Alien Landscape
I Love Dogs: A Muslim's Perspective
01:28 PM, Wednesday, August 20, 2008
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Picture borrowed from aspca.orgEven though I was brought up to hate dogs and stay away from them, without any logical reason, I was still irresistibly drawn to such a loyal and cheerful persona in an animal. I love dogs.
Recently I read what Sally wrote about dogs and their place in Islam and was pleasantly surprised at her findings. Here is an article she provided:
Dogs in Islam
I do advise Muslims to read it and stop their ignorant hatred to a creation of God.
Come to think of it, the Qur'an never mentioned anything about the dog being vile and unclean. The aversion for dogs mostly appeared in hadiths written by Abu Hurayrah, a known cat lover and dog hater.
Hadiths are also contradictory when it comes to dogs. There was one where a prostitute was cleanse of all sins because she fed water to a dying dog while another stated that the angel Jibrail (Gabriel) refused to enter the Prophet's (pbuh) house because there were dogs in there. Then there is one which is my favourite where the Prophet continued with his prayers even as dogs played happily nearby. So which is it?
So when hadiths contradict, then stick to the original, unaltered Scripture.
"They ask thee (O Muhammad) what is made lawful for them. Say: (all) good things are made lawful for you. And those beasts and birds of prey which ye have trained as hounds are trained, ye teach them that which Allah taught you; so eat of that which they catch for you and mention Allah's name upon it, and observe your duty to Allah. Lo! Allah is swift to take account. " 5:4 Al-Maeda (Pickthall)
Hounds. Dogs. It is clear in the holy Scripture that G-d permits us to eat that which a dog has hunted for us. Then why is there some rule about the dog's saliva being impure when the Qur'an allows us to eat what a dog has hunted and brought us?
Dogs are mentioned as protectors and companions in verses 18:18-22.
So I don't get it. Why, again is a dog haraam? There's no mention of it in the Qur'an.
It's sad to see how tradition shapes belief and faith instead of the other way round. I don't like the attitude of Muslims who believe that questioning is considered unacceptable in Islam. There is nothing that yields more knowledge than a little bit of doubt. We're not sheep. Allah swt gave us minds for a reason.
To think. Duh. If He wanted us to be silly sheep who just follow any hadith thrown our way without examining it further, then I don't think it was necessary to grant us the gift of Free Will.
I mean, come on. How can this little tyke be evil and unforgivably impure?
Flanked by Flaccid Minds
06:40 PM, Tuesday, August 19, 2008
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I have a good mind to put him in his place soon. I am already planning a clever and cutting verbal bitch slap to land on his obnoxious bespectacled face, the next time he pointedly ignores my contribution to discussions.
He may be group leader but I am the real brain behind our project. I organise meetings, disseminate what is necessary and lead our discussions while he just sits there and utter completely idiotic and obvious things. I do everything. I research, compile, present. Man, for a school training future leaders of youth, there sure are class A losers in my class. Dammit, how can they NOT know the meaning of 'contort'?
When Nissa asked me just now, I had the strongest urge to say it's what my face does when idiots like you ask stupid questions. It's a simple word, darn it all! You're supposed to be English teachers!
Perhaps that was uncalled for and terribly arrogant of me. I'm just in a bad mood. This dark cloud has been there for six days now and counting.
Faisal
11:04 AM, Tuesday, August 19, 2008
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I watched in fascination as he comfortably chattered on, completely at ease under scrutiny and disbelief. His laugh is infectious. His eyes lingered on mine more than it did the others but I'm sure it was just the convenient seating arrangement. I still could not help feeling flustered and embarrassed by the longer gaze.I remembered what Liah said then. She said, the best I can do is just be. So I was and it didn't help much. I don't even know what I'm trying to accomplish then. A guy like Fais has optimism so dazzling that it makes him completely oblivious to other people and how they might feel about him.
I talked to Liah about it just now at about 4 am. She seemed to think it's a bit too quick for me to suddenly fancy another guy after Rudy. She was right of course. I'm hardly the ogling kind. I don't trip over my feet every time I pass by a decent looking bloke. Guys rarely fascinate me as much as ladies do. So it's a bit weird, this school girl crush I have on Fais, our resident eloquent, half ang moh, lady's man.
