Transience

A teacher once asked me in highschool, "Don't you ever stop thinking ?" And I answered, "No."

Hey, I guess it has been waaayyy too long since I last updated. Happy Ramadan to fellow muslims around the world. So, in keeping with this month of abstinence and reflection, I suppose I shall write about some introspection of a year so far in Canada. All this while I have always been writing about what I do, and I haven't written anything much about what I think or what I feel. So, for a moment, let's just forget all the snow, and cute blond guys and worms I've ever seen. All my seniors are going back to Malaysia after they've graduated, I think most of them have already returned to Malaysia. I guess the self- reflective mood got rubbed off onto me as well, and it made me think, if I were to be in their place. Four years abroad can change a lot about a person in many different ways, depending on how they shaped their experiences, whether or not they branched out or remained in their select groups. Experiences can change the way you view life as well, and it sometimes c...

Before After Effects: 1. Vignette 2. Layers of graduated tint 3. Boost 4. Cross Process Tweak with Shadows. Finish off with Auto Contrast and I'm Feeling Lucky. In above picture is Sabrina at Whitehern House Historical Site, Downtown Hamilton. Shot taken by Farhanah. Before After Effects:  A lot of Graduated Tint Auto Contrast and I'm Feeling Lucky This is Yashodini, outside of Whitehern House. Before After Effects: Similar as above pictures. This picture is taken by Farhanah. Featuring Sabrina, Yashodini and Alyssa at St. Paul's Church, Downtown Hamilton. Before After Effects: Saturation and Lomo. Finish off with Auto Contrast and I'm Feeling Lucky. Before After Vignette and Boost. At Pier 8, Bayfront Hamilton. Before After Effects: Saturation and Lomo. Tweak Fill Light. Finish off with the usuals. ...

Nurulkamilah Matkamil Micheal Agnew March 6th 2012 1078 words Question: With reference to the section “Ethics” in the textbook, discuss the meaning of the phrase “ethical monotheism.” Can there be unethical monotheism? Can there be ethics independent of religion?             Morality is one of the many facets of human nature that sets human beings apart from other creatures on earth. Is morality innate, or must it be nurtured from imposing a set of ethics on a society? According to the teachings of the three Abrahamic traditions, ethics is essential to the foundation of morality.             Islam, Judaism and Christianity are three religious traditions of ethical monotheism.  Monotheism is the belief in one God who has the attributes of being omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient and omnibenevolent (Carter). The aspect of God being omnibenevolent implicates that all thi...

1. I am not in the mood to churn out an essay. 2. A lot of meaningful political/sociological meaning to Hunger Games 3. I so much wished the romance was staged. 4. Men all eventually become devotees of Gaga and are gay and bimbo. 5. Hunger Games is the new Orwellian dystopia. 6. I have no sense of romance anymore. well-played to keep up the delusions.

Nurulkamilah Matkamil Micheal Agnew March 6th 2012 1072 words                         Question: Compare the varieties of religious authority discussed in the textbook with your experience of “authority” in your local community.                           Leadership plays a significant role in community development. With it comes the notion of an authority or power to govern, to make decisions and to enforce obedience. Malaysia is a multicultural and multireligious country under parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarchy. There is also a separation of power between the federal and state level government. Religious authority, mainly Islam, falls under the state government. Every state has their own mufti who acts as a religious advisor and issue fatwa...

Nurulkamilah Matkamil Micheal Agnew Jan 31 2012 995 words                         Question: Analyze and compare Surah 19:16-40 (Qur'an) to Luke 1:26-38 (New Testament)              Both the Quran and the Bible share some similarity in the content. However, there are also some major differences in how this content is relayed, how it is structured and how these teachings shape the Muslim and Christian theology. To illustrate this, Surah 19, verse 16 to 40 is compared against Luke Chapter 1, verse 26 to 38.             The two excerpts narrate the birth of Jesus Christ. In both accounts, the Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ is an accepted doctrine. Both accounts also confirm that Jesus was born from Mary, and that the angel Gabriel approached Mary to tell her of h...

Nurulkamilah Matkamil Micheal Agnew Dec 2 2011 790 words Confucianism                         Question 2: In context to the Doctrine of the Mean, how would you explain the meaning of this phrase: “…the superior man can find himself in no situation in which he is not himself”? Do you see any similarities between The Doctrine of the Mean and Western ideology? If so, what are they? China is currently experiencing a new interest in the study of Chinese Classics. What aspects of the Doctrine of the Mean do you believe can be utilized in modern lifestyles? Why?             Good moral conduct is given a great emphasis in Confucianism. This is because if every individual focuses on self-cultivation of righteousness, it will result in a virtuous cycle, starting with the ruler as the exemplar of good virtue for his subordinat...

Nurulkamilah Matkamil 1160337 Micheal Agnew Nov 18 2011 1020 words Daoism                         Question 3: In Chinese religious thought, what is the importance of feng shui and how does it express fundamental Chinese teachings? Do you think that this principle was respected when the room in which you are sitting was built? Why or why not? If not, how would it be different if the principles of feng shui had been adopted by its builders?             Cosmic balance is an essential element in Chinese religious thought, because ultimately, the universe is one eternal flux of energy; constantly changing and unifying everything that is in it. A person would seek to harmonize his lifestyle with this cosmic energy. One way of doing so is the practice of feng shui , the art of geomancy, which is used in determining the nat...

Nurulkamilah Matkamil Micheal Agnew Nov 7 2011 826 words Buddhism                         Question 5: The Jataka Tales  “The Wishing Tree” and “The Noble Hare” with commentary from Rafe Martin. What is a Jataka tale, and what is its characteristic form? All religions incorporate stories about the lives of key religious figures, as for instance the Christian gospels or hadith concerning the Prophet Muhammad. Buddhist lore includes stories about the Buddha’s past lives. In what ways are these Jataka tales similar to the stories found in other religions? In what ways are they specifically Buddhist – that is, reinforcing key tenets of Buddhist belief, and depending on central premises of the Buddhist account of reality?             Story-telling and narrations are interactive ways that a society can engage with ea...