Good start to the week

Alhamdulillah, we're back from our week-long festivity break. I'm back at the office since yesterday, and feeling energised to focus on my work. The first 2 days of the week have been very good. I managed to get a few things done, and looking forward to settling more things by the week's end.

Things are also looking up at the office. Insya-Allah, the Yayasan will be able to shift into high gear by the year's end. I hope by then we will be able to take in a few staff to help around the office.

I have also submitted my PhD application at UM earlier today --- finally. If everything goes well, I shall start my PhD journey next academic semester which is also due to start at the end of the year.

I also hope to start writing my second novel. The plot has been hatched, it's just a matter of putting words to the story. If I can concentrate on this, I hope to submit it for a literary competition organised by Utusan Publications and Distributors. The deadline for this year's competition is 31st December. Wonder whether I can get it done. Hmmm...

After 5 years of waiting, the house that we bought in Hulu Langat is also near completion. According to the developer, we should get the keys to the house in early 2007. My wife is also in the process of purchasing an apartment near my office. Most probably we'll be staying at the apartment, while the quaint little bungalow in Hulu Langat will be our weekend and holiday home.

Oh, well, whatever it is, I have no complaints. After all, this week has been off to a good start, perhaps due to the barakah of Ramadhan and Syawal. I sincerely pray that everything from here onwards will be smooth sailing, insya-Allah.

Back in KL

I'm baaaccckkk!!!

After just over a week in my hometown for the festivity, I've returned to the bustling big city. I'll blog down my thoughts in future entries. Need to do a lot of catching up with the e-mails, instant messages and snail mails.

It feels like I never left.

Eid mubarak

I will be offline for almost 10 days because of the Eidul-Fitr celebration. It's not that I can't get online, but for a change, I don't want to. After all, Eid is a time for family, relatives and friends. I'll be going back to my hometown with my family on Saturday, insya-Allah and will be back the following Saturday.

In the meantime, may I take this opportunity to wish one and all a joyous and happy Eidul-Fitr. Let us celebrate this occassion in the true sense of the word, and not just indulge ourselves with food and drink and television. Go out, visit your relatives and friends, rekindle memories and restrengthen the bond of brotherhood.

For those who are going to drive, allow me to remind myself and everyone reading, drive safely. Let us celebrate this Eid with happiness and laughter, and not sadness and tears.

Eid Mubarak.

Tip of the tongue

Of all places for an ulcer...

I wasn't able to talk for 3 days as a result of the ulcer on the tip of my tongue. I still can't speak perfectly as yet. Perhaps it'll be better in a few days time, insya-Allah.

I'm used to having ulcers on my lips, but never on my tongue. Ulcers on lips are not too hard to manage, just avoid contact with the ulcer and you'll be able to get along quite well. But this is not the case if the ulcer is on your tongue. It was a very painful experience.

Alas, it was a test in Ramadhan. I learned the meaning of patience, perseverence and endurance. I also learnt the meaning of thankfulness. We rarely if ever remember that the tongue is a ni'mah or blessing from Allah SWT. When Allah SWT wills for an ulcer to form at the tip of my tongue, then only I remember how precious the tongue is - how it is an important organ in many things. Now, I will never take the tongue for granted.

Also, I believe that this is a form of kafarah that I have to undergo in this auspicious month of Ramadhan. Perhaps, it is a way to wash away some of my sins through this painful experience, wallahu'alam.

Whatever it was, an ulcer at the tip of the tongue is an experience not easily forgotten.

Unsheduled tasks

Apologies for the inability to update the blog more regularly. My laptop is still out of order. I hope to get it fixed after Ramadhan.

Indeed, this month is full of tests. While I have been able to finish a lot of my tasks, there are some challenges that crop up in this blessed month. First, it was my laptop that came crashing to the floor breaking its LCD. Tonight, my car wouldn't start. My guess is the battery is flat, but the weird thing is that the battery is new. I will know what's wrong tomorrow morning when I call the AAM.

Oh, well. These episodes eventually make you a better person in the long run. We'd gain the experience of facing "unscheduled" tasks along the way.

Echoes of the heart

Remember Fikri? He was the first heart patient to be fitted with a mechanical heart, or more specifically a device known as IVAD, as a temporary measure till he gets a new heart. Fortunately, he got a new heart last December. One of my earliest blog entries was on Fikri, which can be read here.

Izza Aripin and I had a discussion with Fikri's mother this morning at my office. Insya-Allah, if everything goes well, we'll have a memoir on Fikri's experience out by next year. I believe Fikri's story is one that needs to be told, and needs to be read by everyone. It is a story with a heart that will touch everyone's emotions.

The National Heart Institute (IJN) meanwhile continues to make headlines. A 13-year old girl, Tee Hui Yin, has been fitted with a mechanical heart on 29 September. Hui Yin is the second heart patient to be fitted with IVAD. Like Fikri before her, the IVAD is a temporary measure until she gets a new heart from a donor.

That is why I cannot stress enough on the need to increase the number of donors. We have a lot of patients with end-stage organ failure, but unfortunately we don't have enough organ donors. Be an organ pledger, and help safe lives.

Seeing is not necessary believing

Our eyes are indeed unique, as they allow us to have vision. But there are times when we cannot really trust our eyes or believe what we see. Sometimes we see only the things we want to see. When this happens, we are deceived by our own eyes. For instance, take a gander at the image below. Our eyes see this image, and our brain interprets it as moving, whereas in reality the image does not move.
When we read the news, whether from the mainstream media or the so-called "underground" ones in the Internet, it is crucial for us not to easily believe what we read. Be critical and analytical. Ask questions that matter. Do some cross-referencing. Check the facts and figures.

News can be spin-doctored. If we are not careful, we'd be deceived by the spin doctors. Remember the reminder in the Quran:

O ye who believe! If a wicked person comes to you with any news, ascertain the truth, lest ye harm people unwittingly, and afterwards become full of repentance for what ye have done.

[Al-Hujurat (49): 6]