5.  Nor will you worship that which I worship.

6.  To you be your way and to me mine.

Those who reject faith 109:1-6
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Letter to Erin 20151228

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

How's it going, you gorgeous Rock and Roll Babe?  Born to be wild?  Well, you're MY girl.  I love you, and I need you.

Right now. I'm watching "High Plains Drifter".  You know the movie, right?  It's where a ghost wreaks vengeance on a town afraid of strangers because they participated in a public murder.  Would you call such a group of people a "mob"?  Even though they seem to be average people?  By definition they are.  I would definitely consider this movie one of the best movies of all time, but there's one flaw: they have such beautiful teeth.  They could be supermodels' teeth.  They could be your teeth.  I don't have such teeth.  I have cowboy teeth.

I just had dinner while watching the movie.  It's chili, but with potatoes instead of beans, and flavored with brown gravy.  That brown gravy powder my Mom gave me sure is useful.  Tastes great.  Alhamdulillah.  I had the beans because I just went to the supermarket and bought some, but I wanted to try it with potatoes.  Would you still call that "chili", or would you call it "hash"?

Letter to Erin 20151227

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

Hey there, hi there!  How are you, Precious?  Are you having fun, and staying busy?  Well, please keep your nose clean.  Yeah, temptation is everywhere, but you don't need the stuff.  You are strong enough not to need the stuff.  I love you so much.  And I need you.

For some reason, I haven't been getting enough sleep lately.  Yeah I've been getting up in the middle of the night to do extra worship, but I do that anywhere sometimes.  I guess I need to nap more.  I'll do that right after I finish this letter.  Otherwise, my schedule isn't more pressed than usual.  This morning, I visited the old widow at the top of the street.  When I left, my motorcycle didn't want to start.  So I guess It's time to take it to the shop.  Lunch was leftover "lontong" that my Mom made, which is basically meats and veggies in a coconut milk and turmeric broth with pressed rice.  Dinner was rice at Ina's.  Ach!  I'm getting drowsy.  Take a quick nap.  It'll do you wonders.

Letter to Erin 20151226

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

Hi Sweetheart!  How are you?  I pray you are doing well, and are getting plenty of rest, because I know you are busy.  I want you to know that I love you, and I need you.

Today is Friday, so I went to Friday prayer in the afternoon.  There was a high school class reunion happening today, which I didn't go to.  And for good reason, too: I was a demon when I was a kid.  If you didn't fit in when you were in high school, I was LOATHED.  So I stayed home.  I think I'll have some vanilla ice cream.

Letter to Erin 20151225

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

I saw that Curve perfume commercial which was on Google.  I must say how beautiful you are, and that I love you with all my heart, and I need you.  I see your point about men needing some sort of perfume.  This body may have some bulk which is useful for breaking and killing things, but it does smell like a jock at best.  And jocks smell bad.  But the Mom and Pop sundry shops around here don't carry Curve nor an impression of it, so I bought some lavender perfume instead.  Potent stuff.  It still has a lot of kick even now after I just took a shower.  When we are married inshaAllah, you may keep a vaporizer in a holster ready at all times to spray me with Curve whenever you feel I need it, kind of like marking your territory.  Kind of like when Bob Cat sneaks up to me and sprays my foot.

I haven't made dinner yet.  I've been eating vanilla ice cream.  Good stuff too, you should try some.  Right now they're calling the sunset prayer, so after I pray I'll cook up some steak and pitas.  That brown sauce my Mom gave me sure comes in handy.  I have some potatoes, too.  It looks like a late dinner for me.  Wanna join me?

How's Christmas, by the way?  Do you celebrate Christmas?  Oh, you have to work.  So do I.  How about you?  Do you celebrate Christmas?  Muslims don't celebrate Christmas.  We celebrate Ramadan and the 2 Eids.  So please be ready for that when you become my wife inshaAllah.  We don't have to do Christmas shopping!  And don't worry about stuffing yourself at Christmas dinner either, because I intend to feed you well inshaAllah.  Right now, I have a lot of beef, dough, potatoes, and vanilla ice cream.  Plus 8 kilos of cat food.  Alhamdulillah.

