Precious Gift

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between you and I

a solid bridge of friendship

my most precious gift

© 2015 Balqis

My participation at Haiku Horizons Prompt "between".

In Between Us

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in between us

there are seas

I couldn't swim across

but the bridge of friendship

keeps us close

in between us

time and seasons change

nevertheless we are the same

travelling abreast in time

singing the same rhymes

in between us

our thoughts sometimes differ

yet each day we understand better

of who you and I are

 the bond of friendship grows stronger

© 2013 Balqis

Pleasant Surprises

Blog, Blogger, Blogging Awards...they all come as pleasant surprises and  make my blogging life more colorful. I would like to express my special thanks which come right from my heart  to my bloggers' friends from across the globe who have been very kind in nominating me with some awards. Never did I dream of getting any of  these but life is indeed full of surprises when  they were cordially presented to me.

This is the recent award which I received from Od Liam, the owner of Tales, Stories, and poetry blog.  Thank you so much, Od,  for this fabulous award. You make me feel fabulous, too!

I would like to pass on this award to these wonderful ladies. No tags, no rules, just grab it and be fabulous!

1.  Dana of Purely Enchanted

2.  Sui Generis Writer of Imaginative Spiral

3.  Zarnab of In My Lonely World

4.  Christine L. Andre of   Through Each Given Day

5.  Elen Lackner of Poemas de amor



The following awards were received some time early this year and at the end of last year.  Don't think that I had forgotten them. They are safely kept in my heart. Please accept my apology for the delay in posting them.

Thank you Fahima, owner of  Walking In The Woods and Hotei of  Anymore Then A Whisper for this Versatile Blogger award.

Thank you for giving me the inspiration, BillyJoMary Drei of 3 Heads in the clouds.

Thank you once again to the owner of  my favourite Elf, Od Liam of  Tales, stories, and poetry for this recognition.

Thank you for this meaningful award, Aunt Mary of  Easy Way (A Blog For Children) and Epsita of Happiness.

The awards come along with tags but I'm sorry to say I'm breaking the rules. Pardon me cos I'm unable to answer each and every tagged question.  Perhaps as a substitute, please feel free to check out my older posts if you would like to know a little bit more about me. There you'll get some answers for your questions.

Here they are :

1.  Awards And Tags

2.  The Inspirational Blog Award

3.  A Surprise From Mexico


Have fun, keep smiling and keep the blogging world spinning!

Tears In The Rain

My dear friend, Elen Lackner of  Nacionalidad-uruguaya, residente en-Buenos Aires, Argentina had honored me by creating this beautiful video and reciting my poem, Tears In The Rain, which I posted here on Friday June 15th 2012. Elen gave me such a very pleasant surprise and I just can't thank her enough for her kindness and generosity  for this much appreciated video and poem recital. This is for the first time ever someone did such a great favor to me and I am so proud of Elen for presenting me something  which I myself couldn't do.

Elen is such a great woman, being a Profesora de música, she could play piano well. Please, feel free to check out her blogs *Videos de Elen Lackner* and Elen Lackner-poemas de amor-piano. You will find her great creativity there.

To my dear Elen, words aren't enough to show my gratitude towards you. You know how much I love your work and hearing your voice makes me feel so close to you. We are separated thousand of miles apart but the beauty of friendship had united us. From the tropical island of Borneo to Argentina, I send you my heart. I wish to say thank you so much right from the bottom of my heart.

O Flower of Purity, Why are you wilting in the showering  rain

when you should be so fresh and pleases the eyes of the beholder?

The sweetness of the smiles between two hearts had gone

in its place lies the  unseen tears in the rain, the soul battered badly

Flower of Purity, loving thoughts for you are for eternity

and engraved in the deepest fold of the heart, warming it from coldness

Your sweet scent will linger in the air,  a solace to a weeping heart.

balqis

Mid June'12

Love's Renewal

For years I've wandered aimlessly through the midst of the shadows trying to elude the dark.

In spite of my stupendous efforts, I still felt melancholy in my heart, for I was all alone.

Yet, darkness is not always so dark when our imagination seeks the light of hope – a light that has been trying to find its sight through such darkened nights.

This darkness becomes me, for I am but the light of our shadow that quivers now, as I yearn for a flight towards the dream, away from the claws of fear.

So I rise, wearing this half-darkness, half-light, like priceless sapphires.

Yea, I rise, rise towards my destiny until what my heart craves seems so near.

I rise, flying high 'till I touch the sky, conquering an eternal bliss.

