Qur'an 20210601

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

215.  They ask you what they should spend.  Say, "Whatever you spend that is good, is for parents, and kindred, and orphans, and those in want, and for wayfarers, and whatever you do that is good: Allah knows it well."

216.  Fighting is prescribed upon you, and you dislike it.  But it is possible that you dislike a thing which is good for you, and that you love a thing which is bad for you.  But Allah knows, and you know not.

217.  They ask you concerning fighting in the Prohibited Month.  Say, "Fighting therein is grievous, but graver it is in the Sight of Allah to prevent access to the path of Allah, to deny God, to prevent access to the Sacred Mosque, and drive out its members."  Tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter, nor will they cease fighting you until they turn you back from your faith if they can.  And if any of you turn back from their faith and die in unbelief, their works will bear no fruit in this life and in the Hereafter:  they will be companions of the fire, and will abide therein.

218.  Those who believed, and those who suffered exile and fought in the Path of Allah: they have the Mercy of Allah.  And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

The Heifer 2:215-218

Sanctuary

 Natty, that is beautiful country.  That must be California, an area that God saved from the carnage of the fires.  I am glad you managed to escape the machinations of LA.  You look safe and happy, and for that I am grateful to Allah.  Alhamdulillah.  You say that's a doll house?  It has the vibe of a church to me.  If you had managed to find a Christian army to back you up, then that is a blessing indeed.  Perhaps you can gain a better sight of who is pulling the strings in Hollywood.

Look what Google sent me!  Marilyn Monroe's screen test from her last movie.  Marilyn had that wonderful aura that she could summon anytime like a psychic armor.  If I had to describe it, it would be like a "smiling whatever".  Marilyn confessed that she was genuinely miserable, such is the life of a star.  You don't have the same aura as her, Natty.  Learn what you can from her, but be yourself.  You know, the way you behave around your big brother.  You're not in the same position as Marilyn, either.  Marilyn Monroe was naked under the light, you get to hide behind me.  So please make sure you play that card all the time.

Sunday

 Hi Natty!  How are you?  You're awfully quiet.  I hope everything is OK over there, and that you are healthy and safe.  Oh the guy that made that video about the Venice Beach Boardwalk getting back to being a tourist attraction just made another saying that things are still the same.  Somewhat.  Let me see if I can find it... ah here it is:

Everyone around here is in a panic over the resurgence of Covid cases, so there's going to be another lockdown starting Tuesday.  I'm actually quite good at not leaving the house at all, but I have to buy supplies plus I have elderly parents.  I have enough stuff for myself to get through the next 2 weeks inshaAllah, but they do allow people to go out and get supplies.  But some people love to gallivant you know, lockdown or not.  Hm.  I think it's going to be an interesting week, for you and me.  Hopefully I won't have to leave the house.

What's on the menu today?  Takeout for lunch, and takeout for dinner.  Yeah, Sunday is a busy day for me.  I just couldn't be bothered to cook  I had to go buy groceries and gasoline.  I hope everything is easy going for you Natty Honey!  You can't stay quiet in La La Land for long if you're popular.  They're going to weed you out!  Whatever happens Princess, I love you.  You are MY girl.  So don't you worry about a thing, everything will work out just dandy for us inshaAllah.

Us and them

 

Hi Natty!  How are you today?  I hope you are having tons of fun over there.  Please keep safe and healthy.  You are probably facing more people right now than you ever have before, so please try to analyze the situation before you walk into it, so you don't walk into danger.  People can be very random.  Just like pets.

I'm in the middle of cooking up some roast beef.  My roast beef is simple, folks: just cook the beef in a closed pot on a small fire in soy sauce and coconut milk until you can easily cut through the gristle.  That's roughly about 2 hours.  Don't use expensive cuts of beef!  The gristle is the best part.  Separate the beef from the drippings when done, but don't throw away the drippings!  You can use it as sauce or soup stock.  Use whatever beef or sauce you need and freeze the rest for later.  I didn't have roast beef for dinner though.  I made fried flat noodles with chicken.  Want some?

This is one of the most beautiful songs ever written.  Everything about it is just so gorgeous.

The Star and the Laborer

 

Hi Natty!  Whatcha up to?  The vibes I'm getting kind of tell me that you're planning on staying in SoCal and being a star.  That's cool with me Honey, because I love you.  Make sure you maintain your chastity, and keep yourself safe and healthy.  Make sure people treat you like a princess like a fragile egg, to be treated as gingerly as extremely possible.  Don't subject yourself to dangerous stunts and situations.  Keeping yourself safe and pristine means you care about our marriage, and you care about me.  I'm going to be keeping a sharp eye on this matter inshaAllah.

