30 Day Writing Challenge
Sunday, February 9, 2020 | 9:05 AM | 0 comments
Hello, readers of Eve :) God knows how you even stumbled upon this blog but I'm back after a year-long hiatus! At this point, it's no longer surprising how much it shows that my motivation to write only comes up at the start of the year.
I know I keep making "Write more." a resolution every year and time and again it just becomes a fleeting promise. Well, I guess the key is not to write more, but to be consistent, no matter the length of my writing. I found this 30 Day Writing Challenge on Twitter and I feel like it's high time I take up the challenge to improve my consistency in writing. I mean, who would wanna lose a challenge, right? ;)
So here it goes: Day 1.
List 10 things that make you really happy.
A list. That's easy.
1. Finishing a book with a happy ending.
2. Spending time with my family.
3. Going to the beach.
4. Food. Always food.
5. When a cat jumps and purrs in my lap.
6. Getting compliments for my designs.
7. Songs that make me want to dance.
8. Coming back to my room smelling nice and the AC on.
9. People remembering little things about me.
10. Talking to my favourite person.
To be honest, the last time I was actually in a happier state of mind was during the first half of 2016 (oh come on, this again???). Still, no one can be happy all the time. That's just ridiculous. Of course, a huge win in life like graduating first class honours or getting a good job is more momentous; it goes without saying. The problem is sometimes we tend to wait and put such high hopes on these momentous wins that we forget the small things that make us happy.
The truth is, when things do not go our way, when all that we dreamt of and hoped for come crashing down, the small things in life are the ones that pull us back together. These small things help put a smile on our face even if it's just for a second, lift our spirit a little, and that's enough to ensure we keep on living.
I choose having small happiness, small wins, in my days over not having any at all.
Aaaaand we're back with Effy's lexicon! These words are from my current read, Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children. At this age, YA fiction is a guilty pleasure ;)
1. decrepit (adj) - in very bad condition because of being old, or not having been cared for, or having been used a lot
Example: Lembah Beringin is called a ghost town because of the decrepit houses that surround the area.
2. scud (v) - to move quickly and without stopping in a straight line
Example: The jet ski scudded closer to the shore.
3. detractor (n) - someone who criticizes something or someone, often unfairly
Example: It hurts that his mother is his own detractor.
4. parenthetical (adj) - a parenthetical remark is said in addition to the main part of what you are saying or writing
Example (from Merriam-Webster Dictionary): "They are a good nucleus of ideas for me," she says, adding, almost parenthetically, "Of course you have to know a lot about medicine to understand them."
5. precariously (adv) - in a way that is likely to fall, be damaged, fail
Example: In a rush, he placed the vase precariously near the edge of the table.
IRIS : Inspiring Your Soul
Thursday, March 28, 2019 | 11:59 PM | 1 comments
Lilies are my favourite flower, but irises are just as beautiful, right?
Assalamualaikum and hi!
Today I attended a little gathering called IRIS (which stands for Inspiring Your Soul) held at Surau APIUM. Like the name says, IRIS is meant to inspire, to enlighten your soul in becoming a better version of yourself. It's a girls-only gathering (yay!) and is held once every month (if I'm not mistaken). I attended the first IRIS last semester, and today's IRIS 3.0 was my second time joining.
So the theme for IRIS 3.0 was Kenali Dirimu, Engkau Akan Kenal Tuhanmu (Know yourself, you will know your God in doing so). Our speaker today was Kak Nad, a very sweet sister who used to study here in UM under the AAJ programme! We started off with a small game as a taaruf (introduction) between the attendees. After the game ended, Kak Nad went on to show us a rather meaningful video which I'm going to share here as well.
This video showed us someone living a very monotonous life, like a robot, doing everything in the same pattern, every single day. In a way, we're like that too aren't we?
Maybe yes, maybe no. Partly it's a yes for me because I kind of go through the same cycle everyday. I get up, go to class, go back to finish my tutorials, maybe read, maybe study a bit, maybe watch sitcoms, then I go to sleep. Some days I get busy, some days I barely have anything to do. And on those unproductive days, I find life a bit purposeless, I overthink about how my life has so little significance to this world, and eventually I get sucked into a negative state of mind.
So much for a free day to clear up your mind, eh?
But if I have a purpose in this life, no matter how monotonous my daily life is, if my actions are done in the remembrance of that purpose, everything will be a lot more meaningful. True, we all have these material goals in life: I need to get good results so I can go to a good university, land a good job in order to live a good life. Islam does not deny these goals. But these goals, they aren't the main things that we should actually focus on. As a Muslim, ideally, the purpose will be to submit to Allah SWT. And by submitting to Him, remembering Him in our deeds, inshaAllah life will be easier to go about. Because you have hope that He'll grant you a place much better later on compared to this life, and the material goals you work for only act as means toward this greater end.
Kak Nad touched a bit about a Malay proverb, "Yang secupak takkan jadi segantang". It means that something that is already set cannot be changed. In relation to our rezeki, if we can't achieve something, it means that Allah has never decreed for us to get it in the first place, no matter how hard we worked for it. Truthfully, this hit too close to home. My A-Level years were arduous; I've never worked as hard as I did then. Yet I still didn't manage to achieve good results. I know I said I've made peace with the past, but hearing this assurance from Kak Nad made me feel a lot more relieved. My results do not define me; my efforts and my remembrance in Allah through my hardships do. So for those in the same boat as me, regardless of your age, your course, your work, rest assured :) Your efforts will not go to waste if you put your intentions sincerely for Allah SWT.
Now this is a rather lengthy post, so I guess I'll stop here for now. I'm glad because IRIS really did what it intended to do: inspire my soul, and now I'm inspired to write in here tonight!
