All posts by : MH

Just found out that my old Arabic teacher from high school passed away yesterday in a car crash in Sudan. Tr. El-Fateh was definitely one of the nicest and funniest teachers I ever had. Even the way he carried himself was light and limber. I remember getting into all sorts of laughing fits in his Arabic class as me and Zah would write the most absurd Arabic essays (one I distinctly remember was one about going to the moon to get cheese) but Tr. Fateh always laughed along with us, encouragingly. The 2 years I studied Arabic with him was when I pic ...

After ages and ages my long awaited trip to Singapore finally happened! A lot of people (read: mom) have asked me, why Singapore?? Well the short answer is that it’s the nearest faraway place, nearest different country. Also, the last time I was there I didn’t get to do much at all, being only there for a day and a half. For the most part, I was busy with work so coordinating and planning the trip wasn’t the easiest thing to do. Thursday night after work I rushed home and got my stuff together coz our train was at 11 pm from KL central. This was ...

If only my sense of direction in life were as good as my sense of direction on the roadThen I’d be all set. I was thinking about this yesterday on the way back from work in my (dad’s) car. On the road, I don’t mind getting lost, taking wrong turns, making those kinds of mistakes, because to me, it’s just a matter of knowing your bearings, where you came from and where you want to go. And anyways, if you take a wrong turn there’s bound to be somewhere you can make an illegal u-turn up ahead and get back on track. Now how do I apply that principle ...

In 9th grade I was faced with a decision – what electives do I want to take? Out of the 8 subjects we were allowed 3 electives. I had already taken Japanese and art in my first semester, and for my second semester I was torn between IT and carpentry. I was really interested in both. Hem. Haw. Mull. I checked out the computer labs and the woodshop. I considered asking advice from my guidance counsellor, in the end I ended up asking my mom. (Basically the same thing) At the start of my school year I had already registered IT as my third elective b ...

On the way to work today I glanced at my neighbour’s house where there was a long rainwater downpipe which was supposed to be attached to the gutter at the roof but this down pipe was not really fully attached and so I thought they should put a funnel there so the water flows down the downpipe and doesn’t just splash around. And then I got to thinking how a funnel wouldn’t really help if the rainfall is really heavy since the downpipe was kinda small in diameter and then I got to thinking about hydrodynamics and the people who study them and that ...

My rhyme ain't good just yet, My brain and tongue just met, And they ain't friends, so far, My words don't travel far, They tangle in my hair, And tend to go nowhere, They grow right back inside, Right past my brain and eyes Into my stomach juice Where they don't serve much use, No healthy calories, Nutrition values. And I absorb back in The words right through my skin They sit there festering inside my bowels The consonants and vowels The consequence of sounds The consonants and vowels The consequence of sounds Got a soundtrack in my mind, All t ...

was at work today, and during my bouts of sleepiness I was caught thinking, why am I here? I got up, walked to the bathroom, and washed my face. Earlier, I had been feeling quite down, this project I’m working on is daunting and my co-worker who started it but passed it on to me is a super duper awesome designer. How am I supposed to carry that same awesomeness throughout the rest of the project? Standing in front of the mirror, my robot brain started taking over. Breaking down the task into manageable little chunks. (Warning. Monologue ahead)Ro ...

ast night Muhsin, Ummi and I were having dinner. afterward Ummi was snacking on a plum and the subject of nursery rhymes came up. Personally, I LOVE nursery rhymes, and I still remember most of them Such pleasant memories. So I decided to quiz Muhsin. Suffice to say Ummi and I were left in stitches. Enjoy."Jack & Jill"Jack and Jill by ~sarahirkheJack and Jill went up the hill,to get some water.(pause)Someone fell down."Humpty Dumpty"The Humpty Dumpty Love Song by ~IsirielHumpty Dumpty sat on the wall,Humpty Dumpty had a great fall(long pause) ...

With every word uttered there are thousands left unsaidand every sentence whispered comes with hundreds put to bedThe whisper by ~bramster

eople can inspire you just by being themselves - I know that for a fact. As someone who likes people watching, observing, listening, inspiration comes to me in different forms but mostly from people and events around me. Recently I went to my high school for an iftar, and it brought back a lot of memories. People change, I don’t have a problem with that because its nature. But the direction in which people change, that is what matters. It’s heartwarming to see how people change for the better, even if when I knew them back in the day they were no ...