The bliss I feel…ah…it transports me into a world so enchanting and suddenly I am set free.

This is the Eden of our love, which I shall cherish and safeguard forever.

The fragrance of eternal flowers of love now permeate my fluttering heart…I feel beautiful...I am alive.

Yes! The spirit of love has descended upon my heart…I am renewed again.

Behold! The hand of love has touched my soul…indeed, I am reborn.

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

 The above poem is the fourth Lovers' Cove Collaboration from the following participants.

1. Crystal
2. Elen Lackner
3. Radwa Pony
4. Kriti
5. Eclipse
6. Lubaina E
7. Nilanjana Bose
8. Anjali
9. Bikram 
10. Janu
11. Balqis
12. Gunjan Sinha

Congrats to everyone! The host, Andy David , has kindly awarded us with this beautiful award. Special thanks to him who had made it possible for us to contribute a line each and came up with this beautiful poem.

Blog Hop Saturday! Linkup #5

It's the first Saturday of the month and time to blog hop again. Thank you so much to the host, Andy David, owner of  a very cool, romantic blog, Thoughts Of Beauty In The Stillness Of Dawn. If you are looking for very romantic, love poetry, his blog is worth to visit and you will be mesmerized by his unique poetry which are written so beautifully.

Since joining blog hop, I have got the chance to discover many good blogs and get to know more bloggers across the globe. It's so much fun. Come, don't hesitate, let's blog hop now!

Another Tag

There is another tag for me and it is from a dear friend, Sui. She tagged me on 28th July but I was not able to answer that soon. I had told her that I won't let her down, so today I would like to fulfill my promise.

Sui is a creative writer and her posts at Imaginative Spiral are simply awesome! She has 11 questions for me, so let's look at them one by one. :)

Here we go :

1. Do you enjoy being tagged or is it annoying?
I enjoy it that's why I answer you! I don't find it annoying not unless the questions are irrelevant. I hope it doesn't annoy you when I can't follow all the golden rules of tagging. That's my weakness. However, I never forget to link back to the person who tagged me. Being tagged is fun and an honor indeed as long as the questions are not putting me in a sticky situation. 

2.  What does hardship mean to you?
Hardship is when all efforts to achieve dreams are futile no matter how hard we try. It's really difficult, too, when we intend to move forward, we are being constantly pushed backwards by certain quarters. Constraints in life could also cause hardship. Apart from that, the country's economic instability, diseases and war fall into the same category.

3. Is it reasonable to be judgmental?
It depends a lot in what situations and the rationales behind it. We can't be too judgmental when we, ourselves, are below par than the persons being judged! On the positive side, being judgmental would be reasonable when it is intended to bring good to the person concerned. The right approaches such as using diplomacy should be taken so as not to hurt his/her feeling. Make sure, we have the concrete reasons why being judgmental.

4. Would you be friends with a person who disagrees with your opinions and beliefs but doesn't mind hanging out with you?
Let's be open-minded on this. I would still be friends as long as I'm not facing the danger of getting stabs in the back! Personally, I think it's ok to disagree on certain issues because we all have the right to speak out our minds. Regarding beliefs, we should be tactful in bringing up questions so that the other person is not hurt. As we have the right to believe in what we think is best for us, due respect should be given to each other. When disagreeing on certain matters, one should not cross the line in order to avoid it from  becoming too sensitive.

After any argument, we should reconcile, so I would still hang out with that person.

5.  What are the actions that make you believe that you are treasured by a certain person?
The attention given to me by that certain person, the way he/she accepts my flaws and weaknesses, who easily forgives me for my silly mistakes and most importantly, accepting me as I am. 

6.  What do you prefer to do in your free time?
There are quite a few things I love to do such as reading, blogging, blog hop, day dreaming, listening to music and thinking of  the blue sky and everything nice!

7. What is it that cheers you after a day of hard work?
Being able to accomplish a challenging task, I would heave a sigh of relief and contentment.  It definitely cheers me.

8. When is your birthday?
Born under the zodiac Taurus, it's on 20th May. I'm a bull! You didn't know? Listen - Snort!Snort!

9. What do you think about the current state of the world?
It appalls me a lot. Many things happen which sadden me and I'm worried of our future generations. How will  it be for them in decades to come? I wish there is always peace in every nook of the world besides having the economic stability, healthy and pro-active world citizens, free from human trafficking etc to make this world a better place to live in.

