The Arrival

I find it pathetic that some Muslims are overly eager on waiting for the arrival of Imam Mahdi, especially Syiahs.

It somehow justified the state of most Muslims today; because Imam Mahdi will save us all with his enlightenment?

No matter how frail the existence of Imam Mahdi is, it is an obligation to believe in his eventual arrival because there are trustworthy hadiths concerning the descendant of Our Prophet. But should we make a big fuss out of it?

One thing is for sure, there are no verse in the Quran that pinpoints the existence of Imam Mahdi. And for that reason alone, it is justified that his arrival should not hinder the Islamic development. I mean, the Islamic Renaissance wasn't mentioned by Rasulullah and yet, it happened.

Dependance on prophecies are games for fools. The Quran is much more of a Guideline or Textbook than it is of FairyTales and HappyEndings.

Hear Hear, Muslims should only examplify virtues and values from the Beloved Prophet Muhammad as his every actions were choreographed by God. We shouldn't be too kin on Saidina Ali or Imam Hussein for they are accountable for they're own actions; which could be misleading. Nor should we be too excited about the mystical arrival of Imam Mahdi.

The Future is Now. Not Tomorrow. Whatever deeds we plant today will be harvested tomorrow.

Out of the CUBE

Just so you know, current affairs isn't my only cup of tea. No matter how I deny it, I love music, arts and architecture. It justs seems that current affairs the only crowd puller in my blog, especially ones that involves Islam.

I just realized that talking about religion and attempting to change the mentality of Muslims by pointing out apparent flaws and enlightening them with fresh ideas from different perspectives will not improve the Islamic environment. Instead, it will create a void of self-justification.

Why popular blogs revolves current events are crystal clear; because it relates events, situations, a certain reaction towards a condition. It is very relatable. Very. And so we talk about it, conforming and shaping our views in the light of different events, sharing and adding our point of views and will alas come to a point we simply shout out loud: ahah... so this is the solution! only to retrace our steps and realize how unoriginal our combined ideas were.

What's wrong is wrong and what's right is right.

Having that said, I'm moving to a new direction with this blog: this blog will no longer feature current affairs and events I'm in. Hovewer, the content will imply a silhoutte of my emotional state through my folorn designs and artwork.

Instead of waiting for events to happen and talk about it, I would rather make things happen on my own and enjoy the journey of artistic (or creativity) maturity. I will do so by displaying pictures of my models, drawings, videos and the usual blogging stuff with raw and explicit narratives.

And yes, I do hate it when people think they know who I am simply because they read my blog, since all my experinces (raw as it may) is recorded here. The blog had become too public for me to sober myself telling tales of painstaking experiences.

You know what I mean?

I want Passion to become the Pavement of my Future, not my not-so-divine thoughts on things about anything that's about things that aren't anything. I have no intention on becoming a Jeff Ooi or a Rocky. I am Afiq. Always has been and always will be.

Unveiling the Paradox

Who are We?

Are we Muslims?

As Muslims, hijjab must be worn in public places to cover the general aurah and at the same time enhancing modesty, good behaviour and humility. What is wrong with protecting your beautiful body from perveted prying eyes? What is wrong with not succumbing as a piece of meat?

With that in mind, what is wrong with wearing Purdah or a veil?

Some of you would say it is radical to do so. But why is it considered radical? I mean really?

If a student studies harder than you, will you call him/her radical? If a person is extremely hardworking in something, will you call him/her radical? If a person decides to go the extra mile in whatever they do, can that be considered radical? If a woman wears a veil, is she radical?


Clearly, what veiled women are trying to do is to completely avoid evil (fasad) and what is wrong with that? Will wearing a veil automatically prolaims Al-Arqam affiliation? A lot of Muslim girls wear dresses similar to GROs or prostitutes and yet it is politically wrong to think of them as hookers. How do you justify that? How do you justify Muslim girls who appear half naked on the month of Ramadhan, flirting uncontrollably and appear promiscuous?

