Hi there, my gorgeous rock and roll babe! How would you like to buy a vacation package? To an exotic tropical getaway at the north of Malaysia, where the air is sweet and the rice fields shine with gold and green. As you disembark from your flight, you leave the stinking and sweaty city to ride on an electric train, zipping along smoothly through the hills, valleys, plantations and jungles. This is an experience you will never forget, as you sit in the lounge sipping chrysanthemum tea and watching the countryside blur by. Oh, you are one of those blessed ones who happen to spot a huge, black, monkey-eating eagle! I saw one once. May your monkey get eaten. But you have a purpose, because you heard somewhere on the internet that the ghost of Billie Holiday has appeared somewhere in the wilderness of North Malaysia, where the echo of her voice bounces from hill to hill amidst the chirping of wild songbirds. As you seek a retreat from the rat race, you add the beautiful white sands of the Langkawi islands to your itinerary as a stopover before you make a scenic land journey of adventure through Thailand. How about it, dahlink?
Wait a minute... you will already be here, because we will be married and raising our children! InsyaAllah.
Meanwhile, check out the little guy with the monster guitar!
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Letter to Julia 20120202
Alhamdulillah. I managed to make time to attend to my garden today. I absolutely had to tend to the flowers in my garden, oh my beloved Flower of my Garden. I had been putting around in my grandfather's lot and grave lately, that I had less time for my own yard. My little pepper patch is gaining strength, even though I planted it in wild soil. I'm trying to cultivate bamboo to make drumsticks, but the shoots keep on breaking, as if somebody is intentionally breaking them. But no matter- I harvested the bamboo growing by the ditch in front of my Mom's house. I have one acceptable stick so far, I need to chop down more bamboo. I don't like those straight average bla drumsticks. I like sticks that curve and bounce. Oh, I just love bamboo.
Oh, and what about that liver and eggplant sauce? Well, it turned out quite well, thank God, except that I made too much of it and ate it all. I should have saved some for future dinners. You take some liver, some eggplant, a little bit of this and a little bit of that, turn the fire and heat up some grease, tweak this and plop some of that, wet it down a little, and voila! Hey, this stuff would make a great salad dressing! Hah! I'm not going to teach you the secret sauce recipe until you make mad monkey love to me. Hopefully, I won't forget what I did because I was only flying by the seat of my pants.
Now you maintain your prayers in due sincerity, for it not only shows your Islam. Be sincere to Allah, for Allah has chosen Islam with all its riches and wonders for you, and is most Lenient with you, and has imposed no difficulties for you. And if you need help, then get your help from God, for Allah is the best to help you. Please be patient and wait for me my beloved Julia, as I strive towards our marriage, as it is part of my service to Allah.
Oh, and what about that liver and eggplant sauce? Well, it turned out quite well, thank God, except that I made too much of it and ate it all. I should have saved some for future dinners. You take some liver, some eggplant, a little bit of this and a little bit of that, turn the fire and heat up some grease, tweak this and plop some of that, wet it down a little, and voila! Hey, this stuff would make a great salad dressing! Hah! I'm not going to teach you the secret sauce recipe until you make mad monkey love to me. Hopefully, I won't forget what I did because I was only flying by the seat of my pants.
Now you maintain your prayers in due sincerity, for it not only shows your Islam. Be sincere to Allah, for Allah has chosen Islam with all its riches and wonders for you, and is most Lenient with you, and has imposed no difficulties for you. And if you need help, then get your help from God, for Allah is the best to help you. Please be patient and wait for me my beloved Julia, as I strive towards our marriage, as it is part of my service to Allah.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Letter to Julia 20120201
Hi there, my most precious Julia. Aw, you are soooo pretty. It's been a busy day for me here. Everyday I wake up at about 3:30am to do an hour's worth of worship. Then I wait until I perform the dawn prayer before I go back to sleep. Needless to say, I don't like mornings. So I wake up everyday at about 10:00am. I as quickly as possible put on some clothes and ride my motorcycle to the day market to buy some fish. Yes, I have an addiction to grilled fish. I also bought some beef, eggplant, cilantro, and chicken liver. Hey, I found some Roma tomatoes today! I haven't seen any of those in years! They were really ripe though, but they would be perfect for my liver and eggplant sauce tomorrow. When I got back home to put the food away, I had to take my Dad's old motorcycle to change the tube. It was a good thing my Dad got me some flat noodles, so that was the breakfast I ate while I was waiting for the dude to fix the motorcycle. After that, I took a shower and went downtown to have a chat with the boss of the music school. When I returned home from that, I gutted the fish and portioned out the meat for easy storage in the cooler. It's a habit I picked up from the food service: instead of defrosting a big chunk then cutting off a portion, I just take take out a pre-cut portion from the freezer to thaw whenever I wanted to eat. It's faster to defrost, too! By the time I got done with that, it was time for the mid-day prayer, after which I have to do my voice training. All I had for lunch were a couple of cookies and coffee. I have to sing for 1 1/2 hours everyday to maintain my voice. After which, I had to help my Mom rearrange her kitchen because the floor in her dining room is moving. By the time I got done with that, it was time for the Asr (late afternoon) prayer, after which I finally had time to grill my fish. And that's what I had for dinner: just fish, no rice. No time for yard work today! I had to take another shower before I joined the group prayer at sunset. Then I had to write a love letter to my sweetie, which I'm doing right now!
