timirsho replied to your post: Dying

:( dnt die its a few weeks to april n it’ll melt and april is one of the cutest months ever. [no really just saying april its so pretty!!]

• In Japan, signs of Spring is around from the point of January. Mountain wild herbs, flowers - they sprout and bloom in the midst of snow. 
• February, also, you start to see some real early signs (like plum trees, flowers blooming) 
• And then March, April - steadily gets warmer. After February, it gets pretty warmer. :/ 
• And full cherry blossoms (right now it’s officially going in Japan)
• And lot of unique cooking/food is associated with all these ‘signs’ of springs. 
• Basically from the point of January, we eat (haha) all these gradual signs of arrival of Spring. 
• In NY, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and Central Park isn’t that bad - but - food wise, there really is no culture for Spring, I think :/ 
• Rural America might have something. But I think I barely heard any. 

Anyway, so - by living in Japan, I basically internalized this ‘gradual coming of Spring’ - and enjoying, sharing, marking of each steps of Spring’s arrival - with distinct flavor and aroma of those mountain herbs, pickled cherry flower petals etc. 

But here in USA, I think even ‘April’ fails to show up D: 

• March can be quite cold like this,
• and then April can be - immediate temperature rise and gets quite like ‘Summer’ very rapidly
• (Like have to prepare AC immediately once you feel ‘Finally Winter ended!’) 

If you live close to decent part of large real Parks, you might have sense of seasons, but here in NYC, I think it’s pretty … mechanical, overall. 

I really can’t even think of what is ‘Spring food’ in USA. Something which tells arrival of Spring. 

Japan has it lot, over - like 3-4 months. May is also beautiful month. But in NYC, I think May is already half of it is like AC weather.

Japan doesn’t require AC probably until mid July. 

Anyway, like shown in our traditional Haikus, Japan’s Spring have so many traditional signs and markers, and they arrive one after another - over like 3 months - in very sensual, memorable ways. And everyone shares it. 

That’s the reason probably we haven’t left being quite Animist-ish, very deeply. 

And on this, I think even Hayao Miyazaki’s anime hasn’t yet really caught this: How Japan’s four seasons feel like. 

It’s just littered with so many little, beautiful signs from nature, and traditional culture so developed to notice and appreciate all those little changes as ‘signs from Nature’. 

It’s entirely different world view and mindsets. And I always wish we could create some Web/Digital presentation of how it’s like - to showcase its unique beauty and rhythm - to the rest of humanity. 

Because it really carries something really unique and deeply beautiful. 

timirsho replied to your post: On the verge of catching cold or not (East Coast…

stay warm why is it gettin cold again omfg this sounds so scary tbh.

Forecasts say this is the last dip of temp/weather before Spring officially starts. 

Highest temp has been rising slightly - but lowest/bottom temp has been like 29F, 33F, 29F - basically around Freezing temp (32F)

And been bit windy too (last winter storm approaching, they say).

timirsho replied to your photo: Adventures of Sindbad cartoon was produced in 1975…

lol this would be on spacetoon all the time and it was in arabic and it had a catchy theme song. i havent seen his face since like i was a kid :’) it was such a cute show. omfgg it would go like sindi-baaaaaaadd

I’ve seen it only on like - printed materials. Probably never seen it actually on TV. Thus never even heard the song. Though it’s made in Japan. 

And here is Arabic version’s opening song. 

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiYE_MKOxDk  (via CosmoArabia, claims to be the best resource on Japanese Animation in Arabic.)

CosmoArabia also uploaded some episodes too. 

But then one thing I’m kind of having reaction right now - is that 

I don’t know today Japanese animation or cartoon drawers - can make this kind of stuff or genre. 

Feels like they buried themselves in really different kind of genres.

I dunno. It takes - quite much effort to probably actually dig up how those preceding generations worked in 60s and 70s create this particular genre/style -

• 1) based on ‘world literature’ (for kids) and then -
• 2) with what kind of philosophy? or motto they made it.
• and that went sort of global, and how they were perceived - esp by people across the world 

And this current round of Japanimation, which is more of - really esoteric? or niche/geeky, strange stuff. 

It’s entirely different - and that’s kind of shocking to me and at this point I’m just stunned. 

Like - wao, Japan had capacity, capability of creating this kind of animation, stories. 

I don’t know how to find equivalent or similar stuff in today’s Japan. Though we are curious about outside world - and there are enough people go real maniac? about other people’s culture and stuff. 

Anyway, after watching the opening, I’m quite baffled. :| 

timirsho replied to your post: Distantly -

dont ever try it-it’s the nastiest thing ever and it’s horrible and u’ll cry of it.