Me, I had to complete some work on that fallen tree by the perimeter to the neighbor's yard so I can make room for cutting the grass over there.  There were still a couple of large branches poking into the scrub which I had to remove with my blunt machete.  That damned knife just won't get sharp no matter what I do.  I had to do the task within swarms of mosquitoes and army ants.  Everything was wet, so I couldn't start a fire.  I tell you now Honey, when I have to do labor I swear like a ..............  The words may not come out of my mouth, but in my mind I'm Scarface.  After I was done, I was exhausted.  Being pissed off sure is draining.  But I just had dinner, so I'm beginning to mellow out a bit.  Fries and eggplant burger, perfectly done alhamdulillah.  Want some?

Just another average day

 

Hi Natty!  How are you, my precious love?  Say, that pink suit looks fabulous on you!  I hope you are keeping safe and healthy over there.  It's just another average day here for me.  I spent most of it in the kitchen.  The other day I was at the grocer, and eggplant was on sale.  It was a bit shriveled, but I could still use it.  I managed to score almost 2 kilos for RM2 which is great, because usually a kilo costs RM8.  But I had to cook it up and freeze quickly, which I fried in some oil until soft but still kept its shape.  I didn't need to spice it up but I did, which was a mistake but not an extreme one.  Spicing it up put a limit on what I could do with it later.  I put a small portion in the cooler which I used over the past couple of days with grilled chicken and burger.  Today I made "sambal tumis" (blended chillies, onions and "belacan" (fermented shrimp paste) fried in oil until saturated) but with added eggplant in there.

The eggplant made the stuff closer to green than red.  It didn't help that I use green hot chilli peppers instead of red hot chilli peppers, but the green stuff is cheaper.  The eggplant made the sauce creamier, which went well with crunchy anchovies and sunny side up eggs on steamed rice.  I think it was a success, alhamdulillah.  Want some?

Vancouver

 

How are you, Natty?  Of course I worry and think of you, because I love you and I will marry you inshaAllah.  Are you still in Venice Beach?  I know you love that place, and it sure has cleaned up over there the past few days, and it looks like the movies again.  Those unwanted people have to go somewhere, though.  Check out the video above.  Isn't it so convenient that those fights took place in front of cameras?  Plus you don't have to pawn video clips like that to the major networks anymore.  Social media has a wider range and a more immediate response.  What matters to me Honey, is that you keep yourself safe and healthy until the time comes when I can fetch you inshaAllah.  Staying put at a safe and familiar place may be boring to you.  Then again, it may not be.

Qur'an 20210526

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

189.  They ask you concerning the new moons.  Say, "They are but signs to mark fixed periods of time in men and for the Hajj."  It is no virtue if you enter your houses from the back: it is virtue if you fear God.  Enter houses through the proper doors, and fear Allah, that you may prosper.

(The Heifer 1:189)

Blueberry

 

Bah, I knew it was a setup!  But there was nothing I could do about it but play along.  Hey Natty, check out the above video.  If you didn't already notice, the moment you got your Masters is when they got rid of all the homeless on the Boardwalk.  Oh, it might be a coincidence.  But this is the entertainment business.  It's not your fault Honey, it's me they're after, if that were the case.  So if anyone questioned you or gave you grief about the matter, just point to me and say, "Go ask him about it.  He is my husband inshaAllah."

Precision

 

Hi Natty!  Wassap Honey?  I hope all is well for you over there, wherever that is right now.  I just got done with dinner.  My Mom bought me some takeout rice, which is great because I didn't have to cook.  Thanks Mom!  I love you!  Yeah it's great I didn't have to cook, because I had to cut the grass.  Tomorrow is laundry day, and I want to chuck my grass cutting outfit in the wash.  There's a type of mango in the garden called a "kuinin".  I don't eat the thing, I'm turned off by the scent it's very strong.  I'm sure it doesn't lack for sweetness because my mother loves the fruit, and she is a notorious sweet tooth.  But she is sworn off mangoes this season, because they make her cough.  So the fruit fell to the ground, and there's a lot of them.  That's where I had to cut the grass.  One would think the weed whacker would spray its debris in a random fashion, but no.  All the rotten fruit went straight towards my mouth.  Now THAT is precision.

Amy Winehouse?  Only by accident.