...red light

...i was driving home alone after a late night meeting last week...reflecting what were discussed during the meeting and thinking of what's next...came to a junction and stopped my car...the traffic light was red...hmm should i wait for the green light or should i proceed?...i guess it should be ok to proceed as there were no cars (and 'there's no policemen too' added the devil, hahaha)...then i remember my days in the US...i was still very young then...my best friend and i were driving in the early hours...enjoying ourselves after the final exams...we came to a junction...then stopped...as there was red light...but there were no cars so we just proceed without waiting for the light to turn green...then suddenly out of nowhere came the patrol car...ooohh what we gotta do, what we gotta do, we asked ourselves...we both imagined USD100 flying away from our pocket...the policeman came and asked why we didn't wait for the green light...luckily i wasn't driving so my friend who was in the driver's seat has to answer...so he calmly said, 'sir, i didn't see any car so i thought it was ok to proceed'...the policeman replied, 'yes, there were no cars but you must make it a habit to stop and respect the rules...it may look simple but once you break a rule then you will break other rules too...its kinda habit bla bla bla...he lectured us for 15 minutes and then let us go without issuing a 'ticket'...he said, we're students and he has taught us a lesson today...but i'll put you all in the lock up if i find you do it again...thank you mr policeman you have taught us a really good lesson...gotta go bro, it's green light now...

...switch off part II

...my wife commented about my 'switch off' posting...she said i have to prove what i wrote in my blog..."stop working at night and spend more time with the family", she said...yeah i did sleep late few days after i wrote the posting...i was reading my PhD student's thesis...i have kept the thesis for almost 2 months now and promised the student to give him back 'very soon'...i've told him many times already about the 'very soon' thingy...but its really hard to find time during office hour to read it...so i spent few hours a day for a week reading the thesis at home, normally after isya' prayer...and sometimes it goes on until midnight...it is the final draft thesis, so i really have to read it very carefully...now i have finished reading it...what a release...but then comes another thesis...i have 4 other students at various stages...one of them submitted his draft thesis last thursday...hmm how i am gonna keep my promise to my dearest wife (but don't worry i used to break my promises few times, wanna know why? she's not only beautiful but also very kind and understanding)...i am a very lucky man but shhh don't tell her that yeah...ok i am not gonna take new PhD students for the next 2 years...the good thing is we, the whole family, watch a movie today and then have dinner together...time to sleep bro...gud nite

...late night meeting

...had an important meeting last monday evening...the meeting started around 8.30pm and lasted around 12.30am...arrived home quarter past one in the morning...kids and my lovely wife  were all sleeping and enjoying their sweet dreams...one of my colleagues jokingly said that the meeting has violated his human right...but the management has it own argument that the only time everyone is available (free) is after the office hour...and it happens only once in a while...i can only smile as i used to work with an audit firm nearly 20 years ago...and working until late night during the peak period was/is considered normal...some of our colleagues even slept in the office...i remember that our management never asked us to stay back late...they only gave us 'crazy' deadline...the report has to be completed by friday or worst tomorrow bla bla bla...so we have no choice but to stay back late anyway in order to meet the deadline hahaha...that's life...if you don't like it don't be in the game...

...tough day

...tough day today...attended four meetings...first the accreditation meeting (but thank God some good decisions are made), then rushed to the journal editorial board meeting...arrived almost an hour late but at least i did attend the meeting...really need to show up today as i've already missed few previous meetings haha...then chaired the executive education meeting...(glad the committee has made some good progresses)...have a quick lunch break and zohor prayer before chairing another meeting, the postgraduate meeting which lasted around 5pm...already set my mind to switch off and go back home when i suddenly remember of another important task...ahhhh...our MBA programme was selected to be in the Top 30 Rising MBA Stars 2011 (that's a great achievement, thanks to all my staff who did a superb job and also continuous comments and inputs from our students and alumni members) and i need to submit the write up which is due today...lucky that i already did a simple draft few days ago so it just took me about an hour to do the final touch up and finally switch off the day around 6.30pm...phewww

...switch off

...have a good chat with my senior colleague today, he's in the late 50's but seems to be very healthy and physically fit...we discuss about work and our priority in life...he thinks that i worked too hard and offer me an advice...'take a good care of yourself first and makes that a priority', he said...one needs to learn how to switch off...come to work and give your best and that's it...switch it off when you reach home...have a good exercise, good rest and spend quality time with your family...he said that age between 40 - 50 is a critical stage when many diseases would come and knock on the door...if we are not careful and take a good care of our health then we won't have a good life after 50s (if we still survive then of course)...that's a piece of really good advice from a senior and i appreciate it very much...time to switch off guys...cheers

...an apology

...can't sleep again tonite...try to read few articles to discuss in class tomorrow but it just doesn't work...then grab my student's PhD thesis which is on a table next to my bed (it's there untouch for the past 2 weeks) but my brain just can't accept any heavy stuffs after a hard and long day at work...so start browsing the internet looking for something...found this poem, loves it and like to share with you all...it is about an apology...do like reading poems tho i'm not good at writing one...hopefully we can learn something from it...cheers

If it's a weakness to apologize

if it's the wrong thing to say 'I'm sorry!'

if we can't let bygones be bygones

could it be the end of the road? End of our story?

Silence speaks a thousand words

and sometimes words cut deeper than knife

words hurt more than sticks and stones

words also have power to soothe to heal.

If apology makes one look weak

then I don't want to be strong

If saying 'sorry' is immature

let me not grow up let me stay young.

Isn't the upper hand better than the lower?

The worst apology tendered when death stares one in the face?

isn't he blessed one who receives admonition from others?

Isn't one who forgives others forgiven by Allah for his sins?

Isn't he who suppresses anger abundantly Allah rewards?

Isn't he compensated greatly who faces misfortune with perseverance?

Isn't he given double reward who shows patience and forbearance?

I seek Allah's Mercy, I seek His Forgiveness.

Written by Ummu Muhammad

27/11/2011

...a sad day

...it is sad to hear that my colleague brother Rosli passed away yesterday while on his flight home from Jeddah after performing Hajj. Then around 6am today I received another text message that Adam a PhD student also passed away. I know him personally…we are about the same age...and he is a very good student and is waiting for his viva scheduled in about a week time but God loves them more… we can only plan…as human we all belong to Him and to Him we shall all return...please recite surah Al Fatihah to both Haji Rosli and bro Adam…may Allah bless their soul and reward them with Jannatul Firdaus...receive this poem from a friend today…when I die...

When I die
when my coffin
is being taken out
you must never think
i am missing this world

don't shed any tears
don't lament or
feel sorry
i'm not falling
into a monster's abyss

when you see
my corpse is being carried
don't cry for my leaving
i'm not leaving
i'm arriving at eternal love

when you leave me
in the grave
don't say goodbye
remember a grave is
only a curtain
for the paradise behind

you'll only see me
descending into a grave
now watch me rise
how can there be an end
when the sun sets or
the moon goes down

it looks like the end
it seems like a sunset
but in reality it is a dawn
when the grave locks you up
that is when your soul is freed

have you ever seen
a seed fallen to earth
not rise with a new life
why should you doubt the rise
of a seed named human

have you ever seen
a bucket lowered into a well
coming back empty
why lament for a soul
when it can come back
like Joseph from the well

when for the last time
you close your mouth
your words and soul
will belong to the world of
no place no time

~RUMI, ghazal number 911,
translated May 18, 1992,
by Nader Khalili.