And They Return With Their Arsenal

The voices are back,
haunting me not when I sleep, but every moment I spend being awake,
they are there, always.
I've missed you.
When you would give your all to bring me down, tear me to pieces, shatter my dreams,
with your misery loaded guns, depression filled bombs--all within your words.

Like the Hyde in Jekyll, we are two sides of the same coin.
For years I try to prove you wrong,
"You are worthless,"
"there is nothing you can do,"
"best you just give up, because that's what you do best,"
At times you would win, and I am victimized by my own half.
I tried to understand you, but in vain.

For years I thought you are what made me fall,
you were the pit that locked my spirit,
but you were what pushed me down that slope,
you were what dragged me up those hills,
wounded but success accompanied me.

You were my catalyst.

Then you left, and I was alone.
I felt like I could do it all, until the voices were no longer from inside my head.
Suddenly those painful words were no longer said by you,
but by the crowd.
Who, I am powerless to control, unlike you.
And unlike you, they won't build me up. All of fakes.
Least you never stepped on me when I am down,
least you never cover your words with kind words,
least you helped me up, in your own way perhaps.

And now you're back, with heavier arsenal.
Armed up to pound me into the dirt, like you would in the past.
Their words mean nothing, compared to yours.
Now I stand before you.
For you are the Hyde in me, part of me that cannot be killed.

You are the voices in my head.

Brain Jam

Salam Aleik.

Today's world, particularly the one I'm living in, and the way I see it, is a bit socially impaired. Not because of the vast expansion of technology engulfing real life communication. No. It's more of what our visions in life, rarely do we think as a social group, instead of an individual. We work hard, for our own benefit. Our vision is only up to there.

For example, where I study, the residential college provides us with a recreational room / lounging area / whatever it's called. It's the largest room with curved window wall, a thick classic television, and some one-seater sofas, and some tables-- a nice place to sit and have a chat. After a few weeks, I found the door to that room locked, with a sign on it "This door will be locked again if students are found smoking, taking away the chairs, or hanging clothes in the room." So apparently people carry the chairs to their room, and now the room is empty, with only clothes hanging over the windows and sofa frames. The room died.

It's saddening, to see these type of people, in universities especially, where you'd imagine a place for intellects. We do things, for our own sake, very seldom for the benefit of the crowd-- never, if we're not part of the crowd. Cross that, it's frustrating. These are the people who are supposedly to lead the generation. Who are we to lead, if when we walk we leave trails of garbage (literally), not greatness? How are we expected to move forward and rise, when THIS is happening around us?

Leaders can only do so much, to change one's heart and mentality, it has to be consensual. You can't jam an idea to someone's head and make them agree to it, lest you have a gun pointed to them (don't). Today we see a lot of individualism in our community, but seeing as many schools and universities imprinting clones as our future leaders, there's nothing left.

So go around, and if you spot someone with great potential, don't stand in their way, don't laugh at their stupid ideas, push them to greatness, drag them to success. They need that push, and the world needs people like them.

"if not us, then who?"
"if only us, then, who?"

To achieve success alone is simple, to plant success into people, that is a win.

-Hafidz Iddin

Marriage vs Life

Assalamualaikum :D

This is gonna be weird-uh.
I wanted to write more on youth and marriage, but figured that it'd be a dreadful lengthy post. So this is the sequel of marriage vs education! Today our hero faces a much larger foe, the villainous LIFE! Which makes education child's play, and also concerns the parents more when their child wants to 'put a ring on it'.

Is it weird that all of this is coming from someone who's not engaged to getting himself married at the moment? It might be. But as a friend of mine said, if he were to get married at our age, he would have to make a Powerpoint presentation to his parents on why he should get married. Me? I'd go for mahjong paper. Aha kidding.

So you're convinced to get married young, with little spare change in your pocket, no shelter of your own, no all-access private transportation--in other words, nothing on your hands. So what do you have? A plan. Like a project, planning is numero uno. Once you have a plan, all should go well, given you follow your plan. Of course in time, you grow new ideas, alternatives, backup plans in case your initial plan backfires. Sounds like a war? well it is! I think.

