Hajj Callings

The one and only Makkatul Mukarramah.
















Talbiyah:

Labbaikallahumma labbaik,
Labbaikalaa shareeka laka labbaik,
Innalhamdah wanni'matah
laka walmulk,
laa shareeka lak.

Talbiyah translation:

Here I am, O Allah, here I am,
there is no partner for you, Here I am!
Surely, all praise and blessings
are for you and dominion is Yours.
There is no partner for you.

Ibadah Hajj is the fifth of the five pillars of Islam. It is compulsory for the able ones to perform it once in their lifetime. Such holy rites and rituals are conducted in Zulhijjah, the twelfth month in islamic calendar.

Inshallah, one day I will get my turn to perform Hajj.

What Karen Armstrong manifested about Christianity and Islam

I'd like to share this article as something to ponder about in conjunction with Christmas and the upcoming eidul adha celebration.It is an article from islamonline.com (click here).



“The Muslim prophet born in Bethlehem”- Armstrong
12/23/2006 9:00:00 AM GMT


The relationship between Christianity and Islam has become one of the most important issues of our time. This topic could not be more appropriate as Chrisman Eve draws near, as well as Muslims’ Eid ul Adha festival. It’s important to cite incidents from history where Islam and Christianity lived together with no conflict between both faiths' followers. It’s also important to draw lessons from history of both religions to confront the widespread misconception about Islam and Muslims, portrayed by most media organisations in the West and those profiting from a continuing strife between Christians and Muslims, as enemies of Christians.

“In 632, after five years of fearful warfare, the city of Mecca in the Arabian Hijaz voluntarily opened its gates to the Muslim army. No blood was shed and nobody was forced to convert to Islam,” said a recent article by Karen Armstrong (pic above), who was nun before becoming a prolific writer, television broadcaster and prominent figure on the London media scene, known for her writings aimed at helping Westerners, particularly her own countrymen, develop a better understanding of Islam and its Prophet.

When writers talk about the "clash of civilizations", they focus on “a looming conflict between Christianity and Islam”. When neo-cons in the United States articulate their world view, they identify Islam as their enemy. Why has the relationship between Christianity and Islam become so problematic?

In her article on The Guardian, Armstrong, one of the most provocative, original thinkers on the role of religion in the modern world, intended to show “people in the west, who have regarded Islam as the implacable enemy of Christianity ever since the crusades,” that contrary to what’s being said about Muslims nowadays and the active campaign led by hardline politicians and media organisations in the West against Muslims, “for centuries Muslims cherished the figure of Jesus, who is honored in the Qur'an as one of the greatest of the prophets and, in the formative years of Islam, became a constituent part of the emergent Muslim identity.”

“There are important lessons here for both Christians and Muslims - especially, perhaps, at Christmas.

"The Qur'an does not believe that Jesus is divine but it devotes more space to the story of his virginal conception and birth than does the New Testament, presenting it as richly symbolic of the birth of the Spirit in all human beings (Qur'an 19:17-29; 21:91).

Also trying to enlighten people in the West with more understanding of how Qur’an praised Jesus and showed special respect for his figure, Armstrong stated:

“Time and again the Qur'an insists that, like Muhammad himself, Jesus was a perfectly ordinary human being and that the Christians have entirely misunderstood their own scriptures. But it concedes that the most learned and faithful Christians - especially monks and priests - did not believe that Jesus was divine; of all God's worshippers, they were closest to the Muslims (5:85-86).

“Jesus, it was felt, had an affinity with Muhammad, and had predicted his coming (61:6), just as the Hebrew prophets were believed by Christians to have foretold the coming of Christ. The Qur'an... denied that Jesus had been crucified, but saw his ascension into heaven as the triumphant affirmation of his prophethood. In a similar way, Muhammad had once mystically ascended to the Throne of God.

“(Jesus) was a great model for Muslim ascetics, preaching poverty, humility and patience. Sometimes he took sides in a political or theological dispute: aligning himself with those who advocated free will in the debate about predestination; praising Muslims who retired on principle from politics ("Just as kings have left wisdom to you, so you should leave the world to them"); or condemning scholars who prostituted their learning for political advancement ("Do not make your living from the Book of God").”

