Starting the year....

I left 2007, it didn't leave me!
It is me who is moving ahead.....

The Burj Al Arab, welcoming 2008. Where I was last night, it was electric. The excitement and anticipation were buzzing in the air on a dark and chilly Jumeira beach. My family together with seven other Malaysian families were amongst tens of thousands others. We arrive at around eleven, picked out spot and spread our picnic offerings.






A new year it is, but not a new life! Your miseries do not fade away just because the seven has changed to an eight. You still have to pay your bills, dig into your pocket every time you pass through one of the many tolls, and face the same faces at home and at work. Make no mistake about that....
A new year it is, but not a new life! New resolutions won't get you anywhere - except to the same place you left off a year ago. A new life - can start any time you choose it to be. But, the starting point is with yourself.
.......Think positively - of yourself and your life.
Cultivate an indomitable spirit. Believe you can and will succeed. Make a list of positive statements about yourself and read them everyday, not just on a new year's day.
Do not make excuses or put yourself down in conversations with others or with yourself. And analyze the people you come in contact with on a regular basis. Are these negative people or positive people? Your friends should support you and lift you up, not depress you and
drag you down to their level. And when someone compliments you, say thank you. That’s important. Many people receive compliments and respond with, “oh well, I’m really
not…”.
Believe in yourself and others will believe in you.





I left 2007 behind me.....just like I would like to leave my past where it belongs. In the past!
The past is just that–the past. What happened in the past does not necessarily allude to what is going to happen in the future.
Each new career, new relationship, and new friendship have their own
unique potential. If you were let down in the past, you can’t let that
affect your present and future. They aren’t the same.
If you live in the past, you will constantly live in a self fulfilling
prophecy. Your life will suck because you
expect it to suck. Or it will thrive because you believe you can! It’s that simple.
And just in case you have some doubt - ok, i am with you. There is an enemy!
The only problem is that the Enemy is You.

In order to conquer the outside, you must first conquer the inside. Look to yourself. We hold ourselves back more than anyone else has the power to. When you realize this is the reality you will find it easier to deal with your issues and make progress toward your goals.

So, please take another look at the list of resolution you have written. Then take a good look in mirror - at yourself!

My best wishes to everyone - and HAPPY NEW YEAR! But, I can only make wishes. You determine how 2008 shapes up for you....no one else!
Work hard, and pray even harder.
Smile and love a lot.
Be truthful - especially to yourself.
Make someone happy everyday.
Hug and tell your loved ones you love them, while they are alive. Life can be taken at anytime - with little notice.
Say sorry, if you made a mistake. But forgive everyone before forgiveness is asked for.
Whether you like or hate someone -their lives move on. The difference is by forgiving them - you harbor no ill feelings in your heart. Ill feelings eat your soul, yours! No one else.
Sleep well, drink lots of water, wake up for Fajr prayer, and always include your parents in your doa.


( Along, Angah, Achik, Amirul, Haziq, Luqman - ayah loves you! )
(Lil - let us make 2008 our best ever......)

Benazir!

"Benazir Bhutto - misses you!"
Amran received the sms, and smiled a wicked smile. He looked behind and around him to make sure no one was watching. He plucked the single red rose from the front garden of Mrs Grey and quickly hid it under his heavy overcoat. He quickened his steps towards the end house along the Radford road. The door was opened at the instant he rang the bell.
As soon as the door was opened he darted inside.
"I have this for you!" He passed the red rose to the girl he fondly called Jie.
Norjiehan was a Malaysian but looks Pakistani. Norjiehan was indeed a beautiful lady!Her oval face, silky smooth fair skin, an ever ready smile worn on her luscious lips, and a pair of eyes....full of twinkles under those long lashes! She would swear that both her parents were pure Malays, and got frustrated every time Amran mocked that she was adopted from Afghanistan. Both Amran and Norjiehan were students in the Midland of England. During winter they would build snowmen together, and walk in the open fields looking for daffodils in the springs. The meadows of the Midlnd have been their play-ground. He was an ardent photographer, and she a willing and beautiful model. Photography was a passion for him, a subject he was studying in the University. Modelling was never in her ambition, but for him.....she would pose to his commands. Their love story never got off the ground. From casual flirting to serious attempts from Amran, they just could not transcend the level of being platonic friends. In fact very close platonic friends. Jie's feeling towards Amran was that of a twin sister to her twin brother. If he was down, she felt the pain and when he was happy she was the one who was ecstatic. The reverse was also true. Amran treated Jie as his own sister - often attempted to hug her as a brother would for a sister, but always got pushed away politely by Jie. For all of her modern and liberal views, Jie was always strict when it came to matters of 'what was right and what was wrong'. And to her - holding and touching between a man and a woman were for married people.

"Benazir wants you to buy her a Fish & Chip with salt and vinegar!"
He received the above sms when he was actually stuck in extra long queue at the Tesco supermarket due to power failure and the teller machine failed to work. It was just the excuse he needed to give up the long queue. He rushed off to buy two take away Fish n Chips and cycled quickly towards Jie's house. When she opened the door, there were tears in her eyes.
"What happened?" Amran asked, curious and concerned.
"My dad is very sick, just got a call from my mom. What do you think I should do?"
"Buy a ticket and go home. You only have one dad!"
"You think I should?" She wanted reassurance.
"Yes". Amran was brief and sure.

