Neo-Experience of Ramadhan

My semester break begins today and hari raya is just about a week away.  But I’m still here at my apartment, swarmed with books on Nehru and India’s nonalignment foreign policy with the hope that by the end of the week I’ll be able to translate my thoughts on the subject into written thesis material worth submitting to my Supervisor.  Hopefully when it’s all done (one chapter of many that is), I’ll be just in time to celebrate hari raya and the birthday of my “cekodok penyek” (term I used for my girls......and that is a definition I must elaborate one day I guess).

The latest re-printed copy of the book on Nehru's thoughts.  I am reading selected parts of the book but my copy is much earlier, a 1964 re-printed version of the original one

 My Cekodok Penyek will be seven this weekend

Ramadhan has also been moving fairly quickly for me this year and as I write this, we are already into its last quarter.  Fasting this year has been another new experience for me.  Being away from family during the week in Ramadhan has given me time to be much more disciplined with my diet.  My breaking fast menu normally is either pasta or bubur lambuk (special rice porridge found abundant during Ramadhan).  Bubur lambuk has only been the one made by mother in law (better than any other bumbur lambuk that I’ve tried including the famous Kg Baru’s), and sauce for my pasta was made by my lovely wife, both frozen to perfection to last me for the entire month.  Just add sambal ikan bilis or sambal kerang (spicy fried anchovies or cockles) and voila, I have just the meal I need for my breaking fast.   As a result of my ‘modesty’ in the food I consume, I’ve been able to shed almost 3 kg so far, bringing my weight further down to the weight when I was a bachelor.  And the total for this year weight loss record......6kg!!!!  No worry, I’m still human.  My breaking fast menu with the family during weekends constitutes much wider spread, complete with noodles and kuih as appetiser, and a full course of rice and the lauk.  And I’m sure I’ll gain some weight back during hari raya.  Honestly, based on my experience so far, the ‘modest’ meal I consume has been more than enough and my sahur (early morning meal) has been a mug of quarker oat with 3 spoonful of Anlene milk.  I also consume plenty of plain water throughout the night to rehydrate my body.  As a result of this whole moderate approach, I’ve been healthy throughout Ramadhan Alhamdulillah, and I’ve been able to perform Tarawih without feeling sleepy (nap in the afternoon contributes as well) and still have a little bit of drive left to do my assignments till late at night.

The Tarawih prayers at the mosque I go to has been ideal in my opinion.  A short tazkirah (not more than 10 minutes) preceding the prayers and Tarawih of only 8 rakaat.  An ideal combination as far as I’m concerned and kudos to the mosque for coming up with such ingenuity.  The pace is good, no rushing, and done in the comfort of air-conditioned hall.  The best!!!!  I have gained some invaluable knowledge as well during the tazkirah, the fact that it is short and sharp makes it easier for me to capture and remember the salient points.  I wonder if such a short tazkirah has better impact on the jamaah compared to certain long-winded ones that get you neither here nor there.

Shah Alam mosque -  one of the mosques I go to for Tarawih prayers

Ramadhan this year is also coloured with a little family challenge.  My wife was admitted for four days at the hospital after suffering cycles of fever for a week.  It turned out that she had dengue fever.  She was just discharged on Monday, and after going through 7 bottles of IV fluids, I’m glad to see that the worst is over.  She is still recuperating at home and hopefully she’ll be alright by the time hari raya comes.  Me....shuttling between KL and Shah Alam, looking after my twins and our little sanctuary we called home, while juggling my fast approaching assignment deadlines have been a good reminder how challenges can just crop up when you least expected.  However, if you redha (accept your fate), you’ll be in a much better state of mind to deal with the situation and the fact that all these occurred during the holy month of Ramadhan has made it easier for me to deal with them.  Alhamdulillah.

As with the previous few years, I’m still sticking to my pledge of not going to Ramadhan bazaar.  I went once actually when I visited my best friend in Lumut for breaking fast.  I bought kuih talam from the usual trader we frequented, murtabak and the famous Pyan Popiah (this dubbed the best popiah in Sitiawan area can be found behind Billion shopping complex in Manjung) as buah tangan for our host.  And after reading that there were more than 500 people suffering from food poisoning during the first half of Ramadhan and a study revealed that 30-40% of food at certain bazaars were contaminated, I think we must be careful with the food we buy.  I suggest just buy from your known stalls and if you must try something new, the safe bet is to get something that is cooked on the spot like murtabak.  Even certain cook-on-the-spot food like ayam percik or otak-otak could be recycled (hypothetically, not accusing anybody) so just take the necessary precaution.  And we must recognise that majority of the operators are not 'seasoned' players in food business and only ply their trades once a year, so we must understand the potential shortcomings in the first place.  I’m not against buying food from Ramadhan bazaar as I know there is definitely a need for it especially for those who work.  And for me actually, the main reason for my pledged absentee is to refrain from over-indulgence, and the statistics I read in the paper just strengthen my belief in the issue.

