At long last my number one son has tied his knots, Alhamdullillah!! praise be to Allah! Now I have a daughter in law! About time! My blog has been getting to be a little bit on the boring side of late and this new twist in my life should spice it up a little. Out of the blue just got a call from the Pilot, "hey Dad! Guess what? I am married! Huh!? it means i got  daughter in law now? Thar is correct old, man! What happened? When? How? Oh it don't matter, so long as you are happy, I am, Congratulations son! I hope you both live to the ripe old age happily ever after. Now get working on making me a Grandpa, I am behind everyone else in my family, everyone is a Dato' except me!
Want to know how i married your mother? Maybe you should ask her first, see if you have outdone your father is style. The very same house i am living in now is where i got married to your Mom and we had what they called it back then as a 'shotgun wedding'. Your mom was converted to Islam then and her name was Nazrah binti Abdullah and that is why we called you Nazri. So by birth, you were born a Muslim, oh don't worry about it now, no one cares or gives hoot unless you do. Funny how life turns out, my two children here who were born in San Francisco and raised in Japan are now Muslims in life and practice; does that makes them any better or worse? Naah! It is all in how they live their lives just as you have done so thus far. Then there is the son who is growing into another fine young man in Switzerland whose life is even more exciting if not challenging and how he has dealt with it and is still dealing with it is building his own character and it does not make him better or worse off than any of his three siblings; I have four children and each and everyone is my pride and joy.
 There is here in Malaysia an ongoing issue with the law with religious conversions, who has the right, father or mother and so forth, it would be an interesting case study if they ever ask me what i think. Well i will let the law take its course and not meddle into something that can turn ugly if one is not cautious as there these days allot of wannabe religious gurus and masters who has their own personal agendas to act out all in the name of their religions; I hate to lock horns with these, but if i must so mote it be. God is on my side, He is on your (their) side and God actually has no Religion, come to think of it, only man does. Man worships His form and without some kind of form man cannot recognize God, just as they cannot the Buddha's teachings without his image, the Divine in him. This is why man feels like he has the need to protect God in His form, whatever that maybe as most men cannot grasp God the Formless, He who is beyond even the concept of the word beyond; man is not equipped to handle the emptiness of Being in God. man has yet to arrive at the understanding of the emptiness of being in himself much less in God and so we have all the God related conflicts, my God is,The God; for this I am will to die in defence of my God.
This has been the best if not most fulfilling fasting month i have had thus far in my sixty odd years of my life. it is so simply because i have at last learned to accept a much of what benefit it has to offer to my spiritual growth within and without; I feel it more so than i have ever had. Perhaps it is just another illusory existence that the mind has orchestrated for my benefit, perhaps i am still groping in spiritual darkness while believing that I am becoming more religious and that i am more acceptable to my fellow Muslim brothers and sisters; makes life a little more tolerable in a Muslim dominated country. The modern day attitude of Muslims in this country is sadly enough, "either you are with us or against us."



Do You really Want to know?!
Long ago when i returned to this country looking for possible business contacts the saying was and perhaps still is among the Malay Muslims, 'What is in it for me?" I remember just about every character i tried to set up a project with was demanding to know this even before i can complete my presentations. The arrogance and the downright condescending attitude they greeted me with made me want to puke in front of them in their offices and these were my fellow Muslim brothers and sisters. Today very few of them have made it and most I found out are just back to square one still looking for business contacts from abroad while eating roti canai from roadside stalls.
So what is my point in all these? All i can surmise is that, shit happens, then you die! You can spend all your life justifying your existence or you can live your life without having to justify to anyone why you exist, the way you do. There is no right or wrong way about it, there is only being in the moment albeit right or wrong. Your choices are what makes you who you are and who you are is not necessarily who you really want to be, to be who you are you have to stop making choices, stop justifying, stop taking sides and pointing fingers, you will know who you really are when you stop being who you think you are and become ...Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, Christian, Taoist, JJewish; labelling yourself if you have to, or simply Be, moment to moment with no attachment to any form, ideas or philosophy.