'Press for Progress' is the theme for 2018 International Women's Day, as you might be aware. We all love anything that rhymes don't we? Yes, I absolutely love the slogan. We, women, have to keep pressing forward to make a unit of progress, on a daily basis. And as one who has quite an extensive experience working in the corporate world, I want to say this, that we should also be quick and bold to press the "reject" button whenever men try to bully us at work. I used to be a victim but as I grow wiser and older I have become good at virtually punching them: damn men-office-bully.
You know I have a male colleague who had the nerve to ask me (and a female colleague) if there's a full stop after Mr? This guy has been working for decades and has been lobbying with the "top guns" so he could get a double promo, yet he expected me to help him with drafting a simple email. He's not even sure about simple punctuation rules. [Shame on you Mister. You decide yourself, Mister. Or ask Mr. Google. Mr Google (without a full stop) will be happy to answer too.]
You might have seen the photo of a bunch of policemen standing talking to one another as one lady janitor wiped off a graffiti that says 'Happy International Women's Day'. This took place at a prestigious uni in the UK. You just feel like slapping the face of all four policemen in the pix, don't you? LOL.
On the 8th of March, as I reflected outwardly and inwardly, I just wanted to mention two women who were on my mind: my first Quran teacher and Ms. Masako Wakamiya the 82-year-old, oldest iPhone app developer, who first started using the PC at the age of 60.
My Quran teacher did not only teach me to read the Quran for the first time. She instilled the drive to press for progress as far as Quran recital is concerned - that it takes constant effort throughout one's lifetime. You might have read a posting I did about using a digital Quran-pen to check on the correct tajweed/pronunciation for any verse that I was unsure of. I used to be among those old-school readers who prefer the hardcopy. Well, I still read using a physical Quran but I have become a happy user of the Muslim Pro app. It's hassle-free as compared to using a digital Quran pen. I don't have to worry about charging the pen. With the Muslim Pro app I could choose to repeat each verse twice, thrice or even infinite times (in case you want to memorize the ayah). In my case, I set it to repeat twice. The first time is to listen and observe how a professional Qari recites. The second time is to listen again while reading the meaning of the verse. I do this to familiarize as a warm-up session before actually reading the Quran using a physical book. And whenever I do so, as I come across any verse that I'm not sure about, I would use the Muslim Pro app again to zoom into the particular verse. I hope you too would be encouraged to improve your recitation by using the Muslim Pro app. Good to keep busy scrolling the verses covering as many surah as possible, repeatedly, than to scroll the phone for other meaningless feeds.
Ms. Masako Wakamiya who developed a Japanese gaming app meant for the seniors is indeed a living proof of "Press for Progress". She inspires us to keep ourselves busy doing meaningful things, feeding our brain positively, filling up our leisure time with useful learning. This oldest app developer took up the piano at 75.
How old are you? What are you up to?
I can't wait to start my MBA course, very soon. Bi-iznillah. It's March, I am marching to Chapter 11 of the Quran now. Hope to khatam in May inShaAllah. I bet you are busy doing better and bigger stuff.
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| Do your "Muslim Pro" thing. Maximize the app. |
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