10. You had been saving money to buy an item that you had been eying for days. How would you feel when you finally buy that item and found it to be defective item?
OMG! it's a hard-earned money, surely I would become poorer by a few hundred ringgit (for instance). But everything happens for a reason. May be I was dying for that item that had made me very careless, thus forgetting to scrutinize whether it's defective or not. Whatever it is, there's a lesson to learn. May God forgives the person who sells such thing.

11. As far as you have come to know me, what type of person do you perceive me to be?
Cheerful, brilliant, funny, friendly and a very good writer.


Well, my job's done! I hope Sui is satisfied with my answers. I would like to apologize to her for being unable to follow all the tagging rules. Do pay Sui a visit at Imaginative Spiral - a place to dabble with creative writing. It's worth it!

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Awards And Tags

I was awarded the Liebster Blog  award by my sweet friend, Dana. It takes quite some time for me to answer her tagged questions as I was too tied-up with work. Dana  has a very cool blog and her posts are wonderful. Please, take a visit to her blog, Pure. You will feel so refreshing being there.

Here are my answers to her tags:

1. Who do you love most?
My family is the closest to me. They are always there to catch me when I fall and going through this journey of life together through thick and thin. I love them the most as they understand me better than others.

2. Who's your inspiration in this world?
I'm always inspired by what I see happening around me. Literally, it's happening here or elsewhere in the world. It amazes me to see the successes or differences people could make to make this life more meaningful. In two of my older posts, I did mention the person who gave much inspirations and  this is within my family member. As the question asked me "who's", so I'll tell only one person, that's my late father. I'm inspired by his diligence who never gave up to difficult situations in life. He was not a highly educated man but he gave everyone of his children the education we needed till we reached the higher level of institutions and with his blessing we are now in a much better condition than what it used to be. He is not here to reap the successes  of his children but he left the legacy to my beloved mom.

3. What is your definition of love?
Love is a many splendor thing. That's what we use to hear. To me, love is indescribable when it brings much joy and makes us feel as if we're always on cloud 9. Love could bring pain and pleasure, sweetness and sadness, leaving an ever lasting impact in our life but...I should say, the real meaning is ambiguous.

4. What is your goal in this life?
My goal is to have a fulfilling life.

5. Who is your closest?
Again, I would say it's within my family circle; my sister but we are now staying far away from each other as she is residing in Manchester, England. She is my confidante. :)

6. What is the best thing that ever happened to you?
I will never forget the day I graduated from a local university. It was the best thing so far when I walked up the stage to receive my scroll from the vice-chancellor. Apart from that, it was a relief after a 4-year study where I faced so many challenges to ensure myself going through till  the final year.

7. Do you have pets?
I am a feline lover! Yes, I do have a kitten at the moment.

8. What do you dislike most?
I dislike plagiarism. Respect and credit should be given to the owners of any work of arts or anything else. When we  read others' works,  we should realize that they spend time in their creativity. I used to say it's through their "sweat" we are able to enjoy reading or admiring their works. At my side bar, I put up a reminder, Plagiarism Is Unethical, and I mean it.

9. What is your favourite season?
I'm living in a tropical country so there are only two seasons here; wet and dry.  Neither one is my favourite! Too wet is not good, neither is too dry.  Let's say, if I could go to the west, I would love to experience spring, summer and autumn.

10. What is your favourite food, if you have one?
I have many favourite food but one of it is beef and chicken curry.

11. What makes you angry?
Lots of things could make me angry! I'm not a quick-tempered person but I would surely get angry when I see something is wrong or when injustice is done to me. Would you believe me, I don't seem angry even at any certain moment I'm really angry? It doesn't show on my face or actions. :)


To my dear friend, Dana, I hope you're happy with my answers. Some of the facts about myself could be found in the answers above. Being tagged means you're thinking of me, so I would like to say thank you for your thought. You're a friend indeed. :)


<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>


Another award is from Andy David, the owner of Lovers' Cove. It's so kind of him awarding such a beautiful award to all the participants of Lovers' Cove Challenge #3: PAINTED LOVE. This is the second time I took part in the collaboration and the final poem is simply awesome! I would like to thank Andy for his effort in hosting the challenge which unites bloggers from across  the globe. I would recommend my readers to drop by Andy's blog, Lovers' Cove. You won't regret! See you there! :)

Congratulations to all the participants of Lovers' Cove Challenge #3!

