Al Fatihah, Nurin may Allah bless you always.

I started writing this on Tuesday 18th after reading about the dead girl found in the bag. I could not finish writing then as I kept breaking down.

Everytime I read this kind of news my heart breaks and the emotions overwhelms me about ho much I wish this did not happen. I keep thinking about the pain and suffering and terror that the child felt up to the last moments of her life. I can't face this anymore. Even as a spectator it's overwhelming.

We have to be prepared when bringing these children into the world. We are responsible for them being here to large degree and thus it is up to us to take care of them. Think of these 5 reasons why:-

These are Raising Children antibodies / reminders that Dr Norhayati once related in her lectures.



1. Children are our AMANAH. We are entrusted with these children so it is up to us to take care of them. They are counting on us. Allah's amanah on us to take care of these kids.

2. Taking care of children can be considered our IBADAH. LIke any Ibadah, do it proper, with the right nawaitu, and do it well. If you promise to teach , if cannot be done today, do qadha and do it the next available time.

3. Children are our UJIAN. Taking care of them tests us in all aspects. We are responsible to come out of this test with flying colours.

4. Children are our NIKMAT and not our azab. Every moment that they spent with us is an nikmat and as such needs to be treasured. Their loss is also soul wrenching like the loss of a gift from Allah swt.

5. Our Children are our JIHAD. Jihad means to some doing with best of ability and intent. And if mean it as jihad there is very little that can stop us.

May Allah place her among the chosen. I offer this prayer to all my children and all children in this world, what ever their race, religion, colour, shape. May Allah bless you all.

Vacation .... (or How I need another one) - Part 1

Salam All,

Before I left for Melbourne, one of my colleagues said that "You know what you will need after a vacation? Another one". Yup but wrong on one part .. I actually need another two.

Well came back safely to Malaysia after leving for Melbourne with the family on 19th August.

It was the 1st time for me back to Melbourne after leaving it to come back to Malaysia after my studies. I never actually thought I would get to see it again. Somehow I thought I had left it for good.

When I landed at Melbourne Tullamarine the temperature showed 2 degrees Celsius. Happy giler after facing high 30's kat KL. My kids and wife were so happy to be reaching Melbourne. I was emotional too coming back after all these years.

One moment ... masa nak landing .... as the plane was flaring .... one Mat Salleh was commenting how smooth the landing was .... but of course it was followed with a bump as the plane tak le landing lagi ... bengap jugak.

OK ... one advise... when they ask you to declare food ... don't forget that powdered milk is food. I did not declare but managed to tell the officer before check that actually I had not registered in my my mind that powdered milk is considered dried food.... oh duuuh. But he let me off easy after I said it was for my daughter and since I had told him before the check.

Came out of Tullamarine it was cool and sunny. My kids happy dapat tengok wap kat mulut. He he.

The drive to Melbourne city was okay but mostly caught in a very minor jam (by KL Standard). Was happy seeing Melbourne skyline since you can actually catch sight of it form far as Melbourne is so flat.

Reached the hotel early and got our rooms early. Great. Time to settle down and unpack .... next we're going out.

.... sambung lagi .... banyak kerja

Yes! Vacation time!

I'm going a looooong vacation (though I know by the end of that vacation I will feel that I wish it could be longer)!

I know I have been very tardy about this blog .... but I'm in a vacation mood so Tardy is IN!

I have to write something about this though. I went and helped my dear bro to buy Mac for his new business (producing drama, sitcoms and movies). Fell in 'love' with the new sleeker iMac, that for me seems to pack bigger punch than the desktop version.

Hope he has great fun working on it as much as I had drooling on it .... have a look ... it's totally worth it!

Okay .... got go pack, okay I know it's too early but what the heck ... might as well do something I am happy about.

G'day all .. Down Under HERE I COME!

