In Response to Enraging Incident

What i wish to write in this particular post are my deepest thoughts that i have only shared with one person so far..i consider myself still extremely shallow in the knowledge of life and religion, and admit that i am in no way "pious" enough to make bold statements about "them"..what i wish to express are my worries and my pondering mind that is searching for an answer..one i accept i may only find in the next life..hu Allah hu alam..

forgive me if what i write here today offends or makes anybody uncomfortable and posts questions about my faith and "understanding"..i assure u that my faith is not shaken and i only ponder because what i observe in this world today is....is what was already written? i guess...

insyaAllah, my heart is in the right place..this is no "ajaran sesat" type post k..take it or leave it..

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"But religion is more than rite and ritual. There is what the rite and ritual stand for......"

"When i corrected her, i told her that in fact she was not so wrong; that Hindus in their capacity for love, are indeed hairless Christians, just as Muslims, in the way they see God in everything, are bearded Hindus, and Christians, in their devotion to God, are hat-wearing Muslims."

- Life of Pi (Yann Martel)

From what i understand,

Religion is a release, a way of life, a form of devotion that gives us sanity in understanding our existence and reason for life..

Science is knowledge that explains the order of everything that exists in life and how it all co-relates to each other..which gives birth to logic, which can also be considered rational..

i believe that everything in life can be rationalized, can be understood and can be solved..it's just a matter of timing and inspiration..but in order for everything to make sense, a person needs to WANT to rationalize, to understand, and to solve..i completely believe that with rational, people will understand, and all conflicts in the world can be resolved.

Humans were born with the ability to rationalize..to produce logic..that is our gift..we were also all born as one species, in one category, with the same characteristics and needs in life..with also the same function and the same progressive route of survival..

so what about specialty? what about exclusiveness? hierarchy and social strata???

all things need to exist in order for life to achieve balance..it is inevitable..i accept that.

SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS IS WHAT I DON'T ACCEPT.

Life is filled with doubt..doubt is what keeps us on our toes..the reason why we occasionally question ourself..the reason why we reflect, learn and search for the truth..for knowledge..whether academic, social or spiritual..self-righteousness is equivalent to IGNORANCE..stupid people are not the worst form of humans, it is ignorant people who are..

Ignorance leads to selfishness..you only choose to want to know, to believe, and to accept things that only you want..only things that are to your benefit..because understanding completely is just too difficult..but does that make it right?

this ludacris thought process gives birth to instances like:

"i can build my mosques everywhere and turn on my speakers as loud as possible because my muslim brothers need to hear the azan and you kafir people need to be dakwah-ed to" BUT "if you dare think of building a temple in my territory i will dismember a sacred symbol and kill anyone who tries"

"i am so much more muslim than you are, it's too bad that you were born non-muslim, i guess i'm going to heaven and you're going to hell"

"saudara baru? it's too late now..anyway, it's not my problem that you don't know how to perform your prayers and read the Quran..go find help somewhere else lah, there's PERKIM right..it's hard enough for me to keep myself out of hell."

"no, i am never wrong. because i am a hijab wearing, 5 times a day praying, abiding muslim..because i am fantastic in my relationship towards God that i don't care about my relationship with everyone else around me."

i'm sorry if i'm too crude and blatant..but there's too much of this happening today, it irks every bit of life in me..this "save myself and screw everyone else" attitude..this "i am so much better than you", "who is more "holier"" attitude..what is all this?? this is not Islam..i don't have to be a Muslim to know that!

it's not surprising that the number of atheists grow by the day..it is not surprising that more and more people stray away from religion..it is even understandable to me how people have questioned religion and the existence of God..

it is not religion that plague people from progress, rational, humanity and "science"..not religion that cause people to hate, to kill, to divide and be prejudice..

it is people that infect religion to been seen as a plague.

shame on "PEOPLE"

Enraging Incident

a note written by a dear friend, elza irdalynna, which i wish to share..

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"Ya Allah", I cried.


A group of very confused (I use this term because that would be the kindest thing I can say about them), misled Muslims, claiming to be residents of Section 23 in Shah Alam marched to the State Secretariat with a desecrated cow's head in protest over the relocation of a Hindu temple in their area. Chanting threats of bloodshed, and accusing the State Government of being liberal infidels.

On a Friday.

After Friday prayers.

In the Holy month of Ramadhan.

