The year is coming to an end

In less than 24 hours, a new year will unveil.
We will welcome the year 2009.
I am still awake at 0130 hrs on the last day of the year 2008.
Could not sleep after reaching home at midnight after completing about 20 km with my new cycling group, the Putrajaya Easy Riders (PERs).
Since i will be ushering the new year tomorrow night cycling along the yet to be open DUKE-Duta Ulu Klang Expressway with another cycling group, the GEDEBE cycling group led by a senior of mine OP Wan Sabri, i thought it is better for me to write this last entry in my blog for this year-2008.

Looking at what i have written here for this year, it seems that i have been extremely busy.Too little entry!!!

My purpose of creating this blog was to record some thoughts which i thought would be amusing, if it it seen from a second opinion or second angle.

Take cycling for example.
Not many 50 plus guys does it.
Only a selected few suddenly don tights that seems rather revealing and take to the open road.
It became an obsession that, they can't do without riding to the extent that they even cycle at night!!

So to me it is like falling in love again, with my first love as a boy, i,e, cycling.
I belief others of my age group are discovering that too.
Some of their bikes cost more than their golf set, and some cost more than a Kancil!!

I am just excited about sharing this long lost love with others.
I am excited to see the changes that cycling has done to their health.
I am also excited that at this age of mine, i have found friends who share a healthy habit.
Cycling is fun.
And we can cycle 365 days in a year without any weather restrictions.

Since i live in Putrajaya, which is made for cycling, it is a waste if i do not use the facilities.

One of my aim is to make Putrajaya-The Cycling Capital of the World-by Choice.
I know Beijing has more bikes than us, but they do not have a choice, but to cycle, whereas in Putrajaya we have many other choices, but yet we choose to cycle. InsyaAllah.

Do i have a resolution?
Well, nothing definitive, except that my wife and i have set our mind to perform our obligations, the Umrah and Haj.InsyaAllah the path will be clear.

Looking forward to a good year ahead,

Hijrah-moving on

Well, yesterday evening i had the opportunity to recite the doa akhir and awal tahun.
Since it is only done once a year, i was reading it out from the small kitab, given to me by my wife.
My understanding of the doa is that as much as we have committed so many flaws in the year before, yet Allah has been ever merciful and forgiving.
The doa for the new year is only asking Allah to safeguard us from the temptations to succumb to the devil's wishes and to help us to go in the path of rightiousness.
It is a simple doa and easily done.
But as always,it is not as easy as it look.
Hijrah means moving on to a better life.
Hijrah means taking risks.
Hijrah means doing something better.
Hijrah means change for the better.
May this new Hijrah year bring good tidings to who ever read my blog.
I hope to write in as often as possible and share some of my worldly views, which might be different from the norm, hence my musings of second thoughts.

Yes, i am cycling again

My cycling has been as irregular as my postings here for 2008.
There were many reasons to it.
The main excuse was my other half's bout with the big C.
Now that she is at the end of her Radiotheraphy session and InsyaAllah on the road to recovery,my life should return to normal.
Over the last two months i have been inspired by a group of cyclist who frequents Putrajaya and who takes the opportunity to cycle here every other day.
Calling themselves the Putrajaya Easy Riders(PERs), their zest for cycling is a misnomer to their name Easy Riders.
They are led Pak Adib who is the oldest at the moment, just after retirement age, a few doctors coordinated by Dr Azmi and Dr Taufik,Muhamamd bin Ali, Samad, Muhaimy, Won, Razi, Azhar, Dr Rapi, Dr Azren, Prof Dr Fuad and Sani, Alan, Prof Dr Jaafar, and one girl Aliff.(There are some more names that i have yet to meet.)
I join them in their Putrajaya Morning Ride (PMR), Putrajaya Night Ride (PNR) and Putrajaya Evening Ride (PER). The minimum distance covered is 20 km.
The mode of riding is light and easy using MTB.

Since Putrajaya is my kampong, i take it as an honour to ride with them and show them the various hidden tracks and routes available here.

Now that there is another monthly Putrajaya Critical Mass on every last Friday Night of the month, i am obliged too to join in.

I hope i will ride as often as i can for 2009.

Sacrifice-Korban

Alhamdulillah i spent my day helping out the korban process of
my Surau Ar Rahman at Presint 16.
No i did not korban this year, only my time and effort was korban'ed.
Managed to get back home at about 1645 hrs.
The fatigue of it all is about 30 km worth of cycling.
Anyway no complain, and i knew that the pahala gathered is well worth it.
InsyaAllah from next year onwards i will definitely do my korban proper inclusive of the korban fatigue duty.
I think this is a better way of just spending the Raya Korban by eating and being in front of the tv.
Hari raya Korban is not about being joyous and beraya the traditional way. It is meant as a remembrance of the Sacrifice by Prophet Ibrahim and his son Prophet Ismail.
The least i can do is get some blood on my hand and get to use my 60 years old scout knife again.

It's already December!!!!!!

Suddenly, the year is coming to a close.
How time flies.
I must have been sleeping all year round.
Not even one decent post!
Must try and do better for 2009

AWOL

Wow,
I have been AWOL(absent without leave).
Have not been doing justice to this blog of mine.