Channelling my Chanel

to date i have 66 posts in this blog. 

i think that is quite an achievement given that i havent written much over the past year. and when i did write, they are mostly gibberish and done out of the fervent need to whine and rant.

but then again, the main purpose of a blog is to do just that.

anyways, i have promised myself that i would have 70 posts before the year ends and thus, for today i think i have a 'lil treat for you. well, it was a treat for me to be able to find this article on the net, because it was indeed an eye-opener. :)

i found this article on the www.purseblog.com, which is one of the leading designer handbag blogs. 

i blame my friend for taking me to Chanel earlier this week, to prompt me on this obsession to find the name of a certain bag design. (going into Chanel itself again is a definite no, because i am not in the mood to act as if i'm buying :P)

so without further ado, please have a look at the pictures which i found on the post called "How A Chanel Bag Is Made" for your viewing pleasure.

(you can hop to the link itself to read more, but do gawk at the pictures here first.... :)

apparently some of the comments made on the post were that the fact the bag was machine made (with manmade stitching does come to play on some elements of the bag making), or that the price does not befit the machine made bag, did cause some women (and men) to pause on whether they should even get the bag, but frankly, i would still want to own one.

one day. in the upcoming future. when i earn like RM20k a month. :P

(please don't add 'and pigs may fly', because the Anne of Green Gables in me, still does 'believe')

okay - before i rant and rave again - below are some of the pictures 'borrowed' from The Purseblog. 

(pssstttt.... they are not in order of process, because they are also jumbled up in the original post)

for the heart

Why Aren’t My Prayers Being Answered?

Question: Why aren’t my prayers being answered?  Answer: May Allah reward you for asking such an honest question, and may He guide us towards the truth.Ameen. I think what happens in this type of situation is that we mix up our meansand our ends. When we make du`a’ for a good husband, for example, is that strong marriage a means or an end? I think many people take it as an end, which explains much of the disillusionment and disappointment that often follows (ironically in both cases: whether we get it or we don’t). Like everything in this dunya, marriage is only a means – a means to reach Allah. So if we pray for it and we don’t get it, perhaps Allah has chosen another means for us – perhaps through hardship, the purification it may cause and the sabr it builds, to bring us to that end: Allah. It may be, as only Allah knows best, that had He given us that amazing husband we made du`a’ for, it would have made us heedless and therefore not achieve our end at all. Instead of seeing it like this, however, I think the problem is we are seeing things as just the opposite. The dunya (that great job, certain type of spouse, having a child, school, career, etc) is our end and *Allah* is the means that we use to get there. We use that means, through making du`a’, to achieve our end (whatever it is that we’re making du`a’ for), and then get disappointed when our means (Allah) didn’t come through for us. We throw our hands up in the air and say our du`a’ are not being answered. Our means just isn’t coming through for us! But, Allah isn’t a means. He is the end. The ultimate objective of even du`a’ itself is to build our connection to Allah. Through du`a’ we become closer to Him. So, I think the problem is that our focus is wrong. That’s why I love the du`a’ of istikhara so much. It’s just perfect because it acknowledges that Allah only knows best, and then asks for Him to bring what is best and take away what is not best. The focus of that du`a’ is not that which you are asking for. The focus is what is best in this life and next. This is not to say that we cannot make du`a’ for things specifically that we want. On the contrary. Allah loves for us to ask of Him. But it means that once we ask, do our part to the utmost, and put our trust in Allah, we are pleased with what Allah chooses for us. And we realize that Allah answers all du`a’ - but not always in the form we expect. And that is simply because our knowledge is limited, and His is unlimited. In His infinite knowledge He may send us what He knows to be better for us in achieving the ultimate end: the pleasure of Allah (swt). Wa Allahu `alam (and Allah knows best).

Source: http://www.yasminmogahed.com/2010/05/11/why-arent-my-prayers-adeyah-being-answered/

On a side note (something I learn):

Du’a is something that we always make but I think many of us fail to see the light and purpose in it. I remember a scholar once shared during his khutbah about du’a. Many muslims he observes make du’a as if it is not a big deal… it is seem as part of a ritual after salat; in a sense that the du’a is the same after another, they are usually rushed and the recitation of the du’a is on automatic mode (dah hafal doa-doa yg afdal). He also observed they usually have blank expression and even yawning compared to those who make dua with hard or soft expressions like teary face, weeping, closed eyes + frowning, bowing while hands raised high above the head….

But, as muslims he said we cannot judge other people because we cannot tell what lies in the heart, only Allah knows that. So the scholar advised that we should make du’a when THERE is a NEED for it for Allah will judge and favor on those who really NEED His favors. ONLY WE on own OURSELF can tell whether our du’a is empty or not. While it is good to include recitation of du’a from the Quran, examples from beloved prophet Muhammad s.a.w and his companions (amalan doa yg afdhal)… he advise that we should also include into our du’a by words expressed of our ownself. Only thru this, our du’a is meaningful coz we find the NEED for it and it will not be as empty nor on automatic mode. Especially for muslims whose Arabic language is hard on the tongue. Du’a is free from rituals of physical order (tak ikut tertib macam dlm solat) and it is free of language. Du’a can be made anytime, anywhere and any way you like. E.g. in the heart, after prayer, conversation, in congregation/majils, e.t.c

Du’a is an engagement session with our Creator so it is best to make du’a all the time for ALLAH loves those who always praise and remember Him. Allah is our personal counsel, confidante and saviour – that is why muslims put their ultimate trust in Allah and never give up hope in His mercy. Lastly remember Allah is our final end. So let us make meaningful du’a everytime we make one and hopefully Allah will forgive us lovingly, shows His bountiful mercy on all of us as we journey to our final destination in His straight path, ameen.

