Counting your blessings...(bersyukur)

Assalamualaikum & good day,

Lately, I've been catching myself doing a lot of complaints & grumblings...like..."medical life is hard"..."I am officially broke"..."I am not good-looking enough"....

While at the same time forgetting that I am truly blessed, it's just I doesn't realise it...because you see..it's so easy to complete the above sentences with...

medical life is hard...but at least I am given the opportunity to learn & have an education..
I am officially broke...but at least I still have enough money to eat square meals every day...
I am not good-looking enough...but at least I am in good health & dont have any disabilities...

Aren't we all like that sometimes? We think that Allah/God is being unfair.....that life is being unfair to us...

But take a break & count your blessings..sometimes it is so important yet we dont realize it, we tend to overlook it..

for example..how can you read these writings? Because you have eyes that gives us the lovely gift of sight...which begs the question: how many of us has been grateful to God for our eyes?

& that's just one example of overlooked blessings...there are many more blessings that we never take the time to appreciate...our friends..our health.. our healthy psyche..

& yet we always seemed to want more...we are always jealous of other people's lives...but maybe we should remember too..that the grass always seemed to be greener on the other side...

It is stated in the Koran, chapter Ibrahim, verse 34:

"And He giveth you of all that ye ask for. But if ye count the favours of Allah, never will ye be able to number them. Verily, man is given up to injustice and ingratitude."

True, right? If we are to sit down & try to count our blessings..we will never be able to count them. God has given us so much, yet we are being ungrateful & asked for more.

So, my friends, the next time you are feeling down in the dumps, feeling that God has given you a hard deal, or anything is giving you a hard time...remember to count your blessings..& smile...& your life will not seem so bad, in fact, not bad at all....

On turning 23...

Assalamualaikum & good morning,

So I am finally 23 years of age. Alhamdulillah, through Allah's grace I managed to stay alive up to this point. I am really glad.

Hopefully, this will finally be the year I made good on my unfulfilled promises of yester-years, & I will be able to achieve my dreams, & I can be the man that I always hoped to be..
( I seem to be using these words often, didn't I? :) )

Insya-Allah, with His mercy & guidance...I will change myself for the better...& be on the right path..all the way...

Political upheavals...

Assalamualaikum & good day,

It seems that thru out the world, politics in many countries are undergoing changes.

*My own country Malaysia is holding her latest general elections come this March 8.

*Kosovo has break away from Serbia and have declared their independence.

I hope that the new leaders who will be elected will do their job well, serve the people, and not just concerned with their own honeypots.

But sadly, that's the norm these days. Politicians are giving politics a bad name due to their antics. Involved in corruption, implicated in sexual cases, hoarding money from trust funds, saying stupid things or unbecoming things in the public, displaying total lack of knowledge & disregard to sensitivities...

It's so hard to find a decent politician these days. The ones who genuinely care for the well-being of the people under their care, the ones who are willing to go the extra mile in helping his subjects...

Well, well, look who's rambling. I also must repair my faults first haha. All the best for the election nominees in Malaysia. May the best (caring) politician wins...

p/s: I havent' registered to be a voter....I am already 23...why oh why I haven't had the common sense...

Why am I blogging again...?

Assalamualaikum & good day,

Don't know what drives me to do it, but today I went blog-hopping. Haha, dunno whether such a term exist, but what yours truly is referring to is, I went thru some established blogs in the world of blogging to learn some pointers or too. Well, let's just say it's an Eye-opener.
I realized that I still have lots to learn in this art of blogging.

I like some of the experienced bloggers ways of presenting their ideas..easy to digest..funny..colourful without being garish..factual without being preachy..haha

& I looked at my previous posts..& urgghhh...makes me want to throw up!..haha..not all of the posts anyway...but seriously...haneef, go figure!

Well I guess it takes time & effort..I guess..to be really good in blogging..haha time & effort..2 things that I am notoriously always have in short order..

Oh well, maybe I should examine why I want to blog again...
*I want to sharpen my literary wit (English esp)...since sages always say that we must improve
our strengths right?
& sadly my only identifiable strength in this world, is my *passable* command of English.
*To meet other people, from which I can learn new things..so that we can all be better persons.
*To blow off some steam...so that I will not sunk into depression
*To teach myself the art of communicating your ideas to the people, to the masses..

