HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It's been more than a month since I last wrote anything here and I feel it's about time I start writing again. Afterall, what's the point of having a blog if you are going to leave it blank, right? Well, I guess it's still not too late for me to wish everyone 'Happy New Year'. The Muslims celebrated the new year on December 29, a couple of days earlier than the Gregorian calendar. It's going to be the year 1430 Hijriah for the Muslims signifying the migration made by Prophet Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina. Unlike a lot of other people who were out and about ushering the new year in, I spent the New Year's Eve at the hospital. My mother was slightly anaemic and had to have blood transfusion. She also had to go for her three-times weekly hemodialysis. At the same time, my friends' mother was also in the hospital due to liver infection. The atmosphere at the hospital was really sedate. There were no fireworks, no parties, no celebrations whatsoever. Nobody was in the mood for any sort of merry-making. At that time, I could almost feel, see and touch the thin line that separates happiness and sadness, hope and despair, life and death. It makes me realize how lucky I am compared to a lot of other people. I still have my family who love me unconditionally, friends who are always there to me, a comfortable home to shelter me, a nice job that I enjoy and a country which I belong to. It might sound cliche but we usually take a lot of things for granted. We never know how much something means to us until we have lost it. Most of the time we don't even know that what we have is more than what we deserve. We need to ask ourselves that question and at the same time, be honest with our answers. Only then can we justify our existence. I don't have any New Year resolutions this year but I will try to make affirmations on a more regular basis. I believe in making changes when it is necessary to do so and in doing so, I believe I can be a better person. Have a wonderful 2009, everybody!