A Beautiful Poem Brings Back Sweet Memories

It is typical of me reading again some of the texts and notes used during my tertiary education.  I was going through my usual routine of arranging my books, magazines and files when I came across this beautiful poem in one of my old files. That was when I was a student years back. I forgot where I got it but I did mention, "I don't write this poem and I don't know who did. But I like it, as it shows how I feel towards friends."

I am against plagiarism and I made it clear at the side bar by saying "Plagiarism Is Unethical." Whoever wrote this poem and if it happens you read this, please let me know so that I can acknowledge and credit it or if you wish it be removed, I will immediately do so.

This poem has been in my file for so many years and I like every line which is so meaningful. Today, I am sharing it with all of you with credit to the unknown author.

If I could catch a rainbow,
I would do it just for you,
And share with you its beauty,
On the days you are feeling blue.

If I could build a mountain,
You could call your very own,
A place to find serenity,
A place to be alone.

If I could take your troubles,
I would toss them in the sea,
But all these things I am finding,
Are impossible for me.

I cannot find a mountain,
Or catch a rainbow fair,
But let me say what I know best,
A friend that's always there.


Isn't it beautiful? I really love this poem because it makes me feel friends are so close to my heart. Wherever you are my friends, I love you all for being my friends! *smile*

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Friendship Quotes

A friend is someone who reaches out for your hand .... and touches your heart.
                                                                              -  Author Unknown


A friend is someone who walks in when the whole world has walked out.
                                                                        -  Author Unknown


Side by side or miles apart, good friends are always close to the heart.
                                                                      - Author Unknown

Image : mystuffspace.com

Awards For Friends

It's time again for me to pass on some awards to friends whom I have known in blogsphere. Each of the following blogs has the uniqueness of posts and the blog itself. They are among blogs I visit frequently.

It's my pleasure to present the first award, Blog Star, to Odliam of US.

Feel free to visit  Tony's Blog
This blog has many interesting posts which are written excellently. As he says, "...you won't be disappointed."  His works covers a wide range of topics such as philosophy, short stories, minitales and nanotales.The uniqueness of this blog is every post is accompanied with fragments of good songs and music.


The second award, The Versatile Blogger, goes to Suresh Shresta of Nepal.

Suresh owns two blogs and one of it is Waving Feelings. He has the versatility of writing interestingly poems/haikus and many other posts. He deserves this award for his excellent works.


The third award, Sunshine Award, goes to Maria of UK.

Maria could write well on any topic. I like some of the recipes she has in her blog. Feel free to visit her at Inside Looking Out


The fourth award, Kreativ Blogger, goes to Rosalinda of the Philippines.

Rosalinda has three blogs. One of it is What Matters Most . It is a very interesting blog with posts about "real experiences in life, expressing deepest thanks, sharing practical way to save money, choosing cool gadgets."  I had also awarded Rosalinda with the Sunshine Award, Stylish Blogger Award, Mommy Blogger and The Reader Appreciation Award.

All the awards are given with sincerity. I am looking forward to reading more posts from each blog and I hope we will stay connected through blogging.

A Little But A Lot

A liitle thank you means a lot,
My hands are too small to hold it,
In the closet of my heart, I keep it.

A little time spent is quality time,
It means more than the entire time,
A minute's banter, a lasting impact.

A little thought is good thought,
Friendship blooms from little thought,
Its beauty is immeasurable.


With gratitude,
Balqis


Image :  attractingabundancehq.com

The Inspirational Blog Award

Recently, a blogger friend, Sie of the Philippines gave me a very pleasant surprise by awarding me  the "Inspirational Blog Award".  According to her the award is made "basically for sites on my own opinion have Touched Lives". Thank you so much, Sie, for your kind words. It's a surprise that my blog is among the ones you mentioned. If I'm allowed to add another recipient, definitely you're the one who well-deserved it.

I find that Sie's blog "A Life's Journey" is so inspiring with many posts about life.  At one stage, I even thought that she's a counsellor! I love reading her posts which boost so much inspiration and motivation. Check out  A Life's Journey.

The award came along with "Eight Easy Tag Questions" (according to her) but which aren't seem too easy for me! Anyway, it would be great joining in the fun of being tagged.

Here are my sincere answers. Let's look at the questions one by one.


1. What can make you laugh, smile or giggle?
There are many things that can make me do so but among all, I enjoy tremendously my conversation with someone very close to me who can be very hilarious, sometimes, that I just can't help laughing, smiling and giggling!

2.  What are your dreams for your future?
I have many dreams but on top list is to travel the world and speak Spanish correctly if not fluently.