Stressing that Jesus held a special place within early Islam, Armstrong further stated:

“The Muslim devotion to Jesus is a remarkable example of the way in which one tradition can be enriched by another. It cannot be said that Christians returned the compliment. While the Muslims were amassing their Jesus-traditions, Christian scholars in Europe were denouncing Muhammad as a lecher and charlatan, viciously addicted to violence. But today both Muslims and Christians are guilty of this kind of bigotry and often seem eager to see only the worst in each other.”

“The Muslim devotion to Jesus shows that this was not always the case.”

In her book, Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Time, Armstrong attempted to confront the boundless ignorance among non- Muslims about Islam and its Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), as well as Islamophobia that soared noticeably following Sept. 11 attacks on the United States and the smear anti-Muslims campaign that followed the event, negatively affecting lives of many Muslims living in the West.

Armstrong depicted the holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as both a mystic touched by God on a mountaintop and a canny political and social reformer who preached loyalty to God rather than tribe; reconciliation rather than retaliation and cared for orphans and the poor; and in many incidents empowered and supported women, which might surprises many in the West who believe that Islam doesn’t pay much attention to the women’s rights.

In her introductory note to her biography, Muhammad, she writes:

"Islam is a universal religion and there is nothing aggressively oriental or anti-Western about it. Indeed, when Muslims first encountered the colonial West during the 18th century, many were impressed by its modern civilization and tried to emulate it."
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Karen Armstrong biography

(click this for source)

Karen Armstrong spent seven years in the Society of the Holy Child Jesus during the 1960s and later wrote a tell-all book, "Through the Narrow Gate" (St. Martin's Press, 1982) that bemoaned the restrictive life. (The frightened nuns did not know the Cuban missile crisis of 1962 had ended for several weeks; they were not allowed to inquire about the outside world.) Armstrong is still hearing about the book: "Catholics in England hate me. They've sent me excrement in the mail." Readers who have followed her lately are learning her more optimistic ideas about what Islam, Judaism and Christianity have in common with A History of God (Ballantine, 1993), Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths (Knopf, 1996) and The Battle for God (Knopf, 2000) which all focus on what unites the three great monotheist faiths.

Armstrong teaches Christianity at London's Leo Baeck College for the Study of Judaism. It was her first trip to Jerusalem in 1983 that piqued her interest in commonality among faiths. "I got back a sense of what faith is all about." At the time she was an atheist who was "wearied" by religion and "worn out by years of struggle." Born a Roman Catholic in the countryside near Birmingham, England, in 1945, she gave up on religion after her time in the convent. "I was suicidal," she said of life in her late 20s. "I didn't know how to live apart from that regimented way of life."

With an undergraduate degree in literature from Oxford University, she began teaching 19th and 20th century literature at the University of London and worked on a PhD. Three years later, her dissertation was rejected. Without it, she did not qualify to teach at the university level and took a job as head of the English department at a girls' school in London. Not long afterward, she was diagnosed with epilepsy. "After six years at the school I was asked to leave, but nicely," she said. "My early life is a complete catastrophe. It all worked out for the best."

She left the school in 1982 and began working on television documentaries. The story that took her to Jerusalem set her on a new career path and changed her earlier impressions about God. She went from atheist to "freelance monotheist" but has never returned to the Catholic Church or joined any other.

Since her writing career took off, Armstrong's communion with God occurs in the library, where she spends up to three years researching her books, which are as densely packed with detail as her conversations. "I get my spirituality in study," she said. "The Jews say it happens, sometimes, studying the Torah."

Armstrong says, "It's inevitable that people turn to more than one religious tradition for inspiration," she said. "It's part of globalization." She recently read from the Buddhist canon of teachings for her next book. "Religion is like a raft," she said, explaining the Buddha's view of it. "Once you get across the river, moor the raft and go on. Don't lug it with you if you don't need it anymore." She knows that mode of travel: Leave one raft behind to pick up the next just ahead.

She is the author of numerous books on religious affairs which have been translated into forty languages. She is also the author of three television documentaries and took part in Bill Moyers’s television series Genesis. Since September 11, 2001, she has been a frequent contributor to conferences, panels, newspapers, periodicals, and throughout the media on both sides of the Atlantic on the subject of Islam.

