For as long as they need

All four of my children are now carving out their own life. Two already married with two more still bachelors but working and earning a living. However, as fate would have it, that is only the first group. There's two more from the second group. They are still babies. Like I have always said, it's starting all over again. At almost sixty years old, its a heavy weight on the shoulders. I have to go through everything a second round, more than twenty years after the first round have ended. Don't know what the future have in store for Akid and Maisarah. Thinking about them can be scary sometime. Yeah……I pray to Allah that I can still be around to provide them, to guide them, to show them for as long as they need.

It was satisfying

Saturday was one busy day. I was standing in the sun waiting by the gate for the arrival of the guests. They came by the droves, especially at around 1pm. There was drama as well. Two cars got stuck in the mud at the temporary car park behind the house. We had to push it out, using all our strength. Luckily there were many people around so getting help was not a problem. I was worried it was going to rain as well, looking at the clouds. It did not however and that was a plus. At the end of the day, it was satisfying, to say the least. Minor hiccups were a plenty but overall everything went well. 

more photos

Old friends from schooldays

Hanafi wedding reception photos

That's the way to go

At fifty eight years old, I have learned to take life as it is. There are the good days and there are the bad days. There are happy days and there are sad days. There are times when everything seems to be going right but there are also times when everything seems to be going wrong. Now I take them all in my stride. I don't get upset easily cause I know that is what life is. Patience is the key to everything. That's why it is said in the Quran that Allah is with the people who are patience. Sometimes life can be hard on you. When that happens, you feel like you are in a bottomless pit. The only way to go is down but never lose faith in Allah, the Quran also says. That's the way to go.

How come?

It has been raining since morning. Thought it would stop by noon but it is still going on, getting heavier instead. The past three evenings, I had to use the raincoat. This morning, I had to use the raincoat. This evening, the raincoat will be necessary, going by the look of things. But I am surprised. The water level at the dams are still below capacity. How come?

You can't find them

The inevitable must happen. He tried his best but his best wasn't good enough. He was out of his depth.   He is a grinder but he is not a winner. He works hard but he don't have that little extra that is needed in order to win titles. At Man U, it is not enough. That's why he must go. Anyway, for them, getting a sack is nothing to worry about. First of all, the payout is a dream come true for most other people in this world. Secondly, it doesn't really affect their prospect of getting the next job. Name me a football manager who has not been sacked! You can't find them!

Akid having fun

Watching the scene

What a relief!

Its over

Anxiously waiting

Heavy rain

It was raining quite heavy just now. Reading from the internet, looks like KL is again in a gridlock. That's what normally happened after a heavy downpour. This time, it is no different for sure. From my room I can see the cars getting stuck near the Damansara toll going towards PJ, Damansara and so on. The path going the other way looks quite okay. Anyway, I will have a first hand look as I will be leaving my office soon. Just packing up before leaving.

The feast

Akad Nikah

Akid was there too.

No matter what

Its already almost seven in the evening. I'm still at the office, clearing up the pieces after a day's work. Tomorrow I'II be on leave for my son's wedding. I had to skip a trip to Brazil in order to attend his 'akad nikah' event. Its a no brainer actually. An easy decision to make. I want to be there for the most important day in his life, in aha Allah. All these years I have always been involve in their life, one way or another. Only in the last few years, things have changed. It was difficult at first, heavy for the heart and stressing on the mind. Nevertheless, I persevered, no matter how difficult it was. Alhamdulillah, I am forever grateful, no matter what!

Happily ever after

Tomorrow is my sons's wedding. He will be the second of my children to move into married life. Fate has it that I will not be able to join in the on going as much as I would have like. Its the one thing that has a real profound effect on me. I have missed many such occasions and I know I will miss some more.  Its really hard to take. To say I'm devastated is an understatement. Its deeper than that, definitely. Words cannot describe how I feel ……..but life has to go on. I make do the best I can. I accept what Allah SAW has given me. The good times have been a plenty. One or two bad times is just a little blot on an otherwise clean paper . I wish him the best in everything. May they live happily ever after till heaven.  

