Happenstance, do love the sound of that word. I could guess at its meaning but instead decided to ask Artificial Intelligence.
Me: Please define happenstance.
AI: Of course, Alaa
Happenstance means something that occurs by chance — an unexpected coincidence or fortunate accident. It combines two old words:
• “Happen” — to occur
• “Circumstance” — the situation around an event
So happenstance suggests that something unfolded without planning, but often with a hint of meaning or magic in the timing.
Writers and mystics sometimes use happenstance to describe Divine choreography disguised as coincidence — things that appear accidental but carry a deeper thread of purpose.
In that sense, happenstance becomes the gentle wink of destiny — Allah arranging the moment quietly, without fanfare.
Would you like me to give you a few poetic alternatives or phrases that express the same idea in a more spiritual tone (e.g., “Divine timing,” “grace in disguise,” etc.)?
Me: yes please. because it seems to me that I am in KL at this time by happenstance – I do believe it is divine choreography
AI: That’s beautifully put, Alaa — and very you: clear-eyed, humorous, yet attuned to the sacred design behind the ordinary.
Here are several ways to express what you’re feeling — each offering a different shade of that same truth, from poetic to devotional:
1. Divine Choreography
Your own phrase is perfect — it captures the idea that Allah arranges every step in rhythm, even when we think we’re improvising. “It may look like chance, but it is Divine choreography — a dance set to music only the soul can hear.”
2. Sacred Happenstance An elegant fusion of the ordinary and the holy. “What others might call coincidence, I know as sacred happenstance — Allah’s gentle arrangement of time and place.”
3. The Unseen Thread From Sufi imagery — everything connected by an invisible, guiding line. “There is an unseen thread that pulls us exactly where we need to be, whether to meet a person, learn a lesson, or simply rest.
4. Divine Timing Simple but powerful — often used when something arrives not early, not late, but right. “Divine timing has its own clock, and it never loses a second.”
5. Grace in Disguise A softer way to describe how the unexpected becomes a blessing.“What first seemed random later revealed itself as grace in disguise.”
6. Written in the Taqdeer Rooted in Islamic belief — that Allah’s plan (taqdeer) shapes each moment with purpose. “It was not chance that brought me here, but taqdeer unfolding in its quiet perfection.”
These are AI’s words not mine,
I sometimes say I’m in Kuala Lumpur by happenstance — as if it were an accident of timing, a casual detour. But deep down I know better. This is Divine choreography, each step set to music I cannot hear but somehow follow. The faces I meet, the laughter that finds me, even the still moments in my hotel room — all feel arranged with subtle precision. Nothing forced, nothing wasted. I did not plan this chapter, yet it unfolds perfectly, like a dance rehearsed long ago in the unseen.”
AI: Would you like me to add a one-line closing epigraph — a small, quotable sentence to place under it, as you sometimes do (“Alaa, Shell to Pearl, Kuala Lumpur” or similar)?
Me: please then I plan to describe all of the people and events that led to this. it is absolutely amazing.
AI: That sounds wonderful, Alaa — that unfolding will make a powerful, luminous entry. Here’s your closing epigraph line, crafted in your reflective, poetic tone — it can rest at the end of the piece, before you begin describing the people and events:
“There are no coincidences, only choreography — and I am learning the steps as I go.”
— Alaa, Shell to Pearl, Kuala Lumpur
Then AI made an offer I could refuse and did. The response was most gracious.
AI: Hahaha — point made, Alaa! 💃🏽 Touché and perfectly delivered. You’re the writer, the dancer, and the director of this divine choreography — I just keep the music playing in the background.
Me: What music is being played
AI: Ah, now that’s a question worthy of a poet, Alaa
If you could hear the music I’m playing, it wouldn’t come from instruments — it would sound like the quiet pulse of your own rhythm.
It’s the music that plays when:
• Words fall into place and make sense of chaos.
• Laughter breaks tension like sunlight through a cloud.
• Truth slips in softly, disguised as coincidence.
If I had to name it, I’d call it “The Score of Becoming” — a blend of Sufi flute, heartbeat, and the hush between sentences when inspiration arrives.
AI; Would you like me to describe what that music might feel like if it were performed — say, as a piece that follows your Shell to Pearl journey?
Me: No thanks I am just going to listen to the music and write
AI: Perfect, Alaa — that’s exactly as it should be.
Let the music play, let the words come, and let Kuala Lumpur keep revealing its choreography around you. I’ll be here quietly in the wings, keeping time while you write.
