Living proof

Last Friday, I visited Fikri at IJN. He was there for his routine biopsy. While there, Tee Hui Yi who received a new heart in October, and her mother dropped by to see Fikri. It was the first time that I actually met Hui Yi in person, and it was great to see her doing so well. She seemed so cheerful and her health has improved tremendously. If everything goes well, she'll be discharged sometime this week.

For me personally, being able to see how organ recipients like Fikri and Hui Yi doing well after their transplants is proof enough of the importance of organ donation.

Shake well before use

It has been raining continuously these past couple of days. Unfortunately (or fortunately) - depending on who you're talking to - we don't get snow on this part of the world, unless of course global warming turns the weather system topsy-turvy.

In any case, I found the following link to be particularly creative. Have a click here, and remember to shake well!

Same old, same old

And now for some updates...

Air-conditioning is still out. At least they figured out what was wrong. The compressor of one of the units caused the system to short-circuit.

Internet is also still out. Again, at least the problem has been identified. It has got to do with the ADSL line of the ISP.

In other words, no new development as yet.

*Sigh*

Monday blues

I rarely get Monday blues. But today, I am going through one. The Internet at the office is still down. The air-conditioning is also problematic. And I feel psychologically exhausted as a result of frustration with the way certain things are not turning out the way they should.

Sometimes I just feel like leaving.

Maybe I should...

Worth waiting for

It took well over a year, but I guess it's worth the wait. After submitting the application last year, I finally got a letter of offer to do PhD at Universiti Malaya a couple of days ago. I have since accepted the offer, and will be doing the obligatory health check next week, before registering before Hari Raya Aidiladha.

So after much delay, I will finally embark on the next level of education. As I will be doing this while I'm working (along with the other stuff I do), I pray that I be given the strength and good health to continue my studies.

The university gives each candidate a minimum of 2 years and a maximum of 8 years to complete the doctorate. As I am self-financed, I aim to complete the thesis within 2 years. That is a challenge that I put before myself.

Of sadness and hope

I was saddened upon hearing the news that 18-year old Siti Salmah Jasni had passed away due to severe septicaemia. Siti Salmah underwent the country's first simultaneous heart and lungs transplant on 2nd November at the National Heart Institute. My deepest condolences to her family. May her soul be blessed by Allah SWT.

Meanwhile, it is heartening to learn that Tee Hui Yi who made history by becoming the country's first double heart transplant patient is recovering well. The 14-year old girl is expected to start schooling again next year. My best wishes to Hui Yi on her full and fast recovery.

I text-messaged 17-year old Muhammad Fikri a couple of days ago. Fikri, dubbed "the Tin Man" by the media when he was fitted with a mechanical heart in 2005, had just finished his SPM examination. Fikri was the first patient in the East Asian region to be fitted with the mechanical heart internally. And subsequently, he received a new heart in December 2005. I asked him how he felt now that the exam is over, and he said he felt great and relieved that he was able to sit for the exam. I pray that Fikri has done well for his SPM.

Now that Fikri's exam is out of the way, I will be assisting him with his memoir entitled Echoes of My Heart. We hope that by sharing his experience, more Malaysians would understand of the great importance of organ donation in saving lives. Organ donation allows for organ transplantation to take place. While transplant may not be 100% successful, it has been proven to have given a new lease of life to a great number of patients like Fikri, Hui Yi and many others. Stories like those of Fikri's and Hui Yi's certainly have touched the hearts of many of us. Let's hope more people will be moved to pledge their organs.

Smoked

What a smoking start to the morning.

Someone thought it must have been a good idea to burn rubbish not far from where I live. While it drizzled this morning, one could actually see black smoke coming up from the burning rubbish. The otherwise fresh morning air was tainted with black fumes.

Then when I got to the office, I could smell something burning. Apparently one of the shops at the back of my office block was on fire, and a fire engine was already there when I arrived.

And now suddenly, I have a craving for smoked salmon.

How will this story end?

Every story has an ending. And every year has an end as well.

We are now coming towards the end of 2007. Perhaps it is timely to evaluate how 2007 has been. Has it been good? Has it been bad? Has it been so-so?

What does 2008 have in store for us?

A new beginning? A continuation of the same old routine? New excitement? Or nothing new?

For me, the end of 2007 sees me at a crossroad of sorts. Which route will I take? The road less travelled perhaps?

Alas, this story is far from over.

Long overdue

I know I've promised to post my newborn son's pictures some time back. He is now two and a half months old. And since a promise is a promise, I am making good of it. So here goes.

