Hello Spring (and Summer and Winter??)

- Saint Louis, MO, 2011 -

This photo was taken just a few hours ago, and is such a stark change from the previous photo, which was taken just a couple of days ago. We must be the only place that has the seasons of spring, summer, and winter, all in the span of a week. Alhamdulillah anyway! :)

Hello Spring

- Saint Louis, MO, 2011 -

Goodbye Winter

- Saint Louis, MO, 2011 -

Temperatures are increasing, weather's getting lovelier, and that can only mean something: Spring! :)

Alhamdulillah. :)

First Week of School

- Graham Chapel, WashU, Saint Louis, MO, 2011 -

Survived the first week of school, alhamdulillah. It has been snowing cats and dogs this past week (though you cannot really see it in this picture), so I have been trying to walk very carefully to school, so as not to fall again. Hopefully, the boots that I have bought will help, insya-Allah. Many thanks to Laura for helping me! I am blessed to have such wonderful friends, alhamdulillah. :) 

Keep warm if you are experiencing winter!

A Spiritual Winter

- Saint Louis, MO, 2010 -

Just came back from Muktamar 2010, an annual meeting organized by the Malaysian Islamic Student Group (MISG) and Indonesian Muslim Society in America (IMSA), alhamdulillah. It was lovely to be able to attend talks and reflect on our deen; may Allah SWT  guide us to act upon the knowledge with which He has blessed us, ameen. Met with a wonderful American Muslim sister, who is a convert, and I pray that Allah SWT blesses our friendship, ameen. I also pray that my sore throat gets better soon, insya-Allah! :) This is the first winter that I'm not back in Singapore, so I hope that I'll be more productive in terms of work and catch up on lots of sleep, insya-Allah. Looking forward to writing my end-of-year reflection for this blog, insya-Allah, and I leave you with a quote that I paraphrased from Sheikh Omar Baloch: 

"When a girl loves a guy and wants the guy to know, she gives him subtle hints like a box of chocolates. The universe is like a box of chocolates. In the universe are signs that Allah wants you to discover and turn to Him, because He loves you."

Winter Wonderland

- Forest Park, St Louis, 2010 - 

It has been a really rough week and I can only pray that things will get better. Plenty of things to do but it's Saturday and I think I deserve a day off.. Well, not exactly a day off but at least I get to do housework. :P 

In other news, do watch what you key in online, or else you'll end up paying USD14.95 like I did, which I suppose was a small price to pay in exchange for what I was trying to get. I bet your curiosity has now been piqued! ;) 

Happy Valentine's Day & Happy Chinese New Year to those who celebrate it :)

Life's still good, alhamdulillah. :)

2008

- Tanjung Aru Beach, Kota Kinabalu, 2008 -

I was just reading the post I had done a year ago to summarize my 2007, where I sounded really happy and blessed. Well, 2008 has been equally wonderful but not without its challenges. So I have graduated Alhamdulillah, received several awards, got invited to the Istana and by some twist of fate, I got a scholarship to do my Master's and here I am, having passed a semester with one more to go, Insya-Allah. Yet, words could not have described the dissonance that I have experienced and am still experiencing with regards to the paths I have to choose. Graduate school applications have been both challenging and hopeful at the same time; I just pray for the best for I know no matter what happens, it is all part of His plan for me.

For that I am grateful for my wonderful family and friends; without their support, I would not have been where I am now. I am grateful to be blessed always with His love, for I know without it, I would not have been brave enough to tackle my challenges. I am grateful to be blessed with inspiration from around me, without which I would not have striven to be a better human being.

2008 has been an unpredictable but wonderful year nonetheless; 2009 could possibly be equally unpredictable for anything can happen. I pray that I will be able to finish my thesis on time, graduate, get offers from PhD programs, improve my proficiency in Arabic, have good sleeping habits and be blessed with kindness, love and charity, Aamiin. If all goes well, I will be overseas for a really long time, Insya-Allah, and I pray that I will have the heart and courage to start anew, Aamiin.

Here's to a wonderful 2009, filled with love in your heart, peace in your mind and happiness in your eyes. :)

Looking Ahead

- Marseille, France, 2007 -

Currently busy with grad school applications, DALF preparation & exams.. Feeling blessed and grateful with such wonderful people around me :)

Panorama

- Oberalp Pass, Switzerland, 2007 -

I've taken a long time to decide which of my scenic Switzerland photographs I want to show on my blog. Sure they are all beautiful, but no photographs (at least of mine) could capture the grandiosity and beauty of the moments when I was there. My photographs could not show how happy I was to be aboard the Glacier Express, how small I felt as the train passed through these huge mountains in a valley and how unbelievably blessed I was feeling to be able to experience and appreciate God's creations. Neither could they show how I tried to take surreptitious bites of the cheese puffs that I had fried at six in the morning because you were not allowed to bring your own food to the dining car that I was in. All that aside, here is a photograph of where the train stopped for five minutes at the highest point of the route (2033 m) and everyone got out to take photos or a smoke while just enjoying the scenery.