Letter to Erin 20151224

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

Hi, pretty girl!  Hello, beautiful woman!  How's business today?  I hope you are wearing beautiful suits.  I may have told you, that I love beautiful ladies suits.  Since I can't wear them, I want to see you wear them.  You won't have to take it off.  Yum!  Please make sure you take good care of your health, and please maintain your prayers.  I love you and I need you.

I spent the evening chopping down the trees growing on the roof of the old house that's on the area of your house inshaAllah.  It's taking me so long to get them all down because there's always something else to do, plus I didn't have a tall enough ladder.  But today I do, so I managed to hack down a few more branches.  The tree was covered with red army ants, which have a nasty painful bite.  At one point, they were on my left hand.  But my hand was covered in resin, so the bites were floating on the resin.  It was like magic, an invisible force field.  The ants were chomping on my hand, but not penetrating the invisible armor.

Anyway, I need to remove the debris and adjust the ladder, so I'll have to continue tomorrow inshaAllah.  My Mom treated me to dinner, so I went out for fried noodles.  Thanks, Mom!  The guy was open today, thank God.  I bought myself a big old man-sized take out.  Would you like some?

Letter to Erin 20151223

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

Hi there!  How December going?  Oh my, it's almost 2016.  Time sure whizzes by.  Well, I'm still here for you.  Have patience!  Be righteous!  Everyone else is at a loss.  I love you, and I need you.

I spent the whole morning in the kitchen again.  This time I was working on my steamed dumplings.  I used the stuffing mix that I normally use for stuffed won tons, thinking that that would be appropriate.  I used rice flour for the dough.  My dumplings steamed up quite nicely, though the skin was a little too thick and the stuffing too mild.  I think with rice flour, I should have stronger flavored stuffing.  Like beef or chicken.  Next time I'll use corn flour, which should make the dumplings translucent.  I still have some dumplings left, so I'll have them for lunch tomorrow as a soup.  Rather, I'll pour hot chicken soup over the dumplings and chicken.  I think it'll work great, and be a nice change from noodles.

Last night's dinner was so good, I had to have it again.  This time my half pitas bubbled up nicely, and I had a lot of room for stuffing.  I wish I had shredded lettuce!  This time instead of mole sauce, my Mom gave me some brown gravy mix.  So I whipped it up extra thick, and it went great with my steak pitas.  Ah!  I wish I had shredded lettuce and tomatoes!

Letter to Erin 20151222

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

Hi Sweetheart!  Hello Dahlink!  How are you feeling today?  Are you having fun?  How's business?  Make lots of money and don't waste it, OK?  Please take good care of yourself, and don't forget to pray.  I love you and I need you.

I tried to take it easy this morning, because I had some sneezies left over from yesterday.  I wound up spending most of my day in the kitchen.  I made a pizza for myself this morning.   Nothing special, just a sausage and basil pizza.  I was really tired, but I got through voice training OK.  I want to make pot stickers tomorrow for lunch, so I went to the night market for some tofu and fish balls.  There was quite a multicultural crowd at the night market.  It's hard to believe that we are out here in the sticks.  Must be a whole bunch of lodgers.  I wonder how they cope with the non-Muslims?  Obviously they do, and quite peacefully.

Before I went to the night market, I went and tidied up my grandparents' grave.  It can quite overgrown with really long grass, so much that I could barely park my motorcycle.  I only had energy to cut the grass around my grandparents, so their grave looks like an island in a sea of grass.  If you can see past the grass, that is.

You know how they serve pitas over at fast food restaurants, right?  They don't give you a whole pita, but half a pita.  Then they slice it open and stuff it with whatever.  So for dinner, I fried up some dough as half pitas, sliced then open and stuffed them with kelisa beans, onions, hot red peppers, and sliced tenderloin.  For sauce I used mole sauce.  Totally yummy.  Alhamdulillah.  I love mole sauce.  So simple, so delicious.  It's chilli puree and cooking chocolate, people.  So simple, so delicious.

