Iftar at the Residence of Dato' Hidayat - Consul General Jeddah

Above: In conversation with our Malaysian leaders!

Above: posing with Dato Sri JJ - Duta Besar Malaysia ke USA.

Below: Group photo with invitees to the Iftar at the residence of Dato' Hidayat ( in green baju melayu standing in between myself and Dato JJ) - Consul General Malaysia in Jeddah.

Again and again, I have this unique opportunity to meet with Malaysian politicians, Senior Government officers while I am living in the Middle East. Such is one of the intangible benefits of living abroad. When these public figures visit here, they too would like to meet with Malaysians who are the Malaysian flag bearers overseas. I have been fortunate since the Dubai days, and now extended to my Jeddah days, to have been included in the invitee list of this privileged club.

I am not a politician, and that is also to my advantage. I can express my views freely without any encumbrances, no fear or favor to inhibit my interactions.

Therefore, while I listen to what these senior leaders have to say, I too take the opportunity to provide my feedback on certain issues.

It is no longer responsible to say that issues in Malaysia are for the government of Malaysia to resolve. As a responsible citizen proud to be a Malaysian, I want to be part of the problem and hopefully the solutions too. It is only a remote chance that my views will be carried further than the dining table, but I feel I have done my duty in saying my thoughts.

Thank you Dato Hidayat, the Consul General of Malaysia in Jeddah for inviting me to his residence last night for the Iftar.

Writing competition / Peraduan menulis~!

Assalamualaikum wbt :-)

Dear blogger friends,

Here is a simple and fun way of earning some 'wang raya'. All you need to do is write a 'true' story about your most memorable Ramadhan, in not less than 2608 words. Just send your story to me at ariffin007@gmail.com before 1st September 2010.

The story boleh di tulis dalam Bahasa Malaysia or in English.

Semua stories yang di hantar menjadi milik tuan punya blog 'Diary Sebelum bersara' dan jika terpilih boleh di cetak kembali dalam apa jua bentuk, tetapi credit akan di beri kepada penulis yang menghantar story tersebut.

Cerita hendaklah original!

Pemenang akan menerima hadiah 'WANG RAYA' bernilai RM2608.00 dan akan di kreditkan ke akaun tuan / puan sebelum Hari Raya.

1. Most memorable Ramadhan / atau, Ramadhan yang di kenang!

2. Not less than 2608 words / Tidak kurang dari 2608 perkataan!

3. The story must be original. If any part of the stories which is found to be unoriginal, then the entry will be disqualified/ Cerita mestilah 'original'. Jika di dapati ada bahagian cerita yang tidak original, maka penyertaan tersebut akan di batalkan.

4. Closing date 1 st september 2010/ Tarih tutup ialah 1 hb September 2010.

5. Entries must be sent to ariffin007@gmail.com / Penyertaan harus di hantar kepada ariffin007@gmail.com

6. All entries will become the properties of the sponsor of this competition / Semua penyertaan menjadi hak milik penaja peraduan ini.

7. The sponsor reserve the right not to award any grand prize, in which case top five entries will receive RM200.00 consolation prize. Jika tiada pemenang grand prize, lima penyertaan terbaik akan menerima sagu hati bernilai RM200.00 setiap satu.

8. Juri pengadil akan di umumkan setelah tamat tarih peraduan

9. The judges decision will be final. Keputusan pengadil adalah muktamad.

10. To qualify, all entries must not publish nor have been published in any form or in any media.

11. The winner or winners will be announced in 'Diary Sebelum Bersara' dan the entries maybe be published in this blog.

12. We will respect your privacy, and if you do not wish for your real name to be mentioned then you may use a nickname. Kami akan menghormati 'privacy' anda, jika anda tidak mahu mengguna kan nama sebenar, penyertaan boleh menggunakan nama samaran.

Best wishes, Selamat menulis~!

Astaghfirulah...oh God forgive me!

Physically, I am beginning to feel my age. My knees often creak under my weight and have to be aided with creative ways to climb up slopes. My eyes can no longer read cooking instructions on ready-to-cook packets of offerings from Maggie or Knorr. Although I have not yet heard, my children often tell me, I make snoring sound when I sleep. Loud one too, they say. My wife has been avoiding a direct answer when I ask her for confirmation of those claims. So, I shall remain in doubt - maybe, I don't actually snore. Maybe, I only make similar sound!

