From the desk of the Amazing ‘Ainur…

assalamualaikum w.b.t and kia ora…

hello…how’s it going? (in true Kiwi style)…today’s march 31st…today’s my close friend, Ain’s, birthday…happy birthday, Ain…and today is the 12th day of the month of Rabiul-Awwal in the Hijri calendar…which means that today is my beloved Prophet Muhammad’s birthday…happy birthday to Him too…and happy birthday also to whoever’s celebrating their birthday today…i’m going to take this opportunity to wish my older sister "happy birthday" in advance…her birthday’s not until next week…and my younger sister, Naiim, too…her birthday is at the end of April, but i don’t care…so, happy birthday, Naiim and Kak Najah…now i’m satisfied…

there’s a lot of things going on in the Middle East right now…there’s the Arab League peace initiative, which is rejected by the Israeli government…then Ehud Olmert, the PM of Israel, calling Ismail Haniyeh, his Palestinian counterpart, a "terrorist"…then a close ally of Olmert, Haim Ramon, was convicted of sexual misconduct…before this, the President of Israel was forced to take  a leave of absence when news surfaced that he had raped one of his female aides and sexually assaulted a few others…Olmert himself is currently under investigation over allegations of cronyism (funny that…he often comdemns the Palestinian Authority for their supposed corruption…looks like a classic example of "the pot calling the kettle black" to me…), then there’s the "kidnapping" of a BBC journalist in Gaza…and the kidnapping of British sailors by the Iranian Govenment…were they or were they not in Iranian waters?…can’t wait to see how this crisis is going to end…

what i’m really interested in at this moment is the rejected Arab League peace initiative…seriously…i think it’s high time that Israel and its Arab neighbours stop fighting…the Arab countries made it perfectly clear in their proposal that they are going to normalize ties with Israel and accept Israel’s existence if Israel withdrew to its pre-1967 border…and accept the creation of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state and accept a just solution to the "Palestinian refugees" problem…sounds like a fair bargain to me…but Olmert has a problem with the withdrawal to pre-1967 border and the Palestinian refugees thingy…so he rejected it and said that it was a "diktat"…how convenient…let me make it clear to you guys…when Israel triumphed over Egypt, Syria and Jordan in the 1967 Six-Day War, it seized the remaining 22 percent of historic Palestine that was not part of Israel proper…some of this area were later annexed into Israel and some (i.e. the West Bank and the Gaza Strip) were placed under Israel’s military occupation…till this day…the Israeli Government disengaged from Gaza at the end of 2005 (the settlers may not be there, but the Israeli Army is still very much there)…the West Bankers still live under military occupation…this year marks the 40th year of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands…this occupation contravenes the international law…several international laws, to be precise…the UN has time and again passed resolutions condemning Israel’s illegal appropriation and annexation of Palestinian lands…the Israeli Government needs to withdraw because their hold of these lands is illegal…it’s as simple as that…ILLEGAL…which part of I-L-L-E-G-A-L do they not understand?

the Arab League peace deal is a classic case of quid pro quo…you give us our lands back, and we leave you alone…isn’t that what Israel wants? to be left alone? Israel wants Palestinian "terrorists" to stop bombing Israeli civilians…then Israel has to stop giving them a reason to bomb its civilians…cease your occupation and they’ll desist from bombing you…if the Israeli Army keeps treating the Palestinians like worthless trash (Amnesty reports that everday at least one Palestinian dies under Israel’s occupation), then they are going to be treated like trash too…it’s the first rule of physics, people…there is no action without reaction…so, that’s why i think this whole thing needs to end…the Israelis are weary of living under constant threat and fear for their lives…the Palestinians are weary of living under occupation…the Palestinians living in the Diaspora are tired of being seen as unwelcome visitors and a nuisance to their host countries…i think i’m right in saying that both parties want out of this conflict…if they want out, they’ve got to lose their rejectionist stance…there’s no other way around it…they’ve got to work with each other…Olmert’s refusal to recognize the Palestinian Unity Government as a legitimate negotiating partner won’t help matters….and the Palestinians, for God’s sake, please stop fighting and killing each other…what’s the point of having a Palestinian state if there are no Palestinian left to enjoy it?…you’ve got to stop screwing each other up…you’re all working towards the same goal…you might want to consider working WITH each other…that might help…