Letter to Erin 20151221

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

**sniffle**  I'm writing this letter later than usual because all that smoke and dust gave me the sniffles.  **sniffle**  I spent almost 2 hours draining my sinus cavity and struggling through the sunset and night prayers with a glass cup and a roll of toilet paper for company.  I started to get the sniffles before I had voice training, but that didn't stop me from finishing my set, even though I wasn't feeling 100%.  I think I got most of the snot out, so I should be ready to work tomorrow inshaAllah.  I can't sing at all with a stuffed up nose or sore throat.

If you didn't already know, I believe that infected sinus fluids are extremely dangerous, and the best way to get rid of them is to empty out the sinus cavity.  So I let it all drip into a cup, which amounts to about a quarter cup of snot, until the vacuum gives me a headache.  The only medication I take is a couple of aspirin to remedy the headache.  The sinus fluids will be renewed, so it's important to remove all of the infected stuff, otherwise it will infect the new fluids.

Sorry to be so gross.  If possible I prefer to doctor myself than to put my life in the hands of a stranger.  I wasn't always this way, just a couple of bad experiences wised me up to my situation.  I won't do the same for you, though.  You will have to go to hospital, but at least I will be there to keep an eye on suspicious doctors inshaAllah.  Meanwhile, please try to stay healthy.  I love you, and I need you.  **sniffle**

Letter to Erin 20151220

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

Hello Sweetheart!  Hi Darling!  How's it going today?  Staying busy?  I've been busy all day.  I had kitchen work in the morning, like making dough and such.  Then my parents have been re-landscaping their yard lately, so in the evening I helped them do some burning.  So I'm kind of tired right now.  I hope you're not overworking yourself, or over partying.  Please look after yourself, OK?  I love you and I need you.

So I'm too tired to practice bass tonight, I think I'll just take it easy and rest my feet, because I'll be busy again tomorrow morning.  I usually write bass first, and I have a lot of music in my head.  When I was younger I was influenced by Led Zeppelin, but not anymore.  Nowadays all the music I write is inspired by the Qur'an.  People like to compare in accordance with their own desires.   But nowadays, the music I write is inspired by the Qur'an.

All animals belong to Allah, and I am grateful for my kitties, to be able to share my like with them for a while.  Alhamdulillah.  This kitty is ----.  She's such a sweet little kitty, and the most well behaved of all my kittens.  She's the most like her mother in personality.  She's in heat right now, so I try to hug her as often as possible to relieve the tension.  She loves my singing, but she gets alarmed when I make kissy kissy sounds.  Mwah!  For dinner, I had a cheeseburger.  My Mom gave me a can of tuna the other day, so I also made a tuna melt.  My other female kitten ------- has acquired a taste for dirty old mop water for some reason.  How gross!  Here -------, have some tuna juices instead.  Now doesn't that taste better than old mop water?  By the way, I want you to please try to stop drinking those funny tasting beverages, OK?

Letter to Erin 20151219

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

Hey there, you beautiful creature!  How are you feeling today?  Oh, it's so hard for me not to be there with you to help take care of you.  Are you keeping your nose clean?  You might think that you're just playing around, but accidents do happen so please play safe.  I want to look after you, my beloved.  I love you and I need you.

Letter to Erin 20151218

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

Hi there!  Are you feeling better today?  Are you feeling more confident today?  Good.  Please try to get plenty of rest, exercise, and eat properly.  I want you to look after yourself, because I love you and I need you.  OK?

I was quite busy today.  I spent the morning with my crops, so I only had time for a simple lunch, which was bread sticks and marinara sauce.  I spent the evening in the yard again, this time my parents' yard.  After that I got the craving for "sambal belacan" cheeseburgers again.  So I cooked up and ate 3 of them.  Yeah, I ate your burger. 

Letter to Erin 20151217

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

Oh dear, what a day of mood swings.  I told you not to worry so much.  It's all that worrying that allows you to be influenced by other people to do what you don't want to do and feel how you don't want to feel.  No, not me.  I'm the guy that has to help protect you, and provide for your happiness and security.  There's no such thing as "the perfect feeling."  I told you this already!  No matter how much drugs or booze you ingest.  Instead of coming down from a high, just be patient.  Patience is the next best feeling.

