Gifts from the Mountain

All things happen for a reason.

Something happen to me at work yesterday.

It really has stirred up the fire of my anger!

I can say that I was mad enough to choke!

But one of my habit ... I won't say anything when I am too angry.

 

I remember this old quotes that has become part of me:

" For the word that sting the deepest is the word that never spoke.

Let the other person wrangle till the storm has blown away,

then he'll do a heap of thinking about things you didn't say."

 

So, to distract my mind from thing that just happened,

I headed to our University library - my perfect hide out -

and browsing the shelf that has books on quality.

I didn't find anything interesting and continue browsing to the next section,

then I saw a title on the spine of one of the book

"Gifts from the Mountain" by Eileen McDargh.

I pulled out the book and I already fall inlove with cover

.

.

I flipped through the first few pages ... and I liked what I saw!

.

.

Each page is illustrated with stunning watercolor paintings.

Mind you I didn't actually 'read' I just wanted to look at something that can divert me from my 'current state of mind' .

I took the book to the counter to borrow it and headed back to my office.

It's a simple book!

Simple enough to make you sit and ponder.

The sub-title of this book is 'Simple Truths for Life Complexities'.

What's in this book is nothing new.

 

Like what the author said in her Prologue:

"In many ways it will remind you of what you already know

but have forgotten in the tension of time constrains, work worries, and family frustrations.

Some passages will jar your memory while others might evoke a new awareness and result in action."

 

We all have our own mountain.

There's always a challenge that demands our attention or a complication looking for simplification.

But first, I need to thank the person who had stirred my anger.

If not because of 'that person' I won't discover this book.

 

Happy reading!

 

Love - Larra

 

 

One Sunday afternoon ....

"Quiet is peace. Tranquility. Quiet is turning down the volume knob on life. Silence is pushing the off button. Shutting it down. All of it. "

The above are words of Khaled Hosseini in 'The Kite Runner' that I have just finished reading today. Most of you must have heard of this book which was published in 2003 and has become an international bestseller. I have been reading this book since last week after finishing 'A Thousand Splendid Suns'. These two books were a Christmas gift from Herbie - a limited edition signed by the author.

It's been a quiet Sunday for me .... been resting while reading and sipping oolong tea.

I wasn't feeling well since the last few days. Cooked myself chicken soup yesterday ... and I am feeling much better today.

But still I am missing someone ..... the chair beside me is empty ...

And I can almost hear the sounds of my own thought .....

"Said the Sun to the Moon -"When you are but a lonely white crone,

And I, a dead King in my golden armour somewhere in a dark wood,

Remember only this of our hopeless love

That never till Time is done

Will the fire of the heart and the fire of the mind be one."

('Heart and Mind', Edith Sitwell from The Oxford Book of Twentieth Century English Verse)

The Heart

 

All the knowledge I possess everyone can acquire,

but my heart is all my own.

~Goethe~

*

*

The holiest of all holidays are those kept by ourselves in silence and apart,

The secret anniversaries of the heart...

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow~

*

*

Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart ...

Who looks outside, dreams.

Who looks inside, awakens.

~Carl Jung~

Helloooo!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hellooooo ....... what are you looking at?

My new teeth? They are pretty, aren't they?

With these new teeth, there's nothing that I cannot chew!

.

Including Grand aunty Larra's remote control. But .... mummy wanted me to drink Yakult instead

Oh, I almost forget to introduce myself .... I beg your pardon. I am Balqis Izzati .... I also have another name 'Ain Balqis' ... but you can call me Aqis. Yes, that's right we have met before .... remember these pictures? These pictures were taken when I was 1 month and 7 days old ... I know, those days were the happiest days in my life this far ....

.

Today, 3 January 2008 .... I am 1 year old! Euwwwwww, I am getting older! Anyway, Happy Birthday to me! Happy Birthday to me!

I wonder whether Mummy or Daddy or Grand aunty Larra bought me any present? Mummy took me out for shopping at Ikea on 1st January 2009.

She bought pink stool for me and blue one for my sister Ain Batrisya. I hope that ugly stool is not my birthday present. I hope Mummy or Grand aunty Larra will get me new gadget like latest Nokia or Blackberry Bold handphone so that I can talk to my sister whenever I feel bored at Grandma's house. Oh, did I tell you that my sister Ain Batrisya will start going to kindergarden this coming Monday? She's so excited - she said she will be meeting new friends and she will be busy playing with them. And I'll be alone with Grandma!

Errrrr, I think I better stop here. I need to get ready .... I heard mummy and daddy planning a surprise birthday party for me tonight! So, see yaaa at my birthday party! Pssssttttt, please don't wear pink will you? I would love to see other colors

Tata!

Ain Balqis

 

 

'Stock taking'

Hi everyone,

It's a quiet Sunday morning at my end.

I woke up at 6.30 am and after my morning prayer I started preparing breakfast! Here's today's breakfast!

.

Spinach monay and roasted potatoes! Of course the recipe for spinach mornay came from my cooking guru I remember I enjoyed eating mornay while in Tatton Park and Chester during my recent holiday in England.