Wearing a veil is not necessary but it is certainly not wrong. Sure, our nation is developing both economically and physically but I'm not certain whether we take spiritual development seriously. Take our Islamic State Nation Leader a.k.a. Prime Minister. As a Khalifah of an Islamic state, shouldn't his wife examplify a model Muslim woman by covering her Aurah? If she refused or in a more cliche term 'not ready yet', her misdeeds affects her husband and the image of Muslim women nationwide.

And this is coming from a person who greets people with a Hi rather than an Assalamualaikum.

Islamic Music???

"I got an idea! Celtic Music! It's soothing, it reminds us of the grandieur of nature, which makes it Islamic." We were brainbusting for a proposed concert.

"Afiq, tu bukan Islamic. Datang pun dari.... dari mane?" Husna said quietly, clearly unintimadated by my outburst spring of ideas.

"Mmmm' not sure. Around the Scandinavian countries, some say Ireland."

"Dari Western countries. Islamic la sangat." She turned her back and browsed into one of her music folders in her laptop. She selected one MP3 file entitled Saif.

It begins with a percussion intro, followed by a unfamiliar setting of tenors, reciting arab poems with more rigor than flow. I frowned. "Is it about, I don't know... War?"

"Haah, bestkan?" Her eyes shone with expected anticipation.

"Tak. Ada yang lain?"

She browsed into another set of music folders, this one is entitled Zanji and selected one of the tunes.

"It's a zanji. I heard zanjis all the time in Syeds' weddings." I remarked.

"Tulah Islamic." She pressed.

"The music has to be in arabic to be Islamic?"

"Haa.... tak semestinya, Yusof Islam nyanyi dalam bahasa inggeris apa.."

"The singers has to be a Muslim for the song to be Islamic? That song, Tapak Sulaiman by -what's her name- is Islamic because she's a Muslim?"

"Bukan bukan. Macam mana nak cakap ar... Camni la, Afiq dengar dulu IKIM dalam kereta, lembutkan hati dulu lepastu datang dengar balik, okay?"

"Yosh!"

.

.

And so I did, for the past 4 days. 91.4 fm. IKIM dot FM, Assalamualaikum siape di talian?

"Nurain"

"Nurain berapa tahun?"

"Nurain sebelas tahun."

"Biler Nurain mula berpuase ye?"

"7 tahun."

"Ada pengalaman yang menarik tak waktu berbuka, terponteng ke..."

"Puasa saye penuh alhamdulillah."

"Jadi bukak puase dengan mak ayah la, seronok tak?"

"Sorry ayah saya dah meninggal."

Aiyo, spot on man! I didn't care. I left it on for three days. Like any station, there were songs I hated and some I particularly enjoyed but what I couldn't stand is the concept the station is trying to ostend. It is close to straight-up complacency and the context is mostly kampung-like. Repent! Repent! Repent! is the message and "Syurga! Syurga! Syurga! is the mission.

Which makes me wonder: I thought this is a radio show for Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia not Institute of Let's Repent Together and Not Go to Hell.

There were no open discussions on other religion, philophies or understanding of sects and tariqat. In short, in my short 4 day period, I didn't learn anything that could possibly make me love Islam more than I do. And what if a non-muslims were to hear it? Will they be able to understand Islam better? And it's in malay, shouldn't it be in English for it to be compelling to a broader audience?

I met her again, Husna, and told her I've been listening to IKIM for 4 days.

"Yeke? So macam mane? Dah lembut hati?"

"Lembut hati untuk apa?"

"Untuk menerima lagu lagu Islam."

I didn't get angry because I knew, deep inside me that doing so will only make me become contrary. In this case, I'll hate Nasyid because of her generalization of music. I kept quiet and walked away, switching on my MP3 player. Ironically, the first song that was randomly played was Can I Go Now? by Jennifer Love Hewitt.

Tak Gune Punye Minah!

They Neglected Their Responsibilities

The parents will be charged with negligence, so why is everybody opposing this idea?

They should be punished. When I was younger, my parents wouldn't even let me go to friends' house without any trusted adults. And that was in Sabah.

This is KL. Where murderers and psycopaths are abundant.

