Opportunity-oholic ;)

As this was found laying around at work "somehow"... I'll take it as a sign for the current month's hectic routine. In a way, this DOES tend to make work addictive. =)

You Gotta Be The Right Colour To Stand Out ;)

This perfectly subtle yet vibrant scene outside our window.. starring our unsuspecting neighbour's towel :D Sunshine has funny ways of brightening up a city. And a brilliant city at that :) Alhamdulilah.

- Inspirations Adapted -

A sketch I made a couple of months back.. at the beginning of a new turn in life.. borrowing Rene Magritte's concept of night and day simultaneously depicted on the same canvas, although definitely didn't pull it through just as neatly as him but well.. the inspiration counts ;)
My end of the contribution to this piece also includes the editing in Photoshop where I added all the coloured elements, both paints and textures.
Btw, it's not a scanned version of the sketch as you can tell from the sides of the pic, it's a photo I took of it, thanks to my BenQ's special Scene Mode for pictures of handwritten text. (H) =D
Left the edges of the real pic uncropped for a 'Bringing the Sketch to Life' effect on behalf of Photoshop ;)

This is the first piece of mine that was completely-"inspired" by Rene Magritte's painting of a moon through the leaves. And Yes, I'm a huge fan of his so-amazingly-unconventional and deeply-philosphical art. I love this one because it's a reminder for Optimism in life as the moon isn't hidden by the leaves but is placed in front of them. And Yes, I know I went a bit overboard with the "glow" of the moon! =D

Dear F...

Please stop.
In my head, in my ears and in my heart, CAN YOU PLEASE STOP?!
I need you to stop so that I don't have to tear open myself and let you out. I don't wana feel you, I don't wana think that you ever existed. I want every bit of you gone before I realize your presence at all. This isn't like the end of the world; no, that would be so much better. This is like being stuck inside, unable to escape till I bow in denial make myself believe I'm not here at all. I don't want you to be the reason for me to bow down. I don't know how I ended up with you, I don't see the beginning but I sure as hell want you to end. Stop taking over me, stop making me feel this way. Just stop.
I feel like I know just one single way to make this happen. I don't think the risk is bothering me now.. This one chance that I have, I will take it because that is how bad I want you to stop. I don't think I care about the risk now just simply because I may not get this chance again. I'm taking that risk.
So STOP.
Yearning to not be yours,
Dudey.

Changing Destiny

- Dr. Allama Iqbal.

Swords and plots are of no use when you are just a slave (= wanna-be),

The capability to believe (Faith) can alone break the chains that bind you.

Who can assess the Strength of the one with Faith?

The very Glance of a Faithful Man can change Destiny!

- Translation attempt by Dudey.

This extract is from Dr. Iqbal's "Tulo'e Islam"  (The Dawn of Islam), one of the very first works of his that I felt amazed by [and was able to easily understand =D ].

May the Almighty Bless his soul immensely for his very amazingly inspiring words, and May He let these words bring a genuine change in us. - Amin. 

Trampoline of Reality

It's back to the trampoline of reality. The moments up high, in the air, with the weightless feeling floating in every cell of mine. Followed by the sudden grip of gravity and the immediate jerk back down. Down till I slam against the ground, wondering if I ever was anywhere else.
It's like a painted canvas where each bold, distinct stroke holds a part of me I'm oh-so-sure about. Followed by a splash of water over the whole surface blurring every drop of colour, blending one into another until there's just a huge stain left and nothing can be made of out of it.
The blackness of my vision when I hit the ground and the darkness of the stain on my canvas, are just my own sins blurring the redness of my heart. Wonder if there's anything left there for me to call it my own.

Blood and Soul.

If you're somebody, like me, who's grown up away from your homeland, and rarely visited it, you probably agree with me when I say, "Relatives are like lottery tickets. The emotional outcome of your meeting with them, is as random as the result of a raffle draw." [Aaand if you're somebody from my extended family, you probably hate me for saying that! =D ]
It's a funny concept really, the whole assumption that relatives are afterall more deserving of our love, than other entities like 'neighbours', 'family friends' and buddies in general. And the main promoters of such esteemed thoughts are called the "Auntyjees", in the Indo-Pak Society. The exact definition of these Auntyjees is: females who's existence you discover one fine morning, back home, when you wake to their affectionate "Aslamaliiikuuuuumm!" followed by the-cheek-pulling-ceremony, where the lady checks the durability of foreign cheeks. Their most distinct characteristic is the surprise at how much you've grown from the tiny body running around in diapers. Talk about the lack of expectations!
Studies show that 9 out of 10 Auntyjee's suffer from heartbreak due to the strong bonds between their distant-nieces/nephews and people from outside the family, which the Auntyjees fear effects the nieces'/nephews' priority list. (Okay, there's no real study like that but I bet that would be the result if there was one.)
Now the aim of this post is not to diss family bonds but only to express my view of them.
To me, the essential difference between relatives and loved ones is that of blood and soul. Blood is necessary to survive, the Soul is needed to live. Once your born, you necessarily have some relatives. But if you live a life worth living, you most definitely have people you love.
Who makes it to the top of your priority list is, honestly, less in your own hands and more in the hands of those around you. Yes, the immediate family - your parents and siblings- deserve an unmatched place, that is unquestionably a fact. Above all, of course, the beloved Prophet (SAWS) and our innumerable religious mentors.
But in terms of society, as a strong contender of 'true relationships originate from honest affection', I believe it really isn't in our hands to choose who shall be that genuine with us. Only our definition of 'genuine-ness' comes into question again ..... but that's a different post. ;)
The importance of understanding this lies in realizing that we need to stop taking those around us for granted -  not only in terms of our natural relationship with them but also due to our spiritual connection that they have established with us, be it a sweet neighbor bringing you chicken soup when you've cold or an aunt buying you candy when mom's not looking.

Summary of the above mental ramblings:

"You can stop the Heart that pumps Blood but you can't stop the Soul that spreads Humanity."