After breakfast I started re-shelving my books - ahhhh, I need additional booksheves! While re-shelving, I get this idea of doing some kind of stock taking of books that I bought or acquired in 2008:

General interest/Memoir:

1. Scheherazade Goes West - Different Cultures, Different Harems" by Fatema Mernissi
2. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
3. The Cave of the Yellow Dog by Byambasuren Davaa & Lisa Reisch
4. The Road to Mecca by Muhammad Asad
5. Tree Cups of Tea Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin
6. Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
7. Growing up in Trengganu by Awang Goneng
8. The Places in Between by Rory Stewart
9. The Garden of Truth – The Vision and Promise of Sufism, Islam’s Mystical Tradition by Seyyed Hossein Nasr
10. Perilous Power – The Middle East and US Foreign Policy , Doalogues on Terro, Democracy, War and Justice by Noam Chomsky & Gilbert Achcar (yet to be finished )
11. From a Persian Tea House – Travels in Old Iran by Michael Carroll (yet to be finished )
12. Alek Wek – The Extraordinary Life of a Sudanese Refugee by Alek Wek (yet to be read)
13. The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop – A Memoir, a History by Lewis Buzbee (just bought this title, will begin reading it today)

It seems like most of the titles that I have been reading is either a memoir or a true story. I must admit that I am not so much into fiction. But I do read fiction and will continue reading it:

Fiction:

1. The Valkyries by Paulo Coelho
2. The Witch of Portobello by Paulo Coelho
3. The Kite Runner by Khalid Hossseini (yet to be read)
4. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khalid Hosseini (yet to be read)
5. By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept by Paulo Coelho (yet to be read)

It looks like I have only been reading fiction by Paulo Coelho! But not to worry I have two titles by Khalid Hosseini -in my waiting list - it's a Christmas gift from Herbie. It is Khalid Hosseini signed copy limited edition set! Thank you H!

.

There are also few titles on gardening or plant but not much can be practised since I moved to the new condo which has no balcony! Due to that Herb bought me books on bonsai, but I am yet to really work on bonsai .... I think I nead a 'real' guru

Gardening:

1. Bonsai Master Classic by Craig Coussins (from Herb)
2. Bonsai School – The Complete Guide Course in Care, Training & Maintenance by Craig Coussins (from Herb)
3. The Complete Practical Encyclopedia of Bonsai by Ken Norman
4. A Guide to Common Plants of Ayer Hitam Forest, Selangor, Peninsular Malaysia by I-Faridah-Hanum and Shamsul Khamis (from Herb)
5. Trees and Fruits of Southeast Asia – An Illustrated Field Guide by Michael Jensen (from Herb)

And the new subject that started to fill up my bookshelves are books about travelling or places of tourist attractions as well as cookery books.

Travel:

1. Ghosts of Spain – Travel Through a Country’s Hidden Past by Giles Tremlett
2. Andalucia (Lonely Planet)
3. Spain (Rough Guide)
4. 1001 Historic Sites You Must See Before You Die
5. Seeing and Understanding Andalusia
6. All Cordoba
7. An Easy Guide to Cordoba – Yesterday and Today
8. 100 Greatest Trips – From The Editors of the World’s Leading Travel Magazine (3^rd edition)

Cookery:

1. The One-Dish Bible
2. Around the World in 450 Recipes
3. Authentic Mexican – Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico by Rick Bayless with Deann Groen Bayless
4. Fast and Healthy by Flora Airey

So, those are the books on my book shelves. How about you? Is there your favorite titles that you have read in 2008 that you would like to share with us here? Please feel free to do so.

"If you cannot read all your books, at any rate handle, or as it were,

fondle them - peer into them, let them fall open where they will,

read from the first sentence that arrests the eye,

set them back on the shelves with your own hands,

arrange them on your own plan so that you at least know where they are.

Let them be your friends;

let them at any rate be your acquaintances."

(Sir Winston Churchill)

 

And not to forget, to all my Muslim friends "Happy New Year" 1430H. 29th December 2008 is the 1st Muharam 1430H in Islamic calendar (Muharam is the first month in Islamic calendar). May Allah bless us for the coming new year.

Love - Larra

 

It's a new day ....

.

Life has its own way of telling me how I feel

.....

Birds flying high
You know how I feel
Sun in the sky
You know how I feel
Breeze driftin' on by
You know how I feel
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
And I'm feeling good

Fish in the sea
You know how I feel
River running free
You know how I feel
Blossom on a tree
You know how I feel
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
And I'm feeling good

Dragonfly out in the sun you know what I mean, don't you know
Butterflies all havin' fun you know what I mean
Sleep in peace when day is done, that's what i mean
And this old world is a new world
And a bold world
For me

Stars when you shine
You know how I feel
Scent of the pine
You know how I feel
Ohh freedom is mine
And I know how I feel
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
It's a new dawn
It's A NEW DAY
It's a new life
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
It's a new way
For me

And I'm feeling good

.
(Song by Michael Buble "Feeling Good")

the sound of rain drops

.

I was

trying to capture

the sound of rain drops

that fall

on my red rose.

I heard happiness

-- of a lonely red rose

-- of a longing rain

Did you hear it?

~~ larra ~~