Holy Land of Mecca .Here we come.

Today 26th.October or rather 27th.October 0130 hrs. we ( my wife and I )are to report ourselves to the Tabung Haji Complex at Kelana Jaya to begin our piligrimage to the Holy Land - Mecca . I am very excited and very much looking forward for the journey . This would be our second pilgrimage .Our earlier pilgrimage was in 1991 , 19 years ago . I have resolved that this time I would want the pilgrimage to fulfill all my obligations to the Almighty so that all my good deeds is accepted by Him . I am determined to leave all my bad habits and be a better person when I come back in December . In know that this journey is not an easy one . I would have to undergo all challenges, trials and tribulations be it from fellow pilgrimage mates or from God itself . I have to be resilient all the time . I hope and pray so that we will be strong and that Allah would always protect us in facing all these challenges .I also hope and pray that our loved ones whom we are going to leave during this pilgrimage would be as strong as we are . I hope they would also pray for us . I would certainly miss our grand daughters . I am sure they would miss us too . Any way we would be contactable via our handphones .

Till we come home . Bye .

6 more days of fasting and I did with ease.

Just 3 days after Hari Raya ( eid ) , I continued my fasting for the non cumpulsion ( sunnah ) ritual which we normaslly do during the month of Syawal ( Muslim Calender ) . I am glad , I did it with ease . I was also quite busy then with having to go up and down to the Tabung Haji office to prepare for our trip to Mecca .

This would be our second Haj . Our first Haj was about 18 years ago , although in between we did go to Mecca to perform the ' umrah ' ( the small Haj ) a few times . Our purpose in going for our second Haj is to rectify whatever mistakes we could have done during our first Haj . Secondly my wife would want to perform the Haji Badal ( ie. to perform the Haj on behalf of her deceased mother ) . Actually we had planned this trip a few years ago and originally my sister in-law was to follow us .The trip was postponed a number of time because my sister in-law was not ready to make thr trip . This year I told my wife that with or without her sister we have to go before we get too old and health would not allow us . It is true as said my the religious scholars, that if you not are ready bodily and spiritually you would not be able to make it . Although she is quite well off , she would give all sorts of excuses not to make the trip .As such I had given up hope on her .

Our trip would be on 27th. 0430 hrs via KLIA and would go straight to Mecca via Medina . No overnight stay in Madina but instead we would be taken straight to Mecca . However we would be in Medina after the Haj .

There was quite a lenghthy preparation - like the health inspection procedures , getting ourselves innoculated with meeningitis and H1N1 influenza injections , to get ready with the right clothings etc and Haj courses/seminars to attend .

I hope and pray that we would be able to perform our Haj successfully .

A quiet ,simple and modest Eid.

This year's Eid ( Hari Raya Idilfitri ) was a quiet , simple and modest one .On the eve of Hari Raya I and and my wife visited my late father's grave at Seksyen 21, Shah Alam . How ever I was a bit disappointed when I saw there was no sign of any other visitors to the grave despite of me sending smss to all my brothers and sisters reminding them to do so . I thought to myself how easy they had forgotten the sacrifices of our late father .Probably they were not as grateful as I am for what our late father had done for us . Ironically they are the one who are enjoying the fruits from my late father's estate .

Hari Raya was on a Friday and as such there would be two sermons to be heard in the Mosque . Some believed it was not a good omen . I skipped the Ididlfitri prayers not because I believed in the that belief but because I was not well in the morning . There was a satisfactory flow of visitors to my house from my old friends who still maintain close contact with me . At about 1.00 pm I had to excuse myself in order for me to go the Mosque to attend the Friday prayer .

I did not have the opportunity to visit my relatives like I did the previous years . That was because we were quite busy with preparation for us to perform our Haj in November . The following week we had to go the Johor Bahru to send our daughter to her campus in Skudai. Johor . I was a bit happy because this year I had the opportunity to visit the grave of my late father in law in Muar and my late mother in law in Johor Bahru . I prayed -they would be accepted by Allah among faithfulls in Heaven .

My 63rd. Birthday .

Today 10th.July 2010 is my Birthday . I am exactly 63 years old . When I was a young boy each time I looked at a 60 year old man I would feel that the man was very old . I reckon young boys and girls of today when looking at me they would feel the same as I did . Contrary to what they think of me , I do not feel that old at all . I feel I am still young and that there are many older people like Dr.Mahathir and many others who are still fit and surviving . I believe that if one thinks that he is old he would deteriorate and would really becomes old . This is especially true - when whenever I go back to my kampong , I would see my old colleagues there who would look old ,although some of them were actually several years younger than me .In other words we have to feel young in order to look young . However you should not misuse this to behave like a young men doing those nonsence like a young men use to do .

I am thankful to my daughter in-law Shidah and my son Azman who treated me to a nice home cooked lunch . Shidah also took the trouble to bake a Birthday cake for me .Thanks also to my daughter Ezreen Farina who was in UTM JB for her wishes even though it was just through her sms . Their concern and remembrance had really touched my hearts . I do not expect anything of value from my children . It is sufficient just by showing some concern and kinds words and wishes . Then that would make me smile all day long.

The day I witnessed a robbery .

