Aw Erin

How are you feeling, Honey?  I want you to know that I love you so much, and I long with all my heart to be with you.  I will always love you, my beautiful Erin.  Everything will come together for us inshaAllah, so please be patient.  Can't you tell the world is shaping itself around us?  I won't abandon you my dearest, I promise.  It's just a matter of time inshaAllah.  Meanwhile, be the heart of America that you are, and enjoy it.  For you are so precious and beautiful.  I will be on Second Life again everyday in the morning inshaAllah, so please IM me.  Right now I won't be at the chat room, because I will be working on my wardrobe.  My username is unknown7.  We can talk, but first you will have to convince me that you're you.  After that, I'll just give you my email.  Talk to me Honey, I'm always here for you.

Congratulations Natty, on your Harper's cover.  You probably thought you would finally get some rest, but I guess when it rains, it pours.  Don't you ever feel restricted or frustrated.  Don't ever despair, there's nothing to despair about.  You are at the top of the world, and I am with you.  You are probably still really busy, so try to focus on rest whenever you can.  Take plenty of naps.

Coconut as staple food? part 3

Hi Erin!  What's up, Honey?  I expect you are busy being football ambassador.  Good, because America needs you.  I spent the entire day dealing with coconuts, pretty much.  My Mom as you know, loves baby coconut juice and I spent most of the morning opening up and processing coconuts.  Now the locals consume coconuts in 2 ways: either as green baby coconuts where the juice is sweet, the flesh is tender and the shell is soft, or as grey mature fruit where the juice is scarce and unpalatable, the meat is hard, and the shell and husk are hard and dry.  The ancients used a round blade with many sharp teeth to scrape the hard meat from the shell, and that would usually be processed into coconut milk.  The scrapings would also be used as stuffing.  What I have are green coconuts where the meat is beginning to harden, but too soft to scrape- between baby and mature.  Nowadays we have blenders, so I blend that meat with water then strain it to separate the meat from the milk.  Now after straining, the meat takes on the shape of grain, white like rice but can be eaten raw, with the crunch like a fresh carrot.  This gave me the idea to eat it like grain.  However, it does have a higher fat content than rice.  It doesn't become any more tender with boiling or cooking, but it can be browned to get a nuttier flavor.  The locals typically brown the scrapings of the mature coconut to make something called "kerisik", which they use to flavor a traditional beef recipe.  So for dinner, I browned the coconut grains then added salt and pepper and sauteed garlic, onions and hot peppers, then folded it all in with chopped chives.  I arranged some kale leaves and put the mix in the middle with sliced chicken liver sauteed in butter on top.  I used the kale like tortillas to wrap the food.  Delicious!  Filling!  Easy on the stomach!  Alhamdulillah!

Natty Sweetie, you must be home by now, and trying to rest.  But you have too much energy!  Oh no!  What are we going to do?  Come here, I want to squeeze you.  It a good thing you went through the last month clean (at least I hope you did), otherwise you wouldn't have remembered much of it...

Pina, the Japanese put vinegar in the rice they use for sushi.  I personally can't eat that rice because it hurts my stomach, so when I make sushi I use plain rice without vinegar.  I don't think you will be able to find anyplace in Japan that doesn't put vinegar in their sushi rice, so I hope your tummy isn't hurting too bad.  Or you can just eat at McDonald's.

Zoolander

Oh, I saw Zoolander for the first time!  Well actually, I've seen flashes of the movie way back when I had cable TV, but I never sat through the entire movie for some reason.  I guess I'm not that into male models.  But I saw the whole movie a couple nights ago, and it is quite funny.  Prime Minister of Malaysia... oh please.  But I am sure you are quite and very literate with the computer, right?  You can meet me in Second Life someday, right?  For lunch today, I had coconut cream of mushroom soup with kale. Very tasty.  Want some?

You should know by now why you're so marketable, Natty.  It because everyone wants my girl.  That's because they know she's so totally HOT.  By the way, that shadow figure is the background is a cute idea and all, but it's not a blessing for me.  I need to make money so I can afford to be married and buy musical instruments.

Pina, you look totally cute in that outfit by Dolce and Gabbana!

Peace of mind

Hey Natty honey!  I haven't forgotten you.  How could I ever forget little old you?  Yesterday was the 4th anniversary of when I proposed to Erin.  I didn't have any money then, so I offered a song as dowry.  I still don't have any money, but I can't offer music as dowry anymore- it absolutely has to be a ring, so please forgive me.  Time and my heart crawls because I'm too broke to support wives, but as far as I understand, when things happen they happen FAST.  How are you feeling?  You've had the most incredible month of your entire life, I'm sure.  I wanna celebrate with you!  Go shopping!  Jump into bed with you!  You look like you have a lot of energy.  Don't be lonesome Sweetie, I'm with you.  Put your trust in God, and pray OK?

