One Small Step

Today.....I took a half-day leave......

First thing in the morning....woke up Apit, helped him in the shower and helped him put his clothes on.....Today's a big day for Apit....He has an interview at Raffles IS.....for KG next September.

He was actually "ice-cool"..... no panic attacks, no frowns.... he just took the teacher's hand and followed her somewhere for the interview.

Read HERE for reports from his Ibu.....

It's a small step for a boy....but a big step for us as parents..... Now we will be parents of school-going kids.....all three of them.

Tears In Heaven

I was doing routine evaluations on the products at work today when suddenly I came across this beautiful song in one of the evaluation CDs.

It’s been quite some time since I last listened to this song. It’s a beautiful ballad, played on an acoustic guitar by one of the best guitarists ever grace the music world.

He’s also one of my all time favourite musicians..... Eric Patrick Clapton CBE aka Eric Clapton

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Tears in Heaven

Would you know my name
if I saw you in heaven?
Would it be the same
if I saw you in heaven?
I must be strong and carry on
'Cause I know I don't belong here in heaven...

Would you hold my hand
if I saw you in heaven?
Would you help me stand
if I saw you in heaven?
I'll find my way through night and day
'Cause I know I just can't stay here in heaven...

Time can bring you down, time can bend your knees
Time can break your heart, have you begging please...begging please

Beyond the door there's peace I'm sure
And I know there'll be no more tears in heaven...

Would you know my name
if I saw you in heaven?
Would YOU be the same
if I saw you in heaven?
I must be strong and carry on
'Cause I know I don't belong here in heaven...

By Eric Clapton and Will Jennings

The By-Elections

Let's put it from footballing point of view.....

In the Federal League.....

PR - 3, BN - 0..... Goals scored by Anwar Ibrahim (Captain-cum-Team Manager), Mohd Abdul Wahid Endut and Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin

In the State League.....

PR - 1, BN - 1..... Goals by rookie S Manikumar (PR) and Malcom Mussem Lamoh (BN)

Overall - PR is leading by 4 goals to 1.

Some said that it's not a referendum against the new BN Chief, but in my opinion, the scoreline is something for him to ponder. It's time for him to do some overhauling of his team.... it's time for him to start working hard.... not only for his team, but also for his country.

The responsibilities that have been put on his shoulders are not child-plays....

But...above all, the games are over....at least for now....

And to the players....Get Back To Work For Crying Out Loud.... !!!

You have the hopes of 27 millions fans lingering on your heads....

No matter from which sides of the pitch you are....

We WILL re-appraise you in 2012...

We got "Crocs"-ed

01st March.... We entertained a few guests....the parents of our kids' schoolmates at Raffles. One family was from Singapore and the other is from Malaysia. This was the second time that we had guests within a couple of weeks.

A few nights before, we had a few guests including a fellow Malaysian who's going home for good (his wife was with him to help him pack his things up)....

It's actually a good feeling to have guests coming to our small abode...... If the situation permits, we want to make it a monthly affair....

On the following Friday (3rd March), we had an invitation from a young couple.... friends of ours......they've moved to a new house just a few minutes from the Dubai-Sharjah border. We were treated with Nasi Kerabu, Steamboat and other Malay delicacies....including glutinous rice with durian gravy...yummy!!!.

It's there that we knew that Crocs is having a sale...up to 80% off. We didn't want to miss he opportunity.....we went there and I bought everyone a pair....errr...except for my Darling who got two....

We met a few Malaysian families there...and after Maghrib at the house of one of the families, we went to Al Ghurair City mall.... The ladies had some "business" to do there.....

"Business" finished, we went to dine at the famous Al Tawassol Restaurant.....we, three families in all, had mandy & bukhary rice with chicken, sherry fish and lamb. The kids were having a great time, much to the delight of the Arab (Egyptian I think) waiters.....

It was raining quite heavily when we left the restaurant.....full and tired...... luckily, the car park was just next door to the restaurant......

Once at home, I fell asleep on the sofa.....

April Fools - A Dishonest Tradition [As-Sunnah]

April Fools!!

A Dishonest Tradition
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by Shawana A Aziz
As-Sunnah Islamic Newsletter

1st April - a day when people lie, play jokes and mock in the name of entertainment. This ugly practice of lying, which is considered to be merely a humour, is known to have caused great harm to many. Even trauma and deaths. Still this dishonest tradition is not only practiced among the common masses, but also newspapers and magazines participate in it by publishing false news and untrue stories on the first day of April!

Much is said about the origin of this practice, however what concerns the most to the Muslims is that it is a tradition which directly contradicts the teachings and morals of Islam.

Lying is a characteristic of hypocrisy and Allah's Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) strictly forbade lying at all times. He (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) said: “Let he who truly believes in Allah and the Last Day speak good or be silent.” [Saheeh al-Bukharee] Moreover, he (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) has specifically cursed the person who lies to make people laugh, he said: “Woe be on one who speaks and lies in order to make people laugh, woe be on him.” [Abu Dawood]

The above Ahaadeeth show the gravity of participating in the false tradition of April Fool, which the Western tradition appreciates and encourages claiming that it brings joy and amusement, whereas the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) forbade lying and deceiving even if the intention of the person is to amuse people.

Abd al-Rahman Ibn Abi Laylaa said: “The companions of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) told us that they were travelling with the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam). A man among them fell asleep and some of them went and took his arrows. When the man woke up, he got alarmed (because his arrows were missing) and the people laughed. The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) said: “What are you laughing at?” They said, “Nothing, except that we took the arrows and he got alarmed.” The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) said: “It is not permissible for a Muslim to frighten another Muslim.” [Abu Dawood (5004) and Musnad Ahmad. Authenticated by Shaikh al-Albanee in Saheeh al-Jamee (7658)]

He (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) described the severe punishments for the liars and said: “I saw (in a dream), two men came to me. They said, 'The person, the one whose cheek you saw being torn away (from the mouth to the ear) was a liar and used to tell lies and the people would report those lies on his authority till they spread all over the world. So he will be punished like that till the Day of Resurrection.'” [Saheeh al-Bukharee (vol. 8, no: 118)]

May Allah protect us from indulging ourselves in such dishonest activities and may He give us the strength to withstand such practices when they tend to infect our Muslim Society. Ameen!

From: http://www.ahya.org/amm/modules.php?name=Sections&op=viewarticle&artid=136