Emotionally, I am also beginning to feel my age. The most trivia of things can make me choke with emotion. Acts of kindness, just as acts of indifference affect me. My radar has become super sensitive, so much so, I am beginning to detect un-caring and un-loving vibes even in the silence that echo around me.

Spiritually, I am finding more solace in the stillness of the night, doing nothing but just watching the darkness. Uttering nothing, but just remembering Him. Silence has a different meaning, and being alone is becoming less lonely. Death starts to become a destination which is more real. Death brings renewal. The old gives way to the new and young. Even within me, I find the thought of death brings renewal to my being; trying everyday to be a better man. Every morning lately, I begin to think of what I need to do, and more importantly what I shall not do. Solace and peace, begin to radiate from within. I like my new me!

"Astaghfirullah...astaghfirullah....astaghfirullah...." Oh Allah, forgive me....

I am very grateful to God that I will be turning fifty-three in a week's time, still relatively healthy and happy. I have a wife who loves me. She doesn't say it often, but I know she does. I have my children, who are doing well and turning out to be even better with every passing day. They are always in my doa, and they are always in my thought. I am also happy, knowing that with every tear drop I shed for reasons which shall remain as my own, I am blessed with love in my heart.

it has taken me this long to be wise
it is for death, that we live this life
our destination is paradise

and worldly things will never suffice!

it has taken me this long to understand

the magic of God's grand plan

water from the sea, rise to the sky and falls on land

when He so wishes, He turns green the desert sand!

it has taken many nights alone to make me see

love between humans, are all temporary

it is His love and loving Him which stay till eternity

it has taken me long, and now I know, love is within me!

On August 26th, I will turn fifty three

it has taken me this long, but now I am free

Oh Allah, please forgive me!

Budaya Sambung Meja - uniquely Malaysian!

Bersama keluarga Hj Z and his extended family~!

Budaya Kita...Budaya Sambung Meja!
Saturday, 14 August 2010 05:50

When I was in Kuala Lumpur, my sister from Kelantan and all four of her children and their respective families came visiting us in KL in conjunction with her youngest daughter's convocation. Together with my own family, there were nineteen adults and half a dozen kids. We went to Mid Valley, and decided to have lunch at the Kenny Rogers.

What did we do?

We went to the usher and said, "Nineteen adults and six children!"

The Kenny Rogers girl, straight faced, said, "Give us 5 minutes Encik, kami sambung meja!"

I took a glance into the outlet and wondered how on heaven's earth was she going to do it. The restaurant was already three quarter full.

We hanged around outside, window spying into the nearby Poh Kong. No, none of the girls in Poh Kong believed for a moment that they were about to get lucky with nineteen hungry looking man and woman! They simply ignored us, which was good for my pocket...hahahaha!

"Serious darling, I meant it when I offered you that diamond bracelet, but they did not layan us, so what to do!" I had to explain to my daughter! *Chuckles! teehehehe*

Five minutes plus a few seconds later, the same usher from Kenny Rogers gestured for us to enter. We paraded in to some curious stares from other patrons. Twenty five in all, and all seated around a few tables joined into one very long master dining table. Fantastic!

It was then that i reflected. This is why Malaysia is so unique and Malaysians so special. it is in the culture. We try out best not to let anyone within a group to feel left out. We do what we can to accommodate everybody. The culture of 'Sambung Meja' is uniquely Malaysians!

The same can be seen happening in plush restaurants or in roadside stalls. Part of the training given to waiters and waitresses, it seems, is to take the 'Sambung Meja' task in their stride. No group is too large, and no space is too small. They will always find a way to 'Sambung Meja! and they know the customers simply expect and love it!

No, please don't expect the same overseas. It is not common and not done. Often, all you would get is a shrug of the shoulder and a curl of the lips, "Sorry, you will have to sit separately!"

"Sorry, we are Malaysians, we want to 'Sambung Meja!'" I wonder what would their reaction be if I were to insist with this request.

Exactly the same thing happened when sixteen of STAR old boys met for dinner at the KLGCC as was reported HERE. Instead of sitting comfortably at two tables of eight, we changed the big comfortable chairs with narrower ones to fit 16 around ONE table.

