Letter to Julia 20111117

Hi there, you sexy thing! You better had be modest and hide your beauty, because you are so gorgeous. Yeah, it's true that i want you all to myself, because you're MY girl. But we have to be patient, my love. As Muslims, if there's anything that we want, or any help that we need, then we have to ask Allah for it with prayer, and be patient and persevering. And I want you. My beloved Julia.

Now Julia, the supernatural is actually quite simple to understand, and once you do understand the supernatural, then you will know the correct place to put your fear. There is not one, but two dominant races on Earth. The first is the human race, made of earth and water. The second is the jinn race, made of fire. Not all jinns are bad or evil, kind of like that not all ghosts are bad or evil, and not all humans are bad or evil. There are jinns that worship Allah, and they pray, and do good deeds. Then there are jinns that trick and torment humans, especially the humans that have incorrect faith. Satan is a member of the jinn race. When God created Adam, the first human, Satan refused to bow to Adam when God ordered him to, because Satan felt himself superior to humans. God banished Satan, and Satan vowed to destroy Adam and all humans. Satan then tricked Adam and Eve to eat of the forbidden tree, and God banished both the human and the jinn races to Earth until Judgement Day. Satan was granted respite by God even though Satan swore to destroy all humans, but God will save those who are faithful to and guided by God. So, put your fear in Allah. It's easy for skeptics to be tricked by illusions and audio-visual hallucinations caused by variations of thermal energy because of their arrogance in their perceived human superiority, but YOU put your fear in God. You do not follow Satan and his cohorts, when he whispers into your thoughts and emotions. And do not say things about Allah that you do not understand.

Letter to Julia 20111115

Well, it's about time that I cooked up those ribs I got from the Eid sacrifice. I should have boiled them, but I thought that pan-frying them twice would loosen the meat enough. So, I fried them once until the meat was cooked, then I put barbecue sauce on them then stuck them in the cooler to marinade. Then I fried them again in butter, adding more barbecue sauce and blackening them each time I turned them, which was about 4-5 times. I would have grilled them on a charcoal fire, but my grill disintegrated from all the rainfall. Thus, I had to create a similar effect on a frying pan. Nothing can replace the flavor of an open fire, though. Ah, I love beef bones. Next time, I'll boil the ribs first. Barbecue sauce? I think Malaysia has the edge on the USA when it comes to barbecue sauce. So many options to choose from, while in the USA it's always that same old tomato paste, spices and sweetener combo. This time, I used a tamarind and chilli base, for a sour spicy sauce. Ah, alhamdulillah. Even though I should have boiled the bones, I felt I had something good going when Chee Cheah went berserk while I was cooking. Of course, I gave my Dad a bone too.

So, I hope you are eating properly. Remember that as my girl, you are automatically an endorser of food products. Don't forget the basics: no pig, no blood, no carrion, and you must not eat food which is offered for pagan rituals, or food that in which the name of others than Allah has been invoked. Before the first bite say, "In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful," for Allah is the One who provides all sustenance, but is not fed. Just try your best with the circumstance that Allah has put you in, for Allah is Lenient and Forgiving, and knows all that you think, feel, and undertake. Perhaps in your spare time you are experimenting with cooking. I have a feeling you are. Just remember that I have a sensitive stomach, so please practise with pure and fresh ingredients, and a medium fire. Be patient, and avoid overly processed foods! I guess at this point you won't be able to cook in private, let alone go to restaurants without being observed. So please have fun while you experiment with food, but most of all, please eat properly, and be grateful to Allah for the great beauty that God has given you, by taking good care of your body. Please join me in Islam my beloved, and let's share our life and afterlife together.

Letter to Julia 20111113

But of course you can put cheese, or croutons, or whatever you want on your salad. Whoops! I'm done talking about salads. I just dropped by to say "I love you", and because I had to run a quick errand. I love you! Please keep your faith firm and sincere, maintain your prayers, and take good care of your beautiful body!

Qur'an 20111113

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

101. When We substitute one revelation for another, and Allah knows best what God reveals, they say, "You are a forger," but most of them understand not.

102. Say, "The Holy Spirit has brought the revelation from your Lord in Truth, in order to strengthen those who believe, and as a Guide and Glad Tidings to Muslims."

103. We know indeed that they say, "It is a man who teaches him." The tongue of him they wickedly point to is notably foreign, while this is Arabic, pure and clear.

104. Those who believe not in the Signs of Allah, Allah will not guide them, and theirs will be a grievous penalty.

105. It is those who believe not in the Signs of Allah that forge falsehood, it is they who lie!

The Bees 16:101-105
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The Holy Spirit has brought the revelation from your Lord in Truth, in order to strengthen those who believe, and as a Guide and Glad Tidings to Muslims.

Letter to Julia 20111112

Hello again, my beloved Julia. Today, I will give you a technique or recipe for making salads. Yecchh! I hate salads, but I suppose for you models it becomes a sort of staple food. I've made a million salads in my life, because I worked at the pizza joint. Gag! I hate salads. I hate making them, I hate eating them, and I hate people who eat salads, but in your case I will make an exception, and love you instead. Oh, I'm just joking about hating people who eat salads! No, but I really hate salads.

Anyway, lets start with a chunk of boneless chicken breast. First, you heat up a frying pan with medium heat. Rub the breast with honey, the chicken breast that is. Sprinkle some course black pepper onto the meat according to preference. No need for salt! Do not use any oil! When the pan is hot, fry up the meat until it's almost black, but don't burn it! Turn it over, then place a pat of butter on top, so it melts over the meat. Then cook the other side until it's almost black, but not burned. Immediately remove the meat to a cutting board. Note that center of the chicken breast should still be raw, especially if you have a big chunk of meat. Slice the meat lengthwise, exposing the raw area. Then put the chicken breast back on the pan with the raw side down, and cook it until the raw part turns white. Turn off the heat, and remove the meat from the pan onto a plate, and let it cool at room temperature.

