Wednesday, April 28, 2010

The quality of mercy is not strain'd,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
'Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown;
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway;
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God's
When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
Though justice be thy plea, consider this,
That, in the course of justice, none of us
Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy;
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy. I have spoke thus much
To mitigate the justice of thy plea;
Which if thou follow, this strict court of Venice
Must needs give sentence 'gainst the merchant there.

~ Portia's speech to Shylock, The Merchant of Venice, William Shakespeare

I think back to the sec 1 days and wonder how some teachers can fail to convey the wonderful meanings encapsulated in such beautiful language. I can't believe I actually despised literature in the beginning -- all cause of that Stanley woman; it's like hating cake after your first experience ever with a mouldy one.

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Rasulullah s.a.w. said, "When Allah decreed the creation, He pledged Himself by writing in His book which is laid down with Him, 'My Mercy prevails over My Wrath'."

~ On the authority of Abu Hurairah (r.a.), Sahih Muslim

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I bumped into yet another person on the train yesterday, on the way to school. I was sitting and being stressed and preoccupied with my computer science textbook and thinking hard.Then this person came in and was looking at me, and I was looking at her but not looking at her because I was thinking and faaar away in my brain, and when I finally realised, oh, this person is looking at me, she was about to look away cause apparently I hadn't seemed to notice. And it took like near 5 seconds for me to realise like, EH!!! I KNOW THIS PERSON! And by the time I realised, she had kind of backed away and stood a bit further from my seat, and I had started to feel horrible cause -- Oh no, should I say something now or not!

Horrible situation. And I was chewing away about what to do, and felt like dung. And then she got off at Raffles Place. And then I felt even more evil. :(

And then I started stupidly asking God to let me bump into her again so I can definitely say hi properly. Siiiigh. I don't mean to be so blur. meh.

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