Maintaining Your Beauty

Beauty. When we think of beauty, especially women, our mind might go straight to makeup, fashion, salon, or perhaps aesthetic plastic surgery (I'm totally against the last one!). All these things might help, but the best way to maintain our beauty (yes, maintain.. because every woman is beautiful) is to take care of our health, not only physical but also mental health.

Doing a regular exercise at least three times a week is recommended. It doesn't have to be a hard and exhausting exercise. A simple one that takes only 15-30 minutes but done regularly makes more impact to our body (and mind). If you usually go to work by a motorcycle, a car, or a public transportation, perhaps it's the time to shift to a bicycle! ;) Or if you usually take a lift to go up or down at your office or a shopping center, now is the time to start taking the stairs. In Indonesia, people often use motorcycles to go anywhere, even just to go to a shop that's not even 500 meters away! Let's use our feet, walking is not only healthy but could also be enjoyable (especially if you walk with your friends). I know the temperature is very hot there, but you can always use an umbrella (and sunglasses). :D Regular exercises will make you feel good, light, and fresh! Aren't these going to enhance your beauty? ;)

Besides exercise, our food intake also plays an important role. As I'm talking about beauty, skin beauty is obviously part of it. Weeks ago, I found a few articles discussing the types of foods that are good for your skin. The sources vary, but most of them I found from reading posts on social networking sites. I was trying to look for the sites again, but couldn't find them. So, here I'm just going to list all the foods (and beverages) that I remember. Here they are:

1. Berries, such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and all other berries. They are rich in antioxidants! Not only good for skin, berries are also good to protect your hair. Tip: berries + yogurt = perfect snack :9
2. Avocado. It contains vitamin A and E, and the oil in them is usually used in many beauty products. Did you know that avocado is categorised as a berry? As mentioned earlier, berries are good for skin, so there you go. :)
3. Almonds. They are stuffed with vitamin E, which helps defend against sun damage. Vitamin E is an antioxidant, which is well known as an excellent substance for skin.
4. Salmon. It's rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are able to erase spots and reduce fine lines (wrinkle fighters). Besides salmon, flaxseeds also contain omega-3.
5. Tomatoes. They contain lycopene, which helps eliminate skin-aging free radicals caused by ultraviolet rays. Oh, watermelon also contains lycopene. ;)
6. Sweet potatoes. The vitamin C they have smooths out wrinkles by stimulating the production of collagen.
7. Spinach. They contain folate and iron, which are not only good for skin but also able to reduce the possibility of cancer-cell growth. Actually, all green vegetables are good for your skin as they contain plenty of fiber, loads of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents.
8. Carrots. They are loaded with vitamin A, which is not only good for your eyesight, but also good for reducing blemish on your skin and reducing the development of skin-cancer cells.
9. Green tea. It's known to contain antioxidant with proven anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties.
10. Dark chocolates. (Yay! I love dark chocolates! :D) They have antioxidant that can reduce roughness in the skin and provide sun protection.

 If you want to know more about what other foods that are good for your skin are, you can always google. :D 

So, regular exercise and healthy foods should be our best friends. But on top of that, our beauty will shine brightly if we do these 2 things: let it go (forgive) and smile. :)

"I was smiling yesterday, I am smiling today and I will smile tomorrow simply because life is too short to cry for anything." - Santosh Kalwar -

"Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy." - Thích Nhất Hạnh - 

* .. and the source of other people's joy :)

source of the picture: http://img2.timeinc.net/health/img/web/2013/01/slides/berries-for-heart-400x400.jpg.

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Are We True Muslims?

Sunday morning, or should I say Sunday early morning. It was around 2am, before the dawn, just woke up, waiting for Subuh. Starving, I got some food and decided to watch one of the Nouman Ali Khan's lectures on YouTube. It was just a random choice, but Alhamdulillah.. learned something that I didn't realise before. So, this article is basically what I learned from that short lecture. It's mainly a reminder for me first, then everybody else, in shaa Allah. :)

If you ask a non-Muslim, especially in the west, what do they know about Islam? Most of them would answer: hijab, pray several times a day (i.e. known as salah, not like the normal pray defined in the English dictionary), fasting, go to Mecca for pilgrimage, etc. All these things are related to rituals or rules, if you like. I'm not saying they are not important, because they are. These are parts of Islam, part of a way of life, commanded by Allah*, for our own good. However, here I'm not writing about why these benefit our life, as it needs a separate article to explain it. Rather, I'd like to share with you something that is extremely essential for us to take a lesson from.

Back then, during the early prophecy life of Prophet Muhammad SAW**, how did people in the society know that a person was one of the companions of the Prophet? One might answer, because they were always with him. That's why they were called companions. OK, but actually there are other reasons, which are more profound. If I change the question slightly different, how did the people back then recognise that a person was a Muslim?

Did you know that the revelations to pray (i.e. salah), wear hijab for women, fast during Ramadhan, not to drink alcohol, and many other rules descended years later after Muhammad SAW became a prophet? I'm sure most Muslims know, but there is something deeper we can learn from this fact. If we go back to the questions in the previous paragraph, how did people know that a person was a Muslim back then? They didn't perform salah, they didn't fast, they drank alcohol like everybody else, the women didn't wear hijab, etc. So, what was it that made them identifiable as Muslims?