In 2005 she published A Short History of Myth, the first volume in an ambitious project undertaken by Canongate Books to retell the great myths of the world - a project that they estimate will take 30 years to complete.

In 2006 she published The Great Transformation, and is now rewriting her biography of the prophet Mohammed. When asked about this project, during an interview on New York Public Radio in 2006 she said, ' "I have rewritten my biography of the prophet Mohammed, based on the latest research - he was not a warrior, but he found himself, like many of the Axial Age sages, in a violent society and he eventually brought peace to the region by practicing a daring policy of non-violence worthy of Ghandi. He stopped the violence and went into Mecca unarmed and forced the Meccans to negotiate with him accepting terms that his followers thought were disgraceful."

Boxing day: Tsunami second anniversary and James Brown RIP Obituary

It has been two years since the catastrophic tsunami that has affected Aceh (Sumatra, Indonesia), few places in the northwest coast of Malaysia, west coastlines of Thailand, south-western coast part of Myanmar, half of south Sri Lanka, few places in Maldives Island, many parts in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and few beaches in Kenya ,where all lies around the Indian Ocean. Of all the countries mentioned, it was Aceh, Sri Lanka and Thailand that were affected the most by the horrific tragedy.

I was in london when it occurred and was following the news in the newspapers and electronic media avidly. Such devastating disaster had killed hundreds of thousands of people and wiped out many areas, especially in Aceh, Sumatra, which was the hardest hit area.

IN a matter of minutes only, those doomed areas have become massive graveyards. Tropical paradises, sleepy towns, thriving fishery businesses all drifted away. Such scenes could only be described as equivalent to an armageddon. So many things have been destroyed and nothing much could be done.

And during this boxing day, 26 December 2004, Aceh has suddenly become the most famous place in the world. Previously, it was globally known for internal feuds and political problems spurred by the separatists who demanded independence from its motherland, Indonesia. Apparently, Aceh was no stranger from bloodsheds and instability. In fact, it has been under Indonesian Army scrutiny for many years. Then, the disastrous tsunami hit its coast wiping out towns and its dwellers.

As reported by AP:

The 2004 tsunami generated an unprecedented outpouring of generosity, with donor pledges reaching some $13.6 billion, but many of the 2 million made homeless complain they still do not have adequate places to live.
Some survivors say they are stuck with poorly built structures that leak, are termite-infested or located in flood zones. Several aid agencies, meanwhile, have been forced to delay projects or rebuild homes after contractors and suppliers ran off with the funds.

That shows that despite the huge loss, the whole world sympathized with the victims irrespective of their beliefs, creeds, race and backgrounds.

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Another main news today was the death of the legendary Godfather of Soul, RnB, Funk and Disco, James Brown (pic above) at the age of 73 due to pneumonia. His signature song without any doubt is "I got you (I feel good)". It was hugely popular all around the world that it was featured in so many hollywood movies where one of them is an oscar award winner "Good Morning, Vietnam" starring Robin Williams, Forest Whitaker and the late Bruno Kirby (whom people would recognize him as the jolly but hot-tempered friend of Billy Crystal in When Harry Met Sally and City Slickers. He also passed away earlier this year).

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May the late "soulfunk-sex machine" James Brown and the Tsunami victims rest their souls.

Christmas 2006 crackers

Merry christmas and a happy and prosperous new year.......


50 Christmas crackers as featured in The Sun (click here):

WHAT happened to the hyena who fell into a pot of gravy?
He made a laughing stock of himself.

WHAT goes ha ha ha clonk?
A man laughing his head off

WHY is it so difficult to train dogs to dance?
They have two left feet.

WHAT is the definition of an American Bra?
One yank and it's off

WHAT'S six inches long and two inches wide and drives women wild?
Money.

A MAN goes to the doctor and says: "Doctor, I've got a strawberry stuck up my bum."
And he replied: "It's OK, I'll give you some cream for that."

WHY did the hedgehog cross the road?
To see his flatmate!

WHAT goes up and never comes down?
Your age.

WHAT do you call a woman who has lost 95 per cent of her brain? Divorced.

WHAT do you get when you cross a cat with a lemon?
A sour puss!