Leaving a child to walk alone in a Pasar Malam is -well I don't know- a form of negligence. Even though a they were encouraged to walk in pairs but bloody hell, they are all kids. None of them could possibly defend themselves against people with psychotic tendencies.

Just because the government is issuing the charges to the deceased parents, doesn't mean that they are not trying to capture the suspect. That's the cops' job.

Let's not be sympathetic towards the parents shall we and ignore their pleas. Bygone be bygone. Ingnore the ignorant. Neglect the negligent.

Insensitive or not, the moral of the story: Family planning

My Last Sunny Sunday

I remembered one comment from one of my entry requesting a full shot of my annoyingly playful kitten, Shasha. I took her picture this morning while she was resting on my table after running back and forth nonsensically for a few hours. I bought the expensive kind of cat biscuits hoping that she'll get fat and cuddle-friendly and instead, she burnt all the wanted fats away doing kitty exercises and is reluctant of anything that involves close contact. Her only known friendly gesture is biting by toenail and chasing after my hamstring like a deranged Jack (Jack and the Magical Beanstalk) chasing after trunks of giant hamstring.

I'm not planning to do anything close to 'beneficial' or 'productive' today. It's my last Sunday before the most hectic two weeks of my entire semester. I'll be shackled to my drafting table again, not for three days like a week ago, but two weeks! Yauzaaaa!

Between you and me, this blog will experience a slight hiatus for the next 2 weeks because I won't be thinking much of anything else other than my Final Project. That two words just made me jitter with fear~

I'm going to savor this unusually gloomy day by contemplating on the upcoming frenzy.

You know what? Even though it's Ramadhan, I'm going to say it. The word I like to say only once before an upheaval of distress and agitation.

Fuck.

*Phew*

0619

Directed, edited and acted by Afiq

Supporting actress: Shasha

0619

Directed, edited and acted by Afiq

Supporting actress: Shasha

One word ya'll: Istiqamah, which means consistency.

It is something I'd failed to observe to this very day. It is neither my parents' fault nor is it caused by my rather scarred image of being in a Tahfiz. It is mainly my fault.

Am I not accountable for my actions. I mean in the Hereafter, will I be able to answer "God, I didn't pray consistently because I was not exposed to such a thing."?

One thing leads to another. In my case, my discerning habit of changing my life plans and missions cascaded from the my lack of discipline. And what better way to exercise discipline than to simply perform one of the pillars of Islam diligently.

One word ya'll: Istiqamah.

Afiq's 3-Day Quarantine

Me, Open-Minded?

I need not tell you this, but here it goes: I've been busy so I apologize for not updating this blog more often.

Staring at a tornable, burnable, koyakable butter papers for a few days wihout proper food and sleep had taken a toll on me. I now have what seem to be a.... mata lebam, now I know why it's called lebam instead of mata hitam or mata legam: it hurts when you touch it. And the not eating well bit, I'm losing so much weight they should advertize the architecture course on SmartTV.

Watch Syed Hamid Albar on BBC's HardTalk

You know what, I agree with Hamid's view on the NEP. The disparity is not always apparent, really. Sometimes criticism and complains roots from greed and desperation. But most of the time, it is the difference of innagural economic and educational state that is causing race relation problems. The way I see it, the problems remains historical and generation-based, where Malaysians are not keen of escaping from the negative notions of cultural norms.

The problems are caused by us. If we see a corrupted politician running awol with the people's money, ask this question: who voted for him to become a MP or a minister? And as voters, has there been any united (non-party based) retaliation that urge the politician to step down and face the music. If there is a kind of opposition, it will usually come from political parties. People who are siding with the corrupted politician party will do what anyone with a sense of loyalty would do, which is to be defensive.

And the worst part about whole thing is, parties usually represents a certain race like (UMNO, MCA, MIC or DAP), aspirations like KEADILAN and religion (PAS). This is how our country is divided, when no party are based on the subject of virtue and value. And to be honest, I, like many Islamic Idealist think that Islam is would be great unifying force but PAS had shown a nasty example of fanaticsm when it comes to applying the Islamic law. And have you attended a PAS ceramah? Who the hell says they are not biased when it comes to other religion and race? Has the term Kafir always been used when describing non-muslims?

