the price of memories

bismillahirrahmanirrahim,

assalamualaikum wrb,

alhamdulillah tsumma alhamdulillah wa astaghfirullah.  all praises and thanks belong to Allah, Most Beautiful, Most Loving. greetings and salutations upon Rasulullah SAW, a man who was the kindest of all mankind. 

one of the beauties of life is how things never really play out according to our own plan(s). It has a way or ways of surprising us that just leave us wondering sometimes, or rather not even realising. 

maybe that's one of the ways i could describe about my experience in New York. the first thing i would say about it is just how much i have learnt. it goes beyond words with how much I would be going home with, and I am very happy about that. 

and by learn, i mean in more ways than one. things relating to my work, of course, the people, the place, the environment, the.. feel of things... and probably ones that i'm not aware of yet. hehe. 

honestly though New York is filled with fitnah.  drowning in bad things, i wouldn't deny that. yet that's not all there is to it. one of the things we should do in life is not look at things in a unidimensional way. there are a lot more angles that we should explore before we start defining it or deciding upon it. 

there are acts or moments of kindness that I have seen here, that are downright beautiful. and thats when i realise that New York doesn't just belong to the United states of America. but New York is owned by the Highest ruler, the King of all kings and the most Majestic of all. doesn't that just make so much sense? this place is not owned by Muslims, but you can always find islam, mercy in it... because mercy doesn't originate from Muslims, it comes from Allah. and He is everywhere. and because of that, we will find kindness anywhere. and may He guide and choose us to be those which reflect kindness and mercy wherever we are. aameen. 

it's kind of funny, because i am so desperate to come home! just because I am like that, I was like this when I studied away from home, and I am like this when I am working away from home.. albeit this is only just a few months! ha-ha! just the way i am wired, i guess. i miss my family a lot and I just can't wait to go hold Saif and Wa'iz :') 

but somehow, today, I feel very sentimental. of course! it's so predictable, (yet still unexpected somehow), just towards the near end, isn't that just how human nature is? or just me? hehe. you always look at things with more value as you are getting compelled to let go of them.

oh new york. what a ride it has been. i am looking forward to get off now, very much so. and to be honest, i don't necessarily want to take a second ride. but you know what? we will see. 

alhamdulillah, thank you Allah for the opportunities. and please forgive me for my sins and errors.