Less fire in Parliament

Read the shocking news this morning. One of our most colorful politician has died in an accident. This is one man who has stood up for justice, is never afraid to say the truth. I first heard of him more than thirty years ago. Even then he was already well known. More than thirty years later, he is still fighting the same cause, never wavering. Now he is gone. There will be less fire in Parliament for sure.

Lunch break

Lunch at Eastin Hotel. Akid was also around but he slept the whole period. Must have been real tired.

I feel safe at that speed

I put motorcycle riders into four categories. At the very top is the dare devil group. They ride their motorcycle with a devil may care attitude. So damn fast, an accident waiting to happen. They represent about 5% of riders. They easily go above 130km/h. Then there's the second group. This group rides their motorcycle fast as well but a bit slower than the group earlier. This, to me, is also an accident waiting to happen. I would put this at about 25-30% of riders, riding at between 90-130km/h. The third group is the largest, about 65-70%, riding at about 55-90km/h. Its the speed at which most people would feel comfortable I guess. Finally there's the last group. Only one person belong to that group. That's me, riding at about 40-55km/h. I feel safe riding at that speed. Anything faster, I feel like I am losing control of my bike. 

There has to be

There's this tussle between the civil courts and the shariah courts going on now. When these two meet, which court take precedent? What is happening is not a good advertisement for Islam, and Hudud for sure. People who are non Muslim will be afraid. We may say it doesn't affect the non Muslim but it will somehow. And when it does, the civil courts can't protect you. I just hope there is an amicable solution to all this. There has to be!

I will

The MRT taking shape right under my nose. View from my office. Its supposed to complete by 2017. Don't know if I would still be working by then. Going by my thoughts right now, I would like to still be working. I need to. I have two babies to look after. That's now. In the future, there could be more, who knows. As long as I can bring in the cash, I will, in sha Allah.

Big girl now

She's almost four months old. She's a big girl now. Her sleeping time is normal these days. No more being awake half the night or even the whole night long. Alas, now I can also slowly get back to my routine. The topsy turvy days of her first few months is over, I hope. After two months, everything gets to stabilize. That's what the books say. I'm seeing it with her. Maybe I can start going to the mosque again. Maybe I can start going jogging again. Maybe I can start …….  

Akid and Maisarah

The two babies Akid and Maisarah

Two or three months

With two babies in the house, I hardly have time for jogging nowadays. Can't even remember when was the last time I jogged. It was so long ago. Don't know if I still can maintain my normal twenty five minutes of jogging non stop if I were to do it now. Its one activity I'm missing. Looking at things now, it will another few months before I can start again. Maisarah needs to grow up first. Maybe when she's six or seven months old, maybe. That will be in two or three months time……..

An exciting year

It was raining heavily just a few minutes ago but now it is over. That means I can ride home on my bike without having to put on the raincoat. That's a plus after the past one week when almost it rained almost everyday, especially in the evening, just the time when I am riding home. Not much activity at the office today compared to previous days. One thing I can say, one year working at this place has given me years of priceless experience. So many things that happened, deadlines, problems, contract disputes, meetings etc. They all add up to make it an exciting year. I looked ahead with great optimism and anticipation. 

Morning thoughts

Yesterday it rained again in the evening. Although it was only drizzling, I decided not to take any chances. Put on the raincoat immediately. As it turned out, it was drizzling all the way to Cheras from PJ. The saga of MH 370 looks like it will not end soon. The black box has ran out of battery after one month. What chance will they have now without the 'ping' sound.  

So Maurinho has done it again. The master tactician has conjured up another magic, coming from a  dire situation to mastermind a victory. Anyway, the semi finals will be another story. With the likes of Barca and Real in the mix, it is going to be an interesting night of football.

Akid having fun at the Tapah Rest stop. What surprised me was the crowd. The place was packed that for a moment I thought its the school holidays. I guess now with better roads, Saturday being off day and all, people take the opportunity to travel. Anyway, driving was pleasant. Not too many cars on the road.