Look at a more global view and you'll find out that even though Iran is an Islamic state, most Iranians are not very good muslims and still believes in shirk beliefs. And look at Turkey, a secular country that banned the adornment of hijjab and religious activities now, the youth are becoming more and more Islamic, not religious but Islamic. It's different, being religious and Islamic because simply, Islam is not just a religion, it is not only about praying and fasting, it is a way of life.

Idealistic? Maybe. I simply can't accept the term of thinking like this as 'Open-Minded' because in most cases 'Open-Mindedness' is an indirect reference of being Westernized or Western-oriented. Think of it this way: Open-mindedness opposes shallow-mindedness. And how is Islam lead people to be shallow-minded? If Muslims were taught to be shallow-minded, how come they were once the pioneers of science and technology. I mean, if the labbeling applies correctly, shouldn't they live in slumps for being poor because of their Islamic obligations? Instead, Muslims nowadays are living in terrible conditions. Sure, sure, blame it on the Jews. If I suck at Math, should I blame my English teacher? Then, should I blame my Math teacher and Math textbook?

It's our fault for not realizing what's good from a haystack of bad. It is our fault for being so damn defensive about our tribes (Jawa, Bughis, Whatever) and races. It is our fault for not digging for potential for the delusional perception of Islamic restrictions. It is our fault for being contradictary, even if it had made fools of ourselves. I mean, Cik Intan watched Gabriel fornicate with her gardener and go "Oooooh" but shouts "Aaaah" when her daughter does the same.

No matter what our skin colours are, our brains are all gray, kan kan?

Shackled

Ramadhan. All the devils and satans in the world are shackled, and yet I cursed like I'd never cursed when I was stuck in a middle of a traffic congestion, bumper-to-bumper. Darn you, Priscilla Patrick!

You won't be hearing (reading) much of me because I, like all the satans in the world, will be shackled, to my drafting table. If you think being in architecture is cool think again. But there are reasons why architects are highly regarded for being passionate, good looking and charismatic like potrayed in television. Take these telly characters for example:

There are a few dozen more but who am I to flatter myself with delusional stereotypes; architects being naturally sensitive, driven and... and... good looking.

Like potrayal of surgeons and doctors in ER, Grey's Anatomy and Dr. House, architecture is somewhat similar because architects or architecture students who wants to make it in the corporate world manipulates values in a daily basis. Stress = Motivation. Deadline = End of the World. Presentation = Strut it or Lose it. Strange = Eccentric. Sell Out = Survival. Suck up = Suck in. Life = What Life? . . .

It is not true, architecture students not having a life of their own. We do, in entraped spaces with the same ol people we see day in and day out. Some see architects as the urban God for their abilities to create something magical out of nothing. Women see architects as well-groomed guys with expensive Zegna shirts and Tropicana Life baggy pants wrapped with a shiny Dolce & Gabbana. In short, we're cool, and we know it. W*** t** Fuck right?

Think about it, we're like satans. We do most of our work at night, trained to be influential and charismatic to win people's hearts, have changing values to climb the corporate ladder, extremely vain and yess, a million times yes, have a stack full of body and facial products that would put any woman in the world to shame.

Selamat Berpuasa. Oh and take oatmeals for sahur, it does wonders when it comes to providing energy. Nasi is a no no. Biscuits will last you till 3 o' clock. Oatmeal, no matter how puke-friendly, is the best energy provider for a whole day fast.

Get Better Soon!

I hope he gets better and write another book.

And So It Has Begun...

I think it's a disgrace that some Malaysians do not know which is which. Like the Malaysian Flag; do you think that idiot knows which flag affliate what? If you ought to burn something, burn mashmellow lah, it smells subtly pleasant and gives the mashmellow a desirable crust, all the while creaming the filling.

Yum.

I'm too much of a bum to touch on political agendas because I can't vote yet so no matter how much yappadayappa is going on, I can't do anything about it. Talking about politics, I was driving my Tok Nda to a mamak shop a week ago and once we were there we met an enstranged uncle who is all the rave about politics, UMNO ect. ect. My grandmother, being a member of Wanita Umno discussed with him about the coming elections.