There! I think that's about it...haha..lofty ideals...the problem with being me is...I always make plans, but never acted upon them...

As John Lennon said,

The world is what happens to us, when we are busy making plans.

Oh, btw, I tried to test my blog on one of those readability test for a 2nd time, (the 1st time around I get junior high school), & guess what I got this time around!? an elementary school status!

My days are complete...

As-Shahid Imam Hassan Al-Banna..Anniversary of death

Assalamualaikum,

Just want to share a posting by my friend Ustok, about a Muslim individual, whose works should never be forgotten...Imam Hassan Al-Banna.

Here is the link.

Updated: A kind Indonesian couple, who currently resides in Kuwait, shared with us here an Indonesian translation of a letter written by Imam Hassan Al Banna's father, in conjunction with Imam Hassan's martyrdom, here.

Thank you. May Allah bless u.

Thx for the Feb Party guys..

Last night, some of my batchmates band together to celebrate friends whose birthday falls in February, at the local Pizza Hut. I am also a member of this happy little group.

Happy birthdays..to Aisyah KG. Shah KG, Ida, Nani, & Azra..may God bless u all.

Thx to my friends who have organized the event: Nadiah, Pong, Toy, Kuden, & others that I may forgot to mention..

Thx for all friends who managed to attend..& for friends who are unable to come..thx for the heartfelt wishes...

Thx for the presents too...will cherish it always..

If there's only one regret...I hoped that I was the one who won the musical chair haha...but I wasn't a competitive person anyway...

Thx guys...

What is your brain gender...?

Assalamualaikum & good day...

I have always wanted to post this...just haven't had the idea how best to put it..

Last year I watched this documentary titled "Brain Sex" (part of the BBC series: Secret of the Sexes), its main idea is about that although humans can be males or females, our brain might be the opposite 'gender'. That means that you might be a guy with a 'female' brain.

The theory goes that in the 10th week of gestation, each fetus will be exposed to a testosterone surge (I forgot whether it's from the mother or the fetus). The amount of testosterone to which the fetus is exposed will determine the gender of the brain, i.e. the more testosterone amount you are exposed to, the more 'male' your brain will be, & vice versa. This means that if a human's brain is put on a straight line, one end would be 100% female brain, going along the line to 1% female brain. & the midpoint will be 0%, meaning that you have a 'neutral' brain. Then the line will arrive at 1% of male brain, going further down the line, with the other end is 100% male brain.

The amount of testoterone surge theoretically influences the growth ratio of the index finger to the ring finger. The more testosterone you are exposed to, the longer your ring finger will be relative to your index finger. That's why men usually have a longer ring finger relative to their index fingers..while women usually have index fingers & ring fingers of the same length.

Apparently, your brain's gender will affect your personality & strengths. 'Male' brains tend to be good in spatial & visual ability, mechanics, while 'female' brains are better in understanding face emotions, emphatizing, & verbal ability. Usually, males will have predominantly 'male' brains, & vice versa for females.

However, sometimes a person can have a brain of the opposite gender. E.g. a female can have a 'male' brain. This explains why some women are really good engineers. In the documentary, there is a female aeronautics engineer. Based on the tests, she is predicted as having a 'male' brain. She managed to perform visual & spatial tasks on the same level as the men. & yes, her ring finger is longer than her index finger.

If you guys are interested in checking the gender of your brain, here is the BBC website for the tests. But do it when you connection is good, because it might take about 30 minutes.

What is my brain gender? I suspect that I have a female brain, (yeah, no joking!)...well, let's just say I am half correct. I have a 50% male brain.....no wonder I am single haha, I am not manly enough...

Do tell me your results ok? That is..if u are ok with that...(^^)

Past-dweller no more...

Assalamualaikum & good day,

I am currently reading Sang Pemimpi (The Dreamer), by Andrea Hirata..courtesy of my friend Toy (it's a short form of Tahira btw, not the way she wants to be treated)..& one of the few lines that piques my interest was..

"Ajaibnya sang waktu, masa lalu yang menyakitkan lambat laun bisa menjelma menjadi nostalgia romantik yang tak ingin dilupakan"

(So miraculous is Time, the painful past can eventually be a romantic nostalgia that we wouldn't like to forget)

Mr Andrea hits the nail here. I mean, haven't we always heard in the course of conversations..."Oh I wish I was back in the days when I was so & so..."
Some retirees want to go back working...working people wants to go back to university days..university students like me wanted to be back in their school days...adults wanted to be children...