The most attractive thing about him is he doesn't judge. When he talks to me, his expression is always comfortingly open and seemingly ready for anything. He is an excellent listener. It's refreshing.
Last Friday he forgot to shave I think. I wanted to touch his face so badly then.
The thing about him is, I strongly suspect that he's gay.
Song #50 Landlocked Blues
04:46 PM, Monday, August 18, 2008
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Bright Eyes is no more? :( They haven't even toured to Singapore yet...Conor Oberst is now going solo. I thought I would enjoy that but his work in Bright Eyes is much closer to the heart compared to the new Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band.
That said, Conor Oberst is still a brilliant song writer and musician and he owns my heart. Conor, I don't care if I sound like one of your desperate fans. I love you, I love you, I love you. I always have and always will.
I've been listening to a lot of Bright Eyes lately because Conor makes everything bearable. It's not just his music. It's him. He is raw and free and hopeful and scarred and so so beautiful. I want to bury a hole in my heart and keep him there so everything beautiful he writes and sings will turn my heart into a garden and I will be perfect and happy and crying only petals and blue honey.
Landlocked Blues
by Bright Eyes
If you walk away, I'll walk away
First tell me which road you will take
I don't want to risk our paths crossing someday
So you walk that way, I'll walk this way
And the future hangs over heads
And it moves with each current event
Until it falls all around like a cold, steady rain
Just stay in when it's looking this way
And the moon's laying low in the sky
Forcing everything metal to shine
And the sidewalk holds diamonds like a jewelry store case
They argue, walk this way, no, walk this way
And Laura's asleep in my bed
As I'm leaving, she wakes up and says
"I dreamed you were carried away on the crest of a wave
Baby, don't go away, come here"
And there's kids playing guns in the street
And one's pointing his tree branch at me
And so I put my hands up, I say, "Enough is enough
If you walk away, I'll walk away"
And he shot me dead
I found a liquid cure from my landlocked blues
It would pass the way like a slow parade
It's leaving, but I don't know how soon
And the world's got me dizzy again
You think after twenty-two years I'd be used to the spin
And it only feels worse when I stay in one place
So I'm always pacing around or walking away
I keep drinking the ink from my pen
And I'm balancing history books up on my head
But it all boils down to one quotable phrase
"If you love something, give it away"
A good woman will pick you apart
A box full of suggestions for your possible heart
But you may be offended, and you may be afraid
But don't walk away, don't walk away
We made love on the living room floor
With the noise in the background from a televised war
And in that deafening pleasure, I thought I heard someone say
"If we walk away, they walk away"
But greed is a bottomless pit
And our freedom's a joke, we're just taking a piss
And the whole world must watch the sad comic display
If you're still free, start running away
Because we're coming for you!
I've grown tired of holding this pose
I feel more like a stranger each time I come home
So I'm making a deal with the devils of fame
Saying, "Let me walk away, please"
You'll be free, child, once you have died
From the shackles of language and measurable time
And then we can trade places, play musical graves
Until then walk away, walk away, walk away
So I'm up at dawn
Putting on my shoes
I just want to make a clean escape
I'm leaving, but I don't know where to
I know I'm leaving, but I don't know where to
Sunday Book Update: The Fairy Godmother
03:24 PM, Sunday, August 17, 2008
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The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes LackeyInspired by other book blogs, I'm going to share books I've read for the week, every other Sunday or even weekly if I'm not too swamped with projects and assignments. Something just has to be done about the sudden lapse of chain reading.
From whence it came:
A gift from Hasini. It's quite worn at the edges already because I have clammy page turning hands and tend to break the spines of books I'm too engrossed in.
Synopsis:
A journey of a street smart 21 year old from being the town's Cinderella to becoming a Godmother in charge of several kingdoms, holding a rank higher than even kings.
