Ramadhan Spirit + Olympics

Questions…questions..

Salam and greetings. Four days to Eid u Fitr ! 🙂 Man, Ramadhan this year went by rather quickly innit ? Pejam celik, we’re already in the last week of this holy month. Hopefully it has been a good Ramadhan spiritually and physically for all of us. This is the bonus month for all Muslims who endure this period with patience and virtues – check… did we gain anything at all after nearly a month observing this month ? Spiritually and morally I mean. Or was this a month spent feasting on buffets and spending that early pay? Ramadhan means more than that as this is THE training month for us to improve almost everything related to our individual selves. Emotionally, ethically, behaviourally, erm..what else..mentally. The list goes on. So again, fasting months is not just about the physical fasting. Have we tried to observe, keep and care for our prayers? Yes, the 5 times. Have we tried to increase our ibadah (worship) not just for Ramadhan’s sake, but for our long term relationship improvement with our Lord, Allah Almighty? 

It’s about paying attention..

I am no preacher and this is a reminder to myself. The sort of question I (and you) end up asking myself/ourselves. Ramadhan does not provide immunity and guarantee that we will be observant Muslims after the 6 Takbirs (Arabic term for ‘Allahu Akhbar’/ God is (the) Greatest. Most of the time the post-Ramadhan transition goes unnoticed. By paying attention, the least that we gain is some performance indicator of how well have we gained from the month long ‘training’. And for the next cycle, will our ‘KPI’ maintain, sees increment or drop? I would not delve more, as I am sure most of us know what Ramadhan is all about, and how it is suppose to play a role in our lives, not just for a single month, but for the months and years that follow. Whatever it is, lets compliment ourselves with the necessary knowledge regarding Islam as a way of life, and not merely a religion.

My Ramadhan has been great alhamdulillah – though there are lots of room for improvement. By this I mean all the benefits which I managed to get during this month. For starters, I am observing my Ramadhan for the first time as a wife 🙂 Turned 30 in Ramadhan (yes…. no more in my 20s !!) — with that, THANK YOU to all who greeted me. 🙂 I truly appreciate the thought. The rest of the ‘gains’ will be kept and cultured to ensure it lasts, and of course, continue to improve. Allah Akhbar.

Not an immunity

To my non-Muslim friends/readers, I personally applaud you if you have actual read this far ! 🙂 If you are in Malaysia, it is interesting to observe our friends and colleagues practicing their faith. The point is to appreciate these differences. And of course, adding on the queries. Feel free to ask your Muslim friends why they fast. You will be interested to know why ! One thing you need to know, this holy month does not provide immunity to us Muslims. It is up to our conscious selves that we stay away from bad deeds, and control our desires, worldly desire if I may. So its no surprise that some of our Muslim friends still backbite their colleagues at work, mock and make negative impression on others. While some others rob, steal, rape, kill (and eat..).. There’s simply not connected and there’s no appreciation on how valuable this month is. We believe the Devils and Satan are tied during Ramadhan. But that again, does not make us Angels. There is no magic to becoming a better person. It is really the values within us. This values may stick, change, come and go. *right- i’ll stop here… don’t want sound anymore philosophical !*

Olympics !!!

And hey, yes the Olympics is over !!! Not too late to wish congratulations to ALL our Olympians ! Lee Chong Wei and Pandelela Rinong – you have united us Malaysians and we couldn’t be more proud on the achievement ! I (nak jugak cerita) was in tears watching Pandelela taking the podium with a Bronze. But it was her expression and gleeful smile which reduced me to tears. And again watching her arrival reception in KLIA on TV3 last night. As a Malaysian, I truly salute both these icons, not forgetting Azizulhasni Awang, who have done their best, for their country and motherland. I would like to share my insight and thoughts on our recent Olympics participation as well as the national sports development program. Will save this for my future post hopefully. 

Coming up : London 2012 Paralympics Games

To the Malaysian Paralympics cycling team, Naim and Wan who will be going for the London 2012 Paralympics, missjewelz wishes you both all the best !!! FYI, Naim, Wan and their coach will be leaving for London on the 27th August 🙂

Article from National Sports Council ‘Sukan Paralimpik 2012 : ‘Kontinjen Malaysia Impi Gelaran Gergasi Asia’.