The curtain is dropping slowly for the year 2002 .In the next few days,we are going to be in the new year 2003. The last two weeks were full of celebrations for muslims and tomorrow, the Christians will be celebrating Christmas. And the next seven days, most of people will be on leave -and some will be holidaying some where but many will be spending their time at 'open houses' and many shopping complexes which offer irresistable bargains.It appears that everyone is in the festive mood and I wish they all  have a good time!

When I began writing my first 'cerita kedaikopi' in 1997, I was not sure for how long I may be able to write my thoughts,views and feelings but to-day I am glad to make a note that I have managed to scribe 100 short notes for the last five years. Honestly, it is  quite an effort and it needs a little discipline to continue writing.I do not know how I really did it , but it may be due to my 'training ' of writing a 'weekly notebook' one year earlier.

Looking back, I have written notes aka cerita kedaikopi on many topics. (Just go to ttp://www.oocities.org/
mohdadib).Most of them are from personal observations and my personal experience in living my life for the last 50 years. If ever I offended anyone, I seek your forgiveness. If it wastes your time reading it, I am sorry because I am still learning to write.However, if it inspires you to think and ponder and then do something that will benefit you and others- then it makes my day!That is the reward for amateur writer like me.

I am taking a break from next month( Jan. to Febuary,2003) for two months and this will be the last of 'cerita kedaikopi'. Everything that has a beginning must have an ending; and I chose to end my 'cerita kedaikopi' with a nice number of 100th! After my sabbatical leave from business, I may continue writing but it may take different form. Honestly, I don't know what it will be like but I shall write,insyaAllah..

Now,let me come back to the 100th Cerita Kedaikopi:-

God willing, if the sun still comes out on the east on the 1st. January,2003 ,life will continue as usual. The date 31st December is just a number on the calendar for many of us.As far as I could remember,it is being repeated every year without fails. The question that many will be asking what is in store for us? Seldom ,we ask for are for others as well?
I know what I got this year but I can't be sure what is in for me even for tomorrow.

When I was much younger, I used to write my new year resolutions at the beginning of each calendar year and after one week I forget all about it. Does it sound familiar to you? After that I did not bother to write new year resolutions any more.If you donot make  a plan, have the commitment to execute it, the discipline to monitor and control your 'resolutions' or goals, I think it is an exercise in futility.Save the paper and the ink for your year end shopping list.

What we are to-day and where we are to-day were not due to last year resolutions. If your middle part is bulging like mine, it was not due to the nasi lemak or teh tarik we consumed yesterday. The body we have is the result of the food and the lack of exercise over the last few years.It is the sum total accumulated over the years; whatever we had consumed and whatever we did with our body. Similarly, it is the same with what we are and where we are to-day...The same logic applies to our society and our country as well.

Last year, I have succeeded to secure a multi million ringgit project that had turned around my business after a gruelling four years during the recession. My partner and me have identified this project way back in 1990 but it was shelved due to political situation. I did not abondon the idea and when the opportunity arised again  two years ago, I went digging again. At last, we got it last year on 11.11.2001. The point I would like to make is this: Your success or failure is the sum total of what you keep thinking and doing over a period of time. It is not like instant Nescafe.

When I was young, I feel that I have all the time in the world but when I crossed 40, I feel that I don't have  much time to be doing what I was doing then. When I crossed 50 last September, I feel that time travels faster than me. (Prof Stephen Hawking at Cosmology Centre in Cambridge University will surely disagree with my hypothesis;-). This leads to many people making a conclusion that life is too short! Life is too short is actually a perception when we view life is only for this world. Life is actually very,very  long if we include life in the hereafter -i.e for those who really believe in life after death.For muslims, it is one of the foundamental beliefs. Some one came to Sayyidina Ali ra and asked what if there is no life after death?. He replied that the believers has everything to gain if there is but got nothing to lose if it is not.The non-believers will lose if there is the hereafter(akhirat). As a muslim, all of us will declare our belief in the hereafter as revealed in the Quran but if we really examine our efforts taken to prepare for the next world,it hardly demonstrates that belief. We spend so much time and efforts for this world but very little time and efforts for the next world. It is not that we do not know this fact, it is the level of our 'yakin' has not come to a trigger point that will make us do it. Most of us are in the 'sleep mode' in this aspect and we will only wake up when are about to die.Then, it is too late...

I was lucky to be born after World War 11 and only knew about the hardships of life during the war only from history books and from my parents and grand-parents. However, looking at the present world scenario, I am not sure of the state of world peace in the coming decades or next year. Last week, Dr Mahathir told the Japanese that the world now is without leaders. If there is no leaders,then obviously there will be no leadership. Imagine our world as  ship without a captain. Then, nobody will be sure where we are going and we are left at the mercy of the weather- good or bad. If that is not enough, we also have people fighting on the ship!

We should not look very far. Just down south- how 'sombong dan biadab' is Singapore in dealing with us? We have been tolerating and defensive all this while but for how long?Now, US is ready to attack Iraq-just waiting for the go ahead. I pray it won't happen like everybody else. Everyone talks about living in peace but the few that prefers war will put all of us in trouble.In all humility, mankind in general has failed to learn from their follies-even after having gone through two world wars and many small wars after that.

How do we seek happiness( saadah in Arabic) and enjoy it? I am confident that we won't find it in this turmoil world of to-day.Over the years, mankind has destroyed their own good heart.Unless something drastic take place on global scale, it will take a few decades for the human heart to heal back to its original goodness. And in the meantime,we are going to have a rough ride and make sure our safety belts are securedly fastened.

The world to-day is full of uncertainties and falsehoods. It cannot be on the road to happiness for happiness is the state of consciousness of certainty-the truth. For muslims, the ultimate 'saadah' is when we meet Allah swt in the hereafter,insyaAllah.