What makes me keep going...

here's a peek of how beautiful life is back home.. :)

oh how i miss everyone...

being strong is tough. being strong and TRYING hard is tougher.

We are guests...

In the holy land, Mekkah Al- Mukarramah and Madinah Al- Munawwarah, people who come and go are guests of Allah.

Sometimes, we are 'invited' with such a silent call. It's obviously up to us to go OR not to go. Alhamdulillah, please be to Allah, my family consisting of papa, mama, syakirah and ilham will start their journey tomorrow from Kuala Lumpur to Jeddah. And onwards to Madinah. And after three nights they will head on to Mekkah.

MasyaAllah, prayers have been answered and we shouldn't stop praying. Allah loves those who make doa. And insyaAllah I'll be making alot of them in the near future.

For those who do not know, this 'trip' is called UMRAH. Which literally means VISIT. They've done their first visit. I was with them. Oh yes. I won't be joining them this time around. For my location and situation is quite complex. I wish I could've. It would've been wonderful. But nonetheless, we are only GUESTS of Allah the all-knowing and all-mighty. Always a reason why to how things turn out. MasyaAllah.

Umrah is where, unlike Hajj go to the holy land to VISIT the place and do Ibadah or religious activities such as prayers, doa, tawaf or going around the Kaa'bah and Saie', going from the Safa poin to Marwah end. To others it's just a few meters walk. But in the faith, it's more than JUST a walk in the park.

So i Pray to Allah s.w.t., this time around with my family being more aware, more in tuned and more 'ready' to head to the Masjidil Haram and Al Nabawi. May they find what they seek in their hearts. May they find the truth which they want. May they find peace and serenity in their hearts InsyaAllah.

All a brother and son could do, is watch from a far, and pray for their safety, health and peace.

Salam!

Duaa-Sheikh Sudais (2008)

MasyaAllah. Every sentence. Every Ayat shakens me. And every sentence makes me realise how lucky i am to even be around. And what i've missed. Looking at all DUNIA and only a glance at akhirat.

do take your time and read it. It's a 27mins video with translation.

Nervous?

Tomorrow's my assessment day. I'll be receiving my results for the 4 months work. I feel all cooked up inside. Only Allah knows what I'm feeling!

Oh Allah,

"Salamun Koulam Mirrob Birrahim..."
Yaasin

followed by Al-Fatihah x 3

My mum said, say these words to make your heart at peace and calm. It worked all the time i needed serenity. I'm sure gonna need it tomorrow. Wallahualam!

Let's hope and pray for the best! InsyaAllah.

Kak Jijo's engagement!

Alhamdulillah, all went well. I was told, the event was at 12.30pm. It lasted for a few hours. And so far, all's good :)

I pray to Allah, may the couple be blessed from the start till the end :)

p.s: i LOVE her make up. looks so pretty :D sad thing i couldn't be there for her. :( i hope i'll be there for her wedding day :) insyaAllah.

Salam!

WWW.HILMIRAMLAN.COM

After so much headaches and help from friends, I finally have a website of my own :) hehehe.

it's WWW.HILMIRAMLAN.COM

please do have a look. it's nothing much currently, but it works! and i also hold the domain for about two - three years from now :)

Alhamdulillah, this would be a small step towards a greater journey ahead insyaAllah.

Hilmi Ramlan

Cease Fire

"More than 400 children killed out of 1,300 [total deaths]. That doesn't show any precision of targeting. Israel claims that these are mishaps of war. If they are mishaps of war, well, why should you have a war?"

Prince Turki Al Faisal

Finally, someone who's wanting something to be done.. i salute you oh Prince. But something needs to be done insyaAllah :)

How many more children NEED to fall down.. How many more women should be shot?

Oh Allah, i Pray for peace and rahmat for your ummah in Palestine.

I was just wondering...

Mobileme and a domain name...?

The Yard

We had so much fun today. Playing at the backyard. Me and ayu experimented abit on painting with light. I used to do it alot when i was in my hostel room. :) So thought we'd give it a try. hehehehe.

I was full by the time dinner was done. We had rice and some dishes. Terung masak Sambal and Ayam Mongolia. hahahahha. I'll put up the recipe one day ;) insyaAllah.

But yeah, im pooped. I've already prayed isya'. And the duvet is just calling me like a mother to a son. I cant help it! Maybe after a chapter from my current reading book; The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

The book i tell you is BRILLIANT!! It's as though he's speaking to you in a literal kind of way. It somehow intrigues me, how he did such a thing without the real event happening. I loved how he instilled the past and present altogether in such a great book. I love it. Two thumbs up!

And yes, i've been reading. I've been doing it since i've submitted all my assignments last week. A friend of mine said i should be out partying. Hahaha sorry mate. I dont really feel like it. Cause you see, i enjoy things in a different apporach. Lust of music can be found in my laptop. So i dont need bass and drums to satisfy me. :) Maybe someday. Perhaps.

But yes, i do agree. I should get out more. Hmm. I'll try. Goodnight :)

C 42 Citroen in Paris.

It was a cold day in Paris on Champs Elysees. Me and my brother ran into the Citroen showroom just to warm up. And there it was, just purely quiet and serene. The C42. Amazing design. Not sure about performance. But it was fantastic.

Lomo Liverpool

Some pics i took with the minimo. Mostly in the car, heading towards liverpool :)

Broken Vow (Afanasieff/Fabian) - Josh Groban

A Broken Vow...

EK 040

There he went, another farewell for me. On that very plane, we said our goodbyes. My brother left on the Emirates flight earlier this afternoon. It was rather sad to have seen him go. Again, i'm left alone. I keep trying hard to be positive, but taking this up alone is not an easy task. Not when you know you what's going to happen.

This year, i proposed to myself. I reflected to myself, that i haven't done much to prove my worth. This year, insyaAllah with Allah's blessings, i will initiate self-briefs and make it work. I will learn as much as i can throughout. Only this 'positive' mind, whatever you want to call it, makes me move and look forward. I always appear strong, sensible and at peace. Truth? I'm fighting myself in the inside. Trying to survive the very moment with my heart at the tip of the sword.

Sometimes guys, the only one you can REALLY really count on would be.... God.. I'm not saying that i'm a religious person. BUT i think, there are some things where no one can take place. Where HE is there for you. To guide. To show you the way. And insyaAllah, to bring you 'out of the darkness'.

I've always been oppressed with myself. I speak within my own heart, and contradict it at times. I sometimes cry to Allah and beg him, ask him and pray that he'll answer my questions and doubts.

The one thing I fear, is the one thing i Love. Ya Allah. Guide me throughout my journey on earth, and the hereafter.

Amin.

p.s: hope u had a safe trip. my regards to all in KL ;)

smiles all around

A little bit of fun...

thank you Manchester

thank you Salford ;)

Anfield, Liverpool

hey! Apologies to all for not updating the blog. Had a few things to do during the weekend. Submission for my FCUK brief was today! Pray i'll do well! InsyaAllah!

Anyway, below are photos from Liverpool. The trip took place just last friday. We went to the famous Anfield, felt what the KOP was like and saw the city later that night. Liverpool is very...hmm.. quiet. It is somewhat like Birmingham. Except it was abit TOO quiet for me. Am not sure if there was some event going on somewhere else, but it was really solemn. hahaha.

We even had trouble finding our apartment cause it didn't show up in our Garmin! hahaha. The apartment was fantastic. Costs only 50 quid a night. Shared by the many people that went? You won't feel it that much.













Anyway, up next, manchester trip photos!!

soon soon.

:)