KindnessBefore you know what kindness really isyou must lose things,feel the future dissolve in a momentlike salt in a weakened broth.What you held in your hand,what you counted and carefully saved,all this must go so you knowhow desolate the landscape can bebetween the regions of kindness.How you ride and ridethinking the bus will never stop,the passengers eating maize and chickenwill stare out the window forever.Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness,you must travel where the Indian in a white poncholies dead by the side of the road.Yo ...

ust came back from dinner with my family. It was okay but the food was nyeh. before dinner started me and my mom and sister were talking...me: ummi, if i dont get a scholarship i can't go eh?ummi: Insha'Allah you will get oneme: yeah, i can, but like canada, i got a scholarship, but i still couldn't go. it wasnt enough.Ummi: yeah i meant if you get a full scholarship, you can go lah.moon: (something along the lines of) thats stupid, if maryam doesn't get a full scholarship she cant go. Just go lah!I don't know if i can do it. getting a full schol ...

amadhan is upon us again, Alhamdulillah~ so far it's been an interesting and different experience. I'm working now, and even though I have been through Ramadhan while working before, that was just a temporary office job. Not very challenging. That’s the only thing I regret working so early, not taking an extended holiday, is that I can't give Ramadhan my 100%. I’ll try my best though, Insha’Allah. This week has been pretty hectic. Last week as well, last week was hectic because of work. But this week I was fully booked the whole 5 weekdays for if ...

I was waiting for my friends in klcc and as usual that means finding a nook in kinokuniya and burying myself there. The book I picked up was tipping point by Malcolm gladwell, a book that I already had but haven’t read. But it was a good thing that I read that little bit of it yesterday because it made me realize what I wanted to be in life. I want to be a maven. Yep. Now I just have to figure out how, if its something to figure out and not just DO. I suppose it would take a lot of time.Went to pray at the SUPERcrowded klcc surau (I knew I should ...

Its been a week since I started work, so far its been ok I guess. My office has 15 people in total. Its kinda quiet but that’s not so bad i guess. Right now I’m in the middle of designing a 60 acre waterfront masterplan. Scary. Every morning i walk 1.2 kilometers from the lrt station to my office. I haven’t gotten a flashcard yet so I end up ringing the doorbell everyday. When I get home, I watch a few episodes of avatar just to de-stress (yes, the cartoon :P)My graduation dinner was yesterday, and it was fun!! Dressing up was fun and the event w ...

ome things I wrote down while waiting for my interview at z&sr to start. I came half an hour early haha!Yellow walls (:D) timber floor. Exposed steel structure, very industrial chic-ish. Oodles or paraphernalia, pictures, posters, paintings, glass walls.Orange chairs paired with dark furnishingsextensive library. Seems quite smalllocation is ok, nice compound but larger context not so much. Quiet day at work today, only 3 people spotted so far. (Added side note: another 2 people meandered out from the back. I guess this place is bigger than it lo ...

Reasons why most people say "Nothing" when asked "What's wrong?"nothing by ~liquidsunnyday1. They don’t feel like explaining because they’re afraid you won’t understand.2. It’ll make them feel worse if they do because the subject is just being brought up again.3. They don’t know what’s wrong.4. Privacy / Personal space /they don't want to tell you5. Afraid of being judged.6. They don’t want anyone worrying about them.7. Tired of hearing the lie that “It’ll be alright.”8. Its obviously about you.9. They just don’t want to talk about it.10.There re ...

oday I woke up not in the best of circumstances. I was dead tired yesterday after the caves and I fell asleep without ironing my mom’s clothes, which she already asked me to do. But I woke up refreshed, and for some odd reason, feeling really chipper. I think it stemmed from the fact that I thought I was home alone. Alone time is good. You can do whatever you want at home, without anyone bothering you. You have the whole TV to yourself, and you don’t need to fight for possession of your own pc. You can do chores at your own pace and eat whatever ...

There is a house, in many aspects it contains elements of your dream house. Magnificent views, spacious interiors, lush furnishings, warmth, comfort, just the right amount of excitement and tranquility. Even though you probably would struggle to afford it, you can somewhat imagine yourself living here. You found it by surprise, stumbled across it, and was thrilled by its seemingly perfect existence. You walk through the house and discover its illustrious history and significance in present times. You know it will be worth a fortune in the future. ...