Qur'an 20161123

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

14.  For God is prayer in Truth.  Any others that they call upon besides God hear them no more than if they were to stretch forth their hands for water to reach their mouths, but it reaches them not, for the prayer of those without Faith is nothing but wandering.

15.  Whatever beings there are in the heavens and the earth do prostrate themselves to Allah, with goodwill, or in spite of themselves.  So do their shadows, in the mornings and evenings.

16.  Say, "Who is the Lord and Sustainer of the heavens and the earth?"  Say, "Allah."  Say, "Do you then take protectors other than God, such as have no power either for good, or for harm to themselves?"  Say, "Are the blind equal with those who see?  Or the depths of darkness equal with light?"  Or do they assign to Allah partners who have created as God has created, so that the creation seemed to them similar?  Say, "Allah is the Creator of all things.  God is the One, the Supreme and Irresistible."

The Thunder 13:14-16
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It's been a cat poo kind of day

Hi Erin!  Nice jacket.  You are looking so beautiful.  You must be feeling great, because you always look your best when you feel great.  I can see you're moving up in the sports world.  Congratulations, honey.  Rake in those bucks, and buy those gold bars like I told you.  And practice cooking every day.  Remember what I told you: cook for your stomach first, flavor comes second.  Use a medium flame until you gain confidence.  I know you don't like your own cooking right now, but there is your goal: get to the point where you like your own cooking.  Throw dinner parties at your home with your friends.

Yesterday, I managed to get my air conditioner serviced at last.  A curious thing happened though.  I had just finished the Asr (late afternoon) prayer.  I pray right underneath the a/c.  Now the a/c is sparkling clean of course, it had just been serviced.  Right after I picked up my prayer rug, a piece of cat poo popped out of the a/c.  How did that get in there?  The a/c guys couldn't have put that in there, even if they wanted to.

Today, Floofy got some poop tangled up with the fur around her butt.  She's a long haired kitty, so she tried to drag her butt on the floor to wipe the poop off, which only tangled it up further.  I got some toilet paper to pull the poop off, but since it was right next to her butt hole, it was like pulling poop out of her butt.  Of course, she was struggling all this time.  So I slipped on a latex glove, took her to the bathroom, turned on the hose, and proceeded to yank out that tangled up poop with the help of the water.  Try doing that to a struggling cat: I needed an extra pair of hands.  After the ordeal was over, I wouldn't let her into my bedroom, so she spent an hour howling by my bedroom door.  Eventually she got all the poop out by herself.

Natty honey, are you counting your fingers again?  We're all waiting for something, dear.  I hope you will be patient and wait for me, while I get my shit together.  I know I'm slow, but everything could move at the speed of light at any time, if it be the Will of Allah.  So please be patient with me, and please enjoy your career in the meanwhile.  Learn how to cook.

You too, Piene.  Cook.

A declaration of failure

Erin, your bod is totally ripped!  You're so sexy!  I love those armpits.

I regret to announce that I have declared the hummus cheeseburgers that I made yesterday a failure.  When I thought about it, it was like eating a burger with fries in it.  A burger with fries is awesome, a burger with fires in it is wrong.  I won't ever make that again.

Natty, did you get your new winter coat yet?

Piene, you're hungry!  You poor thing!  Tonight, go out and eat pasta.  Make sure you are full.  Before you take the first bite, whisper "In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful."

Hummus chesseburgers

I had a craving for cheeseburgers again, but I thought I would be creative today.  Since I am able to fry up hummus cakes in a circle mold, I put together hummus cheeseburgers.  With sliced bread, because I was too lazy to hunt for burger buns.  Sliced bread tastes better than burger buns anyway.  So hummus cheeseburgers, with mayo, black pepper, sliced tomatoes, mustard greens, sauteed onions, hummus, burgers, melted cheese, and my Mom's "sambal belacan" (hot sauce) under the melted cheese.  Stacked high!  Wow... filling.  Want one?

