Afghan Rose

This portrait happened just right after I saw a highly touching and soul-stirring photo of an Afghan man smelling a red rose. The act is as if in remembrance of family and friends lost in a war that has ravaged Afghanistan for so long that no one remembers the true cause of the war.

I'm just saddened that many of those who have died because of the war are civilians, innocent children with their mothers while their sons and husbands go out to fight a war they don't understand.

~Salam~

Cultural dose

Here's another post from me:


Personally, I believe that in a highly integrated world today, we should be exposed to different values, attitudes, belief systems and cultures no matter how foreign they are. The fact that they are in existence proves something, isn't it? That there's a reason. And everyday, I try to keep myself up-to-date of music from a variety of cultures.
To be frank, ever since I was a kid, I grew up watching Hollywood movies (some of which I was too young to watch), Bollywood movies(my dad LOVES watching them) which I have grown accustomed too. Actually, its more of a habit to watch Indian movies because they are AWESOME:)  At the same time, noise from the radio no longer became noise as I began to truly appreciate Malay singers and their efforts to sing beautifully crafted songs in their mother tongue. And today, I have learnt to appreciate the copious amounts of musical elements that mix and mingle with each other in this crucible of Earth we have here. Its truly amazing actually. I know there is the whole Korean Pop music wave which I haven't jumped on the wagon just yet. I have explored other (better) alternatives such as orchestral music, soundtracks and Arabic music. If you think orchestral music is dry and boring, think AGAIN! Do you remember watching movies such as Lord of The Rings, Inception, Pirates of the Caribbean among millions of other movies ever created? Yup, all of them use orchestral music in their movies to build up emotions, scenes and themes. Without them the movie and storyline would be paralyzed. As for Arabic music, well, I have always wanted to learn the language. And so, below is an example of how this centuries old musical elements combine and intertwine to form something beautiful to represent a land so magical.

Beautiful is it not? ;)


~Salam~ 

Quote

"Some people are friends and some people are friendly."




~Salam~

Inspiring

The Lord of The Rings Trilogy is one of best movies ever made.
It is my humble opinion that in decades to come, generations will look back and view upon the movie as a masterpiece. The one thing that made this movie memorable to me is this orchestral music.
After watching the movies, whenever I hear upon this beautiful music, it reincarnates the idea of nobility, peace, love and the pursuit of justice. In the world that we're in today, it hasn't been all that pleasant but maybe, just maybe, this song inspires in us all of what we can achieve today just by doing our part.


For the freedom born as our right
For the peace we wished with all our might


For all the grief and suffering
For the harmony of our sisters, brothers and being


For all the hatred that taints our heart

For the love we know we can impart


For all the anguish and heartache to abate

For the cheers and joy we patiently await

For all the grit and hardship we have nerved
For the happiness we work hard to deserve


For all the times we were oppressed
For the courage steadily growing in our chest


For all the clash and conflict by those power blind
For the true enlightenment of all mankind


For all the struggles of battle and strife
For the inspiration it invokes in life


For all that we would, we could and should
For all that is true, pure and good

~Rusydiah 
We all have that dream don't we? This particular music...ah.. a moving piece by Howard Shore for a movie that will, without a doubt, withstand the the test of time. 

~Salam~

Quote

The life of the bird is as important as the life of the king.

 Just different.

~Salam~

Beneath

Beneath all that anger there's hurt.

 And beneath all that hurt, there's love.

 And love is all that matters.






~Salam~

Photo postcard

This is a postcard from a very good penpal in Indonesia:)
I love our loonnnggg messages to each other. 

Exchanging our ideas on issues, sharing similar values, differences in cultures and way of life. 

She went to stores looking for postcards but couldn't find one. 

Instead she printed a photo and made it into a postcard.
Syukran jazeelan

The photo on the postcard is that of the Bromo Mountain. 

According to her, she was going to go there with her class but apparently the mountain is in one of its dangerous moods. So it would have to be postponed. 

Through our messages, I realize that even though we live thousands of miles away from each other, our lives, values and beliefs are rather similar. Its comforting to know that in an increasingly polarized and fragmented world, there are people out there who are unexpectedly similar to us. 

Looking forward to your next message ;)

~Salam~