The Sinner in The Lion City - pictures tell stories

I was in Singapore, but the sinner was not chilling in a glass
of Singapore Sling (a famous concoction). I was there
for work with a bunch of my chums from the office.

Over the weekend, the sinner and a couple of other sinners visited the Lion City (that's Singapore, sunshine) for work. Professionally it was an eye-opener for me. Physically however it was an eye-closer as we returned to our hotel rooms at night tired and mentally drained. But then again, if it was not difficult and a little tiresome, work wouldn't be work and nobody would wanna pay us just to have fun in Singapore, I guess. Hehehe. I took some pictures when I was there, and the pictures have some stories to tell...

While I was in Singapore, I wondered whether they had a cabinet position for
the Minister for Trees. The city, cosmopolitan, brash and energetic has its unruly
tempers dampened by the avenues lined with old trees, even in the heart of the business
district. I admire this about our southern neighbours.

Busy, busy, busy handling the clientele. Our partner, Alex is respectfully given the
moniker by my other partner as the "manusia takde perasaan" or loosely translated
to mean "the man with no feelings". But of course he does. He just doesn't get flustered
or angry very easily. This is a good trait to have in any line of work, I think.

But "the man with no feelings" was emotionally disturbed by the no smoking signs
that litter this otherwise perfect city. Even here, at the Newton Food Centre where you
are eating alfresco under the night sky, you are not permitted to smoke.
"This is unnatural!" I fumed as Alex nodded philosophically.

The property market here is stagnating a little. From our little
chats with the locals, we came across some sentiment of worry and uncertainty,
concerning the increase in the cost of living, high property prices and the squeezing
of the lower class amid the influx of competitive migrant labour. 

In my earlier posting I commented on how many of the holy sites around
the world always has a large pigeon community resident... in Medina, Mecca and
Jerusalem. Well, the pigeons are well represented here in Orchard Road, which I guess is a
temple of sort to the god of ostentatious consumerism.
Oh well. To each his/her own choice of faith / lifestyle.

We don't feed the pigeons, but they flock near nonetheless. Coming within a foot
of our err... feet. Some less sentimental souls like to describe pigeons as flying rodents.

Flying home on a budget airline. But it is still the same sky, whether you are
flying first class, business class or cattle class, you know. And the clouds are
as voluptuous as always. There is something about clouds that often makes me
wanna grab my camera and take pictures. God simply loves to show
off His artistic talent, I think. 

I like to wander through the mega book stores here, but we were strapped for time
during this visit. At the airport however I managed to steal away these two titles.
I have always loved Karen Armstrong's writing. I think she is inspired. In a world
full of hate, hyperbole and hubris, her considered prose is a calming
sea of reason and love.

I was pleased to come home. But travel is important I believe. It allows your soul to flex its horizons as your senses drink in different sights, food, people and way of life. Then you mix the new ingredients in the well of your soul and come to the conclusion... Oh Lord, how beautiful You have made this world to be. And how wonderfully lucky are we to be part of it. Thank you for taking the trouble to create us!

And thank you, sunshine, for travelling across the finite cyberspace to visit my almanac. Always happy to have your company.

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Finding Muhammad among the Cartiers, the Sonys, the Louis Vuittons, the McDonalds & Raouls

The Muezzin & The Prayer Call

When the plains of your soul is silent,

When the cliff edge of your conscience

Resting by the sea is quiet and tranquil,

When not a single seagull is flying overhead,

That is when the call of prayers of the muezzin

Is most hypnotic - Casting down your most

Earnest walls of ignorance, breaking

Your towers of vanity, stone by stone,

Mortar by mortar, brick by brick.

If you are asleep, awake!

If you are dreaming, take control of your dream!

..................

I spent the day in KLCC, one of the biggest and most famous shopping malls here in Kuala Lumpur. I took Mikhail out to watch MIB3 there you see. The movie was good, but truth be told I felt like a fish out of water in the sprawling temple of consumerism. And this being a working day, I felt even more alone walking among the thousands of white collar workers munching through their lunch hour. I did not feel like a tourist... after all, I am in my hometown. I felt like an observer, a wanderer in this bastion of ostentatious living at the base of the Petronas Twin Tower. I was not too pleased with what I saw. I felt like part of the lemmings horde, being led by some demented instinct to plunge ourselves off humanity's cliff edge. Sustainable development? Sensible lifestyle? Care for the environment? They become merely echoes and ghosts in this vast assembly of people in religious worship of money and luxury.

But happily, me and Mikhail found ourselves in Kinokuniya, that Japanese bookshop chain, and I found myself one again, in possession of this book... (Mika bought himself a couple of Naruto mangas)

The writer.

If ever you would like to read a book about Muhammad, Prophet of God(pbuh), I can recommend no better book than this. I purchased this book because my original copy was given to a brother of mine, and I really (really!) cannot wait for him to return it. I have always found the book to be magical. Written by the late Hajjah Amina Adil, it feels as if she is right there with you, narrating the stories of the Prophet as you look into the past to find seeds of hope for your present and future. It is a book written with knowledge, mercy, love and kindness. A food for the thirsting human soul, written by someone who lived her blessed life in service to God and mankind.

So you see, sunshine, you can find great good in the most unlikely of places - hidden somewhere between the Cartiers, the Sonys, the Louis Vuittons, the McDonalds and Raouls, sitting quietly in a bookshelf is the book... just waiting for you to find it and pick it up.

I hope you will find it soon. Or may it find you soon.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will find a way