One Chapter Ends, the Next Begins.

Two days ago, this house was filled with all the family members on my mum's side, even the cousin who's supposed to be at boarding school. There was a feast on the table, good shows on the T.V., lots of fireworks to be lit and laughter throughout the day. That was Raya. That was the last time I lived with my parents. That was the end of a chapter.

The day after, my parents and Muhaimin had to pack up and prepare everything for the flight back to Dubai. It was mostly, it seems, clothes since they had planned to move back to Malaysia permanently before OR move back to Dubai but live in a different house. The old house was given to an old family friend and his family. It was mainly my mum who did most of the packing with my dad pitching in here and there with Muhaimin. The final count was 3/4 bags, one box and one comforter. Yeah... I think my mum realized that they needed something to keep them warm in Dubai. They're going to have to do a LOT of shopping there. Luckily, Dubai's a major shopping stop in the world.

That night, my uncle drove us to the airport in his big, red car to KLIA, Kuala Lumpur International Airport. As we headed to the airport, a bizarre sight reminded us that it was Raya: on one of the main roads, crossing it in a herd, were cows. I think what my mum said at that time was quite fitting: Even they want to go back to Kampung(village)! It did seem like they were heading to KLIA, maybe they had a flight booked...

The parting wasn't extremely emotional. In short: we arrived at KLIA, we checked in our bags, we went to eat McDonald's, we ate, then we said goodbye. In long: we arrived at KLIA, we checked in our bags, we went to eat McDonald's, we ate, then we said our goodbyes, with hugs and kisses. They had a safe flight. When they got to Dubai, they called me at 8am... apparently they thought I would be awake then. I was. Thanks to them.

It wasn't until I had a bit of time to myself that I realized two very important facts: I had to take care more of myself; this includes cleaning the house, cooking, making sure stuff were paid, waking up on time for college, making sure there's transport to college, making sure the fridge isn't empty... This all meant one huge thing: I would have a lot less time on the laptop from now on! Of course, I still have a bunch of people to help me out, especially in the starting, but I would have to learn not to depend on them too much.

The other thing I realized was: I would be living with my older brother most of the time now. That seems pretty normal enough and it is. But we've always had a bit of a communication problem: we don't. I guess that's another thing we both have to get used to, depending on each other rather than anyone else. He's going to leave to Canada in two months time, anyways, which means I have to get the most out of the two months I have left with him. He's a real nice guy, and I still am a bit blur on the reason why some people are scared of him.

So, the start of my latest chapter in life has been going great. The first night without parents... Weeellll.... I kinda slept REALLY late. Sorry. But the second night, I slept really early. At least early for me. So it kinda cancels the lateness out. Hey, gimme a chance to learn. ;D What we've been eating is mostly... Pizza. Yep. Good, delicious, fattening pizza.

I hope Muhaimin's schooling issues get resolved soon. He's enrolling in Al Ansar School in Sharjah with one of our oldest friends, which might mean that the whole family will move to Sharjah instead of Dubai. That's still fine. Some really good friends live in Sharjah.

Now that Ramadhan's over, the ban on my participation in clubs is lifted! Which means that I can enjoy the roughness of American Football once more. Awesome. I'm still unsure if they'd allow me back in after such a long hiatus but lets hope for the best.

Speaking of hiatus, One Piece's hiatus is nearly over!

Aida's blog is looking great. Go read it, People!
http://willbeoverit.blogspot.com

Eid-ul-Fitri

Selamat Hari Raya to All!

It's Eid! Raya in Bahasa Melayu and this Eid is quite special; it's one of my only raya ever in Malaysia. And the one thing that's different here is that people take Eid really, really seriously.

In Dubai, we do go to Eid prayer, do Takbir, go to friend's houses, and wish everyone well wishes... But that's it. I don't feel that Eid is any special a day than the other 364 days that we have to go through until the next Eid. But that was all in Dubai.

In Malaysia, huge numbers of family members go to a single house and there they enjoy the company of each other. This is in the NIGHT before Eid. Then, after Isha' prayer, the people who just prayed would go to people's houses and then Takbir and eat, and again, enjoy the company of the others. What's amazing about this is that they willingly welcome people into their houses and prepare food and drinks for their late night guests, which can easily number over 30 people. Even though I did take part in this at first, I left for home after a few houses, but I had heard that they would go on until ALL the houses would have been visited, sometimes going on until 1 or 2 am!

That is the spirit of the Malaysian Muslims. They would go so far to make sure that all the houses would be blessed by Allah, making His name resound in their halls, across the streets, throughout the entire neighborhood. I just wished that this spirit would have been passed down to the next generations, who seem to have lost their way. I include myself as one who has lost his way. I hope I can find my way back and soon.

Another aspect of the Malaysian Raya that I find intriguing and inspiring is the phrase: Maaf Zahir dan Batin. If translated, it loosely means Forgive me, physically and spiritually. I say it is inspiring because it is not easy to seek forgiveness. To do so, you have to humble yourself and admit to your mistakes. You have to realize that you have wronged others and trust in them to forgive you. That is truly inspiring as it takes A LOT to do all of these things.The people nowadays, especially politicians, refuse to admit they're wrong, no matter how much evidence is piled up against them. It's in their nature. And then in the eyes of others: the ones who forgive are only the most divine of people. That is not so. Everyone can find in themselves the strength needed to forgive others.

And in that very same spirit, I seek from all of you the same forgiveness. I may have written something that has offended someone, somewhere, and if I did: Maaf Zahir dan Batin.

Selamat Hari Raya Eid-ul-Fitri.