How to heal oneself...

I was down with a mysterious something (which I refuse to label as a malady/disease as it was never determined) and I was quite down emotionally too as I had just returned from a short pilgrimage to Mekah. A pilgrimage to Mekah usually makes one stronger emotionally and physically. Meaning that, you will feel regenerated, closer to Allah and ready to take on the world.

However, as most people know, the weather and the environment in the middle east is one of the toughest and hottest environment in the planet. It is not a place of comfort for one who has been living in the part of the world where there are rain any other day and water is in abundance. So, it took it toll for me to be there while performing my umrah, in the attire that is required by Islam, which are two pieces of clothes to cover the whole body. 

There's a reason why it's called a desert

It was just 2 pieces of white clothes

Just look at all those pilgrims who never stops making their rounds

The heat was what I blame but maybe there are other spiritual factor. Basically, this mini pilgrimage was never meant to be easy. It was meant to be a test and boy, was I tested. I was tested with the weather and I was also tested with the chance of doing business in Mekah. It may seem like a good place to do business but when it came during you trying to concentrate on doing something spiritually, it was not the best place for it.

So, after suffering from night fever (not the Saturday kind) which my wife and even colleagues could see happening to me as we had a few events and appointments which we had to attend to after 8pm, I decided to take myself to an island vacation.

I went to the island favoured and well-known by a lot of foreigners as one of the beautiful island in the world called Pangkor Laut. It was supposed to be an expensive affair but as I had always use the facilities offered by the company which operates that island, I got a good deal. It was a full-board vacation where you only have to only worry about what to wear (or not wear). Maybe these pictures can help you imagine the tranquility....

It was the perfect anecdote.

Rested and well-fed (the food are always superb there), I seem to have recovered now from whatever it was I was suffering.

Ready to face the world....