GoOdByE tO 2011

2011 began with lots of love, close friends getting married and everything seems to be in its place at that time of the year. Days and months passed as we saw the sun rise and sunset. Celebrating birthdays and all occasions like we use to every year. Attending parties and other functions. Everything seemed to be in its place until the last months of the year.

The year ended with broken hearts, divorces, and lonely days. But with the hope that the beginning will be alright.

Have a blessed new year!

A mAtTeR oF a FeW pOuNdS

Today was a total different day in my life. I am a regular blood donator of the blood group O positive. What happened today was so disappointing I couldn’t stop thinking about it and that’s when I decided I’d write about it.

It was about 3 in the evening and I was going home from running some errands for my dad, when I received a call from my friend asking me if I could donate blood to his friend. It had been over 5 months since I last donated so I agreed to.

My friend soon came to pick me up and we headed to the Thalassemia Center, and I filled in the donor’s form and waited till my name was called out.

Before they called me into the laboratory, they asked me to stand on the weighing scale and I for the first time, felt disappointed that I was not up to weight that I could donate.

I was missing a few pounds to be eligible to donate. I enquired if they could even take half a pint from me. I saw the look in the girls’ eyes. She was 26, and needed blood transfusion every month. I felt in myself how hard it must be for her to get donors every month. She was suffering all her life for a random mistake her parents had made. She was sure a fighter.

After seeing the look on her face, the sad look, for hope and another chance that the Center may allow me to donate. However, the Center refused, and for once in my life, I regretted missing a few pounds in my life. And that thought remained in my mind for being deprived of the right to donate.

If you are eligible to donate, donate today and save a life!

lOnElY rIdE

It was Friday, around 11 am, I walked down to the bus stop and sat there, listening to loud music on the ipod. No one was at the stop when I reached there, so I guessed the bus must have just left. The road was empty unlike any other working day.

I was looking to my left, (opposite to the side bus comes) when I was startled by the bus honking. usually the bus driver would ignore when people do not draw his attention to stop the bus to a particular stop. I got onto the bus and saw just one other man on the bus, who stepped out on the next stop. As my destination was only at the end of the bus trail, I thought more people would get on. I sat on a good seat, continued to listen to my ipod. To my surprise, no one got on the bus either.

There were’nt much people on the road. Barely any vehicles. No traffic jam. It didn’t seem like KL at all. I noticed many things I never did. Probably because of the bare streets.

I usually take the bus 6 days a week, and it was the first ever time, it was a lonely ride.

tHe GiRl WhO lEfT wItH tHe GifTs

started with a “hi”, she smiled

he asked for her name

they started hanging out

for casual coffees, which turned to dinners

he asked her , she said yes

she loved his gifts, enjoyed his presence

in few months

he had to leave, she said goodbye

with tears and hugs, they were apart

he sent her gifts,

for the months he missed

he came back after six months

saw her with another man

smiling the same way she did

and so happened to the

tale of twelve gifts

depressed and lonely

back he went

hoping she would come back

which she never did

she was the girl who left

with the twelve gifts

Is it the passion for work or simply being a workaholic?

The story of a man who lost both of his passion

Just as the alarm went off, he woke up. Without a word, or complaint, showered and brushed up. Opened the wardrobe and picks a shirt and starts looking for the matching tie.

Quietly, takes the work ID, and drives off to work. Its 8 am, and he sits at his desk, with his coffee, and reading the online news.

Not long before others come in and punch their card, most of them late, he sits there quietly minding on his business. His boss arrives and all the staff head to the meeting room where daily work is assigned.

Conducting major surveys, compiling reports, making phone calls and onsite investigations are what his work looks like. While all his coworkers leave for tea time, he sits at his station and stares at his computer screen and tries to solve a situation in one of those islands.

Though quite, he knows what goes around and about in the work place. He knows all the office gossip that files around, but doesn’t talk much. Instead, his priorities lie in finishing the task he was assigned.

At noon, he rushes home, and takes a quick lunch that was prepared by his mum and heads back to work, before lunch break was over. Around 2pm, he is called to his boss’s cabin, and he hands in the report and the survey. His boss asks him if he would be available for an onsite investigation after work hours and he agrees.

