1000 Words Summed to Less than 20

You know how people turn their head in a certain angle to appear beautiful in pictures? The picture above shows a different styles used commonly by friendster-myspace users. The picture above with me as a subject shows exactly what you're trying to portray yourself. A friendster-myspace profile picture doesn't worth a thousand word. More like 20. Or less.

From left to right; top to bottom

1. Slightly nodding, showing subtle jaw line - Ayu

2. Wide forehead (with fringe) shot that emphasizes the distorted perspective of a face from above - Emo

3. 'Candid' shots of 'everyday life' that will rouse curiosity - Narcissistic Son of a Gun

4. Shirtless pictures that usually only bare either the chest, stomach or the most common (and visually bareable) body part: shoulders - I'm Hot

5. Confident smile, camera usually positioned slightly below head level. Usually taken in cars. - I'm growing up!

6. Partial movements or facial feature with a cool looking wallpaper background - Arty bin Smartsy

7. Tutup mulut, sebelah mata or cekup kedua-dua belah pipi to hide the most visually unpleasant facial feature - Cover cover

8. Upfront, simple and with direct light from or against the direction of the handphone - Still New With This.

9. Minimal presence of light with subject staring into the unknown - Spiritual Intellect

So just so you know, everyone knows. : D

So if you noticed, I have an oblong face with very asymmetrical lips, thick haughty eyebrows and slit-lacked eyes. I can either come across as a Sarawakian or a very strange chinese. I kid you not when I tell you that my eyebrows is a visual asset to most chinese people of the greying (and dying) generation. Nowadays thin eyebrows are IN. I couldn't be bothered to shape my eyebrows to fit this description. What for anyway? The sight of a man shaping his eyebrows is you know, unmanly. From what I've heard, around here, I come across as a rich kid. This is laughable. I've never been rich but the prospect of carrying the look is promising. Heheh.

I'm learning to love how I look despite my flaws. I think these flaws made me distinct. Mahathir is known for his intercontinental nose and Anwar with his angular chin. I should be known for my small distorted pursed lips and bushy eyebrows.

Bak kata pepatah Kant Emmanual: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Black=Black Metal?

Why do we allow ourselves to judge people base on their appearance? Why do I get scolded everytime Razak Sapian sees me? Why do people assume?

Because it's convenient.

Our society is failing their utmost basic task in this universe: to connect. Instead of studying, embracing and loving the uniqueness of fellow homosapiens, we tend to allow ourselves to only communicate with those who we thought are in sync with our sense of comformity. This conversation took place in a lecturer office yesterday:

Lecturer: Do you know why you are here?

Afiq: No.

Your clothes. Your baju. Your hair. Your, your appearance.

What about my appearance?

It's unIslamic. You tell me why...

I covered my aurah so the matter of my appearance being unIslamic shouldn't be in question. I follow UIA dress code. I'm wearing a collared shirt and proper shoes. There's nothing unIslamic about my appearance.

Afiq, let me ask you something. You black metal ke? Punk?

I don't understand...

Why are you wearing all black?

Because I want to. It's not against the rule. Why are you wearing a suit and slacks.

Because I'm a professional. You are potraying an unIslamic image when you wear all black. Blackmetals pakai baju seluar hitam.

People who commit white collar crimes and killed millions by their crimes wear suits and slacks.

Great responsible people also wear suits and slacks, not only crooks.

Great responsible people also wear all black, not only black metals.

What are you trying to tell me?

It's more convenient to judge based on our appearance. It's convenient for you to think that I'm a bad apple based on my clothes. And there's nothing unIslamic about wearing black. There is no Hadith nor Ayat that implies that wearing black is a sin. There is also no concensus of Ulamas on my fashion sense. When you tell me that what I'm wearing is unIslamic, you're basically subjecting yourself to blasphemy.

Well.

Well?

You may leave.

Assalamualaikum.

Waalaikumsalam.

I've been summoned to offices mostly because of my clothes which doesn't make sense because punyalah ramai orang sini pakai baju hitam. Not only me apa! Sheesh...

But since the lecturer who called me in listened to what I said and didn't refute anything solely based on anger, I'll make a small change.

Tomorrow, I'll shave my moustache.

I hope he's happy!

Kayu Suci

The general fascination of Hollywood is fascinating. So many malay muslim girls

Truth

Truth is my accompliace and enemy. Truth is subjective because the word does not reflect itself. It applies differently to different people. I have learned to (or so I hope) to never be certain of anything other than my religion and my obligation to it. Only by doing this, will I be in pursuit of truth. It can never be achieved, truth. We can only strife to understand its nature. The moment we accept that truth is a solid denominator of life, we will start lying to ourselves. This self-deception will eventually snowballs and like any rounded object, it will hit something, something most commonly known as rock bottom. Gravity, at least on earth, is the only denominator of life.

Gravity breeds consequences. Gravity is an act of God. Because Allah is the truth so we shall never know any other truth other than the truth we can be certain of. Neither will we be able to comply our version of truth to Allah's. Because we are not Him. So how in living logic will we be able to justify our version of truth? We can't. But we can be in pursuit of truth. And to be in pursuit of truth, we must never believe our own truth.

Seek it.

"This is because Allah is the truth and that which they call upon besides Him is the falsehood." (31:30)

Roommate's Future Fiancee's Uncle's Burial and Tahlil

From Today onwards, I will no longer be affliated with the paper industry. It's stressful, fussy, time-consuming and dull. It doesn't pay well. End of discussion.

With that said, I went to my roommate's future fiancee's uncle's tahlil jenazah. The tahlil began after Maghrib but due to unforeseen circumstances we arrived 2 hours late. Tahlil jenazah is usually a sober occasion, a moment of passing blanketed by free food and good company. When other religions obligates mourning by reminiscing, Islam denounce excessive sadness. Baca Yassin, baca doa, makan-makan, sembang-sembang, balik.

I like this idea of post death.

It makes the idea of death a lot more bearable.

When I die, which may in fact happen anytime, touch wood, I prefer my love ones to continue living the best way they can, unaffected by my physical inexistance but forever touched by my love and deeds. Without love and good deeds, my eventual death will be silhoutted with a shade of solitude, reflecting my whole life as a person who cares only for himself. Will I appreciate the passing of myself?

Ridiculous isn't it?

So Love Afiq Love. Share Afiq Share. Learn Afiq Learn. And Teach Afiq Teach.

It's Time To Make Nice

I take myself too seriously. People are afraid of people who take themselves seriously. People want to chill. They don't want a friend who's constantly trying to get their honest opinion on politics out of them and ignite an intellectual debate.

People don't want to hang out with someone who questions the authority of Sultans out loud and speak of unimaginable inventions.

I play along well but everyone knows how Afiq takes things (everything) seriously. When asked which donut outlet is my favourite, I will answer J.CO because of its delicate dough which best compliments Malaysian's savoury senses and because J.CO is an Indonesian company (Asia untuk Asia!) No one wants to know that! They want me to answer J.CO because it's Nice.

My tendency to observe and study things beyond the necessary level of a teenager is hurting my social pecking order. Because in the environment I'm in, intellectual discourse rarely takes place and I find myself musing social stigmas n order to relate. Because apparently, prejudism is the only subject my environment is willing to discuss.

I will have to learn to keep things to myself and make nice.

It's time to make nice.