The Yoga Instructor Diaries: The Day I Live My Life Just Like How I'd Direct My Own Movie (Yasmin Ahmad's style preferably)

Friday, November 21, 2008

The Day I Live My Life Just Like How I'd Direct My Own Movie (Yasmin Ahmad's style preferably)

The Yoga Instructor said...: Dearest Yasmin,

I love you.
And love is an understatement.

I admire you for making me not ashamed of having been going to the cinemas again to watch Malay movies (although I had to walk out on Senario The Movie and Jangan Pandang Belakang after 15 minutes. God knows, I tried).

I thank you for portraying Malaysia beautifully in your ads, for capturing beautiful Malay values in your movies, that I am not proud to say - most of the time more beautiful on silverscreen than what we know happening and for making lines from Malay movies memorable again.

I am a Malay Muslim (soon to be banned?) yoga teacher in KL that's having the trial time of my life by MY own people that can't seem to stop keeeeeeep telling me (in my blog) ways to 'be a good Muslim' by listening to our Muftis, to cover up, to not live with non-Muhrim when all I am trying to do is, to 'be a good person' with big dreams to make Malaysians look better and live longer.

(I am) On the brink of giving up 'blogging'
(before I become the words they have been putting in my mouth),

I thank you for lending me some strength from meaningful quotes you often paste here, for your lovely words and wonderful insights and for many more inspirations you never know.

Thank you.
May God bless us all and forgive all cruelty we have done to each other.

Peace, love and light,
Ninie Ahmad; November 20, 2008 9:21 AM

yasmin said...: gosh, ninie. i don't know what to say. i wish i knew what rasulullah s.a.w would have to say about your yoga and my films.

someone wrote on my blog that i had no right to utter the words "alhamdulillah" because i don't wear the hijjab. i told them if i can't say those words, than i can't recite the fatihah, and if i can't recite the fatihah, then i can't do my solat, and if i can't do my solat, i'd be very, very sad and lost.

why do they judge people so easily? do they think they will gain allah's pleasure by condemning a fellow muslim like that? and why do they always comment anonymously?

oh well, allah knows best.

i read in al-baqarah that there will be many who will say they believe and worship allah, but in truth, they don't. and they don't even know that they don't believe! na'uzubillah. was the koran referring to these people?

allah knows best.; November 20, 2008 9:46 AM

28 comments:

Marliza Radzi said...: indah sungguh reply beliau. I esepecially like the part where she mentioned about Al-Baqarah. masyaAllah, indahnya ayat Al-Quran.; 12:34 PM, November 21, 2008
Zuraida said...: well said.

*peace*; 2:16 PM, November 21, 2008
Legal Cat said...: Be strong to both of you, whatever that's worth...; 4:15 PM, November 21, 2008
...:::yaniemora:::... said...: dear sis ninie..
please don't give up on your blog..i love to hear from you..
and please please pekak kan your telinga and buta kan mata with anonymous tu..they be anonymous because they are malu with diri sendiri for not being you!!
they pointing fingers to you as if their own hands are clean..
who knows right???
so gambatte sis ninie!!you have others supports..if u need to bombed they out u have me as your back up team...
fight serikandi fight!!!
cos we the serikandi never give up!!; 4:28 PM, November 21, 2008
Anonymous said...: ninie, i used to enjoy reading your blog coz i find it sometimes funny and honest but lately i dont anymore. since u gave that attitude (remember the pic with your little finger?) i lost respect to u. I think yess, u live ur live the way u wanit since it's ur life. but u have to remember when u've decided to go public on your life, u cant stop people from critizing u.u kena laa terima kritikan tu. kalu u tak public kat ur life, no one would bother. that's the price u've got to pay for being a celeb(sesuai ker perkataan ni?) or famous people (better).

and i totally tak agree when your posts lately ni mcm nak try prove something to the people out there. i think tak payah kot buat mcm tu. tak best pun baca. ur entries dulu2 lagi best.

u kept telling that people out there were judging you. How not to judge when u give every details of your life here in ur blog? we are just human being. u have the freedom of speech. and it doesnt mean that apa yg u cakap/tulis kat blog u tu betul or the right thing to do because it's subjective.they (the people/readers)have the freedom to judge too. and it doesnt mean that judgement diorang betul. you are not perfect. nobody does.

