The Bus is here...

It was quite an occasion for me. It was an even bigger occasion for him. It was the first day he was to take the school bus. The night before, he was having a second thought. Then I took out his toy gun, and played with him shooting targets. With the most subtle of hints, I reminded him about his side of the deal - that he has agreed to take the school bus if I bought him a toy. He was perceptive enough to know and claim responsibility to honour his words.

"Will you be there tomorrow morning when I take the bus?" He asked.

"Of course....I will be there" I reassured him, and immediately set my alarm. The bus was to come at 6.45am and he was the second to be picked up.

Luqman worries about things generated only by his imagination. For instance, he was worried about what would he talk about with whoever kid who sits next to him.

"You know I don't like to talk early in the morning.....shall I pretend to sleep?" He asked, worried.

"You can listen to musics....that way you don't have to talk" suggested his brother Haziq.

"But I am not allowed to bring the MP4 to school" He retorted.

"You can talk little bit...at least to say good morning to your friend on the bus" I chipped in.

"Can I bring the MP4 ayah?" He asked, against his own instinct but hoping I would say yes.

And I said yes! Lil frowned, but gave in.....

So, that night we helped him to upload more songs into his MP4.

The morning arrived. I didn't sleep after the Fajr prayer and chose to wait for his bus to come. I was anxious about how he would react at the crucial moments. So, I was half ready in clothes decent enough to drive him to school just in case.....
LiL was more relaxed.
Luqman was quite chirpy....and was even willing to pose for pictures while waiting for the bus.



Then ....it happened!

Like a true man...he shook and kissed my hands, then strode confidently to the bus....put his best foot forward...and did not even look back. I waved him goodbye.....and he was gone. My youngest son.....is growing up faster than I myself is ready to let him go. But when he strode out as confidently as he was that morning, I knew I have little to worry about. Perhaps, LiL knew her son better for she was relaxed all the way.

The Bus is here...

It was quite an occasion for me. It was an even bigger occasion for him. It was the first day he was to take the school bus. The night before, he was having a second thought. Then I took out his toy gun, and played with him shooting targets. With the most subtle of hints, I reminded him about his side of the deal - that he has agreed to take the school bus if I bought him a toy. He was perceptive enough to know and claim responsibility to honour his words.

"Will you be there tomorrow morning when I take the bus?" He asked.

"Of course....I will be there" I reassured him, and immediately set my alarm. The bus was to come at 6.45am and he was the second to be picked up.

Luqman worries about things generated only by his imagination. For instance, he was worried about what would he talk about with whoever kid who sits next to him.

"You know I don't like to talk early in the morning.....shall I pretend to sleep?" He asked, worried.

"You can listen to musics....that way you don't have to talk" suggested his brother Haziq.

"But I am not allowed to bring the MP4 to school" He retorted.

"You can talk little bit...at least to say good morning to your friend on the bus" I chipped in.

"Can I bring the MP4 ayah?" He asked, against his own instinct but hoping I would say yes.

And I said yes! Lil frowned, but gave in.....

So, that night we helped him to upload more songs into his MP4.

The morning arrived. I didn't sleep after the Fajr prayer and chose to wait for his bus to come. I was anxious about how he would react at the crucial moments. So, I was half ready in clothes decent enough to drive him to school just in case.....
LiL was more relaxed.
Luqman was quite chirpy....and was even willing to pose for pictures while waiting for the bus.



Then ....it happened!

Like a true man...he shook and kissed my hands, then strode confidently to the bus....put his best foot forward...and did not even look back. I waved him goodbye.....and he was gone. My youngest son.....is growing up faster than I myself is ready to let him go. But when he strode out as confidently as he was that morning, I knew I have little to worry about. Perhaps, LiL knew her son better for she was relaxed all the way.

Greetings from Tehr@n

Dear All,

Salam and greetings from Tehr@n. This is my third day here, and I am missing home dearly. It has been a while since I traveled, which means that I have spent a lot of time lately in the company of loved ones. And to be away from them, especially during Ramadan is tough on me. This is despite great and gracious hospitality from my Ir@nian hosts here in Tehran.

The guest house where I stay does not have internet connections. The office time is mostly spent on the road travelling from one site to another - meeting people and getting to know the businesses here. It is now 8pm, and I am stealing time at the laptop while my colleagues indulge in conversations in Farsi. No I am not being rude at all.....it is a way of making them feel less guilty for making me feel left out from their conversation.

I appreciate all your wishes for our house warming. I wanted to reply, but oddly enough I could not open the comment box from here. I promise to post more pictures of the house after my return.

A few discoveries during these few days of fasting in Ir@n.
- Most of them are Shiah. They do not observe Teraweeh prayers.
- The Shiah do not rush to break fast at the first word of Adzan. Instead, they waited for the Adzan to be completed.
- For the last three days, I have been having Iftar at the office. Upon enquiring, I was told that almost everyone in Tehran break their fast in the office except for weekends. This is so different from us in Malaysia.
- The menu for the last three days have been the same, and I have had Iftar in two different offices. It is soup which they call "Sof", some kind of cereal porridge called"Halim", leaves of a few kinds, bread, white local cheese, and dates. Yes, no meat! So I was pleasantly surprise today when one of the dishes looked like meat - but alas, they were the feet of lambs. I just could not bring myself to eat them little footsies.

Business wise, the visit has been useful. I have been introduced to so many people in so many different businesses belonging to the group. Everyone have been warm and polite. I understood what have been spoken, I am trying to decipher what have been displayed through their body language, and I will continue to learn and understand what are not spoken.....and the ability to understand all three will be the key to my success in Iran.

On another matter, I despise the way the Columbia University rector welcome abused the President of Ir@n. No matter what - it is simply uncivilized for him to be rude to his guest, an elected President of a sovereign Country. And I am not even politically inclined one way or another....I am just respectful of human dignity and fair treatment.