 The famous Pyan Popiah

Piping hot murtabak

 Iftar menu at my best friend's house - Gulai rebung, lala, ikan bakar, daging masak kicap etc.

So as we try to heighten our tempo of amalan during this “dijauhkan dari api neraka” third phase of Ramadhan, and as we get nearer to hari raya, and as my marathon thesis writing begins to move at full force.......let me just take this opportunity to say Salam Aidil Fitri and Maaf Zahir Batin, and may the end of Ramadhan be blessed with rahmat as we continue our efforts to be closer to God, InsyaAllah. 

And please, please, please.....take extra precaution on the road as we make our way back to our kampung.  Be mindful that during raya period many drivers who are not experienced in highway driving or driving in heavy traffic will be out there behind the wheels (including many who have not fully comprehended the handling of their newly purchased vehicles specifically acquired to show off to their orang kampung:)).  Please drive defensively and anticipate these additional challenges on the road.  Let’s be extra cautious out there and if you don’t drive, please remind those who do (including your buddy, spouse, relative or even your bus drivers!!).

Have a great hari raya every one!

Farhana & Farzana Fasting Experience During Ramadhan

Farzana & Farhana telling us what they think about Ramadhan fasting

My daughters were really excited with the coming of Ramadhan this year. Their reason – they wanted to fast for the whole month. While Lin & I were hopeful, we were only hoping that they’d surpass their last year’s tally of 5 days……we were very wrong then, because the twins have been on a straight marathon of fasting……not a single day missed so far with less than 5 days to go before Eid Mubarak and we are optimistic that they will be able to keep a perfect record till the end.

At the beginning of Ramadhan, they went through the adjustment of not being able to eat or drink during the day with some difficulties. They had to be cajoled, consoled and even distracted to ensure that they lasted till the Maghrib Azan (the calling for Maghrib prayer, also indicating the end of fasting). Cranky is the right word to describe them but being tired and hungry…..that was totally understandable. Their crankiness became less and they almost seemed normal after the first week, except for the fact that they became noticeably tired at the very last part of their fasting. They did complain once in a while, but they were also very proud that they have not missed their fasting.

The best part of fasting obviously

Activities to while their time away.....passing food to the neighbours, playing computer games...

...and helping Mama in the kitchen.....way to go!!!!!

While their behaviour when they were fasting was fairly predictable, the effect of sugar rush on them post breaking fast really caught us by surprise. With their bodies experiencing depletion of sugar level in their blood during the day, the food and drink they consumed at breaking fast suddenly boosted their blood sugar level to the sky (or so it seemed). Within a half an hour after Iftar (breaking fast), we would find two very bubbly and jovial kids running around the house full of energy. It was like a clock......unbelievable!!!! It was an interesting daily routine for both of us, trying to deal with cranky kids before breaking fast and after that, attempting to enforce law and order in the house with two six year old kids running riot. To be honest they were not bad....it was all good and we had a lot of fun watching our kids experiencing one of the five pillars of Islam at such a tender age with such grace.

This is what you get when their blood sugar level hits the roof!!!!!!

And Sahur (early meal to be consumed before the calling of Subuh prayer) has also been another very interesting moment for the twins. I normally woke up between 5 to 5.10 am during Ramadhan. I’d prepare some simple food for them like bread or cereals and then gave them milk formula and plain water to complete their early morning meal. It was obviously difficult for them to get up, and normally Lin would help me to feed them food while they were half-awake and their eyes fully shut. There were times that they did not even remember eating during Sahur. So, even on those few days when I slept through and missed Sahur completely, the twins would continue on their fasting assuming that they’d eaten in the early morning. Hahahaha....they did not asked and I did not tell.