3.  If you were to go to a cruise, where would it be and why?
It would be to New Zealand because it's a very beautiful country.

4.  How would you spend your vacation time and with whom?
Going for a vacation would free my mind from work. Therefore, I would love to have some quiet, quality time with the love of my life; soaking up the sun, watching sunset, admiring the moon, stars gazing and listening to nature's melody - birds singing, crickets chanting and waterfall cascading. It would  be a great moment together when both of us are disconnected from the internet!

5.  If given the chance, what life would you choose? Your new life or your past?
Let me say it this way. I would cherish the sweet moments in my past life and move on with the present. Definitely, the new life is my choice because I feel I'm moving towards better directions.

6.  Is there something you wished before when you were young but you didn't get it?
Let me answer from a different perspective as I'm not going to touch on the material side of it. Well, when I was a little girl I wished so much that I could swim instead of just watching my friends swimming like ducks! I didn't have and still don't have the ability to swim. If you were to take me anywhere for a swim, make sure the float is provided for this big girl!

7.  Have you been in a situation where you might have given up but you chose to move on?
Yes, many times and it was really a test to my patience.  The other side of my mind told me not to be defeated so easily. Instead of dwelling in it, I chose to move on.

8.  Is there someone in your life your source of strength and inspiration?
My late dad is my source of strength and inspiration. He had the qualities of a man who was strong enough to face the odds apart from being so hardworking to ensure his family had enough for daily needs. He was also a very patient man who looked positively at trials of life and worked towards resolving them.


That are the answers to the tags. I hope, Sie, in particular is happy with it. Once again, I would like to say a big THANK YOU to her for kindly choosing me to receive this beautiful and meaningful award.

Friends

Friends are sacred to me. I like having many friends and enjoy the good company. But having friends goes along with a price. The joy of having friends is indescribable but have to face a great pain when seeing them go. That's part of having friends; to meet and to depart. I always wish friends are for keeps though the reality is some friends come and go like passing clouds.

I miss some friends whom I crossed paths once and whom I don't see anymore. To all my dear friends, this is my hope for a true meaning of friendship.

If I'm the bread, my friend is the butter,
when spread on the bread, we can click together.

When I cry, my friend understands why,
She will be by my side to let it go by.

On every gloomy day, my friend is the sunshine,
That shoos the gloominess from this soul of mine.

Many a time , I stumble and fall,
But I'm glad, my friend gives a hand for me to hold.

The misfortunes of life tears the happiness from me,
My friend puts back the torn pieces like what it used to be.

Come what may; rain, shine or harsh weather,
My friend will always be there to give me shelter.

To my dear friends, wherever you are,
You all are my priceless jewel forever.


With a fond thought,
Balqis
Friday wee hours



Image : graphicshunt.com

 

A Fruitful Day

Yesterday, Monday 25th, was the last Monday in this month. I was glad that Monday blues didn't set in and I must say that my week kicked off so nicely!

For half day, I was attending a seminar on "Integrity".  Its contents touched on enculturation of integrity in Malaysian society.  A very refreshing and insightful seminar as well as useful for those in the administration side.  There were so many inputs.

Blogging wise, yesterday came another surprise from my Brazilian friend, Ana Luiza.  She picked me among her 6 bloggers' friends to receive "The Reader Appreciation Award".  I looked admiringly at the award and felt proud to see the 3 medals in it, from gold to bronze! Have I conquered all 3?

To Ana, muito abrigado, and please let me quote what you said in response to my comments at your blog.

Ana said :

It's hard to understand why we connect more to one person and not to another in the virtual world. But it happens. :)

April 25, 2011 5:32 AM

I find it inspiring and what she said, in general, holds much truths.  In the virtual world, most of the times we are communicating and most of us haven't seen or met our friends in persons. But in one way or another, it's really amazing that we could click so well.  I am making some assumptions and it could be due to the following reasons :

-  good communication

-  very supportive of each other

-  understanding each others' needs in blogging

-  sharing some common interests

It could be more than that. Thinking of the award again, I feel like going to the dance floor for samba!

On another note, my multi-talented friend, Maria of UK,  emailed me the original recipe of "Chocolate Cake."  She took all the trouble to send me the recipe without alcohol in the ingredients. For those of you who haven't known much about me, I can't take alcohol.

Ok friends, this is how the award looks like. It's the 8th one.