Yeah, I get mood swings too.  But I already know what I want to do and where to make my stand.  Please try to stop drinking those funny tasting beverages.  Don't binge yourself into unhappiness with tons of food either.  Go running instead.  I heard someone say that running helps her think clearly and also releases endorphin, so she can't help but feel good later.  A friend of yours?

By the way, I love you and I need you.

Letter to Erin 20151216

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

In the light of the current attitude towards Muslims, of course there would be people pressuring you to be treacherous to me.  This is not clairvoyance, it is common sense.  This is compounded by that you have become successful, and are enjoying the comforts that come with the success and wealth that your connection to Islam has helped you nurture, by the Will of Allah.  Certainly they would say that you don't need me, and perhaps you don't.  I can't force you to marry me.  But again I remind you that the goal of our marriage is to stay put here, in this kampung in Malaysia, and raise a family, and you are my Muslim wife.  Who knows what happiness is?  All I know is my mission, to please Allah with music.

On the contrary, my situation hasn't changed since I proposed to you a little over 2 years ago.  Now that I think about it, my situation hasn't changed since 1989.  Allah granted me more piety alhamdulillah, but my situation hasn't changed.  Always on the edge.  Who knows what happiness is?  I am an old musician.  I have discovered that I am unable fall in love anymore.  Love has to be calculated and negotiated.  Sure I like pretty blondes, but I was very taken by your sincerity.  I believe it is genuine.  When the time comes inshaAllah, that sincerity will be tested with a ring.  But for now, for what it's worth, I love you and I need you.

Letter to Erin 20151215

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

Hi Sweetie!  Hi Gorgeous!  How are you feeling, my love?  I pray that you are feeling great, looking great, and having a great old time.  Please take good care of yourself and don't forget to pray.  I love you and I need you.

Today is Monday, and it's HOT as usual.  I'm grateful to have AC, but I do miss the four seasons.  Strawberries and daffodils.  But at least I still have pizza!  Alhamdulillah.  My dough is finally ready.  I like to make hard dough lately, so they take some time to rise.  Today's flavor is mole chicken with sweet red peppers.  A sweet pizza.  I've seen some sweet pizzas out there, and most of the time they overdo the sugar.  Mole sauce is hot pepper puree and chocolate.  Yeah today's pizza is sweet, but it doesn't overdose on sugar.  Plus there's a touch of spiciness in there.  Want some?

Letter to Erin 20151214

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

Hi there, beautiful and Sweetheart!  Are you having fun yet?  If you can look past the seriousness of it all, which I know you can, you will see that the whole situation is really kind of looney.  On a global scale.  It's not that the situation is confusing, but that people have been confused all their existence.  Allah guides whom Allah Wills.  They may desire to be starlets, but you are MY girl.  I love you and I need you.

I needed to make more marinara sauce for more pizza and stuff, so I had to go downtown to get the fixings.  I also wanted to buy dinner while I was out.  But none of the usual joints I go to were open for some reason.  Except Ina, and I was there yesterday.  The places that were open didn't look too appetizing to me, so that meant I had to cook my own dinner.  I looked around and everywhere I looked, people were buying burgers.  So I went with the flow, and decided on cheeseburgers tonight.  But not just any cheeseburgers.  I had some of my Mom's "sambal belacan" in my cooler.  I think I described to you what "sambal belacan" was before, basically a red hot pepper condiment with a fermented shrimp and tamarind kick.  It's a local food, and quite common here.  I told my Mom that "sambal belacan" matches perfectly with melted cheese, and she said "Yuck!"  But it really does match well with melted cheese.  So for a "sambal belacan" burger, add a tablespoon of "sambal belacan" under the cheese before you melt it.  Totally awesome.  You must try it.

Please make a donation of a minimum of one US dollar or one Euro to a worthwhile charity.

Letter to Erin 20151213

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

Don't worry so much.  I'm OK, alhamdulillah.  Learn to ride the situation, and don't forget to pray.  You are my wife.  Together we are one.  I love you, and I need you.

I finally got the chance to cut the grass.  It's been a while, and it's been raining most of the time, but today I finally cleared up that overgrowth.  And right after I got done, it started to rain.

