Oscar Wilde

Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde - author, conversationalist, poet, critic and gay. He is eccentric and flamboyant, often at odds with the pompous society that surrounded him. Many a things were said about his extravagant and unconventional behaviour but to ignore his masterpiece is a fallacy that appeals to a person (my TSK students would know this ;-)). Here are some of his wicked wit (taken from 'The wicked wit of Oscar Wilde"):

The bond of all companionship, whether in marriage or in friendship, is conversation.

De Profundis

I would not have about me shallow fools,

Who with mean scruples weigh the gold of life,

And faltering, paltering, end by failure.

The Duchess of Padua

We all take such pains to over-educate ourselves. In the wild struggle for existence, we want to have something that endures, and so fill our minds with rubbish and facts, in the silly hope of keeping our place.

The Picture of Dorian Gray

(I of course don't agree to that but he just put is so eloquently that I had to put it in)

I can stand brute force, but brute reason is quite unbearable. There is something unfair about its use. It is hitting below the intellect.

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Men become old, but they never become good.

A Woman of No Importance

Women are never disarmed by compliments. Men always are. That is the difference between the two sexes.

The Ideal Husband

I hate vulgar realism in literature. The man who could call a spade a spade should be compelled to use one. It is the only thing he is fit for.

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Ramadhan

It is time again for the holy month of Ramadhan...the time when a Muslim is obligated to fast as to purify his or her soul, refocus (if it wasn't focused before) his or her attention to Allah and sacrifice comforts in life to appreciate what you have and be grateful for it (to become aware of the plight of the poor and needy). The fulfillment of the required obligations (not just fasting but terawih, the reading of the Quran and so on) are rewarded 70 times more than usual reward (fasting is one of the 5 pillars of Islam).

The reason why the month of Ramadhan is so important is because it was the night that the holy book Al-Quran was sent down from the 7th level of Heaven to the 1st level from where it was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in piecemeal basis over a period of 23 years. Al-Quran is a record of the exact words revealed by God through the Angel Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad. It was memorized by Muhammad and then dictated to his Companions, and written down by scribes, who cross-checked it during his lifetime. Not one word of its 114 chapters, Suras, has been changed over the centuries, so that the Quran is in every detail the unique and miraculous text which was revealed to Muhammad fourteen centuries ago. Al-Quran is also the prime source of every Muslim's faith and practice. It deals with all the subjects which concern us as human beings: wisdom, doctrine, worship, and law, but its basic theme is the relationship between God and His creatures. At the same time it provides guidelines for a just society, proper human conduct and an equitable economic system. But Muslims need to remember to not just read to Al-Quran but to also understand it.

2:185 - "Ramadhan is the (month) in which was sent down the Qur'an, as a guide to mankind, also clear (Signs) for guidance and judgment (Between right and wrong). So every one of you who is present (at his home) during that month should spend it in fasting, but if any one is ill, or on a journey, the prescribed period (Should be made up) by days later. Allah intends every facility for you; He does not want to put to difficulties. (He wants you) to complete the prescribed period, and to glorify Him in that He has guided you; and perchance ye shall be grateful."

Writing this entry was also a reminder to me to do the necessary for this holy month. The information above was directly taken from http://www.islamicity.com as I did not want to paraphrase and get it wrong.

Selamat Berpuasa to all my Muslim friends and for those friends who are not, enjoy the food galore at the bazaars.

Lame...

Previous posts - indication of what boredom can do to a person...came back from Miami Vice (lame movie)...couldn't sleep...surfed the net...answered stupid blog quizzes...and ta-da...silly entries.

How logical am I?

You Are Pretty Logical

You're a bit of a wizard when it comes to logicWhile you don't have perfect logic, you logic is pretty darn goodKeep at it - you've got a lot of natural talent in this area!

How'>http://www.blogthings.com/howlogicalareyouquiz/">How Logical Are You?

How evil am I?

You Are 42% Evil

You are evil, but you haven't yet mastered the dark side.Fear not though - you are on your way to world domination.

How'>http://www.blogthings.com/howevilareyouquiz/">How Evil Are You?

How normal am I?

You Are 50% Normal

While some of your behavior is quite normal...Other things you do are downright strangeYou've got a little of your freak going onBut you mostly keep your weirdness to yourself

How'>http://www.blogthings.com/hownormalareyouquiz/">How Normal Are You?

What kind of blogger am I?

You Are a Life Blogger!

Your blog is the story of your life - a living diary.If it happens, you blog it. And make it as entertaining as possible.

What'>http://www.blogthings.com/whatkindofbloggerareyouquiz/">What Kind of Blogger Are You?

How am I in love?

How You Are In Love

You take a while to fall in love with someone. Trust takes time. You tend to take more than give in relationships. You tend to get very attached when you're with someone. You want to see your love all the time. You love your partner unconditionally and don't try to make them change. You stay in love for a long time, even if you aren't loved back. When you fall, you fall hard.

How'>http://www.blogthings.com/howareyouinlovequiz/">How Are You In Love?

