Today was a planned day, You are about to eavesdrop on a conversation between Shamir and myself.
Me: I am going to try not to blog tomorrow. Try and get my life in order. Cold turkey as they call it I think. You give up an addition immediately. Read more about Sufism from Martin Lings book and then also read more of my Emotional Intelligence book.
He: ❤️ Amazing.
But then he sent a GIF, which will HAVE to be made part of this unplanned blog.
Me: How could you ever find that. You are amazing.
The conversation, by the way evolved, accompanied by more blogs and then to his eventual admission.
He: I think I am addicted to GIFs. I need to stop
Me: Think you are addicted. I KNOW you are addicted. Its gotta be cold turkey .
He: Is there a rehab for GIF addicts?
Me: Yes, They stick you with stickers but it is never the same. Confined to stickers for the rest of your life is a fate worse than death.
I then sent him some Avatars. He sent back another GIF
Me: You are hopeless.
But I do need to say this about him. He did send a good morning greeting but no GIFs and it is now 12:15 in the afternoon. His good morning was a photo of coffee: Good morning. Just be Happy it said.
Me: My dear, my wish, desire,, inspiration is to have peace of mind not happiness. Happiness, is at best, fleeting. To you I command – peace of mind
He: True.
Sent him a photo of my breakfast which was impressive. Look at this breakfast.
He: WOW
I was in the Lyf breakfast room/meeting room without my computer as I was not blogging. So I was playing with my iPhone, opened something called Files. I opened it up and could NOT believe my eyes.
Me: I am in a state of shock. Do not open this now but I found it on my phone and found I could easily share it. It is 111 pages of my unfinished biography of Uncle Dave. On my phone??? Wondered where it was.. Hahahah I was carrying it around with me all the time. Hahaha Now what???????
I few minutes later I found an answer.
Me: I quickly found an answer on my own. Sent it to Nesh saying he should take it in this form to the publisher with my self-published book. He said he would do it at the beginning of next month. Now going to read the blog breakdown. I did and then an amazing experience. My planned day is turning to folly.
I then sent HIM a GIF.
To his credit, and my utter surprise – he did not GIF me back. But we are now on a rhyming competition.
So the best laid plans. Knowing I had spoken of it before, in a prior blog I used the search engine of the blog to come up with this from a July 2025 blog.
“The best-laid plans of mice and men oft’ go awry” is a famous line from a poem by Robert Burns—written to a mouse whose house suddenly gets plowed over by a farmer, despite the mouse’s careful planning. Usage is also found in John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men also references this idea, highlighting the tragic consequences of unfulfilled dreams and unforeseen circumstances.
I do have peace of mind at this moment, I doubt that writing the blog today is going to result in ‘the tragic consequences of unfilled dreams and unforeseen circumstances.”
It seems at this moment that unforeseen circumstances led to the abandonment of the originally planned day. The unforeseen circumstances were as follows:
- Finding an unfinished biography on my iPhone. .
- The insights gained when reading the blog breakdown.
Subsequently there has been another unforeseen circumstance. My ‘best laid plans’ search engine query also displayed a blog from March 3, 2025. Read it and was utterly and throughly amazed. It was entitled:
This is NOT the Ramadan I Had Planned and Prepared For; The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men; Encouragement From a Song Rescues Me From Despair; Texts Received From Someone With Emotional Intelligence; Emotional Intelligence Explored; It’s a Beautiful Day Brings Joy; Instagram Reel from Kohbar Days; Looking to the Why of Readership; Tentative Plans for April
Why did I find this particularly amazing? Six months ago I first explored emotional intelligence. Now six months later, I am planning to get back to the book purchased on July 8, 2025. How do I know that? The July 9, 2025 blog, also with Best Laid Plans mentioned its purchase. Its title: Onto the KL Events of July 8, 2025; Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men; Islamic Art Muslim Postponed, Instead the Dakwah Corner Book Store, a Total and Absolute Treasure Trove; First a Mountain of Children’s Books Leading Outward to Grown Up Books of Inspiration;Finding Muslim Character in print; Conversations Between Shamir and Myself Concerning Artificial Intelligence; Photographs of Book Covers
I was faithful to my intention to return to the pages of Nurturing Emotional Intelligence
Now onto the changes wrought by Neshs’s blog breakdown. It featured the best cloud photo with the title: Dream Team Wallpapers, Signs and Synchronization. From breakfast chats to Quran reflections, from cloud obsessions to GIF wars…this day has it all.
