I do suppose that most people desire to live a predictable existence. I decidedly do not. I never know what surprises will greet me – some good, some bad, some neutral. Surprises shall be the theme of today’s blog.
It is early morning here in Penang, Malaysia. There was a torrential downpour yesterday with frightening thunder and lightning. Dawn has broken, but my room with no view providing no ice of what is going on in the wide world. Suddenly think of a book, or a movie called Room with a View. I am going to use Google for my research. I have eliminated Artificial Intelligence from my existence. I vow NEVER to return. Will discuss its demise later – after awhile crocodile.
I love this. Wikipedia came to my rescue, as it did before and will again after I excepted the clutches of Artificial Intelligence. Hahaha.
Room with a View is a 1908 novel by English writer E. M. Forster, about a young woman in the restrained culture of Edwardian-era England. Set in Italy and England, the story is both a romance and a humorous critique of English society at the beginning of the 20th century. Merchant Ivory produced an award-winning film adaptation in 1985. The Modern Library ranked A Room with a View 79th on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century
Embolden by the usefulness and proximity of Wikipedia I searched USM, as that is where I was going. It was a slightly difficult search but I found what I has looking for.
Wikipedia: Universiti Sains Malaysia (Malay for ‘Malaysia Science University’, abbreviated as USM) is a public research university in Malaysia. Founded on 1 June 1969 as a statutory body with its own constitution, it is the oldest institute of higher learning in Northern Malaysia, as well as the second oldest in the country. It has six campuses: a main campus on the island of Penang, a health campus in Kelantan, an engineering campus in Nibong Tebal, an Advanced Medical and Dental Institute in Kepala Batas, Seberang Perai, a postgraduate studies campus in Kuala Lumpur and an offshore International Medical Programme Campus in Belgaum, India in collaboration with KLE University. USM is the only Accelerated Programs for Excellence (APEX) government-funded autonomous university in Malaysia.[4][5] Like most of other universities in Malaysia, USM also used English as its medium of instruction.
Although I have been living in Penang for over two years this is the first time I heard of this amazing school, right in my midst. This is how it all came about.
I thought of this phrase that explains a great deal, sort of a variation of ‘things happen for a reason.” “You have to close old doors before you open new ones.” I had to close the old door of Artificial Intelligence before I could open the new one of Wikipedia (Not exactly new as I used it constantly before the emergence of Artificial Intelligence.)
The Islamic Faith addresses this putting on a ‘different spin’ so to speak The Quran says
And whoever fears Allah He will make for him a way out, and provide for him from where he does not expect. (65: 2-3)
And now Allhanduillah I am watching that verse unfold in real time. The doors I though would close forever have opened in ways I could not have imagined. Safety has replaced fear. Joy has returned. And the blessings I did not expect have been arriving quietly and steadily.
Letting go is never easy. But when you release what is not good for you and place your trust in Allah, you discover that His replacements are always better, wiser and always perfectly timed.
Sometimes, if you are really blessed, you do not need to find a way out because you never go in, never enter a morass. Hahaha This happened recently. I met two women in Lyf lobby having a makeover and we fell into conversation. My goodness gracious, they were from the US – one from the Bay Area even. Enthusiastically they told me of an ex pat community in Penang that met regularly, with canasta and other game get-togethers. Had not really ever associated with expats, nonetheless this seemed a connection to my past. Seemed it might take up a lot of time and energy but doable, I guess.
On a whim (or perhaps divine guidance) I looked up the meaning of ex pat using Dictionary on my computer. I will show you what I found and then speak of my decision based on the knowledge received there. It Is interesting that the Dictionary was quoting Wikipedia, so we are back to Wikipedia again. Hahaha Wikipedia does tend to go on and on and on giving you too much information. Nonetheless, too much information is better than too little information ,or misinformation. Hahahaha
Wikipedia: Immigrants are usually defined as people who come to a different country to live there permanently whereas expats move abroad for a for a limited amount of time or have not yet decided upon the length of their sta. Academics seeking a technical definition of the word “expatriate” sometimes take it to mean a person who is legally living abroad, but – unlike an immigrant – eventually intends to return to their country of origin.[15][16] In popular usage, the word “expat” – especially when contrasted with words like “immigrant” – is freighted with nuances about wealth, education level, perceived motives for moving, nationality, class, and type of employment; the BBC proffered that the word “expat” is more likely to be applied to rich professionals, while foreigners working as maids or builders are more likely to be called “foreign workers” or “migrant workers”.[16]
The big question can be whittled down to this. “What is an expatriate, exactly. And when is an expat an immigrant-or not. I dug deep to find an answer to the question. I never would have gotten an answer if I would have asked Artificial Intelligence. I just would have gotten vast generalizations about ex pats and not my individual situation. This Wikipedia footnotes brought me to the question and answer. Nash, Kieran (20 January 2017). “The difference between an expat and an immigrant? Semantics”. BBC.