WHAT did the one strand of hair say to the other strand of hair when asked if he could borrow his shampoo?
Yes, but only on one conditioner.

WHAT happened to the blonde tap dancer?
She fell in the sink.

WHAT did the Policeman say to the stomach?
You're under a vest.

WHAT do you give a man who has everything?
Antibiotics.

DID you hear about the man who fell into an upholstery machine?
He's fully recovered.

WHAT do you call a man that plays with leaves?
Rustle!

TWO oranges walk into a bar.
One says to other: "You're round."

WHAT do you get when you cross a donkey with an onion?
A piece of ass that brings a tear to your eye!

A MAN goes to see his Doctor and says: "Doctor I have a lettuce stuck in my bottom."

The Doctors takes a look and replies: "That's only the tip of the iceberg."

WHAT do anniversaries and toilets have in common?
Men always miss them

DID you hear of the mathematician who had constipation?
In the end he had to work it out with a pencil.

HOW do hedgehogs make love?
Very carefully.

WHAT do you call a girl with eggs and bacon in her hair?
Cathy.

HOW do you keep your husband from reading your emails?
Rename the folder 'Instruction Manuals'.

WHAT do you get when you put a fish and an elephant together?
Swimming trunks.

WHAT are three words you never want to hear while making love?
Honey, I'm home!

WHY did the jazz musician like the wooden board?
Because it had a nice groove in it!

"Waiter! This coffee tastes like mud."
"Yes sir, it's fresh ground."

WHAT'S brown, steams and comes out of Cowes?
The Isle of Wight ferry.

WHO'S the coolest person at a hospital?
The Ultra Sound Guy!

HOW do you know you're living in a redneck town?
You get married for the third time and have the same in-laws

I had a crash with an ice-cream van last night. I wasn’t hurt, just had a bit of Mr Whippy lash.

WHAT'S orange and fizzy and comes down the chimney at Christmas?
Fanta Claus!

WHAT do you call a nun that sleepwalks?
A roaming Catholic.

WHAT do you call cheese that doesn’t belong to you?
Nacho Cheese

WHAT do you do if your toe falls off?
Call a TOW truck for help!

WHICH island has the highest death rate?
Corpsica!

AN invisible man marries an invisible woman.
The kids were nothing to look at either.

WHAT wobbles and flies?
A Jelly-copter.

WHAT is the difference between a smart blonde and a UFO?
There have been sightings of UFOs.

WHAT is the difference between a woman and a magnet?
Magnets have a positive side!

HOW did the beaver get online?
He logged on!

HOW do you get a fat person in bed?
A piece of cake.

WHAT'S the similarity between PlayStations and boobs?
Both are made for children, but used by adults.

What do you call a basement full of blondes?
A whine cellar.

WHAT'S got two grey legs and two browns legs?
An elephant with diarrhoea.

HEAR about the man that collected five thousand door knockers?
He won a nobel prize.

WHAT'S brown and sits on a wall?
Humpty dump.

WHAT has four legs but can't walk?
A table!

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Click this to see babies singing you merry xmas.

HRH Prince William on his Sandhurst graduation day

Prince William has been commissioned as the a british army officer and will become a 2nd lieutenant.

He obtained his first degree, with a second class upper from the University of St.Andrew last year, and most recently he has just finished his military training course at the elite Sandhurst College, Surrey, England. Photos from the graduation below:

Hold it to yourself, dear Prince William, careful.....

Ur mama, the late Princess Diana be proud. She must be smiling at you from heaven. Congratulation on your commissioning day.

This was taken during Prince Harry's graduation ceremony last April, 2006.

Doesn't he look handsome or what in that uniform? I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to join one graduation ceremony of my family friend's son at that elite college last year's August. I dont know why but a lot of men looked rather dishy in a complete uniform be it as an army, navy, police, and so on....I'm thinking of getting my future husband to wear one on a special private occassion together....grrr....

doodle and scribble

What is doodling? According to Answer.com, doodling is a mindless sketch, an aimless drawing, while a person's attention is otherwise occupied.


Anna Koren examined on the habit of doodling and scribbling and made some interpretations based on the doodling style. Here are some of the excerpts of what she thinks of doodling:

There are an abundance of different types of Doodles, ranging from retracing letters in a written or printed text to complex and three-dimensional drawings, via a variety of idle scribbling.