"Amir dengar ada wanita UMNO nak kena pecat tahun ni..."

"Tak tau pulak, ye la saye ni dah lama tak amek tahu"

I sat quietly, eating my tosay like an obedient cucu.

And then there was a moment I almost choked and slowly withdraw myself from the mamak aluminum table. It was then when I heard some ideas to encourage people to vote for UMNO.

"Senang je, kite tak bagi buku teks kat budak yang makbapak dorang tak undi UMNO. Baru padan la muka!"

Wow.

As a Rakyat who can't vote yet and has no obligation to any parties, here are some suggestions for you to fully apprehend the coming election:

1. Go the ceramah and campaign. And remember to record what your MP promised so you can bring it up later when the future scum/leader is in power.

2. Sit still. Stand still. There is no need to parade with flags and banners, unless you're doing so because your preferred candidate is a medium of change. If you are carrying any party banner, behave yourself, especially when the FRU is around. Tegur the FRU personel with pleasant comments like "Panas ek hari ni?" or "Abang misai, you single and available ke?"

3. Action speaks louder than word. March and have one person with a loudspeaker to chant you parties' slogans. Do not shout, because the One In a Million audition is coming to a city near you!

4. If you have a baby and a politician attempt to kiss the baby, be a valiant warior and receive the kiss yourself. It work wonders, especially when you're a guy and you hate the other guy running for MP.

5. Ask killer questions during the Q&A session during the campaign like "Ada apa dengan Cinta?", "Adakah KJ itu acronim untuk kangaroo jalanan?" or "Macha, Utang Teh Tarik dekat itu Kedai Mamak RK(seberang Jalan RK, tepi Gedung Emas Poh Kong) bila mau bayar?"

6. Take the opportunity to get an MC to ponteng kerja by joining an UMNO herd, smile aloud and shout "KE-A-DI-LAN!"

7. Next time when you are in political ectasy-bliss-whatever, do a 50 minute tough aerobic (by Susan Lane) at home instead of attending a march. Other than similar benefits like losing a few pound and working out a sweat, you can do so in the comfort of your own home.

Selamat Berpuasa!

6.19 pm

I finished all my assignments and projects two days ago and I had nothing to do yesterday. Broke, alone and bored, I decided to make a video with my digital camera (which explains the quality)

It's entitled 6.19p.m.

What if.... in a state of solitude, a time warp vortex pass through your room and will bend any physic rules to your liking. What if it happens unintentionally, without warning, without any indication.

What will you think of?

What will you do?

Title: 6.19pm

Song: Bjork, All is Full of Love

Directed, acted and edited by me

There are several unintended bloopers if you watch the video twice or so. Some mistakes are so obvious and some, well (like my blue underwear) is intentional (to bring out the prominent hue of the video: blue).

Ignorance

Very sensitive videos. Watch with caution. One word: ignorance

No More Drama

There was an article about how malays in Singapore are better off now than before in the Star. Lee Hsien Loong, the president of the Lion Country reviewed a statistic on the education progress of Malays. 25 years ago, only 1/6 of malay students passed their O level (international equivelant of SPM) and now 60% are capable of passing.

When he used the word They, I can't help but to think that malays are a weak minority, too weak to be angry at Lee Hsien Loong's statement. Why should they be angry when it's true? Lee Hsien Loong also mentioned that malays are facing some problems in the country like dysfounctional families, caused by divorce and seperation and unexpectedly high rate of teenage birth.

This is what happened when malays are not given special treatment like NEP. This is exactly it. This may seem offensive but look at it this way, malays are weak because they are psychologically programmed by history and their parents to live in a shell, to not help each other, to stab their own kin behind their back, to make drama and misery their lifestyle.

A lot have changed since our contry achieved freedom, and everyone should be thankful of that. Malays are getting more educated and rich. But still, I can see that even though they are educated and wealthy, they distant themselves from the average malay community. And the reason is simple, they are the slightly 'evolved' kind who thinks their presence is too pure (sacred) to be amidst the public and the average malays will subconciously label them as people with no morale and religious values.