Norjiehan took a flight to KL the day after. She only carried a hand luggage as her intention was to return to the UK in a weeks time - in time to prepare for her final exams. But as fate had it, she never returned. Her dad died the same day he arrived and she stayed back to keep her mom company. From a plan to stay for one month, she changed it to two and then extended until the next semester.....and when she fell in love with a business man who swept her off her feet she forgo her education for matrimonial bliss. They were married within three months of knowing each other. Amran bought tickets to fly back for the wedding, but accidents happened at the most inconvenient time. He was knocked off his bike by a motorist and was hospitalized with a leg and a few ribs broken. He called to congratulate her on her wedding day. "Now I supposed I won't be getting anymore sms from my Benazir Bhutto!" he teased.
"I supposed so....Benazir has been sent to an exile!" She said of herself - but also speaking the truth of reality. It was the year when Benazir left Pakistan under a self-imposed political exile. Amran stayed on in England pursuing his PhD in fine arts. Despite many suitors, he decidedly remained single.

Tonight, Amran was walking down the avenue towards the University Library when he received an unexpected sms from Jie.
"Benazir - shot dead!"
He smiled and paused under a lamp post to punched in his reply.
"That is funny.....what a way to say hello from a lost twin!" He pressed the send button and smiled happily. His face flushed with warm thoughts of Jie. Just the knowledge that she was thinking of him brought some nice flutters to his heart.
Another sms came in.
"Noooooooooo!!! The BENAZIR is DEAD! pls see the news...but yes, HELLO stranger!"

Amran wanted to call but decided against it. He instead went into a nearby cafe....to get a peek of the latest news. There were already small groups of Pakistanis huddling and visibly in deep and passionate conversations.
Amran briefly stopped at the cafe entrance, and as he listened to the news flash he silently offered a prayer and recited the Al Fatihah for Benazir, a Muslim leader who has given her life for her political conviction. But Amran did not stay long, he walked on to the library without stopping. His mind was not on the death of the Benazir - but he was sufficiently distracted by another Benazir - one very much alive and very much missed!

-The above short story was written from the writer's imagination.

Sacrifice?

Haziq and Luqman - doing the floss!
guests young and old - happy a jolly time.
photographer's family + yatie & daughter
what a get together! TQ Matt and Yatie!

Eid - where do I go from here?

Eid Al Adha is about Hajj and about Sacrifices. We know of one husband and wife couple who went to perform their Hajj. The husband's parents came from Malaysia to look after their grandchildren! In my view a sacrifice on their part.....

Another husband and wife friends of ours Mr FND were also in Mecca performing their Hajj. Their children were looked after by Mr F's family. May mr FND and wife get Hajj Mabroor, and may Mr F and family receive blessings from God for their help.

Sacrifices? Some do so knowingly while others doesn't even know they were doing some great sacrifices - But God is all knowing!

I have a school friend who was paralyzed from his waist down after he was hit by a fallen tree during a thunderstorm. That was eight years ago! His wife has been by his side, and at the same time turned into a lone bread winner for the family. She transformed into being a mom, a wife, a nurse, a chauffeur, and an ever present soul-mate all at the same time.....Her sacrifices are of the highest order! But mention the word sacrifice to her, she will shrug it off with a smile and words of love beyond measure, "It is his sacrifice for all of us, being stuck to his wheel chair while trying all the time to keep us happy".

Sacrifice? The meaning of 'Korban' and the spirit of it goes beyond paying some amount of money to slaughter a goat. To sacrifice is to give the best part, to give up the thing we value the most and to do so solely to get God's approval and blessings. In this material world of today, a 400 ringgit is of no consequence to many people - but time is! Therefore we have seen many well to do people who easily pay money to participate in ''Korban" but only to elect a representative to be there on his/her behalf because he/she was too busy with something else which he/she was unwilling to sacrifice! I salute those people who due to scarcity of resources, willingly and sincerely sacrifices their time, their effort, and some even their pride in order to please God.....

Sacrifice? Victorious are people who are able to sacrifice their whims and fancies in favour of His acceptance. Glorious are those who are able to sacrifice his own needs and desires to please people they love. I know of one lady, a well known and successful person in her own right. She was a regular to a TV network with her motivational programme. In pursuit of spiritual excellence - after her marriage failed, she gave up every worldly things and moved to Mecca. What did she sacrifice? In the eyes of people like myself who is a mere observer, she has sacrificed everything, even being away from her own parents and children in order to pursue a higher order love - and that is her Love for Him.

I reflect long and hard - on this fourth day of Eid. Sacrifice? I will start with sacrificing something from within my list of desires, whims and fancies......ermm.....it is not going to be easy to give up blogging, or chatting, day dreaming about a Porsche, a Range Rover, a twenty million dollar villa some of these naughty list things on my mind.

To Haji FND and Hajjah, Haji Faizal and wife - Welcome back! You too have sacrificed in search of His blessings.....

Di sini, ada satu kisah benar 'korban'.

Matt - dan ayam percik!

Bismillah......makan nasi kerabu!

Juadah terhidang!

Sembang-sembang selepas lunch.

Gambar2 lunch at Yatie's and Matt's - Eid hari ke empat.