Hi sweetie! I love you! Girl, I am tired. I need to slow down even more. This routine may seem all that mundane, but it can get frenetic and weird, and other people can get livid and violent over my routine. What I strive for is sincerity in my worship to Allah. Come and be my wife, my dearest Julia, and join me in Islam.
Hi sweetie! I love you! Girl, I am tired. I need to slow down even more. This routine may seem all that mundane, but it can get frenetic and weird, and other people can get livid and violent over my routine. What I strive for is sincerity in my worship to Allah. Come and be my wife, my dearest Julia, and join me in Islam.
Qur'an 20120201
67. To every people have We appointed rites and ceremonies which they must follow: let them not then dispute with you on the matter, but do you invite to your Lord, for you are assuredly on the Right Way.
68. If they do wrangle with you, say: "Allah knows best what it is you are doing."
69. "Allah will judge between you on the Day of Judgement concerning the matters in which you differ."
70. Know you not that Allah knows what is in the heavens and on earth? Indeed it is all in a record, and that is easy for Allah.
71. Yet they worship, besides Allah, things for which no authority has been sent down to them, and of which they have no knowledge: for those that do wrong there is no helper.
72. When Our Clear Signs are rehearsed to them, you will notice a denial on the face of the unbelievers! They nearly attack with violence those who rehearse our signs to them. Say, "Shall I tell you of something worse than these Signs? It is the Fire! Allah has promised it to the unbelievers! And evil is that destination!"
73. O humans! Here is a parable set forth! Listen to it! Those on whom, besides Allah, you call cannot create a fly, if they all met together for the purpose! And if the fly should snatch anything away from them, they would have no power to release it from the fly. Feeble are those who petition and those on whom they petition!
74. No just estimate have they made of Allah: for Allah is God that is Strong and Able to carry out God's Will.
The Pilgrimage 21:67-74
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Allah knows best what it is you are doing.
Allah will judge between you on the Day of Judgement concerning the matters in which you differ.
Shall I tell you of something worse than these Signs? It is the Fire! Allah has promised it to the unbelievers! And evil is that destination!
68. If they do wrangle with you, say: "Allah knows best what it is you are doing."
69. "Allah will judge between you on the Day of Judgement concerning the matters in which you differ."
70. Know you not that Allah knows what is in the heavens and on earth? Indeed it is all in a record, and that is easy for Allah.
71. Yet they worship, besides Allah, things for which no authority has been sent down to them, and of which they have no knowledge: for those that do wrong there is no helper.
72. When Our Clear Signs are rehearsed to them, you will notice a denial on the face of the unbelievers! They nearly attack with violence those who rehearse our signs to them. Say, "Shall I tell you of something worse than these Signs? It is the Fire! Allah has promised it to the unbelievers! And evil is that destination!"
73. O humans! Here is a parable set forth! Listen to it! Those on whom, besides Allah, you call cannot create a fly, if they all met together for the purpose! And if the fly should snatch anything away from them, they would have no power to release it from the fly. Feeble are those who petition and those on whom they petition!
74. No just estimate have they made of Allah: for Allah is God that is Strong and Able to carry out God's Will.
The Pilgrimage 21:67-74
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Allah knows best what it is you are doing.
Allah will judge between you on the Day of Judgement concerning the matters in which you differ.
Shall I tell you of something worse than these Signs? It is the Fire! Allah has promised it to the unbelievers! And evil is that destination!
