Category: Life

Life, Poetry

On Poetry

Raidah Shah Idil

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It’s been a busy week! I’m in the middle of uploading my entry for the Australian Muslim Artists competition, organised by the IMA (Islamic Museum of Australia). I’ve chosen to upload three of my best poems – Bone Marrow, Cannibals and Utopia – and I’m looking forward to the feedback.

Speaking of poetry, hop on over to my buddy Maryam Chahine’s blog! Maryam is a published poet, and I love the way she carefully constructs her poetry. A joy to behold. Maryam and her family are very dear to me, and getting to know them was definitely one of the highlights of my stay in Jordan. Maryam and her sister Noora really helped encourage me to complete and refine my book, Finding Jamilah. Close friends in Sydney who kept in touch with me also supported me through my writing – Fatima and Lisa, I’m looking at you!
Their support goes to show that writing is something not done in complete isolation. Sure, the act of writing does take place in solitude, but refining it and being encouraged to complete one’s work takes a lot of support. Behind every writer is a special group of friends and family. Thank you to each and every one of you!

Life

Sleep, elusive sleep

Raidah Shah Idil

How do you put yourself to sleep?

You might belong to the lucky percentage of people who simply need to drop your head on your pillow, and voila, you’re on your way to the land of zzzzzz’s. Or you could be more like me, when some sleepless nights require a bit more intervention.

My past two weeks of intense freelance writing have taken their toll on my sleep. The main issue is that when I finally do drag myself to bed, I’m too wired to fall asleep. After hours of being switched on, trying to suddenly switch off isn’t a simple option. So. Operation Sleepy Time will commence!

Here’s my plan for more effective sleepy time:
1) Stop all writing projects by 10 pm

2) Drink chamomile tea

3) Read a non-fiction book

4) No late-night texting/whatsapping/emails!
Hope this works!

Islam, Life

Boundless Plains Premiere

Raidah Shah Idil

Last night, I attended the Boundless Plains Premiere at the NSW Parliament House. The 30-minute documentary about four young Australian Muslim men travelling into the outback was absolutely riveting. I really enjoyed watching their exploration into the depths of the Australian desert and their interviews with people who told them about the Afghan cameliers. There was an interview with a 101 year-old woman, who was the daughter of an Afghan camelier. She showed a photograph of her dad standing in front of a simple mosque. Imagine that! There’s a whole history that I wasn’t even aware of.

What really excited me was a short clip of an Aboriginal Muslim woman who lived up in Darwin – the remarkable thing was that she looked Indonesian! This young woman is living proof of the intermarriage between the Makassan trepangers and Aboriginal women.

I came away from that documentary with a quiet reassurance that Muslims have been part of the fabric of Australian society for a very long time. Evidence of that ranges from old rock paintings, the first telegraph pole in Australia, to the  descendants of these early Muslims who are still living today. Kudos to the Islamic Museum of Australia team for putting together this inspiring documentary! I hope that it reaches far and wide, and promotes understanding in a world that needs more compassion, and less judgement.

On this note, Happy New Islamic Year! We’re now in the month of Muharram, 1434 after the Prophet’s migration to Medina.
May this year be a blessed and safe one for you and your loved ones 🙂

art, Life

The Artist Manifesto: Will You Create?

Raidah Shah Idil

Here’s something I’d like to share with you:

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This inspiring piece of art was done by the talented Mandy Thompson. I’ve linked this image to Jeff Goin’s blog – check it out!

This manifesto speaks to me on so many levels. Starting up this blog has helped to jump-start my writing. Thank you for taking the time to read what I have to say. While my writing’s been progressing, my other passion, painting, has been woefully neglected. As I write this, I have blank canvases, empty sketch pads and all kinds of cool artsy stuff (acrylic, watercolour, oil paints, charcoal sticks etc) packed away in boxes. What’s stopping me? The usual suspects – fear of failure, procrastination, perfectionism. The irony of not starting a basic draft because I don’t want to get anything ‘wrong’ is that I get nothing done – I’m not any closer to that masterpiece! So if you’ve got something you’ve been wanting to write, sketch, or paint, take that leap, and see how it grows. Be at peace with imperfection. That’s where the beauty is.