No BBBS in Malaysia ... for now

A couple of weeks ago I asked around for this initiative to develop the big brother big sister type of structed mentoring ... well I wrote to BBBS International and I am sharing with you their reply,

'

Dear Sir,

Thank you for contacting Big Brothers Big Sisters International. The email you sent to BBBS of America was also forwarded to us as we work with people and organizations outside of the United States.

Big Brothers Big Sisters International is a non-governmental organization whose mission is to help children around the world reach their potential through the Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) model of mentoring. Our new strategic focus is on the development of country-wide programs and our requirements to start new programs are rigorous. To insure the level of
excellence associated with our brand, we are limited to the number of programs we can start up each year.

At this time we are not planning to establish a program in Malaysia, but would like to keep your name and information on file should we decide to expand to your country in the future. We acknowledge this may disappoint you but do hope one day to establish programs throughout the region.

You should know that the BBBS model, including the name and logo, is proprietary and cannot be used without the permission of BBBSI. If you intend to develop a mentoring program, as you mentioned below, there are a variety of reputable resources on the Internet.

Thank You."


Well ..... now means I need to check up on other similar programs in Malaysia.

Coming back

Hi y'all

Wow ... my 'sis' just reminded that I've been away far too long. almost 1.5 months. Thanks ... need to be more discipline ... I am NOT doing this place justice.

Well frankly there's just too many things happening. Work (which I can't talk about ... otherwise I have to kill you), Family ... oo there's so much to talk about .... so that I have no idea where to start.

Nice Stuff Interlude (much needed on Monday morning) : Oh yes ... my youngest (4yrs old) had her swimming lesson, and yesterday was her first day doing freestyle. Proud like crazy considering she's the smallest in her class and her teacher said the bravest. Hah ... what a big difference compared to the Dad. But the part of having other parents commenting she's so small but she's so brave and happy in the water is the ego-bursting part of being a Dad. So there ... I admit the little narcissistic element there.

I am so very tired nowadays ... perhaps maybe getting myself in a rut over work. It just seems that even though there are so many things at home, I dont' get as tired when I am at work. I guess doing things that you dont really like for people you kind of tolerate has a whole different dimension in energy (you can call it the Force) usage as compared to doing things for people that you love.

Well. Can't do this self pity stuff (too exhausting) ... have to start positive and get on with the work.

I am actually sick of reading newspapers ... 4-5 pages on the trial of the year (oh pleaaaze ) about some cheating husband, some goldiggers, some stupid / evil cops and a bunch of lawyers in between. And this is of national interest? What kind of brain do we have that we are so immensely fixated on this crap.

I have not heard anything anymore about the late Donny John Dion nor of any kids in poverty. I guess it's not as interesting. Actually I think that this is due to the fact that watching others parade or try to hide their guilt is much much preferable than considering our guilt for not facing facts of crappy things that happen around us Maybe because we don't care and have already spent our allotted newspaper reading time in the day poring over that 4-5 pages with pictures on the freaking trial of the Year. We'll forget about this .... as we do about others ... this only sustains our meagre and boring existence. When husbands and wife can't talk about anything else.

How about our chils' safety, does that interest us. I hope it does coz if it does not we in a load of crap.

Last week I read about this little Tadika girl lured away and was sexually molested. I shook and cried over this. How How How HOW can we let this happen. did no one see, did no one cared. What kind of walls and blinders that we have built that we dont care anymore.

I am so scared for my kids ... I see a future so bleak and awful UNLESS we change. Not simply blaming govt etc for not doing our job, but ourselves for not speaking and caring even though we think it might not make a difference. We have to care .. we have to give a damn .... we owe it to them after really screwing up their future ...

So there bro and sis .... help me be better.

Big Brother / Big Sister

After the last article, we've got some responses from people who wants to help.

A couple of us got to discussing about Big Brother / Big Sister
association that they have set up in the States.

Can we set something like this up.