It was a Thursday and all the staff were hurrying to get their work done and head home to their family. But instead he stayed late and at 6pm, left to the nearest resort island for the investigation. He arrived home late, and once he was done with dinner and freshening up, he resumed to work.

Took out his laptop and sat on his bed, with soft slow music on and started on his reports again. His phone was on silent and his girlfriend had called him several times. Things hadn’t been on the track with his girlfriend.

She complained him not being able to give her enough time and he always put her off due to work.

He was typing his report and suddenly his laptop crashed and he was unable to retrieve the data. So he started it all over again. Time flew and it was almost morning. His eyelids were heavy and his body and mind was tired, but he compelled himself to continue. Eventually he fell asleep, and woke up in the evening. He rushed downstairs for some snack and back to his report.

He was unaware of the beings around him. He checked his cell phone and found 15 missed calls. Most of them from his girlfriend and some from other friends. He texted them saying he was busy and went back to work.

He spent the entire weekend compiling reports and surveys.

On Sunday, as usual, with the alarm going off, he showered and brushed. Took out a shirt and a matching tie. And got himself ready and headed to work.

Today was a different. He was called to the boss’s cabin and he was told that due to losses in the company, a lot of staff were being let go. And he was one of them.

Without arguing he left the cabin, and at that moment, he received a text from his girlfriend telling him that she was fed up.

He packed his stuff and slowly worked out of the office, not wanting to look back. He had been a dedicated staff and had not expected this to happen. Then he realized, as much he loved his work, he needed to consider giving attention to other things in his life. Passion his work maybe, but he was a workaholic.

Life-another perspective; who said life was easy?

I was standing on the balcony of my house and saw the ritual of someone being buried in the cemetery next my house. Millions of thoughts raced through my mind as I realized that death was the time that ended life, and the end of everything that the person was to do here in this lifetime.

Once out of mummy womb, babies let out a loud cry as if knowing the world isn’t a safe place anymore. The baby is born. You are born to this world. Welcome to ‘life’!

Childhood has always been a challenging time for every growing child. Some being treated as king’s children and while others were being brought up in a manner that they barely got those necessities in life, while some were entirely barred from those needs. That’s when people were classified as to if they came from a high class, or a lower class; the fortunate and the less fortunate. This is when the whole known phenomenon of discrimination and bullying started. Getting beaten up by abusive parents on a daily basis or consistently being a victim of rape are unpleasant incidents and phases of life some children go through.

Early age at school, the so called ‘well brought up’ kids start picking up fights with those silent and less active. The theory is not as such, but works the reverse as well. Even the silent sometimes plays the mischievous role of picking on others. And thus, it goes on. The teen age becomes even harder. Despite going through physical changes, the emotional harm done tends to be greater.

Most parents split up at this phase, and children end up being dragged from either parent from one house to another. Step parents along with half siblings step into the families and life gets more complicated. Family crisis rise to infinity and children being the victim, seek assistance from some stranger, probably a boyfriend or so and eventually end up smoking pot or dealing illegal drugs.

At the age of schooling, there are more challenges to be faced. At high school, the guys on the football team or basketball team turn out to be the spirit of their schools, and even if they tend to fail studies, they are treated with special priority and the school defends these kids under any circumstances. On the same hand, the skinny and slender, the bold and beautiful, are treated the same. The money, and the fame is what keeps them at school. It is often a scene we see young girls of 16 getting pregnant to their boyfriends. At this point, some deicide to give up the baby, or continue with the pregnancy, with or without the boyfriend, or on other circumstances giving up the life of learning.

The learning stage of life is difficult, and most struggle for various reasons. It could be money, time, boyfriends or girlfriends or peer pressure, or just pressure from parents itself. The good news is that it all goes away, once you graduate. You thought your childhood was a wreck, and your high school life was a total disaster, but the bad news is that the real part of “life” has just begun.

While some decide to start up their carrier and family, others continue with the process of learning, and specializing in a certain field.