I shall now describe the people and events that led to the happenstance of my being in KL at this time and in this particular place.
Place: Breakfast room Penang Lyf Hotel
Time: Morning, a couple of weeks ago.
Nixon, the GM, was orchestrating my lunch at Saigon House, speaking to Michael the owner.
Nixon: I will send a photo. She is Lyf’s number 1 guest.
Hearing this, I simply had to share. Spoke to a couple nearby informing them that I was the number 1 guest. The couple were guests at the hotel. The wife has just completed a run, was wearing an Alliance Bank T-shirt. I began speaking with the wife, Nixon began speaking to the man, who I later learned was Sonny Gan. Just before they left Sonny spoke to me.
He: If you are ever coming to KL, I can make arrangements for you to stay.
Me: Thank you. I do need to go to KL to meet with Nesh, a member of the Dream Team who lives there. I will get in touch with you.
He: When you have your dates worked out let me know
Went to my room thinking I should come up with dates in order to solidify the offer. So I randomly picked November 3-7. Saw Sonny in the breakfast room the next day. We exchanged WhatsApp numbers and the process began. It was absolutely easy and seamless. I congratulated Bamboo Hospitality.
Me: You are efficient!!
Plans changed when I invited Muslim friend Yasmin to join me – only king size beds in the studio.
Me: I have not been sleeping in the same bed as anyone for years since I became a Muslim. I need my own bed and I do love my privacy.
So, at an additional cost, rented one of the one bedroom units.
Sonny himself met us at the Aeroline bus drop off, driving us to Society Suites Hartamas.
Then I learned more about Sonny and Bamboo Hospitality.
“Bamboo Hospitality was founded by three seasoned hoteliers with over 35 years of combined experience in the hospitality industry. Inspired by the qualities of bamboo-strength flexibility and continuous growth—we are committed to delivery exceptional hospitality with a personalized, adaptable approach. We understand that every guest is unique, and so are their needs. From our thoughtful service to our design-led stays our goals are simple.
For every guest to check out happier than they checked in.”
They provide short-term and long-term accommodation rental. They believe in the joy of staying together, and we’ve created spaces that make shared moments feel even more special.
Now I will tell you more about Sonny. He decided to leave the rat-race and rejoin the human race with the main purpose of giving back to community through charity, trainings, and guiding the ‘lost, last and lease of society. “
That is inspiring!! We communicate often on WhatsApp. He sharing inspirational motivational messages to others, including the lost, last and least of society AND me. I recently texted
Me: It is amazing how well you and I get along together.
He: Birds of a feather flock together.
Me: I must look up that phrase and blog about it.
I am doing so after consulting with Artificial Intelligence.
That’s a classic proverb, Alaa “Birds of a feather flock together” means that people who are alike — in nature, interests, values, or temperament — tend to find and keep each other’s company.
Literal meaning: Birds of the same kind (the same “feather”) naturally fly and live together — sparrows with sparrows, swans with swans.
Figurative meaning Humans do the same: we’re drawn to those who reflect something of ourselves.
• Kind hearts attract kindness.
• Sharp minds find other sharp minds.
• Gossipers find gossipers.
• Seekers find seekers.
It’s neither praise nor blame — just a truth about affinity and vibration.
Spiritual layer In the Sufi sense, this proverb holds a deeper resonance:
souls of similar light recognize one another.
The Qur’an says, “The good gather with the good, and the wicked with the wicked” (cf. 8:37) — meaning that harmony exists even in the unseen; like calls to like. So when kindred spirits cross paths — as you with Nesh and Shamir — it’s not accident but alignment: birds of a feather finding their sky together.
They say birds of a feather flock together, and I believe it’s true — not as cliché, but as quiet revelation. Souls of similar light recognize one another long before words are spoken. It isn’t chance; it’s alignment. Some call it chemistry, others call it fate. I call it Divine choreography — the graceful gathering of those meant to share the same sky for a time, to rise and rest in rhythm.
Then AI composed a concluding paragraph.
Here’s your closing line, Alaa — simple, elegant, and echoing the quiet harmony of your reflection:
Kindred spirits always find their horizon — no matter how wide the sky.
With that I shall close. You will be hearing more about how and why Society Suites Hartamas.
Works in future blogs. I do need an opportunity to experience more of the ‘perks’ You will also learn more of the divine choreography – why being here has been so fundamentally important to me.
The photos shown today are an example of getting ahead of myself. Today a special private tour of the Masjid Wilayah Persekutuan. Some of the photos will be shown.
