I am facing a change in my circumstances as I am nearing the end of my ninety day tourist visa. I am understandably a bit stressed as I am a woman without a country to call my own. I looked for guidance from Allah (SWT) during Asr prayer and found it. Quite randomly found this; Quran 4: 100 Migrating in God’s Cause. Whoever emigrates in the cause of God will find many safe havens and bountiful resources throughout the earth. Those who leave their homes and die while emigrating to God and His Massager – their reward has already been secured with God. And God is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
I took comfort in these words. Most recently I have found a safe haven and bountiful resources through my friendship with the huge Anandani family. SO many resources. You will be privy to some of them soon.
Recently my prayers have an added dimension provided by Instagram. This from a dr.raniaawaad reel.
“The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had a daily practice that included specific adhkar, or remembrances, especially in the mornings and evenings. One of the most powerful supplications he recited was a dua asking for refuge from worry, grief, incapacity, laziness, cowardice, miserliness, being heavily in debt, and being overpowered by others.
This dua is a profound reminder that the Prophet’s practices were intentional and not random. Each word was chosen to protect us from various struggles in life. It’s a daily call for strength, peace, and resilience.”
Here is the link:https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEpV-cus9JM/?igsh=cm5rNTJic2ptOG94
I have found it most compelling to focus on the struggles in my life.
This a coincidence, it seems. My tailor, Jai (G20) sent me a reel which I am passing onto you. may appear on the blog. You shall see that apparently millions of Americans are moving to Malaysia, for so many reasons. My goodness I am a trend setter. I was here before Trump was re elected. I doubt that there are millions more coming, I guess I shall see.
My tailor is one of the Many Mohan Resources. My Malaysian sister Noor gifted me a lovely Malaysian batik.Rohan introduced me to Jai (G20); . I commissioned him to make me a skirt from the batik material and a colorful abaya. You shall see a photo of me proudly wearing the skirt following today’s blog. When I don the abaya, probably tomorrow, a photo in the precious blue ‘overcoat’ abaya. It has pockets, How I love pockets, Pockets are seldom seen in women’s clothing. Perhaps I shall start another trend. A trendsetter is a person or thing that starts or makes a new style, fashion, or movement popular. This example appeared on the web.Every ten years or so, for a different set of reasons each time, cultural trendsetters rally behind one musician with whom they sense a bond and who then comes to symbolize jazz to the mass media.— Francis Davis
I am rapidly becoming more Malaysian, but I still do not look Malay at all, nor Chinese. My ancestors did not come from India, which is another subgroup. I guess look like I could be from the USA; so when and if the millions descend upon Malaysia I will at last fit in. Hahaha
An Al Jazeera English email brought news which I am not looking forward to delving into. Not good news at all.
- We’re only three weeks into Donald Trump’s second presidency, and already, a wave of changes are afoot, both in the United States and abroad. Some experts warn Trump’s words could have the power to shatter the tenuous ceasefire that reins in Gaza.
- And in Canada, some advocates are pushing to rethink the country’s Safe Third Country Agreement, arguing the US is not safe for asylum seekers anymore.
All of this is speculation, my knowledge of the this bad news will not help anyone, much less me. I form intentions prior to Ramadan and will do so in the next few days. One intention that has been consistent throughout every Ramadan has been to cut myself off news of world politics. I intend to do this again. Trump has done what he does so well, becomes a spectacle that lazy news media follows, not searching for stories that show the real problems that exist in the USA and the world over.
I suppose I should define speculation. One definition of the terms is: 1 the forming of a theory or conjecture without firm evidence. The strongest synonyms are: conjecture, guesswork, surmise, guesstimate. It is not as if I have not written about Trump. I typed Trump into the search engine of the blog and it came up with over forty hundred and eight-one entries. However, I was the first long term resident of Trump International Hotel and Tower in Vancouver, British Columbia, so the Trump name appears in more than one context. The very last entry told of my times there, having nothing to do with his political life. My serious examination of issues are of a different nature than pure speculation. I quote knowledgable writers who speak of the evidence they rely upon – usually digested history. Digested history is probably, most certainly, my term. By that I mean, facts (not opinions) with hindsight and perspective. I shall now refer you to my blog of November 11, 2024 for an example. The Dust is Settling; An Analysis of What to Expect from Trump 2.0: Not Good News for Me; Guidance from the Quran; An Analysis of My Assimilation Assisted by Prior Blogs; Photographs of Preparation for Singapore Visa Run.