Now, it's my duty to award it to 6 more persons and it's my pleasure to do so for the following beloved bloggers' friends of mine :

1.  Maria -  Inside Looking Out

2.  Krislin  -  Tingtasy

3.  Stephaine  -  Bitter Sweet Life Of A Single Mom

4.  Simple Sie  -  A Life's Journey

5.  LiLing  -  Shadows Overhead

6.  Dai Ning Li  -  Unravelled Solace

To my friends, you are to award it to 6 more persons to keep the circle growing. Actually, I'd love to award more friends but I have to abide the condition. This time, it's mainly for ladies. Guys, you'll have your turn. :)

 

 

As a sign of appreciation, once again I would like to say :

Muito abrigado to Ana,

A big thank you to Maria,

Terima kasih to my fellow Malaysians

and

Thank You, right from the bottom of my heart, to each and everyone of you for your much appreciated visits. Keep coming! :)

A Sunshine For Me

I was thrilled to bits on receiving a sunshine award from Wan Maznah of cooking-varieties. My deepest thanks to her for passing on the award to me. Check out her blog at http://www.cooking-varieties.blogspot.com. She has a wonderful foodie blog and there are many recipes which are worth trying.

This is a beautiful award and receiving it means I have to tell about myself! Let me tell briefly who I am though most of you have known a bit about me. I'm just an ordinary person who loves life. I'm also a nature lover and this award is so fitting because a striking daisy is pictured in a blue sky background. Daisies are among the beautiful flowers I love.

Those who visit my blog can see that my posts are a mixture of stories, poems, haiku and any other topics in general. I don't create blogs for different categories because I don't have time to manage them. So, everything is put in one single blog and visiting my blog means reaching a one-stop spot.

I would like to clarify here whatever poems/ haikus I wrote aren't necessarily related to my feelings/moods. Most are written based on what are seen  around me. I love to attempt different categories of poems/haikus that talk about happiness, sadness, or life as a whole.

It is my pleasure to pass on the award to  friends whom I have told personally.

This simple piece is specially dedicated to Wan Maznah.


The sunshine you pass to me,
Gives me the warmth I need,
It brightens up my days,
And shines through my blog.
Let's give others the sunshine,
Let this world be full of it,
A sunshine for you and one for me.


Wan Maznah also awarded me with 4 more awards: Blog Star Award, Kreativ Blogger, Best Blogger and Sisterhood of The World Bloggers Award.

Thank you once again, Wan. Let's keep our blogging world going!

Moments Of Triumphs

First and foremost, it's my own 'victory'.  As mentioned in my older post "A Month Of Bountiful Blessings", I got good news from Australia. This is the day I have been waiting for and this afternoon, I went to the post office to collect my parcel from my friend Delirious Jellybean. I am so happy to receive it. Furthermore, the gift makes its way into my blogging History as the first gift ever from a fellow blogger.

Got the email on 18.12.2010 from Yileen  who goes by the nick Delirious Jellybean telling me that I was  Radhika's Story WINNER (that's how the heading of the email was.)  Let me mention a little bit on how I become the winner. I was at her blog one day and read her post on the give-away. She wanted participants to comment on human trafficking. Without hesitation, I tried my luck by responding and giving some comments and summed it up by saying I condemn human trafficking as immoral. It came as a surprise when she told me that I was the winner! Imagine how happy I was! Furthermore, I'm adding another great story to my collections of books. Thank you, Yileen, it means so much to me!

Recalling how I met Yileen, it was her who "caught" me while blog hopping. She wrote on my wall telling me that she was happy meeting another fellow Malaysian on blogsphere. Since then, we are friends. Currently, she is a PhD candidate studying Genetic Engineering in the field of  Plant Science at the Australian National University. She's going to be a scientist. Perhaps, you would like to check out her blog at http://www.deliriousjellybean.blogspot.com/

The book wrapped in red and a note from Yileen.

Also enclosed, a beautiful postcard.

This is the book , front and back (below).

Another happy news  is Malaysia's national football team victory over Indonesia in  the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup which was held in Jakarta, Indonesia on  29.12.2010.  I didn't watch it on big screen in town but watching at home made no difference because I was so restless like a centipede with athlete's foot! Just couldn't keep still because every minute was thrilling and I shouted in joy when our team scored a goal. Today, the victory make headlines in all the papers throughout my country. And to add another joy, our Prime Minister declared Friday a holiday to celebrate my country's first ever victory in the championship. Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister!

Well, those are the triumphs I am sharing with all of you.
 As 2010 is coming to an end, I would like to wish everyone a happy and prosperous 2011!