There's still nothing special on the menu. I'm just trying to finish up what I already have in the cooler before it goes bad.  For lunch I had chili and cheese sandwiches.  I did manage to get a batch of dough done, but it won't be ready to use until Monday.  I didn't cook any dinner.  I bought some rice over at Ina's to save time before the sunset prayer, which they're calling right as I write.  Please excuse me while I pray.

Letter to Erin 20151212

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

Ack!  I don't want to eat rotten fruit!  Please keep your fruit pure and clean for me, and I will do the same for you inshaAllah.

The local mosque has finished remodeling, so I went there for Friday prayer this afternoon.  On the way there, I saw a new house being built.  The first floor was on a concrete foundation that was about a meter high.  It has to be that high to guard from flooding.  So I thought that the foundation of your house inshaAllah has to be that high as well.  And no basement!

Nothing special on the menu today.  Have to watch the budget you know, and finish off what's in the cooler.  I wanted to cut the grass in the evening, but it started to rain.  So after the rain stopped, I went out for some gasoline, and a loaf of sliced bread for leftover chili.  A very humble day food wise.  I didn't even have any dough to make my own bread.  I suppose I have to make a batch of dough later.

Urgh... I am full though.  I hope you are staying warm and getting plenty of rest.  Please take good loving care of yourself, because I love you and I need you.

Please make a donation of a minimum of one US dollar or one Euro to a worthwhile charity.

Letter to Erin 20151211

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

Hi!  How are you feeling today, Sweetie?  Is it nice and cold over there?  Dress up warm!  Wear the mink jacket!  It's bloody HOT over here.  Aaaaah!!!  I wanted to stay indoors all day, but I had so much to do in the garden.  I had to put fertilizer in all those baby mangoes, I had to replant the hot peppers and the okra, etc etc.  Dinner was pizza again.  Knowing how to make pizza gives me the option of having pizza every day, and I know some people that would eat pizza every day if they could.  Would you have pizza every day?  Pizza.  What a concept.

Do you remember that female papaya tree with 3 heads that I showed you the photo of?  One of the heads fell off.  I suspect my parents of pulling that head down.  Well, the other day I picked an almost ripe fruit from the straight head and put it in the cooler.  2 days ago I tried to cut it open, but it was too hard.  Aaah!  I should have left it out at room temperature to fully ripen!  Then another day, I picked a smaller, almost ripe fruit fruit from the head that leans left.  This time I left it out at room temperature.  Today it was soft, so I cut it open.  Aaah!  It was rotten!

Please remember to take good care of yourself, OK?  Stay healthy OK?  I love you, and I need you.

Letter to Erin 20151210

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

How's it going, my beloved?  How's business?  I pray you are getting sufficient rest and enjoying yourself.  Please pray.  There's nothing much going on here today.  In the morning, I helped my Mom make some "lontong", which is basically pressed rice in a spicy coconut milk/turmeric broth with vegetables and other stuff.  It's very tasty, and very filling.  I'm writing this letter later than usual.  I spent the evening cleaning out my house with the leaf blower, then I broke down some dead shrubs in my yard.  So I didn't start making dinner until after the sunset prayer.  I had fried calamari.  A LOT of fried calamari.  A stack about 6 inches high.  Heh!  The appetizer portions in a restaurant are too puny for me, plus I get to bypass the main course.  Wow, I'm stuffed.  Alhamdulillah.  You are welcome to some fried calamari, if you like.  I have a lot of encoding to do tonight, so I can't practice bass or guitar.  Maybe tomorrow.  I hope that you take care of yourself and are eating properly.  I love you and I need you.

Letter to Erin 20151209

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

Let me repeat myself regarding this matter, because it's important.  So you are super busy nowadays, but you must not miss your sleep.  Beauty sleep.  You will find that sleep doesn't coincide with free time.  Don't take drugs to stay awake or fall asleep.  Take as many naps as possible.  Don't force yourself to nap, but take a nap when you get drowsy.  Who cares what people think, trust what you feel.  Excuse yourself, find a chair, close your eyes, and dream.  Don't try to sleep first, go straight into the dream.  Say to people, "I've been working all the time lately so I'm a bit drowsy right now.  Please excuse me while I take a short nap."  I'll have to admit that it irritates me that people expect you to work and work and work without considering whether you or not you are weary.  I want you to take good care of yourself, because I love you and I need you.

