Sayiddah from Bangladesh: I love Malaysia and am planning to make it my second home, when I retire.It's good for my kids, I want them to grow up in an Islamic country.
My advice:
Sorry to say, but I will not allow my beloved new classmate to do it.
Malaysia is far from Islamic, Malaysia is far from being a good place for your kids to grow.
would you agree with me?if no, why?
Thursday, October 30, 2008
An eye opener
These are the kids I see playing on the streets near my Language school.
Just yesterday, I saw an even smaller girl, running to the small shop next to the language centre to buy some everyday-medicine, perhaps for her mum. Imagine that.
As she was walking back, I offered her some food,but she refused,looking very shy. To her, I was a stranger, as I did not speak arabic. Kids here usually aren't afraid of being approached, but I just didn't know what to say or how to say it, so she might have felt a little odd. She ran back, in the middle of the road, and I saw her fall flat on her face. She got up, as if nothing happened, and continued running those baby steps untill her image was no longer visible to my awesome eyes.
In malaysia, babies like this, cry every day. falling down is one parent's worst fear. they have the best privileges. At that age,they should. That girl I saw, was no bigger than 3 years. Who lets their 3 year old child out on the streets. In malaysia, 6 year olds risked being kidnapped and raped. It's a crazy world we live in, and it's getting crazier by the minute.
these kids are poverty stricken, but I see them smiling generously as i look at them playing. They laugh when I showed them the picture I took. I can't help but feel they deserve better.who wouldn't?
People asked why I come to Egypt just to learn Arabic when you can do it in Malaysia. This, to me,is a good enough reason. getting out of my comfort zone and witnessing daily, how priviliged I am,is really what I need to put some sense in my mind. Not just for me to be extra grateful, but for me to actually adjust my priorities in life.
We find God in the most maginificent ways when we try.
Open your minds, don't be another Victim of this treacherous world.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Fun Fact of the Day
Today we're gonna talk about a fun fact.
If you read my previous posts, I mentioned something about my arabic lessons being interesting but of little help.
Therefore I decided to change to another language centre.
the New language centre is somehow better, even though i was in a class of 3 only.
My Ustaz as they call the teachers here, (Ustazah for female teachers), is a superb teacher.
So on the first day of my lesson, he told me a very interesting fact regarding numbers,numbers we use in our daily lives, in mathematics, in road signs, in addresses, in food recipes.
Generally most of us know that there are different numbers such as Greek numbers I.E- I, II,III,IV..... and the normal numbers we write everyday I.E 1,2,3,4.....
However, one very confused and mistaken perception is that The numbers we see in arabic newspapers and countries are arabic numbers, when it is actually Hindi/persian.
yeahs, ۱۲۳..... is not arabic numbers. They are hindi or persian, i can't quite remember.
But that's not quite the surprise.
The most unbelievable thing i found out, but is 100% fact and not fiction is that the real arabic numbers are the ones we use everyday, I.E 1,2,3,4,5,6.....
Everyone looked in disbelief because it is a norm that we usually say
I,II,III ...=greek numbers,
۱,۲,۳=arabic,
1,2,3,4= English.
The truth is, English is a thief of numbers.not that it's something to be vulgar about or anything like that.
It is said that, as the arabs traded with the hindis, they traded knowledge as well. Therefore, they started using hindi numbers and it became a common practice, just as the so-called English numbers were taken from the arabs.
So remember guys
I,II,III...- greek
۱۲۳....-Hindi
1,2,3,4- Arabic.
Get you facts right :)
Unbelievable?Believe it.
Ainul's Believe it or not.
If you read my previous posts, I mentioned something about my arabic lessons being interesting but of little help.
Therefore I decided to change to another language centre.
the New language centre is somehow better, even though i was in a class of 3 only.
My Ustaz as they call the teachers here, (Ustazah for female teachers), is a superb teacher.
So on the first day of my lesson, he told me a very interesting fact regarding numbers,numbers we use in our daily lives, in mathematics, in road signs, in addresses, in food recipes.
Generally most of us know that there are different numbers such as Greek numbers I.E- I, II,III,IV..... and the normal numbers we write everyday I.E 1,2,3,4.....
However, one very confused and mistaken perception is that The numbers we see in arabic newspapers and countries are arabic numbers, when it is actually Hindi/persian.
yeahs, ۱۲۳..... is not arabic numbers. They are hindi or persian, i can't quite remember.
But that's not quite the surprise.