PS: this is from something that arrived in my mailbox.

Muzak

From the dictionary.reference.com, the definition for 

Muzak (ˈmjuːzæk)

- n

trademark  recorded light music played in shops, restaurants, factories, etc, to entertain, increase sales or production, etc.

so i suppose the piece of music, or rather muzak, which i am about to share here does exactly that - which is entertain and perhaps, on some deeper level (stretching a bit here), it does make you want to get up and do MORE.

like seriously.

not necessarily by boosting your productivity, but by boosting your energy by getting you out of your funk.

well, it's a start, kan?

thus, i hope you will enjoy this piece of muzak, as much as i do (although i think i'd get tired of it soon). it doesnt require any soulful interpretation or make you weep - although i must warn you that the vid is a tad dodgy, bordering on soft p*rn *wink*- it just makes you want to get up and do the jiggy.

jiggy? i'm OLD.

speaking of old, i just realised that my father likes this kinda music. and i wonder if one's taste of music would change when one gets older?

OMG. i'm turning into my DAD.

Women

We talked about my recent issue at work. i thought she didnt want to talk about it - and truthfully, i am just freaking tired telling the story all over again, because y'see, it's like putting salt over the wound over and over again - but i was glad she asked. because she didnt even try to avoid the issue. she wanted to talk it over with me....  and i'm glad and blessed, to have a friend like that.

i did tell her that if i ever break down and go into the brink of depression, i would want her to slap me. really. i just couldn't bear to be this huge pain in the neck. i can be a pain in the neck, but i dont want to be the cause of pain to others. 

i wonder if it's because i have always felt all along that no one wants to listen to me. i am always the listener. playing the advisory role. my troubles are usually being swept under the carpet, for them to stew until they rot and eventually they just disappear along with the wind.

whatever it is, i felt better, but the hurt is still there - and will be there for a long while. a decision is to be made. the road to wellness is still far. 

i want to write that hurt is good because it will prod us to work harder to prove ourselves. but i've done that. been there, done that. and i guess my 'harder' is not their harder. in final analysis, i am just.... tired.

we also talked about the expectations that we women face in this world, when we went to the topic about friends who are not yet married. the societal pressure to be married at a certain age sometimes get to these women, even when they are better off with other aspects of their lives such as a thriving career life and being able to do the things only single women could do like travel at a moment's notice or dressing the way they want without their partners disapproving. :)

women face a lot of pressure nowadays (men would counter that they also face the same). but forgive me for saying, men are more likely pass the pressure of being married to their spouses. women still need to work when they come back from work. men have it easy. the king of the house as he is largely known in every society. nevertheless, the kings should also realise that their queens are also supporting the household as well.

last day

today is the last day of November.

i havent been writing much of late. been about two weeks since i last updated.

yes i'm still in my funk.

anyways, i am trying to cheer myself up with the number of quotes i have compiled over the past months.

if it doesnt motivate you - meaning it just makes you gag - just close this post. no one's forcing you to read anyways.

(eeeewwww.... i do sound  a funked up person, aren't i?)

===========================================================

"Avoid the crowd. Do your own thinking independently. Be the chess player, not the chess piece."

- Ralph Charell

"Tell me and I'll forget. Show me, and I may not remember. Involve me, and. I'll understand."

-- American Indian Proverb

"Our attitudes control our lives. Attitudes are a secret power working twenty-four hours a day, for good or bad. It is of paramount importance that we know how to harness and control this great force."

-- Irving Berlin

"The winner's edge is not in a gifted birth, a high IQ, or in talent. The winner's edge is all in the attitude, not aptitude. Attitude is the criterion for success."

-- Denis Waitley (American author, motivational speaker)

"Life is like a landscape. You live in the midst of it but can

describe it only from the vantage point of distance."

- Charles Lindbergh

"I believe that everything happens for a reason, people change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you can appreciate them when they're right, you believe lies so that eventually you learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so that better things can fall together!"

- Marilyn Monroe

 "Drag your thoughts away from your troubles... by the ears, by the heels, or any other way you can manage it."

- Mark Twain

"We all have our own life to pursue, our own kind of dream to be weaving, and we all have the power to make wishes come true, as long as we keep believing."

- Louisa May Alcott

"Things don't go wrong and break your heart so you can become bitter and give up. They happen to break you down and build you up so you can be all that you were intended to be."

- Samuel Johnson

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so which ones are your favourites? 

the one that i need to remember most at the moment is the last bit. my heart maybe breaking but i will not let myself become bitter. i pray to Him that i have the strength to do what i must. to change. to become better. to live my life. Amin.

InsyaAllah.

note: initially drafted on the last day of November, but only got posted today... due to writer's traumatic experience yesterday.