Life by the beach

Adapun nikmat Tuhanmu, maka hendaklah engkau sebut-sebutkan (dan zahirkan) sebagai bersyukur kepadaNya. - Al-Qur'an [93:11]

Allah jualah yang menguasai alam langit dan bumi serta segala yang ada padanya; dan Dia lah jua yang Maha Kuasa atas tiap-tiap sesuatu. Al-Quran (5:120)

Upset.
Sad.
Disheartened.
Dispirited.


All the words that I can associate... on first sight. Well, only for several moments. I know that this shouldn't be affecting me. I am used to life in a hostel or dormitory. Every year we moved rooms or floors... I have a dislike for packing and unpacking my stuff. My stomach churns every time before I went back to the hostel from weekends. I did not entirely dislike hostel life... in fact being around friends and school life was probably one of my best-kept memories...  


BUT packing and unpacking somewhat disturbed me, now that I thought of it that was actually good training for life. Somehow nothing in life is forever. People come and go. Doors opened and closed. We moved around. We met people and become friends. We got hold of new gadgets and misplaced them along the way. 


So don't be sad. How can we lose something that was never ours in the first place?

"O Allah! Nothing is easy except what You have made easy. If You wish, You can make the difficult easy". - Ya Allah, tiada kemudahan melainkan apa yang Engkau jadikan mudah, dan Engkau dapat menjadikan tanah (yang suit dan keras), (yakni kesusahan), itu mudah jika Engkau mahukan.

Demi Masa! Sesungguhnya manusia itu dalam kerugian. Kecuali orang-orang yang beriman dan beramal soleh, dan mereka pula berpesan-pesan dengan kebenaran serta berpesan-pesan dengan sabar - Al-'Asr 103:1-3.

Of all the things that we do in a day, only 20% of it really matters. That's what basically the 80/20 rule is; known as the Pareto's Principle or what Juran recognised as the 'vital few and trivial many'. This technique helps identify the most important problems i.e. 20% of those causes that create 80% of the problems.

We prayed five times a day, about 30 minutes each and this totalled up to 150 minutes. This made up approximately 20% of our time in a day. What happened to the other 80% time spent doing other things? Do we actually forget about Allah?

How does this apply to friendships or relationships? Think about the person we went head over heels in love with... when his/her smile reached his/her eyes and brightened up your days or when his/her quips and witty remarks gain your approval all the time i.e. the 80% positive side of the person. So what happens to the 20% negative or flaws?

I have always felt that I am one of the busiest person in the world, yet when I looked at the things that I did in a day, I was only able to accomplish 20% of my to-do list! So what went wrong? Was I distracted and did I bounce from one task to another? So I did not manage my time properly and prioritise my work. 80% of those tasks could have been completed in 20% of the time!!

I glanced at my closet. My baju kurong filled the entire length of it and yet I wouldn't be surprised to find if I only wear 20% of those clothes 80% of the time! I only grabbed those that I feel familiar and comfortable with... finally saves time selecting for matching scarves!!! If go a little further, I can correctly guess that 80% of the stuff I have in my room are probably utilised 20% or less. So why collect so many personal belongings if we only need 20% of those anyway?!!!


So, I promise to cherish, appreciate and care for the 20% or less and whatever Allah bestowed upon me... I will not ask for the 80% if the risks include losing the other 20%.

Sesungguhnya Allah mengetahui segala rahsia di langit dan di bumi; sesungguhnya Ia mengetahui akan segala (isi hati) yang terkandung di dalam dada.  -- The Holy Quran [35:38]

Our heart is also our aurah, a friend iterated. I like that concept.

We steered very hard from falling victims to fashions that seemed to 'cover' our body and yet we forgot to protect the purity of our heart.

I will have to stop talking about the heart at this point as to avoid revealing too much of the turbulence that is brewing within mine. Maybe the wind will stop blowing, the tremor will pass and I will regain my balance! I will leave the matter to Him, Most Knowing Most Merciful.

Wow... I nearly forgot about this blog. I am not sure if I would like to continue writing but maybe I should.

Meanwhile...  lot of things happened since but not a lot of those things are worth the mention, at least to the world. Whatever happened in our personal life should remain personal but the lessons learned should be constantly updated to our 'OPA' ... ;)

Happy 2012.