The answer is one: their character! They were known as people of brilliant character. They were people of kindness, justice, honesty, forgiveness, compassion, generosity, modesty, and dedication. You can do your own research by reading the life of Prophet Muhammad SAW and his companions and friends (e.g. Abu Bakar as-Shiddiq, Umar ibn Abu Bakr, Ustman, ibn Affan, Ali ibn Abu Thalib, Khalid ibn Walid, and many more). Many times I was amazed while reading some of the biographies of these excellent people. Their character is on different level, really! mashaAllah!

This made me contemplate. We can perform salah five times a day, fast during Ramadhan or even add it with voluntary fastings outside Ramadhan, wear hijab, avoid drinking alcohol, avoid gambling, etc, but if our character stinks, can we call ourselves true Muslims?

It's true that the command to wear hijab for women came later, but to be modest was one of the first things commanded by Allah SWT. It's also true that paying zakat (the obligatory charity during Ramadhan) was commanded later, but being generous was also one of the first things commanded by Him. They are just some examples. The point is that all the rules came later, but the foundation had always been there.

Brothers and sisters, including myself, let's ponder upon this deeply. We have a noble amanah, keep and hold it firmly. Do our best to improve ourselves from day to day to get closer to Him, to be a true Muslim, a true mu'miniin, in sha Allah.

"The best amongst you are those who have the best manners and character." - Prophet Muhammad SAW, narrated by Al-Bukhari - 

"There is none heavier in the scales of the Hereafter than good character." - Prophet Muhammad SAW, narrated by Al-Tarmidhi and Abu Daud - 

"A Muslim is one whom other people are safe from his tongue and his hand." - Prophet Muhammad SAW, narrated by Al-Bukhari -  

* "Allah" in Arabic means "the worship One"

** Prophet Muhammad SAW became a prophet from the age of 40 years old (He passed away in the age of 63 years old).

source of the picture: http://www.thetrueknowledge.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Attituade.jpg.

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More Tips Living in Dublin (Part 2)

It has been nearly 4 years I've lived in Dublin (time flies!). So, it's impossible if I didn't have more tips living here, at least to make your life a bit easier. Before reading this post, I suggest you to read the first part here as I begin this post with an update before writing new ones. Happy reading! :)





Update

• The price for bus rambler tickets had been increased. For students, the 30-day ticket now costs €96 (from €75). It's still worth it though as they increased the bus fair too. 

More Tips

pic-1. Leap Card

1. There is a new card to pay for public transport fares, called Leap card (picture 1). It can be used for any public transportation: bus, luas/tram, and train/dart. The way it works is that you need to top up the card (minimum €5) and then simply tap the card on the card scanner everytime you get on the bus, luas, or train. For buses, just tap once when you get on; and tap twice for luas and trains, when you get on and off. Using Leap card is cheaper than paying with cash, not much but certainly simpler. You don't need to look for some money in your purse (coins for buses) before getting tickets, which sometimes takes a while.


2. Student travel cards can be used as Leap card now (picture 2). Please read the tips part 1 to know what student travel card is.

   

   pic-2. Student Travel Card

3. Dublin bus company has set up electronic real timetables at most of the bus stops. Before that, we used to check the schedules when buses left their starting terminals and predicted the time they reached the bus stop where you're waiting. Now no more trying to predict, which was inaccurate most of the time (traffics are often unpredictable!). The real timetables are also available online on their website. They have the mobile version (app and SMS) as well. All you have to do is simply enter the bus stop number you'd like to start your journey from (picture 3), or you can enter the route, address, or even search by stops near you (picture 4).
   

   

   

   pic-3. Bus Stop Number

   pic-4. Dublin Bus App

4. What about taxis? Have you ever been in the situation where you waited for a taxi passing on the road, and none showed up or all full? Now there is an app called Hailo where you can order a taxi and it will come to wherever you are (well, not wherever) or to a certain address you want. The app gets the information of your location and it's used by the taxi driver to pick you up. Handy!


5. For cyclists, even though there are cycle lanes here, at many spots they are overlapping with bus lanes, especially at the bus stops. So at such spots, when you cycle and feel like there's a bus coming from behind you, go to the center of the lane (but be careful!) so that the bus won't pass you and then end up leaving a very narrow space for you to cycle, which is sometimes very dangerous. Some bus drivers a few times passed me at high speed and only left me with a tiny little space, only for me, my bike, and a ridiculously small space for air in between, really.

Those are the 5 tips I could think of at the moment. If I have more to share, I'll post them here (as Part 3 perhaps).

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Englishized Indonesian

For English non-native speakers, there were times when we didn't know what the English translation of a certain word. We tend to search for its proper translation in our mind before saying it. I guess this doesn't apply to bilingual kids. Even though some of the words are simple where they know their translation already, sometimes they don't bother to do so. You know kids say what they want to say, never mind if the sentence is all English or not, which I found hilarious sometimes.

