Tawakkul

Tawakkul is that moment of sanity in a succession of madness. 

It is the moment of relief in the hours of hardship.

It's the soothing balm against the sting of life. It is more than hope. It is complete submission and faith.

It is knowing He Will Look after you, despite how daunting and impossible the future may seem.

It is light. It is life.

This isn't a Subtweet, not really...

Nymeria of Rhoyne

We are under a day short of being halfway through the year and this scares me. Seriously, where have these six months gone? Oh yes, I've spent them either procrastinating or "studying" (see staring at my textbook with a blank expression, thinking of Nymeria of Rhoyne).

On the plus side I am currently on a four week holiday, during which I intend to increase my reading time, sleeping time and cooking time. The last one is because I love food and I'm tired of relying on my mom to make my favourite dishes for me - not because I'm trying to impress a boy or his mother for marriage purposes. Yeah boys, WE LIKE SANDWICHES TOO.

I tried my best to minimize my social media usage for the last few months now and control my addiction. Quite frankly, it sucked. Cold turkey methods do NOT work. Don't try this at home, kids; the withdrawal symptoms just worsen your condition. 

During the time I spent trying to avoid Twitter, I pondered on why we publish our thoughts on a public platform such as Twitter or a blog. Is it purely to express our creativity or a need to stroke our egos with affirmation from others? Why is a tweet only as good as the number of retweets it gets, or an account as prominent as the number of followers it has? Is what we think not good enough for ourselves that we have to seek affirmation? 

There's a week and a day left till my twenty-first birthday and I'm quite happy to be celebrating this milestone during the month of Ramadhaan. Speaking of Ramadhaan and my Twitter addiction; over the last two and a half years (i.e.: the time when people began to believe my rants about Twitter being amazing), I have noticed two 'types' of Muslims on Twitter. These types tend to come out during this month in particular; the cynical types that hate on Ramadhaan Muslims and the self-righteous types that hate on those who aren't Ramadhaan Muslims. 

In respect of the cynics who won't stop subtweeting that Muslim girl with a hijab avatar during Ramadhaan; I cannot deal with their judgement. This judgement of people who are, in their own way, trying to make a positive change in their lives; even it is for a short period. At least they're trying. Also, Ramadhaan is a wonderful opportunity to start making positive changes in your life. Perhaps they see it this way too.

(OH, and while we are on the topic of cynics on Twitter... (Warning: Blunt rant ahead. You might want to stop reading).

It appears there is this belief that cynicism gains popularity. Perhaps it does, given the number of retweets cynical tweets receive. But then again, maybe it's just an appreciation of dark humour. There is, however, no need to be cynical to the point of dissing people who post inspirational tweets.

Constant cynicism doesn't allow you to enjoy anything life has to offer and essentially desensitizes you in respect of other people because one is so caught up in their own life. Apart from ignorance, insensitivity is also a sign of bitterness; one can't be happy with what one has, so one is cynical about everyone else to create this false sense of superiority to mask the fact that one is unable to accept something about one's own life.

If one cant see the sunlight streaming through the clouds, it's one's personal business. But one should not eclipse someone else's rainbow because one chooses to be swallowed by their own storm.

Also, has anyone else noticed the people-hate on Twitter? I don't understand; if you can't stand people so much, why are you on Twitter?  Because you enjoy the false identities that some people create? If that's the case, you'd be better off with a book. I get that the internet allows you to come out of your shell and give you the confidence that you might not have in person; but good God, do you have to be mean? No wonder no one wants to be your friend in person, because all you do is complain about everything.

Okay, wow. That was mean and it's Ramadhaan. I'm sorry.)

Moving on.

The other 'type'of Muslim are the self-righteous who think they're better than the man without a beard or a woman without a scarf. Ladies and gentlemen, this is counter judgment to 'type one' Muslim and it doesn't make you any better than they are.Self-righteousness stems from pride, and, in case you've forgotten your Tahzeeb lessons from Primary School Madressah, "A man with an atom of pride shall not enter Jannah.". Everyone is on their own spiritual journey, so shift your focus to self-improvement.

It is impossible to avoid these types of people, be it in Ramadhaan or any other time of the year. Clearly it is difficult to please anyone, so worry about your own contentment and that of your Creator. 

I wish you a Blessed Ramadhaan :) May the all positive changes you make this month become permanent changes thereafter.

Like a Virgin - Voting for the very first time

What I dislike most about test week is the fact that the stress it brings eclipses other aspects of my week, like the fact that I was voting for the very first time on May 7th. So I missed all the hype leading up to this Wednesday.

As a virgin-voter in 2014, I was incredibly conflicted about which party to vote for. My knowledge on political parties is limited to whatever is broadcast on Morning Live, A View from the House and the seven 'o clock news. I know as much as the mede-mens does.