I made a couple of pizzas for my parents today for their wedding anniversary.  Making a pizza at home takes much longer than on a pizza line in a restaurant.  The most important part of the pizza is the crust.  I had a good batch of dough, already portioned into tortillas, so each dough ball would make a good 8" pizza crust.  First I had to cook it on a flat pan to keep its shape, then I deep fry it to give it texture and color.  Then I put the sauce and toppings.  Today it's home made halal beef sausage and chopped basil, so I had to bake the pizza once to cook the sausage.  Don't precook the meat!  It has to cook on the pizza for it to taste awesome.  It's the grease oozing out on the bread that's tasty.  When that's done, then the cheese goes on.  This is because I'm only budgeted for sliced cheese.  Bake the pizza again, only to melt the cheese.  Cheese is important of course, but what to do when the cheese is cheap?  At least the pizza tastes good.  Alhamdulillah.

Letter to Erin 20151208

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

I hope you are keeping your nose clean.  Please!  I understand you're busy and you need to stay awake, but nothing is a substitute for sleep.  The stuff might keep you awake, but that's not a good reason to use it.  Since it's an unregulated drug, the product isn't screened for Coca worms.  No one talks about Coca worms because it would affect business.  Yes, besides robbing you of your beauty and making you look like beef jerky, the stuff may infect you with the dreaded Coca worm.  No, that wriggling around in your sinuses is neither a nose hair nor a booger, even though it looks like white, sticky booger.  Just pray that it doesn't go out the back way, and you have to swallow it.  Ew!

But seriously, I want you to take good care of yourself, not just because you're a role model, but because you are my girl, and I love you and need you.  If you're busy, find a way to nap as much as possible.  We're all of us waiting around for somebody or something so while you wait, find a chair and shut your eyes and dream for five minutes or longer.  It makes a huge difference, trust me.

Bob Cat got himself a mate!  I saw her while I was on the way back from night market.  They were hanging out together over at your house inshaAllah.  She has a white snout, chest and belly like Bobby's mother and sisters, but darker markings overall.  I didn't get a close look at her because I didn't want to bother the love cats.  Isn't that cute?

Today December 8 is my Mom and Dad's wedding anniversary.  I'll be making them a pizza.  Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

Letter to Erin 20151207

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

Hi Sweetheart!  Hello Darling!  Are you feeling better today?  I'm so glad.  Just be sure that I am with you always, and I think of you always, and that I love you and I need you.  Not just words, I really do love you.  You're MY girl.

I don't want you to give up your exercise, especially now that you are more successful than ever.  It's so easy to just let go, and turn into a blob.  I'm sorely tempted myself sometimes.  I had to do a lot of house cleaning this morning, so I had no desire to do my workout today.  I will tomorrow inshaAllah.  But I try stay physically active despite that.  All you have to do is be beautiful and love to watch sports.  So stay fit, OK?

After watching "Rise of the Tomb Raider", I noticed the current method of acting, or rather utilizing actors, that is in video games.  In this case the video game is scripted into a movie, a spectacular movie at that.  I have a feeling that this is the future of movies.  And as an actor, you don't have to do stunts or go to location.  The computer does that for you, so that makes this kind of work far less hazardous than the standard film making process.  Plus, the computer does your make up for you, so you will always look flawless.  Lara Croft looked great at all times, no matter what she did in the movie.  Reality is always stranger than fiction though, so this type of gaming or film making will have to dip into the real world eventually, or at least try to bend reality into its world.

Letter to Erin 20151206

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

Hello there, busy and beautiful!  How's business?  Are you bundling up and staying warm?  I want you to look after yourself properly, because I love you OK?  And I need you.  You're my girl!  So when you tilt your head to one side and start talking too seriously to people, that's the time to find a seat and take a nap.  That's what I do when I have wait in line.

Oh, please slow down on those weird tasting beverages!  I know we're not married yet, but please work towards being drug and alcohol free.  Please keep your nose clean.  You never know if you may get quietly and suddenly hooked.  It happens easily, and all the time.  Please please please stay clean.