For the first time in my life on Saturday ,12th June 2010 ,I witnessed an armed robbery`which took place right infront of my house in Klang . Worst still the victim was my own daughter . On 12th.June 2010 evening my daughter , Dr.Eileen Farhana left our house in Klang to attend her friend's wedding in Petaling Jaya . She drove her brand new Honda City car BKU 8080 which she took delivery just about two weeks earlier .

At about 11.45 pm. she reached home and was just about to enter the gate of our house ,suddenly two Malay youths on a motor cycle without safety helmets on them and armed with a parang approached the right hand side of her car and smashed the driver's side window glass screen and demanded my daughter surrender her handbag . Infact she was about to hand over her handbag but she could reached for it as it was under the pasenger's seat on her left . I was in my bedroom on the first floor of the house facing the front , heard a loud bang and the cries from my daughter . I opened the upstairs door which directly faced the road and saw the two youths smashing the window screen of my daughter's car . I shouted for them to stop but they just ignored my shouts and continued the smashing . By then two cars stopped but the occupants did not do any thing to help . I guess they were too afraid to do any thing . After about 5 minutes the criminals left without getting anything . But after a short distance they made a U turn and came back to my daughter's car again and continued with the smashing even harder . The window screen did not easily break down because it was fitted with an anti theft film . Again I shouted for help and later I came down to the gate . The criminals left without getting a single sen .

I then called for the Police Radio car to come to whom my daughter later lodged a Police report . My daughter was slightly hurt on her face as a resulut of a cut by the glass window that broke down . My son Azman then sent her to the Hospital . Later I sent her to the District Police HQ to have statement recorded by the Inspector .

What made me angry with the Police was their ' tidak apa ' attitude . They did not seem to be interested in solving the case . The investigation was a slip shot one . No effort were made to view the video camera of my neighbour despite being told that those criminals could have been cought on the camera . No wonder the rate of crimes are on the increase in my neighbour hood .The radio cars are also not seen patrolling our area although the government had recently increased the number of the radio cars in the district . Each day public confidence on the Police are deteriorating .

For no valid reason my daughter had to fork out RM 750.00 for repair to her new car .

The death of my last aunty .( My late father's sister )

On 24th May 2010 at about 0630 hrs. I received a telephone call from my cousin informing me that his mother had passed away in Sungai Besar ,Sabak Bernam. His mother was my auntie and my late father's youngest sister . She was the last surviving ( till 24th Mat 2010 ) aunty from my father's side . I then called my brothers and sisters to inform them of her death . ( Later I found out that none of them went to pay their last respect except for Muttakin )

Accompanioed by my wife I left home at about 0730 hrs. to go to Sungai Besar to pay my last respect for my auntie . She had a stroke about 5 years ago and had remained in bed since then .She could not get off her bed and had to be helped each time she wanted to sit up . It was hell for her and hell to for her daughter who was taking care of her for such a long time .

We reached the house at about 0900 hrs and there was already many people there . I met a few cousins . The cousin who called me had yet to arrive .While waiting for the burial which was to be after mid day prayers ,my cousin Asmawi asked me to follow him to Sg.Air Tawar ,Sabak Bernam to see the China man who took care fo his coconut plantation . From him I came to know that he was also the one taking care of my late father's coconut plantation . My mother is now holding in trust over the plantation .

We came back to the house and was just in time for the last prayers .

I did not attend the funeral . We then left Sungai Besar back to Klang.

Family gathering turned into bizarre rituals .

Coming back to the ' saka story ' ( bad spirit or satan ) . We had a family gathering in Port Dickson on 14th May 2010 . My younger brother Muttakin whose wife was the PRO of Majlis Perbandaran Petaling Jaya booked 3 MPPD apartments in Port Dickson . My mother ,brothers and sisters stayed in those apartments while I and my family stayed in our own family's apartment , a few KMs away . Without my prior knowledge my brother in-law Makmor ,had arranged for the so called a ' faith healer ' or ' bomoh ' to perform some rituals for the so called ' saka cleansing ' . because according to the bomoh all of us had been struck by the ' sakas ' and he needed to perform certain rituals to rid us off from the ' sakas/bad spirits/satans ' .

For that each family had to make available 3 metres of white cloth , some kenanga flowers , some lime fruits and some ayam kampong eggs . In the beginning I was against such activities which could lead us to ' syirik ' /loosing track from the true path of Islam . However my brothers and sisters persuaded us to join them since we were already there . In the end I relented although deep inside my heart I was against it . I also told my wife that we would just follow them just out of respect for my mother who was also present then . I did not want to hurt her feelings .

At about past midnight all of us except my mother who was incapicitated were told to go the sea off our hotel appartments . Each of us were given a bottle of water mixed with the kenanga flowers .Then we were told to gulp the water and swallowed it in our throat while submerged under the sea water . The same process were also made for the ayam kampong eggs and lime water - 3 process in all . The ' bomoh ' chanted some doa after everything was finished . It looked silly . I was slightly ashamed and quickly left the place back to our apartment . Luckily there was no one else except for our family .

From the above experience I noticed there are still quite a number of us who believe everything the so called ' bomoh ' tell us . The religion too accept the fact that there are evil spirits and satans in this world . This is further aggravated by many medical practitioners who accept the fact that there are unknow sickness/diseases which cannot be diagnosed by modern medicines .

I just do not know whom to blame for this situation .