Salam Ramadhan Al-Mubarak

To colleagues, friends and family, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you a wonderful and fulfilling Ramadhan. May this year’s Holy Month bring you the chance at redemption, peace, happiness and most importantly, Allah’s grace and barakah.

A good friend of mine forwarded this in a text message that I would like to share with all of you:

Tunjangkanlah resahmu di dada solat
Himpunkan peritmu di genggaman doa
Tutup kekecewaanmu dengan ketaqwaan
Nilaikan kesucian hatimu dengan keikhlasan

May all your goals this Ramadhan (khatam Al-Qur’an, not skipping tarawikh, fasting and keeping true to all the rules i.e. no mengumpat, no unnecessary sleeping/aktiviti lagha, no nose digging, etc.) be achieved successfully, insya Allah and amiin.

White Water Rafting – I’m Hooked!

I went to white water rafting at Sg. Selangor with a bunch of colleagues last weekend. I went out of the house very early in the morning with mixed feelings – dread, anxiety, excited – basically I was a bundle of nerves! :p I’ve heard lots of stories with regards to the sport. Some even say you can actually die if things go wrong!

But what was supposedly a dangerous and terrifying experience turned out to be very fun and exciting, an experience I wouldn’t mind going through again. =) I think, if the ground rules are set and obeyed, and your guide is experienced and articulate enough when giving commands, white water rafting can be fun and is a definite activity for people who want to inculcate team building and co-operation.

We were given a sturdy helmet, a life jacket and a paddle each. We were told that the river has a rating of 3 – 4 (see river ratings scale here). We were given a short briefing before boarding the raft and were taught commands such as over left, over right, sit in, paddle forward, go forward, normal, go back, etc. We were also taught where/how to hang on to the raft in the case of extreme positions that the raft might flip.

At one point during the course of the river, my group was waiting at the side with our raft securely parked at one of the rocks. While waiting, some of the guys went out to swim and I assumed it was alright for me too. But when I got out of the raft, I knew I was in trouble because the current was too strong for my little body. Although I could reach my legs to the bottom of the river (the water level was up to my neck at this point), I couldn’t get firm footing because of my light weight combined with the strong current and lost my balance. I thought I could swim against the current when this happened, but of course I couldn’t fight it. I immediately flipped to my back and let myself adrift and be swept by the current, as how our guide taught us in the event of an emergency. A guide pulled me to safety seconds later and I hauled myself onto the raft, shaken but thrilled.

Our guide was a very good and experienced orang asli who barked out commands in time with the river’s twists and turns. It seems like he has already memorized the route by heart! His voice wasn’t loud enough for the people in front though, so I helped him “amplify” his commands by repeating them in a louder voice. Heh. I was officially the Altec Lansing speakers for my group, or so Jimmy said. :p

To those who wants to experience some thrills, action, wet and wild fun, I’d definitely recommend white water rafting. Despite the bruises that you’re most definitely going to get, it’s worth it, trust me. A surefire must in your 100-things-to-do-before-you-die list. =)

P.S. To non-swimmers: It’s very safe for you to participate, seriously, especially during the dry season like now, because water levels are really low. It was only up to my knees at some point. You’ll get a higher chance of bruising yourself than drown. :p

P.P.S. Check out the pics on my photo album courtesy of Sani Alwi, to be updated with more pics once I have them from Nazha’s and Jimmy’s cameras.

God will never take away something without giving you something better…

The cheerful girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five. Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them: a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box. “Oh please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please?” Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl’s upturned face.

“A dollar ninety-five. That’s almost $2.00. If you really want them, I’ll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself. Your birthday’s only a week away and you might get another crisp dollar bill from Grandma.”

As soon as Jenny got home, she emptied her penny bank and counted out 17 pennies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and she went to the neighbor and asked Mrs. McJames if she could pick dandelions for ten cents. On her birthday, Grandma did give her another new dollar bill and at last she had enough money to buy the necklace. Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up. She wore them everywhere – Sunday school, kindergarten, even to bed. The Only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath. Mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green.

Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story. One night when he finished the story, he asked Jenny, “Do you love me?” “Oh yes, Daddy. You know that I love you.” “Then give me your pearls.” “Oh, Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have Princess – the white horse from my collection. The one with the pink tail. Remember, Daddy? The one you gave me. She’s my favorite.” “That’s okay, Honey. Daddy loves you. Good night.” And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.

About a week later, after the story time, Jenny’s daddy asked again, “Do you love me?” “Daddy, you know I love you.” “Then give me your pearls.” “Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my baby doll. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is so beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper.” “That’s okay. Sleep well. God bless you, little one. Daddy loves you” And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.

A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed Indian-style. As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek. “What is it, Jenny? What’s the matter?” Jenny didn’t say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy. And when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace. With a little quiver, she finally said, “Here, Daddy. It’s for you.”

With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny’s kind daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime-store necklace, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to Jenny. He had them all the time. He was just waiting for her to give up the dime-store stuff so he could give her the genuine treasure.

So as it is with Allah. He is waiting for us to give up the cheap things in our lives so that he can give us beautiful treasure.

Isn’t God good? Are you holding onto things which God wants you to let go of? Are you holding on to harmful or unnecessary partners, relationships, habits and activities which you have come so attached to that it seems impossible to let go of? Sometimes it is so hard to see what is in the other hand, but do believe this one thing. God will never take away something without giving you something better to take its place…

I Have Decided To Write Again

After a super long hiatus from the blogging scene, I have decided that it is time to write again. Writing puts my mind into context, connecting the meandering dots, helping me to see clearly. I have haunted fellow bloggers’ posts and I can’t help but notice that blogs help them to focus on life, to muse and ponder and reflect on the past, present and future. Whatever the reason, I have chosen to write my thoughts again. I have chosen not to be afraid, to live in truth, to accept and love myself as I am, and to stand by my principles, and to be strong. I will do my best and I hope I will not fail again.

To the person (or should I say people) who inspire me to live in truth and to learn to love myself, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.