So what's there to plan? *refer to cartoon* The guy's not making any sense, but the girl is. Haha fail! it's like a flow chart really.
-Who will do what / for how long
-What can you cut off / how much do you save from it
-By when will you have what (a necessary transportation / house / a nice-to-have /  child)

Seems more complex than just "get married and Allah will multiply your rizq" right? It's what we call tawakal. Once Rasulullah SAW saw a beduin man getting off his camel and walking into a building, without securing his camel. So he approached the man regarding what he witnessed, to a reply "I leave it to Allah to for its safety". Rasulullah SAW said "tie your camel, then leave it to Allah".

in all serious-ness.

So why exactly am I writing this, despite my marital status (SINGLE)? Because I had just promoted marriage between youths, and if anyone is encouraged by my words, and successfully settle an agreement with their parents, without any knowledge or preparation for what comes next, it'll be on my head. Marriage is serious business. Of course it's good, but statistics show that a majority of marriage during their youth, ended up in divorce. It'll be good, if you know how to make it so.

Although we have their blessings, the one true that matters is His blessing. And that, is in ourselves. Our relationship with Allah. Without His blessing, what chance do we have of being happy?

-Hafidz Iddin

Mualim

I am iron man. Deal with it

I wasn't the best kind of child when I was ten, nor am I now. I've a long way ahead of me, if God wills it. and I have tread so far already. Twenty years; although I admit to have wasted some of it not with stupid things, but without really doing anything. Through mistakes we learn, through failures we strive, but when it comes to doing nothing, we gain nothing.

So I am today, thanks to the two out of many teachers in my life. They saw greatness in me when I was at my lowest, when I had none to show for. I was not the nicest, I was not the smartest, yet they were there, always guiding me.

I am not perfect today, but Alhamdulillah for this great blessing. For the knowledge, for the discipline, I can never repay. Hopefully someday I could become the person they envisioned me to be--if not better, insyaAllah. May Allah bless.

There are others, who were there for me as well. But from these two, one who taught me compassion and beauty of Islam, the other who disciplined me military style, turning me dark and bald (haha).

"kulit hitam tak apa, jangan hati hitam" -anon

Sometimes we take our teachers for granted, only to realize in the future how much they had done for us.

-Hafidz Iddin

Marriage vs Education

" Baba, I think I want to get married. I met this very nice girl."
"Don't even think about getting married. Finish your studies first, then get a nice paying job, a house, a nice car (motorcycle doesn't count), THEN think about getting married."

 

Ever been there, guys? I haven't, but that conversation is sort of how I imagined, if I opened the topic, which I never did. But with my college seniors, that's what I normally get. Okay so, um, graduation is three years away AT LEAST, if I don't plan on doing my masters, a decent job takes at least a year to properly stabilize. So that's about five years. Finishing studies, check. Nice paying job, check. The house? The car? well after a year of working, I doubt our generation could buy a car in CASH lumsum, let alone a HOUSE. Easy, loan. *sarcasm* check.

So what's the problem, then? This is. Many parents, and even students associate marriage whilst studying means losing one or two grades in your studies. Quite unlikely to be the opposite, because they see it as a distraction. Hey, I think my laptop with 3G internet connection is a bigger distraction than my girlfriend (if I have one!). Food, is a distraction. A bug on the wall is a distraction. The interesting graphic printed on your roommates shirt, distraction. Anything can be one, if you let it be. Including a girl, or a man (for the ladies).

Often we look at marriage and education through a single lens, when you shouldn't. Happiness in marriage is not dependent of your level of education--only the financial part. And your education is almost independent of whatever relationship status you're in. One lens for education, and that's FOCUS, and another for marriage (_______) you fill in the blank. What type of marriage do you want?

In some cases, getting married actually boosts our grades, as it gives us that morale. If we've been scoring in school to please our parents, now we have another mission; score to secure. Getting married means to be mature, and written between the lines; responsibility. It builds you up slowly, from being dependent to being your own man, to being someone else's. Or woman. It makes sense, right? Score Uno, to marriage.

