The Reader

Photo:The dark cloud at Pantai Irama,Bachok

 I just rediscovered this photo I uploaded at fotpages when I did not have the Flickr account then.I think this is one example of low light shot that I love to snap.

My new QuoVadis Notebooks

I am a fan of moleskine notebook, but I can't help but bought these two QuoVadis notebooks at Cziplee Plus at Bangsar.In term of quality, they are as good and may be I have to admit a little bit better than my moleskine notebooks that I have been using for the last three years. Price is RM60 each.

Here is a note from quovadis.eu:

Writing is a need. We write to leave our mark, the memory of our life.

We write to express our thoughts, passions, and feelings... everything we experienced. We put together our story and pass it down.

As the activities increase in our fast-paced lives, we are always looking for more time for ourselves. Time to take a real break, focus on our well-being, and experience a unique moment.

Express yourself, your more intimate thoughts, your wildest dreams in a Habana Notebook.

Take time out

 Yesterday,I read a very good article by Mr James Campbell( a lecturer in Education in Australia) in The Learning Curve Comment,NST.Most of us take time out with our friends,relatives and family members.The point I wish to stress is the quality of that space and time-mainly the contents.He mentioned about the quality and depth of our experiences and engagement as human beings.

Let me share one paragraph from his article:

Firstly,time out gives you rest.No one can productive all the time and there is a diminishing rate of returns on how productive we are after a certain period.We need rest.

Taking a rest in fact helps us to increase productivity because it helps us avoid the burnout that often accompanies overwork and the stress that comes with it.

On top of this,time out to enjoy life,listen and play music,smell the coffee,sit and have a conversation,play sport,spend time with family or attend to our faith,provides us the stimulus for our creativity.Without this stimulus,our work becomes increasingly stale,unoriginal and dull.

I fully concurred with the above and we all know that we are not machines.

Vision 2020

I took this photo when I walked  up the path around the Monumen Alaf Baru.Knowing where we are now and the recent picture articulated by the Prime Minister, we have a lot of hard work to do.The national transformation programme has been drafted.From the change management perspective,we must lead and manage the change not only with our minds  but also with our hearts.Strategy and action plan are easier to come out with but the devils are in the details and the execution.Yes, execution is where many projects and initiatives will face many obstacles along the way...

Photo:Zebra umbrella?

 

The Silence of the Believer..

"Know that Allah gives life to the earth after its lifelessness. We have indeed made clear to you the signs; perhaps you will understand."[al-Hadid: 17]

On one night i was sitting alone on the sofa and heard nothing;it was almost dead silence except my breathing.Everyone in my house was sleeping except me.A thought came across my mind-not only I was hearing nothing from outside me but I also heard nothing from inside my body except the feeling that I was breathing...

From a very little knowledge on human physiology,I tried to visualize what was going on IN my body.Then I exclaimed,masyaAllah!i did not even hear,see and feel anything about what were going inside my physical self.On the top of it,as an example,I can't even control my blood pressure!How helpless are we and yet we remain arrogant in disobeying the Commands of our Lord despite every moment of our very existence is dependent on the mercy(Rahmah) from Allah swt.

Referring to the above ayat,the signs are all over the walls.Sadly, how many of us were able to see them and understand?May I suggest we need to do tafakkur more often.InsyaAllah, we may be guided to not only to see the creations but also The Creator!

Just look at the photo I snapped while walking at Floria 2010.The flowers are really beautiful-the creations reflect the Creator.Subhanallah.

 Al-Fudhayl: ‘The speech of the believer is wisdom; his silence is contemplation and his vision is a lesson (for him). If you are like that, then you will not cease being in a state of worship.’ Then he read the verse, “I have not created Mankind or Jinn except to worship Me.” [al-Dhariyat: 56]

Ceritera Cafe

 The newly opened cafe near Monumen Alaf Baru,Presint 2,Putrajaya.Nice place for cyclists to stop by after our rides...

Looking at this graph made me smile even though I had to work hard for the last four months to get to this level.Result like this (`6km in about 1 hr)keeps me motivated to keep improving my walk/run.

Colourful Play House

Kids nowadays are very lucky...

Another photo from Floria,Putrajaya

Floria 008
Originally uploaded by Adibi

While roaming the various  beautifully landscaped gardens on show at Floria Putrajaya yesterday.I saw a man using a torch light to add light while taking photograph of this pitcher's plant(on the right).He was using a Nikon on a tripod and me- a compact camera set on macro mode! What a big difference and surely the output will be different as well...

To my pleasant suprise, there were at least half a dozen men with big cameras and big lenses lurking around the gardens.Below is my a sketch of a Bird of Paradise.By the way Floria is open everyday until 18th July,2010