My goal for tonight: break out my pencils and get a basic sketch done on my canvas. Baby steps!

Books, Classics, Life, Writing

On Antagonists and Peacocks

Raidah Shah Idil

“You know my powers, my dear Watson, and yet at the end of three months I was forced to confess that I had at last met an antagonist who was my intellectual equal. My horror at his crimes was lost in my admiration at his skill.” – Arthur Conan Doyle, Sr (1859-1930)

What makes a good antagonist? Here’s a quick list of what comes to mind:

  • Lord Of The Rings: Sauron
  • Star Wars: Darth Vader & Emperor Palpatine
  • Moby-Dick: Moby-Dick
  • Little Red Riding Hood: The Big Bad Wolf

If you scan that list, it’s easy to spot why I’ve picked them as the antagonists. They were clearly trying to endanger the protagonist. However, I read a blog post by K.M. Welland that suggests something different – antagonists don’t have to be actually bad guys. An antagonist could even be, as she says, the weather! Of course, antagonists are most commonly crafted as characters whom the protagonist can flee from or fight. It’s interesting though, to think of a protagonist grappling with inner demons as being his own antagonist – inside his own mind. I remember being fascinated by the protagonist Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment. He was the narrator of the story who committed a hideous crime, then drove himself insane with the guilt. Who’s the antagonist there? Well…to a large degree, I think he was. Sure, you could argue that Ilya Petrovich, the police inspector who was tracking him down, was the antagonist, but it was Raskolnikov’s decision to confess that ultimately sent him into exile.

Black and white, cookie-cutter bad guys are a lot less interesting than far more complex antagonists, who are determined to push back against the protagonist. And when they’re all bundled up in the same person…well. Definitely interesting.

On another note, I’ve been hearing these loud and bizzare sounds in the middle of the night. My husband and I think that maybe it’s some kind of bird. Except what kind of bird squawks so loudly at two in the morning? I need to find closure with this, so I’ve been trawling the web.  It kind of has the volume of the Great Malay Argus, but it’s missing something…then I found the sound of a peacock! I honestly think it is peacock mating season. And it is NOISY. You know, there must be some cosmic irony in this. We moved to this lovely apartment to escape the rock-hammering at our old place, and now, we’re being trolled by MATING PEACOCKS! *facepalm*

Book review, Charles de Lint, freelance, Life, Short story

On Multi-Tasking and Charles de Lint

Raidah Shah Idil

“The major work of the world is not done by geniuses. It is done by ordinary people, with balance in their lives, who have learned to work in an extraordinary manner.”
― Gordon B. Hinckley

Today, my desk looks slightly more organized. I have a glass of water to my right, Craisins to my left. Paper… everywhere. 🙂 It’s been a rough and rewarding past week, with my completion of my first project. Editing transcripts is hard. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Getting my first payment? Now that was a good feeling. I’ve signed up to another freelance website, http://www.elance.com, and I’m working on another project; I’ll be writing a 20-page report, this time. While I edit my latest piece for Daily Life. And work on my counselling workbook. And – not to mention – juggle the various roles of wife, daughter, sister, and friend.  Eep. I have lots to do. Balance is key!

On another note, check out this beautiful post on the difference between a short story and a novel. As much as I love reading a satisfying novel, there’s something incredibly special about a superbly-crafted short story. One of my favourite short-story collections has to be Charles de Lint’s Dreams Underfoot: The Newford Collection. Charles de Lint has crafted the mythical town of Newford somewhere in Canada, and created an unforgettable cast of characters. I need many, many more blog posts to cover how much I love his work. My first exposure to his genius was actually through audiobooks, from Audible.com – Memory and Dream was my first Charles de Lint experience. And certainly not the last! There is something so magical about how he’s weaved these stories together. His stand-alone novels are fantastic enough, but his short story collection felt like an absolute treat. The appetiser, so to speak, before the main course. Each so very exquisite, and leaving you wanting more.