I respect a lot of what the ANC has stood for and yes, they have had a good story to tell, but not under Jacob Zuma's management. I didn't want to vote for the man, who spends over R200 million of taxpayers' money on his private residence, to the the face of South Africa.

The DA, on the other hand, just complain about what the ANC, without offering real solutions. And clearly there is mismanagement and corruption on their part as well, considering most of Khayelitsha's residence support the ANC in a DA-dominated Western Cape. That, coupled with their support for Israel's Apartheid State, earns a 'no' for the opposition party from me. 

But, then again, voting for one of the smaller parties isn't very strategic when it comes to seats in Parliament.

I only made up my mind about my vote when I'd realized I'd been standing at the booth for over five minutes with a queue of people behind me.

To be honest my interest in this election was less on the fact that I was voting for the first time, and more on the outcome. The introduction of the EFF and Agang, and the recent public outbursts on their dislike of Zuma made for an exciting election; however, I didn't think we were going to be at a stage where the ANC and any opposition (most likely the DA) would be neck-and-neck. Twenty years seems like a long time, but when put into perspective it hasn't been that long since Apartheid ended. The generation before the born-frees will remain loyal to the ANC for their instrumental role in the Struggle. Perhaps in another two elections' time.

I voted at the local Civic Centre and it went pretty quickly; it took me about ten minutes for everything (minus the five minutes I spent at the booth) to get done and the IEC staff were friendly. There was a chilled vibe with families having picnics outside the centre. I was hoping to have a bit of a queue-vibe, but I was writing Auditing the next day so rushing back home to learn the payroll cycle was more of a priority.

It was only a few years ago that I was wondering about who I'd vote for when I was of age, so I guess the one thing this election has made me realize is that I'm getting old.

In the future, these will be the 'Good Ol' Days'

My last six weeks have been me trying to dig my way to surface after being buried by seventeen textbooks. It's been hellish, yet I'm actually enjoying my third year of university. I guess the content of our modules have become more centered around our majors; it feels like I'm finally studying with purpose.

I have, however, begun to hate the mundane feeling of routine. My life is basically: Pray, Eat, Campus, Study, Sleep. There seems to be no time for creative outlets like playing guitar, writing or even reading at leisure. 

2014 is the year of the 21sts - this is supposed to be the prime point of our lives, the times we'll tell our kids about, the "good ol' days" if you will. But right now, I feel like the only story I'll be able to tell my kids is that of early morning studying and Twitter-induced procrastination. And that is hardly the way I want to remember my 21st year.

Initially I thought it may have something to do with the fact that I'm studying in my hometown, staying under my mother's roof, living by her rules and not being allowed to drive her car. But living with my mom isn't like living in a jail - even though I'm the guinea pig in the house, she doesn't restrict me. The lack of a car is a huge bummer, but I have friends with cars and (legitly obtained) licenses. And, by the way, you don't have to live away from home to learn independence; yes, you can learn to look after yourself even if you stay at home. 

I then put it down to my degree itself - it is considered by most people to be boring. But I actually enjoy it, mostly because I find it a challenge and there's that sense of satisfaction that comes with knowing that you understand something you didn't easily understand before.

If I look back to my initial statement, however, I know what the answer is. I have an affinity for social media, particularly Twitter. The reason my workload is seemingly long is because I spend about three of the five hours of my tutorial time daydreaming and scrolling through Twitter. Or Facebook. Or MySpace (really, it's that bad). I pass my weekends like that and then wonder why I don't have time to do anything else.

The reason our parents and grandparents have interesting stories to tell us is because they spent their prime time living their lives instead of hiding behind technology. They have 'awww'-worthy tales about how they met their significant other, instead of the stalking tally that occurred before they befriended each other on Facebook . They have shenanigans to tell us about because they got out of the house instead of watching series all weekend.

I've contemplated deactivating Twitter - but cold-turkey tactics will drive me mad. Plus Twitter has a lot of perks and it's home to witty people. So I have decided to make a list of things I need to do everyday before I decide to visit Twitter or any other social network; not just because I like making lists, but because the reward system always works.

Well, let's hope it doesn't prove otherwise. Maybe then I'll have real stories to tell my grandchildren. And you.

"Oh, we'll remember this night when we're old and grey, coz in the future, these will be the 'Good ol' Days'." ~ The Script.

Emdloti Appreciation Post

About a week ago, I spent the weekend with my best friend at a chalet on the shore of Emdloti  beach.

Okay, it was the shore, the road and THEN the chalet. Still though, this place is probably one of the most underrated places. The beach is several shades of blue, super clean and quiet. There's a centre a walk away from the chalets with a coffee shop overlooking the beach.

The best part about the chalet's position was the constant sound of crashing waves and the view of the beach. Watching the sun rise after Fajr was a must, even if we stayed up till 2 am watching Bollywood movies.

The one thing I'd missed, though, were the dolphins swimming past where we were staying. Pretty bummed about that. But I guess it gives me a reason to holiday there again.