Thursday 15 July 2010

Missing UK but enjoying Malaysia

It is now nearly 8 months since we left UK, Hadiya has finally realised that Malaysia is not England. She said,"We're going back to England". Luqman still has no idea that he is on planet earth. Malik is completely happy to be in Malaysia and he has become so tanned that he is truly a Malay. Fajar misses her friends in England as not many girls in her school has the same 'head' as her i.e. sama kepala.

As for me...sometimes this funny thought crosses my mind and it says.."okay, I had a lot of fun and now it's time to go back to England". I miss UK but actually, I don't know what I am missing. I know that if I were to leave Malaysia I would miss a lot of things and I can truly name them. I will miss my family, my work, this beautiful apartment, the weekends that we spend going to all sorts of interesting places. Still, I miss the UK routine. I still feel that my life is there and I'm just on holiday here. I think most people in my situation probably felt the same and many more who decide to follow this path will feel the same way. I miss how things were done in the UK, the normal daily routine.

Otherwise, I do feel that our quality of life here is so much better. The food, the family, the working environment, the people, going out...Last Sunday, we went to Shah Alam Wet world. it is a modest place with lots of different pools for toddlers, for children, for adults and a big water slide. We had so much fun and it was such a nice feeling. I wouldn't dream of going to such a place in the UK. Well, for starters everyone would stare at me when I enter the pool with my hijaab and jilbab but in Malaysia, most people were covered and no one had a bikini on. Some wore swimming suits with sleeves, most people had a T-shirt on and some like me, had their hijaabs on. I felt completely at ease.

Me and hubby make it a point that every weekend we would go somewhere special even if its to the park to play kites. Weekend is family time and doing something together. There's so many places to go to and I feel completely safe. Even though I know the crime rate is high and I have to be careful wherever I go but I know that the criminals are bad guys. In UK, I often felt insecure that someone would attack me or abuse me because I am a Muslim. To be abused by so called 'normal' people is worse than being attacked by criminals. To be fair, I never personally experienced any racial or religious abuse but I never felt free to go anywhere alone. On top of that Friday, Saturday night was a no-no!

Over here, families are out til late at night and generally, I feel safer because I know no one is going to attack me because I am a Muslim.

So, I think over time...this feeling of missing UK would disappear as I get into the routine of my life here.

I keep having this tug of war between my dissatisfaction with the UK in many different issues and my attachment to certain things in UK. At the end of the day, the risks outweigh the benefits and here I am, back in the land I was born...the place I left 17 years ago.

In some ways many things have changed but in some ways, many things are still the same. I think it took me 5-6 years to adjust myself in the UK. I never really felt settled in UK until I started my first job as a House officer at Lewisham Hospital. I had so much fun and great memories at Lewisham that I'd treasure forever. I hope it wouldn't take me 5-6 years to resettle myself in Malaysia...

Sunday 11 July 2010

Analysis of the new Vampire movie

I watched 'Eclipse' yesterday and despite its 'feel good' factor, complete fantasy, Vampires and Robert Pattinson, I can't help feeling absolutely nauseated by the whole thing. I felt completely annoyed to the extend that I have to write it down in my blog and share it with all of my friends.

I have read all four twilight books (embarrassingly) and this third movie confirms one thing...it is purely a naive girl's fantasy.

1. The whole movie resolves around one girl and how the whole town is there to protect her. I mean how egocentric is that?

2. She meets this Filthy rich guy and he doesn't have to work. Okay, most guys who have time to puppy-dog around for a girl are pretty skinned.

3. She meets this gorgeous guy and he doesn't have a million other girlfriends. Okay, that is pretty lame unless the guy has Iman and Taqwa (i.e. he won't be going out with any girl for that matter but will simply get married)

4. She has two guys chasing after her and they will 'wait' for her and let her go if she decides to go for either one of them. Okay...how noble! Are we living at a time of chivalry and Cavalry?

Okay, I can list a few more but I haven't got time right now...

My only fear is that girls will watch this movie and actually believe in this fantasy or influenced to attain such 'romantic' ideal. I know most girls will not because they are more intelligent than that but still, it is important to point out that hollywood movies are full of fantasy. Just like if you're watching a monster movie, you know there's no such thing as a monster and of course, vampires are a big clue that this movie is actually fictional. Hence, the dream guy is fictional and this romance is fictional.

I wish they would write books that actually encourages girls to be strong, to achieve something for themselves, to be independent thinkers instead of chasing after 'love'.

It is important especially for Muslims, if you intend to watch these kind of movies to place yourself in reality and understand that we are here to worship Allah, to understand what is allowed and what is forbidden and not to get completely absorbed by fantasies and lies...

Remember surah Nisa 118-119

"Allah cursed him (Syaitan) and he (syaitan) said "I will take an appointed portion of your slaves. Verily! I will mislead them and surely I will arouse in them false desires and I will order them to slit the ears of cattle (false worship) and indeed I will order them to change the nature created by Allah. And whoever takes Syaitan as his protector (wali) has surely suffered a manifest loss. He (syaitan) makes promises to them and arouses in them false desires and the promise of Syaitan is nothing but deception"

IN SEARCH OF THIS TRUTH

  I am in a quest to search for THIS truth. People ask, 'why are you still searching for the truth?’  You have found Islam.  You believe...