The process of doodling appears to only be a partially conscious one. Not once does it appear that the pen takes on a life of its own, and the "artist" himself is surprised by the results.

One generally indulges in doodling while one's mind is on something else, rather than on the actual matter of doodling. People doodle in various situations - for instance, in the course of telephone conversations, lectures, while compiling lists and making notes.

Doodles are assessed in much the same way as specimens of handwriting: by examining the same indicators such as the layout on the page, the structure of the stroke, movement, angles, roundness, and speed. However, the doodle cannot be gauged by quite the same codes as those applying to handwriting analysis, and the closest common component between the doodle and the person's handwriting is the signature.

In a certain sense, the interpretation of doodles can be compared to the interpretation of dreams in the course of psychological treatment. Deciphering a doodle is not a simple task. However, it could serve the graphologist with an important clue as to the direction of the analysis and its depth in the same way as the dream serves a similar purpose to the psychologist.

Doodles carry a vast array of symbols, some clear and uncontestable, others obscure and concealed. Tracing hearts often represents a romantic period; pistols and arms could indicate overt of repressed aggression; boats and cars point to a nomadic urge, the desire to travel and the need to go on holiday. It is only people who are musically oriented who would trace musical notes and keys, and people on a diet would often be inspired by food-related subjects in their doodles. Drawing bars often points to a feeling of suffocation.

Significance of the position of the doodle on the page:

-CENTER - Extroversion, a need for attention, sensitivity to privacy, and the need for space.

-LEFT - Held by the past, drawn to the past, apprehensiveness, sensitivity, fear of being exposed.

-TOP - Enthusiasm, spirituality, and an unpractical approach.

-BOTTOM - A critical and practical approach, at times depression.

Shading-in of letters
At times, this is merely an expression of boredom, with no significance. At other times, it can indicate anxiety, lack of self-confidence, tension, and at times, a compulsive behavior and/or lack of faith in oneself.

Pressure

- HEAVY - could express energy, activity, at times aggression.

- MEDIUM - points to a well-balanced personality.

- LIGHT - could be evidence of sensitivity.

- IRREGULAR - might indicatethat the person's inner energy is not altogether regulated. A lack of stability and frequent changes in moods, restlessness, and impatience.


Doodles can assist the Graphologist and serve as a clue regarding a person's personality, or reveal a process being experienced by the "doodler"; but, as mentioned above, it is not possible to perform a character analysis on the basis of a doodle alone. It is strongly recommended to refer to the specimen of the handwriting and look for pointers supporting manifestations revealed in the doodles.

See the actual scribbling/doodling images by clicking on Anna Koren's name above.

I doodle when I speak on the phone or while i was thinking of something while studying an article from a journal. Interestingly, there are quite a few people I know who does the same thing. One of them is my former PhD supervisor. Not only that, he also plays with his hair if he is not scribbling while he is on the line. I do the same thing too....Apart from that, playing and twisting my hair is also my main habit and I do that while I'm talking on the phone, while watching tv at home (and sometimes still practise such habit while in the cinema), when taking a break from reading, before sleeping, while talking to my mum, when trying to pacify anxiety, that sort of habitual actions...It's like some toddlers and thumbsucking, playing with my hair is something that relaxes me sort of.

Refering to Anna Koren's website, my doodles would normally looks like those or closely described by those of the number 1, 5, 11, 12 and 13. On many ocassions, number 1 and 11 are my typical doodles. Number 12 is quite frequent as well. Sometimes, when I'm in a certain kind of mood, I could be doing number 13, 15 or a more proper sketches like the sketch at the bottom of the website.

Last raya, I met a fellow blogger, Pak Adib for the first time at his place in Taman Maluri and he showed me one of his moleskins. It contained many of his thoughts represented in a form of doodling besides some short written notes. He was also kind enough to present me with a mini blank moleskin as a raya token for me.

So I guess this doodling habit, the art of menconteng if I had to describe it in plain malay isnt such a weird thing after all. However, it could be indicating the dark side of us if our scribbles look like some very strange, possibly gory images....

Of Smiths, Jolie and Pitt

It is not that they are my favourite of all the actors and actresses....