Funny how all this happens in a country and everyone involved are malays.

Oh, and drama, drama, drama, drama... I think malays crave drama. They just love it. They like starting and prolonging drama to justify their self-righteousness. Oh my, how far are we from cute korean dramas... I mean, watch our local telly drama series and realize how it is similar to Latinos'. It's a supplement for the poor, drama.

Let's get over this, ignore the family drama and work hard to (no, not to make ourselves richer to join the equestrian spectator club) make our country a more pleasant place to live in..

Merdeka Exhibition

Yesterday, I and Azim (a quantity surveyor friend) (I know, we construction professionals wannabes are inseperable) went to KLCC to eat lunch and be enthralled with our arty-farty side at the Galeri Petronas (actually, I dragged him there). Cool stuff. The Merdeka Exhibition is going on so there were diverse collection of art pieces from -I-don't-know-where- being exhibited.

One of the coolest collections are black and white pictures of KL during the emergency darurat, you know, the famous 13th of May 1969. For those of you who hasn't the slightest idea, this seemingly unlucky and saucy date is the day when Malaysians fought each other because of the colour of their skins. The pictures were very surreal. Can you imagine an empty street in the centre of KL? I mean, even at night, they will be plenty of Jelita and Manja lurking behind piss-smelling columns. But it the pictures, all the streets were totally deserted, leaving behind hot welding steel structures and burnt roofs.

Ah... the Kedai Mamak section.. Hahah.. There were floating dialogues above a typical Kedai Mamak setting (shiny aluminium tables and chairs) with typical converstions graffitied on the walls:

Ane, ni kari malam semalam ke hari ni punya.

Tuka channel 17, ada CSI.

Aparaaaa

Tadi saya order Teh Tarik kurang manis, tapi manis jugak u bagi!

Mau order apa, adik manis?

Semua special, semua murah....

Ha, lain kali kira betul-betul!

Asal lambat ni darling, ane tu dah usha I smacam dah neeee...

Funny stuff.

And yes, you can also expect meshed and purposely spilled paint kind of artwork with really cool names like Birth or sometimes, being too cool to even be named, Untitled.

There's also a section where they show all Yasmin Ahmad's Advertisments, be it for CNY, Raya, Diwali or Merdeka.

Funny how a two-minute advertisment could make your tearduct unstable. Or make you roll with laughter.

So next time, when you decide to take a detour to KLCC and be knowingly content with the LRT passenger congestion, instead of queuing up for the Movies (which would've taken forever) visit the Gallery. Ignore the Kakak who's only nice to foreigners but will ignore you entirely and make merry with her, for you will be awarded with a Merdeka Poster. Hahah.. To orang puteh you nice lah, you fat little.........

Merdeka!

There Goes The Alarm!

What is wrong with being Sabahan Lintok? I see no reason to be embarassed to be a Sabahan, even though I am technically from Penang.

Why, these LABELS are so very outdated, and futile, and never true. So why the theatrics? I know some people might have engraved origin labels in their skulls but do we, educated university students be justified to believe in it? Come on man, don't be stewpeed.

I'll let you off with some LABELS. Let say you're from Subang, wah... you're cool and orang-putehly cultured. Not! Do you think all Subang Jayans are anglophiles? I'd seen houses with unkept gardens and some laboriously decorated in chinese motives. And the people (especially the teens) might think they came from 'the' ghetto. But puh-leez, they are delusional. Very delusional. I challenge any one of them to spell the word -anglophilia-. Hah.

What if you're from Aloq Setaq? Are you a Mat Rempit like two third of its youth? Great leaders come from the northern part of Malaysia, not to mentioned successful businessmen and scholars.

The same goes to Sabah. Have you ever been to Sabah, you sad little nincompoop? Have you not know that Sabah has one of the world's spectacular wonders? Let me re-phrase my question. Have you been to Sabah?

Just because most Sabahans who came to the university has the impossible-to-hide accent, they rank lower than other students? Think again. We might meet with eachother and you'll be surprised on many accents I'd mustered. You sad insignificant little nitwit you...