Flip the page, and suddenly marriage seemed like a sin, when you're with the books. In a way, we are taught to believe that the foundation of being prepared for marriage is mainstream education. That scroll in your hand, when you graduate, doesn't say 'I'm ready to get married', unless of course, by marriage you mean get a job. So YES, most of us aren't prepared for it, neither am I (which is why I'm writing this post, to get y'all to agree with me to get married quickly. Kidding), but education doesn't prep us for that. Parents could guide us, father-son bonding session maybe? Either that, or you let your son / daughter to learn by trial and error. In other words, date around, and risking heartaches from breakups. <-- That, is a sin.
Some of us don't tell everything to our parents, especially something personal. If they tell you they want to get married, and you deny them immediately without reasoning (positively) with them, they will retaliate, and some, date anyways.

The purpose of marriage is to make it halal for them to do all those couple stuff. And halal means barakah. Barakah, means success, here-- and hereafter. InsyaAllah. But if they dwell in the untied dating world, then it's relatively harder to get that peace.

"My child is not ready for it. He / She will ruin it in a blink of an eye,"
"Aid them. You're married, you should know the dos and don't"
Our sons throwing fists in the streets over candy is bad, but firing arms in the army is a huge pride for us.
Same concept.

Oh by the way, saying 'i want to get married' doesn't make you 'gatal', as the malay slang for 'pervert'. It means you're up for a faithful, and righteous path. Support, don't mock.

Signing out, your bro,
Hafidz Iddin

TKO Principle

I  believe I have written one about this, but it was somewhere when this blog was rather new, and I was new to writing. Hence, the refreshment.

I like to watch movies that have fights in the ring, Here Comes the Boom, The Warrior, Karate Kid, etc. ( not that I'm into violence. I just like watching men fight? Haha no) oh of course Rocky series, and most of them have that almost the same message, believe in yourself, don't give up, no pain no gain. I only want to focus on one, and I find it useful, myself being a teenager, stepping into the harsh adulthood (yes I am still a teenager. Argue with me, and I'll show you how much of a kid I can be). I don't know what it's called in books, but I'll call it TKO principle. Hence, the title (thank you).

Ever watched a boxing match? Say a match has 5 three minute rounds, and you're up to the fourth round, after getting a whole lot of bottom beating (ass kicking, get it?). By that moment, when the bell rings indicating the start of round 4, your morale would have plummeted, because you've lost 3 rounds, right? With broken spirits, the odds of winning the match degrades from low to simply near zero. But fight on full spirit, facing the risk of another beat down, your chances of winning is higher than before. The numbers never check in zero when it comes to winning, because losing doesn't mean you've lost, and winning doesn't mean you've won, until the bell rings for the very last time.
Maybe, in that fourth round, with blood dripping from your forehead, eyes blue and black, you hit that one button, the knockout button in your foe. Suddenly he's on the floor, the audience fall to silence, the judges in awe, the bell rings and you WIN, after losing three rounds. You didn't see it coming, he didn't see it coming, no one did, but you fought on, and you won. Who's to say you can't?

Losing the rounds behind you tells you not to give up and march on, winning it tells you not to take into pride and over confident. Give up when you're losing, and you'll lose; over confident in the middle of the match, and life will prove you wrong. Some say winning  fight after progressing from rounds of losses is a miracle, or luck. But know this, most of the things that happen to us have the odds of occurring less than a billionth, yet it happened. Meeting someone random by the streets and a year later you're housemates with them? it could happen. So stop trying to dig up miracles expecting to find a new colour beyond the spectrum, instead focus on what you have, and how that's a miracle for you. And have faith in God, that everything is for the best.
Failing a test today might be your first step to success,
Scoring it might not guarantee a bright future, given the wrong attitude.

We've read about Oprah, Walt Disney, Mark Zuckerberg, and how they were considered failures in their early stages. The message is clear, "I just might hit the knockout button this time around, if I don't, there's always the next round. The bell hasn't rang yet." And then there's the winning side, how not to take into pride. Remember Tom Anderson? Myspace? He used to be the talk of the town, and now a normal hip person wouldn't want to have a Myspace account. What happened? In general there was no sign of Myspace screwing up (not that I know of), suddenly there was Facebook, and it became the 'in thing', and everyone is over Myspace. Just like that. I'm not saying Tom was Mr Arrogant or anything, but that fame and glory could just disappear spontaneously. Know how to respond, and react. When you lose, and when you win.

I love this principle because it's quite applicable on almost any context;
school examinations,
family,
love life,
relationship with God.

