Alhamdulilah...

Praise be to Allah....

REMARK: YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF ARTS IN SOCIOLOGY WITH SECOND CLASS HONOURS (UPPER DIVISION) WITH A MINOR IN HISTORY

Solution to Poverty and the Global Crises

"In the name of God, most Gracious, most Compassionate"

Today in class we were supposed to think of solutions to the global crises that plague the world today. Most of these include people living in Third World developing countries who survive on less than $1-2 a day. These countries are also subjected to a debt regime in which the only way for their government to borrow money from IMF or the World Bank is at exorbitant interest rates and also with strict conditions for use.

These countries then become entrenched in debt because the money that they earn from their GDP is usually used to repay back ONLY the interest rates... and then they have to borrow more money to repay their previous loans... and they don't have any left to invest into their economy.

So it came as a surprise to me when one of my non-Muslim classmates suggested that the world should follow the Islamic Banking way of loans and business partnerships. He was then second by my Professor who is also a Muslim, who said that Islamic Banking practices take a shared responsibility approach with business entrepreneurs. As such, they do profit and lose together with their business partners.

It struck me then at that moment that if right from the start, we had followed the Islamic way of life; follow their banking system, their political system and everything... life would be more peaceful. Our Prophet Muhammad s.a.w had given us all the solutions to the problems that would come after his death and yet we are blinded and unguided in our practices.

Islam is NOT backwards neither is it progressive. What I mean is that it is always constant and applicable till the end of time. If only we stop to think and remember Him and his prophets.

A simpson take on PhDs and Grad students

 "In the name of God, most Gracious, most Compassionate"

In this hilarious clip, the Simpsons show some of the ideas that people have about grad students and PhD students. It's a sad but true phenomenon and it's something that I should keep in mind too.

However, in Singapore, it is almost the opposite mentality. Grad students are coveted (of course in the right fields) but sometimes they can be seen as too 'expensive' commodities in the labour market.

Nevertheless, it's something worth remembering about our quest to seek knowledge... and that's why I'm putting up this link. Education should be pursued in itself and not because of other material rewards it may bring. Remember always that rezeki is from Allah and He chooses to give it to whomever He wants.

The Simpsons - Comments about PhDs and Grad Students. [HQ]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XViCOAu6UC0&feature=related

Getting into the Groove

"In the name of God, most Gracious, most Compassionate"

I'm currently recovering from food poisoning and so this week I'm going to be a little slow in thought and actions. After one hour of teaching or studying, it just drains me so much! But before I go and rest, I just wanna lay out some thoughts about the thesis paper I'm crafting. 

Truth is, the process is harder than it seems. And my organized self finds it so difficult to move in a zigzag manner when I see the research process as a linear manner. It involves alot of going out into the field, talking to people, then reviewing the literature, then reviewing your research question again and again and again. That's just so exhausting! 

They say that it is too early to determine anything, therefore, I should not be stuck in my decision to be final. -sigh- I guess as the more experienced professors, they'd know better.

I've got to think alot on my own now... and then I'm going to try and formulate some questions and begin my pilot interviews soon. I'm so shy and I find it difficult to talk to strangers really... Yeah... that means I better get that $150 voice recorder.

Alright, time to rest. This research process is something new for me... but if I find it to my liking, insyaallah then, Academia is for me.  =)

Wallahualam bissawab.

Doing Research

"In the name of God, most Gracious, most Compassionate"

I've been thinking alot about my thesis paper this coming semester and its giving me slight headaches. But the real headache will begin once I know who is my supervising tutor and of course when I actually start collecting data and so on.

But for now, the preparations should have already begun. I have about two weeks before school officially starts and over the past months I had collected about 10 articles... but I don't think that's enough. Yes I know, I'm such a hardworking perfectionist. I am not sure if I need more but I intent to do a complete literature review of these articles before I start school.

My thesis idea is not confirmed as of yet, but it should roughly be covering the meaning of 'leisure' for indonesian domestic maids in Singapore. Unlike their Filipino counterparts, they do not have a fixed rest day and it is negotiable on a case to case basis. This, I have to support with evidence from their agency as well as whatever body that is governing their work regulations.

Truth is, I am looking forward to my thesis project... yes it will be tiring and I will meet alot of rejections here and there but insyaallah, I will persevere.

Sometimes, it is difficult for me to explain to Hubtobe how to study or how to excel in one's discipline when we have different levels of passion for the subject we are studying. I admit that I am a bookworm... and I devour books, articles and journals with no mercy; scrutinizing every detail and re-writing them all out in my own words.

Academia is like that... even in a mathematical book, a good command of english is needed to comprehend the rubbish and twisted way these academics write. Seriously... over the years, I have read works of dead scholars from the 1800s and they have such a way with their language that it is uncomprehendable!

But the true challenge of academia and research is producing your own thoughts... I see it as a puzzle... I take bits and pieces of ideas from few scholars and try to merge them into my own... and then find evidence from the real world to support it. You have to see that every scholar is writing in a 'pure' type of analysis, meaning that they usually try to explain phenomenons in its extreme forms to highlight its incredulity. I mean just take Karl Marx's idea of communism, in its pure form; yet no society in the world is able to emulate this pure form in all its precisions- suggesting that, this pure form cannot really exist. But of course, you could argue otherwise, if you like. =)

Alright! I'm going back to reading the 10 articles and hopefully I won't get too exhausted and mentally drained by buka time.

May Allah open my mind and my heart into understanding these knowledge that He has made available to me.

Doa before studying:

الْفَهْمِ. اَللَّهُمَّ افْتَحْ عَلَيْنَا اَبْوَابَ رَحْمَتِكَ، وَانْشُرْ عَلَيْنَا خَزَآئِنَ عُلُوْمِكَ بِرَحْمَتِكَ يَااَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِيْنَ

Ya Allah, bukakan kepada kami pintu-pintu rahmat-Mu, dan curahkan kepada kami khazanah-khazanah ilmu-Mu dengan rahmat-Mu wahai Yang Maha Pengasih dari segala yang mengasihi.

Oh Allah, help us open the doors of Your rahmat, and pour onto us all the vessals of Your knowledge with Your rahmat, for You are the most Compassionate of all those who are compassionate.

Amin