"Are we awake....we're not sure" - from 'Blazing Saddle'

Now with a few days to go till the end of Ramadhan, I am beaming with pride with what my angels have accomplished. Fasting is really not difficult, God made it a feat that can be done by even six year olds like my twins. I’m really happy for them and eventually as they grow up I hope they will comprehend the whole meaning of Ramadhan physically and spiritually and understand that it’s not just about restraining desire for food. Until such time, I just want to enjoy this important and beautiful moments of my twins successful attempt at fasting during Ramadhan.  Well done girls!!!!! Alhamdulillah.

A little treat of breaking fast at Johnny's - notice the generous portion of their chocolate and strawberry milkshakes

Menyambut Ketibaan 1 Ramadhan 1431H (11 Ogos 2010M)

1 Ramadhan tiba lagi bermula 11 Ogos 10. Tarikh 11 Ogos ini juga merupakan tarikh genap setahun Abah meninggal dunia. Sempat juga saya bersedekah doa dan bacaan Yassin untuk Abah selain mengingati beliau di dalam sanubari. Saya suka sms yang diterima daripada Abang saya yang mengimbau nostalgia bersama arwah mencari ikan di dalam hutan semasa di Felda selain terkenang kepakaran Abah membuat ‘lempeng pisang’ dan apam manis yang teramat gebu bagi kami sekeluarga. Semoga rohnya ditempatkan di sisi Allah bersama orang-orang yang beriman. Amin.

1 Ramadhan kali ini juga saya menerima tetamu seorang kawan lama rakyat Swiss yang kini menetap di USA yang datang berkunjung ke rumah. Saya sememangnya amat suka berkawan dengan beliau kerana beliau amat pandai membawa diri dan senang diajak berbual. Walaupun kawan saya ini kini bergelar mubaligh Kristian, persahabatan kami yang telah terjalin sekian lama tidak terjejas dengan perkembangan ini. Perbualan dengan beliau menjangkau sehingga jam 4 pagi amat menarik dan menguatkan lagi kepercayaan saya kepada Islam yang tercinta ini. Memandangkan kami sekeluarga berpuasa termasuk si kembar yang baru berusia 6 tahun, tetamu saya ini turut cuba berpuasa sepanjang hari dan berjaya melakukannya. Beliau juga turut mencuba segala makanan yang dihidangkan di atas meja semasa berbuka termasuklah sambal tumis udang petai yang merupakan menu utama.

Tetamu yang cukup unik dari USA

Chris menikmati sambal udang petai cara orang kita

1 Ramadhan tahun ini anak-anak perempuan saya berjaya melengkapkan satu hari berpuasa penuh. Tahun lepas mereka mencuba beberapa kali namun terkandas sekerat jalan sebelum akhirnya berjaya berpuasa sebanyak 5 hari. Tahun ini harap-harap mereka diberi kekuatan untuk berpuasa melebihi jumlah hari tahun lepas. Yang pastinya si Adik yang memang pemakan orangnya struggle sedikit di penghujung hari pertama berpuasa dan asyik merengek kelaparan. Namun, dengan galakan dan dorongan serta diversion apabila semangat dia kelihatan sedikit tergugat, Alhamdulillah habis juga kedua-duanya berpuasa.

Taktik 'diversion' bagi mengalih tumpuan dengan menyuruh mereka membantu di dapur.....tapi masih tak senyum si Adik tu

Farzana & Farhana semasa Iftar........Papa rasa bangga betul

Kesan apabila kadar gula mereka meningkat mendadak selepas berbuka

1 Ramadhan saya berpeluang bercakap dengan Mak dan mengucapkan selamat berpuasa. Hari pertama berpuasa Adik Julie ada di rumah dengan Mak kerana dia dapat MC ekoran alergi yang dialami apabila mengambil ubat. Blessing in disguise kerana sekurang-kurangnya Mak tidak keseorangan melaksanakan puasa pada hari pertama.

1 Ramadhan, seperti tahun-tahun lepas, amalan menghantar makanan ke rumah jiran kami cuba hidupkan dalam keluarga ini. Adik dan Kakak merupakan ‘wakil’ kami yang amat teruja dan tak sabar-sabar mahu menjalankan tugas. Seperti biasa, agar jiran yang menerima tidak terasa ‘obliged’ untuk membalas pemberian kami, kami gunakan bekas disposable untuk mengisi makanan tersebut.