on a lighter note, there’s a new movie out called "becoming jane"…it’s about the life of jane austen, my favourite author in the whole wide world…syada, it’s a gorgeous story…you and i are going to love it…i haven’t watched it yet, actually..but i have seen the trailer…and it’s gorgeous…saying that i like jane austen is probably understating it…i adore her works…i adore her style of writing…her wacky witticisms…her cynical view on the society in which she lived…her sometimes pessimistic outlook on human nature…i love it…there’s something refreshing about her…she’s a non-conformist…she dared to defy long-established conventions…she didn’t do things just because other people were doing it…she’s smart…she, in short, had all the qualities that i respect in a human being…this movie, "becoming jane", is about her romance (or alleged romance) with an Irishman, Thomas Lefroy…they actually don’t have enough evidence to suggest that this liaison did happen, but they decided to do a movie on it anyway…funny…but if it did happen, then i know where she got the inspiration to write her brilliant works from…

ok…time to go…it’s a rather long entry, is it not?…i’ve run out of ideas anyway…perfect timing…go watch the movie when it comes out…i’m not forcing you or anything…if you don’t want to watch it, that’s fine by me…i’m actually against the use of force except in cases where serious provocations are involved…so, i’ll say my goodbye now…goodbye!

"Human nature is so well disposed towards those who are in interesting situations, that a young person, who either marries or dies, is sure to be kindly spoken of." (jane austen)

"If a woman doubts as to whether she should accept a man or not, she certainly ought to refuse him. If she can hesitate as to Yes, she ought to say No, directly." (jane austen)

"I do not want people to be agreeable, as it saves me that trouble of liking them." (jane austen)

‘Ainur Rahmah Ellias

assalamualaikum w.b.t and kia ora…

hello, people…something new happened to me this afternoon…i got tagged!!!…by my dear friend soya…thank you, soya…i’m flattered and honoured…i have an assignment due this coming monday that i have no intention of doing…i know i should do it but i want to write this entry first…because this is waaayyyy more interesting than the topic of my research paper…now i don’t know how this whole thing works but as i understand it i have to write a blog about six weird things about me?…and then i have to "tag" six other people?…is that how it works?…assuming that the answer is "yes, ‘Ainur", i’m gonna try and give this my best shot…okay…here goes nothing…

six weird things about me:

1- if i like something, i don’t just "like" it, i get obsessed with it…i don’t simply become a fan of that thing, i become a fanatic…sounds scary, doesn’t it?…now that goes for actors, singers, authors, FOOD and almost everything else…if, for example, i like an actor…chances are i’ll watch every single movie or series he’s in, know his middle name, know the names of his parents and siblings, know which high school or college he attended, know his qualifications, favourite food, nicknames, past jobs…basically his whole life story…i’m that way with food too…once, when i was in ipba, my best friend, zue, asked me to try her "ayam halia"…i liked it so much that that’s the only dish i’d order when i went to scud…for lunch and dinner…for, like, half-a-year…my current obsession is toasted bagel with butter…i’m waiting to see how long this one would last…

2- everyday, before i go to bed, i’ll read at least two pages from two of my favourite novels…here in nz, that means ‘pride and prejudice’ or ‘to kill a mockingbird’ (i left my other favourite novels at home in penang) …everyday…without fail…i’ll just pick a page, randomly, and start reading…i’ve tried to kick the habit, but you know what they say…old habits die hard…i can now proudly say that i know these beautiful stories by heart…jane austen and harper lee will be proud of me…

3- i don’t drink plain water…at all…i can’t swallow them…that means i don’t drink mineral water or tap water or the water from water coolers…i’ll drink them if they are cold (like ice cold) but if they are the room-temperature-type water, i won’t…simple as that…i just can’t swallow them…my throat can’t accept plain water…i know they are supposed to be good for you, and i have tried to force myself to drink them, but my efforts so far have proven to be fruitless…i avoided plain water like the plague…still do, actually…