The way i'm seeing this is to have formal association that would have
the cooperation of various bodies like the Police (for background
check with consent of people volunteering), maybe Bank Negara (just to
make sure) we don't have any those that might use the the situation
for other than well-intentioned purposes.

Anyone interested or have any knowledge on this?

Living on the edge

My good friend (more like a sista) showed this article in her email just moments after I read it (call it fate). I'm posting this here (wiothout permission from NST) in case it gets lost after awhile as NST refresh pages and this gets archived.

Please tell me what we can do to make a difference.....

Living on the edge (NST - 13/4/07)

About 16 children aged between 14 and 18 years old roam one of Johor Baru’s notable streets. They have been called a nuisance, an eyesore and even a threat to the tourism industry. JASSMINE SHADIQE finds out who they are and how they came to live in the shadows of the country’s second largest city

BOSOM buddies Zaini Khamis and Majmin Ali (not their real names) just could not take the ridicule and humiliation they faced at school every day. The two teenagers in Johor Baru were always on the receiving end — from teachers and students, who made fun of them because they were poor and could not afford brighter and cleaner school uniforms.

Another of their friends, Zainal Faisal, 14, was often the butt of jokes from teachers and school- mates because he was not good in his studies. Life at home was an endless cycle of hunger and scolding.

Ironically, the only comfort, care and companionship that these kids found came from living on the streets of Johor Baru.

As Zainal told the New Straits Times, "there’s money in these streets".

The three, along with 16-year-olds Shukri Moin and Sani Samad, are among the 16-odd urchins who have become a common sight along Jalan Wong Ah Fook, a thoroughfare of restaurants, shops and moneychangers, usually choked with locals and tourists.

Their tales of how they ended up sleeping on cardboard boxes on pavements and scrounging for restaurant leftovers bear the familiar theme of broken families, grinding poverty and the subsequent alienation from their better- off peers at school.

Zainal’s father is in prison for trafficking drugs and his mother has been so depressed that she can’t cook for herself, let alone her three children who live in a shack in Kampung Skudai Laut.

Zaini’s family could not afford to pay the 15-year-old’s RM24 school fees and because of this, his teacher made him stand out in the sun.

Sani and Shukri decided to quit school just before their Penilaian Menengah Rendah exams as they felt that it was pointless — they could never afford the costly books needed for the test.

The last straw that drove Majmin, 17, away from home and school came one day when a group of schoolgirls commented on his uniform, which was shabby because his family could not afford a new one.

For these five, life on the street is not as bad as it seems.

They affectionately refer to each other by nicknames, such as "Tree" (Zainal), "Buck" (Shukri) and "Arun" (Zaini).

They never steal, they claimed, but would wait around foreign currency traders to ask customers for small change .

Meals come from stall operators or restaurant owners in exchange for performing tasks like cleaning toilets, sweeping floors or helping to load things into vehicles.

For toilets, they just hop into public washrooms in shopping malls or restaurants.

But threats do come in the form of older boys, who extort money from the five. The boys also feel that they are unfairly treated by authorities, such as the Welfare Department and the police.

Shukri and Zainal said they were picked up one day by Welfare Department officers, who "swooped down" on them in a black police truck.

"The officers wore rubber gloves and blue vests, as though we had some disease," Zainal said.

"They hauled us into the truck with some drunks, beggars and illegal immigrants."

The two were taken to the department’s office in Jalan Air Molek, where their particulars were taken down.

"Realising that we were underage, they asked for our parents’ telephone numbers.

"Our families do not even have money for the electricity bill and they asked us for telephone numbers!" Shukri said.

When the officers asked them to wait while they made arrangements for a car to take them home, the two took the opportunity to slip away.

"At home, there is never enough food, no electricity. Only scolding.

