Letter to Erin 20160510

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

In a month it will be Ramadan, which I'm sure you know is the fasting month for Muslims.  This is where Muslims abstain from food, drink, and sexual activity from dawn to sunset.  Don't swear, smoke or pick your nose either.  I like Ramadan.  Most people dread Ramadan because they don't get stuff their faces, but I like Ramadan.  I usually spend the night cooking, then there's more to do and eat after sunset.  There is additional prayer activity at night every night, which I attend.  You can try fasting if you want, but don't bother if it's insincere.  There are no fence-sitters in matters of faith.  If faith is half-assed, then it is no faith.  Just to let you know that after we marry inshaAllah, we will engage in religious activity together just as we would go everywhere together.  I will teach you how to be a Muslim, that way I will take the burden/blame for your religious obligations.  Who knows, perhaps you will surpass me.

Lunch was hot sour soup with tomatoes, okra, Enoki mushrooms, chicken and egg.  I was going to put noodles, but the bugs gor into the noodles and I had chuck the whole lot out.  Dinner was a huge hash brown pancake with a single burger patty,  Whoops!  Forgot to photograph it!

I didn't know it was Mother's Day the other day.  Good thing you are so socially conscious about these things.  So I'm posting some photos of my Mama here today.  My Mom turns 78 next month.  I love you, Mom!  Trying to photograph my Mom was like trying to photograph a cat.  I dug up my mother a huge tapioca, but she made me give it to the neighbor.  I'm sure it's all business and travel for you right now.  Please stay safe, and have a good time OK?  I love you and I need you.

Please allow me to say something to Antonia.

Dear Antonia: India, huh?  I'm sure you would have a great time if you visited there, but I don't recommend that you accept work from there.  Don't be easily lured by "Bollywood."  Don't forget to try to visit some cheese makers for me when you're in Europe OK?

Letter to Erin 20160509

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

At least now I know to build you a lab instead of a gym.  Just promise me that we stay physically fit, OK?  I don't want you to be one of those bloated or emaciated scientists.  So what's it going to be?  Electrical?  Computers?  Mechanical?  Just promise me it isn't going to be chemical or biological.  I can't handle toxic waste.  Unless it's botany, because the world needs more plants.  And you can help me in the studio when I do takes.  You might just be the only other person besides me to witness my production routine. 

I don't blame you for not wanting to be Top Cat.  Me, I don't have a competitive bone in my body.  So don't you worry, just be my girl and I will look after you inshaAllah.  In the spiritual hierarchy there is no contest, but since people want to be God it turns into a competition.  The simplest spiritual awareness is this: either you believe in God, or you don't.  In this matter, you can't vacillate: you are either with God, or an enemy of God.  Enemies of God are atheists, those who worship other than God, and those who worship many gods.  Don't think that every spiritual understanding is God in some way, for that is actually joining partners with God.  So do not prefer the friendship of unbelievers over believers, for this is hypocrisy for which there is a severe penalty.

Grass sure grows quickly around here, and now it's raining.  I managed to cut the grass over at your house inshallah.  Those creepers coming over from the west side are a serious nuisance!  They're creeping over deadwood and vines, and they're choking up my weed whacker.  I'm going to have to chop and scrape them up, it's going to take time and work to do that, and they're just going to grow again.  Poison is the answer, but I can't afford that yet.  While I was cutting the grass, I happened to graze Mr. Frog with the rotating blade, and I hurt his back legs.  Oh no, I'm sorry Mr. Frog!  I didn't see you in the thick grass!  I put him aside, and eventually he recovered and managed to hop away slowly.

Anyway, I have to practice bass now.  Everyday I think of you, and I think of what to write to you.  You're my girl!  I love you and I need you.

Letter to Erin 20160508

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

Having no privacy takes some getting used to, but here are some tips that I learned by experience:

1.  Ignore the crowd.
2.  Be only 10% (or less) connected to the Internet.
3.  Talk with people you trust face to face, everybody else via medium.  Or if you're me, I don't talk to anybody at all.
4.  Don't count on the crowd to save your life. They just want to watch.  Unless you are with people who would give their lives to save yours, make sure you are the first to call 911.

Pisces, huh?  If only all people were as beautiful as you.  I'm not a March 4, I'm a February 28.  I told you this, right?  What does your book have to say about me?  Bugsy Siegel was born exactly 60 years before me.  What do I have in common with Bugsy?  I lived an early life of crime.  I don't know why, and I feel sorry for my parents.  I snapped out of it, or rather God kicked me out of it.  God saved me and my life over and over again.  It's as if God had more faith in me than I did in God.  Humans are so ungrateful.  That's why someone as beautiful as you needs to be loved and protected.  But I have nothing else in common with Bugsy.  I don't believe in astrology.  I think it's a load of crap.  Otherwise I would be like Bugsy Siegel, which would make me extremely dangerous.  And I'm not.  Seriously, I'm a hummingbird.  But I'm thinking that it would be useful to have that quality to protect my loved ones.  To help protect you, because I love you and I need you.  But Allah is the Best to protect.  So please pray.  Ya Allah, please protect my Erin.