It’s strange. I don’t hate ketchup (tho I don’t particularly like it either). But yeah, I do hate adding sugar to tomato based stuff. 

There is one exception is tomato served cold - 

1. Sliced tomato
2. covered with honey (and maybe some unrefined sugar)
3. with cinnamon or cassia (bark) powder
4. Keep in fridge overnight

Next day it’s a neat cold sweetish thing. Not bad. 

Have to pick suiting tomatoes tho. 

timirsho replied to your post: timirsho replied to your post: Thing is Realllyy?…

Im shocked i thought new york city would have it bigger omggg but then again dubai is p.young we.might get bored of seeing th fireworks same big locations and wow factor.

Something, in a way, ‘off’ about these fireworks in NYC is - it’s not really for local population to appreciate. It’s mostly for tourism. (Hard to say, there is bit more complexity and nuance on this.)  But it’s a show for tourism. 

Either for July 4th or NYE. So local people really don’t rush to it (but then, there is a trend to hold house/private ‘socializing, quasi-socialite’ parties for NYE, I think.)  

How a ‘city’ or ‘area’ can really design an annual/regular event which brings community together and give moments and space for meaningful punctuations. 

That’s a real big question. 

Though July 4th still holds something here in USA - across USA. I think. That one really hasn’t lost its power entirely yet, somehow. 

Doesn’t get articulated by Americans - because Americans aren’t really eloquent people (they are rather choked and awkward, inarticulate or ‘constantly misarticulating/mis-speaking’ kind of people, I tend to think or feel.) 

But there is something in the air - when July 4th comes around. 

It’s imperial, colonial etc. Yes. The price native Americans and then Afro Americans etc paid - and with that cost, what America has achieved and is going to achieve further - 

there is only silence to this question from ordinary, average American people, but -

yeah, there is something in the air when July 4th is around.

Especially in non-urban USA parts. Something. 

‘Nation’ is a such a funny odd thing.

Either it’s USA or UAE, or UK, Japan etc. 

timirsho replied to your post: Thing is

Realllyy? :o i thought nyc had huge fireworks like bigger than dubai’s omq :O (this is shocking tbh cuz i kinda imagined it was huge fireworksstuff..)

July 4th - independence day - has bit larger fireworks on Hudson river (water front) but it’s not like Dubai’s crazy ‘Shoot all out from buildings’ or London’s Big Ben and Thames becoming surrounded by webs of fire … it’s just regular firework show, though not bad. 

There are fireworks for New Year’s eve at some locations - Central Park, Prospect Park etc - but I don’t think it’s not as intense as Dubai or London, or even as other major cities. 

I was really surprised when I tracked Dubai tag on Tumblr though. Photos and videos. And yeah, it’s intense. London is I think also keeping up too. 

timirsho replied to your post: Someone

I always use pink highlighters lmao its better than yellow.

Highlighters don’t work for my brain. Learned through failures. It was like - okay, this is how people use highlighter - let me try 

and then, I realized somewhat later my brain didn’t absorb anything - and it was during the exam. D:

timirsho replied to your post: timirsho replied to your photo: A young woman…

recovery stages-ah it must be chilly too :( hope they get what they need fast and electricity comes earlier; a week is really long.

Worst news is that some parts of New York and New Jersey might have to wait another few weeks. 2 more weeks at least, while outside temp continues to drop. 

Hope somehow people are finding ways to avoid the worst cold and fatigue in this.

(Much of the Manhattan will have power by tomorrow night sometime.)

timirsho replied to your photo: A young woman helps bag Meals-Ready-to-Eat (MREs)…

huh-i think they are talkin bout the person in black.

Wondering how the place is setup. 

Most likely it’s just a family or people bagging MREs at ‘help yourself (freely)’ station. (‘Take as much as you like’ setup?) 

Hope ‘urban’ part of people somehow managing - but yeah, people outside of metropolitan area - have to endure without power (any heat source) another week or more - probably need more concentrated help. (Though local officials are promising that.) 

Power to lower Manhattan should return sometime tomorrow. (There could be real celebrations over there.)

timirsho replied to your post: Why Iron Man 3 fandom posts are so frequent…

Lightnin fast super sonic gif makers with photoshop-must be a skill.

Also, few dedicated people are pulling up large-resolution set up and making real high-res screenshots.

Worst is I don’t like new suit designs appeared by so far. (Feeling fatal damage)

timirsho replied to your video: ISS video - which Tumblr’s maintenance GIF is…

i saw it before so cool!

The version I saw last time - was less produced. Was more like a raw footage just came from ISS.  

