Qur'an 20140616

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

21.  Thus did We make their case known to people, that they might know the promise of Allah is true, and that there can be no doubt about the Hour of Judgment.  Behold, they dispute among themselves as to their affair.  Said, "Construct a building over them."  Their Lord knows best about them.  Those who prevailed over their affair said, "Let us surely build a place of worship over them."

22.  Saying they were three, the dog being the fourth among them.  Saying they were five, the dog being the sixth, doubtfully guessing at the unknown.  Saying they were seven, the dog being the eighth.  Say, "My Lord knows best their number: it is but few that know them."  Enter not therefore into controversies concerning them, except on a matter that is clear.  Nor consult any of them about the Sleepers.

23.  Nor say of anything, "I shall be sure to do so and so tomorrow,"

24.  Without adding, "So please, Allah!"  And call your Lord to mind when you forget, and say, "I hope that my Lord will guide me ever closer than this to the right road."

25.  So they stayed in their cave three hundred years, and add nine.

26.  Say, "Allah knows best how long they stayed.  With God is the secrets of the heavens and the earth, how clearly God sees, how finely God hears!  They have no protector other than God.  Nor does God share God's Command with any person whatsoever."

The Cave 18:21-26
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Letter to Julia 20140614

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

Ray-yanch!  I mean, ranch.  Ranch dressing.  Now, there's no buttermilk here in Perlis.  No sour cream, either.  No, I don't put sour cream in ranch dressing.  I'm not going to add butter to milk, either.  I just used my Mom's powdered milk, and added enough water to make a thick cream.  Then a lot of mayo.  Not Best Foods, but freshly opened at least.  Blended them together, then opened up a pack of curry flavored ramen noodles, and used the seasoning pack.  Blended that in.  Hmmm, too salty.  More mayo.  At least I have fresh chives in the yard.  So I added a handful of finely chopped chives.  Mixed that in.  Yeah, it tastes like ranch.  Tastes really good, actually.  I needed ranch dressing for my chicken fingers last night.  Just thinly sliced chicken coated in breadcrumbs, curry powder and salt, then deep fried.  Don't overcook!  This afternoon, I had deep fried calzones.  Just dough, my sardine dip, and half a slice of cheese.  But oh so good, with ranch dressing!  I'm having the same tonight, even though the low quality mayo gives me gastritis.  I'm very sensitive to mayo.  This brings back memories of the pizza joint, where I made huge batches of ranch out of a gallon of mayo at a time.  Some people would order 20 sides of ranch for their pizza.  I would yell out, "Ray-yanch!" in my thickest cowboy accent.  You try it.  Say out loud, "RAY-YANCH!  RAY-YANCH!  AH GOTTA HAVE MAH RAY-YANCH!!!", then emphasize your statement with "YEEEEHAAAWWWW!!!!"  Uh-hyuk!  What?  You want to put ranch dressing on a salad?  Are you insane?  All right, I'll make a salad for you.  Because I love you, I love you.  And I need you, I need you.  We're going to have to use local greens though.  I'm having another deep fried calzone, but with less sardine dip.  Make it more like sardine flavored breadsticks with cheese.

Letter to Julia 20140612

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

Oh, I get it now: the orange cat with orange eyes from next door is a MALE cat!  I made a mistake.  He and Floofy weren't competing for the grey tomcat, he and the grey tomcat were competing for Floofy!  That's why he and Floofy weren't fighting all-out.  He's a bold fellow.  He has no fear of me whatsoever.  He doesn't like my touching him either.  He hissed and snarled when I picked him up to find out what gender he is.  He sure looks like a girl cat.  I should have known better.  Just because it looks like a girl, doesn't mean that it is a girl.

On the menu tonight is sardine rolls.  I roll out some dough, spread my sardine dip on to the dough with some sprinkled cheese, roll it up so it looks like a little sweet roll, but it's sardine.  Bake it up, and yummy!  Best when freshly baked!  My sardine dip is onions, lemongrass, and belacan blended in oil then fried until brown.  Add the sardines and chilli pepper puree, then simmer until done.  It's so good!  Here, one for you Julia, and one for you Erin.  I love you, I love you.  And I need you, I need you.  Oh by the way, another pair of my pants ripped up the inseam when I was chopping down an old mango tree over at Casa de Julia inshaAllah which was hanging over the road to the elementary school.  This time, my butt was hanging out.  You're not still giving away freebies, are you?  Please dress modestly when you're not being paid.  And please maintain your prayers.

Letter to Julia 20140610

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

For some reason, tonight I am catless!  Floofy is in heat, so she's outside waiting for her mate to come around.  It seems that the orange cat next door is also in heat, or sounding like it, and is competing with Floofy for her mate.  They're both getting along for now, and I haven't seen them all-out-fight, but they do tussle about somewhat playfully.  As for the grey tomcat, he doesn't come around when the orange cat is here.  So Floofy is outside tonight, waiting for her beau.  Chee Cheah is avoiding me because she knows she's up for an antifungal shot.  The dreaded vet!  Which means I'm going to have to act apathetic and hunt her down and pounce on her when she least expects it.  The problem is this has to be done in the morning when the vet is open.  A cat with experience can be very sly.

