Life... to be grateful for what we have

I was just thinking about it this morning, when I looked at a friend's picture of her island holiday. Oh how I wish I was at the beach! The clear blue water, sparkling under the sunshine. The calmness the sound of the waves makes you. How you always stare in awe at the vast ocean without being able to say a word. And just enjoy the big, blue ocean for hours and hours. Huge sunglasses, flip flops, a good book, sun block, and just lay back  by the beach enjoying the wonders of nature as Allah created it. Don't even get me started on the amazing sea life, blue fishes never cease to amaze me. What is it with blue fishes? Silver colored fishes or black or white fish doesn't give the same kind of impact to me, but I digress.

I so long for a holiday by the beach. A peaceful one. Alone. Without the kids. I don't mean to sound cruel, but sometimes I think I deserve a holiday alone. I do bring my kids for our family holiday all the time. Just want one for myself. But there's no way my husband would let me go alone. My friends all have their family commitment. So I am left with nobody to go with. Blurgh. 

So as I was wallowing in despair, feeling sorry for my life, pretty sure it is the end of the world, all because of a picture of the sea, I came across this article on Iraq. Even after the Americans left, Iraq's internal turmoil has not ceased. The journalist spoke of teacups clattering as a bomb exploded nearby. A fighter for democracy described Iraq as "going into the abyss". 

Even though the essence of the article written was more on the politics and the reign of its current Prime Minister and the upcoming election, I came to think about the unspoken circumstances of Iraq. The voices of the civilians and helpless children. When the bomb was meant to do harm to each of the fighting sides, who is listening to the screams and cries of hundreds (prob thousands? I need to get my facts right) of innocent civilian casualties? People of Iraq, or those living in conflicting countries cannot live the normal life we live in everyday. We complain of traffic jams, of how tired we are of housework, how our bosses give us hell at work, how someone annoys us by hurting our feelings, how we always have nothing to wear, trivial things it now seems. I'm sure they would be so thankful to wake up in the morning and roam the streets of their own country without fear of being shot by a stray bullet. Little things that we take for granted in our lives. 

Islam also teaches us to never compare ourselves to those who has more than us, but instead look at the less fortunate.

On the authority of Abu Huraira (R.A.A.) who said: The Prophet (PBUH), said: "Look upon one who is below you in status. In this way you will not look down upon the grace of that God bestowed upon you." (Bukhari and Muslim)

I am human, because sometimes I cannot runaway from these trivial complaints I make everyday. Lucky me though, because I do realize that my complaints ARE in fact trivial. I just need to realize it more often. And I hope you all do too. 

Well.... guess I ain't a writer after all...

So.... it's April.. my last post was in January, and many things has happened since. First thing's first, I am not your average blogger. In fact, I am quite less than average since I couldn't keep up with my writing. So let's get that out of the way.

One of the more significant things that has happened since my last rambling was the disappearance of flight MH370. There has been tonnes of news and mostly speculations on the event. One thing we know for sure is, there are many pilots and airline expert amongst us. Just look at their Facebook posts. Everyone has some conclusion, or comment on the whereabouts of the plane, an opinion on the pilot and families, how the military radar works and not to forget, the capabilities (or lack of) of our government in handling the case. Everyone shares almost every news on their FB, without checking the authenticity. They tag the family members, as if they hadn't suffered enough. So, what I am trying to say is, I won't bore you with my opinion on the matter. I only pray for my dear friend to find happiness and closure, and be able to live life growing old with his kids. Amin.

I have also been running (though some people might call it brisk walking). Joining running events gives  me a sense of high, and I am forced to run, all for the sake of a medal. I am old, so I do not run to improve my timing what so ever. I just want to collect medals. It's my own personal achievement and I am proud of myself.

Recently, some younger friends have been putting ideas in my head to run a Half Marathon. So last night I suddenly had this semangat to actually try running a HM. So this morning I put on my running shoes, and ran my normal morning routine, and tried to run the whole way. Yes! I did it! Though it was not 21km.. (notice I refuse to let you know how far I ran) but I still felt good. But.... I don't think I can stomach it. So I will not register for HM in the Putrajaya Night Marathon. Maybe next year. Who knows? The registration for it is already open by the way, so be sure to join the crowd! Go to the page below for more information.

http://www.bsnpnm.com/

Yes, the event is on my birthday, so if I were to run a HM on that day, it would be awesome!!! But, alas, .. Might need to checkout some HM training plans soon. Though... 

The next day however, is the Standard Chartered KL Marathon. Which is also a huge international event. So I'm torn between the two. Do I dare enough to enter both? Will I be able to do it? I need to read more on running, I guess. 

Oh well, my little baby boo just woke up. Need to get back to my house chores before a lunch outing with the ladies. I need to write more. I have all these words in my head I need to let out :). Au revoir!