But this one is thrilling. Somehow. (Don’t know why!)

timirsho replied to your link: Many Muslim athletes to fast after London Olympics - ahram online

Fasting is from sun rise to sunset. Before sunrise people can eat by sunset they can break their fast

And I saw yesterday Turkish Muslim ppl in my neighborhood not following it at all (O well. It might not have been started for them yet.) 

But why it’s determined by the presence of sun/sunlight. 

Why it’s not determined by moon cycle? 

timirsho replied to your post: Well.  But TBH, by so far Tumblr’s take(s) on…

Sorry i dont know much about it other than what i have seen or knew. :/ there are many here who insult sufism and maybe there arent much stuff because of that. Or maybe it is hidden here?

Can’t dissect it that much yet :|

Hidden. Hidden behind people’s posting cycle. Maybe. Hidden behind those quotes. Maybe. 

One block on that is ‘What’s hidden is - of course hidden because it’s personal and private matters’ - but then - if you keep them hidden - isn’t that risky? Doesn’t that lead to - some kind of corruption or - just degrades down into self-spoiling habit? 

…

But then what kind of mechanism would be really adequate? To make faith - faith.  

I am not sure yet whether Islamic faith - has real good answers to how a person can talk about one’s faith - one’s faith’s role in life - with solid, individual discourse or narrative. 

And I’m trying to see actual cases already exist - or - if not - how that maybe ‘happening’ - emerging - 

and want to see through where that’d take us to. [Supposed to put people, person believing in Islam on real equal footing with people living with other faiths. Discourse formats for - real solid comparative exchanges and mutual understanding. Can be about personal experience - or can be more of comparative-theological, abstract discourse. There can be various type of discourses but - something really more substantially comparable and sharable. If necessary. If possible.]

Should be somewhere more open, more helpful horizon. 

Might be able to get there. 

That’s my instinctive hunch. Right now. 

—

[Below is a useless ramble. You don’t know how I dealt with Japan’s faith? and also some of Christian stuff and Jewish stuff. So - I think it won’t make sense much. But mapping of where I am.]

1. Sufism - is actually just an integral facet/ingredient of Islam or how Islamic faith is felt, lived, believed - in one’s life. (Many contemporary scholars and practitioners agree on this.) 
2. But then - in West, it comes fairly close to what Western New Age is. Esp without supposed rigorous compliance with traditional Islam - it’s just looks like drowning in Rumi, Hafiz quotes. 

Shiekh Hamza Yusuf is the only clue I have found by so far. 

When he reaches to the part he is trying to emit the core experience part of what Islamic faith gives to someone’s life - 

he becomes sincere, emotional, tearing up - trembling - (not just delivering fiqh interpretation - or core elements of Islamic faith delivered via meta-language like Tariq Ramadan does) - 

That. 

That maybe a mixture of everything he’s been influenced: 

1. Being American
2. Being from Bay Area (mecca of New Age, San Francisco/Berkeley Spirituality culture) 
3. Influence from West Africa’s nomadic Islam, which he explored

But it just can’t be about this fiqh or Quran verse tells you to do this or do that. 

Religions - faith - has to work - has to offer something to one’s challenged situation. 

But then how those - catharsis or punctuation - works - operates - 

is something still hard to get real picture. Not from Tumblr. Not from some written accounts (maybe I’m just not finding them. So I will try to find. Lived - actual accounts.) 

Anyway, as Sami said - Islam has too much structural internal entanglements. On its own. When compared with where other major religions are at. Due to many reasons. 

My instinct about religions - is telling me to really just push through and get more comprehensive and larger view (while creating mapping) on all this. 

Something more than - like ‘Indulgence’ had role in Christianity. 

Today I had to recollect so much on some of the Far Eastern traditions about what guides life. What keeps life’s bottom line - at such hard times. (And I made few posts in Japanese and even Chinese, quoting Confucius.) 

I know I’m still really at the entrance - about Islam.

But trying hard to not to stuck. Stuck at someone else’s pretentious, narcissistic solutions or habits (or fiqh habits).

I don’t care how much followers I lose or appear incoherent etc. 

It’s not about ‘style’ or appearance. It’s about - seeing where it can, it might be able to get to. 

I’m not going to be blocked/fooled/sabotaged at the level or New Age spirituality quote rotation - or indulgence quotes rotation. 

timirsho replied to your post: Log

Wat is that my chocolate intake is limited idk bout brands etc damn allergies

My chocolate avoidance is solely because I’m sorry for those plantation workers and child labors. I don’t have cravings for chocolate at all. Thus there is no pain by not eating it.

I can make and eat sweets without much tropical exploitation.

timirsho replied to your photo

What does it mean :O

• A LOT OF 

THANK YOU 

:)