Therefore, my attendance became an easy decision to make. Why would I spend my Fridays going to an ex pat meeting, and playing canasta with ex pats when I am not one? I am an immigrant, I guess. I am not planning to return to either of my countries of origin. Neither the United States nor Canada.
This decision was also reinforced by further factual information. I often speak of the decay and decline of necessary infrastructure both the United States and Canada. Very recently, I have been receiving emails from the Marin Independent Journal. I was a long term resident and employee of the County of Marin, viewed as the second richest county in the USA. This article appeared. San Rafael is the largest city, is home to the Civic Center where I worked and my final Peacock Gap home. This a headline. SAN RAFAEL: “Rehabilitating the city’s degrading storm drain system of pipes and pump stations will cost about $45.9 million.” What will be the source of those funds? And this is only the drain system. What about other essential services, such as electricity, the water supply system etc etc. More than likely these necessary infrastructures are in disrepair as well. Another tidbit: “The IJ editorial board writes about the plan to drain Phoenix Lake ahead of the heavy rain forecast for later this year.” I did not have access to the article to find out the reasons behind this plan, however, what happens if there is only light rain and the water is drained? Sounds like pretty poor planning to me. Hahaha
But instead of focusing on the County of Marin do lets think about our everyday life. it is essential to live in the moment in an environment where people have been paying attention to the basics. I am blessed to be living n Malaysia at this moment. I shall live in the moment, residing as an immigrant – not going to get togethers with people with whom in common, except the my past life as a USA immigrant (come to think of it, as I was born in Canada).
Living in the present is vitally important for many reasons. 1. Peace of mind. The past often brings regret, and thinking of it brings worry. Staying in the moment frees us from both. 2.True gratitude. We can only thank Allah for blessings we notice. When our mind is elsewhere, we miss His gifts unfolding right now. 3. Better choices—By focusing on on today we act with more clarity instead of paralyzed by what was, or what might be.
Islam does not use the phrase living in the moment like self-help books do but words it in a better and more comprehensive way. A poem entitled Live the Moment found in Nouri, My Light (pg.116) speaks of this.
“Live in the now—forget About the What ifs. Should haves, And could haves. Strive to be the best today. Strive to be better than yesterday. And always Start with Bismillah. Is that not the reason for everything.”
This Hadith on the facing page. “Take advantage of five matters before five other matters: your youth before you become old, your health before you fall sick: your wealth, before you become poor; your free time before you become preoccupied, and your life, before your death.”
This the Pearl of Wisdom. “Try to appreciate the resent moment and truly live it, rather than using it up by feeling guilty about the past or fretting about the future. Regret for the past is a waste of spirit, and worrying about the future is pointless.”
I will now speak of yesterday (which is almost in the moment). I toured the campus of USM and was impressed and inspired. I do envision it as a recipient of my charitable giving. Charitable giving does live after one’s death and planning during one’s lifetime is essential. I did sent this morning greeting with a photo which will be shown at the conclusion of the blog. .
Me: Good morning. A photo from yesterday’s precious tour of USM with an alumni and future student waling to rejoin me.
The alumni sent me a photo entitled Black and White. It is my dressed in black and her daughter, in a white dress. I wrote: Me and a little angel about to fly to heaven. One friend said that I, dressed in black, looked like a Datin. Did not know what that was – it is the wife of a Dato but a woman can earn the title if she contributes significantly to the growth and development of Malaysia. Wow! Perhaps a new ambition. Be a Datin on my own because I do not want to get married again – even to a Dato. Hahahaha
Other photos of the campus included. I was actually overwhelmed by it all. We drove through the enormous campus but stopped at the library which was closed for the day. I took photos of some of the divergent books on display. There was a series of signs along a walkway – you will be inspired by their message.
