New Domain for My Blog

Thanks for the support over the past few months, everyone! I’ve decided to start fresh with a new domain over at:

FatHandsomeGenius.com

I’ll be writing more regularly. So, hope you’ll enjoy what’s to come!

Sometimes We Forget

We forget. Why? Because we are human. No matter how strong our memory, we will always forget. Sometimes we forget to do our homework. We could forget to attend an important job interview. Maybe even forget a friend's birthday. But, the worst thing we can forget is religion. When we are afflicted with disaster, we feel helpless. We start to think about why this happened to you and how it could have happened. You start to examine all the small details that you forget the big picture. Sometimes you blame yourself for letting it happen. You start to become depressed. You lose interest in the world around you because you become obsessed with how to fix your problem. It seems as if all hope is lost. Then, you remember. Any affliction is a test from Almighty Allah. It is when you pray and supplicate to Allah that you begin to find peace. You accept what has happened to you and you embrace it. You know that what Allah takes, Allah gives back even more. You know that you will be able to get through this with your faith in Allah. Then, suddenly, you see everything in the world start to make sense. All your problems start to go away. It is a sign that you have passed your test and Allah has rewarded you.

وَإِذَا مَسَّ الْإِنسَانَ ضُرٌّ دَعَا رَبَّهُ مُنِيباً إِلَيْهِ ثُمَّ إِذَا خَوَّلَهُ نِعْمَةً مِّنْهُ نَسِيَ مَا كَانَ يَدْعُو إِلَيْهِ مِن قَبْلُ وَجَعَلَ لِلَّهِ أَندَاداً لِّيُضِلَّ عَن سَبِيلِهِ قُلْ تَمَتَّعْ بِكُفْرِكَ قَلِيلاً إِنَّكَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّارِ

When an affliction befalls man, he calls upon his Lord turning to Him (in contrition); then when He bestows a favor upon him, he forgets what he prayed to Him for before, and sets up rivals to God so that he (himself goes astray and) misleads (others) from His way. Say (to such a one): "Enjoy life in your unbelief for a while! You are for sure one of the companions of the Fire."

Surah Az-Zumar, Verse 8

وَإِن تَجْهَرْ بِالْقَوْلِ فَإِنَّهُ يَعْلَمُ السِّرَّ وَأَخْفَى

If you say something aloud (or keep it to yourself), He surely knows the secret as well as (whatever you may be keeping as) the more hidden.

Surah Ta-Ha, Verse 7

The problem is that sometimes you don't always remember by yourself. It takes a friend to remind you in times when you can't think properly. That's what friends are for. When you think you can't go any further, a friend shows up and keeps you going. In times when we feel sad and depressed, seek out Allah and pray. For indeed Allah hears anyone and everyone. How Great is Allah. You are never alone, Allah is there for you. When we are in need of help, there is none who can help you better than Allah The Almighty. Allah does not forget His servants and we must not forget Allah. So, remember what Allah has provided for you. We must try to remember, even though sometimes we forget.

A Love Story : The Promise

Even though they were miles and miles away, they managed to keep in touch through a magical technology called SMS and occasionally MySpacing. Then they made a promise. A promise to be together after finishing high school. That day was the 26th of November 2007. While waiting to continue their studies, they spent a lot of time together, getting to know each other better. Slowly, but surely they grew closer with each passing day. They hoped it would never end.

Then one day, their exam results came out and Zas got accepted into the prestigious Centre for Foundation Studies University of Malaya. Neey was going elsewhere. They were devastated and thought about how far apart they would be. The day before Zas was supposed to leave for Kuala Lumpur, they made a promise again. This time, they promised to wait for each other and to be together forever.

Then, as soon as they were together, he left for the big city... Kuala Lumpur. The first week of orientation was filled with excitement and challenges for the Sabahan boy. But he persevered. Determined to complete his studies and return to Neey. Then a few weeks after Zas arrived, he noticed something. The centre was going to accept a second intake for their program. Zas took this as a sign and rushed to his laptop where he enrolled Neey in the program while hoping that she had been accepted. Then, a few days later, Zas got a call from Neey. Neey was accepted. The joy in Zas could not be described in words. They were going to be together and this time they would be studying together too.

It was like a dream come true for Zas and Neey. Studying together. They would eat together, go to class together and Zas would become Neey's personal tutor. Those months were the times when their love for each other solidified and deepen. When they finished their foundation studies, Zas went on to continue his studies in the University of Malaya while Neey went to another local university. This time, their trust in each other was so strong that they believed the power of their love would carry them through those four years apart from each other. One year became two. Two years became four. Before they knew it, they were about to graduate. For Zas, the time had finally come. He knew he had to do it. He asked Neey for her hand in marriage. Five years ago they made a promise to be together no matter what and they kept it even through the toughest of times. Now, their promise made as boy and girl so long ago, would be immortalized as a promise made as husband and wife.