1 Ramadhan, dengan kehadiran tetamu di rumah, saya dan isteri menjalankan ibadah solat Terawih di kediaman sendiri. InsyaAllah, saya akan cuba ke masjid untuk tujuan ini di hari-hari yang lain.

Kurma adalah makanan yang amat disunatkan bagi memulakan berbuka. Biasanya saya dan isteri akan mencari kurma yang baik sedikit kualitinya untuk persediaan Ramadhan. Alhamdulillah, rezeki kami tahun ini tak perlu membeli kurma sebab ada yang memberi sedekah. Rasanya tiga kotak yang ada cukup untuk kami sekeluarga sepanjang bulan puasa ini. Moga bertambah murah rezeki mereka yang bersedekah kurma kepada kami kali ini.

Kurma pemberian mereka yang pemurah

Dari segi amalan dan aktivitinya pula, saya telah menetapkan beberapa perkara yang saya ingin beri penekanan pada bulan mulia ini. Tak banyak beza dengan apa yang saya usahakan tahun lepas (link), dan InsyaAllah ada penambahan lain yang saya harap Allah swt beri saya kekuatan untuk melaksanakannya.

1 Ramadhan telahpun tiba. Bulan yang mulia ini hanya datang setahun sekali. Marilah kita sama-sama mempertingkat ibadat kita dan semoga segala amalan kita sepanjang bulan penuh rahmat ini diterima Allah swt dan dikurnia pahala berlipat kali ganda hendaknya. Amin.

Selamat Menyambut Ramadhan Al Mubarak

My Ramadhan Score Card

In my previous posting I wrote about a few ‘Ramadhan Resolutions’ I would like to undertake. Well, Ramadhan is over, I haven’t started my Puasa Enam and work stress is creeping in fast, so before I lose track of time and before I get swarmed with other things labelled as ‘I’m your priority now!!’, I’d better get this out of the way.

I am glad I gave it a thought to prepare myself for the holy month. Instead of just ‘enduring’ it, I had some missions to accomplish. And my self-reflection after a full month of fasting based on the said resolutions can be summarised as follows (minus some details which are between me and the Almighty):

1. I will refrain from coffee and I will not go back to sleep after sahur.
I suffered from caffeine withdrawal syndrome the first few days of my coffee abstinence. I felt better once the slight headache and buzzing I felt went away. Yes, I did stay away from coffee for the whole month. I have now started to consume coffee again, but I remain moderate. Plain water, tea and Milo are my best buddies now and I wish to keep it that way. As for not sleeping after sahur, I think the additional time I had was normally well used to either read the Quran or clean the house. Well, I did go back to sleep a few times, and I completely missed sahur twice…blamed it on the early morning English Premier League games and my occasional sheer indulgence in catching up with some zzzzz….

2. I will reduce the trips to Ramadhan bazaar, and exercise moderation if I do go there (the once a year popiah and kuih talam will be my biggest challenge).
I think I passed this one with flying colours….zilch trip to the daily food fiesta, and the best part, I was not even tempted…Well, except for the sole purchase of a murtabak, which by the way, was bought at an isolated location far away from the Ramadhan Bazaar….So, technically that did not amount to a visit to the bazaar…(by my technical definition of course).

3. I will go to tarawih more often; the number of tarawih I go to must exceed all my jari tangan..:)
Well, a bit yo-yo-like on this one. I was all for going to the mosque for tarawih prayers, and I did just that for the first 4 nights. Then my right knee had a different idea, and the discomfort and pain I felt led me to believe that I’d better of doing the prayers at home. I also prayed for my knee to heel. And miraculously, Alhamdulillah, the knee ‘popped’ after 4 agonising days and I felt much better after that. I then resumed going to the mosque, though not as frequent as I should. I did the tarawih at home for most days that I didn’t go to the mosque…but there were also days when I missed them completely…..Overall, more days doing tarawih than last year, which exceeded the number of all my jari tangan and kaki. Must try to be more focused (khusyuk) coz there were times when my mind was way off to God knows where…And finally, I don’t really know how I did on this one as only Allah knows. …Terimalah amalan ku Ya Allah…Amin.

