Looking Back...October 2008

October 2008 has just passed last week....but the month passed not without any meaningful events.....

Manchester United spent the October winning all but one of their matches. See the results HERE.

Ain got sick when I was in Tehran....luckily we had some help from our friends here in Dubai.

Both my daughters got awarded with the Student of the Week at their school....plus a bad news from Malaysia. Read about it HERE & HERE.

I had promised them something as a reward for their achievements....so, I brought the family to see High School Musical 3.....

But one day in October that really has a significance to me.......

As far as I can remember, one of the worst tragedies that ever struck me was when I got injured playing football a little more than 13 years ago. I vividly remember it…..one afternoon, 15^th October, 1995……Masac 1 versus Masac 2, Winchell Field, Sacramento, California. We were playing a practice game, preparing for the inter-mural tournament, when my right knee just buckled under me. The pain was unbearable at that moment, but it got worse during the night when it got sore & swollen.

I cried that night….but not because of the pain. I cried because I knew that I won’t be able to play football, the way I did, ever again. Soon, it got even worse….the orthopedic surgeon told me that I can’t play soccer anymore. I could have it operated, but I won’t be 100% anymore….So, I talked to my mom and decided not to have the operation and let it heal by itself. I was a cripple for a few months after that. I was limping when I came back from the US……but thank God, the knee healed. However, the most frustrating thing was that I realized there’s no more football for me…..it’s the game that I love.

It took me almost half-an-hour to walk to the bus stop to go to the campus the day after. It usually took me only 5 minutes.

I tried to make a come back…..playing in a 7-a-side tournament a few years back (in 2000 I think). But once again, it just gave away…..maybe it just couldn’t support my weight anymore (I had been gaining a few kilos since coming back from the US). This time I was determined to make it better. I decided to have the arthroscopic knee operation, to assess the extent of the injury. I had it at the HUKM. But it hit me like a freight train when the surgeon told me that there’s an early sign of osteoarthritis. My knee is aging faster than me. And the worst thing is that when he said, “you should stop playing football or any other contact sports….”. What???? It’s devastating when he said that. It’s like half of my life was taken away from me. But I came to term with it……I had to find other ways to stay active. It won’t be the same, but I can’t just take it lying on my back.

That’s why I took up fishing….and the video games. Fishing eases my mind…..it makes me feel relaxed but still provides that adrenalin rush, especially when reeling in the fish….Video games, especially sports games, let me re-connect to those feelings that I had to let go…..the feelings of scoring goals, the feelings of tackling people, the feelings of jubilation when I win and frustrations when I lose.

When I looked back at all those that had happened to me, I realized that when God took something away from you, He won’t give it back. But He will definitely give something else in exchange….just to see if you are grateful or not. For me, as frustrated as I was, I am still grateful that I can still live a normal life. The things that He took away from me….well it’s His decision……. I couldn’t do anything. As His servant, I am grateful that He’s given me a great family who loves me.

I always looked at the positive side of things.....I guess it helped me survived....I have had some shares of of hard lucks.....but I won't let those things stop me from going on with my life....

The important thing for me is to take one look at those unfortunate events and say..."What should I do next to make it better?".....I don't usually lament on bad luck.