bottom line is, whatever it is, when u've decided to go public on ur life, there's price u have to pay. u tak boleh melatah. kalau tanak org judge u, then jgn laa post benda2 yang memboleh kan org men'judge' you. benda2 yang secara general nya mmg tak boleh dibuat kalau boleh sorok kan laa.. nothing to be proud of pun kalau housemate u tu is not ur muhrim. hukum tetap hukum. u cant change it. yess, it is common now kat kl ni to stay with mahram tapi it doesnt mean we are allowed to do so.

and i hope you tak berkecil hati kalau ada org menegur u sebab dalam islam, menegur kesilapan sesama Islam hukumnya adalah wajib. kalau tak tegur kesalahan tu, kita berdosa. itu satu tanggungjawab tau.; 4:51 PM, November 21, 2008
Anonymous said...: I have an idea.make your blog privateeeeee.; 8:47 PM, November 21, 2008
Anonymous said...: I hear you!: )It doesn't matter if you are being religious or not!It matters by the end of the day if you are a nice person and you are happy of who you are!Don't be intimidated by what people are telling you!just follow your heart!; 1:13 AM, November 22, 2008
Anonymous said...: Hai..satu lagi name dropping blog entry.. Zzzzzzzz..BORING..!!!; 3:03 AM, November 22, 2008
Anonymous said...: to anonymous and Ms quincy,

pekak kan telinga and butakan mata? Cant we just tell it to her like it is?

I'm not judging ninie. I just think she made a booboo giving a bit too many details about her living arrangements. It was enough that people have been giving shit about her questioning the fatwa council on their public statement.

I;m not the best muslim out there but i know what ninie is trying to say. She is just being a good muslim.

Seriously, tell me how many of your mothers will be OK if you lived in an apartment with a guy? I know mine will go ballistic cause, well, i am a guy but just assume that i'm not for the sake of argument.

its OK to be a good person. Its OK to question the fatwa council (heck you pandai tak semestinya i cant question you. in that case we should not raise our hands in class to question a teacher)

not OK to push your personal values to people and get weird out when they come out as very judgemental or cynical, or say things like ditimpa bala and all.

If you put yourself out there, a bit, you gotta take in the punches man.

Anyway, for the advice to make her blog private. habih la ad $$$ ninie.

So my solution is simple. stop blogging about how people are being judgemental, or how you are sad that you want to be good person blablablabalblalbalablbalbalbalab

start blogging on other fun stuff. put this issue to rest. it HAS NO END. you change it.

Unless you think you're stuck with it which i think you are not.

I wont judge you for whatever i said in recent posts ninie, thats your problem with the ONE. you are a good person. You dont treat people like scum. But certain things you should have known to just hush about and only be told to close friends.

you dont want JAIS/JAWI knocking on your door and giving you more problems right?; 11:13 AM, November 22, 2008
Unknown said...: Today, The star news:

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/11/22/nation/20081122111842&sec=nation; 12:25 PM, November 22, 2008
Anonymous said...: Just a thought I'd like to share.

When I was studying in London, a sister, an Iraqi-born-in-London, told me that she was always being asked by her classmates the reason for wearing the hijab. One day she answered " my hijab helps me in being a muslim. It doesn't restrict me from being myself, but instead gives me the freedom to be myself. I am not judged on how great I look, I am not judged by how pretty my hair is, but I am purely judged by what I say and do. My hijab does not show that I am a good muslim. It is to HELP me be one. It reminds me everyday that the only one I answer to at the end of the day is God, and it reminds me to be good, to pray to do what I have to do to be a good muslim. That is why I wear the hijab. That is, in my opinion is the purpose of the hijab"

I think Malaysians have interpret the hijab wrongly. They interpret it as those who wear them are good muslim. But this is far from the truth. I have met many who wears them but do not take care of their 5 times a day prayer. I have met those who don't wear them but meet their obligation to pray religiously(nak pergi clubbing pun, isyak dulu). The first step in being a good muslim, I believe is to observe your prayer times. Dalam rukun Islam pun, after mengucap dua kalimah syahadah, is sembahyang lima waktu. So enough with the tudung. It is a must, we can't deny it, but there's more to being a muslim than the tudung.

Just my humble opinion. Sorry panjang.; 12:34 PM, November 22, 2008
Anonymous said...: Ninie making this blog private?

No way hoze! If you've been following her blog long enough, you'd know her well enough by now.

