Get off my back side you damn dogs...

I read a reporting in the Star today saying a little boy have yet to recover from the trauma of being attacked by dogs. Frankly, what do you want from the boy? Dogs are vicious animals. The person who says "Dogs are men best friend" has not been attacked by dogs. I tell you if he has been attacked by dogs he would not come out with the phrase.

I still have bad memories with dogs. After almost 23 years I still have this "fear" of dogs. It all started almost 23 years back in Taman Tas in Kuantan when my mother sent for me and asked me to go to the drugstore (yeah kedai jual dadah) to get her some groceries. I did go to the shop and on my way back with all the groceries, the "incident" (that changed my perception towards dogs) took place. A bunch of them (yes I am referring to dogs) started barking their throat off at your sincerely. I walked faster as if I am running from them. They started chasing me. I started running faster.

And the worse man chased by dogs event had happened. I looked back and actually saw one of them about 3 feet away and my house was about 50 yards to go. I ran and ran and finally I reached my house gate. Unfortunately, due to "fear" I didn't manage to open the gate on time. They got me. On my ass. Luckily, it didn't catch me flesh just the bit of my trak bottom. If not I would feel the excruciating pain on my ass and ouch. You get what I mean.

So, the trauma will not just go away and in my case it has been 23 years and I still have fear towards dogs. What I do now? I hurt them before they can even try to hurt me.

Let's sit and think for a while...

First of all, don’t take me wrongly. It was and never will be my intention to show that I am a good servant of Allah and the most pious being by posting this post. Just to share all this with my fellow brothers and sisters. That’s my real intention and what more that today is Friday. Master of all days.

But have you ever felt so small, little, petite and tiny? Smaller that the smallest living creature living in this Universe. Smaller than the smallest dust particles on your windowpane. Because no matter how rich you are, there is somebody richer than you. If you feel you are smart, there’s somebody richer than you. If you feel you are strong, there’s always somebody stronger then you.

Or have you ever felt you are alone? Have you ever felt that you are in trouble (deep shit more like it)? Have you ever feel sad? May be you haven’t talk to Him lately. Have you talk to Him lately?

Why I am asking you all this? Just to remind all of you of our obligations and what are we supposed to do as a “Servant” of Allah. I spoke to Him just now and believe it or not I feel better. All the trouble went away and you will not feel as if (you are in deep shit) or as troubled as you think you are because you know He is there looking after you. Always.

Imagine if He were to charge us for the air we breathe (Say if He were to charge us ¼ cents per liter of O2 we inhale every second. Let’s do the math here. Average human lungs (you don’t count the athletes la) can take up to 5 liters of O2 (that’s oxygen for those who didn’t take Science class) that will be RM0.0125 every time you inhale. Imagine if you inhale 7 times (which I think is more) in a minute for (say average human being lives for 60 years) 60 years. That will be RM551,880.00 (That is if my calculation if correct. Note that I am not an accountant). Imagine if He were to ask back what He has given and showered to us. Imagine all that. Imagine the bills that come to us every month if He were to charge us for the air we breathe (Like TNB of SYABAS bills). But He didn’t ask all that. Right?

Once in a while put everything away, your wealth, your wisdom, your strength and everything you think you posses and talk to Him. Ask Him whatever you wish for. If you feel poor ask Him. If you feel weak ask Him. If you are troubled with all the worldly matters ask Him. Ask Him for more Happiness. More Wealth. More Wisdom. More Strength (to face the world and to be able to go on with your life) and most importantly ask for His guidance and forgiveness AND NOT FORGETTING TO TELL HIM THAT YOU ARE THANKFUL FOR ALL HEHAS GIVEN YOU ALWAYS.

Prostrate and give yourself totally to Him (as a Master and Servant) and ask. The conversation below can be a guide for you to talk to HIM.

“Praise and Glory to you O Allah and Peace upon your Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.