In Ipoh

Was in Ipoh over the weekend. Attended a wedding and then stayed overnight at a hotel. On the way back, thought of visiting Kelly's Castle but the babies were sleeping soundly, I decided not to.

Time waits for nobody

Its raining outside just as I am preparing to go home. Looks like I will have to put on my raincoat again. Its an everyday affair now. Rain and more rain. Yet the dams are still below desired level. One week has passed. Monday to Friday, time goes so fast. The weekend will be fast too. One day, one week, one month, one year, then many years. Before I knew it, I'm already fifty seven years old. That's the way it is. Time waits for nobody. 

Keep it simple

Spain did it during the European Championship. Fabregas was the person. A few others have also done it as well I'm sure. Now Maurinho has done the same. Playing a team with a 'false' forward. Don't really know what that means or what the positioning is like cause if you are playing a person upfront, then he is the forward for the day. No matter if he is a midfielder, attacking, holding or otherwise. As long as he is playing upfront, then he is a 'real' forward, not a 'false' forward. They are coining to many terms in football nowadays, it takes the simplicity out of the game. Like the great Brain Clough used to say, keep it simple!

The mind boggles

I sent my viva to a workshop for repair last weekend. I took the opportunity while waiting for the repair to be done to walk to a nearby shop selling big motorcycles. Wow! What I saw amazed me. Seeing them on the road is different from seeing them right in front of my eyes. They are so damn big. It makes me wonder why people would want to ride them. Its too cumbersome. Big and heavy. Handling them is no ordinary feat. Yet I see many of them on the road. Some of the riders are not much bigger than me! The mind boggles.

It helps a lot

Since I rejoined the workforce, I have more or less reinvented myself. I was never much into technical. I became an engineer because I was offered a scholarship. At that point in time, that was the best option I had so I took it. Ten years into my working life, I began to move more and more into other things like managing a unit, strategic planning, business development, performance monitoring, relationship building and quality management. Technical was deep into the back burner. But now, I am back doing technical stuff, things that I have left many many years ago. Now I am the technical person. People refer to me on the technical stuff. That's why I said I had to reinvent myself. Wipe the dust from that part of the brain. As luck would have it, there's a thing call the internet. It helps a lot. 

How embarrassing!

The mystery of MH 370 is the biggest aviation mystery ever. A plane as big as a 777 can disappear off the face of the earth just like that is downright baffling. Its unthinkable. The mind boggles. We thought we are so advanced, with out of this world gadgets. Yet a big plane went off the radar and we cannot find it! How embarrassing!

I could not have asked for anything better

Looks like things have brightened up lately. I settled my case with the courts after two and half years, which to me is too long for such a simple case. Anyway, I am glad that its over and done with. I am working for an increase to my income which so far is looking good. My tenant in Seremban is paying me right on time, every time. I don't have problem going and coming home from work cause my ex 5 can get me through even the worse of traffic jam. I enjoy my work, gaining new experience, learning new things even at almost sixty years old. I have no problem health wise. On the home front, everything is looking good……in other words, Alhamdulillah, I am grateful to Allah. I could not have asked for anything better.

At the hospital

Maisarah having her circumcision. Meanwhile, Akid as usual,will find things to do wherever he is.

What a relief!

A few things happened over the weekend plus Monday. Saturday morning, we took Maisara for circumcision. Alhamdulillah it went well. By 10.00 am in the morning, we were done. Later in the afternoon I took the Viva for repair to the back seat. That was done in quick time. Sunday was spent mainly in the house. The big day was Monday. After two and a half years, it all came down to Monday. Its decision day. Surprisingly, my heart was not beating that much. I was calm. Perhaps after so long, we have decided whatever the result may be, we will take it and move on from there. Went the decision finally came……… Alhamdulillah, we got what we came for. What a relief! 

Come Tuesday, I have another important thing ……..