Ramadan 1428 Hijra' Mubarak

So I'm here and back again.

The 9 days I was away, a lot of things happened to a lot of places and people:

- The big earthquake in Bengkulu, Indonesia

My condolences.

Also, thanks for the many concerned e-mail and phone calls. My family and loved ones are fine. My hometown is Bandung, in Java. Bengkulu is in Sumatera. Two different islands.

- Ramadan kicked off on September 13, 2007

Ramadan mubarak!
After 7 years of doing it solo, it was so nice to get to start Ramadan with the family at home. Makes such a huge difference.

- Summer persisted at 30C in Tokyo (yikes!), 22C in Bandung (yeah!), and 33C in Singapore (BLECH!)

- A giant flying squirrel liked flying low and bumped his head on my brother's kneecap.

We are hoping sincerely that s/he didn't get a concussion.

- Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe resigned after 1 year of service. Veni, vedi, destroy! Very uninspiring.

- A plane crashed in Phuket, Thailand and killed 88 people.

My condolences.

... and many more.

It's good to be back!

For those who are fasting during Ramadan, "minal aidin wal faidzin, mohon maaf lahir dan bathin. Selamat menunaikan ibadah puasa di manapun anda berada."