You get into relationships; get out of them, with lots of drama. Some happily married with children, or enjoying life with their partner. Some divorced and raising their children alone. At this point in life, you are not alone. You probably have a partner or children to look after. Life is not about you anymore.

Eventually, your children grow up, go through the whole series of events that you went through or someone else might have gone through. You grow old. You learn to spend time doing what you love to do, with either your loved one or by yourself.

You have seen what became of you and others around you. There might have been regrets, mistakes and sweet memories made. You learn to appreciate them and for whoever you may be, you have to be grateful for what you had in life and not complain about what you were deprived of. Probably the best years of your life passed by you, while you were busy growing up. If all the good things come to end, bad things also will come to its end. And in due course you life ends here too.

There is no turning back

There are certain situations where we wish we had a “rewind” button or a “Ctrl++Z “or simply a switch that can undo what we have done. Not every time we think of the consequences or the results of the actions we do. In life there is no turning back once the harm is done.

I am not a person with a lot of regrets in my life. However, unintentionally accidents happen. Thus it is these sort of accidents that makes me want a an UNDO button.

To that one person who knows what I meant here…

BaCk tO bOoKs

It may be exciting or nervous to go back to college after either a long holiday or a long semester break, especially if going back to college means starting a new year of your honors or starting a study session with people you have never met. Having a feeling that it is not yet time to go back to books is not a problem. A long relaxing holiday can make you lazy or your internship that you took during the vacation could be more enthusiastic that you feel it is yet not the time to go back to books. But eventually there is no escape when it comes to time; time to go back.

It is not awkward to have a feeling that you need a fresh and different look for the new semester or the new academic year. It’s always about the first impression, right?

Welcome to all those starting the new academic year for this late midyear! And for those who flunked the previous semester exams due to various reasons, or ended up doing re-sitting exam or had an year repeated, it’s the time to buck up and start over.

Back to books and best of luck with the books!

Leaving

Some people always remain intact with the phrase, “people always leave”. I couldn’t agree more. Nobody stays forever with anybody or anything.

“Leaving” in the context of a word, means going away. Practically it means the same. Although in contexts of different situations, it may be different as the reason for leaving may be different. People leave for good, to ignore situations and sometimes beyond their own will.

Death is a way that takes away loved persons, without permission or consent. Dead people leave the living. When parents split through divorce the child may have to leave either of the parents. When someone wants ignore the situation or get away from the troubles, people leave too.

People leave for the better they say. Leaving overseas for better education, for better settlement, and for a better life.

Leaving, being a hard choice for some, but it’s a harder choice for the people who stayed and watched you leave. Its part of their life that would go missing once the leaving is gone. It’s the person who stays that dread to the day that the gone would return.

Leaving loved ones is a difficult decision to make. And if the reason for leaving is for the good and knowing that things be better upon return, the wait always worth.

‘Saying goodbye is hard, but knowing your hello is nearer, makes me smile…‘ (Fazy. A, 24 July 2011)

Ramadan

Usually a thirty day period where Muslims fast (do not eat or drink from dawn until sunset). The month is meant for prayers and most of all, dedicating ourselves to GOD. The holy month is to remembering what Allah Almighty provided us with and being thankful for what we have every day.

However, as years passed, the people have neglected the chances of achieving the good deeds and the blessing from God. Just after sunset, they have returned to doing their usual chores, forgetting the duty to God.

Instead of devoting themselves to God, people have started hanging out at popular coffee shops, rides around the city or just passing time gossiping about other people. This has become the trend of the people today.

Moreover, people have attained the habit of preparing food that is more than enough, for the sake of showing off and eventually the food have ended up in the garbage bins.

Others have taken up the habit of spending time watching a game show on television or texting to win a prize posted in some sort of advert.

But when we come to think of it, Ramadan, is meant to be a holy month solely for devotion for prayers and good deeds, than any other month of the year. And not by any condition, a month for having fun, playing games or spending what you have on meaningless coffees.

God, Allah Almighty, shall bless for whoever shall work to achieve the blessing of Ramadan. And it is for us to work to achieve what awaits.

Ramadan Mubarak!