The most unbelievable thing i found out, but is 100% fact and not fiction is that the real arabic numbers are the ones we use everyday, I.E 1,2,3,4,5,6.....
Everyone looked in disbelief because it is a norm that we usually say
I,II,III ...=greek numbers,
۱,۲,۳=arabic,
1,2,3,4= English.
The truth is, English is a thief of numbers.not that it's something to be vulgar about or anything like that.
It is said that, as the arabs traded with the hindis, they traded knowledge as well. Therefore, they started using hindi numbers and it became a common practice, just as the so-called English numbers were taken from the arabs.
So remember guys
I,II,III...- greek
۱۲۳....-Hindi
1,2,3,4- Arabic.
Get you facts right :)
Unbelievable?Believe it.
Ainul's Believe it or not.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Friends for-evahhhhh
I just read something that made me reminisce my primary school years.
My friend once said:
"Ainul, You can't live to please everyone."
It was true, and I learnt that too little too late as being the I-please-everyone-ainul ,had cost me my best student award. Sekolah Rendah only right?BIG DEAL.
It was. it still makes me sad untill now, but the silver lining is, I have a friend who still speaks of how disgruntled he is about the decision the school made. Don't get me wrong, I don't find pleasure in knowing a friend believes in me more than I do or the fact that someone actually thinks the school made the wrong decision. It's just enlightening how people just seem to look up to you after all those years and still remember the small but significant things about you.
Those friends are endangered and face gradual extinction. They deserve to be kept and preserved for eternity.
My friend once said:
"Ainul, You can't live to please everyone."
It was true, and I learnt that too little too late as being the I-please-everyone-ainul ,had cost me my best student award. Sekolah Rendah only right?BIG DEAL.
It was. it still makes me sad untill now, but the silver lining is, I have a friend who still speaks of how disgruntled he is about the decision the school made. Don't get me wrong, I don't find pleasure in knowing a friend believes in me more than I do or the fact that someone actually thinks the school made the wrong decision. It's just enlightening how people just seem to look up to you after all those years and still remember the small but significant things about you.
Those friends are endangered and face gradual extinction. They deserve to be kept and preserved for eternity.
I will never drive in Egypt.
I just had to put this here now.
In my previous post,i had mentioned a line about notorious Egyptian drivers.
They drive like hooligans.
The streets/roads here are pretty wide,in comparison to Malaysia. The normal main road,usually consists of 3 wide lanes. however, the drivers here, seem to come up with a doubling system. 3 wide lanes=6 small lanes. Cars are inches away from each other. They hon every 5 seconds and I'm not exaggerating. Almost all..on second thought, ALL cars are dented. Even the latest most luxurious cars can be seen with scratches and ugly dents. You can never find a car which gives signals. Side mirrors are usually there for deco.
The funniest thing was, as I was about to cross the street, I saw many weird vehicles from Army Trucks to donkeys all of which will annoyingly press their hon as they pass by just to warn pedestrians and other road users. at least, that's what I think their reason is. I was just laughing my ass off at the sight of that, you just have to witness it yourself to understand. Little did I know, that one way street is just another "i do what I want Street". So, after laughing hard, I saw another car, coming from the opposite direction,zooming through, honking every 3 seconds on that one way street.
It was hillarious at that spot, because it totally takes you by surprise. Even the presence of donkeys is somewhat peculiar. What more, a speeding car which happily speeds its way in the opposite direction of a current of reckless egyptian drivers.
If you think the traffic in Malaysia is gila, You'd go bananas if you drive here. and Believe me, I drive my mom and sister to work sometimes, so I KNOW first hand, how gila KL traffic is.
The things you see when you travel. Gawrsh, what a beautiful world.
In my previous post,i had mentioned a line about notorious Egyptian drivers.
They drive like hooligans.
The streets/roads here are pretty wide,in comparison to Malaysia. The normal main road,usually consists of 3 wide lanes. however, the drivers here, seem to come up with a doubling system. 3 wide lanes=6 small lanes. Cars are inches away from each other. They hon every 5 seconds and I'm not exaggerating. Almost all..on second thought, ALL cars are dented. Even the latest most luxurious cars can be seen with scratches and ugly dents. You can never find a car which gives signals. Side mirrors are usually there for deco.
The funniest thing was, as I was about to cross the street, I saw many weird vehicles from Army Trucks to donkeys all of which will annoyingly press their hon as they pass by just to warn pedestrians and other road users. at least, that's what I think their reason is. I was just laughing my ass off at the sight of that, you just have to witness it yourself to understand. Little did I know, that one way street is just another "i do what I want Street". So, after laughing hard, I saw another car, coming from the opposite direction,zooming through, honking every 3 seconds on that one way street.