As I read this, my heart was enraged. And felt so much pity for these lost lambs. Their complaint was that this is a "90% Muslim area" and the "noise" made by the temple proceedings would disrupt their Islamic rituals.

Who are you kidding? This is simple racism. This has nothing to do with disrupt of your prayers. Because if prayers are what you're truly concerned about, that suggests you're men of God. Which SHOULD mean you understand Islam, or at least basic Islamic history. WHICH YOU DO NOT.

When the Prophet and his people moved to Madinah, in the Pledge of Aqaba, between Jews of Madina and the pilgrims states:

“The Jews shall maintain their own religion and the Muslims theirs. Loyalty is a protection against treachery. The close friends of Jews are as themselves. None of them shall go out on a military expedition except with the permission of Muhammad, but he shall not be prevented from taking revenge for a wound."

It was agreed then they were allowed to practice any religion of choice, in peace. This was the teaching of the Prophet.

I learnt this when I was 12. Tolerance, and harmony. 1Malaysia is not a new idea. Unity was called for long ago. Unity does not mean uniformity, but to stand together in spite of our differences.

The people of Sentul can protest that the Azan is disrupting their rituals. But they do not.
I've seen non- Muslim butchers learn the way of Slaughtering the Islamic way, all so we Muslims can eat with our peace of mind intact.

Why then, is it so difficult for us Muslims to do the same? Why are we so caught up with KeMelayuan and exclusivity of Islam to the point where we call for BLOODSHED?

Their beliefs differ. But if they can accept our differences, why cant we accept theirs? This is not the way of Islam. You know who punished people for their different religious practice?

The people of Quraisy. We now,are behaving in the same way of the very Infidels that the Prophet had to battle in order to save Islam.

What's being done now? We are a few days shy of Independence Day. Of Nuzul Quran.
What's being said in the speeches during Terawih? Have our leaders in religion called for Unity against this mindless brutality?

Why has the government, who so often resort to ISA for ridiculous reasons, not threatened to do the same with these people, who are blatantly inciting hate and racism?

I fear we live in a time where intolerance has become louder than humanity and compassion.
I weep over the fact that I share the name of a group of people who continuously disgrace Islam.
I call for help.

Something must be done.

Back & Unwell

i'm back..to real life and boring reality... :p boo!!

haha..bandung was awesome..wished we had more time to finish shopping..i actually left some stuff out that i really really REALLY wanted but tak sempat nak patah balik to get..i so regret!!!

will seriously make the - plan for a "return-to-bandung" trip - happen..MUST!!!

am now sick..coughing, running nose, lethargy, the works..but not H1N1 though, alhamdullilah..had to check with the doctor on monday..(lucky)..

will be offline for a while..until i regain my "un-lazy-ness"........ :p

for now, sleep.....zzzzZZZZZ

Shut Up and Drive

i like driving with the window down..i get to feel the wind on my face and in my hair..hear the sound of it and cars rushing by..air-conditioning usually gives me cold shivers and a dry feeling in my throat anyway..one problem about driving with the window down though, i can't hear the music on the radio..oh ya, and the air usually smells quite bad in malaysia..unless if it just rained..

but once i get on the highway, i guess i'll just blast my radio as loud as i need to..no one can hear me then anyway..

it's crazy how fast people drive on highways sometimes..i feel like an idiot when i'm driving to the speed limit..and everyone else will make me feel like i'm a useless slow-poke crowding the long stretch of bitumen and tar..eee..i get nervous when i'm speeding..

life is kinda like driving on a highway, kan..everyone is moving so fast..sometimes you don't know how fast you're going because you're pacing yourself with everyone else..it's so tiring.."people" in this context being "cars" just flash by..sometimes we follow sometimes we lead..

i think i'm experiencing a burn out..my engine's rusty from the long hauls..it seems i haven't been replacing my black oil as frequently as i should..the window's down, and the air is rushing in..adding to the weight as i still drive on ahead..everyone is moving so fast..everyone is passing by..the radiator is almost dry, and there's smoke bellowing from the hood..but i still can't stop, because my destination is still far away..and all these cars are passing me by..

it won't be too long before i catch on fire....then "boom" goes my engine?..