She's a narcissist!

Sincerely,
Ross

p.s. Like many, I too use to enjoy her earlier postings. I do hope that she will return to her roots one day.; 1:14 PM, November 22, 2008
Ah Beng Crosby said...: I am a non muslim and my closest person is also a yoga instructor. I felt for you but as a non muslim, I can only say as one human to another. Do what you feel is right and have passion about it. Otherwise life will be too empty. Too many trapped themselves in doing things they dislilke, the world is full of these people. Live life to the fullest, we are not born into this world to make up the number.; 1:18 PM, November 22, 2008
tank said...: the fatwa is out... yoga is haram

....................

i wonder hows ninies cari makan after this; 4:20 PM, November 22, 2008
Anonymous said...: Looks like yoga is now officially banned.. If you ask me, I think majlis fatwa kebangsaan is the one yg sepatutnya diharamkan!; 4:35 PM, November 22, 2008
asm@di said...: the council has issued the edict that yoga is haram.

which means they can come in and arrest me if i do yoga.

there goes my plan to pick up yoga again.; 5:28 PM, November 22, 2008
Anonymous said...: hi ninie

heh i am so envious of you!! n i ve just heard the latest news!

why dont you just COME HERE TO SINGAPORE!!!!!!!

i will be the first to sign up i tell ya.

pleth; 9:49 PM, November 22, 2008
Anonymous said...: Hey there Ninie!
I don't know you personally and neither do you however I've seen you around and you are friends with my mutual friends.
I'm also a MUSLIM YOGA INSTRUCTOR and I've got to say this to all those fatwa council idiots:
If taking the livelihood from someone is not a sin then tell me what is?
Is forcing someone to do something part of Islam? As I remember Islam isn't about force. Hello fatwa asses, have you people forgotten the real deal on Islam?; 12:46 AM, November 23, 2008
Anonymous said...: salam, sis.

of course... the psychological theory on how one handles a problem is firstly by trying to think that thing hasn't happened, next is trying to change it, and then comes the final part - acception. i wouldn't want to add salt to the injury, but perhaps we should listen to the more credible people (referring to the council) for certain things that we ourselves aren't well educated of.

at this time, surely you'll be filled with anger, that's logical, but later, you'll come to a point where you'll understand why things happened this way... and when your senses come back to you, you'll understand the council's decision.

just as we were taught in history subject, yoga is indeed a practice among Hindus to achieve unity between Atman and Brahman. if only we educated ourselves enough. we might think that we sound oh-so-intelligent, but the truth is... all of us are still learning and we'll never stop learning even at our death bed. there are so many people out there who are more knowledgable than us. Einstein makes great yet destructible formulas, but he doesn't know much about Islam or other fields of study such as philosophy, does he? i study medicine, but does that make me a very intelligent person? no... i'm not very knowledgable in things like sports, etc... what more if you ask about my knowledge in religious studies? i know too little.

i'm sure there will be other occupations out there that could utilize these skills you've learned throughout the years. send prayers to God, insya Allah he'll show you the way. 'your people' won't leave you as long as you come back to the ground.

there are many more ways to become a good person and i'm sure you know well of at least half of it. of course, Islam is not about force. tiada paksaan untuk memeluk agama Islam, tetapi, jika sudah menjadi seorang Muslim, haruslah kita berpegang kepada peraturannya dan menjauhi segala larangan Allah.

berjuta-juta nasihat, berjuta-juta tahun hidup pun tiada guna kalau sendiri tidak bertekad. kita semua boleh kalau kita benar-benar mahu. insya Allah. i'll pray the best for you. in fact, i already sent my prayers. wassalam.; 2:31 AM, November 23, 2008
Niza @ Anis said...: hi dear:) more AUTH COACH items on sale!coach swingpack n wallet from only RM399!thanks dear;); 4:17 AM, November 23, 2008
Anonymous said...: I think we should step back and take a look at what the fatwa council actually said:

Yoga is haram if you include 3 items in it: (1) the action, (2) the chanting, and (3) the objective of being one with God/universe. This is in line with, your "akidah boleh terpesong" through either action, words, or niat. Can you deny that if you do yoga and include ALL those things - perbuatan, perkataan, and the niat - you are not performing something syirik? If you answer yes to this question, then I would kindly suggest that you study Islam some more... read some books on tauhid or go to a respectable ustaz/ustazah... seriously.

Fatwa council also said, that if you do yoga as a form of exercise (which is the stretching part and what most yoga classes in fitness clubs are offering), then this is still somewhat "questionable." The worry is that this is the first step towards those other things - chanting and niat. So they caution Muslims against it. Fair assessment I think... they didn't say it was haram... but for Muslims to be cautious not to go further then what they should.

Yes, some Muslims would probably stop from doing yoga due to this fatwa... and yoga instructors in Malaysia might not be earning as much as they did before... but that is the nature of business. Overall, I think it was a fair judgement. On my part, I attend a yoga class on Monday nights. After this fatwa, I would still attend yoga classes... no chanting whatsoever... I have no inclination to go any further than stretches... and I do it as a form of exercise... period. I come out of yoga sweaty and re-energized... a totally different feeling than praying (serene and calm)...

BTW, "yoga itu haram" is totally different than "yoga itu diharamkan." Very slight play of words but it makes a whole world of a difference, just think about it. I guess my point is I think this whole issue is being blown out of proportions... and I think the fatwa council bashing I see here (at least due to this whole yoga issue) is quite undeserving. Being open-minded is a 2-way street.

Just my 2 cents, and sorry for such a long post.; 8:14 AM, November 23, 2008
Anonymous said...: i would be very glad if u close this blog; 12:03 PM, November 23, 2008
Anonymous said...: perhaps we shouldn't claim ourselves to be good muslim, less we stop striving to be one. even the prophets never stop praying for forgiveness.maybe it is good for us to remember some of His name, At-Tawwaab The Acceptor of Repentance, The Relenting, The One who grants repentance to whoever He willed among His creatures and accepts his repentance, so that we can ask this question, are we one of those He chose. Praise be to the al Mu'akhir, for trully He is a delayer of punishment, so that we are never too late. perhaps if we want to claim to be muslims, we can begin by learning a little bit about the religion. maybe we can begin by making an attempt to know al Khaliq, so that we know ourselves.May ar-Rashid chose us to be guided to the right path. May al Baqi make us realise the temporal nature of our body and this world and see the eternal. Amin. No, our body is not a temple and No, there is no nirvana.There is no god, only Allah.; 1:20 PM, November 23, 2008
...:::yaniemora:::... said...: i think sis ninie's comment for her entries has been one platform for others to judge each other..i don't know what to say..it's up to you sis ninie.it really up to u..u know the best and i'm always support you...; 3:49 PM, November 23, 2008
Unknown said...: Dear Ninie, don't worry too much, Sultan Selangor can back you up..

Read today The Star news..; 3:12 PM, November 24, 2008
Missy eLLe said...: Ninie,

Be strong, these trial times will be over so have faith.

All the best.; 2:42 AM, November 25, 2008
azmiyogi said...: I just wonder where does all these comments and fatwa leave us. To me, at the end of the day, I am here standing with my own belief in my faith and this God's gift of an intelligence to tell apart between what is beneficial and what is deviating....

Errr.. excuse me, leaders of the council, what is more threatening? Corrupt citizens and leaders OR yoga practitioners? Let's make out our own judgment by using what God has given to us, our BRAINS.

Of course our mental faculties only function after thousands of years of yoga existence, which I belief has been practiced by millions of muslims before us. To those guys, I think its time for REHAB.

Common people, life is much more than to just follow orders and end up compromising our happiness or worst, give up something that has made us healthy and happy. However, if you do have doubts about Yoga, yeah by all means, take more time to observe but please don't just dismiss yoga just because the COUNCIL urges you to. Make your own conviction and stick to it. ON YOUR OWN.

Azmi; 3:35 AM, November 25, 2008
Feather's Mother said...: With this, I end my allowance of approving EVERY comment at this blog.

However you see it,
to me I was just conducting social experiment of how people love taking advantage of kindness and freedom of opinions.

I got my conclusion, alright
and I'm happy to end it here.

If there's any you need me to answer personally, drop them at ninie.ahmad@gmail.com. My apology in advance if I might take time in replying.

Peace, love and light,
The Yoga Instructor; 12:30 AM, November 27, 2008

Friday, November 21, 2008

The Day I Live My Life Just Like How I'd Direct My Own Movie (Yasmin Ahmad's style preferably)

28 comments:

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