O Ye the most Merciful,
We thank you for what you have given us

O Ye the Forgiver,
Forgive me for all the sins I have committed O Allah
Forgive my family and my friends or what they have done
Forgive my teachers who labored to make me who I am today
Forgive all Muslims in the world O Allah
Bless me O Allah with all your blessings

O Ye Merciful,
Open the doors to Heaven for us and lead us toward it
Let us dwell not in Hell and shut all doors to Hell, as we are not able to face your Punishments as we are just a tiny being before you O Allah
Light our grave with the light of Quran and make our grave one of the garden in the Paradise and please O Almighty, don’t you make our grave one of the holes of your Hell

O Ye the Wisest of all,
Make Quran and the Way of the Prophet as my Guidance (here and in the Hereafter)
Lend me your Wisdom
Show me the right Path
The Path which is taken by Your Prophets and Messengers and those who are with them in the past and present

O Ye the most Knowledgeable,
Lift all the trouble I am facing today
Let me avoid all the troubles in the future
And if I am in trouble today let me face and endure all of them with strength patience and persistence
Show me the best way out of the trouble I am facing

O Mighty King, King of the Universe,
Give us strength to fight your enemies (known to us and unknown)
Put us away from the bad things
Let us be a tyrant not and let us deviate from what you have revealed not

O the Wealthiest,
Bless us with your wealth
Lend us what you have
Open the doors of Heaven and shower us with some of what you have
Bring out Your wealth from Down under (not Australia, but if there’s what you are giving me is coming from why not O Almighty)

O Allah
Bless my family
Let us live in peace and harmony
Let me love my wife the way Adam loves Eve
Let me love my children the way Luqman loves his children and don’t you separate us
Don’t you put us against each other O Allah and you are to most Knowledgeable
Let us hate each other not
Let us go through the troubles with ease
Ease our pain O Almighty

O King of all Kings, the Creator of all beings,
We thank you for the air we breathe
We thank you for all the food you have given us
We thank you for all the things you have given us
Most of all we thank you for Islam which you have given us
Let us deviate not from its teaching O Allah”

I feel good....

Phew…

Have you ever felt the feeling you feel when some of the burden are actually lifted form your shoulder. You know the feeling as if you just finish your S.P.M. or university final semester exam?

I felt that way now, hence this post. I have been working on couple of files lately all for corporate exercise and commercial transaction. Some people say well, it is just a matter of changing the name in the templates. Let me tell you this, 30 % of the saying are true and the rest I have to scratch on my own. Every transaction differs and the documents (especially Agreements) have to be tailored to fit the particular transaction and more importantly the client.

Thus, I have finished reviewing several agreements and drafting several other since Monday. Most of my client called and say the drafts are okay and the review is fine. But most importantly this particular client has called me and says I have done A GOOD JOB AND I DID A LOT ALREADY FOR THEM (I think it is time for me to tell my boss to increase my fees/hour again).

What a relief. First of all, with that amount of work I was not sure whether I was able to concentrate on any particular job but it was okay. My boss called me to give me a pat on my back (not my back side as I am straight, just my back) and echoed the same opinion. I am flattered (Best ooo kena puji) and Alhamdulillah I was able to carry out my duties neatly.

Currently I managed to finish 5 files running. Hope the clients will take their time reviewing the agreements. As for today, I want to go back and have a break. What a week. For some people the long weekend starts tomorrow but for me today will be the day.

The Journey

Have you ever thought that we are not immortal? We can drop dead anytime. May be afterwards, may be after lunch, may be when we sleep tonight. These are the things we human being cannot determine and we don’t have the power to determine such time.

Thus, the question after that comes. Are we prepared to meet the Creator? What do we have with us to show our Creator? What are we leaving for our family? Is it enough for our family to live with what we have left behind? Who is going to take care of our beautiful wife? And many more questions that may come across at that particular time.

