ThE AlPhA MaLe

May you read this in the best of health. As I'm writing now, the American President has set foot down under for the first time in his presidency. As expected, the media frenzy surrounding the visit pales a superstar. The previous President did not receive much fanfare but that is understandable; the best thing ex-President Bush could do to the world was to pack up & vacate the White House. Some pictures  I've been longing to put up. Plane that takes me to work & home The view from above on my travels to site. On Monday, Adelaide received a very special visitor-mom. After 4 years here, she made her maiden voyage under difficult circumstances- me. Had another gut-swelling episode & was admitted to the hospital last week. What should have just been a 3-day stay dragged to 5 and thus, missed my shift for work. It's not ok yet though, the doctors need further tests to confirm Crohn's disease . I may offer a differing opinion, except that I'm not qualified...

May you read this in the best of health and iman . It's the middle of September but the cold front still bites into me. The mercury went down to 6 deg last night (my first night after holiday), and it looks likely to hover around the same again tonight. Which brings me to my holidays-home is where the heart is. After 2 years living in 'exile', I finally celebrated E'id with my families. Nothing beats family, no matter distance & time. Though this sounds sentimental (on my part), I still hold my ground on my decision-searching for knowledge and provision is obligatory, as long as no harm befalls any party.  In the midst of food, gatherings and discussions, the thought of taking pictures eluded my mind. Sorry folks, no pictures this time round. But there are heaps of memories, mostly joy. From newly weds to newborns, the mind and the heart truly tasted bliss.  On another note, spending time away allows you to witness changes. And being away too bloody long magnifies...

May you read this well. Thus the small island proved to be a thorn to the bigger neighbour. Singapore defeated long rival Malaysia recently in FIFA's World Cup qualification. Though played on home soil, and a return leg eliciting greater rivalry, bragging rights belongs to Singapore, for now. Amid the fanfare, by wisdom of common sense, close to half of the Singapore team comprised of foreign born talent. As a result of the Foreign Sport Talents Scheme , we now have Croats, Bosnian and Chinese from mainland China representing the national colour, along with our locals. Nothing new in this matter as due to immigration, European national teams now consists of non-white players. Difference is-they are second generation citizens. The people representing higher management in Singapore Inc. must have thought that cutting the time period short would bring in glory faster. No need to wait for talented 2nd generation immigrants, just pick and choose, and offer citizenship. Has this been su...

May you read this well. I have been perplexed by some parties who uploads almost every pictures of their meal on facebook. And dare I say that they are always Singaporeans. Have we turned food into an obsession? Well, judging from the size of land we have, lack of time for ourselves these days and the introduction of joints offering the world's cuisine (minus the African continent), food does provide our souls. So here's my part of the deal to my own soul ;) At 10 bucks a pop, it had to taste nice. And it was! This was at an indian restaurant somewhere outside of the city. The spices really did a bloody good job for a cold evening. Regardless, I think I will be enjoying a few more beryanis when I get home. Yes, home is beckoning for the E`id celebrations! Got my flight tix sometime last week and I'm looking forward to reuniting with families and friends. PeAcE OuT 

May you read this in the best of health. Some short updates with pictures. But first...Last weekend brought me to a new place. For the 1st time in my life, I am living alone. And coming home to an empty house is no mean feat. Furthermore, had somekinda diarrhea on Tuesday, and had no choice but to call up a friend living some distance away for help with purchasing stuff from the chemist. But I hope things will change. Ok, now for the pictures. There was this ex-Hollywood double who made it big after he left showbiz. Omar Reagen is known for Chris Tucker's double for the Rush Hours movies. But it is his current job of preaching that have brought more reward (& travels). Gave a short talk at Al-Khalil mosque approximately 3 weeks ago. The following Friday, a mate of mine here brought his daughter for Friday prayers. And this was how cute she appeared, Finally, helped a Singaporean family moved house on Saturday. Congratulations to Mr Nasir & family on the beautif...

May you read this in the best of health. And the battle has started! If all goes according to plan, this will be the 1st time all of Singapore's constituents will be contested since independence. And I am content with the quality of the opposing candidates; not just in terms of their academic background, but their work & engaging with society experiences, especially the part of volunteering before candidacy. Boy I wish I was home for this period of 'battle'. Lest we forget, democracy means choice. Not just the choice of our representatives nor our government, but our path for the future. And the future always entwines  the younger generation; our children. In an economy that is driven by production and services, we sit precariously between success and failure. Our lack of natural resources means we don't have the economic cushion when other means go downhill. So our choice should partly be made on the basis of scrutinizing the policies of each party/candi...

Peace Be Upon You, News of the death of a family(extended) member was received a short time ago. The wife of my late uncle died due to complications from gall bladder cancer today afternoon, Singapore time. On hindsight, I have my utmost trust that she is in a better place (together with my late uncle). And one day, I will be reunited with them. "Only the dead have seen the end of war" - Plato It has been a journey, and now is your time to rest. May you be in everlasting peace my aunt. My apologies for not attending your send off. PeAcE OuT

Peace be Upon You, Once upon a time, many years ago (feels like yesterday though), working on weekends without EXTRA pay was a norm. Nowadays, normality takes on a whole new meaning when extra work is required here. There will be times when you have to sacrifice a bit of your days off for work, especially near deadlines. So last weekend was an EXCEPTION for me. Though I did not turn up into the office, I brought the 'baby' home.  Not being overtly excited in sacrificing my well-scheduled weekends, it turned out I only spared a couple of hours on Sunday afternoon for this. Otherwise my time was spent on laundry, ironing (few things I really do enjoy doing), a little repair job on my car (yes, I can fix minor jobs!), and most importantly, researching on my superannuation investment. Back in Singapore, CPF's are allowed to sit in a central depository and collect interests (the lowest among the world though). Here, we have to invest them. So I'm careful about where I put m...

Peace Be Upon You, May you read this in the best of health. It has been a taxing week here. Work's pretty crazy as deadlines are up this week. My colleagues & I have been trying to wrap up the pertinent issues before Thursday, and that caused an unexpected 12-hour shift on Wednesday. We had the client on Thursday, Friday & Saturday for testing. Yes, my first work weekend in Australia. Testing didn't turn out as we expect, thus I'm looking at more workload this week. Some of the guys will be flying up to site by the end of this week, so its gonna be a tough one. As for me and the rest, site-work`s expected by May. Away from that, the car broke down on Wednesday morning. My 1st breakdown lasted till late Friday as I hadn't had the time to call up roadside assistance. My fault primarily; the car needed servicing last month, and I kept delaying it. The battery went flat, so no issues after a replacement. There are still some matters to settle with the 'baby'...

May you read this in the best of condition. The past few weeks have been exceptionally challenging. Facing another of these calamities is difficul t witho ut guidanc e and food for the soul. Although this is of a greater magnitude than what it was back in 2005, I am much more resilient to pull through this one with patience and optimism. Not to forget my Creator's Wisdom, And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient,  Who, when disaster strikes them, say, "Indeed we belong to Allah , and indeed to Him we will return." [2:155-156] PeAcE OuT