HOWEVER, there is a special something about love is in the air could easily be seen through these two people namely Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Honestly, I have never seen Jolie projecting such a natural chemistry towards any man but Pitt. I could be wrong but i can actually see some on-screen sparks between her and pitt. She was always known to be some sort of a femme fatale or someone adventurous enuf (could be described as one brazen hussy with demented mind, misunderstood, incorrigibly eccentric, untamed heart and all that shit). Hell, all i know is that, I seldom capture this kind of natural love act depicted in hollywood movies.....normally it is either faking it or lust-oriented. It could also lead to short flings or platonic friendship or even ultimately, marriage like quite a number of them, hollywood and around the world actors and actresses. Unless one of them admitted to be gay or sexually confused, or becoming religious, or switching faith, etc.

photo source: yahoo! movie

photo source: E! online

The recent news reported in E! Online (click here) could either salvage or detriment Jolie's image who has already been thought of as a homewrecker when she could be true to her feelings. Just a few days ago I saw their movie together, which at one time have sparked endless rumours regarding their courtship and Brad Pitt-Jennifer Aniston marital status: Mr. and Mrs.Smith. That was my first time I watched it from the start till the end. There were quite a few moments that really caught my eyes on how Jolie displayed her soft spot for Pitt. Some of the significant ones (in my opinion) were when she giggled when Pitt was doing/saying something silly, the way she said when he asked her what she thought of him the first time she saw him, and when she turned her back to get a glimpse at Pitt at the moment she reached to the other building having escaped her office block by rope sliding.

Pitt mustve been harbouring some feelings toward her too albeit when he was a married man and the other half of Aniston. He was also known to go serious with some of his fellow actresses off the screen. Those memorable affairs with Juliet Lewis and Gwyneth Parltrow were once a hollywood item during the 90s. Then there was Jen who became his first wife. They quickly became Hollywood's golden couple. The only time they shared moments on the screen was in an episode of Friends, one of the most popular american sitcoms. Unfortunately, they are no longer together. Their much talked about fairy tale romance and relationship ended with a divorce a year ago. A four year marriage that was. And Jolie was accused to be one of the culprits that brought them down.

Besides TomKat, Pitt-Jolie baby was another long-awaited news of this year. The birth of a baby girl in Namibia last May had further cemented their love and commitment for each other. It's too early to presume whether they would tie a knot or not. But with the joint surnames for their own baby as well as the other two adopted children, time will tell how far would this beautiful lovebirds last. And it seemed that children are the key which binds them together.

On a personal note, I had dreamt about Brad Pitt three times during his affair with Parltrow. I was not smitten by him. NOPE. In all of my dreams with him, we were good friends, and at one time, Pitt made a confession to me that he was having problems with Gwen. Amazingly, that took place before Pitt and Parltrow even admitted that they were going through a hard time. Talking about small wonders, eh....

one week without broadband connection...sigh

It's been a week since i lost my jaring connection due to network card and broadband modem faulties....this was the 3rd time such thing has ever happened...and CERTAINLY NOT because of jaring service. It was DUE TO this heavy rain/monsoon season with all that heavy downpours, thunderstorms, lightning strikes and so on that had interfered with the broadband system.

As this is the 3rd time i changed the modem, FOR free from jaring and this is also the 3rd time i had to replace with a new network card 10/100Mbps, and the fact that all my pc cables, printer and network adaptor are connected to a power surge cable extension, the LAST resort would be to disconnect the phone line from the modem when the pc is not in use. Such is the crucial step to avoid another visit to the Jaring Internet Outlet as well as our nearby pc hardware shop repeating the same thing: return old faulty modem and replacing it with a new one (it is for free as it is inclusive of the monthly bill) and getting a new network card (just a small surcharge for the 3rd one courtesy of G & B pc hardware, Jalan Reko, Kajang, but twice for free). ON top of that, disconnecting the phone line (DSL) from the modem would protect the broadband splitter from malfunctioning.

What to do....I have been using my 1st network card for like 4 years without any problems in the UK and the 1st 6 months of my broadband connection here in Malaysia until this torrential rainy season hits the country. Penat memang penat...seriously getting tired of such hassle. A month before that, my youngest sister did something that led to pc system crash and i had to ask my adek ipar's genius computer maintainer to come over my place to fix my pc.