Above: A few hours after birth

Above: After shaving the hair (about 3 weeks old)

Guess who just found his way back?

Okay, I admit.

I was gone longer than I should have. And for that, I beg for your forgiveness. My deepest appreciation to those who have dropped by this blog, in spite of the lack of activity here for the past three weeks or so.

My absence has been due to a number of reasons. Chief among these is my health. I have been unwell ever since the end of Aidilfitri. The high fever that hit me a couple of weeks ago was perhaps the worst in my life. That, and a few anxiety attacks, really put me out of commission for quite some time.

In any case, I am back alhamdulillah. Let's hope that I'm back for the long haul although I cannot promise a daily update.

It's good to be back though!

Missing

I have been pretty quiet lately that I seem to be missing from the blogosphere. While I do check in on my friends' blogs on almost a daily basis, I wasn't in the mood to do much blogging myself. Not that there's nothing to blog. It's just that I have not been well for the past couple of weeks. It has been one thing after another. Two weeks ago, it was gastritis. Last week it was the combo of cold and cough.

This week, it's high fever. I went to give a lecture on organ donation at Hospital Ampang yesterday afternoon. Things went pretty well until I got home. I noticed my temperature went up at around 9.30 pm. This morning when I went to see the doctor, my temperature stood at 38.8 degrees Celcius and my blood pressure was pretty low - 85/60.

So I guess these are just some signs telling me to take things easy. I will return when things improve healthwise.

Raya report - Day 8

It's the eighth day of Syawal and I have completed the optional puasa enam. Nothing much happened on this day, aside from the usual afternoon rain of course.

I basically spent the whole day with my family at home. And I dropped by one of my neighbours' house as he organised an open house today.

Other than that, things were pretty much quiet... as usual.

Raya report - Day 7

The 7th day of Syawal was spent in KL. And much like Kulim, the wet weather seems to dampen the Hari Raya mood somewhat.

Nonetheless, the morning was filled with a couple of tasks. Like I blogged yesterday, my father has an appointment at IJN. After that, I sent my sister back to her campus in Petaling Jaya. After that was done, I brought my parents to a hypermarket to buy some stuff.

Things were a lot more quiet in the afternoon after the Friday prayers. I managed to get some rest. The exhaustion from the 5-hour drive the day before could still be felt.

And the best thing about the 7th day of Syawal is that I have managed to complete all six days of optional fasting at one stretch. It really feels good to be able to complete this act of fasting. And somehow, I feel that I miss the month of Ramadhan. Personally, I cannot wait for Ramadhan to come again next year.

Around 9 in the evening, my sister-in-law came visiting with her two daughters and two sisters. My brother has not been able to celebrate Hari Raya with us for three years running now because of his duties as engineer aboard a sea vessel. It has been a while since we managed to celebrate Aidilfitri with all the family members around.

In any case, it was good to be able to see my two nieces.

Raya report - Day 6

I arrived in KL around 3 p.m. today. The drive was smooth. The traffic wasn't heavy at all. I guess most people will only be coming back to the capital during the weekend. The weather was pretty good when we left Kulim. It only rained once we got to Lembah Beringin but even then, it wasn't too heavy. But I did notice that KL was pretty wet by the time we arrived even though the rain had stopped. The rain must be quite heavy just before we got into the city.

Frankly, I am a bit exhausted from the journey. I managed to get some rest in the afternoon but still, the body still aches somewhat. With the sun setting today, that means that I have completed 5 out of the 6 days of fasting in the month of Syawal. Another day to go. While I did say that this year's Hari Raya has been quiet and uneventful, I guess there is a silver lining to it. I have managed to start the puasa enam as soon as the second day of Syawal and looks set to complete it on the seventh day of Syawal. This would be my best personal achievement in this regard.

Last night, Azhan gave me a call. He is back from Switzerland with his wife Ann and daughter Lana Alesha for Aidilfitri. His hometown is in Serdang (Kedah) which is not far from Kulim. He called me up thinking of coming for a visit today. It's unfortunate that I was returning home to KL today, otherwise we'd have been able to meet up. In any case, he's coming to KL next week. So, we're planning to meet up then. Here's hoping for that to take place.

Tomorrow will be quite hectic. My father has to go to IJN to give his blood sample for Monday's follow-up. And I'm also sending my sister back to her campus tomorrow as she has to sit for an exam paper on Saturday.