Sean Covey wrote in his book 'The 6 Most Important Decisions You'll Ever Make' on teenagers today .
"While your grandparents may have had to walk uphill to school in the snow, you have a different set of challenges to navigate: like media overload, party drugs, Internet porn, date rape, terrorism, global competition, depression, and heavy peer pressure."
We have it just as hard-- if not harder. Know that not falling to any of these 'obstacles' is already great success, and you are amazing. You are a fighter. You are a champion.

Respect to my brothers and sisters, who are still fighting their rounds in life, and to those who have gone over the bell. Despite not winning, they fought on. And for those who are in the losing end, I lay my hands out to you, we'll play tag team. There's not a point in winning, only to look back to your friends suffer the pain of losing, and you're helpless. I, am not winning my fight. But trying.

"If you feel like giving up, remember why you held on for so long"

Life shoved you down when you're about to take your first step as a toddler, and today you're running.
We were born incapable of speech, and some of us grew to become poets and singers.
A child, we are ever so fragile. Today we bend metal with our own flesh.
Our hands, so little, so short. Today we reach to the skies.
The power of will.

"It's not about how hard you hit, it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward" - Rocky.

"Verily, with the hardship, there is relief" -Surah al-Sharh, verse 5

The bell rings for the next round. Will you fight on?

-Hafidz Iddin

ps; for my brothers and sisters who are about to step into Universities, the book doesn't define what a WIN looks like anymore, unlike school. You decide what WINNING is. To some it's good grades, or finding the one true love, or to find himself, or to define life. Your choice, make it a big one.

Trail of Questions in My Footsteps

Assalamualaikum, and forgive me, had I done something to offend any of you.

High school was not that far back, but it was long enough for me to see what has happened between 'then' and 'now'. Until I graduated from high school, there wasn't much of me. There was only ME. After I was done with that, things happen, words become actions, reflections, a few blogs created and deleted, here I am today. I remember most of what happened. To me, before 'then', everything was normal, I lived a simple, happy life, just the casual stress on examinations and homework--typical student. During the long break between high school and matriculation, my family sorta hit a bump, and everything spilled. It wasn't much, but enough for me to see that my family has its problems as well. So my family reached the turning point. To others it might be their everyday routine, but for me it was a big deal.

But that's that.

I kept thinking, what of my school now?
Of everything I left behind?
Do I miss it? Do they miss me?
What would they think of me now?
I graduated high school on December 2011. I have friends that I hardly talk to anymore, despite being so close to them back then.They're not that far away, just--out of reach, until today. After year--what if I say hello? Do I tell them I miss them?

I don't know. I felt rejected. 

It's not rocket science, you don't need to be a genius to know you don't belong to a certain group or clique. You just know. Everyday my thoughts wander, am I better now? What if I was raised differently, will I be better? Or worse, maybe. Some of you who know me skindeep, would either see me as a hooligan or some sort, or that guy with jubah and serban, and beard stuck to his face at 20 years old. I know enough to know I am neither one of that. I wear those clothes for the sake of the sunnah brought by Muhammad (pbuh), I am a bit rowdy because I am used to being that way ( in my defense, I AM trying to change that habit). When I was small, I was raised not to be the perfect muslim--only to be a proper, well disciplined human being. In other words, it was a bit secular.

I was unfamiliar of the arabic terms and whatnot, even today if I use it with my old friends from high school, I feel they become uncomfortable (maybe). Even to me, it is out of my comfort zone. I am not condemning the use of it, because arabic is the language of the paradise--but when I'm talking to someone, and they start using arabic phrases with me, especially the out of the norm terms, I feel bullied. Sort of. I was--and still is, with the mindset, as long as the message is true and beautiful, it's good enough.

I'm pretty much stuck between here and there. I feel I don't belong to either one. I am not unique--no, not at all. 

I know. Everything I stepped on, the pricks, thorns, mud, grease--all to build me a strong footing, so I wouldn't fall tomorrow. Things might not have been great then, nor is it now, but everything has its own lesson. Should I fail to see the lesson in the pain, in the comfort, then 'tis but nothing but what it is seen as--pain, and ignorance.

"To serve mankind, in the name of God"

Putting your thoughts in ink doesn't make it better--nor does it make you feel any better. The bitterness is still there.