4- i like going to class…i do…seriously…even if the class sucks…the lecturer sucks and the classmates suck even more…i’ll still look forward to going to that class…i even like the whole "pre-class" rituals…like reading hundreds of pages of lecture materials, doing tutorial assignments, preparing questions to ask to my tutors (although i usually don’t ask them), choosing which tee-shirts and scarves to wear (serious stuff here…your shirt and scarf have to match…)…i love those stuff…note: loving those stuff doesn’t in any way mean that i do them…you understand…sometimes laziness gets in the way…i love classes in general but that doesn’t mean that i attend all of them…in fact, i sometimes make up the most ridiculous of excuses to get out of it…i’m a professional class-skipper…and i’m proud of that fact…

5- i love to watch guys with curly hair…i’ve been doing this since i was a little girl…they don’t even have to be good-looking…i don’t do anything else to them, i just watch them…their hair, to be precise…discreetly, of course… harmless fun…it is my opinion that guys with curly hair are better looking than the ones with straight hair…i don’t care if their curly hair are unkempt, i’ll still watch them…i sound like a sick pervert, don’t i?…my first favourite footballer was Emmanuel Petit…a Frenchmen…gorgeous curly locks…brilliant football player…Roger Federer’s hair is gorgeous too…JOHN MAYER’s hair is beeeaaauuuutifuuullll….i love his hair…my MEDIA lecturer had a really, really lovely curly hair…but he’s my lecturer, so i pretented not to notice his hair…i still looked but i didn’t do it often because i felt guilty…sometimes, in class, when i get bored (lectures sometimes have that effect on me) and about to fall into a stupor, i search the hall for guys with curly hair…i count them and sometimes, when i feel like it, i put them into categories (e.g. brown, blond, shoulder-length, tied in a ponytail, unwashed, etc)…

6-  i like to hear stories about chaos, catastrophes and destruction…when things go bad…like volcanic eruptions, landslides, typhoons, car accidents, plane crashes, wars, the occasional fire drills, collapsed cameras (and cameramen), flying roofs, conspiracy theories (i don’t always believe them because they are usually rubbish, but i read them anyway), scandals, etc…for some rather perverted reasons, i seem to like hearing stories about this sort of stuff…doesn’t mean i like them…in fact, i feel bad that they happen…but i like knowing about them…make sense?…i follow the kennedy family saga till this day…the idea of a cursed family is very attractive to me…i follow the wars in the middle east and africa…there’s this whole "sharks attacking human" thing going on in australia now that i also follow…or celebrity divorces…i enjoy reading about the occasional environmental disasters…like melted glaciers or bush fires or sinkholes…important stuff, right?

so…those are six weird things about me..it took a lot of courage for me to write them down…i had to go through a lengthy process of soul-searching before i could write this list…i don’t understand why i do what i do…habit, i guess…i sometimes think i’m weird…none of my siblings are like that…not one…thank God…so i’m going to tag my friends now…let’s see:

1- zue  2- nada  3- syada  4- nisa  5- aini  6- ana

so here are the rules:

"Rules & Regulations:Each player of this game starts out by giving 6 weird things about themselves. People who get tagged need to write in a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state the rules clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. After you do that, leave them each a comment letting them know you tagged them and to read your blog!"

good luck guys…hope you have fun listing six weird things about you…and thanks, soya…