It was hillarious at that spot, because it totally takes you by surprise. Even the presence of donkeys is somewhat peculiar. What more, a speeding car which happily speeds its way in the opposite direction of a current of reckless egyptian drivers.
If you think the traffic in Malaysia is gila, You'd go bananas if you drive here. and Believe me, I drive my mom and sister to work sometimes, so I KNOW first hand, how gila KL traffic is.
The things you see when you travel. Gawrsh, what a beautiful world.
Friday, October 17, 2008
INteresting is Misr(Egypt)
The first thing I want to write is about my Awesome Arabic lessons.
For those who are anticipating the wild egyptian adventures and stories about incredible people i met, your wait will prolong a lil longer.
My first lesson was at this place called the nile school or something very close to that. It was interesting rather than helpful.
we started with arabic alphabets which i've learnt more than 10 years ago. and saying that somehow makes me feel old. thus explaining the unhelpful bit of the lesson.
it was incredibly interesting because there were people from all over the world.
there were russians, about 6 of them.
a New Zealander.
Two British. Pakistani British.
I am the only Malaysian.
The two Pakistani looked about my age, maybe 1 or 2 years older but one has 3 kids, another has one. mmhmm married with kids.
Both were wearing burqa, and if you do not know what burqa is,it's hijab plus a piece of cloth that covers your face.
One of them, said she's been a muslim for quite some time but after her marriage and having a child, she got lazy. She can't even read the Quran, she has somehow very little knowledge of Islam, and just realised that she needed to start now. Yet she has already worn the Burqa.
I know this for a fact that not all people in Burqa are pious, or have extremely deep knowledge about Islam, but not many share the same knowledge, so here i am telling you, do not judge a book by its cover.
The New Zealander was so passionate about Islam which is not a surprise.
One thing that really interests me is when she said, she reads the Quran, and finds it amazing that what is said in the Quran is really happening around us today. which is incredibly true.
Like the fall of many western banks recently, Believe me or not,it is stated in the Quran, you just have to to read and understand it properly. i've yet to open the Quran and look. No worries, I will write more about this for those who are somehow in disbelief.
The Russians don't speak even a word of English so it was rather difficult to communicate with them. Most of them wore Burqa, but as they flipped it over their heads, they took out their pocket mirror and glanced at it every 5 minutes. Nevertheless,They were really beautiful people.
That's not even a quarter of the interesting people I met here.
I wouldn't compare myself to the boy in "into the wild" as I'm not lost nor am I looking for something I'm absolutely clueless about. But I would say it's a journey "into the rough" as there are many interesting things and people I learn from whilst living it roughly. ROUGHLY YES. Don't believe me? wait and see.
it's a true adventure and I'm glad it will still be for quite some time. From notoriously reckless drivers to beautiful mosques surrounded by brown dillapidated buildings. LOVE
p/s- whaddaya know, i did talk about people rather than my lesson.gawrshh
For those who are anticipating the wild egyptian adventures and stories about incredible people i met, your wait will prolong a lil longer.
My first lesson was at this place called the nile school or something very close to that. It was interesting rather than helpful.
we started with arabic alphabets which i've learnt more than 10 years ago. and saying that somehow makes me feel old. thus explaining the unhelpful bit of the lesson.
it was incredibly interesting because there were people from all over the world.
there were russians, about 6 of them.
a New Zealander.
Two British. Pakistani British.
I am the only Malaysian.
The two Pakistani looked about my age, maybe 1 or 2 years older but one has 3 kids, another has one. mmhmm married with kids.
Both were wearing burqa, and if you do not know what burqa is,it's hijab plus a piece of cloth that covers your face.
One of them, said she's been a muslim for quite some time but after her marriage and having a child, she got lazy. She can't even read the Quran, she has somehow very little knowledge of Islam, and just realised that she needed to start now. Yet she has already worn the Burqa.
I know this for a fact that not all people in Burqa are pious, or have extremely deep knowledge about Islam, but not many share the same knowledge, so here i am telling you, do not judge a book by its cover.
The New Zealander was so passionate about Islam which is not a surprise.
One thing that really interests me is when she said, she reads the Quran, and finds it amazing that what is said in the Quran is really happening around us today. which is incredibly true.
Like the fall of many western banks recently, Believe me or not,it is stated in the Quran, you just have to to read and understand it properly. i've yet to open the Quran and look. No worries, I will write more about this for those who are somehow in disbelief.