"Here in the streets we get to do whatever we want. There is life, food, no angry parents. And we are happy," said Zainal. "
=========

Like my dear sista says they don't make teachers like they used to ..... I say same goes for the rest of the human race

Free Airtime

Came across this today

"In fact," (Walter) Cronkite has pointed out, "of all the major nations worldwide that profess to have democracies, only seven -- just seven -- do not offer free airtime (to all politicians campaigning)", putting the United States on a list with Ecuador, Honduras, Malaysia, Taiwan, Tanzania, and Trinidad and Tobago. Cronkite concludes that "The failure to give free airtime for our political campaigns endangers our democracy.""

Sets me thinking ... we are so sure about being the lead for a lot of things but maybe being grouped together with the US of freaking A is list list of 7 nations is not too hot a deal.

Then it sets me thinking on another angle. What if there is no airtime for anybody and the politicans would actually have to be doing work and not just seen to be doing. That'll probably put us in the list of ONE nation not giving time of the day to ANY politician. That'll be nice... they have to work for a living.

Signing of ....

Swimming Lessons

My baby girl (well actually not a baby anymore ..... going on 5 this year end) had her 1st swimming lesson last weekend at the Pusat Akuatik Darul Ehsan (PADE) conducted by the Supersharkz team. Was worried at first.

Turned out she was in her element. Did what she was supposed to and more. But the things that made me proud was .... " she's so brave!" by instructor and parents. Chest expanded for sure.

The problem always at the .... how to get her OUT of the water and go home. We were among the 1st in ... and as usual the last out.

Overall a thouroughly enjoyable experience. Highly recommended ....

Tadika trip

My daughter went on her school trip yesterday.

Imagine this .... 66 kids aged 5-6 going on a bus trip .... Imagine us handling 2-3 kids on a shopping trip and with these tadika teachers handling average 5 kids each (5-6) on an outing. For once I realise how much most of us , your truly included have underrated the strength (and I guess love as well) that it takes to do this. Siap yang nak susu (in bottles), kain busuk nak tidor, incessant asking "bila nak sampai" .... I salute these Tadika teachers.

It was a bit strange seeing her on a bus, and going away with her friends. So used to havin her tag along with me or my wife or both of us. Seeing her going on a trip made me realise how big she's grown. Wow ... head rush. I just hope that I will be around when she needs me.
Well enuf feeling sorry for myself. Sure is good having family.

Oooh such a long time

Hi again blog.... sorry haven't been around for a long time. Been bz. It's a little bit sad since I realised that dah nearly one year I haven't written. So many things have happened .

1. I lost two friends my age this past year. One was a hero to many for his exploits, one was a hero to us for being simply who he is. I missed both of them. I've known both of these guys for 28 years... that's a lifetime for most people and double the lifetime of my eldest son. A couple of months on, even thinking about these guys makes me sad cause I never had a chance to say how much I value them. But lessons learned ... don't forget to tell people that means a lot to me how I feel once in a while. The regrets is only for the living. those that have gone before us are beyond regrets.

2. We had a reunion for our Maktab ... I gave an opening address, and since it was a bout two weeks after one of my two friends left us .... I choked. My late friend told me not to choke during speech as I tend to get emotional. huh ... sorry bud, couldn't keep that promise, cause did not take into account that I will be losing you when I made that promise.

3. The place I work went through a merger and being in IT means that I'm stuck with tons of work. On the final day, ended up sleeping on the floor for a short nap of 2 hours in between straight 48 hours. Getting to be too old for this.

4. But.... among the sweetest landmark .... my baby, my youngest daughter entered Tadika this year. It's hard to explain the feelings that you have when your youngest (who still sleeps cium ketiak Ayah) gets up, with uniform and nicely braided hair (thanks to Mum of course) and waves goodbye as she enters the school gate.

She's gonna have friends and they're not going to be just me. She's going to talk about things I don't know and may can't appreciate / understand.

But she was most excited about the swimming pool. Actually that is her MAIN reason of going to TADIKA.

Well a lot has happened that I haven't got around to write down. Will do more justice to this blog..

Cheerio