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Letter to Julia 20120129
In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.
These major corporations simply have no regard for Allah. They consider Allah to be irrelevant to their day to day operations. Obviously they have no foresight whatsoever, and choose to participate only when it is most costly for them.
Do they not travel through the land, so that their hearts may thus learn wisdom, and ears may thus learn to hear? Truly it is not their eyes that are blind, but their hearts which are in their breasts. (The Pilgrimage 22:46)
Well, my mission stands, and I will stand my ground. I am to please Allah with music, and I am to stand my ground here in the Malaysian countryside. I may have failed to stand my ground in the USA though I gave it everything I got before I was ousted 3 months before the financial meltdown. But I intend to give it everything I have to stand my ground here, make my music base here, in a form that is creative and cutting-edge but not secular and disregarding to Allah. InsyaAllah, with the power of music, I will help empower the farmers, fishermen and small businesses over the bankers and the executives, the rural over the urban, and the clean environment over the pollution.
These major corporations simply have no regard for Allah. They consider Allah to be irrelevant to their day to day operations. Obviously they have no foresight whatsoever, and choose to participate only when it is most costly for them.
Do they not travel through the land, so that their hearts may thus learn wisdom, and ears may thus learn to hear? Truly it is not their eyes that are blind, but their hearts which are in their breasts. (The Pilgrimage 22:46)
Well, my mission stands, and I will stand my ground. I am to please Allah with music, and I am to stand my ground here in the Malaysian countryside. I may have failed to stand my ground in the USA though I gave it everything I got before I was ousted 3 months before the financial meltdown. But I intend to give it everything I have to stand my ground here, make my music base here, in a form that is creative and cutting-edge but not secular and disregarding to Allah. InsyaAllah, with the power of music, I will help empower the farmers, fishermen and small businesses over the bankers and the executives, the rural over the urban, and the clean environment over the pollution.
Qur'an 20120129
In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.
49. Say, "O humans! I am to you only to give warning."
50. Those who believe and work righteousness, for them is forgiveness and a sustenance most generous.
51. But those who strive against Our Signs, to frustrate them, they will be companions of the fire.
The Pilgrimage 22:49-51
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O humans! I am to you only to give warning.
49. Say, "O humans! I am to you only to give warning."
50. Those who believe and work righteousness, for them is forgiveness and a sustenance most generous.
51. But those who strive against Our Signs, to frustrate them, they will be companions of the fire.
The Pilgrimage 22:49-51
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O humans! I am to you only to give warning.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Letter to Julia 20120128
YOOOOOOOLIIIIEEEEEE!!!
Now, it's not as if I don't want to spend money on ingredients and dining out, and other things that make life pleasurable and meaningful to us and others. I'm just trying to be humble to Allah and the situation that I'm in, so I must not be wasteful. You also: please put your fear in Allah, be patient during hard times, maintain your regular prayers, spend accordingly, and never forget to say, " In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful" before you take the first bite of your food. Allah is most Generous to those who humble themselves to God.
Fame is not a blessing. It is unfortunate that we have to live our life and love in the public eye. Some say it is our choice, but that is not how I found you, as you were chosen for me. Some say we have been adequately compensated, but we are still unmarried and no richer than others. It is so important to conduct our life to please Allah, as opposed to pleasing humans. We don't belong to the public: we belong to Allah. Allah grants us the right to fight those who wage war on us, so don't you just lie back and be obsequious. Don't give in to them, Julia. I love you.
Now, it's not as if I don't want to spend money on ingredients and dining out, and other things that make life pleasurable and meaningful to us and others. I'm just trying to be humble to Allah and the situation that I'm in, so I must not be wasteful. You also: please put your fear in Allah, be patient during hard times, maintain your regular prayers, spend accordingly, and never forget to say, " In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful" before you take the first bite of your food. Allah is most Generous to those who humble themselves to God.
Fame is not a blessing. It is unfortunate that we have to live our life and love in the public eye. Some say it is our choice, but that is not how I found you, as you were chosen for me. Some say we have been adequately compensated, but we are still unmarried and no richer than others. It is so important to conduct our life to please Allah, as opposed to pleasing humans. We don't belong to the public: we belong to Allah. Allah grants us the right to fight those who wage war on us, so don't you just lie back and be obsequious. Don't give in to them, Julia. I love you.
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