I am intimidated by everything, everyone. Standing tall, hoping that they don't bite.
-Hafidz Iddin

Anger-bending

'Anger' is the weapon of the devil.

Since I was small I was taught to not let my anger take over me, but never taught how. So what I did was I suppress everything. When I'm mad, I stay silent. When I'm angry, silence. When I'm upset-- you get the picture. At first it was okay, as time heals nearly everything, including anger. Then this thing, starts happening. Everytime something tipped me off, I would get really angry, but still remained silent. The anger builds up in time. Sure, time heals, on the outside. On the inside, things are boiling up, like a pressure cooker. Then another phenomena, fear. That I might burst at any time, worst-- at the wrong person. I was an angry child. Haha

It was awful. When it's fine, it's fine. When it's not, tension builds up. No one knew I was angry, no one knew I was upset because I kept it to myself. So the fear grew bigger, as I learn my ways  through logical thinking, that if I burst suddenly, even if at the right person, would be inappropriate, because I never told them it was wrong, or that I didn't like what they did. I would be the bad guy in the end. Anger is bad, suppressing it is bad, so what's good?

No tool is either good, nor bad. Only the wielder has the power of choice.

You don't suppress it, nor do you let it blow up. You divert it. Let your anger out to a direction where it can cause minimal  collateral damage, and in a way that it is constructive rather than destructive. If you feel the need to speak, speak. Try doing it in third person, it gives you more perspective of the picture you're in. And if you feel the need to act, do it without passing the 'anger flame' to the listener. It's not the Olympic. Get mutual  grounds, speak with respect, don't assume. NEVER, assume. It makes an ASS out of  U and ME. Sometimes it could be that we are wrong, and their  patience is the one tested, opposite to what we think. Could be.

I try, not to be some angry little dude, or something. It's not easy, I admit. Changing the lifestyle, changing the mentality. After years of adapting to one, suddenly I'm to make a U-turn. The prophet (pbuh) did get angry, at times, but he never let it take over his judgement and conscience. He remained calm, that sometimes the sahabah would see his face turn red, but he never lost his cool. MasyaAllah, and keep in mind, he was put through A LOT. And he would always ASK before anything. He didn't cut anyone off while they speak, or throw judgement before they could defend themselves.

 -Hafidz Iddin

Downloading 'Life' App for iOs

"This LIFE App will help you get likes on Facebook, followers on twitter. Life becomes a necessity to complete your virtual social life. Whatever happened to living for the sake of, living?"

When Myspace started years back, no wait. Friendster. Haha, it was, just a mean of communication, an alternative to phone calls. So to say. There weren't many applications on it. It was just, that. A place for you to share pictures, and stuff online. People don't cling to it as much. At least, that's how I remember it.

Then came Facebook, where at that moment served no more than Myspace. And then tumblr, twitter, instagram. And to bind them all up, smartphones, giving you access to them wherever there's internet--that is, almost everywhere. It started like a speck, these social sites. When we first joined in, "I just wanna be updated with the outer world, beyond the walls." And that speck, grew into us, and soon, we were engulfed with it. If before facebook is to aid us in life and help improve it, now life is the application, that completes our profiles. It's like you go and get a life, just to post it on the internet. Twenty-four-seven-three-hundred-sixty-five-and-a-quarter.

You don't go to places just to take pictures, and then leave. It's like, doing something just for the sake of 'looking cool' on the internet. You're gonna miss out on the essence of whatever it is you're doing. Sadly. Every moment you spend typing in, and posting out 'big things', you miss out on the little things that really matters. I've been there. It's a prison without bars. Technically, the bars on the top of your phone display screen are the prison bars. Y'know, these o))) *more or less*

I mean it's good if you're using it properly. Take it as it is. Going overboard makes you look, well--something. For business, for the news, and to keep updated. But the thing is, we believe everything on the internet, and we judge too quickly. Someday we won't even think for ourselves.
"I swear it's true man! No doubt about it"
"were you there to witness it?
"No, but I saw the pictures on the internet"
For all  you know, the story might have been spun more than you've spun in your life. Don't judge a person, especially your peers by what they say on the internet. My cousin curse a lot on Facebook, like hype teenagers. But in reality, she's kind. At least she seems that way in front of the family. Who knows.