Fun?  FUN?  Natty, are you trying to tell me that you're NOT having fun in Paris?  Did you know that every girl dreams of going to Paris?  I think it's time you got a new winter coat, because that furry thing you're wearing looks worn out.  A new winter coat, something French.  Tell your bosses that I want you to transfer to IMG Paris, and to give you a new winter coat.

Piene, do you want a hummus cheeseburger?

Movie of the day is "Serpico".  Watch it.

Water

Juice is nice, and it's made out of filtered water.  A beautiful and sensitive girl like you must surely hate the flavor of tap water, and so do I.  I use only filtered water for drinking, and I buy it in 20 liter portions which come in reusable bottles.  I always try to keep an extra bottle around, perhaps more in the future.  I just use tap water for cooking rice and making dough, after all, who can tell the difference?  Rain water here is fairly clean, but I don't have a catch water system.  I'm sure the rain water in NYC is pretty gross.  What to do for emergency water?

Natty, you tease!  Do you like Paris?  How about you live in Paris instead of New York?

Doutzen and the 20 liter drinking water bottle.

Qur'an 20161119

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

106.  And most of them believe not in Allah without associating with God!

107.  Do they then feel secure from the coming against them of the covering veil of the wrath of Allah, or of the coming against them of the Hour, all of a sudden, while they perceive not?

108.  Say you, "This is my Way.  I do invite unto Allah, on evidence clear as the seeing with one's eyes, I and whoever follows me.  Glory to Allah!  And never will I join gods with Allah!"

109.  Nor did We send before you any but men, whom We did inspire, living in human habitations.  Do they not travel through the earth, and see what was the end of those before them?  But the home of the Hereafter is best, for those who do right.  Will you not then understand?

110.  Until when Our messengers give up hope, and think they were treated as liars, there reaches them Our help,and those whom We will are delivered into safety.  But never will be warded off Our punishment from those who are in sin.

Joseph 12:106-110
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Rice

I won't abandon you Erin, inshaAllah.  You're my girl.  So please have faith and pray.  I don't do acupuncture, but I can give a fair massage.  Musician's fingers.  I don't have the luxury of others doing relaxing therapy upon me, I have to doctor myself.  Plus this music gives me a spiritual responsibility that nobody else has, so I have to get my assurance and instruction directly from Allah via the Qur'an.  The Prophet (peace be on him) has visited me 6 times in my dreams already, so I have also received instructions from him.

Speaking of spirituality, I was putting around on the roof this evening, adjusting the shingles and covering up the holes.  Then an eagle with a white head flew low above me from the west.  No, it wasn't a bald eagle.  We don't have that here.  But an eagle with a white head here is most likely a sea eagle.

Natty, if you choose to stay in New York then you will be subject to what other New Yorkers endure.  The best way to avoid the crash is to stay away from America when it happens, and since you are Canadian then you have an easy escape.  No, I don't know when it will happen.  God always tests humans from directions they do not perceive.  If you choose to stay in New York, then please make preparations for crisis like I have been instructing Erin.  Have your bosses relocate you to London or France or something.

Before you start cooking, say "In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful."

Lunch today was pan-fried hummus with eggs and sauteed onions.  I prefer hummus fried in oil in some way, because it tastes nuttier.  If you were to make hummus cakes like I did today, then you must cook it with the lid on so they cook all the way.

My rice pot is to be part of an electric rice cooker, but the power cord shorted out.  Darned technology.  So I just cook rice in it on the stove top.  It is about 7 inches wide, and has a lid that fits snugly.

One cup of rice.

I wash the rice 3 times (mostly to remove debris and bugs if any), then measure the water level with the first phalange of my index finger.

On a medium-low fire, cook off the water without the lid until the water level reaches the rice level.

Then put the lid on and reduce the heat to low.  Cook it until it stops steaming, then shut off the heat.  Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes.