Trans-Siberian Railway

Buat para "train enthusiasts", yang seneng traveling dengan kereta, perjalanan dari Lisbon di Portugal sampai ke Ho Chi Minh di Vietnam merupakan perjalanan paling menantang dan paling panjang yang mungkin dilakukan dengan kereta api. Saya pertama kali membaca mengenai perjalanan ini sewaktu saya masih SMP, dan sejak itu jadi salah satu impian saya untuk melakukannya, tentu saja kalau ada rejeki, waktu, umur, ijin, dan lain-lain :)

Sebetulnya nggak pernah sih bener-bener serius mikirin soal ini, sampai kemarin waktu saya sedang bersantai di Borders book store (yah, toko buku adalah tempat favorit saya untuk ngabisin waktu kalau nggak ada kerjaan... what a nerd I am, aren't I?), mata saya tertumbuk pada buku sebuah keluaran Lonely Planet berjudul Trans-Siberian Railway. What the..!?

FYI, lonely planet adalah penerbit yang spesialis ngeluarin buku buat yang suka travelling, berisi informasi mengenai satu tempat beserta bagaimana cara kesana, apa saja akomodasinya dan berapa perkiraan biayanya.

Bagus juga Lonely Planet ngeluarin buku mengenai perjalanan kereta api, Trans-Siberian pula! Biasanya yang mereka terbitkan hanya mengenai negara atau wilayah tertentu saja. Tiba-tiba perjalanan dari Lisbon ke Ho Chi Minh ini kok jadi terasa real dan memungkinkan ya? Udah deh, saya beli aja buku ini. Siapa tahu suatu saat nanti saya punya waktu, kesempatan, dan biaya :)

Dammit

This damn thing just can't commit to what it said it would!

A promise has already been made, but with nothing delivered, it's just drive yours trully crazy. Yet if there is a good reason of why - the true one of course - there might still be a little bit of acceptance.

But with these lame excuses transmitted everytime a promise was not going to be delivered? Hate that mate, hate that! Just don't make any at all, if not sure. A responsibility to others is what it takes.

Oh shoot, I think I just broke out some precepts from my last post.....!

Words of Guidance

I have a piece of paper that hanged gracefully in my cabinet door, with excerpt of wise words from The Book. It contains general guides for conducting my life. I thought I’d like to share some of these words with you.

Some of the lessons from The Book that apply to our general living

Respect:

• Respect and honour all human beings irrespective of their religion, colour, race, gender, language, status, property, birth, profession/job and so on [17/70]

Communicate:

• Talk straight, to the point, without any ambiguity or deception [33/70].
• Choose best words to speak and say them in the best possible way [17/53, 2/83].
• Do not shout. Speak politely keeping your voice low. [31/19].
• Always speak the truth. Shun words that are deceitful and ostentatious [22/30].
• Do not confound truth with falsehood [2/42].
• Say with your mouth what is in your heart [3/167].
• Speak in a civilised manner in a language that is recognised by the society and is commonly used [4/5].
• Do not be a bragging boaster [31/18].
• Do not talk, listen or do anything vain [23/3, 28/55].
• Do not make mockery of others or ridicule others [49/11]
• Do not defame others [49/11]
• Do not insult others by nicknames [49/11]

Justice:

• Ascertain the truth of any news, lest you smite someone in ignorance and afterwards repent of what you did [49/6].
• Do not follow blindly any information of which you have no direct knowledge. (Using your faculties of perception and conception) you must verify it for yourself. In the Court of your Lord, you will be held accountable for your hearing, sight, and the faculty of reasoning [17/36].
• Avoid suspicion and guesswork. Suspicion and guesswork might deplete your communal energy [49/12]
• When you voice an opinion, be just, even if it is against a relative [6/152].
• If you do not have complete knowledge about anything, better keep your mouth shut. You might think that speaking about something without full knowledge is a trivial matter. But it might have grave consequences [24/15-16].
• When you hear something malicious about someone, keep a favourable view about him/her until you attain full knowledge about the matter. Consider others innocent until they are proven guilty with solid and truthful evidence [24/12-13].

Treating others:

• Treat kindly: your parents, relatives, the orphans, and those who have been left alone in the society [4/36].
• Take care of: The needy, the disabled, those whose hard earned income is insufficient to meet their needs, those whose businesses have stalled, and those who have lost their jobs. [4/36].
• Treat kindly: your related and unrelated neighbours, companions by your side in public gatherings, or public transportation. [4/36].
• Be nice to people who work under your care. [4/36]

Treating yourself:

• Do not be jealous of those who are blessed. [4/54]
• In your collective life, make rooms for others. [58/11]
• Eat and drink [what is lawful] in moderation. [7/31]
• Fulfil your promises and commitments. [17/34]
• Keep yourself clean, pure. [9/108, 4/43, 5/6]
• Dress-up in agreeable attire and adorn yourself with exquisite character from inside out [7/26].

Being sincere

• Do not follow up what you have given to others to afflict them with reminders of your generosity [2/262].
• Do not expect a return for your good behaviour, not even thanks [76/9].
• Do no try to impress people on account of self-proclaimed virtues [53/32].

Being an example:

• You should enjoin right conduct on others but mend your own ways first. Actions speak louder than words. You must first practice good deeds yourself, then preach [2/44].
• Correct yourself and your families first [before trying to correct others] [66/6].

Avoidance:

• Leave to themselves those who do not give any importance to the Divine code and have adopted and consider it as mere play and amusement [6/70]
• Sit not in the company of those who ridicule Divine Law unless they engage in some other conversation [4/140]
  

I try to follow those words all the time. But reflecting what I have achieved and done so far… O Allah… how disgrace I must be in front of You. I think I haven’t even done a tiny bit. O Rabbi, would you give me strength to follow Your way?