In short, most people will occasionally resent their present situation & thinks of the past as more exciting or happy days...maybe its due to aging bodies, crumbling idealism & youthful outlook..weary of life..

& we seemed to forget that in the past, our life was also not always sweet & rosy. Life being what it is, it will never be easy. It will always pose us with challenges, problems...so that in the end...we will better persons because of them..

Haha...I don't say it's wrong to reminisce with a wistful sigh, but dwelling in the past will not do anyone any good.
You must live in the present, the past as lessons, the future as dreams that you want to achieve.

I am posting this because I realized..that all my life I have been a past-dweller, unwilling to forgive myself of my past sins..& running away from the problems at present, unwilling to face them..

We can cherish our pasts, but we must also learn to move on with life...
I hope...that I am a past-dweller no more....

These past 23 years...

Beside a garden pond, sat a young man..lost in thought...
Not for the first time in life, but this was different..
His next birthday is approaching..in less than a week's time he will reach 23...

He was a bit sad..because it dawned on him that he 'might' have wasted his life...ever since he can reason...on each of his birthday he always make a pact, or promise, with himself, that
"this year, is the year that I will finally be good, that I will become the kind of person that I have always wanted to be"

He looked back, & he saw 10 broken promises..and dreams shattered..
On each birthday..he realized that along the past year...he have failed to realize his dreams.. again...

He thinks that he has been a failure..that his existence in this world is not justified..because in his eyes...he sees that everyone in this world is important...has a role to play...everyone but him..

As a son, he has failed to fulfill his parents' wishes & in repaying their kindness...as the eldest brother..he has failed to become a loving & model brother..
As a friend, he has failed to be a good friend...to be caring & considerate to others...
As a human being, he hasn't contributed anything worthwhile to the human society..

& what is worse, he thinks that he has sinned too much in God's eyes...to be given His forgiveness & His blessings...

For you see, the man harbours deep secrets...unseen crimes...to his friends he might appear kind & good...but he is not good...his friends might be shocked if they really know him..
He feels dirty & ashamed with himself because he has fooled other people with his acting "nice & good"..
He likes & identifies himself with the song Reflection by Christina Aguilera... "Why is my reflection someone I don't know...When will my reflection show who I am inside..."

Every day of his life has been a constant struggle..he always want to be good..but everytime he will be lead astray by his lust & bad habits..

But this time..on his 11th promise..he intend to fulfill it...to make good of the promise..
He wanted to become a better person & a kind person, this time for real, no more false pretences ...
& this time, he hoped that God will smile for him, help him in loosening the Devil's hold on his poor self..& forgive him for his mountainous past transgressions...his past mistakes...

Maybe he is feeling that this year the winds of change are upon him..

& to the God above he recite this solemn prayer, with the pond as his witness:

O Allah,
Please help me:
in finding the right path..leading away from this darkness in my heart
in being a good servant to you, a good son, a good brother, a good friend, a good human
in loving myself & being grateful for what you have given me
in realizing my true potential..in improving on my strengths & minimizing my weaknesses

He gets up & walked home, smiling...for he believed & truly hoped that..there won't be anymore broken promises...& the eleventh time is the charm...

Health & Free Time

Assalamualaikum & good day...

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) once said:
"Two of the blessings that are most always forgotten by Man: Health & Free time."

Last week I got really sick..it's been a while since I last fell sick..& when God gave it to me...He gave it quite bad hehe...

Well, the fault's mine anyway...wasn't eating right, so my stomach was filled with air...& I wasn't sleeping enough...next time I know...I woke up the next day feeling very nauseous...& vomit about 3 times that day. I think I haven't vomitted that much for 4 years now. Later in the day I developed diarrhea & slight fever. The diarrhea took me 3 days to clear out.

During my sickness, I truly appreciate being healthy all this while. I was unable to eat, unable to move freely, feeling dizzy, chilly, & what nots.
For 4 days my productivity dropped. So after I get better, I have to finish all my work in reduced time...& at that time I really appreciate my free time...& wish I hadn't wasted them...

Thank you God for reminding me of the importance of health & free time..... (^^)

& thx to my friends who helped me & wished me well through my sickness. There could never be better friends.