Sometimes we think we are healthy and we are going to live here in this world for a long time without realizing the fact above. We think that only sick people and old people are going to die and we waste most of our times trying to grasp all things that the world can offer. What is the most that the world can offer you? Wealth? We have to remember (as a Muslim) that wealth does not belong to us. Allah is the wealthiest of all and all the wealth that we have is only given to us at His mercy.

We work day and night searching for wealth. Some of us even work twice as hard to gain the worldly wealth and sometimes we forget that our purpose here in this world is not to be here all the time. We have our destination, the state known as “Hereafter”. We will be resurrected to answer questions and to be judged by the “Judge”.

The nearest example I can give you is an example of a person I know. She came to my place some time ago trying to woo my wife and myself to join her in a business. She told us that the business is profitable and proudly showed the cheques that she has received over the months. The husband told me that the wife has changed a lot. She used to be a timid person and now she is no longer a timid person (Good for her).

The couple is able to come back at night now and they work hard for themselves. They come back home at 2.00 o’clock in the morning just to work the business out. They are looking forward to get a new car (a CRV I was told). Their business partner has already maintained several cars just working that business. They are able to travel around the world and they can do what they want because they have the means.

Well, to me all of that is not important anymore once your body drops dead on the floor right? What matters is how wealthy you are (in the spiritual sense) to meet the Creator. Can you bribe the angel Munkar and Nakir in the small cramp tiny grave of yours. I don’t deny the facts that the Creator urged us to work hard but at the same time He didn’t asked us to work and come back home at 2 in the morning. Believe me. I have done that practicing law. It is just not worth it. Now, I work as usual, I am at home before dusk (Maghrib prayer) and pray for the best because I realized one thing. No matter how much or how hard you work, if the Creator says you will not achieve what you want you will not achieve it.

Even if He gives you millions in wealth, if the millions are not blessed, then trust me, the millions you have will disappear in time. You will always worry where to put your money and how much you will spend for this and that. If that what you think all the while, you life is not complete.

You say what will I leave for my wife and children after I am dead but have you asked yourself whether you have given enough sustenance for them to live in this world and for them to bring to the “Hereafter” or not. Another person I know says. “Where are they going to live after I am dead” when asked why you bother to buy so many houses.

How sad if we were to think about it. Where your wife and children will live and what will they eat once you are gone. Even sadder if you were to think where your money should go. Have you ever thought how will you face the Creator? Will you be able to answer the Questions? Will you dwell in Hell in the Hereafter? Will you be the member of the “Paradise”?

We write Wills to tell your family what to do with your properties etc. But have you told them to be pious, to fear the Creator, never skip prayers, and never disobey Allah and the last but not least never a tyrant be.

The day it was...

Dengan izin Yang Arif,

Saya Hendon Mohamed mewakili pempetisyen, rakan-rakan yang bijaksana saya dari Majlis Peguam, Jawatankuasa Peguam Kuala Lumpur dan dari Pejabat Peguam Negara sepertimana yang diperkenalkan sebelum ini.

Yang Arif,

Pempetisyen, [my name la] dilahirkan pada tanggal [I am 29 this year so do some math la] kepada pasangan [my father’s name] dan [my mother’s name]. Beliau memulakan pendidikan awal beliau di Sekolah Kebangsaan Sungai Pancing Selatan, Kuantan Pahang. Selepas tamat persekolahan rendah beliau melanjutkan pelajaran di Sekolah Menengah Agama Raudhatul Ulum Alor Setar Kedah.

Setelah memperolehi Pangkat 1 di dalam peperiksaan Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia, beliau telah melanjutkan pelajaran beliau di Universiti Islam Antarabangsa di dalam Jurusan Undang-undang. Di atas usaha beliau dan dorongan dari kedua ibu bapa pempetisyen, pempetisyen telah berjaya memperolehi ijazah Sarjana Muda Undang-undang dengan kepujian dari Universiti Islam Antarabangsa.

