Sakinah Abdul Aziz

So for the sake of some quick updates, I've been having about a month of bumming. I had officially graduated after 4 years, which now felt very much like 4 months instead when I look back. It's amazing how time flies. I'll talk more about school as I intend to dedicate a blog entry for this particular milestone since school has been a significant part of my life and it deserves a proper closure in writing. I spent about 3 months doing an internship soon after and ever since it ended, I've been clinging to my 4 weeks of freedom very dearly before the start of my first official job. While I planned my last few days, the first realization I had was the very fact that I had almost no memory of the last time I could spend my days freely and doing whatever I wanted to. The last was probably the period of time after the A's, but most of it was spent doing a part-time job. This week has been refreshing. For one, I notice how beautiful the afternoons are. While the majorit...

There's this tinge of sadness that Ramadhan is coming to an end. This time round it stems from the fact that I wished I could have done so much more and make it so much more fulfilling. To attain fulfillment not only in the spiritual sense, but fulfillment in my way of life, in the pursuit of a better quality of life. There are always learning points and it is very timely that this period is somewhat marked by some crossroads. I faced certain dilemmas as to doing certain things, I ended having to do another round of soul-searching, putting myself out in a rather vulnerable position, and reflecting upon things in life that have made me questioned a lot. Through such process, it is never easy to attain tranquility. Sometimes when the mind is not at rest, the heart cannot follow suit. But thank God, there were a few nights I attained that, and I should be thankful enough to have at least some days of peace. It's hard to let go especially when I started the month with clear intent...

Korean dramas can really make you feel good; they can make you laugh but also never fail to make you cry at least once! Another show done! Thought this song was the most catchy one throughout the show. Yong Hwa is really good in this one compared to when he was in You're Beautiful. So here's my top 5 picks for awesome korean shows: 1) Boys Over Flowers (just cos I'm biased and I absolutely adore Lee Min Ho) 2) You're Beautiful 3) My Girl 4) My Lovely Sam-Soon 5) Secret Garden I'd say you'll cry the most for #1, 3 and 5. Really.

I think introversion comes with age, really. I'm a very good example. Ever since I stopped interning, I've just been keeping a lot to myself. If you compare a 4-months ago me and the present me, I was probably more extroverted back then. I don't know if social networking sites are accurate means to gauge one's extroversion, you could check me out on Facebook and with the timeline feature (a great way to stalk, may I add), you could see the number of things I was sharing or how people connected with me, 2 years ago as compared to now. There were more random stuffs I was happy to entertain and crazy, crazy wallposts (now that I'm reading them I cannot stop laughing!). I suppose Facebook does show how much and how well you are connected to a certain extent. Of course I do not dismiss the other factors that contribute to one's extroversion and I do agree with the superficiality of certain interactions via social media. Dang, I need to get out of this. Don't ...

One moment, this state of oblivion seems very settling and the next moment, life grabs and takes you to places you never thought you'd be. Or places you never thought you'd be so soon. And soon enough you need to face up to the complexities of the world and accept the fact that the world is this colossal place, full of infinite ideologies and knowledge, and more that are waiting to be discovered. It makes you feel small, knowing that you only know this much, when there are actually so much more out there, much more than you can possibly imagine. Scientists have discovered the amount of brain usage a human can possibly employ and that the average amount we actually employ is not maximized to its fullest potential. Thus, it is daunting to know that on top of what we already do not know, there are more unknowns that are beyond our comprehension. And so it is the duty of us to seek the best that we can. And the hardest part is to seek with an open mind knowing the vastness of the i...

Often we hear of the challenges in the pursuit of happiness. But I think the difficulty lies in the pursuit of inner peace, not the pursuit of happiness. If your heart and mind is at rest, there lies contentment, and ultimately, you will naturally feel the glow of happiness. Seek for inner peace. If something is troubling you and it is disrupting your state of tranquility, there is then very little room for happiness. Happiness will not be possible if the body, mind and soul is not at rest. Seek for inner peace and find balance. Only then you'll find happiness.

Her Walmart series are seriously the awesomest. Jump start my kaleidoscope heart, Love to watch the colors fade, They may not make sense, But they sure as hell made me. I won't go as a passenger, no Waiting for the road to be laid Though I may be going down, I'm taking flame over burning out Compare, where you are to where you want to be, and you'll get nowhere.

I'm beginning to value my weekends more than ever. You see, when you jump straight from school and do an internship (which pays you just enough to cover your lunch) and experience the time constraints as a result, you really need to hold dear to your weekends. I love the weekends. It's about the only time you can catch up with your loved ones properly and give undivided attention. And most importantly, you can catch up with yourself. It doesn't really have to be anything remarkably adventurous or exciting. It could be a similar itinerary every week but what's important is you love and enjoy every moment spent with whoever you're spending your weekend with. It could be sitting in front of the tv watching Sheldon Cooper's pesky antics. It could be discovering how your sibling has similar music taste as you. It could be jogging around a nice park in attempts to burn some calories to get back in shape. It could be picking up a book that was put away and trying to...

The heart is a confusing, altering thing. No state is forever. No state of bliss lasts forever. But no state of pain does either. They all pass. So if you experience happiness, ask Allah to make it forever in jennah. And if you experience sadness, ask Allah to make it a means of purification and elevation for you. And know that this too shall pass.  -Yasmin Mogahed

Have you ever stopped and thought about how fortunate and blessed you are? Some people, they don't have it all. And sometimes, we are all a little broken.