On the menu tonight is crispy fried crab.  I prefer my crab to be very large like king crab, or very small, about the size of a large coin.  Which is hard to come by, so I don't eat crab all that often.  Did you know that if a crab is small enough, it can be fried crispy like a potato chip, and you eat the whole thing, shell and all?  I found some small crab at the night market today, but they were still too big, but I bought them anyway.  The guy selling them said, "Not all of them are small.  Here's one that seems to have some flesh to it."  I replied, "Is it OK if I trade the big ones for small ones?"  He gave me a dirty look, started mumbling, and refused to take my money.  But like I said, the crabs were too big for my crispy fry.  Crab doesn't need salt if you cook it right, and I used the brains for sauce, so I should have used less of the Siamese hot sour paste.  But it's still rather good.  Filling, too.  Want some?  Better not.  The Siamese hot sour paste gave me the runs.  I forgot I have a "White Man's Stomach".

Qur'an 20140610

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

106.  A Qur'an which We have divided, in order that you might recite it to humans in intervals: We have revealed it in stages.

107.  Say, "Whether you believe in it or not, it is true that those who were given knowledge beforehand, when it is recited to them, fall down on their faces in humble prostration."

108.  And they say, "Glory to our Lord!  Truly has the promise of our Lord has been fulfilled!"

109.  They fall down on their faces in tears, and it increases their humility.

110.  Say, "Call upon Allah, or call upon the Compassionate One.  By whatever name you call upon God, for to God belong the Most Beautiful Names.  Neither speak your prayer aloud, nor speak it in a low tone, but seek a middle course between."

111.  Say, "Praise be to Allah, who begets no son, and has no partner in dominion, nor any to protect God from humiliation.  Yea, magnify God, for God's Greatness and Glory!"

The Night Journey  17:106-111
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Whether you believe in it or not, it is true that those who were given knowledge beforehand, when it is recited to them, fall down on their faces in humble prostration.

Call upon Allah, or call upon the Compassionate One.  By whatever name you call upon God, for to God belong the Most  Beautiful Names.  Neither speak your prayer aloud, nor speak it in a low tone, but seek a middle course between.

Praise be to Allah, who begets no son, and has no partner in dominion, nor any to protect God from humiliation.  Yea, magnify God, for God's Greatness and Glory!

Letter to Julia 20140609

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

It seems that Floofy is back in heat!  How quickly she adapted to the tragic loss of her first batch of kittens.  She still has the same mate, and today they spent the whole day together.  How romantic!  They were practically inseparable today, and this evening when I put her in her cage, he stayed right at the door, having conversations with her.  InshaAllah we will be having another installment of Kitten TV soon.  And inshaAllah it will be a happy one this time.

Mystery of the Missing Cat: Simper, one of my brother's ex-cats, the last one of four, also caught the flu.  So I shut her in the cage so I could feed her antibiotics and fever reducers without having to chase her down, and this particular cat is good at climbing and hiding.  There's no way for a cat to get out of the cage: I've kept many a cat in there for many a month.  But the cat is gone!  How could that be?  No other cat, even as a kitten, could escape the cage.  The answer is simple, Zam: the cat found a way out.  Well, I found the cat a day later, resting under my bedroom window.  My doctoring seems to have worked, and she's eating again.  Praise be to Allah.

Now you're probably thinking, "We're not married yet, so I can wear whatever I want!"  You're right, we're not married yet.  But I cannot be married to a non-Muslim.  Of course I have to be liberal with your work requirements, just as much as your bosses have to accept your prayer obligations, for I'm sure they understand how valuable the connection to Islam and the Orient is.  When we are married inshaAllah, I plan to dress you up, do your hair and makeup, make you my little dolly, as my hobby.  I know you're smart enough to know your public image, Mrs. Global.  So please dress modestly when you're off-duty.  Off-duty means when you're not being paid.  How about some loose jeans with a T-shirt and nice cardigan?  Or a gown and a shawl for those formal occasions?  You are so beautiful.  I love you, I love you.  And I need you, I need you.

Qur'an 20140609

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

99.  See they not that Allah, who created the heavens and the earth, has power to create the likes of them?  Only God has decreed a term appointed, of which there is no doubt.  But the unjust refuse except with ingratitude.

100.  Say, "If you had control of the Treasures of the Mercy of my Lord, behold!  You would keep them back for fear of spending them, for humans are selfish!"

The Night Journey  99-100
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If you had control of the Treasures of the Mercy of my Lord, behold!  You would keep them back for fear of spending them, for humans are selfish!