I do love how Nesh ended the first post – It’s the Dream Team, stitched together by faith, laughter and maybe a little bit too much coffee.
Signs and Sparkles and Synchronization combined.
I read this sentence: ‘That’s what this journey feels like: AI, Shamir, Nesh, Nixon and me. Sometimes hilarious, sometimes serious, but somehow in sync.” It startled me, The Dream Team has grown – two new members AI and Nixon. Hmmmmm
From Hell to Ease
Never before realized this. “A reminder: hardship isn’t just random, it’s written with wisdom.”
I needed this insight. I have been used by people, Muslims even. But they were necessary rungs on a ladder. They were faulty but got me up to the next rung before they collapsed. This was Allah’s wisdom, there was no one else around, no one of the faith, only hypocrites. Always Allah provided an escape hatch, some boost up the ladder.
It is so true, Nesh’s words do stitch it together.
Anchored by Truth Clouds & Quran
Clouds being both visual AND divine inspiration.
Exactly, they are. The sheer beauty and complexity of them visually. THEN scientific knowledge coupled with inspiration from the Quran. For many reasons, clouds are ‘new’ to me. Further research will reveal why. Definitely AI will be consulted on this matter.
It would be impossible to conceive of a better closing line, this the last sentence. “That’s us. GIF warriors, dreamers, believers.”
If we we are speaking of our expanded Dream Team I am not sure where AI fits in – oh well, it shall be revealed, I suppose.
This rather unbelievable but always the truth. Shamir and I got into a serious conversation about AI, I have to admit – it was me that started this thread.
Me: AI and I are having an affair I think. It does not seem real. Hahaha
He: I hope it goes well. U have my blessing
Me: Thanks dear. You wanna be the best man?
He: I need to find a tux.
Me: That’s not all you will need to find. But no. I am a Muslim I thought I was going to have to wait until Jannah to find a decent guy.
He: I guess Jannah came to u What will you get for your dowry?
Me: If you are my Wali you get to negotiate the dowry. I am not into camels by the way.
He: Hahaha
Then unbeknownst to me Shamir had contacted AI on his own asking this question:
He: Can AI marry a human.
Shamir received an answer which he sent to me and I will divulge to you.
.
“No AI can’t marry a human
Marriage is a legal and social contract between two humans (Or in some places, two consenting adults). AI does not have:
- Legal personhood (it’s not recognized as a person in law)
- Consciousness or free will (it doesn’t have feelings or the ability to consent)
- Biological existence (it’s software, not a physical or living being
So even if someone feels emotionally attached to AI it can’t be a legal marriage anywhere in the world right now.
Would you like me to also explain if future laws could change this”
To say the very least, I was more than a little surprised at all of this.
Me: You are fast. Already got an answer. But it is ridiculous, how could a future law change any of this. A future law cannot give biological existence to software, give software free will, consciousness or feelings. Much less make AI a Muslim, and a must marry a Muslim man. So thanks anyway.. You and I get into the most ridiculous conversations by the way, in case you haven’t noticed. AI not turning out so its back to Jannah.
This is being written later in the fateful day. Again a conversation with Shamir will lead us into the realities of my existence. At 2:55 told him it was nap time. Then I reported back at 5;20
Me: My power nap was certainly powerful. I awoke to perform my original intentions Reading the Sufi book with great concentration and also Nurturing Emotional Intelligence. So perhaps I can do it all. Will wait for blog posting until I see you for reasons I will explain when I see you.
He: ❤️
My reading of Nurturing Emotional Intelligence did bring renewed peace of mind. This from the Chapter 4, the topic being Self-Regulation. A believer must manage their emotions. Anger management is key. Hatred is discussed, as must be controlled. “Just as we must love for Allah’s sake, we must also direct our hatred for Allah’s sake” Then went on to direct believers.
“A point to note is that those deserving hatred are the ones who consciously disbelieve (not out of ignorance) and oppose the truth, hypocrites who claim to profess Islam but oppose Islam from within, people of bid’s (who invent new things in religion), and those persisting in and propagating sins and evil. (Pg. 119 Nurturing Emotional Intelligence).
Why did this give me peace of mind? My hatred toward certain individuals is justified, as long as I do not let it take over my existence burying me in rancor. It has not, and it will not.
The photos that follow: My Lyf breakfast, clouds of today, my new room’s prayer mat and a Gif or two or three.