And they lived happily ever after...

(Based on a true story. Some names have been changed and some scenes altered for dramatic effect)

A Love Story : The Beginning

Let me tell you all a story. A story between a boy and a girl (duh) who never ever thought they could be together. It was what people call... a love story.

There was a boy named Zas, who was just an ordinary primary school student. Chubby and round with squinty little eyes. Many of his friends thought he was Chinese when he was in fact Malay. One day during recess, he was running around when he suddenly tripped and fell. How embarrassing it was for Zas. As he looked up, he saw a girl standing in front of him. It was Neey from the next class. Zas' face was red as Neey laughed and laughed at the poor little boy. Zas stood up and ran as fast as he could to get away from the laughing. Little did Zas and Neey know that their paths would cross again one day...

Zas had become what every student wanted to be. An outstanding prefect, he always got straight A's in class and he finally lost all that weight. Many teachers praised and talked about Zas. But there was one teacher which praised him more than any other teacher. It was Mrs. Hamlas. She was Zas' teacher during his first year in high school. One day, Mrs. Hamlas asked everyone in the classroom "Who wants to marry Zas? You know, some families would pay money to marry their daughter with Zas" and the classroom laughed. Zas just smiled with a face as red as a fire engine. Little did Mrs. Hamlas and Zas know that what Mrs. Hamlas said that day would determine Zas' future...

Zas was at school. He was walking around when he met Mrs. Hamlas. Zas greeted his teacher as he always did. But this time, Mrs. Hamlas had some company. Behind Mrs. Hamlas was a sweet girl, hiding behind her mother. Zas was awestruck with her beauty. He almost didn't hear Mrs. Hamlas say "Zas, don't you remember Neey? From primary school?". Zas stood silently as he admired the beauty that was in front of his eyes. They walked straight past them. It then occured to Zas that Neey was studying at a different school since he never saw Neey before in his school. Neey teasingly glanced at Zas for a fraction of a second before disappearing behind a wall. Luckily for Zas, Neey had a younger sister, Inah who was at the same school as Zas. He immediately contacted Inah and asked her for her sister's phone number. That was just the beginning...

Vince!

I love this guy's songs. Vince Chong. Winner of the first Akademi Fantasia. The song that won him the title was Tak Ingin Kehilanganmu and the lyrics are exactly what I want to say to her. Listen...

Seandainya kau tahu

Takkan jadi begini

Segalanya bukan yang kupinta

Jangan kau salahkan diriku ini

Dengarkan lagu ini

Hanya buat dirimu

Hayati kataku

Agar kau sedar

Apa yang sebenarnya

Bukan apa yang kupinta

Berilah daku

Menjelasakan kesemuanya

Dengan harapan agar kau akan menerimanya

Lihatlah padaku

Kuhanya insan biasa 

Seperti dirimu jua

Hapuskanlah segala-gala

Kepahitan cinta kita dan

Ingatlah seketika waktu bersama-sama

Alangkah indah dunia ini

Segalanya milik kita

Harapan ia tak berakhir

Janji, janji dahulu

Jangan kita lupakan kasih sayang

Yang kita bina mekar bersama-sama

Andainya kusakiti hatimu

Bukannya aku segaja

Tak ingin kukehilangan mu

Vince is half chinese half european by the way. He's got a fantastic voice and does a little acting sometimes. His first album came out in 2004 and there are so many other great songs on it apart from this one.

Why I study

Why do I study? A job? Personal satisfaction? For my parents? It seemed unclear to me at first. I wasn't always like how I am now. When I was in primary school, I wasn't even in the top 10 of my class. More like top 30... or 40. I was addicted to TV and video games. I was FAT... and I mean really FAT... 90 kg at only 12 years old OMG!

Anyway, when did I start to really study? Maybe it was in form 1. I got 1st place in my class and got really excited. When teachers started saying good things about me, it kinda stuck. Sort of a reputation. I'm not gonna lie, I actually like to do math. Seriously. Especially calculus. I. Love. Calculus. Moving on, my point is that studying can be fun if you like the subject.

Now? It's not as fun as it was before. I mean, physics, math, chemistry... those were simple and fun. But now its just feels like the subjects are so complicated that its tiring. Maybe it's the system? Maybe it's the lecturers? I don't really know. I thought about following my fathers footsteps, but then I ask myself if that is really what I want. Maybe I want to do something else? But what is it?

Then again, when you think about all those years of studying. What good was it all for? I think we all study just to get good grades. But can you really learn if you just memorize? But if you don't memorize, then how can you prove you're smart? What really makes a person smart? Does I.Q. really show how smart a person is? I think a smart person is one who thinks about the world around him and makes the best decisions. You don't need to be able to solve second order differential equations to be smart.

So why do I study? I think I now finally understand. I study because I can.