I'm terribly sorry I didn't had the chance to write a blog entry yesterday, it's just that the internet was painfully slow at less than a horrid 1kbps connection, which deranged my literary vigor. It's blatantly improved now, but I still can't download much, which is still a pain for a person who relies mostly on Internet downloads. Usually I can go up to 50 kbps on downloading, which was namely my 'old golden days'. Nevertheless, here's today's unnecessary ramblings.
Well, strangely, in the Islamic month of Ramadhan, I feel strangely less cynical and objective about things. Of course, the sounds of my rumbling stomach continue to growl as these buttons on the keyboard are transferred as ASCII letters on the computer screen in the usual split second speed. I am also slowly adapting to the way how the 24 hours of my day is spent during this month. For example, I now have to get up and 3 o'clock and eat before the fasting time begins, which is at 4 past a couple of minutes. And then if I have no academic chores, I sleep until 5 o'clock, where I would then take a shower and wait for my driver to pick me up.
"Nawaitu samaghodin 'anandhaii fardushahri ramadhanna hadi'its hanatis himanan wa hisaban lilahita'ala"I would say that the most challenging hours in my fasting periods are the school hours. (Boy, I wish they'd set aside a day or two on the first days of fasting, that would be really helpful, but who gives, it can't be helped, it's a Christian school) This is obvious because everywhere between break time or lunch time or after school people always had something to eat or drink. It's not of a huge problem for me because I have mastered the art of resisting gastronomic as well as quenching temptations in the course of my school life here in SPH as the years go by. Of course there are other daily temptations that continue to bother me frequently than usual, such as a man's daily temptation from the opposite sex (yes, guys, we all experience it), or the temptation to get emotionally unstable with all sorts of vexation whether it was deliberately conducted or not.
However, there is an immeasurable benefit in these fasting periods. One of them is that break times and lunch times are automatically metamorphosed into study periods. Although the opportunity cost is that there are people surrounding you who are currently aiming to fill their stomach, I find no difficulty to avoid such distractions.
But then, the most aggravating times are P.E. periods. Even though I already have permission for activity dispensations throughout the fasting period, it will still be a bit laborious and tiring. and the day gets even more challenging if there are tests to be done (I have business and math test tomorrow...whoop-dee-doo.) and lab experiments to be conducted. I wouldn't complain on them, but it's a 'nice' addition to all the stuff I have to overcome daily. You ultimately have a differentiating feeling between working with your stomach satisfied and working with your stomach playing a hunger dirge ceaselessly.
Even so, the sound of the end of school bell ringing doesn't make a huge difference. Of course I rejoice because school's over, but it also means that I have to do my homework straight away, because I have to go to sleep earlier than usual in order to be prepared for the next day. And then when most of it is done, or when it is all done, I go internet surfing or play games to patiently wait for the sound of the 6 o'clock prayer call to bespeak through the loudspeakers of mosques everywhere around Jakarta.
"
Allahuma lakasumtu wabika amantu wa'alaa ridzika aftortu birohmatika yaa arhaman rohimin"
Usually I drink a warm glass of tea along with 3 dates along with 'kolak', a popular fasting dessert consisting of palm sugar, coconut milk and pandanus leaves as well as 'kolang-kaling', a delicacy made from the seeds of sugar palm trees. My mother usually adds bananas to the mix to enhance the unique sweetness. After that, I proceed to my evening prayers, and after that, our family sometimes recite a portion of the Koran together. After that, either I picked up where I left off and then eat, or vice versa. I usually sleep at 8 or half past 8, depending on how much academic burden I have.
Going out of the personal, subjective context of Ramadhan, it is basically a time for Muslims to reflect on their relationship to God, and how much of their godly character have they implemented into their daily lives, and most importantly, to reflect that they are all servants of the Almighty.
Song of the Day: 'Amber' by 311
Whoa, amber is the color of your energy
whoa, shades of gold displayed naturally
you ought to know what brings me here
you glide through my head blind to fear
and I know why
This is the kind of song that is best heard when you need to take a break, or to chill and cool down, or simply when you have nothing better to do. The whole song goes at a relaxing but not a slow pace and is lead by an acoustic guitar throughout the whole duration. Occasionally it takes time to understand the meaning behind most of 311's lyrics, since their alternative rock genre tends to lean to a fusion of rap and mainstream rock. Even so, they're not leaning into hardcore or metal either, so it wouldn't make you dizzy hearing it. Overall, this song relaxes most of the tension of the day, and you don't get bored of hearing multiple times.
So then, this is my first post in the month of Ramadhan. Nothing outstanding about that, though, I go through it just like a normal day, although I have violated the posting schedule due to technical difficulties, but setting it aside, I hope I can survive till the Idul Fitri holiday....
Cheerio.
Regards from the schizophrenically psychotic retard,
Yoga Pradana A.K.A. DrVoltsPerSecond