Sri Lankan dinner part 2

The Sri Lankan dinner was so delicious. And I, in the midst of all the excitement of an all female uni mate dinner, forgot to take pictures of the food and the people (which I planned in advance…sigh). So that leaves me only one choice...to describe the people and the food which would not be the same. Let me start with a brief description of the people involved in this wonderful dinner get together. Most important of course were the hosts, Shamara and her wonderful sister Kamuthu (chef extraordinaire). They are from Sri Lanka, and of course Shamara is an A star uni mate whereas Kamuthu is an expatriate (her husband is currently working in Malaysia). They live in Bangsar. Next would be Emmy, my partner in crime in uni, whose job is to keep me walking in a continuous straight line. Then there’s the ever classy Rose, who looked superb that night as usual. Emmy and I met her in one of the many elective classes that we took. Then there’s Amelia, Emmy and I met her for the first time that night. She is Shamara's and Rose’s classmate.

Why would I put this dinner event in my blog? Well let me put it this way, it is one of those rare nights where a group of women from various backgrounds (such as being married, with children, single, young and middle aged) all met up to enjoy a wonderful dinner and talk about everything under the sun. It was a nice night to just sit and enjoy each other’s company. Emmy and I arrived on time at about 6.30 pm. The rest got there close to 7 pm. We had drinks and talked for awhile (about uni matters no less). Then we started dinner around 7.30 pm. The food was great (as in I could do those ‘travel and living’ shows and describe the food as one of the best meal I had). Kamuthu served us chicken beriani where the chicken was soooo tender and the spices just nice, prawn curry where the prawn is not over cooked, grilled potatoes with sautéed onions, spices and dried fish, and lastly the cubed salad with fresh yogurt. I mean some people might say “So what? We have beriani here in Malaysia. What’s so great about what you had?” True I suppose but what made this worth mentioning is because it was done to perfection. All the flavors just came together to create this unforgettable taste that blew us or me away. After seconds (couldn’t help myself – not disciplined enough), it was dessert…orange soufflé without the crème. Now here I was thinking without the crème the soufflé wouldn’t be so nice…was I so wrong. The orange soufflé was so tangy and sweet that a spoonful in your mouth was like a burst of 10 oranges. I mean I am seriously not exaggerating, Emmy, who does not have the required taste bud for sweet things, said that it was delicious. I was also appreciative that they remembered that some of us don’t take alcohol because the soufflé should have had some Grand Marnier in it. But even without the Grand Marnier it was soooooo delicious. Personal friends would know that I need to get on a diet and exercise but that night I couldn’t care less about getting thinner as I also had a second serving of the soufflé.

All in all it was an unforgettable night. Emmy and I plan to take Shamara out to dinner as a token of appreciation for cooking a splendid meal. It has to be soon as Shamara will leave for Sri Lanka soon. Hmmmm…a trip to Sri Lanka might be interesting… ;-).

Sri Lankan dinner

I will be having dinner with Emmy at Shamara's place in Bangsar tonight. She will cook an authentic Sri Lankan meal (I bet it will be spicy...I will soooo sweat)...Can't wait to see her and hang out with Emmy...It's been awhile... ;-)

Change

You want to change something so badly to suit your needs but in the end you realize that you can't...because you can't be selfish and impose your ideas on people who don't want it or need it. Sucks...

Major events...

Since my last entry, I have faced life changing events in my life which has completely changed the normalcy that I am used to. Ever since my mother passed on, life has been different, filled with new experiences and challenges. The first event was of course my 30th birthday. Who would of thought that a particular day that changes the number of your age from being in your twenties to your thirties to be such an emotional day. I was ecstatic of course...I mean who does not like birthdays...presents and wishes are one of the nicest things you can receive from people that you care about (Monster and Pinklady - thanks for a memorable night - let's grow old together)...this is especially sweet when you're a teacher and your students sang outloud in class, called all the way from New Zealand and Australia, presents that you know people took effort in giving (my Totoro tissue cover, Jen's purple creation etc)...it's a beautiful feeling. Yet there is a tinge of sadness because I can't share it with my late mother.

Since I am on the topic of my mother I shall proceed to talk about my next life altering event...my father's pending marriage. Today was the 'merisik' and engagement of my future stepmother to my father. Who would've thought that I'd be putting the ring on the finger of a lady that will replace the place of my mother in our lives. Don't get me wrong...my siblings and I are supportive towards my father's second marriage...he needs companionship...we just feel that it really closes the chapter of my mother's life (there's a sense of finality to it). I use the word 'we' because we are collectively in agreement about it. I have met my future stepmother whom I will address as Mama Intan and alhamdulillah she is a nice and friendly lady...my siblings and I hope that our relationship will continue to grow in a positive way. My father's wedding date will be on November 4th, 2006 almost a year and four months after my mother's death. I am truly blessed as my mother in her wisdom saw the need to clarify to me during the days of her illness of the possibility of my father remarrying after she passed on. She reminded me, "When mama is gone, my life chapter in this world is complete, I don't want you to mourn me but rather I would prefer you to pray for me. You and your brothers are not to create trouble if your father wants to remarry as it is his right and need to do so. Your father has been here for me through thick and thin, he will need support once I am gone and later on he will need companionship that you will not be able to provide. Support him and be there for him as he has been there for you and your brothers." Those few simple words kept my head sane during the process of my father finding a new wife and it also provided a sense of peace as she had given us the green light (I did not want to feel as if I betrayed her in some way so her words absolved me from the guilt).

I also have to give credit to my father who has never kept anything from me or my siblings. In whatever decisions he made he always discussed it with us. So we never felt left out or hurt. I will always be thankful to God for giving me my parents. I hope my mother's soul is blessed by Allah and I hope that my father's second marriage is also blessed by Allah as our happiness is dependent on His blessings. Now I am hoping that my life will also be blessed...soon...;-)! Till next time...adios!