4. I will stick to my buka puasa routine; kurma, drink and light meal....go for maghrib, isya and tarawih...then only the proper meal. My sahur routine shall remain the same; oat meal drinks or other similar drinks.
I managed to adhere to this routine most of the the time, and as a result I shed some unwanted kilos by the end of Ramadhan…Unfortunately, I regained most of them back after the hari raya break:). I tried to eat like normal non-fasting days, and it worked. However, since my wife cooked everything we had on the table (due to our self-imposed ban on visits to the Ramadhan bazaar), sometimes there were leftovers which I diligently tried to finished during sahur to avoid wasting them. The overall result, I felt better, healthier and wide awake during tarawih prayers. This routine is highly recommended for those who want to lose weight, or want to feel better while performing tarawih prayers. Definitely a keeper for next Ramadhan.

5. I will attempt at making my ibadat more meaningful; more khusyuk in my prayers, reading the Quran and yassin for myself and for Abah, do more ibadat that is more "people-related", less talk and more work (yup, lots of papers to write, just have to choose the ones which carry more impact).
I tried…I tried…and no idea how I had performed…all I can say is that I did try. I tried to revive the tradition of giving food (not exchanging food) to the neighbours. We put the food in disposable containers with the hope that the neighbours would not feel obliged to return the favour…unless they want to. My daughters really enjoyed this, pressing the neighbours’ doorbells and saying aloud ‘Assalamualaikum’ and then giving the food. My gain - I think I got to know my neighbours a little bit more now (I just moved in about two months earlier) and I hope my daughters also took away some positive values from the activities.

6. I will find time to hang those pictures on the wall of my new house....lots of them. I guess this is my form of exercise for this Ramadhan.
I only managed to finished my daughters’ room..that’s it. Got other things to do lahhh. Will have to find time to do up my room and the guest room soon.

And that’s it. Now, I must find time to do the Puasa Enam....and try to visit more people on my own accord, not just when invited to their Open House. Sigh....It's not hard to guess which way the scale is tilting the next time I weigh myself....

My Take On Iftar Invitation At A Pricey Place

We are more than half way through the whole month. I guess an intermediate reflection on my resolutions seems inappropriate at this stage. Obviously, I can’t judge my own performance…and I only hope that God Almighty will accept my amalan…….InsyAllah.

So far this Ramadhan, I have only been to one Iftar invitation and it was quite an experience. It was at a fairly nice place…of course when the price per head was in the region of RM80, you’d have to say by default it was supposed to be nice. As it turned out…the food was decent but it the whole experience made we wonder….was it all worth it. The word that kept buzzing in my head throughout the occasion was "stampede"…and many other synonyms. The alleys were narrow, people piled their plates with food (I know one of my friends would describe this as …kucing lompatpun tak lepas, literally translated as a cat will fail to leap over it), and that was only the beginning. The Qs were expectedly long…but what really bugged me was the feeling that I was back in military high school….holding my tray in line waiting for food to be served. Only this was worse, because I felt pressured to move quickly leaving me with little time to contemplate…"let see….. beef or chicken or lamb or fish or satay or the other beef, or the other chicken, or the other lamb or the other fish or the other satay….". No…no…this is Iftar at a nice place where you pay RM80 for your meal…so don’t think, juts move along. I could just feel the little "nudge" from behind every time I needed that additional nanosecond to decide. No wonder people didn’t contemplate, they just piled everything in and move along happily. And the thing was…the stampede continued on, before and during Iftar and up to at least 8.30 pm.

Anyway, I just pity this one makcik who decided to go for Gearbox Soup to start her Iftar…well, I failed to notice the many other food on her table but obviously the soup stood out like a sore thumb. I pity her because she sat right at the entrance of the buffet line and everybody who passed by would give her the OMG look when they saw the humongous cow’s knee in front of her. And it was 15 minutes away from Iftar when I saw that….it must had been the longest 15 minutes in her life I’d imagine. I guessed once Iftar arrived, people would be pretty much engrossed in their own devouring task that the image of a makcik staring at a huge knuckle would be long forgotten….and as it turned out, 3 people at my table tried the soup later and testified it was not that great…..I sure hope for the makcik’s sake, that she liked it.

I was in a great company…they paid for the meal so obviously I was expected to have a jovial time. But with the Indonesian band singing along in the background, it was rather difficult to have a decent conversation…what more with the need to join the stampede from time to time as I migrated from fruits to entrée to main course and finally to ice cream. The following band was even beyond my comprehension. They happily sang along when right next to the stage was a big screen showing "Forum Perdana"….talking about making difficult choice….and even more difficult when the band had two girls in skimpy outfits (the choice between good and evil didn’t get any clearer than this). I must confessed that I did look…(just look:)).., but hey….I thought they couldn’t have this kind of thing in Shah Alam….Anyway, after 10 minutes the hotel staff came to their senses and flipped the channel and the screen was showing a football game…..so it was easier I guessed for people to just concentrate on the band …and the mini skirt, minus the guilty feeling:).