What I liked:
The idea of a young woman who literally bent Fate (or in this case, called the Tradition) just so she can dictate her own life and not have it steered by a silly Prince, makes very good story telling. I love how colourful the story is, with its description of other magical creatures like the otherworldly Mighty Fae, the beautiful but adorably stupid Unicorns getting all doe eyed around virgins and even a wannabe Evil Sorceress who lived in a dark castle and sent messages by bat (but secretly does good deeds). It's a good story. Very engaging. I finished it in only two days. I definitely will read the other Five Hundred Kingdoms books.
What I didn't like:
The way it's written is mediocre. Mercedes Lackey may very well be a class one storyteller but that doesn't make her a good writer. While the story hooked me, the way it's written got me cringing more than once. It's almost adolescent. Wishy washy. I wouldn't say it's that bad. It's slightly sub par. It's a good thing she makes it up with good story telling. Oh and I hated the sex parts. ZOMG. It was unbearable. I do like erotica :)~ but the sex scenes in the book made me cringe in embarrassment for her.
Verdict:
It was okay. Worth another read.
A Lazy Zealot
04:25 PM, Saturday, August 16, 2008
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I'm incapable of writing a full entry because being immaturely morose is slowly turning me into a zombie and a child plagued with autism.
I read a Wiki article about autism just now and it was said by one of the researchers that it's like being an anthropologist on Mars, after which I immediately went, Hey! I know how that feels like!
Maybe I'm mildly autistic. I never got along with other people except in secondary school and even then, they labelled me weird or a more polite word, eccentric. Some even teased that I sacrifice kittens to the Devil. (I don't)
This period of being one of the undead might end at the end of three weeks when my saviour returns. I highly suspect that my inclination to mope and shuffle around, moaning in a classic zombie fashion has something to do with Rudy ignoring me, Adelaide blaming me for her Daniel's death, Ris severing our friendship because she wants Adelaide all to herself and to put a toxic black icing to a shit cake, Hasini isn't around to make me feel better.
Hey what do you know! A complete entry.
Nightmare Day One
05:48 PM, Thursday, August 14, 2008
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Drips in the night. Then silence. Thudding explosions.A throng of walking bodies in body bags.
Oh the Douchebaggery!
12:25 PM, Tuesday, August 12, 2008
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The truth is I have never found blogging to be a burden. Maybe there are those few occasions when writer's block muzzles me. Most of the time, AL is cathartic. This is why I am blogging on a blogging holiday.Campus life is getting increasingly frustrating. I have yet to meet anyone whom I share common classes with, which means every class I go to, there are twenty new faces. It's good too in a sense that when I have three hour breaks like right now, I can count on people to leave me alone to complete tutorials, blog, twitter, work on personal projects and take photographs.
Besides, people have always find my extreme extrovert personality during class discussions followed by a solemn introvert one after classes, strange. I function well in arguments of things I am interested in but when it comes to social situations, I'm on standby mode. I simply cannot be bothered with empty talk and campus humour most of which I have not begun to grasp.
I suppose being called boring is a fair assessment, looking at it from their point of view. I may be caustic, positively belligerent and somewhat known for being restless in class but outside, I'm naturally reserved. I don't enjoy wasting two hours eating lunch and chatting about stupid things. There are things to do. I seriously wonder what goes on in these people's lives. Why do they spare so much time with all this douchebaggery?
From my point of view, they are the boring ones. They struggle in discussions that matter, do not have a spot of originality in everything they say and their main activity is to endlessly judge people without so much as trying to find out their names. They are so mediocre and meaningless.
The only person I find worth getting to know so far is Seline. Motormouth without being tiresomely mundane. I like Seline. Too bad I have only one lecture with her. What a lecture though. We did not bother to listen to the dome headed incompetent lecturer. While the others busy themselves taking notes which can be found online, Seline and I spent the hour conversing on paper.
Blah, this has been such a monotonous entry.
++slits throat and waits for the next class++
AKU RINDU KAU RUDY! TAPI NI BUKAN MARRIAGE PROPOSAL OK. I miss you Rudy. The Rudy who was my friend and fellow book whore :(
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Sanctuary of a chronic whiner. The cirrus cloud author pretends to be a cumolonimbus and rules a dominion of satyrs. In other words, a mythomaniac.