Let's use a head of Iceberg lettuce, and a head of Romaine lettuce. Wash the lettuce. Make sure the lettuce is fresh, with snap, and no brown gooey areas! Remove the brown parts if any, and cut of the stem of the lettuce, about 2 inches for the Romaine and 1 inch for the Iceberg. Tear the lettuce with your fingers into strips of about 1 by 1 1/2 inch each, using only the leafy areas, and discarding the spine of each leaf. You may prefer to use only the heart of the Romaine, but I find that the outer leaves have good flavor too, if they are healthy. Yuck! I hate salads! Of course you can use any type of lettuce/greens, provided it is fresh and healthy, and you can use the same guidelines as the Iceberg and the Romaine. Spinach bruises easily, so be gentle! Mix up the strips of lettuce with your hands into an even mix.

OK! Place the lettuce mix into a serving bowl, then you can add fresh peppers, onions, olives, or whatever. Don't mix it into the salad mix, just arrange enough of it on top. I prefer a crescent cut for the peppers (no, don't eat the seeds and stems) and onions, where you cut the vegetable in half lengthwise, or quarters, then you slice the half from one end to the other into crescent shapes, following the arc of the half-circle. Slice up the chicken breast into strips, and arrange it onto the salad. If you had followed my instructions correctly, juices should have seeped out of the meat once it cooled down. Pour the juices onto the meat on the salad. Salad dressing? Just use your favorite salad dressing. I prefer blue cheese dressing, because it goes well with chicken wings, which taste way better than any salad. Amplify the flavor of blue cheese dressing with chunks of real blue cheese from a wedge. You know, the stuff you would nibble as a snack. Ranch? Italian? Honey mustard? 1000 island? I suppose I have some recipes, but that's another love letter. Basically, every salad dressing is just a form of flavored, liquified grease which you pour on your salad. Bleah! I hate salads! But I love YOU!

Letter to Julia 20111110

Hello again. my beautiful Julia. How are you feeling today, my precious beauty? You must be working hard as usual. So please make sure you eat properly, take good care of yourself, and maintain your prayers.

It is a quiet day at the office for me here today. It's now almost 11 pm on Wednesday, and I just got done filleting a kilo of baby indian mackerel. How tedious! Filleting mackerel is so tedious Julia, but I'm sure you wouldn't eat your herring with the bones and the head intact. It has stopped raining, in fact today was very hot that it dried up the trash, that I was able to burn all of it. And though it was a quiet day today, I did so much running around and work that I haven't had much chance to watch TV and play GTA. But I plan to remedy that deficiency immediately.

Thus, I watched "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" on Shadowplay TV. Well, that was what the computer chose for me to watch at the moment. Do you remember Marilyn Monroe? She was certainly very pretty, she could move very well, and she was blonde, and we both know how much I like blondes. But she's not my type: I prefer tall, thin, androgynous German blondes. Don't get too thin! Please eat properly! Anyway, in the movie she said, "A man being rich is like a girl being pretty." Do you believe that, Julia? I'm certainly am grateful to Allah that you are so beautiful. But I am not rich, and I certainly do not want to give you my poverty: I would rather die alone. That is why it is most important to me that you be straight with God. Please conduct your religion with sincerity to Allah, that is most important to me, and do not attribute to others what only God can do and give.

The greatest mystery is only with Allah, from the routine of the plants and animals to the cycle of the universe. We tell the humans to be grateful to God, still they believe they have the option of turning away, or they just turn away. And it is their turning away that is what ruins them in the next life, after this temporary life is over.

By the way Julia, thank you for your love.

Letter to Julia 20111108

Assalamu'alaikum, beautiful Julia! You are MY girl, yes you are! Yes, I love you, and I look forward for us to spend our lives together. InsyaAllah.

All eyes on the kampung lately, huh? I guess it's partially my fault for being here. Being There. What a great movie, you should watch it. But really, I can only be where Allah puts me. As you know, it is the Hajj Eid, which is a public holiday here in Malaysia, so I hope this letter isn't too late for you, since the internet cafe was closed for the holiday. On the Hajj Eid, it is mandatory for the wealthy to make a sacrifice of a livestock animal, namely a goat, sheep, cattle, or camel. I haven't seen any chickens during this ritual. No, not a sacrifice on an altar. Please! A meat is considered halal if a Muslim kills the animal by cutting the throat, and saying, "BismillahirRahmanirRahim (In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful)". This year, I was present at the local mosque for this ritual. I didn't get to see them actually slaughter the beast, it was done elsewhere, where they also skinned and gutted it, as well as separated the legs, head, rib cage, and rump. 2 steers were donated this year to the mosque, one small and one medium. At the mosque, volunteers cut up the meat and bones further for division, and I watched the entire process with great interest. The division of the meat was a very noisy process, with grown men gossiping like nesting hens. It seemed almost primal, like the opening scene of "Apocalypto". As far as I could understand, the sacrifice is supposed to be divided into 7, where the donor got either 2/7 or 1/3. Comprende? Needless to say, none of the villagers were professional butcher-accountants, so there was an element of chaos in the division. But they did their best I'm sure, may Allah be the judge. Cattle here in Malaysia is leaner than US cattle, so the tenderloin and ribeye was nothing spectacular as far as I could see. Beef intestine is what is considered a delicacy here in Perlis, so that was the first to disappear. Me? All I received was a kilo of sirloin/chuck/rump, and some ribs. When you get here insyaAllah, I'll take you to the ritual. Maybe we'll get to see the actual slaughter!