IT'S A PANDAN LIFE ...!

O children of Adam, we have provided you with garments to cover your bodies, as well as for luxury. But the best garment is the garment of righteousness. [Al Qur'an: Al A'raf (The Heights):26] Days and months spent preparing for this auspicious day drew to a close on 13 October. I must admit I had enjoyed every moment of the preparation. It might sound a bit cliché but what makes Eid-ul-Fitr auspicious to me is the fact that through all the time when I prepared for it , I knew that I am giving – and nothing beats the satisfaction that comes from this act. Although a lot of the time I spent preparing for Eid-ul-Fitr involved shopping for my family but hey, charity begins at home! This year I didn’t shop much. Nor did I buy household items. Maybe because these items, which I had bought prior to previous Eid-ul-Fitr are still good. Preparations for my family included: all the necessary clothing for my mom and sis; cookies (bought, not baked) for my mom; new RM 1 & RM 50 notes...

O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed upon those before you in order that you may attain taqwa." [Al Qur'an: Al-Baqarah (The Cow):183] If there is one word that could describe how I feel about Ramadhan, it is wonderful. There is a remarkable SLOWDOWN in almost all aspects of my life throughout this holy month. And I don't mean this in a negative way. The most obvious SLOWDOWN is of course in my diet. Getting up before dawn is a must for me even if it means gulping down a glass of water and making a hasty jump back to bed. Buka puasa (alone) is done in moderation. Normally, a plate of fried noodles or nasi kerabu plus a glass of carrot juice would suffice. Another SLOWDOWN is in the time I spend finishing my day-to-day tasks in the office. Since long lunches and gym trips are scraped, I find that I'm able to finish up my reading, grading, and preparing on time and thus can leave early. The next SLOWDOWN is in worldly activities since Ra...

You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them. ~ Mohandas Gandhi Right now I am still amazed by what my job leads me to. Recently, it led me to an apostle of freedom. This man, who has been installed as one of the persons of the 20th century by the Times magazine, is none other than Gandhi. I must admit I had almost zero knowledge about this man. Besides the fact that he walked around in white loincloth, leading India to independence, I had no idea what is it about him that appealed to the Indian nation. What more to the entire world. Since one of the literary texts I covered in class had a lot to do with this skinny frail man’s revolutionary ideas, I had no choice but to read up on him (not that I mind). Much to my delight, I discovered so many interesting facts about him, which rendered me speechless. For he is the apostle of not only freedom but also so many other things that other leaders might have forgotten in the course of their mis...

A wretched soul, bruised with adversity, We bid be quiet when we hear it cry; But were we burdened with like weight of pain, As much or more we should ourselves complain. ~William Shakespeare Calm My Wretched Soul Calm the wretched pain in my soul For I can’t possibly heal With a pain that recurs and recurs. Calm the wretched blues in my soul For I can’t possibly rejoice With what I’ve never got. Calm the wretched hope in my soul For I can’t possibly hope With a future that looks bleak. Calm the wretched wrath in my soul For I can’t possibly defuse When I reach the intended limit. Calm the wretched love in my soul For I can’t possibly love When my love is feeling wretched.

You can't do anything about the length of your life, but you can do something about its width and depth. ~ Evan Esar After reading Margaret Atwood's "Happy Endings" recently, I can't help but ponder about this topic for quite some time. What is a happy ending, by the way? Is there a definition for it? While flipping through a book that belongs to Ariani last weekend, I came across a writer's ingenious explanation about what is a happy ending. A happy ending is one that satisfies; in terms of fittingness (the ending is earned, through the actions done) and definiteness (the ending is really clear, appropriate and over and done with). For someone who deals with literary works all the time, the ending of the story is not really important to me. Why? Is there such thing as a happy ending in our lives? Isn't death the ending for everyone? Aren't the how's and the why's more fun to look at? If someone dies, wouldn't we want to know why and how t...

The better part of one's life consists of his friendships.~ Abraham Lincoln Besides the usual gang that normally gathers at Ann's place, I have another gang, called the KL Gang (named after the fact that everybody except Ima and me is indisputably residing in KL). We normally take turns to host the gathering. I'm not so sure when it started but I guess there have been a few gatherings ( which I have, by choice, on a few occassions, skipped due to the guaranteed traffic jam). The last one took place at Ariani's and we had a blast!!! What is different about this downtown gathering is the pot luck. Everybody is required to bring her own dish and share it with everybody. I know for a fact that some of us really went out of our ways just to prepare those mouth-watering dishes (I know I did!). Another difference is, we wouldn't have this gathering at regular intervals. It's been like, 4 months since the last time? Ladies, perk up!!! p/s The next gathering is at my...

Every object, every being, is a jar full of delight. ~ Rumi I came across these quotes while doing a research on O. Henry, an American writer known for crafting tricky twists in his stories: 1. Write what you like; there is no other rule. 2. Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of life. 3. Life is sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating. 4. If men knew how women pass the time when they are alone, they'd never marry. These quotes are not only funny but they're also true. They made me beam with delight today! It's Monday, you know (obviously not my favourite day...) Originally posted on http://izzyz7.reciter.com on 5 August 2007