The Russians don't speak even a word of English so it was rather difficult to communicate with them. Most of them wore Burqa, but as they flipped it over their heads, they took out their pocket mirror and glanced at it every 5 minutes. Nevertheless,They were really beautiful people.
That's not even a quarter of the interesting people I met here.
I wouldn't compare myself to the boy in "into the wild" as I'm not lost nor am I looking for something I'm absolutely clueless about. But I would say it's a journey "into the rough" as there are many interesting things and people I learn from whilst living it roughly. ROUGHLY YES. Don't believe me? wait and see.
it's a true adventure and I'm glad it will still be for quite some time. From notoriously reckless drivers to beautiful mosques surrounded by brown dillapidated buildings. LOVE
p/s- whaddaya know, i did talk about people rather than my lesson.gawrshh
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Egypt.
Greetings from Egypt.
I miss home but not as much as I expected. It's only the third day anyway. The plane ride was not so bad and am enjoying myself tremendously here.
The only thing that is bothering me right now is the thought that I won't be meeting my loved ones ( other than my two darling sisters here) for the next 3 months. I miss family and friends.
3rd day, and there's so much to say about Egypt. Wait till I learn arabic!
Ainul out and needing a shower!
I miss home but not as much as I expected. It's only the third day anyway. The plane ride was not so bad and am enjoying myself tremendously here.
The only thing that is bothering me right now is the thought that I won't be meeting my loved ones ( other than my two darling sisters here) for the next 3 months. I miss family and friends.
3rd day, and there's so much to say about Egypt. Wait till I learn arabic!
Ainul out and needing a shower!
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
leaving on a jet plane.
i'm here to announce my departure to egypt.
the itinerary:
2 full months all over egypt.
1 month in london.
During that month, if i have the convenience to visit ireland and scotland, I will definitely do so. (reminder to: vidhya, razeen,mimi and iman)
Many are asking why go to egypt for such a long period.
I shall write when I'm not in such a rush.
I must say, i'm excited about the prospects of arabic lessons and a series of iced mocha consumption at costa cafe. don't even get me started on london.
Email me if anything :
ainulm@gmail.com
Please pray for my safety. You'll be missed.
the itinerary:
2 full months all over egypt.
1 month in london.
During that month, if i have the convenience to visit ireland and scotland, I will definitely do so. (reminder to: vidhya, razeen,mimi and iman)
Many are asking why go to egypt for such a long period.
I shall write when I'm not in such a rush.
I must say, i'm excited about the prospects of arabic lessons and a series of iced mocha consumption at costa cafe. don't even get me started on london.
Email me if anything :
ainulm@gmail.com
Please pray for my safety. You'll be missed.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Rayaaa.
I didn't exactly have an open house cause open house=huge makan makan event with a vast number of people in it.However I did have a small one. I apologise dearly to those I did not invite, or clumsily forgot to. It wasn't because you guys aren't special enough, but I have my rational reasons. You can ask me personally. honestly, I hate leaving some people off the list. For starters, I invited people by groups, so that if I have my hands full, they have someone to talk to.
Like most raya summary I've read, my raya wasn't all that. The highlight of raya was my visit to my grandma's grave. I miss her. Although raya wasn't as eventful as before, it definitely did not lack substance. I met friends and family, discovered old love in a new dimension, sharpened my self-esteem and witnessed profound moral values. I hope everyone all over the world had a great 1st Syawal, and will continue enjoying what's left of it.
Ainul out and about.
p.s- I posted that picture without authorization from the individuals in it. Sorry, but in my defense, that was the best uno stacko angle.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Happy Eid Mubarak, Feast on this.
Name: Iqbal
Who is he: Newly Crowned most Adorable Boy.
Known as: The reason we go out for Raya.
Who is he: Newly Crowned most Adorable Boy.
Known as: The reason we go out for Raya.
Signature Action: Constant smiling face.
Why we love him?
He's sooooo shy,he never stops smiling and he lovesss the cam-wait for it-ERA!camera!
Latest accomplishment?
Flooding my camera.
Flooding my camera.
Crimes,if any?
Non yet, but if it was against the law to be ridiculously adorable, he'd be sentenced for life!
What does the family think of him?
We wanna kidnap him back here.
Final Verdict?
Indescribably and Insanely sidjfliwur2p93780238ruwrjiorzi2h!!!Iqbal, please come here more often.
p/s- Since he is the 8th wonder of the world after all, I thought, this is more of a public thing rather than a personal one.
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