If you think that I'm traditional, then you don't know me at all.  If it seems that I'm religious, it's because God has been my only friend for the most part, and I don't want to be ungrateful.  Did you know that I lived 4 years as a woman 24/7?  Then I started playing the drums, and became too bulky and butt-ugly, there was no going back.  No, that's not it: while I was looking for a photo to show you, I decided that I have always been butt-ugly.  Might as well be a man.  And what I do with music is absolutely against tradition.  That's why the music business loathes me and wants to destroy me.  As for being a free spirit and not being tied down, I have yet to be married.  Now I'm 50 years old.  Is it freer to stay free or give up your freedom to have a mate?  Freedom from your freedom.  Welcome to my trap.  You are MINE, and I'm not letting you go.  But I gave my spirit to Allah as payback for being my only friend.

For lunch, I made some chicken fried rice with pineapple.  The photo looks impressive, but the pineapple was sour and the chunks were too big, so my mouth was a bit sore after eating.  Next time, I'll use sweet pineapple, in smaller chunks.  I had a craving for pizza, so I made myself a sausage and basil pizza.  Everything is top notch alhamdulillah, except for the cheese.  Sliced cheese.  I can't afford mozzarella.  Or caviar.  They had a small banquet at the mosque after the night prayer, so I had a little of that.  I guess I ate a lot today.

Please allow me to say something to Antonia.

Dear Antonia, I'm glad to see that you're learning how to waste time.  Hey, while you're in Europe, how about you pick up some connections in the cheese industry?  By the way, I don't think that wearing a baggy shirt with short shorts looks good on you.  It makes you look like an ostrich.  How about a pair of jeans instead?  And please be cautious in whatever you do, OK?  Ya Allah, please protect Antonia.

Letter to Erin 20160507

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

Hey Baby!  How's it going, my beautiful Erin?  I hope you're getting lots of rest.  Calm your heart Sweetie, and be cool.  There's more to come.  It's not easy being Top Cat, but I'm with you inshaAllah.  You can do it, my lioness.  And you can do it well.  I love you and I need you.  Say "Hi" to your Mom and Dad for me.  I put some of my baby photos here for you to laugh at.  My phone camera is crummy, and I don't have a scanner but hey, it's fun to look at.

Today has been a mess of leftovers.  My Mom gave me some leftovers as well, so I had to use those up too.  I had errands to run before Friday prayers, then I made a batch of my home made halal beef sausage, and I was running out of time for lunch.  I had leftover sweet and sour sauce and a whole chicken, so I cut off one of the thighs and fried it while I worked.  It didn't cook all the way, but I sliced off whatever meat I could, chucked them into the simmering sauce, and gave the rest to the cats.  I did have time to cut the grass in the evening, after being stuck in the kitchen the whole week.  The grass sure grows quickly around here, especially now after it rained.  Dinner was just a bunch of leftovers thrown together in a pot as chicken soup.  Not worth photographing.  Hey, you make sure you get lots of rest, OK?  Pray, and get your mind set for the next round, Scrapper.

Please allow to say something to Antonia.

Dear Antonia, are you longing to go home as well?  Isn't Germany right next door to France?  How's business?  That's a very pretty photo of you with that kid from Cape Town.  I thought South Africa was well off compared to the rest of the African nations.  Be cool and optimistic, OK?

Letter to Erin 20160506

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

Aw, you poor little sweetheart.  I'm glad you got home safely.  You may not have noticed it, but you have been working 24/7 for the past 2 weeks.  Take a break, honey.  Sleep for a day.  I love you and I need you.

Me, I've been so busy in the kitchen for whatever reason.  I didn't have time to prepare my lunch because I had to run some errands, buying food and grocery products among other things, but my Mom gave me some glutenous rice, and I diced up a mango and enjoyed it with the rice.  No, not a harumanis mango.  Mama tree didn't flower because of the drought, so there's no fruit this year.  Can't buy it, either.  Sold out.  It rained in the evening, so I stayed in the kitchen and made dinner.  It's sweet and sour grouper with steamed rice!  For the sauce, I blended onions with pineapple core, sauteed that with chopped garlic and shrimp head paste, then added the ketchup, and lime juice for the sour.  Thick sauce.  I put in chunks of red onion, pineapple, and tomato last.  Want some?

In today's letter, I included a piece of cat art, titled "Floofy in Virtual Needlework" or "The Dark-eyed Meower".

Letter to Erin 20160505

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

Hello beautiful Erin.  My dearest heart.  You mean the world to me, and I love you and I need you.  There's no need to feel meek, my lioness.  I'm with you, I am your knight in armor of shadow.  Just be cool, business as usual.  Smiles, smiles!  You are the most beautiful girl in the world.  You are MY girl.

Oh, what's cooking today?  I made a batch of dough.  It will be pizza again soon, and I need to make my marinara sauce and my home made halal beef sausage.  Lunch was spicy chicken liver and onions over hash browns.  I just went to the supermarket and got over a kilo of tomatoes for about RM2!  I bought some grouper at the night market Monday, and I'll be making sweet and sour sauce to go with it.  My Mom gave me a pineapple, so I'll peel it tomorrow.  Wanna join me for dinner?

 With your permission, I would like to say hello to Antonia.

Dear Antonia: hello, funny girl.  Here's a video for you.

Qur'an 20160505

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

127.  They ask your instruction concerning the women.  Say, "Allah does instruct you about them, and what has been rehearsed unto you in the Book, concerning the orphans of women to whom you give not the portions prescribed and yet whom you desire to marry, as also concerning the children who are weak and oppressed: that you stand firm for justice to orphans."  There is not a good deed which you do, but Allah is well-acquainted therewith.

(The Women 4:127)
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