Another thing, trying to be smart will not make you look smart. Be yourself, and people will see you for what you are. And I can honestly say, the people that you look down on facebook, twitter, tumblr, or instagram, are actually a whole lot better people in reality. We're just being  prejudice. As I've said, it lacks the essence of life, you don't really see anything, just what you think you see. "Say what you  mean, know what you mean, and mean it." Stop posting about how miserable you are on your  profile. The most you could get is an advice, a 'be strong' note, and a smiley ---. Be strong :') Seriously STOP (admittedly, I've done so myself. Which is why I'm telling you to stop, because it didn't help me at all), go to a friend, THEN let it out. It makes a lot of difference. Even a talk on the phone is better than texting online.

I saw this one picture, regardless of how truthful it is, it means well. A sign in a train, that says something like "You're looking at this sign instead of your phone. So thank you" See? When looking up at a sign is a big deal! I guess you kinda get the picture now. Like near extinct animals, the dying culture is valued more. I see so many things on facebook (because I only have an account there), pictures, self-notes, a lot of instas and #hashtags, I don't feel as much to joining in. And with toddlers having their own iStuff and androids, I fear they might not experience real world interactions. Only in their tabs, simulated. Our generation witnessed the transition, we should see this clearer.

I went to visit my friend today. She lived in a small house, but oh so how comfy t'was. Her house had no wi-fi, but oh so how connected she was to the world. She had a lot of younger sisters, none of them just sat down and play with their phone. All of them were together watching TV, picking up fights with one another. She had more life than most of us. Honestly, I envy her for her family ties, for her times spent with her family.


You know how in the movie Terminator, the human race is at war with the robots? It's similar, but we're not fighting, we're obeying them. Brainwashed zzz~

note to self; BE the change,

-Hafidz (the 'D' thickens the 'Z')

Giving it Wings Won't Make it Fly

500 years ago, the idea of a giant metal block soaring in the sky defines 'impossible'. If you go up to someone and tell them that you're going to build something that is a hundred times heavier than air to fly, you'd be called crazy-- not over ambitious, nor setting the bars too high. Crazy. Logically if something were to float over a certain medium, it had to be lighter than the medium. Logic.
But then, if you take that huge metal block, hammer it into a certain shape, shoot it at a certain speed, some firepower, give it some chemistry, and a few other rules, it WILL take flight.
500 years ago, they call it impossible. Today we call it airplanes and rockets.

What you say impossible today, tomorrow someone's gonna prove you wrong. Why not let yourself have the honour for once?

------

I used to live in this dark void, enclosed by my own insecurities. Little, cynical voices in my head telling me things--demoralizing me.
"You're worthless"
"You're not capable of anything. Just deal with it. Stop trying."
"You're never this, never that."
Each words tearing me to pieces, never building me up. So I started doing things, I try to be as proactive, try to be SUCCESSFUL-- to prove myself, those voices wrong. And here I am now, not what I would define as successful, but I'm making progress. InsyaAllah. But the voices doesn't change, only I try to change my mindset. One could only try. It is by His will, for it to be, or not.

But later on, I realized, what's worse than having half of yourself dragging you down, is having your friends doing it. I guess after a while with those voices, I don't have much trust in myself, but I trust my friends. And, it hurts. Really.

All there is to do is to remind myself why I'm doing it in the first place, for myself. Whether you fail, or you succeed, some will be happy for you, and some won't. Some others couldn't even be bothered about  it. But it will definitely affect YOU, or in this case, ME. I am still in rubble. Finding my way out. I guess you really can't rely on people to make you happy, or force yourself to make people happy. Either ways, I am happy.

Hafidz Iddin

Tellie Propaganda

'The Magic Box'

For the past decades, television has left uncountable marks on the world's history, and many more to come.
They made heroes, preaching to the world on their idols, the war heroes, the trustworthy politicians-- at least, on TV that's who they are. It has been used as a tool to gain the trust of the people in one, as well as to demolish it. They tell stories, they report their own 'news'.
They get to tell who becomes the protagonist,
they get to tell who becomes the antagonist,
they sure as well get to tell who gets to become the victim, that 'earns' all of the world's sympathies.
We, on the other hand, are being fooled everyday--every moment we believe in their stories.
They make heroes take the image of villains, villains the image of victims, and themselves the image of news reporters and movie makers.

