And just like that, 2025 left us.
Genocide continued on and flotilla attempts to carry aid were illegally intercepted in international waters by the most immoral army in the world with the flotilla members detained before being released. Genocide also continued in Sudan by the Emiratis. I continued boycotting products made by companies who are pro-ishell and will widen the boycott further. The so-called ceasefire is not respected by the immoral army with attacks continuing in Gaza and West Bank.
Closer to home, our neighbours are involved in their own crises with the Thai and Cambodians disputing over their border issue, while the worst flooding ever seen devastated large parts of north Sumatra. Sometimes I wonder if people would ever learn how to live peacefully with each other and nature and compromise, and learn not to be so greedy at the expense of others. The years go by and if anything, man is more and more determined to wreck ruins on others and destroy the environment.
After some thinking and going through my finances, I decided to go on early retirement. InsyaAllah, this decision is for the best. I was prepared to work until 60 before but the pandemic changed my mind. Not being able to travel and then having to care for my dad made me decide that I didn’t want to work until I reach 60. I want to travel further and longer and I don’t want to wait until I’m 60 - presuming I’ll still be fit, able and healthy then - to travel. Money is always important - it helps one afford a lot of things and one will definitely need money to travel - but I don’t want to have a lot more money than I do now at 60 but not be able to travel. On a friend’s advice, I’ve kept this news fairly quiet and not broadcast it. After all, it’s up to me to share the news and I don’t think it’s anyone’s business anyway. I’ve already started making adjustments to my life following my fall in 2024 where I’d started selling off my handbags which were just too heavy, no longer suit my lifestyle and did not help with my scoliosis issue.
Arsenal again came up second in the Premier League race behind Liverpool. Injuries didn’t help of course. We are doing all right now and I’m praying hard.
Alhamdulillah, I managed to travel to new places and revisit other places as follows:
January: flew to Lombok. Rainy season but I still had a good time, alhamdulillah
February: flew to Bali, took a boat to Nusa Penida and stayed for two nights. Also rainy season there but I was lucky to have sunny mornings
March: revisited Phnom Penh and brought over some clothes, bags and money for the Muslim Cambodian imam to distribute. I also took a bus to Battambang where I spent a couple of nights
April: flew out to Nairobi at month-end then flew out the very next morning to Kigali in Rwanda. After two nights, I rode a shared car to Kabale where I visited Lake Bunyonyi and stayed for a couple of nights. Then I took a shared van to Kampala but I went down at Kayabwe for some photos before boarding a bus for Kampala
May: I left Kampala after two nights and rode a matatu to Entebbe. Spent a night there before flying out to Bujumbura in Burundi. I was there for a day before flying out back to Nairobi and Lamu the following morning. After a night in Lamu, I continued on by bus to Mombasa. After two nights, I took the train to Nairobi where I spent two nights before flying home
June: I went to Ipoh with my sister and brother-in-law. They left after one night. I left a day later and took the train to Penang where I stayed for two nights
July: celebrated my birthday in Chiang Mai then more than a fortnight later, took the bus to Singapore to watch The Arsenal
August: revisited Danang and went to Bana Hills and My Son Sanctuary this time. Then in mid-August, went on family trip to Lumut and Pangkor Laut
September: visited my aunt in Plentong, near Johor Bahru. About a fortnight later, took a night bus to Kuala Krai and then rode the train to Dabong. Spent two nights in Dabong before heading for Wakaf Bharu. Met an old mate whom I had not seen or heard from since we finished SPM. After one night in Wakaf Bharu, I took the bus to Kuala Terengganu where I stayed for two nights before flying back
October: flew to Kunming in Yunnan and travelled up to Shangri-la before going back down to Lijiang and Dali. Took the train back to Kunming and flew out to Changsha in Hunan. Took the train Zhangjiajie and local bus to Wulingyuan. Back to Zhangjiajie for one night after two nights In Wulingyuan then took the train to Furongzhen and the same train the next day to Fenghuang. Rode the same train the next day to Changsha then flew home the same evening
November: took a bus to Temerloh early in the month for a day trip then visited Labuan Bajo and Komodo National Park
December: redeemed some air miles earlier for a trip to Saigon and the return leg from Kuching (bought one way ticket to Kuching)
I managed to read 156 books which was an improvement and I hope to do better this year. I’ve also started reading the Quran with translation. It’s a slow and steady process. I’ve also started fasting on Mondays and Thursdays on those days where I don’t travel.
I pray that Allah will bless us good health, wealth, peace, increased iman, prosperity, success, wisdom, compassion and all that we wish for this year and beyond. Let’s prioritise our mental and physical health, may we be more considerate, generous, less judgmental, more compassionate, humane, thoughtful, mindful and kinder to everyone and all creatures. (Of course the Orange fatso would have to attack another country, damn him to hell and back.)
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