A Shameless Covers Night, PJLA

it was awesome!!!! 

i'm so glad soraya ajak-ed me to go..it was really really good..RM25 worth spent..hehe..

as we were discussing in the car, we haven't done this for a while..and i miss it so bad..both the music and company were great..an enjoyable girls night out! :D..

let's talk about the show a little;

i recorded most of the show on my phone (audio only lah) and will be finding a way to post them right soon..but i missed the 2 opening songs and the 1st one after the intermission (sayang nya!!)..was just so mesmerized, didn't want to record half-way, tak syok :p..

they covered songs like "water runs dry", "kiss from a rose on the grave", "jaded", "creep", "you ought'a know", "salvation" and a few unexpected memories like "pinky and the brain", "appollo wafer advert", "ghostbusters" and my ultimate favourite, "captain planet".

i so am not doing the show justice with the list above, but as soon as i get the recordings straightened out i'm definitely posting the full song list..it was just really awesome..

i guess i especially loved it because these were songs i grew up listening..it was like primary school all over again..the 90's feva..yeah!! :p

all 4 of them were fantastic..i was especially impressed by melina and zalila..

melina is just super talented, she can play almost any instrument perfectly and her rockstar voice is just so cool :)..i had never heard or seen zalila perform before tonight, but she is one fun person!..she plays with so much soul and you can just see her enjoying herself while performing..it's just so memberangsangkan!..mia palencia is as usual the unbelievable vocalist that she is, and she can rap pretty well too..haha!..i felt that her choice of covers were those i could relate to the most..and ofcourse, reza salleh..adorable personality and easily (to me) one of the best male artist malaysia has ever seen..i am so very the bangga :)

hope to see more of their shows soon

will definitely continue my support!!

Statement of Realisation

The quality of a "friendship" is not defined by the number of years it has existed, rather more through choices made in experiences together..agree?..

a person can be in close contact and proximity to another person for years but not be "friends"..

two or more people can be "friends" for decades and not know anything about each other..

on the other hand, a complete stranger can spare 5 minutes in their life to express respect, acknowledgement, care and humanity..enough to be considered a "friend" right?..

sadly i feel that people can call each other "friends" and completely misunderstand the concept..what has happened to the term "friendship"..i hate people who misuse it to gain for their own selfish benefits..

the world doesn't have to be that cold..bonds between people are meant to be more than just means of survival..true "friendship" is a gift to be nurtured..

A True Malaysian

She's such a beautiful person..someone full of love and understanding..someone who clearly knew what was important in life..not afraid to live a life she truly believes in..not afraid to be the exception..i have so much respect for her..

i don't know her personally..i don't even know her from a far..but i wished i did..i wished i could have at least had a small conversation with such a fantastic individual..maybe sometime in the next life?..insyaAllah..

i wish only all good things for her..and i wish her all the best in the next life..i wish that i could be half the daughter she was to her parents..i wish she didn't have to go through the conflicts she did in life..i wish everyone could follow in her lead and not judge everyone else just because..

i want to be someone as strong as her..and i want to be someone as moving as her..and i hope someday, i can share my thoughts and ideals with the world like her..i wish there were more people who saw the world like her..

again, i only wish good things for her..she is truly special..

AY Yasmin Ahmad

1958 - 2009

i love this picture of her the most

Baby Steps : Barley Notebooks is born..hehe :)

i finally did it..the blog-shop i've been dreaming of setting up since 3 years ago is finally finished..i really don't know where it's headed n whether or not it'll be successful, but the best advice i've been given is "the best way to start something sometimes is to just get started"..so i got started..i'm still owing a few people some books, which i will be submitting to s.alam next week, insyaAllah..apologies for taking too long..it is completely my fault for under-estimating my final year expectations..i'm an idiot..

i got sick again yesterday, which hindered my plans a little bit..oh well..but i have to make up for it today i guess..i couldn't even fulfill my promise to call shazato yesterday..so i should call her rite after i finish writing this blog..

all in all, i really hope my blog-shop reaches the target market i'm aiming for..still slowly learning about how to market it properly though..and i hope everyone who visits the website enjoys browsing through it..i put so much effort into making it!! hehe..

well, i'll just hope for the best :)

          

         

About Barley Notebooks

www.barleynotebooks.blogspot.com

Barley is an online store specializing in selling and customizing notebooks and paper products. We offer hand-made items such as notebooks, card-holders, photo albums, organizers, cd-cases and much more at affordable prices. All Barley products are one-of-a-kind and made customizable to suite each person and event.

Barley started off as an idea to pursue hand-made notebooks as a commercial item. In the beginning, Barley customized notebooks for friends and family members as a hobby. Now, Barley hopes to go commercial.