Do you like that song, Erin?  It was actually written by me and Ivo J Shanks.  I made an error on the copyright credit, because I forgot because I was pressed for time because I had to replace the power supply of my computer by October 3.  So the song is copyright Azham Abdullah and Ivo J Shanks.  The first version was recorded on a 4 track cassette tape recorder, oh my God, 29 years ago.  Ivo sang and I played guitar.  I wasn't very good back then, but that is the original guitar riff that you hear.  And I had absolutely no peace of mind.  22 years old, are you kidding?  Oh my God, I was only starting to get into trouble... oh my God, I haven't even started yet today...

I didn't know about the Vegas shooting until someone in the chat room told me, by that time the news was almost a day old.  Which is strange to me because I check the news several times a day, as often as I check on my wife.  So I showed up, without knowing, at the chat room in a red trench coat with white polka dots.  I took it off quickly (to reveal a rather slutty dress but I don't dress like this in real life), but I think I upset some people.  I read that the shooter was a multi-millionaire accountant, a normal Joe with no criminal history other than his dad being a dangerous felon.  I guess money doesn't bring peace of mind, so it kind of irritates me that almost everybody makes a big deal about money.  I guess money doesn't bring security, that's why some billionaires run for president.  Would he have done the deed if he had had righteous upbringing?  It is not righteous to murder innocent people, no matter what the extremists rationalize.

To my understanding, to be rid of all desire is the way to peace of mind.  To abandon the need for material things is the means to rid yourself of stress and desire.  In Islam, we are instructed to look past what is in this life, the world and materialism, in favor of the Hereafter.  Would you have peace of mind if you didn't have all the stuff you accumulated through years of hard work?  I want you to live comfortably, that is my responsibility.  But heaven is a better place.  In Islam, we are instructed that God is the Great Provider, and to worship and place our trust in God.  And death is the ultimate peace of mind, the great release from all the burdens of this world.  But only for the righteous- for the unrighteous, death is the beginning of more torment.  In Islam, we are instructed that we must be ready for death all the time, because death can come at any time.  Or are you seeking peace of mind from having to be a celebrity and life in the Public Eye?  Most celebrities crave that- normal people do not have concerns beyond making a living and raising a family.  Or are you seeking peace of mind from who you are and who I am?  Well, we don't want to be anyone else, do we?  We're having so much fun, right?  Whatever it is, you don't have to sit in a lotus position to empty your mind and think of nothing.  You can sit on the couch, lie in bed, or walk in the park and still be able to empty your mind and think of nothing.  Be aware that Buddhism is a religion.  To sit in the lotus position and meditate is an act of worship of Buddhism.  Buddha is not God, he was a man.   Buddhists worship the Buddha, not God.  If you choose the path of Buddha, then you abandon the path of God.  Do not abandon God, or God will abandon you.  True spiritual awareness is the realization of God.  To be righteous and aware of God at all times.  Therefore true peace of mind is a gift from God, because Allah is the Protector of the righteous.

 

 

 

 

Happy Anniversary, Erin

It has been 4 years since I proposed to you.  Since I don't have money to give you a ring, all I could offer you was the music.  Today, I still can't afford to give you a ring, a house, and a secure married life.  InshaAllah I will do so, I have faith that I will do so, and I hope you have faith and pray along with me.  Meanwhile, I hope that Allah has given you wealth through this music that Allah has not given me, as many other people make a living from this music as I have not.  Thank you for your love and for putting up with me and being patient with me.

Please forgive me because I don't have a ring to give you today.  Instead, on the occasion of our anniversary, I give the world this song called "Reputation Unknown."  It's a bit overdriven, so please turn down the volume when you listen to it.

I love you.

Yay!

I got my computer fixed!  I am back in action!  Woo hoo!  Rock and Roll!

Oh Erin, what is that thing!  It's so beautiful.  I thought it was the most beautiful fish tank at first.  Imagine if an aquarium looked like that... that would be hell to clean.  Yeah there's a lot of drama going on, and it's on a global scale.  You're excited, aren't you?  Just remember who you are, Erin honey.  You're my Rock and Roll Queen.  Stay in the eye of the hurricane.  Please pray.

Oh Natty, those emotions of yours!  You've had an absolutely awesome 2 weeks that few girls ever get to live out.  Now keep your cool and don't worry: I am with you, and I think of you always OK?  Don't lose yourself, and don't forget to pray.

Pina, I am well known in Japan mashaAllah.  People will think you are one of my wives.  Are you?

8 hours sleep

Yes, that is what I have been getting lately, since the power supply of my computer blew up, and I can't get on Second Life.  I've had so much free time at night, that I've opted for sleeping early.  I guess I should be feeling well rested, but was still worn out in the middle of my set during voice training.  That had more to do with house cleaning in the morning than lack of sleep.  I suppose sleeping more is more a hobby, something to do.  Right now I have lots to do.  While I write this, I'm cooking up some young coconut meat.  I want to see how well it softens, so I can make a dessert.  Also, I am encoding a video.  I am sure there is a lot of drama going on over there, so I hope you are watching it instead of participating in it.  Stay in the eye of the hurricane, Honey.

Wooo Natty!  Ow!  Ow!  Ow!  So sexy!  What beautiful legs!  I like it!