Decades ago, you would see in movies, the SOVIETS are the public enemy. It was parallel to whatever is written in school textbooks. At that time, people didn't have to believe in it, because they knew of it. The equation (soviets = bad). And so television has gained the trust of it's audience. The trust poll rises.

Somewhere before 9/11, they flipped the book. The soviets become a minor, and a new party emerges as the warlock. The middle eastern. The same thing, in movies, on the news, images of the middle eastern, or to be exact, Arabs are on every mainstream news. And let's just say, those images are not good for the Arabs. When a new character  pops up, a new label follows. If soviets = bad, the Arabs got it worse; terrorist. In movies, they become the enemy. My mom likes to watch this TV series, NCIS, and guess what? If the evil doer is a foreigner, it had to, it HAD to be from middle east. If you say it's just entertainment, well..

Close your eyes and tell me the first image that comes to mind when you hear the word 'terrorist', the figure of the TERRORIST.
If what you pictured is somewhere 80% to what I predicted, then you've proven my point.
If not, you've other sources that you receive, and take in from. More space for you to think. I thank you for that. For THINKING.

People  have been talking about how much they hate being told what to do, apparently, they don't being told what to think. Sometimes seeing is not believing. Seeing becomes, viewing. Mere materials for you to  make up better judgement of the issue at hand.

The internet, on the other hand, is the direct opposite. TV is more of a ONE-to-MANY stream. Where one figure tells everyone what to view. The internet, more of a MANY-to-MANY. Every party has the right to  put, and to view what they wish. But be wise. Please..

"Evil has no face. One could not draw out evil among the norm, but TV made it possible. They give evil a face, when it had none. The moment we believe in it blindly, we give up thinking."

 The world collapse, and a veil to cover it. Give the people a puppet show and they will be entertained--their attentions diverged from the real causes. Laughing, giggling, when tears roll, blood spills behind the one veil. Had we not peek through it, we will forever live in deceit. "Give a man pleasures, he will indulge such that he could not be bothered to look over to the weeping neighbour"

Hafidz Iddin

Leap of Faith

" You may be the  worst at something, always the last to finish the race, always getting knocked down by everybody, but when someone tells you you can't, you keep trying. "

That's the trick behind the magic, no  sleeves, no white gloves, no magic hat. Just  sheer determination, and a heart  full of faith and confidence. Look at the famous people now ( I  don't mean Hollywood actors ), once, they too,  like us-- or maybe  worse, were trashed. Rejected for the things they are famous for today. Can you imagine? Having your aspirations torn to pieces right in front of you. As if your only chance to get there disappeared, and you're high and dry. Everybody's been there. But what separates THEM from the rest of  the people, is their perseverence. They didn't GIVE UP. Not until they get to where they want to be.

When he reaches one successful point in his life, the voices inside him asks
" Well. We're here, this is where you said you wanna be. Planning on giving it a  break? "
" No, this is not where I want to be, I want to go further." he  would  reply.
" What do you get from all of this? You're risking everything! You could  stop now and still have everything." says the voices.
" I'm in it because it's my passion, It's driven me all  this way, and it will  drive me up  higher," be his comeback, more spirited  than ever.

" Okay fine! So when is it time to stop?"
" The moment I set foot to Jannah, then I would stop. And so will you. None of this matters if I can't do that. Just, that."  (smile).

Let the voices boost you up, not drag you down. Because no one can pull you up, if you yourself don't want to get up.

Before thinking  you can't  do something, do it first. If you want to do something, do it before you start overthinking on the pros and  cons, or anything. In the end, you're not gonna do it  by theory alone. As Momma would say 'analysis  paralysis'. You  get the point.
I  mean, at one point, you NEED that CRAZY adventure to set your  momentum back  forth.

This kid's eating sand, *snap* someone took a  picture of  him, now he's popular. Hm.

Have  faith people, YOU.CAN.DO.IT :D
they say aim for the moon, that if  you  miss,  you just might hit a tree (but  why?)

"Treat a man as he is and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he can and should be, and he will become as he can and should be."  - goethe

you  get the point,  right? Good!

Hafidz Iddin