Yeah, I know that this time of the year it gets super busy and there's all that food displayed in front of you.  But I'm not there to control you, so all I have to rein you in are words.  So please forgive me.  You poor little Sweetheart, I love you so much!  Just don't eat so much, and don't leave out your exercise.  You are my soul mate, and I am with you with every bite you take inshaAllah.  I don't want you to let yourself go, because I won't let you go.  Don't overdo the dieting either.  Just eat the perfect amount, OK?
 

Letter to Erin 20151205

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

Whew!  I'm full.  My Mom seems to have a lot of leftover curry lately, everyday.  Razak Curry House sells the best curry in town, and I had a lot of it.  I also just made a batch of dough, and it's excellent quality.  Alhamdulillah.  So I fried up a whole lot of breadsticks, and had them swimming in great curry.  Totally awesome.  You must try some.

Hey you, don't be blue.  I love you, and I need you.  I won't abandon you, inshaAllah.  You're my girl.  So please be patient, and pray.

My Bat Cat is what I could describe as an intellectual cat.  He's not a brawler like Bob Cat, he just watches and analyzes from a distance.  He just loves to dig up dirty secrets, so sometimes people throw rocks at him.  Today he got in trouble with another cat for the first time.  Someone stuck a claw in his right bicep, so he was limping all morning.  I disinfected the wound with some rubbing alcohol, and now he's putting weight on the foot again.  So I guess he's OK.  I suppose the intellectuals aren't too smart to avoid fights with the bruisers sometimes.

Well, next up I have to practice bass and watch the latest Tomb Raider movie, "Rise of the Tomb Raider."  That dangerous girl with the powerful hands.  The story isn't as gripping as the previous Tomb Raider movie (Tomb Raider 2013), but the graphics are much superior, absolutely enchanting to watch.  Here, watch it with me.

Letter to Erin 20151204

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

Are you having fun yet?  Otherwise, it must be a heavy burden to be so beautiful and have so much political influence.  Please stay blonde, OK?  I prefer blondes.  You're my girl!  I love you, and I need you.

I hate politics.  Gag!  I remember when I cast my vote in the last General Elections here in Malaysia.  My vote wasn't secret.  Right after I cast my vote, thugs from the opposing party were following me around.  The best I could do was to keep my vote to myself until I cast it.  Fame is not a blessing.  I give my fame to Allah.  Let the people pay attention to and idolize Allah.  I was watching "784 Days of Watergate" hosted by Nancy Dickerson and "Watergate: Secrets of the Dead" by Dick Cavett on Shadowplay TV last night.  Nixon got re-elected by a landslide.  I was thinking, if the people chose a crook before, then they'll choose a crook again.

Letter to Erin 20151203

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

How's it going over there?  How's business?  Yeah, I know that it's political season over there, but you're not a politician's wife.  Just because people want you to play politics, doesn't mean that it's your job to do so.  You don't have to say anything at all to them.  You are a musician's wife.  A Muslim musician's wife.  All you have to be is chaste and beautiful.  Please pray.  I love you, and I need you.

Boy, it was hot today.  Hot hot HOT!  Sweating in the AC.  I'm sure it's cold over there, so bundle up.  Or would you rather be here?  I finally got a chance to do some yard work, because it had been raining every day.  I have to replant and reorganize my tomatoes, because they don't like the spot I put them in.  That spot had been infested with tiny white moths, which are immune to bug spray for some reason.  Hmmm, I wonder if moth balls would work?  The moths don't like sunlight, so I have to move the tomatoes where they can get a little sunshine.  Dinner is noodles in marinara sauce with fresh tomatoes.  Sorry, no cheese.

Please make a donation of a minimum of one US dollar or one Euro to a worthwhile charity.

Letter to Erin 20151202

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

Hi!  How's business?  I'm sure you are doing well at work, so please take care of yourself properly.  Bundle up and stay warm.  InshaAllah, everything will turn out all right, so please don't worry, OK?  I love you and I need you.

Dinner was tenderloin with potatoes and kelisa beans in ground cilantro seed, black pepper, and salt.  Top notch.  Alhamdulillah.  You are welcome to some, when you want.