I'm not generalising this to all bilingual kids out there. At least, this case applies to my friend's kids. They are Indonesian, but have been living in Ireland for years. So, they speak English in daily basis, even though they understand Indonesian because their parents speak Indonesian at home.

I teach them twice a week. Since the youngest doesn't know as many Indonesian words as the eldest does, I teach them in English. Here are some examples of what they said. I call them as Englishized Indonesian. :D (I put their English translation at the end of this article)

"Bunda hasn't come home from kerja yet."

"I already mandi-ed this morning."

"Kakak is still mandi-ing."

"I'm not finished yet. I'm still ngaji-ing."

Unlike English, there's no such thing as past, present, and future tense in Indonesian. A verb doesn't change regardless of when it happens. So, when the kids put -ed to indicate past tense and -ing for present tense on Indonesian words, I found it very interesting. :)

Dictionary:

• bunda: mother
• kerja: work
• mandi: take a shower
• kakak: older sister
• ngaji: learn Arabic, recite the Qur'an

source of the picture: http://static3cdn.echalk.net/www/gadsden/images/%7B636EE5EC-A0E0-4485-8A36-0D8F29C7D2E3%7D/Bilingual.jpg. 

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Beautiful Patience of a Beautiful Person

Last month, 23rd - 26th December 2012, I went to FIGO winter camp, which took place in Carlingford, Ireland. FIGO stands for FOSIS Ireland Goes Overdrive. FOSIS (Federation of Student Islamic Societies) is a national umbrella organisation aimed at supporting and representing Islamic societies at colleges and universities in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The winter camp's theme was Beautiful Patience, where the main lessons were extracted from Surah Yusuf. Did you know that Surah Yusuf is the only surah in the Qur'an that tells a complete story of a person (i.e. Prophet Yusuf AS). If you read the whole surah carefully, you'll learn so many things! Even much more if you read or listen to the explanation of it. This is one of the videos I found on the explanation of the surah: click here.

The story of Prophet Yusuf AS is from the best of stories because of what it relates from varying phases in life; from trial to tribulation, from being tested to being blessed, from humiliation to magnificence, from slavery to kingship, from division to unity, from grief to joy, from superfluity to famine, from famine to glut, from hardship to ease, and from denial to affirmation. So blessed be the One who revealed it in the best manner possible.

Here, I'm writing a number of lessons I learned from all the talks and the activities at the camp, not only those related to Surah Yusuf, but also other things during the camp. These notes are reminders for myself first and foremost. If you get benefits from this post as well, Alhamdulillahi rabbil 'alamin. :)

• In everything we do, purify our intention! We need to make sure that it's solely for the sake of Allah SWT. We don't start doing things or leaving things for the sake of people (recheck our intention!).


• Whatever we do in this life, as long as it's good, be the best in it, and then give back to the ummah, insha Allah.


• 'Ilm and Amal (knowledge and action) are the twins of faith. They need to go hand in hand. After that, the third thing to do is to share the knowledge we got to others, insha Allah. Be like the first type of ground: absorb and pass to others!


• If you're asked this question: "What would you think of a 55 year old black man, has no job?" Most people might answer, "He's lazy, dumb, etc". If that's the answer you would give as well, then you have some portion of negative thinking in your mind. The truth is that this man is rich and retired earlier as a millionaire. Always think positive as we might not know the complete story of someone or something!


• Reading the story of Prophet Yusuf AS makes us realised that every calamity that strikes us is nothing compared to that happening to him. How he handled it and how he had a strong patience in facing it should make us reflect upon ourselves. Calamity is actually a test from Allah SWT. Just like the tests at school, the higher the level, the harder the test.


• A person can go from 0 to someone really great, very important. So, never assume, never judge, and never lose hope on someone! Only Allah SWT knows how someone's life will turn out.


• The only thing you will bring after death is our deeds. So, think smart!


• Leave the duniya before it leaves you. Utilise this duniya as a means, not our goal.


• There are 3 types of patience:
  1. patience on the commands (what to do),
  2. patience to stay away from prohibition,
  3. patience on calamity we don't have control about.


• "A little that suffices you is better than a lot that spoil you." (Muhammad SAW)


• Being good is to do good to the people who do bad to you, do not oppress those who oppress you, and do not betray those who betray you.


• As you know, the position of parents in Islam is very high. If you die at the night when your parents are angry or crying because of you, two gates of hell are opened for you. If you sleep at night and your parents are smiling because of you, two gates of heaven are opened for you.


• Number one in men's list is respect and number one in women's list is love.


• If you want to disobey Allah SWT, do it outside His kingdom, do it where He can't see you. Where? How?


• Some people say that they will get closer to Allah SWT when they are old. The truth is we never know if we're still alive then, even we never know if we're still alive tomorrow. Do it now! If we want to die in the state of gaining His pleasure, we have to live in doing what pleases Him, insha Allah.

"Patience's position to faith is similar to the position of the head to the body. If the head is cut off, the body dies." Then he raised his voice saying, "There is no faith, for a person who doesn't have patience." - Ali ibn Abdul Thalib RA -

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