I left the place with a mixed feeling….and without elaborating further, I was pretty sure I’d be better off having the Iftar at home, in the company of my beloved wife and kids……albeit probably having only 3 dishes, and having to chase after my kids to ensure they finish their meal…and I would probably not miss my Tarawih….which I did that day….

Last I look at my calendar, I have 3 more Iftar invitations to go to (and I have turned down a few already)……..is it going to be any better????

My Ramadhan...What It Means To Me

Ramadhan is here again...I first started fasting when I was 7, completing a meagre 6 days initially. By the time I was 10, it had become part of my annual routine to complete the whole deal. I had no problem fasting even when I had to play full 80 minute rugby games. But the meaning of Ramadhan did not make much impact back then.....physically, fasting has never been that difficult for me.

......Yes, we've all heard the amazing benefits one can strife to gain during this holy month. It's a battle against Nafsu, it's time to quadruple our ibadah....tarawih, sedekah, taubat etc

......But really, when the tailors are all fully booked for baju raya order even before the month start (I am as guilty for trying to find a tailor for my baju raya a few days before Ramadhan, what am I thinking....I get that "are you crazy" look every time.) , it makes me wonder if I am doing this right.

......Then there's all this Ramadhan Bazaar craze that sweeps the country, and Muslims and non-Muslim alike swarm these bazaars to indulge in the food fiesta.....though at one point or another, some of the food goes to waste (Yup...been there, done that...I am just as guilty). I was told/I read that in some countries food business literally come to a halt during Ramadhan as most traders prefer to give sedekah (free food in our country means go eat at the mosque).

......The mosques are filled to the brim with "determined" Jamaah at the beginning of Ramadhan....but the number rapindly dwindles as the spirit of hari raya begins to creep in....hmmm. And some Imams who recite lengthy Quran verses during the Tarawih...I can still handle it at this age but I wonder if the old folks can remain khusyuk as they struggle to remain standing. (Yes, I can "kira dengan jari" the number of days I went for tarawih last year, though the number was a bit bigger if you count the tarawih I did alone at home).

......For what ever reason, I was inspired last Ramadhan to "try" these two adhoc resolutions; to stay away from coffee and to remain awake after sahur (I got up at about 5.15am for sahur). Surprisingly, I almost succeeded in my attempt to refrain from coffee (I had coffee once during Buka Puasa invitation) and as far as I could remember, I had managed to resist going back to sleep after sahur. The additional time I had in those early mornings were effectively used to clean up the house, to prepare susu for my daughter, to take out the trash and to do other chores...

......I also did this though it was not part of the resolution; I eat light meal for buka puasa, went for tarawih and had dinner later after tarawih. It felt better as I was normally not sleepy during the prayers, and I lost weight!!!!

......So this year, I guess I must do better...both spiritually and physically. I have no excuse really, with the syaitan being chained...it's the battle between me and my Nafsu, and subsequently it's my great opportunity for "self-reflection".

......So these are the important things for me this Ramadhan....and I guess I'll brave myself to review my own performance once the month is over....

1. I will refrain from coffee and I will not go back to sleep after sahur.

2. I will reduce the trips to ramadhan bazaar, and exercise moderation if I do go there (the once a year popiah and kuih talam will be my biggest challenge).

3. I will go to tarawih more often; the number of tarawih I go to must exceed all my jari tangan..:)

4. I will stick to my buka puasa routine; kurma, drink and light meal....go for maghrib, isya and tarawih...then only the proper meal. My sahur routine shall remain the same; oat meal drinks or other similar drinks.

5. I will attempt at making my ibadat more meaningful; more khusyuk in my prayers, reading the Quran and yassin for myself and for Abah, do more ibadat that is more "people-related", less talk and more work (yup, lots of papers to write, just have to choose the ones which carry more impact).

6. I will find time to hang those pictures on the wall of my new house....lots of them. I guess this is my form of exercise for this Ramadhan.


Ramadhan is here shortly......and I hope these resolutions will help me to "hayati" the meaning of it better than I did the previous years. Amin.....