‘ainur rahmah ellias

assalamualaikum w.b.t and kia ora…

hello…people…i hope everything’s fine and dandy in your life…hope your life’s better than mine is at the moment…okay…enough of this gloomy talk…no, actually, i intended to write a rather gloomy entry…i wanted to write something that mirrors what i’m feeling now…you don’t have to read this entire blog, you know…you can stop now…i won’t know, so i’m pretty sure i won’t mind…

you know how sometimes you feel like the weight of the world’s resting on your shoulder? that’s kind of what i’m feeling now…okay, you know what? i suddenly don’t feel like writing about myself..so i’m gonna write about very general things here…things like problems…everybody has problems…we may not have problems of the same magnitude but we all have problems…let’s not forget that…i’m going to take a stand here and say that problems are bad…they are not fun…and that’s why i don’t like them…problems make us feel sad and depressed…and, forgive me for pointing out the obvious, sometimes when we are sad/depressed, we do stupid things…things that we might regret later…

you know how people say that every cloud has a silver lining? when our lives are cloudy (when we have problems), we have the tendency to forget about the silver lining part…we forget to look at the bright side…we even forget that there’s a bright side…how convenient…we may not see it at the time, but we have to remember that the clouds will go away…first, there’s the clouds…which are followed by the rain…and what happens after the rain stops? the sky clears and the sun comes out again…you know that…elementary, my dear Watson…so whatever you do, don’t forget that problems are temporary in nature…soon, your life will be back to normal…and THEN you’d wish that you have problems…you know, to spice things up a little bit…kidding…

you guys do know that all those problems are there to test us, don’t you?…i know you do because you guys are smart..it’s God’s way of testing our resolve and strengthening our will…they are there to help us to be stronger and better human beings…but there will be times when we might feel that our problems are too much for us to handle…that we don’t have enough strength or courage to tackle ‘em…or sometimes we do have the strength, but we don’t know how to tackle ‘em…we don’t know what to do…you know what you should do?…recognise the fact that you have problems and reach out for help…there are people out there who, if you’d only let them, are more than willing to help you…they’d gladly prop you up in your time(s) of need…but first, you have to let them in…they can’t help you if they don’t know what’s up (or down) or if you don’t let them…asking for help is not a sign of weakness…i’ve learnt that we don’t have to be strong all the time…sometimes, the best thing you could do, even if you’re a good driver, is let other people take over the steering wheel…you know, when your hands are shaky (continue driving and you’ll cause an accident) or you’re really bad at reading maps (continue driving and the next thing you know, you’re in the middle of nowhere)…just let other people help…what’s wrong with that?   

it also helps if, through all these difficult times, you are able to keep a clear head…it’s important that you don’t lose your focus (and lucidity)…that you don’t wallow in self-pity (because other people have problems too, you know…you’re not special)…that you don’t entertain negative thoughts…because negativity won’t get you anywhere…you’ll only spiral deeper into depression…and that’s not a good place to be in, let me tell you…my father once recommended that i read one of his favourite books (he has three copies of the same book, that’s how much he likes it)…it’s called "Don’t Be Sad"…it’s written by Sheikh ‘A-idh Al-Qarni…it’s a brilliant book…there’s a poem that the author wrote that i really2 like…i posted it on my profile…you should read it…then there’s two things that he said that i find particularly interesting:

“Whatever has befallen you was not meant to escape you, and whatever has escaped you was not meant to befall you: If this belief were to be firmly ingrained in your heart, then all hardship and difficulty would become ease and comfort.”

“In this life, if you inwardly disparage something you can’t have, its value will diminish for you.  And if you are contented with not getting something that you really wanted, then your heart will find solace.”

well…that’s about all i have time for…it’s getting late…i should stop…oh..i also found a poem that i like and i’m going to include it here…sorry about the gloomy tone of this entry…life isn’t supposed to be bright all the time (that’s what makes it fun!)…and so’s my blog…okay…ilalliqa’…

"Allah’s Knows Best"

ALLAH knows what is best for us
So why should we complain?
We always want the sunshine
But He knows there must be rain.

We always want laughter
and the merriment of cheer
but our heart will lose their tenderness
If we never shed a tear.

ALLAH tests us often
with suffering and sorrow
He tests us not to punish us
but to help us meet tomorrow.

For growing trees are strenghtened
if they can withstand the storm
and the sharpness of the chisel
gave the marble its grace and form.

ALLAH tests us often
and for every pain He gives us
provided we are patient
Is followed by rich gain
So whenever we feel that
everything is going wrong
It is just ALLAH’S way to make our spirit strong.

‘ainur rahmah ellias