Guess what? We were even more comfortable. Sitting elbow to elbow, we were able to share jokes, and connect eye to eye with everyone present. No one was left out!

Di Konvo itu....

The car park was full. I managed to get the last one right at the end. That didn't bother us. That morning was not like any other morning. I was happy and brimming with pride. My wife Aishah was seemingly just as happy, if not more. And she deserves to be, for while I was chasing my career it was her who had given the necessary attention to our children's education. That morning both of us were accompanying Fariz, our son, to his convocation at the University Malaya.

At the car park mother and son stood still for a few minutes. I caught that special moment on camera. The moment when a motherly love was much needed even for a graduating young man who was about to spread his wings to fly free from our nest. He needed someone to pin his stripes to the collar of his convocation gown. Who better to do it but a mother!

When all was done and Fariz started to look like a man with a mission, we walked briskly out of the sun heading for the convocation hall. Just as we ascended the stairs, Fariz met with a group of his friends, and they spontaneously posed in a line for me to capture their memorable day. I was more than happy to oblige!

I turned looking for my wife. It was then that I saw the girl. She has just parked her honda cup motorcycle and was holding her gown in her hand. She then rushed to the shade of a tree. She hanged her gown on one of the branches, and straightened her hair. I stood still watching. I closed the lenses of my camera, and moved to the side of a pillar so that she did not notice me watching her.

The girl was putting on her gown. She was struggling to pin the stripe. It was not an easy task. Nobody noticed her. Everyone was in their own cloud nine, celebrating! No one noticed the girl who arrived on a honda cup. Even if someone did, no one gave a second glance. After all, it has become such a norm these days that everyone come in a car to a convocation !

That morning I saw an exception. The girl was alone. There was no mother to help her to pin her stripe. No father trailing to take her pictures. No siblings to carry flowers or teddies. Not even friends to tease with something silly. I saw she was biting her lips holding back emotion, her eyes void of twinkles seen on others around her. Who was the girl? Where were her parents? Many questions rushed to my head. When she could not reach the back of her shoulder, she could not hold back her emotion much longer. She leaned against the tree and her body shook. She wept. At that instant my vision became misty with own tears.

Out of no where, my wife suddenly appeared, beaming with a smile. I quickly turned away and wiped my eyes with the sleeve of my shirt.

"What happened?" Asked my wife.
"Something got into my eyes!" I gave a feeble excuse. She knew better as my lips were still quivering.
"Nangis happy lah tu ye!" She said, teasingly.
"Aha!" I nodded, and managed a small laughter.
"I am hungry, let us go get something to eat before we go into the hall!" My wife gestured towards the canteen. I glanced back towards Fariz who has already joined his friends making their way to their meeting point. I turned towards the tree where the girl was, she was gone! So was her gown.

That morning, just when I thought nothing could dent my happiness, I was affected and carried a lump in my throat into the convocation hall. The image of the girl, alone, without anyone to share her happy moments with, stuck to me like my own shadow. Sitting in the hall amongst hundreds of parents, all proud and overjoyed, I was momentarily lost in a flash back of the image of the weeping girl under a tree! Perhaps, a flashback of a time and place long ago in the past when I too was on my own!

i was jolted to the reason why I was there when the Emcee announced the arrival of the VC. Everyone rose to their feet. For an instance, I saw a glimpse of Fariz standing on the very front row reserved for the graduates. He turned, and our eyes locked for a brief few seconds. Yes, I was so proud to see him standing there, looking every bit like a man who were going to win matches in his life!

I scanned the hall looking for the girl. Standing with her chin down to her chest, she was there in the third row. I was urging her to look my way. I wanted so much to reach out to her! She didn't. Through out the ceremony, my eyes were shifting between Fariz and that girl. When it was her turn to walked up to the VC to receive her scroll, biting my quivering lips I applauded quietly.

That morning, at the convocation, I was reminded ... that special moments are more special when we can share with people we love. Loneliness is even more lonely when it is felt in the presence of hundreds of happy others!

That morning I felt for the girl. To her, I would like to dedicate this greeting, "Congratulations! If your parents were there, they would have been proud of you, You have done it alone. You can be very proud of yourself! May God Bless You!"

To Fariz, "Congratulation son! Go far, go for the stars! Always look down to where your feet are...~!"