i seek comfort in blogging. which is why i decided to blog this morning. the tragedy that swept the nation yesterday has left everyone in mourning. my condolences, thoughts and prayers go out to those who were directly effected by the incident. being only an outsider, i cannot begin to imagine what those who lost their loved ones are going through right now.

life’s unfair like that. But Allah knows best. He would only test the strongest minds to make them even stronger and to better prepare them for the future. whatever it may holds.

Although, this is always easier said than to actually believe, there’s always a silver lining to everything. That’s how you keep on going.

as i sit here, cross legged in my Korean apartment.. i can’t help but wonder what the future holds. It’s always the fear of not knowing that creeps up on you. especially in times of hardship.

A few weeks ago, i came across a stack of papers at work which i thought were documents. I looked at it closely and discovered that it was really a photocopied version of the book “The Alchemist” which belonged to one of the Pavilion staff. Curious, i sat down and read the first page and the next thing i knew, i took the ‘book’ home with me.

It was a beautiful piece of work.

I thought i’d share some of the excerpts in the book that really spoke to me:-

– “Don’t give in to your fears. If you do, you won’t be able to talk to your heart.” ? Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

– “I don’t live in either my past or my future. I’m interested only in the present. If you can concentrate always on the present, you’ll be a happy man. Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment we’re living now.” ? Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

Anyway, moving on to the topic of silver linings, I can say openly that i dont really favor this colleague of mine, it’s nothing personal though, but more work related. However, if i hadn’t met her and had she not been around to work with, I wouldn’t find this beautiful book.

and that’s a silver lining on its own.

anyway, it’s a brand new day, Alfatihah to those who lost their lives in the heli crash.

I will miss you very much my brother. In the short time i’ve known you you have been one of the kindest people i’ve ever met. semoga roh mu dicucuri rahmat dan ditempatkan dengan orang-orang yang beriman. Amin.

Stay strong everybody. Take comfort in the fact that everything always happens for a reason and seek protection and strength in your prayers.

kiss me.