Wishing a peaceful Ramadhan to all

Ramadhan is here again.

I like to wish fellow Muslims a peaceful and serene Ramadhan. May you find that spiritual enlightening.

Typical of us Malaysian, the festivity or event of one ethnicity will be somewhat celebrated by other ethnic groups.

Although I have known a few that do, non Muslim generally do not participate in our religous one month fasting. However they could enjoy invitations to open fast with Muslim friends.

Otherwise, they can always visit the spread of kueh and food sold at Pasar Ramadhan. This is also the time for us to savour food not commercially available at other times of the year.

After slowly coming out of the closet from almost absolute anonymity, this one year had been quite a busy one.

Since GE 12, bloggers were suddenly the new celebrity in politics. We have been kept busy with invitations for events, participating in press conference and closed door discussions, and attending events.

From refuting the role of bloggers, UMNO politicians suddenly come to belief that bloggers can do wonders. Some novice claiming as experts in UMNO believe it is all replicable.

If only Johnny Come Lately UMNO and their claimed experts on blogging understand the gist of blogging - mechanics, capability and potential, they would appreciate that expertise from experiance.

It will be their misfortune to be stuck with such arrogant self importance for leaving us the real players out and taking in half bake experts.

At the same time, few of us bloggers are increasingly having access to many people of position; all the way up to just short of Agong and Raja-Raja Melayu.

Sorry, we just can't take everyone along. It is either a case of not up to it or the number has to be limited to be effective.

This Ramadhan will be timely to lay low for awhile from this sudden gush of accessibility. It will be an oppurtune time to find back your spiritual self and revive your spiritual consciousness.

Ramadhan has always been the spiritual breather for me to savour it's tranquility and serenity. Perhaps to ponder and take stock of my life.

It is not about neglecting your other responsibility or over ritualising the sunat (non compulsory practices) as one friend kept arguing perpetually.

It is the ease to reach that internal solitude, peacefulness, and hopefully closeness to God one get in the month of Ramadhan that will be amiss. Such pleasure can be only felt and not described.

This Ramadhan will be back to a simple common man affair for me to break fast at the Masjid. I will be staying away from VVIP or hotel breaking fast functions. Except for very few exception, I will respectfully decline any invitation.

After years of seeing me practise it, my mother-in-law was finally enticed to join us and stay on for ibadah till Terawih (special nightly Ramadhan prayers) before we have dinner. She realised she does not have to tire herself from cooking.

I would like to be able to finish reciting and reading the Quran at least once this month. It will be far from my past ability to finish the Quran few times in Ramadhan but this time it is quality I am seeking.

Hopefully I am strong enough to do the Terawih everyday and try to do the compulsory prayers with the jemaah at Masjids.

I will still blog though.

May I end by wishing again a peaceful Ramadhan to all.