Dengan ijazah tersebut, pempetisyen telah memulakan latihan dalam kamar rakan bijaksana saya Datuk N. Chandran di Tetuan Albar & Partners dan pempetisyen telah di beri pendedahan yang wajar di dalam bidang guaman. Segala tunjuk ajar dari pengajar pempetisyen di dahulukan dengan ucapan terima kasih.

Pempetisyen juga ingin mengambil kesempatan ini untuk mengucapkan jutaan terima kepada kedua ibu bapa beliau di atas dorongan, kepercayaan dan juga sokongan yang telah diberikan selama ini. Tidak lupa juga kepada semua rakan-rakan dan sahabat yang telah banyak menolong pempetisyen.

Yang Arif,

Pempetisyen adalah seorang yang berkelayakan di bawah Akta Profesyen Undang-undang. Saya percaya suratcara pempetisyen berada di dalam keadaan teratur dan saya percaya rakan-rakan bijaksana saya dari Majlis Peguam, Jawatankuasa Peguam Kuala Lumpur dan Pejabat Peguam Negara tidak mempunyai sebarang bantahan. Oleh yang demikian saya dengan rasa rendah diri memohan agar pempetisyen di daftaraikan sebagai seorang Peguambela dan Peguamcara Mahkamah yang mulia ini.

On this day some year’s back I was officially made an advocate & solicitor. That was the excerpt for my long call speech. On that day I was robed and officially become an Advocate & Solicitor in the High Court of Malaya (so, I can only advice you on matter in the states of Malaya only). How did I feel after that? Well, the thought of going to work was not enticing at all. No more playing around and I have to grow up and be an adult (people will not trust kids lawyers).

One thing I remember about that day though. The judge, Justice Faiza Tamby Chik says, “A lawyer must not tell a lie. If he lied once, he will have to create thousand lies to cover the one he did at the beginning”.

It has been couple of years now and I think I will survive in this profession. Most of my friends have either already join the public service or do something else. Not to mention those who already have their own legal firm and be made a partner in a firm. I am here still (even I have changed firm twice already) and hoping that one day I too, will achieve something from this profession.

Who inspire you the most...?

When I was small somebody asked me who is my role model. Silence just grabbed me and there was no answer. I was in standard 3. I can say those at my age at that particular time who said this and that person is his role model is full of “bull”. Why I say that? The person is just either following the opinion of another or just “main tembak” only. First of all, at that particular age, human being is just not ready to form opinion. So, without having to know more about that particular person, we tend to say that we make that person as our role model.

For example, one of my friends says his role model is (Tun) dr. Mahathir Mohamed. Is that because he’s the prime minister of Malaysia (at that time) or because the person he is (or was). I think because he is the prime minister. Thus, kids formulate just because the person is the prime minister he’s such a great person (I am not saying that (Tun) Dr. Mahathir is not a great person with great thinking abilities rather giving this as an example). Therefore, the formula may be taken as correct observation or otherwise.

Then comes the question of who inspire you the most. Some may answer Sir Edmund Hillary (yes the guy who climbed Mt. Everest). Some say Lance Armstrong. Some say Oprah. Who ever your inspiration may be, the person must have affected your life so much that you consider him or her as your inspiration.

The word inspiration according to the Oxford dictionary is (1) stimulation of mind, feelings etc. (etc. may show people that you know more but in fact you know anything near to nothing) or (2) person or thing that causes “this state” (state of a person etc.). We are referring to the meaning number (2), which is basically the person, or thing that causes you to be who you are now. Thus people’s choice varies from (let me put some other name that may inspire people) Donald Trump (well for those who does not know who this guy is turn to TV3 or now on Astro), Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah (the Sultan of Brunei), Nelson Mandela (once a prisoner and later becomes the President of the Republic of South Africa, Dato’ seri Anwar Ibrahim (who for some people thinks he’s the next Nelson Mandela) or the last but not least Master Yoda (may the force be with you).