Good thing i can still get connected to the internet via my office pc. But our faculty LAN connection is only up to 10MBps whereas my home connection goes up to 100MBps. You dont need to be a rocket scientist to figure out which one is better and faster.

And just 2 days ago, we have upgraded our electrical Amp consumption, from 43 to 60Amp by replacing the old fuse box with a new one, and fixed a new fuse system at the electric meter box. This electrical power overload could also be one of the notorious reasons that has affected my broadband modem.

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Eh, how come Asia Game 2006 in Doha is not that happening? is it because our malaysian contingent are not doing that well, except a few like the bowling team? Not much of coverage being reported in the newspaper? that bad, huh....they got almost nothing to say hence the modest number of report.

One fine day in Chelsea

Dear you,


More than 2 years ago, summer 2004, you asked me out and we spent like 2 days in a row around leicester square and covent garden (supposedly one of your favourite spots). I still remember the day you bought me this DVD Hum Tum from HMV leics sq. I remember at one time i thought of ditching you at HMV and quickly finding my way home. But, and i just dont know why, I could not make it....There's like something that pulling me back to u. And I was amazed by my reactions. It was as if fate has been written, stories have been made that i decided that i should just go ahead with it. Nonetheless, i took my own precautions too, just in case. You remained ever so gentleman despite my sometimes cold and hostile manners. I was simply protecting myself. And I was testing u too, how long can u put up with me. Every time u sent me home, u wud plant gentle kisses on my cheeks. A few days after that, I went to Bradford for a little sibling gathering with my 2nd bro and my 3rd sis at her place. The next day, the three of us joined this international bradford university students trip to Lake District. While we were enjoying those breathtaking views from the bus, I received a voice mail from you. Right after that, i felt those warm, fuzzy feelings...it just happened and it took me by surprise indeed. What has he done to me???? Was i actually beginning to feel for him? Those feelings i got after that voice mail was an automatic response, simply magic.

Did u remember on the eid fitri 2004 , the 1st time i met your family? I came with my ex-officemate, Abi, all the way to east london. Such was one of the places that I have been avoiding unless if i have no choice. Wait, not just me but like 3/4 of the londoners. Too much immigrants like asian (your species), west indian blacks and so on....bit dodgy except if u go around Canary Wharf area as it has been revamped into a mini Manhattan. But I managed to drag my feet and went against the odds. I was just a bit posh like that.

Or should i say, the rest is history? Since then, we've gone through ups and downs...most of the down parts were caused by you. You and your weird behaviour. You did not manage to meet my mum when she came to visit me in december 2004. You spoilt things up. But still we seemed to manage to go through it. I still remember the day when u came to see me looking all worn out and sad. We sat next to each other and u told me that u felt like wanting to die by volunteering yourself as a british soldier for the peace core. Then you cried on my shoulder. That was the second time you wept. I just hugged you and let u lose yourself until you compose yourself again.

This is a special song dedicated to you. I know it is one of your favourite evergreen songs: Suspicious minds by Elvis Presley.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiNoqi_XpNY



One year ago, you bought me a bouquet of flowers while we strolled down Fulham Road in Chelsea. You accompanied me to Chelsea and Westminster hospital because I had a kidney test appointment there.

It was a lovely autumn-winter morning. It was the last day I saw you. It was the last day we were together. And I will cherish all those moments together. Not long after that, I came back to my homeland, Malaysia.

We are definitely not a typical couple. I love my space. And you like your own corner too. I dont see why we should restrict our moves and our circle of friends. I am of course more social than you. You are more of an introvert and I am more of an extrovert. Despite the unconventional stuff, there are just a lot of things that made me drawn to u. Baby, if Allah permits, and with all the constant prayers and commitment we have for each other, we will be together. There have been so many magical moments, peculiar ones, those that only God knows why....You know I love you. And even though you were like Cary Grant in Charade, and you can be very ,very, very annoying at times, you accepted me just the way I am. We were so natural when we have each other. No inhibitions.

I leave it to God, tawakkal to him for He knows more and He has better plans. Nevertheless, I wanna thank you for all those loving companionship and memories. We are each other's Yin and Yang.