As well, I often quote Andy Borowitz for satire and humor. Of course, Trump has been a constant topic.
I am not sure that clicking on the title of the blog will bring it to you. I am definitely not a techie, knowing almost nothing about IT stuff. Fortunately for all, there is relief in sight, for both you and me. I have found, proudly standing in the Anandani family a computer whiz. I am planning to hire him to be my administrative assistant. It is a grand idea for both he and me. I am intending to remain in Malaysia at least for awhile ,therefore, having resources around me is vitally important.
In the meantime since I am not sure you could get easy access to the November 11, 2024 blog, I shall cut and paste.
“I did not comment upon the election before now, I was waiting until the dust settled. Letting the dust settle is an idiom meaning you let things calm down after confusion or a big change. This gives some time to gain some perspective on a situation, not acting erratically. Things become clearer with hindsight coupled with knowledge of history. That is what is so problematic about getting information (usually misinformation) from CNN, Fox News, most traditional and social media – it is instant, on the spot, unthinking, providing no historical knowledge.
Al Jazeera’s Donald Earl Collins , Professorial Lecturer at American University in Washington, DC provided a detailed analysis, thought provoking, addressing the Trump 2.0 era.
A few weeks before the election, Trump provided his fact-free version of an American past as his vision for the nation’s future. “You know, our country in the 1890s was … probably the wealthiest it ever was, because it was a system of tariffs,” he said. “And we had a president – you know McKinley, right? He was really a very good businessman, and he took in billions of dollars at the time.” Forget the fact that William McKinley didn’t become president until 1897. And never mind that then-US Representative McKinley helped lead the US into the Panic of 1893 – one of the most severe financial crises in US history – as his tariffs bill hurt the economy in the middle of a 20-year period of economic stagnation for most Americans. What is important here is that Trump seems to view this period in American history – marked by extreme poverty, unchecked racist violence and widespread suffering at home and abroad – as a prime example of lost American greatness.” Trump’s plan for the US centres around old-style laissez-faire economics, isolationism, and white male supremacy – a real attempt at bringing the US back to the 1890s.
Things not looking any better on the foreign policy front – No relief in sight for either Palestine or the Ukraine.
“On the foreign policy front, Trump 2.0 will see an exacerbation of existing policies that already proved destructive and costly.”
The following news discourages any thoughts of my return to the USA
“Meanwhile, the marginalised groups Trump identified during his campaign as America’s enemies – undocumented immigrants, Arab and Muslim Americans, transgender folks, among others – will face increased oppression and discrimination. Once again, white male supremacy will openly become the law of the land.”
By the way, I am not transgender, I am a Muslim woman. Women are definitely marginalized in Trump’s world.
Depressing summation of what to expect. ‘Make no mistake. Trump’s upcoming second term in office will see efforts at all levels to remake the US into a conservative, evangelical, capitalist-theocracy. The coming four years will be marked by persecution, oppression, retribution, and needless death from forced pregnancies, mass deportations, nonsensical public health decisions, and preventable wars.”
My goodness, all of this, and more, became true already. Why? Because Donald Earl Collins knew what he was talking about. He is an expert, not a wet behind the ears television commentator
.
Wet behind the ears denotes a person who is young and without experience. To be naive inexperienced, immature.
Traffic in Penang is worse than usual, should that be possible. Today is a another festival. This one is the Thaipusam Festival. The celebrations in KL and Penang excel any in India. Shamir sent me a reel of the celebrations – throngs of people throwing and smashing coconuts to the ground in the anticipation it will bring them good luck. As the expression goes different strokes for different folks which is a Proverbial saying, late 20th century, meaning that different ways of doing something are appropriate for different people (the saying is of US origin, and strokes here means, ‘comforting gestures of approval’). The origin of the saying is most interesting. “The term stroke (punch) seems to have come from Cassius Clay (better known as Muhammad Ali) when he explained his knock-out punches against Sonny Liston and Floyd Patterson by saying “[It all depended], I got different strokes for different folks.”
Photographs will include Shamir’s mode of transportation in these traffic congestion days. He motors about on a Vespa. There is also a photograph of me in my beautiful tailor made skirt. You should be able to tell the difference. Hahaha.