Raya report - Day 5

Guess what? Another uneventful - and wet - day. I noticed that quite a few friends have remarked that this year's Aidilfitri is so very quiet. Could it be the weather? Could it be something else? Your guess is as good as mine.

I'm on my fourth day of puasa enam. And today is my second son's first month anniversary. And we brought him to have his Hepatitis B second immunisation jab.

Also today, we're spending the night at my mother-in-law's house. I'll be leaving for Kuala Lumpur tomorrow morning but my wife and newborn will be staying behind. My parents, sister and eldest son will coming along to KL. My sister will have her exams beginning this Saturday while my father has his follow-up at IJN. On Monday, I'll be coming back to Kulim to send my parents and son. From then onwards, I will be plying the North-South Expressway on a regular basis to visit my family.

I suppose the adventure of travelling northwards and back will be more eventful than this year's Hari Raya.

Raya report - Day 4

Today is another quiet day. Only my mother's cousin and her family came visiting. The weather meanwhile is relatively drier compared to the first three days of Aidilfitri. I am on my third day of fasting in the month of Syawal. Other than these, I guess there's nothing much to blog for today.

Raya report - Day 3

It is still wet on the third day of Aidilfitri. Like I said previously, I don't really mind as the showers keep the temperature down.

But things are quiet as with the previous days. I spent the whole day at home with my family. Only Saiful Sidek, whom I met about eight years ago in my alma mater during which I gave a motivational talk, dropped by for a visit in the afternoon. I have not seen him close to five years actually. So it was good to have met him today. We spent close to two hours catching up on old times.

Other than that, nothing much happens. I am on my second day of optional fasting. So far, I am confident that I would be able to complete all six days before the week ends.

And since things are rather quiet, I decided to start rereading the manuscript for my second novel tentatively entitled Transgenesis: Bisikan Rimba. I actually finished writing the novel during the first few days of Ramadhan. I hope to complete rereading and repairing the manuscript before returning to Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, so that I can submit the manuscript to the publisher some time next week.

Raya report - Day 2

The second day of Hari Raya Aidilfitri in Kulim was wet. The first day rained too but only briefly in the afternoon. The rain on the second day however was longer, heavier and more persistent. I guess that was probably why we didn't get that many visitors today. Only my mother's half sister accompanied by three of her daughters and son-in-law in the morning, followed by a neighbour at mid-day, and later my mother-in-law who came with one of my brothers-in-law and family. I was expecting some friends to come over but I guess the rain could have dissuaded them from coming.

Other than that, things were pretty quiet and uneventful. While the rain must have made some people think twice before going out, I kind of welcome it. Since we arrived in Kulim, the weather has been pretty hot and dry. The rain has managed to cool things down a bit.

On a personal note, I have started the optional six-day fast in the month of Syawal. In the past, I'd start this fast towards the end of the month of Syawal but this year, since I won't be going to many open houses, I thought I should start earlier.

All in all, a rather slow day. Today's highlight for me? I watched "Cicak Man" on television.

Raya report - Day 1

This year's Aidilfitri is relatively quiet compared to previous years. This is because my wife is still in confinement, so we are not doing much visiting this year.

In any case, as with previous years, Aidilfitri started off pretty much as a family affair with the obligatory seeking for forgiveness from the elders. Then my father and I went to the masjid for the Aidilfitri prayer.

After that, we came back home, and not long after, a childhood friend whom I have known since 1986 came visiting. It was indeed good to be able to see Chee Hong again after all this while. Chee Hong was based in Australia for a good seven years. Now he has just returned to Malaysia - perhaps for good he said.

Later in the afternoon, we went to my mother-in-law's house. This would be the first time most of my wife's relatives meet our newborn. We had a simple membelah mulut ceremony for the baby which was conducted by my brother-in-law. In the meantime, my eldest son had a good time there playing with his cousins, and chasing after the chickens.

After that, I took my eldest son to the house of one of my teachers from secondary school who lives in the same village as my mother-in-law. It's almost customary for me to visit her on Hari Raya.

Then we came back to my parents' place. My eldest son was so tired that he fell asleep as soon as he entered the house.

Like I said, a rather quiet Aidilfitri, but a meaningful one nonetheless.

Salam Aidilfitri

With Ramadhan ending today, and Aidilfitri coming tomorrow, may I take this opportunity to wish all visitors to my humble blog, "Salam Aidilfitri" and "maaf zahir batin." Let us pray that this joyous day of Aidilfitri be a time for strengthening our bonds and ties with family members and friends.