The first two examples may inspire you because they are rich. We want to be rich too hence we choose them as our inspiration. The next two examples may inspire us because of their struggle (I still doubt the second example for his “real” intention of the “reformasi” movement but that is argumentative) and the third category is because of his charisma (believe me Master Yoda is very charismatic and not to mentioned his wise too. But I still wonder why he always speak the way he does) (This is ridiculous; Master Yoda is a very bad example let’s change to somebody else. Well, charismatic person hmmm… who shall we name here? Okay Fidel Castro or Adolf Hitler).

A person once told me, if a group of people does not inspire you, your life has no meaning. But I beg to differ with that particular opinion. It does not mean that if you have nobody to inspire you your life is less significant to others. May it is the case where you just don’t have any yet or you are the inspiration to other. Am I right or I am right? But what I do agree from what this person said was we must look at these people and take example of what they have done and achieve.

Thus, once we look at these people we see what they do not the person. So we see how Lance Armstrong struggle to fight cancer he had one time ago (yeah just to get better and dump the wife and later date Alanis Morissette and it is actually not to win “Le Tour de France”) and how Nelson Mandela struggle to overthrow the apartheid regime. We grasp their strong will and make it a guideline for us to go on with our lives.

Whoever your inspiration is/are, you must have good reasons for making that person your inspiration. My inspiration is my family (including but not limited to my parents, wife, daughter and/or children and brothers). Why did I say my family? Well my father and mother struggle to be where they are now (not to be as rich as Duckie Trump but they have gone through a lot). My wife and child (children to come) make me work harder for us to have a better life and my brothers for what they want to be. That is enough for me to keep the ball rolling. They molded me into the person I am today and I am glad for what I am today and I will use my best endeavor to be a better person from what I am today.

Look at the cars... why so many cars tonight???

I am quite amused when I went to the petrol station last night. Dozens of vehicles are lining up for their turn to fill up their tank. Jokingly my wife says, “May be the petrol prices is going up again”. “Well, if so, as if you fill up tonight and then your tank will be full for eternity” I replied.

Not knowing that the petrol prices is going up again (don’t know whether I miss the news or I am too lazy to check the news paper), I just fill my car enough for my wife to go to work for two days.

What amuses me the most is the habit of Malaysian who likes to queue at the petrol station whenever the petrol prices are going up (so the petrol will be dearer to us). Like I pointed out to my wife, as if you don’t have to fill up in another two or three daytime.

Last night was not the first time this happened. It happen the first time the fuel prices went up and again the second time and then again and again and again. Unless your car runs on nuclear power (which defeats the reason of you going to the gas station at the first place anyway), which runs for a certain period of time, you need to fill your car again. Let me enlightened you with some mathematical formula on how much you save by going to the gas station to fill up.

Say an average car can carry up to 50 liters of fuel at one time then when you fill up full tank with the old price is RM73.00 and the new price is RM78.00. Just RM5.00 difference in the fuel prices between the old petrol price and the new one. Say if you already have 25 liters in your tank and you need to fill up another 25 liters for you to reach the maximum full tank is 25 liters. So that’s RM2.50 in savings just for one night.

Imagine the effort you have taken to get up, and then put on your pant, trousers, shirt etc. and to leave home. The cost of storing the energy to do that alone will cost you more than RM2.50 and the petrol will not last forever. The maximum day your petrol will last is three days. Unless you fill up and leave your car at home (which is not the case after all) you will have to fill up again with the new prices.

I think this is the mentality of us Malaysian that we need to change. I know how much RM5.00 meant to some people (believe me I have been there) but for only RM5.00 you waste your time queuing at the petrol station? Come on….

By the way I fill up my bike this morning and usually with RM5.00 I can get full tank but today I wonder why la on earth my tank is only ¾ full. Without realizing the fuel prices have gone up again.

*Sigh* have to go and see boss for raise again.

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.