Omar is One

Omar turned one year old last 4 July and they had fireworks all across the United States! We all took the day off and went on a family outing. First, we dropped by the nearest photo studio and had the picture above taken for posterity. That’s Omar looking half-confused and sleepy.

We wish all the best for Omar. We pray that Allah protects him from evil and harm. May he grows to be a person with taqwā and strong akhlāq, who loves knowledge and contributes to the Ummah. May Allah also grants us the patience, strength and wisdom to be the best parents for our son.

Happy Ramadan!

It’s the third day of Ramadan and alhamdulillah we’re enjoying our first Ramadan in Malaysia. We are also excited to see many good programmes lining up on TV AlHijrah.

Anyway, let’s not make this holy month as just another Ramadan. Who knows this might be our last Ramadan? Even if it’s not so, think about how we can make full use of our time to increase our amal and Islamic knowledge. Think about how we can enjoy Ramadan with our family. What a waste if we don’t make full use of the benefits of this month that Allah has promised.

I’m sure the way we experience Ramadan is not the same every year. We must put an extra effort to gain insight on each Ramadan and make a plan on how to improve our weak selves. The choice is ours.

Masya-Allah, Sayang has just shared a very meaningful tazkirah that he heard after zuhr congregation today, about the circumstances of the revelation of the last three surat, or in Arabic we call it as asbāb al-nuzūl. Mak has just bought a good book on asbāb al-nuzūl published by PTS. It’s time to check out mine too!

Oh, I just stumbled upon this great article (as usual!) by Prof Tariq Ramadan. We missed his lecture at ISTAC recently but hopefully there’ll be more to come. But thanks to YouTube, you can listen to any great talks, if you want to.

And I never fail to enjoy this clip. It always makes me ponder on how to educate Omar about Ramadan when the time comes, insha-Allah.

Fernando Torres

Recently I received an email from Fernando Torres! Though I don’t follow football I do know that he is a famous football player. I do know that he is Spanish but I have no idea which club he plays with. Oh, he is, however, Afi’s favorite football player (for now).

Anyway, I received an email from one Fernando Torres at work. Of course, in this day and age I immediately thought that it was spam. Then, I saw the title: “soal selidik”. Fernando Torres writes Malay!

The email was really from a graduate student at a local university asking me to fill an online research survey. And no, the student’s name was definitely not Fernando Torres. I did not qualify for the survey but I did reply to the email to tell that nobody would take an email from Fernando Torres seriously.

Seriously, when it comes to school or work matters you should always use your own name.

The Dark Knight Rises

After missing The Avengers earlier this year, I took yesterday off and we went on a date to watch The Dark Knight Rises at Pavilion KL. We thoroughly enjoyed the movie; Afi hasn’t stopped saying that it is “Superb!”.

Too bad that it is supposed to be the last of a trilogy. We certainly do not mind more.

Cartoon

London (bankers) calling by Dan Wasserman at Boston Globe

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HT: David F. Ruccio

To Read

It is already July and I have only managed to read only one book this year! I do not want to make any excuse. Hopefully I will be able to catch up by the year’s end. These are books-to-read currently on my shelf:

Perangai Bergantung Pada Diri Sendiri by Za’ba. It has been referred to as a book “every Malay should read.” I had been looking for this one book for a long time before I finally found it online at KKUM’s Pekanbuku Online. As a DBP publication it is also available from Dawama.

Bringing Up Bébé by Pamela Druckerman. We read about the book in a magazine and thought that it is cool. An American journalist in Paris writes about her observation of French parenting. Afi bought it at Borders The Curve.

Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey. A space opera. To be honest I was first drawn by the cover art which reminded me of Macross. Though a 2011 publication, the book was already out of stock by the time I wanted to buy it last year so it remained on my wishlist until recently. And there is already a sequel out. Bought from The Book Depository (TBD).

Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu & James Robinson. Institutions, institutions, institutions. The authors are economics professors at MIT and Harvard. Following the footsteps of Freakonomics, there is now a companion website too. Bought from TBD.

Papa, PhD. This book is one of the things Afi brought home for me from her recent US trip. It is a collection of essays on parenting, particularly fatherhood, by men in academia. Afi also bought herself its companion book Mama, PhD.

In the Footsteps of the Prophet by Tariq Ramadan. This biography of the Prophet is an updated version of the earlier The Messenger. Afi asked to buy this book, which we saw at the Oxford University Press (OUP) shop. However, we eventually got it from TBD.

The Qur’an by M. A. Abdel Haleem. This is another book I first saw at the OUP shop. It is a new translation of the holy Qur’an. I had never owned a Qur’an translation before but found this one particularly interesting in its use of modern English. Again, I eventually got it from TBD.

The Spirit Level by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett
The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking, Leonard Mlodinow
I also still have not read these two books we picked up at Blackwell’s in November. The Spirit Level is about how the world would be a much better place if our society is more equal, i.e. the gap between the rich and the poor is closer.

Keynes: A Very Short Introduction by Robert Skidelsky
Marx: A Very Short Introduction by Peter Singer
Economics: A Very Short Introduction by Partha Dasgupta
These three books are part of the Very Short Introductions series published by OUP. And yes, we bought it at the OUP shop in Oxford. How I wish we could have the whole series in our library.

Habibi by Craig Thompson.
Anathem by Neal Stephenson.

Finally, Habibi and Anathem, and to think Anathem has been in my possession since 2009! I really need to get around to finally reading the book.

There, fourteen books (for now) to last me till the end of the year.

Major Reconstruction

As much as we’re busy making our physical world look perfect, we tend to forget to mend our sick soul. We’d rather masquerade behind a mask to hide the Mr-Hyde side of us. In truth, what’s portrayed outside is a manifestation of what’s inside.

As Ramadhan draws nearer, we aim to have a major reconstruction of our soul. We are ready to embark on a soul-cleansing journey in hope to become among those most loved by Him. May Allah bless this journey and show us the way to Him.

May we remain steadfast until the day we meet Him. Oh Jahiliyyah, please stay away from us. Oh Hidayah, don’t leave us as we desperately need you.
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IMAGE: Happy Ramadan by Ranoush@Flickr